The Nature of Magic
Finding Magic
Magic is abundant, but so diffuse in much of the world as to almost be missed despite its presence everywhere. Animals, plant life, the stars, weather, and more all produce magical energy. It's not enough to do much with just one of anything. One plant or one star won't provide enough power to do much. This leaves essentially three ways to actually obstain magic:- Magical Lifeforms
Creatures such as werewolves and dragons are immense sources of power. Their existence depends on magic. Without magic, they would die. In essence, magic is a structural support that enables their bodies to function. Their blood is dense with energy that can be taken to power a spell. Not all supernatural creatures are such reservoirs of power. Vampires for example, are devoid of magic on their own.
- Places of Intense Magical Collection
Certain events throughout human history of imbued the land with power and other magical attributes. This can be a boon to a mage or a great peril. Areas of historic fires, storms, meteor impacts, and other significant events are known to carry reserves of magical energy. The most hazardous of these places are places of significant of death. The energy of lost souls is corrupting and toxic.
- Slow Harvesting
The safest means of acquiring magic is to slowly collect it over time. Small sources of magic leak into the world, they can be collected with little risk to the user. They're not subject to requirements of Magical Balance.
Storing Magic
Once a source of magic is found, it must be used at that location or stored for later use. In the case of a magical creature, the magic is held in their blood. So long as you can store the blood or even a part of their body (or contain the entire creature), you'll be able to perform magic using them as a magical battery. This leaves essentially three ways to store and transport magical energy:- Contain and Transport the Source
This can take on a variety of forms. Weather magic for example, is often condensed and trapped in a glass ball. This creates essentially a 5" wide snow globe of power. The power contained within is contingent on the originating item captured. It can be replenished/recharged. Most such artifacts are created by master mages, though novices have been known to contain part of small rain storms.
- Store the Magic in a Crystal
This is a more complex way of gathering magical energy. The mage must grow crystals from the source of magic. They are planted at the sight and may grow over a period of minutes to years, gathering energy from the source. Most crystals cannot be recharged. They will provide their energy and then shatter on depletion. So long as they are in contact with the original magical source however, they can be charged and discharged, a magical capacitor.
- Absorb the Magic
This option is the simplest but most limited. Magical Conduits are able to carry a limited amount of power in their own blood. There are hazards associated with storing too much power for too long. Inexperienced mages will often put their bodies through extensive punishment to hold magical reserves, which will ultimately harm them years later, if not immediately.
Harnessing Magic
Once a source of magic is found and ready to be used, it must actually be put to use. There are a few ways to do this. The most important part of the process is to have a focused mind. Without proper focus, the magic will remain chaotic and uncontrollable. The results of such magical use cannot be predicted. It will be an unregulated flow of universe-bending power that could do anything from turn water to wine to destroy the world if a more significant magical supply were to be used.- Fundemental Usage
This is usage of magic without a spell or ritual to shape it. It's almost instinctive. The magic user will mentally collect and shape the magic. This is most doable for simple spells. A more advanced mage will be able to do more without uttering a word. Less advanced users will struggle as they attempt to do more with the magic. The greatest challenge here, is that all magic stems from the user shaping it, it relies on mental capacity. They must perfectly envision and understand the code and 'circuitry' of the spell, have no errors, and maintain that for the lifetime of the spell. Failure results in swift disaster, the magic will be shaped by whatever is around it, errant thoughts from the caster, the environment, whatever. - Spell-Based Usage
This is the most common form of magic usage the common person thinks of. A magic user may use a wand or not, they will have to pronounce an incantation. The incantation itself does little, a non-magic user would not be able to just say the words and perform magic. The incantation is essentially a set of words that instruct what the spell will do, and for the spellcaster, they help to drive focus and maintain the spell, maintain control.
- Rituals
More complex works of magic, even for master mages, require rituals. These can involve multiple magic sources, special items to guide and shape the magic, elaborate constructs, and more. A small ritual can be carried out in perhaps minutes and could summon down lightning or a small storm. More significant rituals take days and multiple mages. The mental burden can be significant and the margins for error are far smaller. In the case of multiple mages, all must shape the spell exactly the same. There is some benefit in that multiple mages creates redundancy.
Types of Magic
Magic exists in multiple forms. The appropriate form must be used for any particular spell to succeed. Using the wrong source of magic will produce undesireable effects. For example, a fire crystal used to summon a storm would cause the sky to rain fire or potentially cause the crystal to explode if the spell's nature were entirely incompatible with fire. A wide range of magics exist, a non-exhaustive list is below.- Weather
- Nature
- Fire
- Celestial
- Earth
- Water
- Spirit/Soul
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