The Weave

The Weave is a way through which raw magic is accessed, tapped into and used by casters of magic. The Weave is considered many things: the source of magic, all the studies of casters, arcane and divine alike, and the many energies and forces that exist around the planes. Raw magic, which is dangerous (even lethal) to use, was traditionally filtered through “the Weave”, a grid-like natural energy similar to ley lines that kept mortals from interacting directly with raw magic, blanketing it in a more tangible and easy-to-use form. Where the weave is stronger (sometimes referred to as “knotted” or “tangled”) magic becomes gentle and compliant, but it not very powerful. Where the weave is weaker (or “thinner”), magic is more powerful but much more difficult to tame. This hard-to-tame magic is called Wild Magic. Wild Magic is the result of a weakness or “loophole” in the weave. Through these loopholes, small amounts of raw magic can be accessed at the user’s risk – the effects are powerful beyond understanding, but are unpredictable and oftentimes harmful or deadly.
600 years ago, Kowyn the Knowledgeable tore through the weave and unleashed ecological catastrophe, the likes of which has never been seen. Since this, the vast majority of people in Tandreal have been rendered unable to use magic, and those who can risk their very lives to do so. The Tear, unlike a loophole, is not naturally occurring, and therefore has produced a much more profound effect.