Foundations of Magic
Foundations of Magic
Magic is a well-known term throughout Arxios. But what is it? What is this mystical power that can upend the natural course of reality, bending and twisting to the user's whim. Where does it come from? To that question, there is no clear answer, only theory.Types of Magic
Practical magic; The magic we employ, can be divided into three major types: Arcane, Divine, and Primal. However, it can also be said that Arcane and Primal magic are one and the same, only differing through the method of learning or obtaining the power to wield it.Arcane magic is learned magic. It is a skill studied, understood, and mastered. Quite literally, it is a language: Draconic, the tongue of the dragons. After all, it was the dragons that first taught mortals how to wield such power, and their language is still the prime Lingua Arcana* to this day.
Divine magic is employed by creatures who are faithful or otherwise aligned with a divine being. In contrast to arcane magic, which is studied and crafted by the user, divine magic can be understood better as a request. One who wishes to wield divine power requests aid from their patron deity, who may see fit to grant the power requested of them. By this theory, it could be reasonable to consider those who invoke power from other beings, those 'eldritch' in nature, are employing divine magic in their own fashion.
Primal magic is power pulled from the world itself, calling upon the innate magic that resides within all things to heed the user's command. As we dig deeper into the foundations of runes and the draconic language, it will become more clear as to why some may consider Primal and Arcane magic one and the same.
Runic Theory and the Language of Dragons
To understand runic theory, we must first understand what gods truly are. Through centuries of research, magical inference, and communing with the divine Most believe that deities are personifications, or embodiments, of a larger, ephemeral concept. "Patrons" if you will, of a certain idea. In reality, a deity is comprised of two major parts: An Avatar, and a Primal*.The Avatar is the personification of a deity. It is the manifestation with whom a petitioner may commune. The physical form that one may see in a vision. As far as most believe, this is the extent to which a god exists. A powerful being that governs a certain domain. This, however, is just the tip of a rather maddening iceberg.
The Primal is the name with which we describe the true nature of a deity. It is the entirely fluid concept of what that deity represents. In 603CE, archeologists uncovered ancient religious scriptures, dating back to the Time Before* which were restored through magic, written in the old common script. These scriptures refer to deities we know today, but by entirely different names. Ghezen, for example, we know as the god of advancement, of ingenuity, creativity; A patron of commerce and civilization. Within the scriptures, this being is referred to as "Growth"; A wildly vague concept. But it proves a point, that these beings are more than patrons of their domains, governors of the laws that they represent. Rather they ARE those concepts, given consciousness. But by who?
The Soul
Anima. The soul, mother goddess and creator of the known universe. Who else but Anima could grant sentience to such base laws of reality. But then you may ask, "how did Anima gain the sentience required to perform such a feat?" That we do not know. Many believe that she came into existence with such power, that to deny her that soul at birth would be to deny her very existence, as she is the soul itself.Dragons
Now that we know how deities are formed, we may dive into the role of dragons. As many believe, and this is supported by what little history we have uncovered from the Time Before; Dragons were once emissaries of the divine, celestial beings sent to shepherd civilization and act as proxies to carry out the will of the gods. And yet, they were the first to betray their masters. Why? None are sure. What we know is that there were certain gifts, certain knowledge, that mortals were not meant to know. Yet in open defiance of their rules, the dragons taught ancient mortals to read and speak in their tongue. Once again, there is no sure reason as to why this was an affront to the gods and their will, but the theories herein present a solid hypothesis.The dragons were created as extensions of the gods, imbued with divine power. Their language was one created to commune with the divine, and so must contain a deeper meaning beyond the verbal capacity. Luckily, unlike most knowledge of the Time Before, language has survived nearly undamaged. Examining the draconic script we find some interesting comparisons. Using Ghezen once again as an example, the draconic character for "Growth", "Advance", "Bring Forth" (the draconic tongue, like magic, is based heavily on intent and context, and so characters take on many similar meanings) translates to "Gez". While there is no traceable connection, it is theorized that the common name for the being Ghezen is derived from this character.
Runic Theory
And finally we reach the point of this ramble. Given the connections between ancient names of deities, the understanding of their primal concepts, and the consequences of the dragons' divulgence of their tongue being seen as an affront to the gods, the archmage Hecater created what is now the most accepted theory for the foundation of magic:The draconic language employs the true names of the divine, invoking their power not from their avatar, but from their primal form.
By tapping into the primal nature of a god, one bypasses the soul of that being, and with it all notion of control that that being employs. One can access the reality-bending power of the divine without necessarily "asking".
But you may ask, "Why, if we can directly access the power of a god, are we not able to wield the full capacity of their power. Why are we not raising mountains into the sky, or opening great canyons into the center of the earth?" The key, is the language. The draconic language is based upon the user's intent, and their intent is derived from their knowledge. The reason we cannot employ the same power as the dragons, sorcerers of old, or the gods themselves, is that we simply lack the same understanding of their words. This theory here presents the most well-informed hypothesis as to why there is so little knowledge of the time before. Someone, or something, wanted for mortals to remain without power, and so they destroyed the knowledge required for them to attain it.
Footnotes
*Lingua Arcana — Language of magic, language through which magic is invoked.
*Primal — Aspect of a deity, not to be confused with primal magic.
*Time Before — An all-encompassing term for era's beyond known history. It is known that civilizations existed, and kept histories of their world, but only a fraction of that history still exists, and no one is entirely sure why.
Type
Metaphysical, Arcane
Comments
Author's Notes
The information contained herein is derived from the principle Runic Theory; Created by the Archmage Hecater, and practiced at the Hecater School of Magic and Mystics.