Magic

The elven lady steps forward, her verdant robes fluttering behind her. The hordes of flying monstrosities begin to dive down onto the hapless settlement. Her voice echoes with an incantation, one hand signing while the other brandishes a polished wooden staff. With a swipe of her arm, she points the apparatus towards the skies as a mote of fire launches from its tip. The crimson bud of light soars towards a point at the center of the horde before expanding in an explosive, fiery inferno.
A human man in a brown, modest garment places his hands upon a child, wheezing and writhing in a fit of coughing upon a cot. He utters a prayer as his hands begin to emit a soft golden glow. Moments later, the child releases a sigh as the color returns to his face, along with a calm smile.
A hooded mage in bright blue robes designs a circle on the ground with chalk. Behind him, a group waits in anticipation as they huddle around a cramped stone room. At the completion of his preparation, he utters a string of words that causes the drawing to emanate a soft white light. With a gesture to the individuals behind him, they each step onto the circle, disappearing in succession in a flash of light, before the hooded man follows in suit. When the light subsides, they find themselves standing in a white domed hall bustling with a crowd.
The hardened half-orc warrior, with dirt and blood speckled over his armor, turns towards his motley platoon. He sees their weary expressions before barking out a prayer, an order to them all to follow suit. He bangs the holy symbol on his shield and gestures at every one of them. From the clouds, rays of light seem to fall upon each individual, and even when they fade, the marks linger to bolster them as they continue to battle.
All of this, because of magic.

Manifestation

Magic is power. Though some may argue the opposite. It is a manifestation of the ability to warp reality in an infinite manner of ways, which can generally make it nearly impossible to quantify in the empirical sense. Magic can either take a physical form or have some sort of physical indication, as in flashes of light or the creation of materials. Others may have more inherent effects with no real visual manifestation, such as in enhanced speed or strength or even the ability to read the minds of other creatures.
Magically, for as general and infinite as it can be, does have two distinct divisions in the divine and the profane. The source of divine magic typically comes from higher entities, such as from deities to the world itself, bequeathed upon chosen individuals. In manifestation, the divine manipulates reality as well though not in the same typically overt vein as the arcane. Divine magic more often than not reflects the source of its power and holds the specific capability of benignly manipulating life energies to heal and resurrect dead creatures; it is the type of magic that is often considered the source of miracles in legends and tales.
Profane magic involves all types of magic not associated with the divine. The most prominent type of these magics invovle the arcane arts. Arcane magic tends to be more chaotic in its manifestation and more accessible in its source. Individuals may have innate arcane abilities or even study to gain use of it. In manifestation, the arcane tends towards magic that outright manipulates reality and most often breaks the metaphysical laws of the world.
Spells can specifically be identified with a school of magic, though magic which may come in non-spell forms can also be categorized into them. The schools of magic are as follows: abjuration, conjuration, divination, enchantment, evocation, illusion, necromancy, and transmutation.
Some types of magic can be invoked at-will with little effort on an individual's part. However, perhaps the most common method involves manifesting magic through spells. This process tends to follow a more common standard. For spellcasting, mages rely on any combination of verbal incantation, somatic gestures, and some sort of material focus to actually manipulate their magic into a controlled form.
It has also been noted that individuals capable of manipulating magic tend to exhibit greater longevity compared to others of their species.

Localization

Magic exists to some extent everywhere in the world of Zentrem. The continent of Varia and the neighboring Feylands are particularly notable as the home of some of the world's most capable mages. Intelligent creatures in these areas commonly comes into contact with magic in everyday life.

"Magic is as wondrous as it is dangerous. For all the good it could accomplish, it is still much easier to use for malicious purposes. That is why we mages must remember to temper ourselves, our actions, and that limitless magic has proven that it is not the answer to all our problems."

— ]—Grand Magister Alexandre du Faeien

Magic and Zentrem

The world of Zentrem's place in the planar cosmology makes the world particularly receptive to the effects of magic, as a result of magic entering from extraplanar locations or even enhancing the natural state of magic within the world itself. However, the prevalence and potency of magic may still depend upon the individual circumstances surrounding each region.
For example, on the continent of Varia, magic is considered a relatively common practice. The lands themselves do not blatantly indicate the effects of the phenomenon, until one considers the amalgamation of climate and terrain existing on the singular continent. Furthermore, many scholars and theorists postulate that the heavy presence of magic during the War of the Scourge, and continuing into later eras, attributed to comparative geographical anomalies on Varia.