Verve
When God died its soul was scattered. What once was separate from the world now permeates all things. Enchanting everything from the grandest tree, to the proudest human, and the tiniest rock. The world became magical when God died, and people are only just now discovering it.
Verve is the word used by Blumoor scholars to describe a sort of vague, collective magic. It is Gods soul. It is what makes anything magical. It can be found in lots of places and used in many different ways. Its hard to know what Verve itself does and how it works. Its still being looked into and although research is decades behind research into Ichor the same conclusions are already being reached - we will probably never know what the limits of Verve is.
Properties
Material Characteristics
Verve is ethereal. It does not wholly exist in the physical plane. Not like other things at least. It exists only within other things, within the Dream, within a rock, within a tree, within a person. Although its taste, scent, or appearance can be described as a mix between desire and divinity - these are really just qualities which Verve infuse into other things. What true Verve looks like nobody really knows.
Geology & Geography
Verve generally exists within things. It enchants the mundane, so to speak. Trends have been noticed in where it concentrates though. Generally you can find larger quantities of it in older places. Particularly ruins, graves, etc. from before Godfall. Humans and animals also tend to have a greater quantity of Verve in them than your average rock or brick. Certain forests might also be concentrated spots - with the whole woods being enchanted. The largest concentration of Verve is in The Dream. This refers to the ethereal world of dreams and souls. This realm is incredibly rich with Verve and the most powerful mages are ones who know how to "FIND" the Dream.
Attraction
Verve begins collecting in things. It is absorbed by rocks and trees and animals naturally. Slowly. Most Verve is already inside of something, generally any of the aforementioned locations but not all of it. Due to human intervantion it has also started moving around more which has given rise to certain patterns in terms of where it tends to end up.
Everything absorbes Verve. The older something is the more Verve it will probably have in it. This is what has led to Trickster
Origin & Source
It is thought that before Godfall Verve did not exist. What is today known as Verve was simply Gods soul. It was a source of power which was inaccessible except through communication with God. This is, of course, only speculation. The true origin of Verve will likely never be known.
History & Usage
Everyday use
Verve is a source of power. It is magic. It is infinite possibilities waiting for a strong enough mind to shape it. The details are foggy but generally how mages and scholars describe it is that they harness the Verve and shape it to their will - conjuring up various reality-altering effects. This is done through a series of mental exercises, generally aided through somatic or verbal components. Although not always. The greatest mages have been known to perform magic through sheer force of will.
Verve has been categorized into three primary categories. These boundaries are generally, purely linguistic and only serve to more easily talk about Verve.
Azoic Verve
Azoic Verve refers to Verve found in non-living organisms. Ruins, stones, metals, swords, pots and pans, water, air, chemicals, etc. It can appear in anything as far as anybody knows. Generally, objects found in ruins from the old age tend to have a greater magical presence. Richer in Verve. To the extent where some of them even start coming to life. However, this might just be a trend rather than an actual rule of thumb. Azoic Verve has led to a plethora of magical practices - mages across the continent are constantly inventing new ways to harness the magic, or innovating on old ways.
Animate Verve
Animate Verve refers to the magic within any living thing, as in, a thing with a will. The workings of Animate Verve are significantly more complex than Azoic Verve and it has caused a multitude of natural phenomenon which have come to shape the new world. As an example, it is believed that spirits did not exist before Godfall and that they are simply a product of a vacant soul being enchanted. Similarly, the magical forests of Greywood or the Silent Isles are another product of Verve enchanting living things. It is also known that magic can exist within people or animals. Which has led to its own arcane practices. The possibilities are endless.
The Dream
The Dream refers to the ethereal world of dreams and souls, a world beyond the material one. Read more about The Dream here. However, most Blumoor practitioners do not really know anything about it beyond that users of The Silent Tongue and the Edict draw on its power. It is also rumored that a powerful spirit roams in the Dream. Mages call it the Mad King.
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