Charges are what fuel magic, and each and every spell costs but a single Charge to cast. Most commonly, magicians get their charges through performing rituals, which are learned (like spells) as they increase in skill. All rituals take a certain amount of time to perform (1-15 minutes, most commonly), with the general rule that if a ritual is easy to perform, it will take a longer time. Rituals that demand sacrifice, or only operate under very specific conditions, are usually quick. Note: no ritual can be performed while a caster has a Readied spell active.