Magic as Ribbons: An Introductional Thesis
The following is an academic thesis that argues the idea that all magic cast by mortals operates on the same fundamental principles and calls back to the same sources. The complications of arcane versus divine practices, labored practice versus otherworldly granted, and why not everyone can perform magic are ignored for the sake of the base argument.
The school of Arcana focuses on utilizing the most primordial ribbons. This magic is thought of as raw and has no general direction. This magic can directly impact magic and seem to spontaneously utilize more than initially used.
The schools of Abjuration, Conjuration, Divination, Evocation, Illusion, and Transmutation then extend out from Arcana each with its own focus. As magic began to be utilized more and more, different ribbons gained affinities for different roles. Those more inclined for generating energies separated from the ribbons that comfortably fit around physical beings in a protective cocoon. Some could be infused into matter to alter its properties while others could be used as a metaphysical link and leash between beings and places. Sense enhancers opposed sense blockers.
Because the ribbons have existed since the beginning, there are also ribbons innately ingrained within the natural world that can be interacted with. Some are tapped into the earth while others are settled into the movements of the air. All living things are connected by a mesh of ribbons that has developed as they have. This has generated the Nature school of magic. Taking this one step further, the very essence of life is intertwined with ribbons. This is the Healing school. Whether one stems from the other or they have simply grown so attached they seem inseparable is unknown.
Magic is affected not online by life but by sentience. As higher intelligence material creatures interacted with magic more frequently, specific ribbons developed with this higher sentience. The Social school of magic is the consequence of when Ribbons became tied to social interaction and psychology. Unfortunately, this influence on the Ribbons did not stop here. With sentience comes the possibility of ethics and morality. The Ribbons simply have propensities for certain capabilities. Intelligence and sentience are capable of innovation and the Ribbons began to be used in ways generally thought inappropriate. The larger the stigma behind these uses of magic became the more the Ribbons adapted away from each of their initial sources and developed into their own tabooed and demented Ribbon. This Ribbon, and the school based around it, became labeled as Dark. There is nothing inherently evil about the Ribbon itself. The great influence of the taboo brought together the potential of many schools into a single, almost artificial Ribbon whose inclination is the essence of taboo itself.
When a nonmagical creature begins the process of learning to use magic, they focus on a specific Ribbon. Because the Ribbons are so differentiated, it is easiest to focus on a single ribbon at first rather than grasping magic in general. Some find it easiest to begin with the primordial Ribbons of Arcana while others focus on a type of ribbon that is compatible with their personality or core values. When the individual has managed to reach out and touch a ribbon, they have tapped into the first tier of magic.
The individual must then focus on strengthening their capability of grasping a ribbon they have touched and willing it to be transformed into a desired effect. This metaphysical strength functions as a generalized muscle and is not specific to any given Ribbon. The more an individual works out this muscle, the greater their endurance in manipulating any type of Ribbon they have managed to tap into. It is possible to move beyond this first tier of magic and there are two generalized philosophies behind doing so.
The first of the two philosophies is that of the Essentialists. Within this ideology, not only are there different types of ribbons but there are different qualities of ribbons. By better understanding a particular type of ribbon’s essence, a caster is capable of finding these “purer” ribbons. Doing so is a greater strain upon the individual by increasing the constraints of the metaphysical search but it allows them to take these stronger ribbons and to create a greater effect.
The second philosophy is that of the Weavers. These individuals develop their skills with a ribbon to the point of being able to grab multiple ribbons at the same time to utilize a cord rather than a strand to create the larger effects similar to those that the Essentialists do with their more precisely found ribbon. This method also creates a greater strain on the caster as they handle multiple ribbons at once. Either philosophical method, and their subsequent possible sub-ideologies, can be used to tap into the second tier of magic. The final tier of magic is only within the grasp of those casters that have gained the heightened understanding of the Essentialists and the handling capabilities of the Weavers to utilize multiple purer strands.
To take things further, casters may also create novel and original magical effects by combining schools of magic. The Essentialists and Weavers differ here as well. The Weavers develop methods of handling two different ribbons at once. Essentialists have a slightly messier technique behind developing a dual spell. The Essentialists take specific sections of ribbons that want to do what the caster intends and stitch them together to congruent parts of a second ribbon to create a single ribbon that can perform the desired task.
