Magic

Magic flows through the natural world as the lifeblood of the existence. Its takes many forms, from the natural to the artificial. The rise and falls of countless civilizations are bound to the use or misuse of magic in its many forms. Magic, like most forces of nature, is neither good nor evil. Similarly, magic is not inherently lawful or chaotic. While it can be used for any of these ends, these definitions are defined by their purpose rather than their nature. Magic by itself does not have a purpose, much like nature itself.

Channels

Magic has two primary channels as defined by most scholars. Still, sometimes it is hard to specifically categorize certain magical aspects into these neat groupings.

Arcane

Arcane magic derives from the caster themselves and their ability to channel the flow of magical energies from the aether into the material world to accomplish some action.  Often this channeling takes the form of ritual or incantation, although there are those that have learned to accomplish the same effect with focused willpower.  

Wizards

Wizards use their rituals and studied behaviors, including incantations, materials and motions, to focus the flow of energies draw from the raw arcane energies of the aether and form them into spells. This type of magic traditionally requires significant study to achieve proficiency. Within the Empire of Illyria, the foremost academy for teaching arcane magic is the Mystical Academy of the Arcanum. Many students study for years before reaching even the most basic of abilities and most continue their studies in one form or another for rest of their lives.

Sorcerers

Sorcerers, unlike their wizard counterparts, are born with a natural ability to channel the raw energies of magic. Whether through their lineage or through some environmental factor, these practitioners find themselves able to draw upon the magic of the world and form it into spells they can direct. This control can often be more informal than other spell casters but some have a innate understanding of the flow of energies and can modify them as needed when a particular spell is being invoked. On the other side, though, sorcerers who cannot control this flow can find themselves suffering from burn out and can even suffer the loss of their magical ability or in the worst cases, death.

Bards

Bard, similar to wizards, find their power through rituals, although for Bards, this often takes the form of performances of an artistic nature. These can range from songs and poetry to dance or even drawings or paintings.  While there are some that insist that bardic magic is dependent upon an audience, there is some question about this as bards are still able to draw and shape magic even when alone.  

Monks

While many consider monks to be more associated with deities and the divine, their use of their own willpower to channel magical energies and form and focus them into spell effects place them within the arcana category.  Although many are members of religious organizations, this does not appear to be a prerequisite for this type of magical channeling.  There are some sects within the Empire and outside it that use meditation as a form of self-reflection that can be used to tap into magical energies for a variety of effects.

Divine

Devine magic differentiates itself from the arcane through the use of an intermediary source that works in conjunction with the caster to channel the energies and help direct them into the desired form. These intermediaries can be deities or demigods, powerful natural spirits or powerful extra-planar entities.

Clerics

Priests draw their energies through their deities, using their worship and devotion to help connect themselves with their chosen gods to draw upon their magical energies and form them into useful incantations. Magic of this type tend to fall into specific domains associated with the spheres of influence of the particular god. Similar to Wizards, Clerics use ritual and incantations to draw and focus their magic and form it into use for their spellcasting.

Druids

Druids draw upon the energies of the wild places of nature to fuel their spellcasting. Focusing the energies of natural places, not necessarily places full of life, but powerful locations that draw and concentrate mystical power, druids uses these sources of energy to fuel their spells.

Warlocks

Power for Warlocks come from usually extraplanar entities through the formation of contract or bond. In exchange for some agreed upon price, these powerful forces grant some of their power to the warlock and act as a channel for this energy.

Sources

Magical energies can come in many forms but in general derive from the contrast between order and chaos. The juxtaposition of these two natures brings about a flow of energy that drive many of the natural processes found in the world. Additionally, these powers can be focused and drawn upon by individuals and other mechanisms to manifest as magic.

Aether

As magical energy is generated in the cosmos, this energy flows through the aether, the atmosphere of magical energy most associated with the Ethereal Plane.  This material also extends to the Prime Material planes as well as the adjacent Feywild and Shadowfell realms.  

Ley Energy

As magic flows through the planes of existence, sometimes the flow gathers into streams and rivers, resulting in the creation of Ley Lines. These concentrations of magic makes the drawing upon this power easier and many spells that require a significant amount of energy can be made simplifier through the appropriate use of Ley energies by locating them near these natural flows of energies.

Focus Crystals

Some materials, in particular those in a crystalline form can collect and focus magical energies. These can be used to create magical items or be used to power spell casting in places where magical energies might not be normally accessibly. Additionally, they can be used to provide a burst of energy to power incantations that require more power than would be available through the natural flow or than could be channeled safely by a spell caster.