Magic (maa-jic)
Magic is a fundamental force in the universe, and is a substance that can be found almost anywhere, in varying quantities.
Magic can come from many different sources, but there are several common sources which most magicians use. The first source is internal magic. Internal magic is magic drawn from within the user's own, inherent magical pool. All creatures have one, and the size varies by species and race. With training, this magical pool can be increased, though every individual has an upper limit. This magical reserve gradually and naturally refills over time, but the process is boosted while resting or after eating. Some are unable to tap into this magical pool, and so it goes dormant most of their lives. Magic performed by using one's own internal pool requires far greater concentration than using a focus object. If the magic user continues to use magic after this pool is depleted, the magic will instead start cutting into their life force, and they will appear to rapidly age before one's eyes. Angels and devils are the two races with the largest internal magical pool, followed by dragons. Elves possess a rather large magical pool, though fall behind dragons by a colossal amount. Humans have a small magical pool, and it is hard for them to draw upon it. Still, with training, it can be done. Dwarves have one of the smallest magical pools, and very few dwarves even bother with magic.
Fairies, pixies, and sprites, although born entirely from raw magic, have the tiniest magical pools, and their actual magical ability is limited to simple, low-energy spells, like confusion or inducing sleep. (However, this pool can be temporarily increased under the right conditions.) The other primary source of magic is ambient magic. This is the preferred method for races with a small magical pool. With this method, magic is drawn from the air around the user to complete a spell, using the natural magic that flows all over the world. Using this type of magic still draws on the user's magical pool, but in miniscule amounts, as using ambient magic is incredibly easy. Even so, once the user's magical pool is depleted, they cannot use any more ambient magic without cutting into their life force, similar to inherent magic. This method can be done barehanded, but the effect is far more efficient, powerful, and stable when used via a focus object to channel the magic through, such as a wand, staff, or even a weapon. It should be noted that the complexity of the focus object holds no bearing on its power or output; the focus and the intent, as well as the magical power of the user, are what are important. No matter how the focus object is made or how intricate it is, they all share one crucial trait: every focus object must have a certain amount of liquid magic absorbed, soaked, or set into it. Without this, magic with the object is impossible. Areas with raw, liquid magic are exceedingly rare, and due to the high density of magic in the air (enough to form condensation, aka liquid magic), extremely dangerous for any and all creatures with low magic tolerance. As such, the liquid magic for a focus object almost always comes from elves, devils, fairies, and other similarly resistant races. The difficulty of the magical infusion ultimately depends on the material; this is why so many focus objects are made from material that is easy to work with, such as glass, paper, or wood. Infusing liquid magic into a metal focus object, or a material of similar strength, is extremely difficult, with tungsten being among the hardest materials to turn into a focus object. As well, the stronger material provides no inherent boost to the wielder's magical power, and as such, is usually done for cosmetic purposes only.
Magic is primarily performed via intent and focus. The clearer the intent, and the sharper the focus, the more powerful and more stable a spell will be. For this reason, many magicians use focus objects (such as staves, wands, weapons, crystals, et cetera), incantations, and hand movements (or all three), in order to devote themselves and their focus entirely to the spell. With certain training and self improvement, such as meditation, mindfulness, anger management, or anything of the like, spells can be performed nonverbally, without any of these things. Magicians who do so are usually completely dedicated to their craft, and have spent many years honing their focus. It should be noted that every magician is unique, and once the user's base focus of magic has been sharpened enough, they can focus more on the flairs or personal touches they put on their magic. For example, some magicians, when casting spells, focus on creating a complex (if purely cosmetic) magical circle (or multiple circles) at the source of their magic, to give it an arcane appearance. Others will choose specific poses or motions for their spells, that are used every time, further cementing their intent and focus. This also applies to specific magics, like pyromancy: once they've mastered the basics, many fire magicians will alter the color of their fire however they like. Whatever cosmetic changes they make, and however they perform their spells, as long as the focus and intent are strong, the magic will be powerful and successful. Ultimately, how the magic appears as it is being used is up to the individual magician.
The capabilities of magic largely depend on what category is being used, and as such, a true list of exhaustive capabilities is unavailable. There are, however, common classes of magic, each with a specific focus. Below is a brief list.
As broad, powerful and complex as magic is, there are several limitations. Listed are some of these limitations, with explanations where available.
