Power

Bringing power to one's will

Table of Contents

A bard charms the beasts of the wild with his music.

Description

"Power" in Arda is the catch-all term given to any supernatural abilities which are displayed or wielded by the peoples or creatures of the world. The term is particularly relevant in the nation of Magnos, whose culture places has historically put great value on the use and cultivation of Power. Power in Arda means many different things to many different people, and not all sources of Power are seen as equal. Some Powers, or their applications, can be perceived as natural or unnatural, divine or arcane, good or evil, and so on. Some examples of powers include:

• Magic - (such as divine, arcane, occult (such as bardic magic), Shadow, elemental, natural, or others)
• Artifice - (the act or ability of drawing or imbuing inanimate objects with Power)
• Alchemy - (the act or ability of drawing or imbuing Power to plants or other natural substances, including the creation of psuedo-life or homunculi)
• Ki - (the act or ability to manipulate life energy)
• Psionics - (the ability to manipulate matter with mental acuity)

Other examples exist, but these are the most common examples. Likewise, those who lack any such abilities as listed above are known as the "Powerless". While the term "Powerless" is a slur among the mages of Arda, one does not strictly need Power to be successful in Magnos or abroad. Indeed, many others, such as fighters and rogues, can become powerful without any mastery of Power.

A psion exercises their Power.

About

By definition, the nature of Power is extremely diverse. Therefore, a common explanation for the existence of the manifold expressions of abilities is difficult to discern. Scholars of Arda have long debated from whence these powers manifested, though any such theories are difficult to prove. Many believe that Power is a gift from the Heavens, as many of the Children of the Heavens have a capacity to use power. Similarly so, the Children of the Primordials, who were transformed from the aforementioned Children of the Heavens also have the same capacity. Yet, not all magics are strictly connected to the domains of the Heavens, other forms of Power are more strongly associated with the Primordial Lords or even the Shadow.
Others scholars believe that Power is passed with some hereditary factors. It is known that some bloodlines of Arda have been known to produce powerful mages over the years. As a result, families in magic-accepting nations have sought to select for descendants with more impactful Power than their own, while those in magic-fearing nations have sought to shun or deport the families of known spellcasters.  However, even such attempts to court powerful bloodlines together have not always been successful, and not all such unions are guaranteed to produce Power-capable offspring. Ultimately, the real mechanism of action of producing one with strong Power is never truly known, be they by natural science, by divine providence, or both.
Not all Power is cultivated by accident of birth, but others are cultivated during the lifetime of each practitioner. For example, a cleric of a deity may or may not have had a natural predisposition to the use of a Power, but could gain it by their deeds and devotion to their gods. Likewise, others make pacts with Primordial spirits in order to gain the service of such a spirit, along with the ability to channel the power of that spirit to their own ends, thus gaining the use of Power. Others can study to learn to how to channel the magics of Arda into spells with dedication and practice, such as wizards.
Each nation's views on the use of Power and which are acceptable or unacceptable are largely based on the culture and history of each nation (see the Religion subsection for each nation). Regardless of each nation's views on magic in general, divine magic, especially that of the Heavens, are generally looked upon favorably by the peoples of Arda. Likewise, the use of Shadow magic is often seen as evil, as the overwhelming majority of such users have connections to the malicious horror.

See Also

• Religions of the Dragon's Domain
• Magnos