Sympathetic Magic
The term Sympathetic Magic refers to the magic that the denizens of Ur utilize, and is often used interchangeably with just "Magic" It is differentiated from "Divine" magic that is the blessing of the Gods and inherently much less risky. It fuels powerful spells, wondrous locations and strange forms of life. It is also dangerous and poorly understood. Wielding magic recklessly is almost always a death sentence and even careful but prolonged use changes its wielder.
Sympathetic magic is the notion that magic "works" because of the innate connection between similar things. To control water, you need to be like water. To affect another person, having something of theirs will make the task easier. It is believed by the leading magical philosophers of Ur'En that all non-divine magic functions on this principal, regardless of source, though it is possible that there are magics outside of this. Magic can be found naturally in the environment, in certain plants and animals and utilized by sentient races. What allows some creatures or phenomena to use magic without conscious thought is not known. The spell-casters of the sentient races are easier to study and therefor much more is known about them.
Some individuals of various species are born with the ability to use magic. There are many beliefs about why this is, be it brain-function, family lineage or the influence powerful magical creatures but counter examples such as dimwitted sorcerers or magic-less heirs to Wizard-Kings seem to suggest that it is far more complex. Some species, such as the Shelik can all do very limited forms of magic but most of them cannot wield spells in the manner even an apprentice spellcaster can. Magical aptitude will usually be apparent before adulthood, though exceptions to even this occur.
The steps for spellcasting are largely universal. First, one must have a desired effect that they wish to produce. Then, they harness whatever the sources of their magic is. Then, the user must create "sympathy" with the desired effect. For instance, To create fire, you must behave like fire, have a lit candle in your hands or speak its name aloud. This appears to be a subjective and inconsistent process. What works for one person might not work for another. With the above example, while a candle may work as a focus for a pyromancer, another caster associates the candle's light with knowledge and understanding and therefore uses it as part of a spell that bestows understanding. The caster's own biases seem to be more important than any universal principal.
Magic users must be careful, as the sympathy can work the other way as well. If a magic user attempts something beyond their abilities or without sufficient sympathy, for example, an apprentice geomancer tries to create a wall of rock, then a backlash can occur. Our unfortunate geomancer might have an entire limb turn to stone, or perhaps their personality becomes course like sand. They will themselves become more like the effect they wished to create. The effect of a backlash is often temporary but severe cases can be permanent and correlate with how far beyond their capabilities. strong backlashes can prove.
Careful use however, still wears on the user. Over time, magic will come to mark a user. A witchmark is a magic disfigurement, sometimes physical, sometimes mental, that will emerge on casters after prolonged magic use. They are similar to a backlash in that their exact nature depends on the magic used but the effects are permanent and grow steadily over time. They often begin as tattoo-like discolorations on the skin but eventually become more pronounced effects. Long-time illusionists might appear faintly translucent, or project disembodied whispers while experienced necromancers might begin to resemble the corpses they use and stink like rotting flesh. This makes identifying powerful spell-casters trivially easy.
Because the effects can be so disastrous and establishing consistent sympathy so time-consuming, most spell-caster specialize in a given sphere of influence. This can be as narrow as a particular element like water or as broad as the color purple. Generalists do exist but tend to sacrifice power for flexibility.
Sympathetic magic is the notion that magic "works" because of the innate connection between similar things. To control water, you need to be like water. To affect another person, having something of theirs will make the task easier. It is believed by the leading magical philosophers of Ur'En that all non-divine magic functions on this principal, regardless of source, though it is possible that there are magics outside of this. Magic can be found naturally in the environment, in certain plants and animals and utilized by sentient races. What allows some creatures or phenomena to use magic without conscious thought is not known. The spell-casters of the sentient races are easier to study and therefor much more is known about them.
Some individuals of various species are born with the ability to use magic. There are many beliefs about why this is, be it brain-function, family lineage or the influence powerful magical creatures but counter examples such as dimwitted sorcerers or magic-less heirs to Wizard-Kings seem to suggest that it is far more complex. Some species, such as the Shelik can all do very limited forms of magic but most of them cannot wield spells in the manner even an apprentice spellcaster can. Magical aptitude will usually be apparent before adulthood, though exceptions to even this occur.
The steps for spellcasting are largely universal. First, one must have a desired effect that they wish to produce. Then, they harness whatever the sources of their magic is. Then, the user must create "sympathy" with the desired effect. For instance, To create fire, you must behave like fire, have a lit candle in your hands or speak its name aloud. This appears to be a subjective and inconsistent process. What works for one person might not work for another. With the above example, while a candle may work as a focus for a pyromancer, another caster associates the candle's light with knowledge and understanding and therefore uses it as part of a spell that bestows understanding. The caster's own biases seem to be more important than any universal principal.
Magic users must be careful, as the sympathy can work the other way as well. If a magic user attempts something beyond their abilities or without sufficient sympathy, for example, an apprentice geomancer tries to create a wall of rock, then a backlash can occur. Our unfortunate geomancer might have an entire limb turn to stone, or perhaps their personality becomes course like sand. They will themselves become more like the effect they wished to create. The effect of a backlash is often temporary but severe cases can be permanent and correlate with how far beyond their capabilities. strong backlashes can prove.
Careful use however, still wears on the user. Over time, magic will come to mark a user. A witchmark is a magic disfigurement, sometimes physical, sometimes mental, that will emerge on casters after prolonged magic use. They are similar to a backlash in that their exact nature depends on the magic used but the effects are permanent and grow steadily over time. They often begin as tattoo-like discolorations on the skin but eventually become more pronounced effects. Long-time illusionists might appear faintly translucent, or project disembodied whispers while experienced necromancers might begin to resemble the corpses they use and stink like rotting flesh. This makes identifying powerful spell-casters trivially easy.
Because the effects can be so disastrous and establishing consistent sympathy so time-consuming, most spell-caster specialize in a given sphere of influence. This can be as narrow as a particular element like water or as broad as the color purple. Generalists do exist but tend to sacrifice power for flexibility.
Type
Metaphysical, Arcane
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