Old Magic - Pre AO

Before the Arcane Arts were codified into proper schools, disciplines, and generally teachable chunks, magic was wild, unpredictable, and ethereal. Casting required supreme focus, ability, and the blessing of the Arcanes themselves.
The ebb and flow of the font of magic had upsides, with casters able to will magic into existence with their very life force, but it often had drastic downsides of casters falling powerless and nearly lifeless at too much expenditure.
See the following link for mechanical system of Magic in the Pre-AO eras. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1I3ne2lGVph0wpMsxOHI_GgW67FAM6gCgAUyFO4Q8ZaA/edit