Magic

Magic is a latent force permeating the Universe that can harnessed as a practically limitless source of energy. Magic gives rise to fantastic phenomena and innately magical forms of life encountered across the universe, and it is wielded by the denizens of the cosmos through spells. Spellcasters -- or any creature with a gift for magic -- can use magical energy to cast spells, producing effects ranging from the trivial to the otherwise-impossible.
Magic is one of the six laws of creation which first shaped and arranged the universe at its creation. Magic is closely linked to the laws of Space and Time -- together these three aspects define how the universe is arranged into a perceivable and changeable reality.
Magic is, however, the most polymorphic of all the six laws of creation, and, for the lack of a better word, the most powerful. This is because magic can be used to exert influence on the other laws; a spellcaster of sufficient power and skill can weave spells that can -- just for example -- stop the flow of Time, transform Space to create pocket dimensions, bind Souls into objects to cheat death, channel the energy of Life to heal wounds, and create Matter from nothing. Magic cannot be used, however, to break the rules of any of the other laws.
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Types of magic

Magic is a resource that can be harnessed by certain individuals to produce fantastical effects. Some creatures are born with the ability to manipulate magical energy. Raw magic can be shaped into spells with verbal or mental commands, with reagent items and materials, and with somatic gestures.
This practice of spellcasting is known as arcane magic. In what is known as divine magic, a spellcaster is granted power by the gods they worship, not really tapping into magical energy themselves but rather pleading for a god for magical assistance. In addition to these two general types of magic some mortal scholars also believe there to be primal magic.

Arcane spellcasting

Arcane magic is the art of spellcasting by directly tapping into the cosmic flows of magical energy and manipulating raw magic into a desired spell. Also known as the arcane art or true magic, arcane spellcasting is the fundamental and original magical art. It is the way by which even the gods themselves wield magic and it is not wrong to say that divine magic and primal magic could not exist without arcane magic.
Creatures can be born with a innate talent for arcane spellcasting. This intuitive talent for magical manipulation is known by many different names across Amanor: the Sorcerer's Gift, the Sorcerer's Blood, the Gift of Magic, the Arcane Spark, and Vaane's Blessing.
Individuals with this rare talent are known as sorcerers and require no training to be able to wield magic. Of course, intuitively grasping the fine details of spellcasting is not easy and most sorcerers benefit greatly from training and guidance. In the current age, mortal scholars have studied magic enough to have created an entire science about it. Learnedness in this science -- named wizardry -- allows individuals without sorcerous gifts to cast spells to an astoundingly sophisticated degree.
Sorcerers that are able to educate themselves in wizardry are wise to do so. A sorcerer at a wizarding school typically excels in their studies and rises above their non-sorcerours peers. But even in highly developed countries education is a privilege of the noble and the wealthy, and lowborn sorcerers are often left to their own devices in managing their burgeoning powers. It is said that the gods can be both kind and cruel when distributing the sorcerer's gift.

Sorcery

Sorcerers have an innate intuition on arcane spellcasting. It is said that they wield magic by willpower alone. Some sorcerers learn to master their talent while others do not -- some become kings or planeswalkers while others destroy their livelihoods by the way of magical accidents.
Sorcerous talent can be of different levels. Those with little talent might never even notice it. Those with the greatest talent are prodigies, having such magical power in their teens to be able to challenge even the most learned of grey-haired wizards.
Sorcerous species. For some species -- ranging from animals such as basilisks to civilized humanoids such as celestials -- the gift of sorcery is present in every individual. This is true for all eternals and some commonly known species such dragons.
Sorcerous bloodlines. It is typical for individuals of the mortal races to possess sorcerous powers only extremely rarely. In some species such as elves the gift is common but in others much rarer, such as in humans. Within a single species, sorcery can be more common for certain populations, societies or even families. The sorcerer's gift can frogleap through a family tree at very long intervals or be present at every generation.

Wizardry

Wizardry is the highly developed science -- or art -- of wielding magic without the sorcerer's gift. It is a complicated and highly theoretical science that has nonetheless transformed the fabric of society in advanced nations; where archaic societies must rely on sorcerers and their wide spectrum of talents for all magical solutions, the wizardry has made magic commonplace and uniform; where sorcerers of yore would likely became kings, warlords, or fugitives, nowadays anyone can become an arcane spellcaster provided that they have the mental capacity for it -- at least in theory.
Wizardry is centered around the concept of spells -- premade specifications for incantations that produce specific effects that remain identical with every repetition. This is in stark contrast to sorcery, for sorcerers have the instinctive understanding to shape magical energy into whatever form they please and this can be a different form each time.
Spellcraft. Wizard spells are discovered with theoretical research and practical trial and error. Newly discovered spells are usually first circulated in academia -- amongst researchers and professors -- for peer-review and further development before making their way to the greater spellcasting public. A wizard makes use of material, verbal, and somatic components to facilitate the casting of spells. Each spell has a predetermined set of these components that must be used to succesfully complete the spell. Sorcerers do not always need to use these components although using them can make spellcasting easier for them.
Which came first, the wizard or the sorcerer? Wizardry has nowadays become much more commonplace than sorcery. Indeed, the sorcerous (spontaneous) casting of spells that foregoes spell components is not seen as normal magic but something known as metamagic. Magical effects produced by sorcerers are discussed in terms of wizard spells, even though sorcerers shouldn't necessarily be restricted to using them.

Divine magic

Divine magic is the practice of channeling the magical power of gods to create spell-like effects. Divine spellcasting is performed by priests, clerics, paladins, and other individuals with a strong connection to one god or another. A divine spellcaster does not need to have sorcerous talents nor a wizard's training to be able to cast spells; the magical effects are not really produced by the spellcaster but rather by a god -- the spellcaster simply acts as a conduit for the magic.

