Magic

See Also: Fate System, HERO System, Chivalry & Sorcery System

What is Magic? This is the big question for a Fantasy RPG be it High or Grim Fantasy. What the people of Miranda call Magic, the gods might simply refer to has life or the Devils as un-life. For the purposes of this document we will assume Magic as viewed by the people of the Physical Plane, specifically those people upon the world of Miranda.

To those people that use, see, or are affected by magic it can be very different things; however, they each have one thing in common. They have a source of power that exists outside of this world. Magic cannot exist inside the Physical Plane as it is anathema to the laws of this plane. When someone draws upon a power that exists outside of this plane they are tearing open a hole in this plane and drawing power into this plane. They will use a measure of their own spiritual power to allow the outside power to exist. They will then try and shape that power to suit their needs.

There are many different power sources that can be reached from this plane, none of them are without danger. The only rule for each of the power sources is that they cannot act against their nature. Only spiritual beings can exercise true free will, all others can only act within its nature.

From Miranda, which is a part of the Physical Plane, drawing upon the power of the Shadow Realms is the easiest path. The dominion of Miranda is a surrounded of that realm so its power is close at hand. The nature of the Shadow Realms itself is constantly in chaotic flux, which makes this power source the easiest for the magician to manipulate because the power has the least structured nature. The downside of this fluid nature is that the Shadow Realms is the most difficult to control. It is like shaping a viscous liquid into a sculpture, possible but very very difficult.

If drawing from the Shadow Realms is difficult, then mortals directly drawing upon either the Divine Realms or Infernal Realms is nigh impossible. The sheer power of these two realms upon a mortal would not only have the effect of sand-blasting a cracker, but cause a great deal of devastation upon the world in the process.

Instead, magicians draw upon the power of the Gods and Devils that inhabit those realms. These beings may be incredibly more powerful than any mortal on Miranda, but they are but a small fraction of the power in the realm they inhabit. Unlike the Shadow Realms, drawing power from such a being is strictly limited to the nature of the being. The Gods and Devils are the most restricted power, but even if the magician fails to control the power it is still bound by its restricted nature.

It is not known if the elemental storms are a part of the Eldar, after effects of their creation, or simply wakes left in their passage. These storms are to the Eldar as a single drop of water is to the ocean. Impossible to comprehend the whole when you can only see the drop. Still, this single drop does have a great deal of power and life that can be harnessed.

Those who draw upon the elemental storms are drawing upon the power that existed when this existence was created. Each storm is unique and can be difficult to not only find but align your spirit to draw upon its power. If someone manages to harmonize with the Sea of Fire then they can summon fire from that storm. It is possible to create fire from the power of the Shadow Realms, but that is simply changing power by your will - the fire drawn from the Sea of Fire is immutable as are the beings that live within it.

While a magician cannot change the nature of the Elemental Storms they are far more mutable than the power of the beings of the Outer Realms. While the storms can be chaotic, they are not nearly difficult to control as the Shadow Realms.

The draconic power of the Dragons is different from the other sources of power. The dragons of Miranda can trace their lineage directly back to Mir the Empyrean Dragon that is bound into the sun. Like the Outer Beings (Gods and Devils), the Dragons are a power source with thought and drives and can deny the use of their power to any mortal. Unlike the Outer Beings, Dragons have a soul (spiritual power) and thus can exercise free will over own power. It is this spirit that allows the dragons to live as only their own soul could cage the unending appetite to claim, consume, and devour that is contained with them.

Once a magician has drawn power from an outside source into the physical plane they have to protect and shape it using their own spiritual power (i.e. soul). If they are unsuccessful that power will simply dissipate as it cannot exist within the Physical Plane, typically with explosive results. There are many different ways that mortals use to focus their soul on the task of shielding and shaping the power. The examples below are only the most common methods.

The Powers That Be outside of the Mortal Plane contain vast power that could be used by anyone they will, but this comes at a terrible cost. The power of the outsiders, god or devil, is antithesis to the mortal world. This would not only cause their destruction, but the destruction of the world as well. The gods do not wish this because they are the guardians of all the worlds whose presence form the prison for the Empyrean Dragons. The devils do not wish this because the destruction of this world could destroy the un-life power that it contains. Instead, these beings use very small amounts of their power and temper it with the spirit of a mortal being, thus avoiding destruction.

All outsiders, lacking a spirit, can only act according their their nature - this holds true for their power as well. The power from a bear god cannot be used to swim like a fish or fly like an eagle. A devil of trickery and illusion cannot create anything true.

There are two major forms of Elven Magic upon the world. The first, and purest form, is available only to a True Elf. The True Elves have maintained their fae nature and can naturally call upon that nature to do what appears to be magic. This magic draws from the power of the fae lands and is manipulated purely by thought. It takes no concentration or effort - it simply happens as they wish it to happen. Most True Elves avoid using this power as it pains them to be reminded of what they can never have again.

The more common form of elven magic is only available to a Great Elf. This magic pulls upon the connection between a Great Elf and the Great Tree. The tree's roots are planted in the fae lands and drink deeply from the magic of that world. Unlike the Elven Magic of the True Elves, this does not come naturally to them, but by centering their spirit and calming their mind they can call upon the magic of the Great Tree far from its physical presence.

