Mysticism

Mysticism is a certain kind of Magic that developed in colloquial speech, and can be defined as the "subject of sorcery". In general lygeans put everything they deem "unnatural" or "inexplicable" as a part of Mysticism. Technically Mysticism is the opposite of natural Magic.

Terms

During the establishment of mystical Magic as its own subject, two terms in particular have emerged, Mysticism and Animation.

Based on Mysticism

Mysticism is the lygean surrogate term for sorcery. In world, the term stands for the teachings of mystical magic, or more specifically the teachings of everything with supernatural or inexplicable origin. Derived from this, certain verbs and adjectives emerged, of course. The following list shows terms that are based on Mysticism, and which real world terms they replace:

• Mysticism - The teachings or the subject of mystical Magic, replaces: Sorcery, witchcraft, wizardry or magic.
• Mystic - User, student, expert in Mysticism, replaces: Wizard, witch, spell caster, magician.
• Mystical - Adjective for things created or manipulated by Mysticism, replaces: enchanted, charmed, bewitched.
• Mystical Animating - see next paragraph.

"magical" vs. "mystical"

Since absolutely everything in the lygean universe is made of Magic, things a human would call "magical" is called "mystical" instead. The adjective "magical" is considered equal in meaning to "existent", in the lygean context. There isn't anything on Lygea that is not magical!

Based on Animation

Mystical Animating is the lygean verb for "doing magic", i.e. controlling things with pure will. Here also are certain terms that replace words from human reality. The adjective "mystical" usually is omitted during normal speech.

• Animating - Verb, something controlled or manipulated by force of will, replaces: conjuring, controlling, doing magic.
• Animation - Noun, action or process of manipulation by force of will, replaces: Spell, charm, hex, cast.
• Animation based adjectives also exists, but are rarely used.

Kinds of Animations

Animated can be things that are already there (Conducting) or can also be created "from nothing" (Summoning). The latter is significantly harder, though.

Conductings

An Animation, were a substance or feeling is animated, which is already present, is called a Conducting. The Mystic performing a Conducting controls the form or quantity of the respective target without changing its magical form. That means the target's natural composition remains the same (like in natural Magic).
Examples

• Taking a torch's flame and throwing it against an enemy.
• Forming the earth into a big wall to fend off an attack.
• Taking a huge bubble of water from a lake, and watering a corn field with it.
• Strengthening or weakening the wind in the vicinity.

Summonings

Summonings are performed, if substances or feelings are created, which haven't been present before. To put it scientifically, magic is withdrawn from the mystic's own body or the environment to be used to create the respective substance or feeling with. Compared to Conductings, Summonings are less stable and dissolve fast without a continuous lead of Magic.
Examples

• Summoning a fire ball
• Creating light in a dark cave
• Creating a sword of ice to attack with it.

Mystifications

Mystifications give certain effects to locations and objects, some of which can be compared to Auras. The difference to the Possessed is that Mystifications are kept alive with an Animation that is linked to a mystic energy source. This source supplies the Animation with energy like some kind of magic battery. Often used batteries for these kinds of Animations are gems (see: Crystal-Element) or the life energy of a living being.
Examples

• An amulet which strengthens the wearer
• Mystic traps
• The teyan tattoos
• The dragnarian soul baths.

Aptitude

In general, every living creature is able to conjure up Animations.

Preconditions

The ability to animate is linked to the possession of a soul. The stronger the soul, the easier Animations are for a mystic.
It could be said that the soul animates it's body, because, on a fundamental level, a soul is the reason a creature can move about in the first place. However, it only counts as Mysticism, if the soul gets strong enough to animate things in its environment, may it be close or even farther away (see: intro to this article).

Modifiers

Next to the above mentioned precondition, there are different circumstances or situations that make animating easier or harder.

• The Animation's Kind - The difficulty of an Animation gets higher depending on if it's a Conducting, Summoning, or Mystification.
• Cosmic Events - Certain Cosmic Events have a significant influence on certain Animations.
• Solo vs. Team - A group of Mystics can hope to achieve much more than a single one will be able to.
• Qualification - training, experience, and technique play an important role, too, of course.
• Exhaustion - A healthy, awake Mystic, who can concentrate, naturally achieves more than a sick or sleeping one.
• Force of Will/Motivation - A Mystic with a clear goal in mind won't struggle as hard as one, who can't be bothered.

Limitations

Besides the above described modifiers, there are other limiting factors that define what and how much a Mystic is able to animate.

