Traditional Spellcasting

Traditional Spellcasting is the form of spellcasting that was most prevalent during the Classic Era and primarily involves mages channeling the mana within their bodies to perform magical acts. Whereas magic in the Ancient Era had been a freeform exercise, Traditional Spellcasting requires the detailed study of the specific techniques involved for casting individual spells as they are outlined in their associated Spell Tomes. A Traditional Mage cannot learn how to cast a spell without the use of a Spell Tome unless they are taught directly by a master or spend years of intensive research in order to deduce the complete contents of the spell through their own reasoning. Once a mage has already mastered a spell, they then gain the ability to adapt it more to suit their preferences or the dynamic situations they face, but until that point, Traditional Mages must adhere to casting a spell exactly as is written in the Spell Tome, following instructions on the proper physical gestures, vocalized incantations, and material focuses. Creating new spells or using spells in ways that they were not expressly intended is difficult, though not impossible in Traditional Spellcasting, but it is still a far cry from the flexibility that was permitted in the Freeform Spellcasting of the past.
== Changes In Magic ==
The answer to why the method of casting spells became more restricted as time went on is a common scholarly debate that has no clear solution. The most prevalent speculation is that ambient mana in the environment depleted over time, especially due to the increase of mages during the Unifying Era and especially during the Expansion Era. Such an answer seems logical when one considers that the core of freeform spellcasting was to use mana in the environment whereas the foundation of Traditional Spellcasting is channeling it from within their own body. 
The eventual decline of Traditional Spellcasting and the transition into the primary source of magic being Glyph Casting is another matter with unclear origins, but it is generally believed to be due to a degradation in the genetics of Ib with regards innate spellcasting ability which appears to have corresponded with a modest increase in affinities with psychic powers.