The elves have been working to extend the reach of the Great Tree throughout the world. They have purified forests into Sylvan glades and called a root of the Great Tree to the glade. Once that branch begins grow into a tree nearby elves can call upon its magic.

Main Article: Spellcraft

Spellcraft if the most common form of magic used by humans and those that have learned from them. It was taught to the humans by the elves after the magi left this world. The elves taught the humans how to order their mind enough that they could draw and control power from various sources. It can be a difficult and dangerous art if the mind is sufficiently focused enough. Most practitioners use words, gestures, symbols, and other mnemonics to train their mind to shield it from the potential damage.

Elementalists are those that open themselves to one of the elemental storms that rage in the center of the Miranda dominion. They will call to them a living being of that storm and bind it to their own spirit. This binding will slowly cause a merging between the two spirits as the elementalist and elemental being become one. In the end the individuality of either spirit is lost and a new completed spirit is born. This change often accompanies physical changes as the new spirit changes the physical form to match its needs.

The magi were the humans that were taught how to manipulate the power around them by The Ancients who created them. The magi draw upon the power of the great Empyrean Dragons, but like The Ancients they contain a small spark of creation within them - they can use that power to do far more than the Empyrean Dragons. The cannot create or consume, instead they perform an equivalent exchange - exchanging one thing for another permanently.

There are no magi left on the world of Miranda as the gods forced them from the world during the Age of the Gods. The power the magi draw from has diminished in the world since the closing of the Black Gates, so the vast workings of The Ancients is now impossible. However, with no magi remaining it is impossible for any human to rediscover this lost art.

Shamanism draws its magic from the power contained with the spirits of other things. Spirits are not just limited to sentient or sapient beings.

Inanimate objects also have spirits bound within them, but these spirits are so simplistic to change or adapt - offering almost no magic for the magician draw upon. This makes these spirits the weakest, but the easiest to control. Wood from trees cannot resist a lumber's ax nor a carpenter's chisel to turn it into a chair - but it cannot simply become a chair.

Sapient beings have the strongest spirits, but are the most difficult to control. A sapient creature has a full sense of self and even subconsciously will resist any forceful effort to surrender. A shaman that seeks to change a sapient creature must first overcome its spiritual defenses - even a willing creature will resist any such attempt. Shamans that try this often first weaken the will of the creature before attempting to control or change it.

Sentient spirits are the most common spirits a shaman will manipulate. It takes less of their own magic as a sentient spirit is more adaptable. Second, it is easier to control because it has only a limited sense of self, thus they do not have the strong natural defenses of a sapient creature. The more aware a sentient being is, the more difficult it is to control them. This is often reflected the “animialistic” nature of a creature.

Earthsong is the long lost magic of the dwarves. It was stripped from them by the Earthmother at the darkest time of the Brothers War. While the dwarves possessed this power, they were able to draw upon the very spark of creation that is contained within the Earthmother. Those who mastered this craft were called Forgers and their ability to shape stone, ore, gems, and crystals is still unparalleled in the world. Legends say that the most powerful forgers were able to create life itself (see Soul Metal), but this is only legend and fantasy. It is possible that the stone and iron giants that walk the lands were originally their creations.

A common use of magic in many fantasy worlds is to heal wounds and cure diseases. This is nearly impossible in Miranda because of the chaotic and willful nature of magic. The mortal world, and the creatures on it, are creatures of the physical world - magic cannot survive in this world, but it can brought into it for a very short time. Magic can create exceptions to the rules that govern this world, but can never be a true part of this world.

You can use magic to cure a disease or mend a bone, but the chaotic nature of magic is such that there can be unforeseen consequences. A diseased cured could simply move to another host or become radically changed by its brush with magic - it may even strike the caster stronger than when it was “cured.” A bone mended by magic could render it brittle or change its nature to stone. Even the spirit of the person being healed will rebel against the “chaotic corruption” of the magic upon their self.

A very skilled or very powerful magician could alleviate these problems, but this is not an easy challenge to overcome. It is very possible to find magicians that can heal; although this skill is far too difficult for the common wizards that constitute the vast majority of magicians.

Many fantasy worlds have powerful physical items imbued with magical energy. Such things are found only very rarely in Miranda and they are always regarded with suspicion and fear. The reason for this is that magic is naturally a chaotic force that is only marginally kept in check by a powerful or trained spirit. An item, possessing no spirit of its own, cannot contain nor control magic.

Magicians can get around this for a short time by binding a small measure of their own spirit to an item or physical device and then using that spirit to control the magic. This means the item cannot separate from the magician for long or the spirit bound within will seek to return.

They may also fully bind another's spirit to an item. This is typically done with a spirit that does not possess a true body, thus the spirit has not sense of a physical being. This can be dangerous because a spirit very rarely consents to such a binding and thus will always seek to escape from its binding - releasing the magic that it was supposed to contain.

The longest surviving magical items are those forged by the belief of many - ofttimes an entire culture or people. Each person that truly believes such a thing gives part of their spirit to that item simply from their faith. With many people giving just the tiniest part of their spirit magic far greater can be controlled. This magic will arise and be controlled by the faith of the sapient beings that believe in such a thing.