Magic (Art)

"Magic" refers to various combinations of art and science that go into a specific school of sorcery or traditional magical practise.

The practise of magic most notably requires the manipulation of "mana", a normal force that permeates the universe, in order to achieve otherwise impossible feats. There are other important components of magic, such as physical orientation and positioning, but the direction and movement of mana is the primary distinction between magic and other forms of art and/or science.

Even though magic can accomplish incredible things, it is not "miraculous". The practise of magic still follows natural laws; it cannot be created or destroyed, it cannot produce something from nothing, and it cannot produce an action that is not equally opposed by a reaction. It has its own natural laws and properties which govern what it can and cannot do, but for the most part, it behaves like any other particle or wave, with the exception that it can be bent by force of will alone.

### Magic as an Art

On Ijzeria, magic is practised overwhelmingly as an art, rather than a science.

This is similar to how cooking is an art, whereas baking is a science. Cooking can still produce wonderful, luscious results, even if there is a great deal of improvisation going on; but without the proper temperatures, tools and ingredients, a cake is just a lump of flour and embarassment.

In this sense, it is much more common that an Ijzerian citizen would have a grasp of what magic does and how to use it, but would not necessarily understand the precise laws of physics which allow them to do so. The average person is much more results-oriented, rather than academically inclined.

Regardless, magical traditions which acknowledge the physical properties of magic develop far greater potency and variety. Those few cultures who do not embrace the scientific aspects of magic suffer deeply, and often have been lost to history.

### Magic as a Science

The study and research of magical techniques is a main driver of higher education.

The people of Ijzeria want to know how their world works, and how to make it better. Magic is something that nearly all of Ijzeria's people are capable of doing, and so magic is generally seen as the greatest tool that people have to achieve their hopes and dreams. As a result, private institutions and governments around the world have always expressed a deep interest in furthering their understanding of magic for a wide variety of reasons, and to more efficiently do this, the study of magic became a major focus for academia.

A deeper understanding of chemistry for example, allows modern pyromancers to use magic to coalesce and compress oxygen in an area, then ignite it into explosive bursts; where ancient pyromancers would simply force the mana within their own bodies outwards to create the same effect. The end result is that modern pyromancers are incredibly efficient and precise, capable of casting many more spells than their ancestors, and with even greater potency at the same time.

This ability to apply knowledge about the natural world to magical practise is what makes magic on Ijzeria less of an art, and more of a science.