Mana

Mana is the substance that is consumed by mages to cast magical spells. In its purest form, pure mana or "Rift Mana" is completely invisible to the eye and only exists within the Rift dimension. Whenever mana is required by a creature in the physical realm, a portal to the Rift transports the pure mana where upon reaching the physical world it immediately becomes one of mana's many forms.

Forms of Mana

Mana in the physical realm is usually either a solid block of mana ice, a bright blue liquid usually just called mana, or mana gas. While mana ice is mostly useless and mana gas is simply deadly but not useful, liquid mana is used universally for brewing and consumption by mages. Throughout the world of Anerion, "Mana Springs" can be found. These are naturally occurring springs of hot mana (liquid). Mana springs are said to be formed from the ancient remains of Manakin, though certain magical flora and fauna can also result in their creation. These springs are universally sought out by all races for various reasons with most being located on Xlandia. It is even said that this abundance of mana is what led to the rapid colonization of the continent.

Destroying Mana

Because of its otherworldly nature, mana is extremely difficult to remove from an area. First, theres the fact that mana is practically indestructible by anything in the physical realm. The only ways found to remove is for an organic being to use all of the mana by drinking it (after refining and brewing to avoid sickness) or by opening a Rift portal to transport the mana back to pure mana in the Rift. The second issue is what is left behind after the mana is removed. Mana is an extremely dangerous substance that imbues local wildlife with immense magical power. After prolonged exposure to mana, plants and animals mutate to become "Rifted" meaning they can use magic and are extremely volatile and dangerous. Mana also interacts with the inorganic material around it. After the draining of a mana spring, one can find Morkine and Rift shards. Morkine is created when mana makes contact with almost any inorganic material. The reaction is quick, taking about 10 seconds, and the resulting Morkine is a deep blue stony material with a color changing sheen. Morkine has a very useful property of magic negation. It is most often used by the Dwari, especially when fighting the Ealfs. It is an extremely durable material virtually indestructible by magic. It is durable towards physical damage as well, and usually requires hard manual labor or explosives to remove. Rift shards are also extremely useful. Rift shards are almost the opposite of Morkine. They form when mana directly touches a living being, killing it instantly. The resulting corpse will be petrified and gray. Due to its organic nature, the gray husk will quickly become overcharged with mana and shatter in a dangerous explosion. The result are blindingly bright blue-white shards of an ice-looking material.

Military Uses of Mana

Mana has mana useful properties that can be used for military purposes whether they be offensive or defensive. Firstly, mana can be used on offense through a simple mana bottle. Because of how dangerous mana is to organic beings, simply shattering a bottle of the substance onto someone can be lethal. Of course, bombs can be attached for added effect. One could also destroy the material containing a mana spring resulting in a flood that could wipe out smaller villages and towns. Mana is also required in a number of different offensive and defensive potions and spells. Next, mana can be used on defense through Rift shards. These shards can be set up as traps that can cast simple spells upon varying conditions, depending on the mage controlling them. These shards can also be used by a skilled arcana mage to cast spells of the other elements, even ones outside their race! The shards can be manipulated by the mage to orbit around them and fire spells from any element because the shards do not follow normal racial restrictions. Lastly, Morkine can be used as an extremely magic resistant material to build with.