Magic as Life Force Manipulation:
In Alathor, the practice of magic is directly tied to the manipulation of Life Force, the raw energy that sustains life and flows from the Sun. All sentient beings, since they are descended from
The Prime, have a limited ability to interact with this energy in ways that allow them to bend the natural laws of the world, shaping matter and energy through sheer will. Those with a direct Prime ancestor in their lineage often have a much more innate and powerful ability to do so.
The Prime and the Prism Effect:
The Prime, the first sentient beings, were uniquely created through a fusion of the Life Force of the Giver, the material of Alathor, and the corruption of
The Harbingers. As a result of this fusion, they possess a remarkable metaphysical ability that allows them to essentially act as a "prism" as the life force flows through them. Unlike other beings, the Prime can break down the Giver’s Life Force into its elemental components, acting as "prisms" that refract the energy that, with training, they can use to manipulate the world around them.
- Elemental Magic: Through this Prism Effect, the Prime and their descendants can wield the fragmented aspects of Life Force—fire, water, earth, air, and other elemental forces—by channeling specific aspects of the Giver’s energy. This grants them the ability to control the elements, summon storms, shape the earth, and more. Each element they wield represents a fractured piece of the Life Force, which they can manipulate to varying degrees of mastery.
- Innate Magic in Mortals: The races created from the Prime, such as the Maia, Nakhasi, Pukta, and Grizzla, retain a diluted version of this Prism Effect, allowing some of them to tap into elemental magic as well. However, their ability to wield this magic is less direct and powerful than the original Prime, whose deep connection to the corruption and Life Force made them naturally more adept at this form of magic.
- Life/Soul Magic: Extremely rare in both mortals and the Stewards. The only two well-known examples of its use are:
- Bulan, who can force life back into a dying body, but despite her immense power, practice, and age, it is still done with consequences and not something she chooses to do.
- The race of the Drinkers, who are descendants of Prime but created by a Harbinger, rather than the Stewards, and their ability only allows them to heal and extend the life of themselves.
There have been stories of others that do seemingly seem able to "heal" others without the same consequences as Bulan or the Drinkers.
Stewards and Elemental Influence:
In addition to the Prism Effect of the Prime, the Stewards—celestial beings tasked with overseeing Alathor—also manipulate Life Force, but in a different manner. Each Steward is tied to (though not limited to) a particular season and its associated elemental forces as part of the original arrangement and plan to steward the growth and spread of life on Alathor and maintain a healthy balance in order to keep it from withering or overheating.
Resh (Winter),
Huichi (Autumn),
Isoko (Spring), and
Zun (Summer) govern the flow of elemental energies associated with their respective seasons, further shaping the magical forces that mortals can tap into.
Magic and Corruption:
The Harbingers’ corruption embedded in the Prime also influences their magical capabilities. The corruption allows them not only to harness the Life Force but also to manipulate it in unnatural ways, which can sometimes lead to destructive or uncontrollable magic. The Prism Effect grants them immense power, but it is also tainted, making their magic unpredictable and potentially dangerous to the natural balance of Alathor.