Those individuals who wish to create effects combining more than two known spells must utilize both techniques as with unlocking Tier III effects. Now, it is important to note that the capability of performing these ribbon manipulations with a single type of ribbon is not needed to be able to do them with multiple. This is due to the nature of ribbons. As Ribbons differentiated in their propensities, they also differentiated in the levels of materiality that they exist in. (Similar to how gamma rays exist at different frequencies as radio waves despite both being on the same spectrum.) It can be easier to hold onto two different types of ribbons than two ribbons of the same type that want to react to each other before you use them how you wish. Additionally, the stitching of the Essentialists does not have to be with the purest, strongest ribbons. In fact, it is the impure ribbons that are easiest to stitch together because of the generalized edges that fit together better than the specific puzzle pieces of purer essence. It is quite common for teachers to teach multi-ribbon techniques to help a student better understand how to tap into a higher tier of casting.
Rituals follow all of the same theories as exist for spells. The primary difference with rituals is that they are seeking to create a larger, more powerful effect. To do so, the caster is required to use additional components and time. Components may act as a channel for the Ribbons, may provide their own Ribbon to add to the effect, or serve as an anchor to hold the ribbons together. Because of the more potent effects, rituals take more time to successfully complete than spells because the Ribbons either require more time to be properly manipulate into the desired effect or they require a focused setting time to prevent degradation once unleashed.
Magic is indeed quite powerful, but its use is rather rare. Relatively few people are taught how to use it. The most common magic user most peasants will know is the druidic hermit outside the village, the travelling fortuneteller, the priest of a town temple, the feared shaman of an orc tribe, or in stories. Large cities may have a magic college but not many students usually study at them. A majority of these “common” magic users only have access to a single school or two and rarely have access to Tier II magic. Those that do have Tier II magic usually only have such access to a single school unless they are quite notable. Tier III magic is unheard of outside the realm of the leading members of guilds, colleges, and large temples.
Magic as Ribbons
Magic exists in the world. It is not necessarily drawn from some other realm/plane or required to be inherent within some being. Most magic just is. Like light and matter, it is simply another component of the world. It is useful to think of magic as ephemeral ribbons flowing through the world. Casting spells is a matter of grasping these ribbons and utilizing their potential. The potential of each ribbon can be different though. In the beginning, it is thought that all magic was generalized but has since segregated itself over time.The school of Arcana focuses on utilizing the most primordial ribbons. This magic is thought of as raw and has no general direction. This magic can directly impact magic and seem to spontaneously utilize more than initially used.
The schools of Abjuration, Conjuration, Divination, Evocation, Illusion, and Transmutation then extend out from Arcana each with its own focus. As magic began to be utilized more and more, different ribbons gained affinities for different roles. Those more inclined for generating energies separated from the ribbons that comfortably fit around physical beings in a protective cocoon. Some could be infused into matter to alter its properties while others could be used as a metaphysical link and leash between beings and places. Sense enhancers opposed sense blockers.
Because the ribbons have existed since the beginning, there are also ribbons innately ingrained within the natural world that can be interacted with. Some are tapped into the earth while others are settled into the movements of the air. All living things are connected by a mesh of ribbons that has developed as they have. This has generated the Nature school of magic. Taking this one step further, the very essence of life is intertwined with ribbons. This is the Healing school. Whether one stems from the other or they have simply grown so attached they seem inseparable is unknown.
Magic is affected not online by life but by sentience. As higher intelligence material creatures interacted with magic more frequently, specific ribbons developed with this higher sentience. The Social school of magic is the consequence of when Ribbons became tied to social interaction and psychology. Unfortunately, this influence on the Ribbons did not stop here. With sentience comes the possibility of ethics and morality. The Ribbons simply have propensities for certain capabilities. Intelligence and sentience are capable of innovation and the Ribbons began to be used in ways generally thought inappropriate. The larger the stigma behind these uses of magic became the more the Ribbons adapted away from each of their initial sources and developed into their own tabooed and demented Ribbon. This Ribbon, and the school based around it, became labeled as Dark. There is nothing inherently evil about the Ribbon itself. The great influence of the taboo brought together the potential of many schools into a single, almost artificial Ribbon whose inclination is the essence of taboo itself.
