Magic of the Ring Realms

General Definition of Magic

Magic in the Ring Realms is a science, but unlike a technical science it is an elitest pursuit. While anyone can study and understand biology and put its principles to use, the same cannot be said for magic. It's largely believed that all creatures have the ability to wield magic to a certain degree, however the spark which allows us to tap into that power is typically too small to do anything significant with. The evidence of this at work are those isolated moments in our lives when we experience deja vu, briefly see another's thoughts, or foretell the future.

While magic itself can be learned, the powers that can be attained cover a vast range, from simple hand illusions to the altering of reality on a interdimensional level. In some cases, creatures can substitute personal and psionic (mind power) energies for the gift that allows most mages to cast spells and manipulate magical energies.

Magic is not a specific energy or range of energies. It is more of metaphor that encapsulates a "principle" of action and reaction.

By this definition then, powers such as telepathy, and telekinesis, and other abilities of mind qualify as magic. However, they are not what is considered "traditional" or "ritual" magic.

Ritual magic uses the wielder's magical spark and aspects of "sympathetic bonding" to generate interactions of forces that take the place of energy manipulating abilities granted by heredity or mutation.

Rituals are schemes that utilize materials, gestures, vocalization, and thought in combination to create a "manipulation". Typically, the "token" empathetic materials used in the ritual serve a symbolic function as well providing a consumable "fuel" for the reaction. By concentrating, creating vocal tones, and specific physical movements the mage unlocks causal "loopholes" that allow them to tap into external influences that designate or illuminate the way to create the energy structure of the spell.

The act of performing such a ritual is called an "incantation". The incantation itself has no power. It is merely a path or gate that gives the mage access to specific knowledge and instincts necessary to foundate, create, unleash and control a manipulation. This externally tapped cognizance is derived from various sources that include actual crypted coding within memorized vocalizations, racial memories, and the universal super-consciousness. In some cases the incantation serves as a medium to allow external forces to control or act through the mage. In fact, almost all shamanistic (clerical) magic works in this fashion, as the source of the shaman's power is coming from a specific source (a deity or a servant of one).

Once the code or "cipher" is accessed, the mage's awareness fills with the spell "template", the blueprint that shows them the interactions necessary to create the manipulation.

Aside from the physical potential we can unleash with our muscles, the typical human body generates a negligible amount of energy that can be used to directly perform work. However, through the principles of catalysts and chain-reactions, insignificant amounts of energy can release tremendous potential. If the total energy contained within a thimble-full of water were unleashed, it could easily destroy a mountain. The actual force needed to catalyze such a reaction is actually tiny. So generating stupendous amounts of energy is simply a function of being able to precisely control the body's bio-electric potential to stimulate a reaction in a sacrificial "fuel" source. Actually, the "fuel" need not even be the material component of an incantation. It can be the oxygen in the air or the ground at the mages feet. In fact, for most mages, the problem is not the lack of energy— but the super-abundance of it.

It is the super-abundance of energy and the relative fragility of the human form that gives rise to the ritual science. The amount of energy the mage can safely channel through their body is limited, so in order to yield larger effects the mage must "chain" or "link" energies together. This is done by "starting small" with a spell foundation or "binding". The binding reinforces the mage's body, creates a restraining shell, or actually acts as energetic "proxy". Through the auspices of this binding, the energy level can be stepped up, or in the case of a proxy binding it may invoke child bindings which each have their own potential to replicate. Through a combination of these binding techniques, the mage can build up gradually more energetic layers of power until the desired level is achieved.

From the description above, it's not hard to imagine the complexity of the "binding" necessary to create even a trivial spell effect. This is why few practice the art, and why many die trying to master the skills. Some individuals possess an innate ability to work and synthesize the control of bindings. This is key to creating the incredibly involved frameworks necessary to cast the master orders of magicks.

As a mage increases in power and knowledge, his/her reliance on "ritual" totems for the performance of magical feats grows less. Constant use of magic toughens a mage's body and mind. Their bodies adapt to better channel and "conduct" the energies of binding and casting. As experience increases, the mage develops instincts that allow them to skip steps and short-cut the process of building the chain of interactions. At a certain point, they've adapted to the degree that simpler bindings become unnecessary and the mage can perform "flash-binding" which is a surge or burst of power that is shaped and redirected "on-the-fly". This kind of casting is fast, showy, and potentially dangerous— but it is the stuff from which legends are born...

Magical sophistication falls into categories as follows: