Quintessence

Quintessence, also known as the fifth element, the celestial material, or the caelus materia, is the flow of mystical power through all of reality. It is invisible, intangible, and inaccessible through non-magical means. In fact, “magic” is defined as a methodology to interact with quintessence.   The original source of quintessence isn’t known amongst arcanist circles, but the prevailing theory is that quintessence flows from another realm of existence into ours and every other plane.   Many priests, shamans, and some arcane practitioners believe that quintessence and its flow directly influences a being’s ability to think, feel, and create. It might even be connected to the soul, but it is not clear how.

Spellcraft

The cycle of renewal for quintessence is connected to the nature of spellcasting. Quintessence, in its pure state, rarely interacts with anything physical. However, a few methods have been shown to have an effect on quintessence. The most simple case is when a magic user casts a spell. By channeling purpose through practiced gestures, words, or physical artifacts of power, a magic user can impose their will into the quintessence field around them.   When quintessence feels the pull of will, it begins to corrupt into a lesser state. Arcanists tends to categorize these states as fire, water, air, earth, metal, ice, lightning, thunder, acid, mind, motion, or some other expression of material or energy. The spell manifests and much of the energy returns to the ambient caelus materia field. However, a component of the spell is unable to return to quintessence. This new form is called “quintessential corruption” (also known as malpuro kvinesenco). An analogy to this is how soot can be seen after a fire burns.   The components to spells are usually fixed for each caster. Depending on the magical discipline, each component might vary between practitioners. However, a practitioner can rarely vary their own components for each spell. In other words, two casters can have different components for the same manifestation, but one caster can’t vary their components for the same spell.   Occasionally, an artificer can inscribe delicate patterns into special materials that affects the flow of quintessence much like will does. These patterns and their effects are called enchantments and still generate quintessential corruption.

Forms of Quintessence and the Cycle of Renewal

Quintessence naturally exists in its pure form. After a spell, enchantment, or manifestation introduces corruption, the malpuro kvinesenco tries and fails to return to the stream and flow of the caelus materia field. Instead, it is unusable for further magic. If left to congregate, the malpuro kvinesenco can reduce magical potency in an area. In severe cases of malpuro kvinesenco pollution, magic cannot manifest and sentients grow lethargic and complacent.   Nature has responded to this corruption with a two-part filtration and purification system. The first is the development and growth of mineral-like materials affectionately called quintessence crystals, but more precisely ĉielokristalo. Quintessence crystals are both beautiful and rare and their mining is a lucrative business.   Quintessence crystals absorb and transform corruption into malpura, which is like half-corrupted quintessence that is unusable for magic but doesn't introduce the stifling antimagic pollution malpuro kvinesenco does. This rarely understood form of quintessence is filtered by sacred trees into pure quintessence once again.