Arcane Force

*Raw arcane energy*

Arcane forces are what is considered ‘classical magic’. It may also be called psionics. It is the force that allows lifeforms to manipulate the world around them. Wielders who can use arcane can fire off fireballs, move rocks with their mind, as well as tap into life, Void, and Celestial magics. Arcane is powered by intent and arcane power, which is found in a variety of ways, such as the latent power in the air, stored mana capacity in a being, or arcane crystals which store a large amount of arcane energy.

## Purpose

Arcane, in essence, is a force used to bend the world outside of its natural order. In order to do this, there must be arcane energies present, and a spell must be cast. When both of these are present, Arcane magic may be used to do multiple things, such as power complex contraptions, change states of matter, change the appearance of an object, and move objects. The full list of things that can be done with arcane magic is innumerable.

It can be noted that machinery that does not need arcane energy can be made. Power plants, electric wiring, and computers are all still possible. However, these types of contraptions are very complex and difficult to create and maintain. Arcane contraptions are much simpler, as they runes can simply draw upon nearby sources of arcane power.

## Spellcasting

Spellcasting is a branch of arcane magic that involves the mind. Spellcasting works as a person memorizing a string of runes and recalling it within their mind, and then exerting force of will onto that thought. From there, arcane power is channeled through the body from where the will is being exerted out of. For humans and most races, this area is the hands.

Sentient beings all generate a little arcane power. Some generate less than average, and some generate a lot. This is measured by Arcane Affinity (AF), and is different for every individual. ‘AF’ is essentially mana, and once used, needs to be recharged. Some again, mana regeneration is different for every being, but it usually takes 5 minutes to go from 0 AF to maximum AF.

Beings can use equipment to help them channel power. Using equipment helds arcane power be more focused, efficient, and powerful. Equipment can take multiple forms, even people. Staffs usually hold more magic material, but are more difficult to maneuver. Wands are easy to use on the spot, but hold less than a staff. Trinkets can help enhance certain spells. And people, when channeling the same spell together, can greatly enhance the power of the one spell.

Sometimes more complex spells cannot possibly be memorized. This is where physical writing comes in handy. Writing spells in a book can help someone memorize a particular spell, or they can cast straight from the book itself. Be careful though. The longer and more complex a spell is, the more arcane power it will take. If one spell takes too much mana, they can use nearby arcane power sources. This is where rituals can be performed.

## Machinery

Machinery, powered by arcane magic, is used to cast spells. It works off of the same principal as spellbooks: That when written runes are infused with arcane power, the spell can be cast. Except machines do it without any intervention from a sentient being. These machines are powered by arcane energy; they need a consistent supply of arcane energy to work, similar to how electricity powers everything.

Machines often have three components. The runes, the power source, and the physical machine. The runes are a series of runes made to perform a spell. There may be multiple runes. Think of the runes as coding. These runes do not need to be carved or on single pieces of paper. Oftentimes, runes are in the form of a sturdy book. Sometimes, runes are in the form of arcane energy in computers. It's a strange combination but it works for extremely complicated machinery.

## Natural Forms

Arcane energy can come in many forms. It can be in the form of air, a liquid, and a solid. And these can come in many forms, especially solids. There are three kinds of arcane producers: Concentrated Arcane, Infused Arcane, and generated Arcane.

Concentrated Arcane is raw arcane energy found in the form of matter. In solids, it often takes the form of purple crystals. These are expendable sources, but they are very potent. They are good for carrying with spells. Liquid arcane is a ghostly purple liquid. It is more manipulatable than solid arcane, and is converted as a potion base. If someone were to submerge themselves in liquid arcane, nothing would happen. However, if a spell was cast near liquid arcane, the spell would go bezerk as it is supercharged. Gaseous arcane is invisible and everywhere. Its in the air, the ground, and in space. Sometimes, it can concentrate into more visible purple streams in space, which are very potent. Because gaseous arcane is everywhere, light arcane spells can go on forever, such as arcane lights.

Infused Arcane is arcane magic infused into an object, essentially enchanting it. Objects holding arcane power are very stable, but don’t hold as much arcane energy. They can however, be runed to produce actions. This is often the case with golems and cursed items.

Generated arcane is raw arcane that has come from an item that produces raw arcane. These items are typically some of the most powerful relics in the universe, as they essentially create unlimited power. They can vary in strength. There can be rather weak sentient beings, and then there is the relic in Theressia, which produces massive amounts of arcane power.

## Ethereals

Ethereals are spirits of arcane power. They are lifeforce taking the form of pure arcane energy. This means that since they are the essence themselves, they know everything about the arcane arts. Their arcane affinity is also much, much higher than any normal sentient being, making them a form of generated arcane.

Ethereals are few in number, with only 9 on Terra, 7 on Mars, and 10 on Venus. They tend to be neutral about mortal affairs, preferring to not get involved in their wars or moral dilemmas. They just simply don’t care about that. What they do care about is themselves. They are notoriously self-centered and focused on research. The way to make allies with an ethereal is to essentially become their servant. Many elves are in service to the Ethereal Xakauz in Therissia.

Ethereals appear as glowing masses of purple energy, and tend to take whatever shape they want to. They can be humanoid, wear clothes, and all sorts of stuff. They like to float above ground because walking is too much of a hassle. And occasionally a glowing rune will pop up around them. This is a spell they are performing. Their thoughts and actions can just translate into runes around them.

Ethereals cannot be killed by any means except draining their power. Draining their power to depletion will cause the lifeforce in them to collapse completely. Ethereals do make for a great source of arcane power, but this decision is unwise for many reasons. One is that they can still cast arcane spells while being drained, which can lead to chaos. Second is that reputation with ethereals will be absolutely ruined, and they can become quite vengeful if one of their own kind is killed.

## Curses

Curses are interesting. While normally arcane magic messes with the natural world, curses are arcane magic messing with the Darkrealm. When somebody is cursed, they have arcane etchings into their very soul. This changes their entire being fundamentally in permanent ways. Werewolves, void demons, and others all use curses to spread and become cursed.

Curses can be removed, but it is an extensive and painful process. One must seek out an ethereal and beg for the curse to be removed. Only arcane elementals can undo curses such as this as they can see the arcane etchings in one’s soul. Then, they tear the part that has the etchings apart from the soul. This is painful and will take months to recover. As for demonic curses, these are usually not able to be cured by an arcane elemental alone; they need a paladin to join them to purge the void force attached to the soul. If there is too much voidforce, then the soul can be destroyed

## Beginnings of Magic

Magic can be started in two ways: Ethereal Contact, or learning. Ethereal contact is regular contact with an Ethereal, who are beings of pure arcane energy and lifeforce. They know the entire language of the world and are extremely powerful. Unfortunately, they are also rare. There are maybe only 10 on a regular planet. Nonetheless, if a race has made good relations with an Ethereal, they will pass down the knowledge of the arcane to that race. That is how magicians start. Now, if a person personally makes friends with an ethereal, they are automatically blessed with more arcane power than one would get with regular learning. They would also know much more. Unfortunately, this is very difficult to do, as Ethereals tend to be stubborn with their knowledge.

The other method is standard teaching. This is the by the books rune memorization that is taught in schools. How much they learn depends on that society they live in, but for humans, it is taught as regular curriculum. Now especially interested students can go into an academy for arcane arts, and start more advanced spellcasting, and perhaps even make some of their own spells.