Magic: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 21:13, 24 September 2023

Magic is the act of changing the laws of physics, reality, and sometimes time, in the world of Aloria by drawing on essences from another realm, the Gods, or Dragons, to change the way things work. Magic means a great many things for different people, some Elves might consider it part of their very being, while some Ailor consider it something alien or superstitious, while some Sihndar consider it evil itself. Magic allows great feats like the defiance of gravity and solving hunger for a whole city, but also great evil like the destruction of whole forests or carnage on the battlefield.

OOC Note: This Page explains Dimensional Alignment, and Magical Morality as well as the logic behind Magic in the Alorian universe. If you are reading this Page to decide on Proficiencies and Point Buy Packs, only reading Dimensional Alignment and Morality of Magic is required.

If you want to learn more about different major locations one can learn how to use Magic, click HERE.

History

Magic has a long and storied history with much anecdotal and common experiences that it is hard to ascribe a single correct analysis of it. Magic was once inherent to the world known as Life Magic, however as the Seraph Civilization hungered for more power, they courted the powers of ruin by drawing energy from other dimensions. They could not control this Magic, and it destroyed their civilization, creating a cycle of so-called Void Invasions that would periodically wipe sentient species from the world of Aloria. As time passed, Dragons and Gods came into being that would weaponize their own type of Life Magic against the ruinous powers, thus creating their own Dragon and God Magic. Life Magic is effectively gone from the world now, with the remnants divided between the extradimensional Void, Exist and Ordial, and the Alorian native God and Dragon Magics. Magic has permeated far in nearly every society but also continues to evoke an emotional and sometimes violent debate on its right to exist in the world, whether for fear of the unknown, or jealousy over powers that the mundane cannot wield.

Dimensional Alignment

All Magic requires fuel, and each Mage must be aligned with one of the Dimensions from which Magic comes. When Point Buying any Packs from Enchant Point Buy, Radiant Point Buy, or Sinistral Point Buy, your Character must be aligned to a specific Dimension, and there are certain rules associated with each Dimension. A Character can only ever have one Alignment, and this cannot be changed later on, so the choice should be carefully made (some exceptions may apply, like for example the Narim or Suvial Races).

Exist Magic was the first extradimensional Magic that was created in the world when the Seraph dragged Exist essence into the world. The Exist is an incomprehensible dimension of everything all at once, meaning all sense and all material and all manners of time and space, often depicted with themes of cleanliness, order, symmetry, discipline, structure, function over form, and evil deeds done for good intentions. Exist Magic can be chosen as an Alignment for Magic.
Void Magic was the second extradimensional Magic that was spontaneously manifested in the world because it was a mirror dimension of the Exist. The Void is an incomprehensible dimension of nothing that never was, meaning none of the senses, nothingness, and no concept of time and space, often depicted with themes of corruption, anarchy, selfishness, desire, beauty over function, and good deeds done for evil intentions. Void Magic can be chosen as an Alignment for Magic.
Ordial Magic was the third extradimensional Magic that is barely understood and nobody knows for sure when it first appeared. The Ordial Realm is a mirror dimension of Aloria, where everything is dead, inhabited by eldritch horrors and monsters who hunger for the souls of the living and create dead things to steal souls in Aloria. Ordial Magic is also often called Death Magic, because of its associations with Necromancy. Ordial Magic can be chosen as an Alignment for Magic.
Dragon Magic was created by the Dragons who are native to Aloria to fight the corruption and destruction brought about by the extradimensional Magics (Void, Exist, Ordial). Dragon Magic cannot be chosen as an Alignment for Magic, as it follows specific rules. To create a Dragon Magic Character, it will be required to create an Archon Character (see rules on that Page).
God Magic was created when the Gods of the various religions of Aloria blessed their faithful with powers to defend their spiritual realm and the afterlife. God Magic isn't strictly anti-extradimensional Magic and sometimes is even anti-Dragons. God Magic cannot be chosen as an Alignment for Magic, as it follows specific Rules. God Magic can only be found in the Faith Proficiency Category.

