++ This page is currently being reorganized. It might be a bit messy. ++
The Aether
The Aether is the resource used to perform magic. It's not a substance as we know it. It's got no chemical composition and it has no place in the periodic table. It simply is. In order to use the aether for magic it first needs to be channeled and then woven.
Wielding magic
What is required in order to perform magic.
The limitations of magic
Things that can't be done through magical means.
Storing magic
Magical energy can not be stored, only used. It will have to be woven as it is channeled or it is lost. Magical energy can not be channeled into someting and then retreived later. Using magic is a one way process – the magical energy is channeled and woven into something. Once that is done the magical energy used can not be extracted again.
In the real world the light from a lamp can be used together with a solar cell to generate electricity, but it will not generate enough electricity to power the lamp. A mage can conjure refreshments (food and water), but the nourishment provided will not be enough for the mage to conjure the same amount of food and water a second time.
Mechanical Magic
Just like magical energy can not be stored, magic can not be performed mechanically. It is not possible to create a machine that channels or weaves magic in order to perform a task. However, it is possible through mechanical means to cause the aether to channel and weave itself, by making use of a phenomenon called Critical Instability. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, magic performed through Critical Instability is highly unpredictable and destructive. It is generally viewed as an obstacle rather than as an opportunity.
Enchants
Items can be enchanted, given magical properties through magical means. However, all enchants will eventually expire. For more powerfull enchants or for very simple effects it can take a very long time for an enchant to expire, but expire it will.
This rule does not apply to enchants created by a god. Gods can, if they so choose, apply enchants that never expire. There is however some debate about whether this is actually enchanting. Some theoretical magicians argue that the item is given its own life in order to permanently maintain an effect.
Healing
Regular aether-based magic can not be used to directly heal wounds or cure diseases. Magic can still be employed to assist in healing though. Rather than just heal the wound, time can be sped up for the patient, or even just for the wounded part, in order to speed up the natural healing process. In this way wounds and diseases can be healed much quicker than would normally be the case.
What is worth pointing out is that the same amount of energy still needs to be provided by the body that is being healed. This means great attention must be paid to the state of the patient in order not to wear them out or force them to draw too much on their resources. Doing so would risk killing them as their body would not be able to sustain itself if to much of its energy is consumed in too short a period of time.
Medical magicians have long experimented with channeling magical energy into the patient in order for them to use it as sustenance. This has met with some minor success but has mostly proven to be extremely difficult except when used on patients who are able to channel the aether themselves.
Portals
Any magic based around opening portals between different locations is strictly prohibited. Any research into such magic is also strictly prohibited. This area is one of the very few where the original elves are showing their powers and interfer in the affairs of mortals. The reason they give is that they don't want this world to end up as their old one did.
When someone is discovered to attempt research in portalling magic their research is immediately shut down by the original elves. Any research material is confiscated and destroyed. The researcher is almost always compensated for the cost of the materials as well as the time they spent on the research. Depending on the situation they may even be granted a small bonus to get them started on researching something else.
If someone is discovered to be involved in researching portal magic a second time they are killed. No exception.
Teleportation
Portal magic is unrelated to teleportation. It is practically and theoretically possible to teleport yourself or something else to any location you can see or that you know well enough to target accurately. However, just because it is possible doesn't mean that everyone can do it.
Teleportation requires great knowledge and understanding of the processes involved. For a rare few mages this comes intuitively while for the majority of weavers it is simply too complicated to fully grasp.
Targeting
When weaving magic the weaver will almost always need a target for the effect of their weave. There are two main ways of targeting something; seeing and knowing. Targeting through seeing allows the weaver to target anything within sight - with increased chance of missing or even failing completely at increased distances. Targetting through knowing is when the weaver knows the target well enough to see it before them - in their mind's eye if you will.
It is also possible to combine the two methods to target something that's been recently seen but that's currently not in line of sight. "Recently" in this case being somewhere between a handful of seconds and just over half a minute.
The accuracy of targeting distant locations or targets by seeing is easily improved by pictures of the target. This applies to a certain degree to targeting by knowing but only when the weaver is already familiar with the target. The requirement of knowing the target applies also to targets that can be viewed via live video or tv. The weaver still needs to be somewhat familiar with the target or location in order to use surveilence cameras or live news reports for targeting.
Non-aether based magic
Not all magic is based around manipulating the aether. Some elves have abilities that do not require channeling or weaving but which can't be explained as anything but magic. Priests and paladins, as well as other individuals devoted to serving a god, may on occasion be able to wield divine magic. These forms of magic will be described in more detail elsewhere.
From the blog
These are the articles on this topic that were copied from the blog:
- A note on magic - This is the main article about how magic works in the world.
- Magic, targeting and travelling as a mage - More details on how magic works and some of the consequences it has for wielders.
- Cryptography and wizardry - The effects of magic on secure communication.
- Magic and materia - Going into a bit more detail about how magic can be applied in crafting or healing.
- Diets and costmetic surgery - Comments about the use of magic to look good.
- The rejuvenating effects of magic - How channeling the aether makes you live longer.