Magic

*"And the lightning was in Druska's eyes, and the thunder in his voice, and the storm in his soul."*

*-Wrath and Glory*

Magic, sometimes referred to as the Old Power, the High Arts, the Clever Craft, or the Gift, is the power of bending reality to one's will. It is wielded by the spirits of the Immaterium, mortal mages, and various Tellurian creatures in order to achieve innumerable wondrous effects. Any conscious being can learn to wield magic if trained, though aptitude and talent varies for each individual.

## Using Magic

*"This world is only limited to dullards and conformists. Those of us possessed of a modicum of intellect, awareness, and will are able to explore its possibilities without restriction."*

*-Wyrden of House Vataeri, Elven Archmage*

In simplest terms, using magic involves attuning oneself to the world around them, and reshaping it to their will. In practice, things are far more complicated.

Firstly, the use of magic is tied to the spirit and one's physical condition has no affect on their ability to use magic. A man covered in muscle is no more able to employ magic than one shrouded in fat by virtue of his superior body. Instead, using magic involves expanding one's consciousness from within the confines of their mind, and then out into their surroundings, and reshaping them to one's will.

The amount of change that can be wrought using this method varies based on an individual's attunement to the flow of the Vital Energies. The more attuned a being is to one of the Vital Energies, the more easily they can channel its power through their consciousness in order to affect change. As a result, more attuned magic users can perform greater feats of magic before they become mentally drained, and must rest and recover their strength before using magic again.

### Wild vs Structured Magic

The majority of magic users employ what is often referred to as structured magic, where they employ a wide variety of tools and symbols to help mentally focus themselves and bring their power to bear. Such methods include wielding physical objects, such as wands, talismans, or staffs, reciting various incantations and verses, or making use of symbolism in the environment, such as the presence of the full moon or a sacred burial ground. The use of such focuses grants an individual's magic focus and structure, allowing them more precise control over the Vital Energy they are drawing upon and helping to ensure that the energies they unleash do not go astray.

More rarely used is the so called wild magic, that which is shaped only by raw passion and unrefined intent. While such magic can be potent, it is unreliable, and can usually only be summoned in moments of intense emotion, and when it is, can spiral out of control, as the unstructured power of oa magic user releases when channeling the Vital Energies without a focus causes unintended side affects. In rare occasions, wild magic can even be summoned by a being who has never before demonstrated any magical aptitude, such as a mother cursing child's murderers with her dying breath.

Wild magic is less likely to go awry when used by individuals with a powerful magical attunement, as their stronger connection to the energies of the world makes it so their desires manifest more clearly when they unleash their power. Dragons, being the most magically attuned races in the world, are the only species who can safely employ wild magic with near perfect consistency.

### Attunement Rankings

Attunement Rankings are measures of an individual's attunement to one of the Vital Energies. More powerful Attunement Rankings allow for one to channel one of the energies more powerfully, fueling more powerful effects. The Rankings go thusly:

* Unattuned: Only those who do not use magic whatsoever have this ranking.
* Novice
* Apprentice
* Adept
* Expert
* Master
* Archmaster

## The Five Vital Energies

The powers of magic are divided into four groupings known as the Vital Energies. Each Vital Energy is used to employ a different group of magical purposes, due to the disparate natures of the Energies . While simple magic users might use a few spells from one of the Vital Energies, full fledged mages typically employ all five. This is due to the fact that many more complex spells make use of two or more of the Vital Energies at once.

### Dudael

Dudael, also known as such names as the Celestial Fire or the Golden Light, is the most potent and overtly volatile of the Vital Energies. It is a force of pure power and genesis, used primarily to manipulate wild forces or to engage in acts of creation. It is exhilarating to wield its power, but when one loses control over it, its uncontrolled energies are usually unleashed into the nearby environment in flashes of destruction (though how much destruction depends on the amount of power being channeled). Dudael represents the power of Genesis, and is the opposite to Varamyr.

### Oromis

Oromis, called occasionally the Ghost Wind or the Blue Spirit, represents Dynamism, the opposite of Static Melkor. It is the easiest of the Vital Energies to manipulate, bending easily to a mage's will. At the same time, however, it is extremely easy to lose control when wielding it if one's focus is not intense due to its fluid nature. When this happens, its energies tend to dissipate into the environment, spreading thinly over a large distance, and as a result, tend to cause minor disturbances if any. This makes Oromis one of the favorite Energies for novice mages, as it is easy to bend and the effects are largely harmless. Due to the spread of lost energies, however, any interrupted spell effect must be repeated from scratch. Oromis typically fuels magic which controls highly mutable substances like air or water, the extension of the senses, or etheric communication.

### Melkor

Melkor, sometimes known as the Sacred Heart or the Living Stone, is the energy which represents, Stasis, and as such, is the opposite of Oromis. It nature makes it extremely difficult to shape and command its energies, necessitating a tiring expenditure of mental stamina. However, its Static aspect also means that it is very easy to maintain control over, and if a spell powered by Melkor is interrupted, its energies become inert, and cease to produce effects upon the environment. As such, Melkor is quite safe to use, if taxing, and furthermore, it is possible to resume the effect of an interrupted spell powered by Melkor at a later date. Generally speaking, Melkor is used for effects like transmuting stolid substances and solidifying magical effects.

### Varamyr

Varamyr, commonly called by names like the Nightshroud or the Black Mist, is the representation of Entropy, and as such, is the opposite of Dudael. It too is dangerous and volatile to wield, though in a different way. Its energies can easily spiral out of control, and when they do the Entropic aspect of Varamyr results in it causing objects in the environment to break down. Primarily, Varamyr is used to fuel magics that involve degradation and weakening, and can be used to break down physical substances, drain away literal physical energy, or other, more ephemeral materials.

## Magical Practices

Through the combination of the Four Vital Energies, it is possible to create almost any magical effect. Innovative, talented mages, as well as spiritual entities, have throughout the centuries created specific combinations of the Vital Energies known as Magical Practices, or alternatively, High Arts, Sacred Ways, Clever Crafts, and more. Each practice involves a set of spells and effects created via specific applications of the Vital Energies, all bent towards a specific purpose. It is quite rare for new practices to be invented outright, and several times over the centuries, various different magical organizations have invented near identical practices, fueled and focused by differing techniques.

### Necromancy

Necromancy is a practice which focuses on manipulating the souls of deceased (for the most part) Tellurian beings, and by extension, the bodies they inhabit, or once inhabited. The entropic power of Varamyr is the backbone of this practice, as it is used to drain wills, decay bodies, and bind spirits into submission. Dudael is employed to give life to broken corpses, Melkor to bind spirits back to bodies, and Oromis to perceive the presence of the dead. Necromancy is viewed in most places as an evil, perverted practice, as one of its core tenets involved subjugating the dead to ones will, and perverting the cycle of life, while other practices focused on the deceased are more supplicative in nature.