The Manna Wheel

"The basis of all things can be understood within the arcane arts, and that is in large part why they are so complex and dangerous Kalen. Because the fundamental truth every magister must accept, regardless of their Order, regardless of the color of garb, regardless of the techniques and spellforms they are taught, is that they are always engaging in a hostile negotiation for power. For they are wielding a fundamental and primal energy, one of the eight primal energies that are the building blocks of all things! They must accept this fundamental truth, and the uncomfortable acknowledgement that it lays out. That we are mere mortals, attempting to wield an ageless, timeless, and on some primordial level, intelligent, force. We are attempting to hold it within our frail mortal coils, to gather it, hold it, wield and direct it to our will. To do so, we must accept another important fundamental truth. That truth is a paramount one to understand and respect for all magisters, and it is quite simple. 'Manna is primordial, eldritch, a force beyond our understanding, and it does not like being contained, shaped, or forced into shapes or forms by any other being. It will always resist.'"

Magister Vincent Gyresil educating his newest apprentice.

Manifestation

Manna Overview

Manna, as it is understood, does not visualize in most circumstances to most people. Yet it is everywhere, all around us. It is in the sky, in the leaves, in the animals all around us. In the earth, rain, wind, and yes even in the very fundamental existence of both life and death. However if one can see beyond the veil of reality, Aether well...then it becomes very apparent.

Aethersight, which all magisters, along with a select few lucky (or cursed, depending upon their personal opinions) individuals allows an individual to see just how rampant and fundamental the eight flows of manna are to....well existence itself. However for most mortal people, should they ever bear witness to Manna, it will never be in its pure flowing and pulsing currents upon the winds, rivers and slopes of the Aether. Instead, it will be a second hand exposure in one of three potential forms;

For a great many people, the rare phenomenom of interacting visually with Manna, with this fundamental energy, comes in the form of manna gems, should it ever come to them at all. Manna gems are, by the arguement of those scholarly sorts well versed in the eldritch matters of our world and universe, perhaps the purest form of manna one can interact with in this current age. For reasons unknown, the crystalline structure acts as a sort of protective barrier against other flows of manna and the corrupting touch of the Void alike.

This is the second most common, and more dangerous than Manna Gems of course, for this means you are within visual confirmation distance of a magister in the throes of spellcasting. It is advisable that if you do not know the individual in the throes and rhythm of such an action that you perhaps seek shelter and, importantly, seek to not be in their field of vision any longer. Though it is very likely if things have already reached the point where the manna that magister is shaping into a spell-form is visible to the...uninitiated, that it is far to late to seek safety. A spell-form is the name for the phenomenom in spell-casting where a magister's¹ weaving of manna within the Aether briefly becomes visible upon the material realm, showing the shaping of the spell, the eldritch construction required to manifest the effects into reality.

This is thankfully the least commonly observed manifestation of manna upon reality from the Aether, though that may also be in some part due to the....often terminal nature of such an event. An Aether Burst, in simple terms, is what happens when in the Aether something disrupts the flowing of the Mannite Currents, the ancient and eldritch paths that naturaly grow and shape all about the universe itself, and somehow blocks or chokes one of them. As the manna pools and pools, building up and building up, eventually there will simply be too much of one particular energy pooling together, and the only way for it to be dispersed is through a violent, unguided energetic reaction, a release of the stored energy in a different form, out into the material realm in all directions. This can cause massive damage to areas all around the initial event, of course, and has quite a high risk of being horrendously and painfully lethal, depending which of the eight flows of manna was the catalyst and fuel for the event

The Eight Pointed Wheel

The above image illustrates a conceptualization used to teach burgeoning magisters about the Aether, and is widely the most accepted theory of magick and how the eight energies interact and behave. Known as the Valimakis Wheel, named for Il'yvina Valimakis, an elven archmage of great reknown, widely agreed upon to have been the premier mind of arcane knowledge and theory for his time.

The Valimakis Wheel is a useful illustrator of the complex relationships between the different energies, along providing a handy visual reference to help teach young apprentices and scholars the visual colors and descriptors that fit to each of the eight types of manna, along with their arcane symbol in the primordial tongue, the language of magick. Each element is depicted in this wheel across from their opposed force, the diametric and force that they are equal but opposite too. Furthermore the wheel is laid out so that moving two spots clockwise from any given manna will inform you about the force it is strong against, in terms of the arcane arts, and moving two spots counter-clockwise will inform you which force it is heavily weakened against. For example, Doietean, that is Ruby, the manna of Fire, which is at the top of the wheel. It is diametrically opposed to, and in many ways locked in an eternal struggle with, Uisce, the Sapphire force of Water. Meanwhile, two spots in a clockwise direction brings you to Aeir, the Opal force of Wind, which Fire overpowers and can dominate, whilst two spots in a counter-clockwise direction brings you to Domhan, the Topaz force of Earth, which can smother and choke Fire into submission. In this way, this wheel is a useful tool even for highly practiced magisters, as it lets them know their strengths and weaknesses.