Primal magic

Primal magic is a term that is used to describe a type of divine magic that is granted to a person by some primordial power of the world: nature, life itself, spirits of the earth, and so forth. This categorization is faulty, however. All non-arcane magic comes from the gods. Primal spellcasters are in truth either divine spellcasters or sorcerers no matter what explanations they give others -- or themselves -- about the nature of their powers.

Associated relic
Arcanomicon
Visualization / manifestation
Raw magic is white in color but magic can be invisible even in extremely high concentrations. Magic has a distinct, pungent smell like the smell of purest air or an approaching rain; this is made manifest often after large amounts of magic has been expended; in other words, ley-lines do not smell of magic but the ritual sites of great incantations do.
Localization
Magic permeates the entire Sea of Creation, coalescing into high concentrations in cosmic fluxes of magic known as ley-lines.

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LAWS OF CREATION
Life
Matter
Soul
Magic
Space
Time
ARTIFICIAL LAWS
Divinity
Afterlife
Undeath

Ley lines

Ley-lines are invisible currents of magic that permeate the entire universe as a network of unharnessed energy. Magic is everywhere because ley-lines are everywhere; there are no worlds in the cosmos without magic -- unless some powerful creature goes to great lengths to purposefully create such a world.
Ley-lines can be depleted temporarily but not permanently. They flow with magical energy that replenishes over time from an endless cosmic source. Depletion of magical energy from an area can disrupt and even prevent spellcasting in an area.
Current civilizations of Amanor do not use magic to such an extent to cause ley-line depletion. The only exception to this is the high elven nation Ellondoth in which magical solutions are used on an gargantuan scale and for even the most trivial of problems. The Ellondothans increase the flow of local ley-lines with runemagic -- an arcane art that they go to great lengths to keep secret from other peoples due to its dark history.

Creating sentience with magic

Magic cannot be used to create souls. Living creatures that are created with magic -- either by bringing them into existence from nothing or by transforming some inanimate object into a living thing -- are soulless.
Not even the mightiest spellcaster can craft a spell or ritual to create a living being with a soul. Spells that create sentient life range from transforming inanimate objects into animals to conjuring beasts and even creating clones; although definitely alive, creatures created by such spells are, in fact, only crude mockeries of natural lifeforms. Their minds are mere facsimilies of true sapience -- simulacrums of souls, operating only with rudimentary levels of understanding, wisdom, and morality. The difference between a simulacrum and a creature with a soul is easily detected by any intelligent creature with any kind of social skills -- so jarring is the manner in which a soulless creature behaves and interacts with others.

Portal magic

Portals are typically opened with arcane spells that include specific gestures and words of power. Some kind of ritual object is often required to act as an arcane focus to sustain the portal once it is open. Physical frames such as doorways or archs can be used to anchor a portal, making the opening incantations easier. Enchantments and magical inscriptions can be laid upon the arcane focus or the physical framework of the portal to prepare for the opening ritual, making it easier or faster for example.
Portals are vulnerable when first opened. Disturbances to the arcane focus or any of the supporting objects or enchantments can cause the portal to destabilize and collapse. Portals grow stronger and more stable the longer they remain open; an old-enough portal can "become independent" and no longer require the arcane focus or its physical framework to function.

Necromancy

Necromancy is an arcane art that manipulates the phenomenon known as Undeath. Undeath and Undead are a twisted mockery of the Six Laws of Creation made possible by negative energy -- an unnatural and alien magical force that seeps into the universe from the Void. Negative energy functions like Life itself by being able to bind Souls to Matter. It also functions as a polar opposite of Life by being able to wither living things away in mere instants.
Necromancy is largely outlawed in civilized nations. Any spells that have to do with the creation of undead are strictly forbidden but some leniency can be shown to spells that do not directly interfere with death, souls, and the Afterlife. For example, Egean battle wizards might be taught necromantic spells with which to wither away the flesh of their enemies but not how to reanimate fallen soldiers as undead servants.
Necromancy is not considered a natural form of divine or arcane magic. It is born of ancient evil and was first used on Amanor by corrupted deities and their dark servants. In the tens of thousands of years since, necromancy has endured as a school of magic and undead monsters often plague even civilized lands. The death-gods of the Empyreal Faith regard undeath as an abomination and their domains are focused on peaceful rest and the cycle of souls. Thus only evil and villainous deities will grant their clerics the power to animate the dead.

Blood magic

Blood magic is an arcane art that makes use of the latent magical energy that is tied to the lifeforce of all living things. The most significant conduit of this lifeforce is blood.
Blood magic is largely centered around the extraction of raw magical energy from blood to fuel one's spells. The blood in question can be one's own or someone else's. Of course, the extraction of lifeforce from someone is very much a harmful experience; there are limits to how much a blood mage can drain their own body before collapsing but they can also siphon magic from the lifeforce of their allies and enemies.
Blood magic gives rise to ritual sacrifice. When a blood mage is unwilling to siphon magic from willing participants they must make do with unwilling ones. And when the spellcaster doesn't need to bother themself with the welfare of the victim they can drain all the more magical power and accomplish all the greater magical feats.
Blood magic is outlawed in civilized nations.

Runemagic

See: Runemagic

Metamagic

Metamagic is a deeply complicated arcane art that manipulates the effects and requirements of established spells. Metamagic is taught at schools of wizardry, but it is among the most difficult forms of spellcraft in common knowledge -- that is, barring such forbidden lore as runemagic for example.
Sorcerers -- individuals with innate magical gifts in their blood -- are able to perform feats of metamagic with their intuitive understanding of magic.

Antimagic

Antimagic is the paradoxical magical art of creating zones within reality that magical energy cannot enter or exist in. Within these antimagic zones all spellcasting is impossible and magical items and effects cease to function.