The Infinite Chain: The Shape of Magic

When, at the dawn of The Old Empire (1501-1212), the Berythian-led Council of Landezon first embraced the Nurhetic and Aurimbic Traditions, strategy was the key motivator. Befriending these rising Orders in the continents of Delhiza and Arlok was seen as more advantageous than competing with them. The newly joined Traditions agreed, recognizing the substantial benefits of aligning with the foremost arcane organization in the world. However, as initial satisfactions faded, challenges emerged. The Elements, Dream, and Fate were not merely different “styles” of magic but channels to distinct realms of possibility, thought, and experience. No single theory could encapsulate what connected them, threatening the Council's long-term cohesion.
The Infinite Chain emerged as the solution: a divine structure from which the blessings of Magic flow, perceived through three unique Lenses. This concept was the result of numerous inter-Tradition discussions about the origins of magic. While pinpointing Magic's exact source proved elusive, mages shared a universal experience with it. In the early phases of casting, one "pulls" from it and is simultaneously drawn into Magic, creating a mirrored interaction.
Each Tradition connects with Magic through its distinct filter, shaping and being shaped by its worldview. Berythians engage with Magic through words and sound; Nurhetics through images and sight; Aurimbics through numbers and touch. Through formal descriptions in each sense-language, a trifold image of Magic materialized. The Infinite Chain represents this image – the implied shape of Magic itself.
Strangely enough, the shared vision of this shape, a kind of metaphor for thinking about it, is that of a chain – strange because, with absolutely no knowledge of its actual existence based on medieval-era science, this accurately identifies DNA as the true source of magic: DNA being a transducer of the nanoscale quantum computing substance, Enthredic.
All three Traditions recognize the importance of the Infinite Chain, but each have a different interpretation:
• Berythians see the Infinite Chain as a physical structure that stores and transmits the "instructions" for magical abilities, similar to how DNA stores and transmits the instructions for building an organism.
• Nurhetics see the Infinite Chain as the flow of life-energy or consciousness that connects all beings and all moments in time, like a cosmic river or stream.
• Aurimbics see the Infinite Chain as the structure of the Pattern itself, which shapes and guides the unfolding of time.