Morality of Magic

The Morality of Magic is complicated in Aloria. While originally when Void and Exist Magic entered the world, they were purely corrosive Magics that damaged the fabric of reality and the world around where they were used, making them obliquely evil in all applications. However, over the tens of thousands of years, many Mages figured out ways to use Magic without harming the natural world, even Magic from the extradimensional planes like the Void and Exist. As such, over time, categories formed around the usage of Magic, with harmless Magic being called Radiant Magic, evil Magic being called Sinistral Magic, and gray morality Magic being called Enchant Magic. Whether someone is Void Aligned or Exist Aligned has no impact on their Morality. A Void Mage can have only Radiant Point Buy Spells, and an Ordial Mage can have a mix of both. Each spell in itself has a moral statement, rather than a universal label.

Radiant Magic is Magic that heals, repairs, restores, protects and defends. It is Magic purely designed to have no negative impact on the magical fabric of the world and thus can be cast guilt-free of damaging the world. No Spirits are ever attracted to Radiant Magic, and it also does not taint the world where it lingers. It is Magic used by those who want to help and be conscientious and a force for good.
Sinistral Magic is Magic that damages, corrupts, breaks, and mutilates. It is Magic purely designed to not care about the collateral damage to the magical fabric of the world and thus is always cast with the foreknowledge that it is a selfish act. Spirits are attracted to Sinistral Magic and feed on it, while nature around the use of Sinistral Magic is corrupted. It is used by those who see Magic only as a source of power and control.
Enchant Magic is Magic that is neither obliquely Good or Evil. It is Magic that provides utility and enables a user, but the morality of their use of Magic is entirely up to how they use it. Do they use Enchant to help and support others? then it is Good, do they use it to harm and destroy others? then it is Evil. Spirits are only attracted to Enchant Magic, and the world is only damaged when it is used for selfish and destructive reasons.
God Magic and Dragon Magic are never classified as any of these types of Magic, as they never damage the world, and never attract Spirits, being native to Aloria. It should however be stressed that this does not mean that they are always morally just. There are plenty of Dragon and God Magic users who perform great acts of Evil, many magnitudes more depraved than even the worst Sinistral Magic user.

Magic in Regalia

Magic in Regalia has always had a very dubious reputation, and many Mages have gotten used to what they call “The Magical Pendulum”. The idea is that Regalia never quite settles permanently on its stance on Magic, and frequently changes direction from a more progressive understanding to a more repressive one. This is largely due to the nature of the Empire, where the whims and needs of individual political actors influence how the Imperial Court reacts to the existence of Magic overall. To be Magical is not considered a crime, but to use Magic in public without the necessary legal documentation or approval is. Many things related to Magic are outlawed, like Death Magic or Necromancy (the act of meddling with corpses or causing death with Magic). Still, Magic has found its way into various sectors of authority also, with Magic being commonly used in the State Metropolitan (the guard) and even in the Emperor’s personal circle. Whether a Magic user succeeds in Regalia is usually related to their connections and their social caste as well as how they use their Magic, as opposed to what type of Mage they are.

How Magic Works

Every Mage is unique, to explain how Magic works, let us examine the case of the Apple. In Aloria, an apple is red, it is round(ish), and it falls down from the tree. This establishes three laws of reality of the Alorian world: color, shape, and gravity. When a Mage is born (or learns to use Magic), their Magic never strictly does a specific thing, but seeks to use the Mage’s imagination to bring about change in the laws of reality of Aloria. As such, if the Mage wishes to have the apple, instead of it falling from the tree it floats towards them, thus interfering with the gravity law of reality. If the Mage wishes the apple to be black, they might summon a flame around it to burn it to a crisp and blacken it, thus interfering with the law of temperature. If the Mage wishes the apple to be dried, they might evaporate all water in an instant, thus interfering with the law of liquids and gasification. Magic is a means to an end, to use Magical energies to change the laws of reality, of physics, of time, and of perception, and how that is done is entirely up to the imagination of the Mage themselves. Technically in lore, all Mages are thus unique, however, due to the gamified needs of D&D style combat, our Proficiency System only has categorical Abilities, with free aesthetics around them. This is part of the suspense of disbelief when reviewing Magic as a whole.

