Magic in Earedar

“In truth, the practice of spellcasting is simply the manipulation of energy. The druid shapes the energies of her environment, creating new life and harnessing the unbridled power of nature. The wizard manipulates the arcane energies of the cosmos within himself, reshaping reality to fit his needs. Finally, the priest sculpts the divine energy of the soul, harnessing the powers of both life and death. The true Gift comes in commanding these energies to assume the form you desire. Controlling the rampaging tempest of mana within your body, constructing it in such a way to see to your ends without overwhelming you is the ultimate test of willpower.

Any novice is capable of unleashing swaths of destruction upon his foes, but a disciplined mind and a steel heart can end a war with a word, change a mind with naught but a look and alter the very fabric of reality with a thought. Within these walls your professors will endeavor to teach you discipline and control, so that you may gain the knowledge to grow the flame of power that has already sparked within each of your hearts. It falls to you to find the strength to not lose yourself in the process.”

Vairor Dremora,
Headmaster of the Royal Academy of Kassiland
To a group of new initiates

What is Magic?

As stated so eloquently by Vairor above, at its core a spellcaster is simply someone who reshapes magical energy into a form of their choosing. This can be done knowingly or instinctively, and can take a multitude of forms such as spells, inherent abilities and arcana amongst others. A sufficiently powerful spellcaster can use magic to unleash fiery devastation, protect their comrades or even raise the dead.

Who can use Magic?

During the Dawn Age each of the five Divines added their own gift to their parents' creation. Celestine, the youngest of the Divines and the Aspect of Magic, ripped asunder her own divine spark, casting a small piece of it out into the cosmos and setting the universe ablaze with its light. This is known as Celestine's Gift. Her divine essence now permeates the Known Realms as well as the beings that populate them, granting each creature its own dormant divine spark within as well as inherent magical powers. The remainder of her spark manifests itself as magical energy, or mana. While these powers can manifest in ways that are both obvious as well as more discrete, any sentient being can learn higher tier magics because of Celestine’s Gift.

Magic in Earedar

Magic is a fundamental reality of everyday life in Earedar. Whether it be the soft hands of the healer or utilizing an enchanted item as part of a day's work, magic touches the lives of all denizens of the Realms. Natural fonts of magic permeate the wilds of Earedar as well, and new mysteries can be found just around the corner.

There are several sources of magic in Earedar, or ways to access mana. The primary ones are through Arcane, Divine or Primal means. Arcane spellcasters gather mana from the cosmic energies of the universe and are more powerful in places where mana is more prevalent. Divine spellcasters harness the mana produced by the divine spark of the gods and their brethren, a gift from their patron. Finally, Primal casters harness the natural energy of the wild, using it to fuel their spells.

Nekezar's Three Laws of Magic

While magic has a multitude of rules, there are three laws that stand above the rest. Commonly referred to simply as The Three Laws, Nekezar’s Three Laws of Magic are immutable facts of magic within the Known Realms and form the foundation of our understanding of the Gift.

1st Law: Something cannot be created from nothing.

2nd Law: Life is energy. Magic is energy. Thus all life is magic.

3rd Law: Magic has a will of its own. In order to control it, your will must be stronger.

Celestine's Law

Celestine’s Law marks a turning point in the history of the Inner Realms. Earedar, Del’nakar, the Elswyld and the Ether were ravaged by the hordes of Belros Azul during the event known as the Infernal Crusade. The Crusade saw legions of demons and devils marching through the Realms, leaving havoc and destruction in their wake. The first legacy of the Age of Shadows is the corruption that found its home deep within the Inner Realms as well as the civilizations and knowledge swept away in the aftermath. That is not all that was lost, however. Celestine, long wandering in her exile in the aftermath of the Godswar, heard the cry of the Realms being ripped apart by the chaos of the Crusade.

She returned with a fury hitherto unknown, casting out all intruders in the Inner Realms, angel and demon alike. Before departing once again into exile, she ensured such an event would never happen again. Altering the laws of Magic within the Inner Realms, she enacted Celestine’s Law to prevent further incursions by the Shadow and influence by the Light. Travel between the Inner and Outer Realms was rendered impossible except through naturally occurring means, and travel between the Inner Realms themselves was greatly diminished. Only in a place where the veil between realms is weakened can a portal now be opened. A side effect of this law is that the denizens of the Inner Realms found that teleportation magic was also hampered, allowing only for short-range spells and pre-prepared site to site teleportation. While the secrets of long-range teleportation and planar travel are still known, they cannot be used within the Inner Realms to any effect.

Mana and Aether

Mana is the ever present energies of the cosmos, permeating all of the Known Realms. This energy can be found within every living and non-living thing, from the mightiest dragon to the smallest stone. While every being carries a small amount of mana within them, some individuals learn to gather and channel these energies from various sources, shaping them to fulfill their desires in the form of spells, arcana and other abilities. This is an act that requires great mental fortitude and willpower, gained with experience and practice.

Aether is the physical manifestation of mana, often referred to as an Aetherstone. Aether is an extremely rare naturally occurring phenomenon, found in locations with an overabundance of mana such as ley lines and portals between realms as well as in the aftermath of powerful magic. Aether often presents in the form of brilliant gemstones and is extremely unstable. Without sufficient skill and training handling Aether can result in permanent damage or even death. Despite that fact the Aetherstones hold immeasurable power and are sought out by many ambitious spellcasters.

Wyrd Magic

There are many places or instances where magic acts in differently or even in opposition to the natural order as we understand it. In places such as Del'nakar, the Realm of Shadows, Shadow magic is empowered while Light magic is weakened. Within the Mere of Lost Souls, the wandering spirits of the dead cause magic to act in mysterious and strange ways. Places such as these litter the Known Realms, and can cause a myriad of effects. There are places within the Realms where one can find themselves endowed with inherent magical powers they never had before, or find themselves unable to access mana at all.

Awakened Souls

The most powerful source of energy, and thus mana, within the Known Realms is the mortal soul. While Celestine's Gift gives the power to access and harnass mana to all beings in the Realms, what many do not know is that it also endows each invdividual with their own divine spark, what philosophers commonly refer to as the soul. Many live their entire lives without awakening this power, but those that do find within themselves a font of power unrivaled by any other mortal being, and ascend to godhood. Only two mortals have been recorded to ever complete this feat, Budnir Karlsson and Balthazar Blake.