Magic

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Revision as of 16:45, 5 July 2013 by Siddharth1 (talk | contribs) (Amplifiers)
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All right, so it occurs to me I should probably write some of this down. Magic is a form of energy in the Course Books, and like energy it conforms to a few of the laws of thermodynamics, namely that it cannot be created or destroyed, only rearranged. Every living thing requires a tiny amount of magic, it is essentially the ‘spark’ of life. Your heart needs it to beat, your cells need it to divide, it is vital. The energy attaches itself to molecules or flows freely in pools and rivers, it is affected by gravity. Lunar cycles affect it the same way they cause tides. Magic exists in varying levels of complexity, this can also be thought of as levels of concentration. Magical power begins deep underground as a very raw, simple form. This form can be used to cast spells but is difficult to wield, requiring great physical strength. It is also nearly impossible to weave this form into complex spells, only to sort of ball it up and fling it at targets. The raw magic is seldom used for this reason, and is basically only proficient at causing damage. The raw power is carried to the surface through volcanic activity where it is deposited in the rock and soil. Plants growing in this soil then absorb and refine the raw power. This is why nature magic is so common and easy, it taps into the refined form found in plants. Animals eating the plants further concentrate the energy. That discovery gave rise to the idea that carnivores refine the power even further, and that by eating them, people could gain greater power. This is actually untrue, though carnivores do have access to greater power, they actually store less in their meat; in fact a more plant-based diet produces higher concentrations. This does not mean, however, that vegetarians are more powerful. Diet controls access to refined energy, an all-meat diet does give access to the highest levels of refined energy. Once inside the body, some of the energy gets converted into pure life-force, the most refined/concentrated form of magic. The rest is simply stored, and can be used to cast or weave spells. Magical energy can also be ‘drawn’ from the environment around the mage. Certain spell-forms and ritual-sites can convert raw magic into more refined versions. Otherwise, spells can be used to literally siphon refined power from anywhere. If enough power is tapped, plants and animals in the area being drawn from will die, as they will have literally been robbed of their life-force.

Types of Magic

Endo-Magic

Endo ('from within') magic is based on the user's personal stockpile of magical energy and power drawn from within.

Exo-Magic

Exo (external, 'from without')-magic is power drawn from the world around the caster; usually refined magic from the landscape but sometimes from other sources. Exo-Magic is based largely on the four cardinal elements: earth, fire, wind, and water.

Paths

Since magic is based on intents, the path has more to do with the person following it. His or her individual motivations, experiences, and needs shape the magic.

Lesser Path

The lesser path is about anger and lack of control. Most exo-magics are considered lesser-path. Those that go to the lesser path and stay there are often considered sub-par mages and shunned by the general magic community. In some areas and at some times, it was considered illegal to practice "lesser-path magics", even into the modern Ages, wizards did not often divulge that they had practiced or did practice lesser-path.

Greater Path

The greater path is considered the moral high-road, the intellectually superior and the challenging forms of magic. Most wizards practice greater-path magic exclusively.

Amplifiers

Magic can be ‘amplified’ through a variety of means. Various ritual-sites and spell-forms can convert raw magic into more complex magic at the cost of a little complex magic, however these are not considered ‘true’ amplifiers, and only create the illusion of amplification.

Only certain metals actually amplify power. Silver is the simplest; ironically gold does not work at all. Iron doesn’t work either, though steel takes on some magical properties and iron can be enchanted. Silver is the best commonly-available magical amplifier, and is often shaped into trinkets and rings and then enchanted. Though there are many, metals like orichalcum, adamantium, and mithrill are among the most notable. It is important to note that amplifiers do not actually create more magic; they take what is there and make it more powerful.

More magic can be created, however, with the aid of some technology. This is a sort of clever way to circumvent the laws of thermodynamics. The first (and only known) law of magic is this: Power is Power, whether created by magic or machine. This was commonly mistaken to mean that machinery (technology) could equal magic, that one was not superior to another. Magic-tech was essentially invented as an offshoot of this sort of thinking. However, the real meaning is that the two are interchangeable.

Magic can be converted into heat, mechanical motion, and most importantly: electricity. While converting heat or mechanical motion back into magic is very inefficient and loses a great deal in the transfer, electricity creates an amazing loophole.

Essentially, a small amount of magical energy creates a large amount of electrical energy. While that electrical energy does produce an equivalent amount of magical energy to what was used to produce it, amplifiers are the key to making more. A small amount of magical energy, amplified, converted to electricity, then converted back to magical energy, will yield substantially more magical energy than was initially used to create it.

Spell casting/weaving

Describing the actual use of magic is complicated, but it essentially comes down to ‘weaving’ or shaping the energy into more complex patterns. This is actually similar to the way a technological machine works by converting electrical energy into a function, like the way a lamp converts electricity into light. The complexity of the spell is similar to the complexity of a machine: the harder something is to do, the more complex a spell you need. A variety of magical ‘languages’ were eventually developed to record specific spells and teach them to new generations of mages. This is where the misconception of ‘magic words’ arose from, as mages would often recite the written form of the spell as they wove it to help focus. In reality, the spoken form is only a guide for the mental portion.