The Eight Forces

Using the Valimakis Wheel as our guide, starting at the top and moving in a clockwise direction, each of these flows, these currents, has a name and to further understand any of the advanced learning in regards to even one of these forces and its manipulation as a magister, you need to at least understand a little bit of basic information about them all;

The flow of Doietean, the manna of Fire is represented by the primordial symbol of Phoeni. The Ruby Current is oft described as energetic, forceful, full of excitement and passion. It is a manna of power and destructive force, one that can be shaped and manipulated to manifest in a wider variety of ways than most would first assume, and only the dullest of minds would begin to think that mere fire was the limits of its capability.

The Flow of Lobhadh, the manna of Entropy is represented by the primordial symbol of Carnos, the broken five pointed star. This symbol means to break or to end, and that very well describes the uniquely odd nature of the Amethyst Current. Oft described in its flow as moving 'like molasses on a cold winter's day', the manna of Entropy is known to be very time consuming and slow moving, its manipulation demanding patience and acceptance. Entropy is the energy of the ending, the finality of all things, but also of renewal.

The Flow of Aeir, the manna of Air, is represented by the primordial symbol of Cyclor, the whirlwind. This manna is oft described as moving swiftly, with great speed and unpredictability, which of course makes perfect sense. The Opal Current is known to require great flexibility and adaptability to truly harness its power.

The Flow of Scath, the manna of Shadow, is represented by the primordial symbol of Infinai, which represents the infinite nature and potential of darkness. The dark can hide many things, and manipulating the Onyx Current is oft described as an exercise in awareness and mastery of all the senses. It is the hardest manna to detect, and therefore one of the most subtle to wield in its power.

The Flow of Uisce, the manna of Water, is represented by the primordial symbol of Tiar, which represents the duality of water, for it is shaped like a water droplet, but with enough of the shape missing to make it look like a barbed and vicious hook. This manna is oft described as an exercise of the mind and the body, a duality like its two very distinct...personalities for want of a better word, and demands a certain...nimbleness and swiftness of body from anyone wishing to harness its power.

The Flow of Dulra, the manna of Nature, is represented by the primordial symbol of Gial, which represents birth and the essence of creation of life, and growth. This manna is oft described as the most....'alive', and magisters whom would learn to harness its power need to be very familial with it, like a good parent. They need to encourage it, guide it, and when necessary, keep its behavior in check. 'Nature is nurture' is a favorite phrase amongst those of the Emerald Order to describe their relationship with the natural world around them and the energies of Dulra and how one interacts with and wields that power.

The Flow of Domhan, the manna of Earth, is represented by the primordial symbol of Sucoa, which represents stability, symmetry, and power. This manna is best described when attempting to manipulate it as stubborn, consistent and always familiar. Predictable in its behavior, requiring a strong body, wise mind, and a steady guiding hand. It is often also described as the 'working mage's manna', as you will never meet a Topaz Magister whom is not a master craftsperson in at least one high skill trade. The Spellforms of Domhan need to be assembled with that sort of steady handed patience and task oriented focus of a master craftsperson, which is why mastering a high skill craft is part of the training for any apprentice within the Topaz Order.

The Flow of Meanma, the manna of Spirit, is represented by the primordial symbol Orvi, which simply represents order, balance, and serenity of mind. This manna is the most dangerous to wield, for many complex reasons we will explain in the future. For now, suffice to say its capabilities are immense if one so wishes them to be. Handling it, manipulating it, wielding it takes commitment to balance, calmness, and a serenity of the mind. Peace is a strength and virtue for those wishing to manipulate and wield the power of Meanma.

Localization

One of the key reason the complex relationships of the manna wheel are important to note for all burgeoning magisters is simply the matter of when they are in an advantageous position if forced into a direct spell-casting conflict. This has to do with one very key spellform that all magisters of all colors learn, a universal one that is a solely defensive magick. Counter-Weave.

When calling upon this spellform, these complex relationships matter greatly, as they will dictate the difficulty of the task at hand. In most cases it will not truly effect anything. But for each element, it does effect two matchups in particular, noted below.

Caster's Manna	Advantage	Disadvantage
Fire	Air	Earth
Entropy	Shadow	Spirit
Air	Water	Fire
Shadow	Nature	Entropy
Water	Earth	Air
Nature	Spirit	Shadow
Earth	Fire	Water
Spirit	Entropy	Nature

This natural law effects the way magick and studies of the arcane are governed across Valerick, and how Magisters learn their craft. Though their does exist a pool of shared knowledge, a small pool of Universal Spell-forms, each Order of the Magisterium practices their own school of magick, each garnering access to and mastering spell-forms unique to the elemental force with which they negotiate and manipulate for power. These schools of magick are as follows;

• Shadowmancy






• Druidic



• Geomancy

Type

Metaphysical, Elemental

1: Magisters are not the only ones whom have this phenomenom, both the Apostate Path of the Shaman career and the Mage-Knight path of the Warrior career will also experience this phenomenom.