Metaphysical Oaths

With magics existence as something airborne and ever present, as well as its fundamental and chaotic nature and lack of true rules surrounding it, comes the concept of Oaths. Magic has a way of attaching itself to words of power, emotional moments, and points of weakness. This has a way of manifesting when one makes a promise, swears themselves, or otherwise makes an oath. It can attach an individual to the path they swore on, with a varying degree of boons and curses depending on the oath or the person. 
This is most common in places of power, or thin places, where magical and planar energy is more potent and prominent. Often it leads to "accidental" paladins, seeing individuals swear themselves to persons, places, or even general concepts in moments of weakness or stress and being forced into magical oaths. 
Oaths carry large amounts of power, and often require much exploration to learn both the ins and outs of the power granted and of the oath itself. Some may see magical abilities manifest and continue to evolve with practice. Others see little change other than extreme bits of discomfort or even pain when straying away from their metaphysical oath. 
Where this power comes from is hotly contested. When an oath is sworn to an individual or being of power it can be surmised that the power granted comes from said entity to a degree, while some more comes from the magic surrounding the oath itself. But when one swears an oath to a concept or idea, the power can only really be derived from the oath itself - in which there would be a lot of energy behind it. 
Breaking an oath is an extremely painful process. The magical backlash on a persons soul sees very few truly survive it, and most survivors become "Oathless" a group of individuals transformed by the process physically and mentally, with huge gaps in memory and understanding and often violent tendencies - and a complete lack of connection to magic. There are many cultural and distinct rituals throughout Aesteria which claim to be able to break one free from an oath, though often at extreme costs.

Type

Metaphysical, Arcane