Magic

No Archmage living in this world save for the Death of Magic remembers this! [Monks] clapping their hands, a [Bard]’s guitar, the swing of a [Blademaster]’s sword—it’s all magic.
Wiskeria Donamia explaining what true magic is to Erin Solstice

Magic is a fundamental principle, similar to mass or time, though it is not present in every universe. It allows individuals to perform actions beyond the limits of conventional science, regardless of systems of levels or personal authority.

While mana and spells are the most common expression of “magic,” they do not encompass the entirety of the concept. The absence of mana does not necessarily mean the absence of magic itself.

Background

Magic follows a natural cycle in which it waxes and wanes. Periods of growth can arise from the rise of a powerful magical empire, a prodigy who pushes the art forward, an ancient being emerging from hiding to reintroduce forgotten knowledge, or simply out of necessity when the world faces a great threat. Conversely, periods of decline may result from a mage attempting to monopolise knowledge by eliminating rivals, a catastrophic event that devastates magical institutions or the world itself, the collapse of a once-great magical empire, or there simply being no driving force to maintain high levels of magical strength and knowledge.

While this cycle applies most clearly to “mage magic” due to its knowledge-based nature, it inevitably influences the other categories of magic as well. One of the most notable events in magical history is the Long Night.

It began when the Archmage of Magic’s End attempted to "absorb the Heart of Magic into himself". The attempt failed catastrophically, stripping magic from the world for 300 years. Magic was only restored when the Archmage of Sunlight, Ailet Sundrev, sacrificed herself to the Abyss—alongside her fellow mages—to reignite it.

Categories of magic

Magic can be broken down into multiple categories based on the resources it consumes, the way it is cast, and the nature of its output. These categories give us insight into the behaviour, limitations, and abilities of the spellcasters who practise each type of magic. It must be noted that these categories are not mutually exclusive; they often overlap and influence one another. It is not uncommon to see individuals from one specialisation drawing inspiration from, or even outright dual-specialising in, another. A well-known example is Archmage Kishkeria, who mastered both shamanic and mage magic.

Mage magic

The most used category of magic. Its practitioners mainly use mana as a resource to cast spells.

Witch Magic

Draws from emotions, places of power and things that matter or relate to perform magic like spellcasting, concocting magical brews, divination, noticing omens, summoning, performing séances, and interacting with ghosts and spirits.

Druid Magic

It has strong ties to the old great wills and though it has not been explored very much we know that it can summon strong wild magic and the breaking down of spells and enchantments.

Miracles

Miracles are thought by some to be an older, extinct form of magic. Instead of mana, miracles relied in the faith and belief in gods. The full capabilities of Miracles are currently unknown but continued and practiced worship in entities is the gateway towards obtaining them. Gods are not a needed factor, as the Antinium’s Heaven proves, providing the strength of Miracle without being a god.

Trivia

• The old language of magic is Latin. It is also called Magister’s Chant.