The Weave

Magic is an ever-present, ever-shifting force in the world of Phidas. It can be seen and found everywhere and many creatures use that force. For all practitioners of it directly, by the patrons of Warlocks, the Gods high above, the monsters that lurk in the planes and by those wizards and sorcerers, they call what they manipulate The Weave. 
The Weave flows around the universe and to those who can see it, it almost looks like a gorgeous spider's web. When a creature interacts with this weave, they unspool parts of this web and turn it into different patterns, each with a unique effect on the world. Once a spell is cast and its effects realised, the expended Weave threads itself back into its web and the pattern may be repeated
Perhaps the most common way the weave is manipulated is via creatures who have an innate connection to it. These creatures may gain this unusual connection because of the actions of their ancestors, their innate biology or sometimes via the receiving of a blessing (or curse) from particularly powerful being. These beings usually have the innate knowledge to cast a handful of spells with varying amounts of usages before their energy is exhausted. Due to the unique nature of this form of casting, many creatures who can tap into this innate weave may ignore what is commonly defined as 'spell levels', where they might be able to cast spells that commonly require a fair amount of effort as easily as they might breathe, or be unable to channel certain spells at stronger levels. A unique case of this are the various creatures commonly known as Sorcerers. Sorcerers are notably for several reasons, the most prominent being their unique, more 'fluid' casting. Sorcerers are almost a middle ground between the magic most other humanoids have achieved and the more 'true' spellcasting of other beings, seeing the casting of spells not as a series of blocks of certain power, but something closer to manipulating many many fragments to fuel spells. 
Deities and other beings of their power too manipulate the Weave, though in a very unique way. For the Gods, Goddesses, Archfiends, Archfey and various other powerful beings of the planes, the Weave can be much more directly manipulated and ends up almost fuelling them. For these beings, the Weave is less of something to take pieces of but rather a grander, yet more fine-tuned control of it. These beings have the unique ability to give others pieces of the Weave they control, which is also generally the distinguishing factor between them and other powerful spellcasters. For the various Gods and Goddesses, they may give this magic in the form of a boon or in a more direct, focused relationship with a weaker being that then becomes known as a Cleric in exchange for worship. Other beings offer magic in the form of more personal pacts, with a different price for each. These beings become known as Patrons for their respective Warlocks. Notably, even Gods and Goddesses can act as Patrons for a Warlock, the separating nature between a Cleric and a Warlock being that of their pact rather than the source of their magic. Additionally, Warlocks may take multiple Patrons in a similar way to how a Patron can sustain multiple Warlocks, while a Cleric almost always ends up devoting themselves to the worship of a single deity. 
Various creatures however have also used more unique methods to gain manipulation of the Weave. This unique form of manipulation covers both the traditionally accepted nature of the weave and the various other unique branches of it, consisting of Psionics, Blood Magic, Faith and Technomagic. The two most famous examples of the unusual 'weavers' are Wizards and Bards, but even they have quite a significant split between them. To a Wizard, the Weave can be perceived as structured, orderly and able to be manipulated via precise studies and actions. To a Bard however, the Weave is closer to a free-flowing force which can be reshaped via the powerful art of performance. For the wielders of Psionics, they almost always establish a more wild, untamed connection via tying the Weave directly into their soul and using pure mental force to bend the Weave to their will. For wielders of Blood Magic, they use their very life force as sacrifice, bargaining chip and focus to perform their manipulations of the Weave. For those who gain their magic via pure Faith alone, it's something closer to how Psionicists can manipulate the Weave with their mental force, but instead using their Faith to a certain set of goals as their beacon of focus instead of a direct soul-deep connection. Finally, Technomagic, which is a newer branch of the Weave, uses the modern as a conduit to directly channel the Weave into tools they are most familiar with.

Type

Metaphysical, Supernatural