The Functions
of Magic
A
brief rundown of the way magic functions within the Rozen
Rot Multiverse...
Magic
is one of the fundamental building blocks of the universe
-- Magic runs through literally everything that
makes up the World That Is . Every "force" that
exists within the universe is a form of magic -- gravity,
thermodynamics, entropy, all of it is magic.
Which
isn't to say that these things are magic because they are
"inexplicable", it is simply that the Ordered
Cosmos is fundamentally magical in nature.
All
forces function as expected by the laws of "physics",
almost entirely because it is expected that they
will behave that way.
One
of the major forces within the World is belief -- what
the sapient beings that dwell within the Ordered Cosmos
believe, waht they expect, has an effect on the way the
universe functions in much the same way that a particle,
when observed, behaves as expected but when unobserved,
may behave differently.
The Sources of Magical
Energy...
The
Sources of Magical energy, aka the Sources of Power are
the things that all creatures which use magic need to
channel in order to be able to effect the functions of
the universe -- or, in more simple terms, to do magic.
The Internal Flame
Everyone possesses this -- it is the
thing which animates the body, an inherent
property of the Spirit. Animals and plants also
have an internal flame. The Internal
Flame is the starting point for all magic,
but a very poor primary source for magical energy,
as it is finite.
There is only so much energy within yourself to
draw upon and while it gradually recovers between
uses, it can be drawn upon too much and the
person using it to fuel their magic will eventually
burn out, which frequently results in death.
The Threads of Power
The magic of the universe itself -- the
threads which bind matter together, which power
gravity and thermodynamics and every natural
process or force within the universe.
The Threads of Power are, technically,
an infinite source of energy -- once a spell
finishes or fizzles out, the energy used to power
it is released and returns to the cycle.
The downside of the Threads of Power is,
in fact, that it is infinite. A magic user may
burn out their ability to channel energy entirely
if the use too much in a short period of time,
which, essentially, overlaods their magical
circuits. This is usually temporary and the
magician can eventually recover -- though it may
take weeks, months or even years to regain the
abilities they've lost.
Spirits of the
Restless Dead
The souls of those who died and were not
able to properly return to the cycle of
reincarnation, thus trapping their soul on the
mortal plane.
This source is also infinite, though using this
particular source of power is, generally,
considered "evil". This is because
channeling the Spirits of the Restless Dead strips
the spirit of everything that made it who it was,
reducing int to pure energy.
While the spirit still returns to the cycle of
reincarnation, the spirit has had every memory,
every lesson and every bond it ever had destroyed
in the process.
Psychic/Emotional
Energy
The field of energy that surrounds every
living being -- though it is strongest in sapient
beings. It's considered the "heat" that
the internal flame gives off and what is seen by
those who can see auras.
This source is infinite, as long as the magic
user has enough living beings around to power it.
However, this is also dangerous as if the
magician doesn't have enough sources, drawing too
much from one individual can cause physical side
effects -- and may even cause the source to
"Burn Out" (die).
Belief/Faith
This is the energy created
by centuries of accumulated human belief. The
power of a Crucifix has nothing to do with the
wood from which it was made, or even (necessarily)
the God which it depicts -- but rather, its power
comes from two millennia of humans
assigning meaning, assigning holiness, to it. Any
kind of magic performed using crystals, candles,
herbs, rituals or prayers is magic that is
powered by Belief/Faith.
An infinite source of power but fickle as all
hell -- a human who doesn't believe in
Christianity trying to use a crucifix against an
atheist vampire won't be able to harm the vampire
whatsoever as they have no faith in the
symbol itself.
This is why a housewife lighting a green candle
isn't (inherently) using it as part of a spell to
attract money -- because they don't Believe that
it will do so.
Blood, Bone and
Viscera
Things which once held the energy of
life have a magic of their own and even moreso if
those things belonged to a creature with magic of
its own. Vampires do not subsist on the nutrients
that blood provides but rather, they subsist on
the magic within that blood.
Magic performed using blood, bone or viscera can
be etiher morally reprehensible (you murdered a
random homeless man to use his blood and bone to
perform a ritual) or completely morally neutral (you
used your own blood to power a quick spell) -- it's
all up to the way that the materials (and
therefore, energy) was gathered.
This is, obviously, a finite source of energy.
You can only use a bone so many times before the
energy stored within it is used up and it becomes
magically inert.
The Divine Font
This is magical energy directly from the
Divine. If the magician's power is granted to
them via a God or some other Magical Patron (a
Fae, a Demon, etc.,) then that's the Divine Font.
This can be an incredibly dangerous form
of magical energy, depending on the deity called
upon to provide the power.
Someone who relies on The Myriad Eyes for their
magical power, for example, will gradually become
corrupted by its influence and eventually, lose
their free will. It's strength is partially
determined by the belief of the wielder but also
by the power of the being itself. If, say, using
energy from the Primordial God of the Hunt, that's
essentially infinite. If using energy from a
minor demon? That's pretty finite and will need
to be supplemented by an External source.
Fate
I have not totally figured out how this
source functions. It relies on manipulating the
tapestry of fate to create/destroy potential
futures and using the energy released by that
disruption to create the magical effect. Not
exactly evil but it's not considered
morally good to destroy a future without
creating another in its place. This is really
common for really high ranking Fae to use for certain
forms of magic.
Natural Spirits
This is kind of like the Divine Font but
calling upon the various spirits of the world to
enact the magic for you. The magician
isn't really the one creating the magic but they are
directing it. They're more of a conductor
than anything.
Types of Magician
- The Ritualist
The ritualist relies entirely on Blood,
Bone & Viscera along with Faith/Belief -- and
sometimes, a little bit of The Divine Font. There
are no real entry requirements for ritual magic,
literally anyone can practice it and it's the
most common form of magic in the NCverse.
A Hermetic Mage or Medieval Alchemist would have
been a Ritualist. A modern-day Wiccan who relies
on her candles and calling on her gods/goddesses
would be a Ritualist.
The notable thing about Ritualists is that they
can't really access the Internal Flame
-- which is the kindling for every other kind
of magic -- and they can't channel any of the
other Sources of Power...
- The Natural
Any human magic user who can kindle
their Internal Flame and channel magical energy
is a Natural. They're frequently called Witches,
too. A Natural can create a magical effect by
simply reaching inwards and pulling forth their
internal energy to, for example, create a gout of
flame or make the ground in front of them turn to
slick ice. Generally, the Internal Flame is only
used to "spark" the magic and the
Natural will Channel something else to give the
magic most of its power.
- The Spiritualist
The spiritualist usually relies on
Natural Spirits for their magic but may also rely
on the spirits of the restless dead to perform
their magic. They are capable of lighting their
internal flame but not of fully
channeling the less...sapient sources of energy.
They may also channel from the Divine Font.
- The Supernatural
A being whose very existence is magical.
Faeries, demons, angels, and etc., are all Supernatural
creatures who have access to their own forms of
unique, inherent magic. They're innately tied to
the Threads and are capable of manipulating them
naturally...
Most supernatural creatures belong to this
category...except for ones who belong to the following
category.
- The Dead
Vampires, liches and other forms of
undead are all cut off from the cycle of
reincarnation and as such, are cut off from
accessing the Threads of Power. Vampiric magic is
powered almost solely through a
combination of the Internal Flame and Blood, Bone
& Viscera -- though there are vampires who
were Naturals in life that learn to channel other
sources (psychic energy, spirits of the restless
dead, the divine font). Liches are almost always
powered by some form of Divine Font.
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