How a Mage is Made

Magic can be acquired in three ways. The first manner is to be born with it, those who are born with Magic are called Mageborn. The second manner is to learn it from another Mage, those who learn are called Magewise. The last manner is to have Magic given by a higher entity, those who have Magic given to them are called Magegiven. There is no inherent superiority in any of these categories, there are Mages who were born that were known to be less skillful than Mages who were taught, or those who were given Magic by a higher entity. Learning, or being able to use Magic, often comes down to the individual imagination or mental compatibility of the Mage, and so some Mages eventually reach a glass ceiling that they are unable to reach beyond, while others soar much further. In history, some Mages have been known to be exceptionally skilled beyond all mortal comprehension, such as the Allorn Empress Vinnalea, who could destroy whole mountains with a faint gesture. These Mages are called Archmages, and how they manifest is not well understood. Finally, it is important that for Mageborn, Magic can be inherited. While being born a child of a Mage is not a guarantee, it does slightly increase chances. This particularly led to mage breeding programs in the Allorn Empire before its collapse, with prestigious families planning magical pairings ahead of time to ensure Mageborn status in their children. It is supposed that for every 5,000 born individuals, one is Mageborn, though the actual number is probably higher since this estimation is based on an extrapolation of the reported Mageborn in the Regalian Empire.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-Of all the intricacies of Aloria, perhaps the most complex and critical of all is the subject of Magic. Magic is a blanket term for the use of Planar Essences from different Dimensions to reshape reality, which causes strange and unnatural things to occur. Magic is incredibly powerful and also incredibly dangerous, and has been used to bring both prosperity and ruin in equal measure, which has caused different cultures to have vastly different opinions about it. In the modern age, Magic is much more rare and misunderstood than it was in ages past, and as such, the average person will view magic with suspicion and even fear. Despite this, there are still people who seek to understand and even utilize Magic, known as Arcanologists and Sorcerers; to them, Magic is a major part of their lives. One thing is true no matter where Magic is found, though: for those willing to accept the risks, Magic is a powerful tool that can shape history– for better or for worse.
+Magic is the act of changing the laws of physics, reality, and sometimes time, in the world of [[Aloria]] by drawing on essences from another realm, the Gods, or [[Dragon]]s, to change the way things work. Magic means a great many things for different people, some [[Elves]] might consider it part of their very being, while some [[Ailor]] consider it something alien or superstitious, while some [[Sihndar]] consider it evil itself. Magic allows great feats like the defiance of gravity and solving hunger for a whole city, but also great evil like the destruction of whole forests or carnage on the battlefield.
-[[File:Magiccraft.png|260px|thumb|right|For many, Magic is part of their jobs and livelihoods.]]
+'''OOC Note:''' This Page explains Dimensional Alignment, and Magical Morality as well as the logic behind Magic in the Alorian universe. If you are reading this Page to decide on [[Proficiencies]] and [[Proficiency#Point Buy|Point Buy Packs]], only reading Dimensional Alignment and Morality of Magic is required.
+*''If you want to learn more about different major locations one can learn how to use Magic, click [[Magic Schools|HERE]].
 ==History==
-The history of Magic is extremely varied and often mysterious, as no one culture’s story seems to match or fully line up. Magic is however universally thought to originate from the long-dead Seraph Civilization, who were the first to learn of the Void and Exist and how to pierce the Veil that lay between them and Aloria. To better understand the history of Magic, here are some (but not all) relevant pages that offer as much of the puzzle as is known to modern scholars:
+Magic has a long and storied history with much anecdotal and common experiences that it is hard to ascribe a single correct analysis of it. Magic was once inherent to the world known as Life Magic, however as the [[Extinct Races#Seraph|Seraph Civilization]] hungered for more power, they courted the powers of ruin by drawing energy from other dimensions. They could not control this Magic, and it destroyed their civilization, creating a cycle of so-called [[Void Invasion]]s that would periodically wipe sentient species from the world of Aloria. As time passed, Dragons and Gods came into being that would weaponize their own type of Life Magic against the ruinous powers, thus creating their own Dragon and God Magic. Life Magic is effectively gone from the world now, with the remnants divided between the extradimensional [[Void]], [[Exist]] and [[Ordial]], and the Alorian native God and Dragon Magics. Magic has permeated far in nearly every society but also continues to evoke an emotional and sometimes violent debate on its right to exist in the world, whether for fear of the unknown, or jealousy over powers that the mundane cannot wield.
-*[[Cataclysm]]
-*[[Void Cycle]]
-*[[Azure Order]]
-*[[Battle of Curag Fields]]
-*[[Clicker Crisis]]
-*[[Fifth Void Invasion]]
-[[File:Shendar4.png|260px|thumb|right|For others, Magic is a powerful tool to fulfill their ambitions, and in the process, commit great evil (or good.)]]
-==Sorcery==
+==Dimensional Alignment==
-The most common way Magic manifests in Aloria is through [[Sorcery]]. Sorcery is the process of connecting to the Veil and learning to draw Planar Essences from a particular Dimension to alter reality in a way the Sorcerer chooses. Sorcery has limitations, and as such, a Common Book of Sorcery has been established that almost all Sorcerers learn from; many newer Sorcerers will try to find an older or more experienced Sorcerer to teach them how to connect to the Veil and a few basic spells, however, it’s entirely possible to do all of this alone. Connecting to the Veil can be done in any number of ways, the most common of which is meditating upon something like a flame, deep water, the night sky, or the sound of the wind, and concentrating on what might lie ‘beyond’ the senses, resulting in a connection to another dimension through the Veil. Sorcerers are only capable of drawing from the Void or the Exist, and every Sorcerer is therefore a Void Sorcerer or an Exist Sorcerer. To learn more about the history and specifics of Sorcery, visit the Sorcery page. Any player with an Approved Character Application can play a Sorcerer.
+All Magic requires fuel, and each Mage must be aligned with one of the Dimensions from which Magic comes. When Point Buying any Packs from [[Enchant Point Buy]], [[Radiant Point Buy]], or [[Sinistral Point Buy]], your Character must be aligned to a specific Dimension, and there are certain rules associated with each Dimension. A Character can only ever have one Alignment, and this cannot be changed later on, so the choice should be carefully made (some exceptions may apply, like for example the [[Narim]] or [[Suvial]] [[Races]]).
+* '''Exist Magic''' was the first extradimensional Magic that was created in the world when the Seraph dragged Exist essence into the world. The Exist is an incomprehensible dimension of everything all at once, meaning all sense and all material and all manners of time and space, often depicted with themes of cleanliness, order, symmetry, discipline, structure, function over form, and evil deeds done for good intentions. Exist Magic can be chosen as an Alignment for Magic.
+* '''Void Magic''' was the second extradimensional Magic that was spontaneously manifested in the world because it was a mirror dimension of the Exist. The Void is an incomprehensible dimension of nothing that never was, meaning none of the senses, nothingness, and no concept of time and space, often depicted with themes of corruption, anarchy, selfishness, desire, beauty over function, and good deeds done for evil intentions. Void Magic can be chosen as an Alignment for Magic.
+* '''Ordial Magic''' was the third extradimensional Magic that is barely understood and nobody knows for sure when it first appeared. The Ordial Realm is a mirror dimension of Aloria, where everything is dead, inhabited by eldritch horrors and monsters who hunger for the souls of the living and create dead things to steal souls in Aloria. Ordial Magic is also often called Death Magic, because of its associations with Necromancy. Ordial Magic can be chosen as an Alignment for Magic.
+* '''Dragon Magic''' was created by the Dragons who are native to Aloria to fight the corruption and destruction brought about by the extradimensional Magics (Void, Exist, Ordial). Dragon Magic cannot be chosen as an Alignment for Magic, as it follows specific rules. To create a Dragon Magic Character, it will be required to create an [[Archon]] Character (see rules on that Page).
+* '''God Magic''' was created when the Gods of the various religions of Aloria blessed their faithful with powers to defend their spiritual realm and the afterlife. God Magic isn't strictly anti-extradimensional Magic and sometimes is even anti-Dragons. God Magic cannot be chosen as an Alignment for Magic, as it follows specific Rules. God Magic can only be found in the [[Proficiency#Faith|Faith Proficiency]] Category.