Source
Magic can come from many different sources, but there are several common sources which most magicians use. The first source is internal magic. Internal magic is magic drawn from within the user's own, inherent magical pool. All creatures have one, and the size varies by species and race. With training, this magical pool can be increased, though every individual has an upper limit. This magical reserve gradually and naturally refills over time, but the process is boosted while resting or after eating. Some are unable to tap into this magical pool, and so it goes dormant most of their lives. Magic performed by using one's own internal pool requires far greater concentration than using a focus object. If the magic user continues to use magic after this pool is depleted, the magic will instead start cutting into their life force, and they will appear to rapidly age before one's eyes. Angels and devils are the two races with the largest internal magical pool, followed by dragons. Elves possess a rather large magical pool, though fall behind dragons by a colossal amount. Humans have a small magical pool, and it is hard for them to draw upon it. Still, with training, it can be done. Dwarves have one of the smallest magical pools, and very few dwarves even bother with magic.
Fairies, pixies, and sprites, although born entirely from raw magic, have the tiniest magical pools, and their actual magical ability is limited to simple, low-energy spells, like confusion or inducing sleep. (However, this pool can be temporarily increased under the right conditions.) The other primary source of magic is ambient magic. This is the preferred method for races with a small magical pool. With this method, magic is drawn from the air around the user to complete a spell, using the natural magic that flows all over the world. Using this type of magic still draws on the user's magical pool, but in miniscule amounts, as using ambient magic is incredibly easy. Even so, once the user's magical pool is depleted, they cannot use any more ambient magic without cutting into their life force, similar to inherent magic. This method can be done barehanded, but the effect is far more efficient, powerful, and stable when used via a focus object to channel the magic through, such as a wand, staff, or even a weapon. It should be noted that the complexity of the focus object holds no bearing on its power or output; the focus and the intent, as well as the magical power of the user, are what are important. No matter how the focus object is made or how intricate it is, they all share one crucial trait: every focus object must have a certain amount of liquid magic absorbed, soaked, or set into it. Without this, magic with the object is impossible. Areas with raw, liquid magic are exceedingly rare, and due to the high density of magic in the air (enough to form condensation, aka liquid magic), extremely dangerous for any and all creatures with low magic tolerance. As such, the liquid magic for a focus object almost always comes from elves, devils, fairies, and other similarly resistant races. The difficulty of the magical infusion ultimately depends on the material; this is why so many focus objects are made from material that is easy to work with, such as glass, paper, or wood. Infusing liquid magic into a metal focus object, or a material of similar strength, is extremely difficult, with tungsten being among the hardest materials to turn into a focus object. As well, the stronger material provides no inherent boost to the wielder's magical power, and as such, is usually done for cosmetic purposes only.
Method
Magic is primarily performed via intent and focus. The clearer the intent, and the sharper the focus, the more powerful and more stable a spell will be. For this reason, many magicians use focus objects (such as staves, wands, weapons, crystals, et cetera), incantations, and hand movements (or all three), in order to devote themselves and their focus entirely to the spell. With certain training and self improvement, such as meditation, mindfulness, anger management, or anything of the like, spells can be performed nonverbally, without any of these things. Magicians who do so are usually completely dedicated to their craft, and have spent many years honing their focus. It should be noted that every magician is unique, and once the user's base focus of magic has been sharpened enough, they can focus more on the flairs or personal touches they put on their magic. For example, some magicians, when casting spells, focus on creating a complex (if purely cosmetic) magical circle (or multiple circles) at the source of their magic, to give it an arcane appearance. Others will choose specific poses or motions for their spells, that are used every time, further cementing their intent and focus. This also applies to specific magics, like pyromancy: once they've mastered the basics, many fire magicians will alter the color of their fire however they like. Whatever cosmetic changes they make, and however they perform their spells, as long as the focus and intent are strong, the magic will be powerful and successful. Ultimately, how the magic appears as it is being used is up to the individual magician.
Capabilities
The capabilities of magic largely depend on what category is being used, and as such, a true list of exhaustive capabilities is unavailable. There are, however, common classes of magic, each with a specific focus. Below is a brief list.
- Aerokinesis/Aeromancy: Air-based magic.
- Arcanokinesis/Arcanomancy: Arcanokinesis is the ability to control raw magic itself, and use it however they wish. Note that this differs from a magician drawing raw magic out of the air to do something; the raw magic in this case is the end result. Arcanomancers can theoretically perform all other classes of magic, simply by manipulating raw magic however they like. However, they are exceedingly rare and more often than not, are not capable of causing any real harm.
- Artemancy: Magic involving art.
- Atramancy: Ink-based magic.
- Cryokinesis: Cold and ice-based magic.
- Electrokinesis: Electricity-based magic.
- Enchantment: Certain spells can be "engraved" permanently into an item. For example, a speed spell set into a pair of boots, or a defensive spell forged into a set of armor. As with all magic, how this "engraving" appears visibly/cosmetically is ultimately up to the user (or the client, depending on the situation.) Once engraved, this enchantment requires no further focus or magical energy from either the maker or the user; it is automatically and permanently active.
