MAGIC
Magic is a term for the cosmic power and essense of reality threaded throughout the entire cosmos of which others have learned to tap and use for thier own desires.
HOW MAGIC WORKS
A Brief Overview
Magic taps into the well of divine ability placed inside mortalkind to manipulate one or more of the cosmic forces to perform a desired effect. Each of the cosmic elements have a certain color attached to them so the intensity and final color created for spells where such a manifestation are needed can vary based upon this mixing.
Not all spells bring forth such a visual manifestation—some just occur without a coordinating color—but most objects that have been enchanted glow or release a certain color whenever the magic is released. Further, mages can learn to become so skilled in a spell that they can cast them without much more than gesture or even thought. This was the case of the higher skilled mages who became wizard kings. Many mages of the present time still are of a lower level and have to rely on other methods to call forth their magic.
Just like anything one becomes proficient and familiar at the more inclined one is to note others who can and do cast magic and even the presence of spells in effect or having recently been in effect when then get near—this sensitivity to increases the more skilled the mage becomes and spends time honing their ability to notice such things.
This means that the words for spells, gestures, and even material components for them are just tools to help them better focus and control the spell/desired effect. As they progress in skill and greater mastery of said spell and magic over all it is entirely possible for them to use magic more and more as a force of will over anything else.
Like any continuous effort the mage can weaken in the process of casting spells and not be able to draw forth any more either because their ability to cast any more is weakened to the point of depletion or there are now longer strong enough to pull any more forth. Should another mage grant access and the proper training be undertaken, one mage can tap into the magical reserves of another to enhance and cast more powerful spells. Such effects were often conducted for powerful magic that needed the aid of more then one mage.
In this using magic is very much like physical exercise. The more one engages in it the more one weakens if they push beyond their endurance but it is in pushing past that endurance too that they can gain strength and the ability to do more once they have recovered. And so to gain in strength and skill the wizard must seek out refining what they know as to how to improve their methods of drawing forth the magic from their well as well as gaining knowledge of how to cast certain spells, but also be able and willing to practice so they can gain more endurance to move into even more powerful spells and feats of magical might.
Needless to say true mages are always students. For to stop learning and stop practicing is to no longer progress but instead reverse, weakening one in power and skill. And the more practiced a mage becomes the better able they are to bring about their spells without need of words and even later even specific objects (in some cases) as they have internalized and personalized the spell to such an extent that’s more or less a part of them and can be done basically and by will in many causes.
THE
PROGRESSION OF MAGIC
Three groups have accompanied magic’s development across the millennia: mystics, magi, and mages.
MYSTICS
The first to discover and begin to tap into the ancient power later to be called magic, the titanic mystics were similar in appearance to regular titans. The only real deviation occurred during the anicent split between them and priests. In order to stand apart from them and the current population they started wearing surcoats and sashes. The surcoats were worn over other clothing and came in various styles (open, closed, etc.), and designs but the surcoat was always sleeveless and the sash tied about the waist. Before this the mystics wore common hide and outfits and attire, dressing more akin to what some might now consider the garb of a shaman than regular member of the populous.
When the titans came to Tralodren they decided to shed their former garb, feeling it was staring to tie them too closely with the priests and they wanted to make a clean and new start away from them. And so they did, keeping to normal attire, which helped them blend in further with the population, which let them also keep more to themselves and learn more of the whatever they wished to study in relative peace and quiet for generations.
It wouldn’t be until later generations that more and more mystics were seeking to stand out from others to flaunt and showcase their power and abilities over the common titan and other races on the planet. In this case they would often don richer attire and capes or other affects and adornments that helped them stand out/get noticed in general.
MAGI
When Tralodren was created it was titanic mystics who were some of the first to inhabit it using their power and skill to improve the lives of their fellow titans while increasing their own wealth and station in the process. In time they were able to pass on what they had learned to some dranors who built upon what they had learned, adding their own insight and preferences as the generations increased.
These dranors would take the name magi (magus, singular) taking their name in part from the name of the power their titanic teachers instructed them in. And these magi would go on to do great exploits—both good and bad—passing on what they had learned to a select few of mortalkind who could share this ability with them (for only dranors and mortalkind could cast magic).
The power they wielded became known as magic. Their influence grew as did their power, and with that influence also grew their pride. Soon they took themselves to be better than others, even the gods, and sought to spur on the rebellion the later generations of dranors undertook against their creators.
It was the magi who sought ways to work around the divine curse placed upon the dranors and in so doing brought about mortalkind. But try as they might they couldn’t stand up before their creators and all feel to the Abyss before the Great Shaking, the final judgement against the arrogance and corruption of the entire population, rocked all of Tralodren.
MAGES/WIZARDS
After the Great Shaking much was forgotten, lost, or corrupted. Very few kept to what they had learned for the magi, and much of it disappeared for hundreds of years. This changed when centuries later explorers found some ancient dranoric and titanic ruins. From these they learned of the ancient wonders and powers these beings once wielded and how they could make tap into these same powers themselves. From these arose a new breed of spellcasters who called themselves mages in honor of the ancient magi from whom they took much of their insight and direction.
These were all from mortalkind, the only beings who could cast magic on Tralodren because of their shared lineage with the dranors. In time the would also gain the name of wizard, derived from the term and idea of them being wise men and their habit of scouring old tomes, ruins and the like for more knowledge on their new found passion and pursuits. Though mage would still remain a popular moniker and the two words would remain interchangeable for millennia.
WHAT MAGIC CANNOT DO
Magic can do many things and mages have learned to tap into many avenues of expression and power over the centuries but they are still a few things magic in and of itself can’t do. First and foremost is in the area of healing. While mages can tap into the cosmic element of life, they can’t outright heal or restore any damage done to living beings/plants. This means if they get hurt they can’t heal the damage done them like a priest can with divine aid. For healing is in the hands of the gods alone. This being said mages can still lessen the effects of pain, slow and/or accelerate the affects of sickness, poison, and disease down to some extent but can’t remove it or heal the sufferer. Some mages have found ways to prolong the years of one’s life, however, but such insight is very rare and the effects are mixed (often getting longer years but not longer youth, etc) with various outcomes for those who look to tap into such spells. Looking to live your life as a lich, however, is something that mages have found success and one area where the magic can do something that the priests don’t seem able to do (or the gods won’t allow).
On the flip side of this coin is the nature of the cosmic element of death. Here too the mages are limited, but not in such a great deal as when it comes to the cosmic element of life. Indeed mages can slaughter with spells, cause instant death, and even speed up the effects of harmful/deadly things in the body by increasing their hold and power. However, they can’t create diseases, or sickness through the means of their magic, this again seeming to be something left up to the gods to allow and/or cause (based upon the deity). So a mage could make a poison that much deadlier but couldn’t create the poison from scratch using their magic.
Another area in which magic is not able to delve into is the matter of time. Small and minor alterations to things can be achieved (reversing weathering damage done to a door or suit of armor) but none can look to say travel through time itself to any great extent—usually not being able to venture more than a few hours backwards or forwards in a day. They can’t even use magic to peer into the future or the past for such things. It seems such things are the sole domain of Saredhel who gives access to those she pleases. Time can be slowed—even to the point of nearly stopping—and even speed up to various degrees but one cannot jump ahead or backward any more in the time stream than this. The only exception to the matter, however, is with the Lords of Time or sequential incarnates.