The Mysteries of Arcana

Though magic, or Arcane Energy, has only returned to Athunis in the last four centuries, its echo in time can be felt through the very fabric of the world around us. This Arcane Energy manifests itself in many ways, always being expanded upon. Whether or not it is for the better depends on who you ask. But where did this resource originate, and how did it come to shape the world throughout history? In truth, no one alive could give you a first hand account. During the Before Times, far before the standardized Calendar of Malachor was established, the Prime Deities brought forth the first mortal beings. Many of these beings were made in a similar image to their Prime Creator, and thus gifted with a small piece of that deity's essence. This essence allowed the mortals to harness a power they could never have otherwise, know simply as magic.
Our ancestors used this magic to raise civilizations, establish societies, and evolve into something more than the Prime Creators ever thought they could be. But with these gains came many setbacks. Various sects of mortals were at constant odds, each fighting to prove their Prime Creators superiority. This persistent conflict would lead us into the era known as the Wars with Magic.
While no one can be certain what caused The Rapture, it's effects were quite clear. The magic, the essence, of the Prime Creators left the material plane without a trace. Not only were millions of lives lost and the very landscape of Athunis changed forever, many of these magics were lost as well; only to appear in ancient tomes and texts as whispered legend which none today can understand. Many see these lost magics for what they are, a warning. A warning for what can happen should society rely on magic to achieve more than which they were meant to achieve.
Today the Arcane Energy used by most casters is granted through the direct intervention of a deity or other planer being whether the caster knows it or not. Some casters have a very close relationship to their patron; as is the case with Clerics and Paladins. Other casters may not even know who granted them influence over this energy; such is the case for some Wizards, Bards, and Warlocks. Others still are granted their influence through bloodlines, such as Sorcerers and some Blood Hunters. Though it is still believed by many that these bloodlines were crafted and influenced by the gods as well.
Of course, not all magic can be explained by us mortals; only the gods above and below truly know the innerworkings of such things. While there is an abundance of evidence to support the theory that most individuals' ability to harness Arcane Energy is through the patron of a deity or other planer being, there is still we do not understand. The following subsections explain, best as is understood, how some of these known, lost, and rumored magics came to be.