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.
| Magic is defined as: |
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The persistent ability to manipulate the environment in ways otherwise
impossible without the utilization/leveraging of natural phenomena, the influence or cooperation of
physical bodies, or the use of external artifices.
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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:
| Magical Sophistication in
the Realms |
| 1st Order | Raw Ritual |
The most basic level where all
principles of magic are taken by rote and no underlying understanding of the
physics or laws is assumed. Most shamanistic magic exists at this level |
| 2nd Order |
Reinforced Ritual |
Rituals are assisted by a rudimentary knowledge of
natural laws and fundamental sciences. This is the level of most trained lower
order mages. |
| 3rd Order |
Academic Ritual |
Rituals are combined and enhanced with more sophisticated studies and scientific
principles like chemistry and alchemy. Mages who understand magic to the point
that they can expand their abilities without the guidance of a mentor possess
this order of magic.
|
| 4th Order |
Elaborate Ritual |
Lower order rituals can be performed by force of will alone.
The mage's academic understanding of rituals and their interaction with nature
and physics allows them to create simple rituals that can be followed by other
mages. They can also alter rituals to create slightly different effects. At
this level of skill, a mage can insinuate ("bind") magical energies into an
artifice. Magical staves, swords, wands, and the like being examples of this.
|
|
5th Order | Sophisticated Ritual |
The mage begins to develop pseudo-psionic capabilities, and
many lower level rituals can be performed with little or no concentration. The
mage's reliance on ritual regresses to following "templates" or "guide paths" which
tap the interactions of energy. The mage begins to manipulate the powers
"manually".
|
|
6th Order | Psionic / Pseudo-Ritual |
Pure psionics are considered to practice magic of the sixth
order. However, a being who uses mental energies like telepathy or telekinesis
do not have the broad scope of abilities a ritual mage will possess. On the
other hand, a creature who can perform such feats without resorting to rituals
tends to have more flexibly and control in their application. Generally, they
have greater capabilities in their narrow spectrum of power. Ritual mages at
this level can work with magical energies in abstract ways and can combine them
into newer structures. Rituals become "source material" that can be treated as
building blocks. |
| 7th Order | Reinforced Psionic / Free ritual |
At this
level the creature's psionic potential affects a broader spectrum of the
physical world and chains of interaction can be stimulated into motion. They
can perform feats like cellular adjustment (healing). Mages of this order rely
little on ritual. Their understanding of ritual is complete enough that they
can "make it up as they go". They are essentially still using rituals but are
now only using them as anchoring or controlling points in their magic.
|
| 8th Order | Psi-Master /
Ritual Independent |
Psionic creatures begin to exhibit
broad powers that are in many ways like ritual magic only performed by force of
will alone. They can develop skills like self teleportation, dimensional
travel, and can in some instances control their psyche so completely that they
are independent of their physical bodies. Mages at this skill level no longer
rely on ritual except for reference and ideas. They freely combine energies and
are limited only by the endurance of their physical bodies. |
| 9th Order |
Living Magic |
The highest order of psionics and magic is cosmic or "living"
magic where the creature becomes in tune with the physical nature of the cosmos
and can manipulate it directly. The 9th order of magic is the top of the scale
but creatures that possess this ability have a tremendous range of what their
abilities can affect. At one end of the range might be the ability to control
storms or perform miracle healing-- in the Realms the other end of the scale is
the strength to destroy stars and alter the flow of time.
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