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lore:magic [2013/10/13 03:23]
galacticcmdr 		lore:magic [2021/12/03 23:36] (current)
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 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. 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.
  
 +
 +==== Outsiders ====
 +
 +The Powers That Be outside of the [[lore:​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.
  
  
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 //Main Article: [[Spellcraft]]//​ //Main Article: [[Spellcraft]]//​
  
-Spellcraft if the most common form of magic used by [[creatures:​human|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.+Spellcraft if the most common form of magic used by [[creatures:​human|humans]] and those that have learned from them. It was taught to the humans by the elves after the [[creatures: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.
  
  
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 ==== Magi ==== ==== Magi ====
  
-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 Celestial ​Dragons, but like The Ancients ​because ​they contain a small spark of creation within them - they can use that power to do far more than the Celestial ​Dragons. The cannot create or consume, instead they perform an equivalent exchange - exchanging one thing for another permanently.+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 [[timeline#​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. There are no magi left on the world of Miranda as the gods forced them from the world during the [[timeline#​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.
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 ==== Shamanism ==== ==== Shamanism ====
  
-Shamanism ​is a catch-all for magic that draws upon the power contained ​within ​the spirits of others. A shaman can call upon and draw power from the spirit within an animal or a sentient being. Shamanism is traditionally practiced among the more primitive tribes and those that remain closer to the natural world. It is not impossible for more "​civilized"​ people ​to learn shamanism, but their distance from the natural world makes it more difficult.+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.
 +
 +
 +<WRAP tip round 80%>
 +A spirit that resides within a rock is so simplistic that it is no capable of becoming something else without without a great deal of power. If that rock is then carved into a statue the spirit itself has changed and more adaptable - it has been transformed by a sculptor and has gained a measure of the sculptor'​s spirit. The rock spirit cannot change on its own, but it can be changed by something else. A shaman could have accomplished the same transformation by supplying their own spirit magic.
 +
 +It is far easier for both the sculptor or shaman to turn a more complex spirit into a simplistic one. The statue can be destroyed into small rocks as the spirit still has a sense of being a rock. Each rock divided from the statue will be its own spirit - with only the slightest echo of once being something more.
 +</​WRAP>​
 ==== Earthsong ==== ==== Earthsong ====
  
 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 [[creatures:​giant#​stone]] and [[creatures:​giant#​iron]] giants that walk the lands were originally their creations. 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 [[creatures:​giant#​stone]] and [[creatures:​giant#​iron]] giants that walk the lands were originally their creations.
 +
 +<WRAP alert round box 80%>
 +How powerful Earthsong really was before the dwarves fell from grace and had it stripped from them is a matter of lost history. Immediately following the [[lore:​Brothers War]] the dwarves destroyed all of their history they wrote on rock and stone - so shamed were they of what they had lost. It is possible some records are still written in [[lore:The Deeps]], but that is also lost to the dwarves as they cannot survive down there anymore.
 +</​WRAP>​
 +
 +
 +===== Tropes =====
 +
 +
 +==== Healing ====
 +
 +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.
 +
 +
 +==== Magic Items ====
 +
 +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.
  
  
  
 {{tag>​magic}} {{tag>​magic}}