-==Mages==
+==Morality of Magic==
-In contrast to Sorcery, there exist in Aloria powerful people known as Mages who have a much more personal connection to the Void or the Exist than an average Sorcerer. Mages are born with a sickness of the soul known as a Magespark, which is a connection to the Veil that is unique to them and fuels their powers. Mages are just like any other person bar a few childish manifestations of magical talent until a point in their life known as the Awakening, which is when their Magespark comes to life in an often dramatic fashion to alter reality in a way the Mage desperately wants or needs at the moment. For example, a young water Mage might discover their powers when a friend is drowning and needs to be saved. This always happens when the Mage is a child, even if the Mage does not encounter any dire circumstances. Mages have unique powers that they spend lifetimes refining and discovering, and every Mage is different. All Mages are capable of creating non-permanent aesthetic displays that match their abilities, as well as potentially manifesting strange Mutations due to the Essence in their bodies. To play a Mage, you must have access to a Special Permission granted from the Application thread found [https://forums.massivecraft.com/threads/roleplay-special-permission-applications.85712/ here].
+The Morality of Magic is complicated in Aloria. While originally when Void and Exist Magic entered the world, they were purely corrosive Magics that damaged the fabric of reality and the world around where they were used, making them obliquely evil in all applications. However, over the tens of thousands of years, many Mages figured out ways to use Magic without harming the natural world, even Magic from the extradimensional planes like the Void and Exist. As such, over time, categories formed around the usage of Magic, with harmless Magic being called Radiant Magic, evil Magic being called Sinistral Magic, and gray morality Magic being called Enchant Magic. Whether someone is Void Aligned or Exist Aligned has no impact on their Morality. A Void Mage can have only Radiant Point Buy Spells, and an Ordial Mage can have a mix of both. Each spell in itself has a moral statement, rather than a universal label.
+* '''Radiant Magic''' is Magic that heals, repairs, restores, protects and defends. It is Magic purely designed to have no negative impact on the magical fabric of the world and thus can be cast guilt-free of damaging the world. No Spirits are ever attracted to Radiant Magic, and it also does not taint the world where it lingers. It is Magic used by those who want to help and be conscientious and a force for good.
+* '''Sinistral Magic''' is Magic that damages, corrupts, breaks, and mutilates. It is Magic purely designed to not care about the collateral damage to the magical fabric of the world and thus is always cast with the foreknowledge that it is a selfish act. Spirits are attracted to Sinistral Magic and feed on it, while nature around the use of Sinistral Magic is corrupted. It is used by those who see Magic only as a source of power and control.
+* '''Enchant Magic''' is Magic that is neither obliquely Good or Evil. It is Magic that provides utility and enables a user, but the morality of their use of Magic is entirely up to how they use it. Do they use Enchant to help and support others? then it is Good, do they use it to harm and destroy others? then it is Evil. Spirits are only attracted to Enchant Magic, and the world is only damaged when it is used for selfish and destructive reasons.
+* '''God Magic and Dragon Magic''' are never classified as any of these types of Magic, as they never damage the world, and never attract Spirits, being native to Aloria. It should however be stressed that this does not mean that they are always morally just. There are plenty of Dragon and God Magic users who perform great acts of Evil, many magnitudes more depraved than even the worst Sinistral Magic user.
-===Primal and Ordial Mages===
+==Magic in Regalia==
-Most Mages draw their abilities from the Void and Exist, but some individuals have been twisted by the energies of Bintaar or Binral to become something quite different: An Ordial Mage or a Primal Mage. Primal Mages are born with a deep connection to Aloria and the Dragons, and as such are commonly referred to as Dragonsparks. Ordinal Mages are created by Ordial Custodians in a process known as Soulchaining, which binds them to the barely-understood plane of Bintaar. These types of Mages are quite rare and often play important roles in the cycle of life and death in Aloria. More information about Ordial Mages can be found [[Ordial Mage|here]].