Mystic Potential

The effectiveness with which a Mystic can animate is called their Mystic Potential. This "ableness level" sets an upper limit to what a respective Mystic can do. The Mystic Potential also oftentimes relates to the following points.

Character Dependency

The ability to animate spiritual magic is strongly tied to the composition of the Mystic's soul, i.e. their character. For example, a solely instinct driven creature won't be able to animate a target's emotions. Similarly a choleric will have a hard time weaving an Animation that's supposed to calm another's mind.
This limitation is only concerned with animating emotions, though. The spiritual Singularities are equally difficult to animate for same level creatures.

Physique Dependency

Likewise, the physical, i.e. elemental, composition of a creature's body limits what kind of bodily magic can be animated. The bodily Singularities are equally difficult to animate for same level beings here as well.
For Lygea's citizens, this rule usually manifests itself in a restriction to certain kinds of elemental Animations. Often people are only able to animate one of the 1-Elements. However, they are able to learn to animate the neighboring 2-Elements, but only good Mystics accomplish this.

Effecs

Animations may have positive or negative effects. Magic form or order don't matter in this case.
Effect Examples

Elemental

• A fireball is damaging an enemy, soothing flames heal an ally
• Light is blinding an enemy, light brightens a dark room
• A poison is killing somebody, medicine - a positive poison - heals a sick person

Emotional

• Joy is given in one case, and stolen in another
• Fear is inflicted onto a target, another one is calmed down

Singular

• Time is animated and sped up or slowed down
• Room is animated to create a force field or a teleportation portal

Elemental Opposites

1-Elements which are located at direct opposite ends of the elemental circle neutralize each other, if they come into contact. This means, each element is simultaneously the best attack and best active defense against an incoming attack of its opposite. It doesn't matter if the opposite operates actively, e.g. from an enemy, or passively from the environment.
2-Elements don't have elemental opposites and won't neutralize. They do have elemental "friends and foes", though.
Example: A duel

A Nerivan is meeting an Evelite, and they both get into a fight. During this fight they attack each other with elemental attacks. The Evelite is animating their own shadow to attack, but the Nerivan uses the light in the room to block. The incoming shadow element is effectively neutralized like this.
After a while the Evelite manages to get in a hit, which is cause great damage and pain to the Nerivan. The shadow element of the attack reacts with the light element inside the Nerivans body. Shadow and light neutralize each other, and parts of the Nerivan body get literally disintegrated. This is meant by the earlier statement: Opposite elements are simultaneously the best attack and active defense.

Costs

The costs of animating naturally depend on the complexity of the desired effect. Animating is similarly exhausting like other types of physical activity that require concentration and strength. Exorbitant animating can have a multitude of consequences:

• Mental Exhaustion -headaches, depressions, burnout, mental meltdowns, mental disability
• Physical Exhaustion - tiredness, unconsciousness, strokes, death

Animation Technique

How does one animate? To conjure up an Animation the Mystic needs to create a clear vision of the desired effect. They have to see it in front of their minds eye as clearly as possible, and channel it with an intent.

Aiding Tools

As a support and for training purposes the Lygeans developed certain means to make animating easier to learn, and to use.

• Animation Incantations: The assignment, voicing, and shouting of a certain word or formula is a very famous tool to link a certain intent to a specific effect.
• Animation Gesture: The same is true for gestures, postures, or other movement which are linked to Animations.

Beginners of Mysticism, which are just learning animating, usually need both a certain gesture and voicing an Animation Incantation. Intermediate Mystics only need simple movements or words. True masters are able to animate without movement or speech at all.

The most well known techniques

The people of Lygea over time developed their own preferred techniques for animating, which all use the above mentioned tools. The following techniques help with especially hard Animations, at that. For easier ones they use these techniques in a simpler form or don't use them at all, depending on the difficulty of the desired effect.

• The Arms of Ves - the technique of the Dragnarians.
• The Maximes of Evel - the technique of the Evelites.
• The Flames of Battle - the technique of the Forasians.
• The Symbols of Light - the technique of the Nerivans.
• The Dance of the Wind - the technique of the Rowate.
• The Actions of Silence - the technique of the Teyans.

At first glance
Mysticism is concerned with everything a human would call "magic", and comes with a certain terminology, which replaces terms from reality. The most important of those is the term animating, which means, spell casting, enchanting or controlling with force of will.
Everything with a soul can animate. Additionally there are more kinds, modifiers, limitations, costs and techniques that have an influence on Animations.

Magic Circle