Mana

Mana is the most common name given to magical energy. It is also the name used by both the Hermetic and Atlantean traditions, and so the word also embraces their beliefs about the workings of said energy.

States of Mana

Magical energy manifests in three states that can be described, in analogy, as the states of matter:

• Ether is mana in its stablest state;
• Nectar is mana in a state similar to liquid;
• Omphalos is mana in a state similar to solid.

The analogy of the states of matter is a good starting point, but it is important to notice that it does not describe in absolute the behaviour of mana. Although ether, nectar and omphalos occur in nature in similar amounts of concentration as that of physical matter - ether being the least concentrated and omphalos being the most concentrated state - the concentration of energy does not determine what state the Mana will adopt. Ether might be manipulated to extremely high densities and still not become nectar or omphalos.
The behaviour of mana, therefore, is extremely volatile and circumstantial and each case must be studied in isolation through its observed and documented phenomenology.

Ether

Ether is the most common natural state of mana. For all intents and purposes, it is imperceptible to the material body and does not react to material stimuli. Invisible, inaudible, odorless and intangible except in special circumstances, mana can be perceived only by those with heightened magical senses. The ether reacts, however, with movement when in contact with foreign mana. Its reaction to auras is a notable example, as natural ether tends to dissipate when coming into contact with the aura of beings or magical artifacts.
The mana that is emitted by living beings to form the aura is in the state of ether.

Nectar

When in nectar state, the mana gains physicality and can be seen with the naked eye. It resembles a fluid that produces a shimmer of color and intensity dependent on its source. Its natural ocurrence is rare, being exclusive to natural nectar wellsprings.
In its natural state, nectar is unstable. Contact with alien mana makes provokes a reaction that may make a whole body of nectar dissipate into ether state. Because of that, it is unadvised for mages to interact with nectar wellsprings unless under spells that can protect the integrity of the wellspring.

Omphalos

When in omphalos state, mana resembles crystals with differing degrees of luminosity and transparency. Natural occurring omphalos is extremely rare and valuable.
In nature, omphalos is highly volatile. Unassisted contact with alien mana results in a quick and violent chain sublimation into the ether state that can be harmful to those in contact with it. Effects are compared to burns, but are actually the result of the sudden rise in entropy within the material body, which makes it deteriorate. There are, however, reports of natural occurring omphalos that present extreme resistance to magical manipulation, although little is known about why this phenomenon happens.

Magical Energy

There are as many words to describe magical energy as there are different cultures that discovered it's truth. Shakti, ch'i, manitou and others are all names given to the manifestation of magic. The term Mana was - but these terms are each equally loaded with inferences made by the schools of thought that use them about it's behaviour and application.