Using the Ribbons
When a nonmagical creature begins the process of learning to use magic, they focus on a specific Ribbon. Because the Ribbons are so differentiated, it is easiest to focus on a single ribbon at first rather than grasping magic in general. Some find it easiest to begin with the primordial Ribbons of Arcana while others focus on a type of ribbon that is compatible with their personality or core values. When the individual has managed to reach out and touch a ribbon, they have tapped into the first tier of magic.
The individual must then focus on strengthening their capability of grasping a ribbon they have touched and willing it to be transformed into a desired effect. This metaphysical strength functions as a generalized muscle and is not specific to any given Ribbon. The more an individual works out this muscle, the greater their endurance in manipulating any type of Ribbon they have managed to tap into. It is possible to move beyond this first tier of magic and there are two generalized philosophies behind doing so.
The first of the two philosophies is that of the Essentialists. Within this ideology, not only are there different types of ribbons but there are different qualities of ribbons. By better understanding a particular type of ribbon’s essence, a caster is capable of finding these “purer” ribbons. Doing so is a greater strain upon the individual by increasing the constraints of the metaphysical search but it allows them to take these stronger ribbons and to create a greater effect.
The second philosophy is that of the Weavers. These individuals develop their skills with a ribbon to the point of being able to grab multiple ribbons at the same time to utilize a cord rather than a strand to create the larger effects similar to those that the Essentialists do with their more precisely found ribbon. This method also creates a greater strain on the caster as they handle multiple ribbons at once. Either philosophical method, and their subsequent possible sub-ideologies, can be used to tap into the second tier of magic. The final tier of magic is only within the grasp of those casters that have gained the heightened understanding of the Essentialists and the handling capabilities of the Weavers to utilize multiple purer strands.
To take things further, casters may also create novel and original magical effects by combining schools of magic. The Essentialists and Weavers differ here as well. The Weavers develop methods of handling two different ribbons at once. Essentialists have a slightly messier technique behind developing a dual spell. The Essentialists take specific sections of ribbons that want to do what the caster intends and stitch them together to congruent parts of a second ribbon to create a single ribbon that can perform the desired task.
Those individuals who wish to create effects combining more than two known spells must utilize both techniques as with unlocking Tier III effects. Now, it is important to note that the capability of performing these ribbon manipulations with a single type of ribbon is not needed to be able to do them with multiple. This is due to the nature of ribbons. As Ribbons differentiated in their propensities, they also differentiated in the levels of materiality that they exist in. (Similar to how gamma rays exist at different frequencies as radio waves despite both being on the same spectrum.) It can be easier to hold onto two different types of ribbons than two ribbons of the same type that want to react to each other before you use them how you wish. Additionally, the stitching of the Essentialists does not have to be with the purest, strongest ribbons. In fact, it is the impure ribbons that are easiest to stitch together because of the generalized edges that fit together better than the specific puzzle pieces of purer essence. It is quite common for teachers to teach multi-ribbon techniques to help a student better understand how to tap into a higher tier of casting.
Rituals follow all of the same theories as exist for spells. The primary difference with rituals is that they are seeking to create a larger, more powerful effect. To do so, the caster is required to use additional components and time. Components may act as a channel for the Ribbons, may provide their own Ribbon to add to the effect, or serve as an anchor to hold the ribbons together. Because of the more potent effects, rituals take more time to successfully complete than spells because the Ribbons either require more time to be properly manipulate into the desired effect or they require a focused setting time to prevent degradation once unleashed.
Phenomenal Cosmic Power, Itty-Bitty User Base
Magic is indeed quite powerful, but its use is rather rare. Relatively few people are taught how to use it. The most common magic user most peasants will know is the druidic hermit outside the village, the travelling fortuneteller, the priest of a town temple, the feared shaman of an orc tribe, or in stories. Large cities may have a magic college but not many students usually study at them. A majority of these “common” magic users only have access to a single school or two and rarely have access to Tier II magic. Those that do have Tier II magic usually only have such access to a single school unless they are quite notable. Tier III magic is unheard of outside the realm of the leading members of guilds, colleges, and large temples.
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