- Erythrokinesis/Erythromancy: Blood-based magic. Forbidden by most races.
- Ferrokinesis: Metal-based magic. Subset of terrakinesis.
- Hyalokinesis: Glass-based magic. Subset of psammokinesis, which is itself a subset of terrakinesis.
- Hydrokinesis/Hydromancy: Water-based magic.
- Nihilikinesis/Nihilimancy: Magic involving the void, usually associated with black holes.
- Photokinesis/Photomancy: Light-based magic.
- Psammokinesis: Sand-based magic.
- Pyromancy/Pyrokinesis: Fire-based magic.
- Symphonokinesis: Music involving magic and instruments.
- Telummancy: Magic involving the creation and manipulation of various weapons, such as swords, guns, rockets, knives, daggers, etc.
- Terrakinesis: Earth and rock-based magic.
- Toxokinesis/Toxomancy: Poison and acid-based magic.
- Umbrakinesis/Umbramancy: Darkness-based magic.
Limitations
As broad, powerful and complex as magic is, there are several limitations. Listed are some of these limitations, with explanations where available.
- Time Travel: Moving forward or backward in time is an effort that requires more energy than most races can provide, focus object or otherwise; the only races likely capable are angels, devils, and dragons. As well, the intent and focus of where one wishes to end up, along with all the details involved, is mentally taxing and hard to maintain. But even if one were to overcome these difficulties, they would ultimately be stopped, attacked, or even killed by the God of Time, who maintains the timeline and expressly forbids time travel of any kind. However, time stopping is permitted, as it does not affect the timeline; only stops it. Even so, stopping time is an incredibly draining affair, even for a dragon, and so many simply ignore the field of chronomancy altogether.
- True Love: There is no magic that can induce true love in an individual. In order to maintain a love spell, it must be constantly reapplied until the target's eventual death. Felicia, the Goddess of Love, prohibits and destroys any love spell, or the research involved, that she feels might breach this law.
- Necromancy/Resurrection: This power is theoretically possible, but so far only the gods have been shown to be capable of resurrection. Necromancy is far easier, but will not be a "true" revival of the individual; it simply reanimates their corpse as a zombie or skeleton thrall. Needless to say, resurrection is firmly out of the hands of any particular race.
- Money: It is unclear what force prevents this class of magic. Theories range from Mestis to Evelyn, sometimes even Eris himself. Whatever the reason, any money created out of thin air will vanish within two minutes of creation. This makes magic useless for forgery or wealth.
Manifestation
"Active" magic is the informal term for magic that is used to serve a direct purpose. It is the magic that all magicians, sorcerers, warlocks, witches, and wizards use when casting spells or using magic of any kind.
"Raw" magic is a type of magic that flows, omnipresent, through the universe. In normal quantities, raw magic is mostly undetectable without specific tools, and is mostly inert, flowing through the environment like oxygen. In denser quantities, raw magic can be identified as a colored vapor that glitters in light. The color and "alignment" of raw magic ultimately depends on its environment. In the depths of Vultrun, for example, raw magic is red or orange, and is primarily aligned with the element of fire. Towards the very center of Icrillon, raw magic takes a pale blue or white form.
In rare instances, raw magic is completely colorless, leaving only the glitter behind. This type of magic is incredibly dangerous, and for good reason. Excessive exposure to dense quantities of raw magic causes an individual to fall ill, and if left untreated, this condition could be life-threatening. Colorless raw magic may affect a person greatly before they comprehend what's happening, and by the time they do, it might already be too late. Bringing a bright light will greatly increase the raw magic's visibility. Performing a simple elemental spell will also temporarily "align" the magic with that color, making it more apparent exactly how much raw magic is in the air.
Liquid magic - that is, magic dense enough to form condensation on surfaces - is only found in areas where the level of raw magic in the air is lethal in mere minutes. Liquid magic is required for the creation of a focus object, and so, as dangerous as it is to obtain liquid magic, it is constantly in high demand.
It should be noted that races that are particularly attuned to sensing magic, such as dragons or fairies, have little trouble identifying these areas, and potentially warning other, less-resistant races about the risk.
Localization
Magic is almost everywhere, and there are very few locations where there is no magic at all. However, Elestrea is a notable magical "dead zone", for two main reasons: the first is the magic-dampening forcefield surrounding Elestrea at all times. The second is the fact that there is infrastructure in Elestrea dedicated to slowly filtering out and expelling magic from within the city.
Type
Metaphysical, Arcane