+Magic in Regalia has always had a very dubious reputation, and many Mages have gotten used to what they call “The Magical Pendulum”. The idea is that Regalia never quite settles permanently on its stance on Magic, and frequently changes direction from a more progressive understanding to a more repressive one. This is largely due to the nature of the Empire, where the whims and needs of individual political actors influence how the Imperial Court reacts to the existence of Magic overall. To be Magical is not considered a crime, but to use Magic in public without the necessary legal documentation or approval is. Many things related to Magic are outlawed, like Death Magic or Necromancy (the act of meddling with corpses or causing death with Magic). Still, Magic has found its way into various sectors of authority also, with Magic being commonly used in the State Metropolitan (the guard) and even in the Emperor’s personal circle. Whether a Magic user succeeds in Regalia is usually related to their connections and their social caste as well as how they use their Magic, as opposed to what type of Mage they are.
-==Trivia==
+==How Magic Works==
-*Mages used to be far more common than they currently are, which many attribute to the amount of Magical Essence in the world before the Cataclysm.
+Every Mage is unique, to explain how Magic works, let us examine the case of the Apple. In Aloria, an apple is red, it is round(ish), and it falls down from the tree. This establishes three laws of reality of the Alorian world: color, shape, and gravity. When a Mage is born (or learns to use Magic), their Magic never strictly does a specific thing, but seeks to use the Mage’s imagination to bring about change in the laws of reality of Aloria. As such, if the Mage wishes to have the apple, instead of it falling from the tree it floats towards them, thus interfering with the gravity law of reality. If the Mage wishes the apple to be black, they might summon a flame around it to burn it to a crisp and blacken it, thus interfering with the law of temperature. If the Mage wishes the apple to be dried, they might evaporate all water in an instant, thus interfering with the law of liquids and gasification. Magic is a means to an end, to use Magical energies to change the laws of reality, of physics, of time, and of perception, and how that is done is entirely up to the imagination of the Mage themselves. Technically in lore, all Mages are thus unique, however, due to the gamified needs of D&D style combat, our [[Proficiency]] System only has categorical Abilities, with free aesthetics around them. This is part of the suspense of disbelief when reviewing Magic as a whole.
-*[[Mutations]] tend to manifest from uncontrolled use of Magic, or exposure to it, and can be extremely detrimental to the user's health.
-*Opinions on Magic tend to vary wildly depending on Peoples, Culture, and Location, with no common sentiment found on it.
-{{Accreditation
+==How a Mage is Made==
-|Artists = MonMarty
+Magic can be acquired in three ways. The first manner is to be born with it, those who are born with Magic are called Mageborn. The second manner is to learn it from another Mage, those who learn are called Magewise. The last manner is to have Magic given by a higher entity, those who have Magic given to them are called Magegiven. There is no inherent superiority in any of these categories, there are Mages who were born that were known to be less skillful than Mages who were taught, or those who were given Magic by a higher entity. Learning, or being able to use Magic, often comes down to the individual imagination or mental compatibility of the Mage, and so some Mages eventually reach a glass ceiling that they are unable to reach beyond, while others soar much further. In history, some Mages have been known to be exceptionally skilled beyond all mortal comprehension, such as the Allorn Empress Vinnalea, who could destroy whole mountains with a faint gesture. These Mages are called Archmages, and how they manifest is not well understood. Finally, it is important that for Mageborn, Magic can be inherited. While being born a child of a Mage is not a guarantee, it does slightly increase chances. This particularly led to mage breeding programs in the [[Allorn Empire]] before its collapse, with prestigious families planning magical pairings ahead of time to ensure Mageborn status in their children. It is supposed that for every 5,000 born individuals, one is Mageborn, though the actual number is probably higher since this estimation is based on an extrapolation of the reported Mageborn in the [[Regalian Empire]].
-|Writers = Birdsfoot_violet, Finlaggan
-|Processors = WaterDruppel, sonofthestars
-}}
-[[category:Magic]] [[category:Spells]]