Magic
Magic refers to the wielding of the primal powers as a weapon or a tool. While it has long been present in creatures that were created from vast amounts of converging primal forces (often referred to as aspected creatures), it was first seen in humans when the first prophets drank from the waters of the holy mountains. Ever since that event, it has been a part of the history and warfare of the promised lands. Magic is the chief weapon of the Ascendants, being those who are sufficiently aspected to a primal force to transcend mortality itself. It can also be used by those who are aspected to lesser extents, these individuals are usually those that are descendants of those who drank from the waters, but in bloodlines that are less pure and thus the strength has diluted over time. These individuals are actually far more common than Ascendants, especially for those aspected to Val. These individuals are generally called the Aspected, with those aspected to Val being called Conduits and those being aspected to Hael being called Vessels. Due to the sentinels usage of Vessels as weapons against the Hael-fog, their numbers have dwindled in recent years despite the creation of new ones from the Hael-storms.
Conduits and Vessels are normally born with greater than natural concentrations of Val or Hael in their blood. This is not in itself enough to perform magic, but it does give them the ability to absorb primal forces, from the air around them as well as from foes they defeat. This process is called ascension and provides the basis for their powers. Once one is sufficiently aspected with primal forces, they gain the ability to perform magic.
The process of working magic starts when the caster focuses on the primal forces in their blood. They then use this as a bridge to expand out from their body. In this way, they view the primal forces around them as an extension of the ones in their blood. This does two things. Firstly, it provides a two way bridge that allows primal forces to rush through them as an open system, instead of being isolated within or without. Secondly, it allows the user to exert a measure of control over primal forces both within and outside of their body. The second effect is what allows for the phenomenon of magic. An aspected can use this control to effect the world outside of them and shape the primal forces impact on reality. As such, you can only really do things that your aspected power would do naturally. This means that Val and Hael have some separate powers in addition to their overlap. Val is commonly connected to crystallization, photokinesis, authority, gravitation, pyrokinesis, and electrokinesis. Hael on the other hand is more commonly connected to vaporazation, biokinesis, healing, aeromancy, pyromancy, electrokinesis and even reality warping. The exact effect of a casters effort will depend on their skill, level of ascension, and the degree to which the intended effect aligns with the baseline wishes of Val or Hael. As it is essentially just affecting the manifestation primal powers, magic is inherently chaotic.
While the second effect of opening ones blood is the one that allows magic to be possible, the first is every bit as important. As someone in the process of wielding magic is allowing primal forces to rush through them, they also open themselves to its primal influence. Basically Val imposes a need for order into its wielders while Hael does the same for freedom and chaos. Nobody can wield magic without it wielding you in return. In addition, the more one exerts themselves in pursuit of a particularly grandiose goal, the more forces rush through the body as a byproduct and thus the more they are impacted by Val and Hael.
Wielding magic results in a rush of dopamine, as the effect of Val or Hael on the brain cause it to see everything so much clearer and be much surer of itself. Thus the certainty that wielding it provides can be addicting, making it hard to release sometimes.
Conduits and Vessels are normally born with greater than natural concentrations of Val or Hael in their blood. This is not in itself enough to perform magic, but it does give them the ability to absorb primal forces, from the air around them as well as from foes they defeat. This process is called ascension and provides the basis for their powers. Once one is sufficiently aspected with primal forces, they gain the ability to perform magic.
The process of working magic starts when the caster focuses on the primal forces in their blood. They then use this as a bridge to expand out from their body. In this way, they view the primal forces around them as an extension of the ones in their blood. This does two things. Firstly, it provides a two way bridge that allows primal forces to rush through them as an open system, instead of being isolated within or without. Secondly, it allows the user to exert a measure of control over primal forces both within and outside of their body. The second effect is what allows for the phenomenon of magic. An aspected can use this control to effect the world outside of them and shape the primal forces impact on reality. As such, you can only really do things that your aspected power would do naturally. This means that Val and Hael have some separate powers in addition to their overlap. Val is commonly connected to crystallization, photokinesis, authority, gravitation, pyrokinesis, and electrokinesis. Hael on the other hand is more commonly connected to vaporazation, biokinesis, healing, aeromancy, pyromancy, electrokinesis and even reality warping. The exact effect of a casters effort will depend on their skill, level of ascension, and the degree to which the intended effect aligns with the baseline wishes of Val or Hael. As it is essentially just affecting the manifestation primal powers, magic is inherently chaotic.
While the second effect of opening ones blood is the one that allows magic to be possible, the first is every bit as important. As someone in the process of wielding magic is allowing primal forces to rush through them, they also open themselves to its primal influence. Basically Val imposes a need for order into its wielders while Hael does the same for freedom and chaos. Nobody can wield magic without it wielding you in return. In addition, the more one exerts themselves in pursuit of a particularly grandiose goal, the more forces rush through the body as a byproduct and thus the more they are impacted by Val and Hael.
Wielding magic results in a rush of dopamine, as the effect of Val or Hael on the brain cause it to see everything so much clearer and be much surer of itself. Thus the certainty that wielding it provides can be addicting, making it hard to release sometimes.
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