Spell Forms

A spell-form is essentially a spell ‘written’ into a shape, magic is then added to the shape, and it forms the spell. Some spell-forms can be expressed two-dimensionally, thus being essentially written into books. This is different from a written version of a spell, in which the page has no inherent magic but contains a series of symbols which tell a mage how to create a spell. In a form, the mage needs to know nothing beyond how to activate the form by pushing magic into it. The concept of a spell book, a volume that is inherently magic and allows the holder to cast spells, originates from many books of spell forms. Spell books should not be confused with books of magic, which instead contain written instructions for casting spells. Three-dimensional spell forms are also used. These are often shaped with magic-amplifying materials to form magical trinkets or talismans. During the Mage Wars, spell forms were often carved into weapons to create powerful attacks. The Order of Wizard Breakers even developed a type of spell-form that fit in a socket on a weapon or piece of armor.

Ritual Sites

A ritual site is similar to a spell-form, but much larger. Ritual sites can range from a few square feet to hundreds of miles. Typically, a ritual site will be laid out to aid in the casting of a specific spell. Some ritual sites are simply used to draw more magic, others are made for casting multiple spells.

The term derives from the way a site incorporates various ritualistic elements and is usually activated through some form of a ceremony. Most multi-caster spells require some sort of ritual site to cast.

A ritual site can be as simple as a few lines drawn in the dirt, or even just ritual elements laid out in a specific pattern.

Permenant Ritual Site

A permanent ritual site is exactly what the name implies: a more permanent setting. Stone shapes or even special buildings can comprise a ritual site. The city of Arindell is in fact a massive ritual site built over a spell-form of carved tunnels underground.

A permenant site is one that will be used over and over again. A Mage Tower is an example of a permenant ritual site. Typically, these sites will not include any hard-set spell-forms, but can be easily re-configured to allow for any number of uses.

Standard Ritual Site

A standard site is one that is temporary in nature. It will usually have a spell-form drawn or painted or otherwise rendered. A standard site may be used for some time, and could be considered a permenant site. However, the key differentiating factor being the utility of the site.

Enchanting

In simplest terms, an enchantment is a thing spelled. A permanent or temporary spell, woven over an object, place, or even a person. Most enchantments are invisible, though some produce a faint aura or other visible light. Some enchantments are done with a particular magical language that is designed for this purpose, and the letters and words form runes either magically inscribed or directly etched. Tattoos can be used to place enchantments on people, with the back being a popular canvas. These enchantments, however, can be disrupted by simple changes in the wearer’s body. Wait gain or loss can change the dimensions of the tattoo, thus disrupting the enchantment. Enchantments differ from spell forms in one very key way: they do not require ‘activation’. A spell form must be purposefully activated by a mage, an enchantment can be activated by anyone, or is constantly active. Making enchantments is done in one of two ways. The first is a type of enchantment that draws in power to run itself. These can be problematic for long-term use as they can be shut down simply by starving them of power. The second is to actually add all the power the enchantment will ever need directly into it while making it. This sort of enchantment is much more popular for the ‘always working’ ability, though making them can be extremely difficult. The Tower H culture, a legendary group of enchanters from the early First Chaotic Period of the Mage Wars, were pioneers in this type of enchanting, and made it much easier with a system of staged enchanting. Essentially, they would enchant items for making other enchanted items. A system of combining smaller enchantments to build larger ones allowed relatively weak mages to produce extremely powerful enchanted items. A hybrid form of the two types of enchantments exists, though this cannot really be considered a separate technique since it really consists of combining different types of enchantments.

Zero-point magic

In the last installment of the Course Books, Hunter Jusenkyou is seen using what he calls ‘Zero-Point Magic’, which is described as being incredibly powerful. What he has done is tap into the ‘sea of energy’ the same way a Zero-Point generator does. Essentially tapping in to the zero-point energy of a quantum mechanical physical system, he gained access to a vast reservoir of power. This was not accomplished by converting zero-point energy into magical energy, but actually accessing true zero-point magical energy. Though more raw and unrefined than the magic that comes from stone, zero-point magic is so basic that it is even easier to weave, allowing extremely complex, extremely powerful spells. Though The ByWay to Freedom is the first time he’s seen using this power, it is implied he may have used it to create a few permanent enchantments on the Saratoga.


Closing Points

Though some rules of magic can be easily interpreted through logic, the most important thing is to understand that the driving force behind it is need. You cannot simply shout a few magic words and wave a wand, the power has to be called fourth out of need. The secret, then, is to learn to create the need, or take what need you have and direct into weaving a spell. This is why magic is so seldom used for simple, mundane purposes, and why the hardest part of training is learning to produce the necessary need.