Empyrea

Empyrea, also called "Magic," is the Fifth Fundamental Force of reality, which began in the Primordial Aether. Primordial Magic comes in the form of Prana, in five colors, derived from (or made up of) the Primordials who live in the Primordial Aether. Mortal species cannot directly access Prana, and must use magic through The Schools of Wizardry & Sorcery, The Domains of the Anteon Gods, or an extraplanar Patron who can convert the Prana into usable magic. By reverse-engineering magic as it appears on Phase World we may understand that it has an altering effect which frequently transcends matter, energy, space, time and even thought-patterns; thus, we can stipulate that the force of magic acts on every single object or energy of the world as a blanket which indirectly controls their reactions. As gravitational forces are experienced by the unobserved Graviton, so could Magic (or Prana as it is referred as by the Mages of the Arcane University) be expressed via the Primon. The Primon is a particle which serves as a conduit of energy; multiple Primons form part of a three-dimensional fabric which engulfs all matter, and fills the gaps between everything (some call Prana dark matter and/or dark energy). The Primon is not like an electron which transmits energy; it may rather be considered like the Higgs Boson, which itself fundamentally embodies energy. The Primon is able to interact and alter the state of all other matter and energy around it, almost like an ocean in which everything else floats.

But, on Aarde, Magic is ALSO the word for the Applied Science of USING Magical Energies to create fantastic effects. Magic is a category into which various beliefs and practices have been placed. The term magic derives from the Old Tuatha word magu, a word that applied to a form of religious functionary about which little is known.

Academics in various disciplines have employed the term magic but have defined it in different ways and used it in reference to different things. One approach uses the term to describe beliefs in hidden sympathies between objects that allow one to influence the other. Sympathetic Magic is the physical phenomenon that occurs when a pair or group of particles is generated, interact, or share spatial proximity in a way such that the magical state of each particle of the pair or group cannot be described independently of the state of the others, even when the particles are separated by a large distance. The topic of Sympathetic Magic is at the heart of the disparity between classical science and magical science.

Defined in this way, magic is portrayed as the opposite to science. An alternative approach employs the term to describe private rites and ceremonies and contrasts it with religion, which it defines as a communal and organized activity. Others have said Magic was beyond simple definition, and has a range of meanings. Scholars have engaged in extensive debates as to how to define magic, with such debates resulting in intense dispute. Throughout such debates, the scholarly community has failed to agree on a definition of magic, in a similar manner to how they have failed to agree on a definition of religion. Even among those throughout history who have described themselves as magicians, there has been no common understanding of what magic is.

Concepts of magic generally serve to sharply demarcate certain practices from other, otherwise similar practices in a given society. In many cultures and across various historical periods, categories of magic often define and maintain the limits of socially and culturally acceptable actions in respect to numinous or occult entities or forces. Even more basically they serve to delineate arenas of appropriate belief. Throughout Aardan history, there have been individuals who engaged in practices that their societies called magic and who sometimes referred to themselves as magicians. Within modern Occultism, which developed in the Krasna Sept of Krazuphith, there are many self-described magicians and people who practice ritual activities that they call magic. In this environment, the concept of magic has again changed, usually being defined as a technique for bringing about changes in the physical world through the force of one's will. This definition was pioneered largely by the influential Occultist Aleister Ravenscroft and is used in most magical practices today, such as Wizardry, Warlockism, and Sorcery.

Mages, knowingly (or unknowingly, as is mostly the case) are able to manipulate the Prana and, in effect, alter the surrounding energy/matter. We live in a world of wonder governed by physics; even if we don’t completely understand the physical rules we can still function in this world and use, or be subject to, those inherent physical laws. The same goes for the magic users. In most cases, spell casters are not aware of the implications – or even necessarily of the existence – of a magical particle in the fabric surrounding them. What they do know is that, through a series of actions or rituals – verbal, somatic etc. – they can alter the world around them. It stands to reason that, as one works more with Magic, one gains a deeper insight into the actual workings of it, allowing more magnified effects, better manipulation and, eventually, the achievement of more complex tasks.

Most mages conceive of magic as a deep personal experience, involving a thorough understanding of themselves or of their deities; only higher beings, or those who are much more attuned with the weave of magic, can really see it for what it truly is. This means that you will hardly ever see or hear anyone describing magic as a set of physical laws, because the experience of discovering its true nature is altered based on the user’s or researcher’s personal experiences.

Magic exists everywhere and can be used, depending on the capability of the user, to channel its effects. But we are aware that certain items can be imbued by temporary or permanent magical effects; this denotes that magic, or at least some of its facets, can be stored within some structures. Staffs, metals (weapons, armour), stones, crystals, parchments or even liquids (potions) are commonly known to carry these effects, or are able to replicate the effects of the rituals (spells) used to manipulate the Prana. We also know that certain types of items can be recharged by transferring magical energy into them (such as staffs), or that their effects can only be used a certain number of times a day, which may denote a slow recharge rate (absorption of magic from the environment). All these properties seem to indicate that magic is an energy, which can be stored, absorbed and used or manipulated.  We also know that magic can be interrupted (dispel), or even disappear all together (dead magic area), which means that the volume, or even existence, of the weave can be altered, and can fluctuate.

Magic can be thought of as a fundamental energy of the world; it can be perceived and manipulated in different levels via the use of rituals (spells) performed by conduits (casters), who allow Prana (magic energy) to shape the forces it engulfs. Finally, the nature of magic is almost surely unknown to most of its users, but via the use of ritualism and study it can nevertheless be expressed.