For the world, in general, the idea of fundamental patterns is central. This manifests itself in many areas of culture, although different cultures may embrace different aspects of this idea – And some may discard it entirely.
For example, magic. The current system is as follows:
The Aether is the name given to the energy that exists throughout the universe, suffusing all things. It is the medium of creation, the raw material from which all things are made. We move through it, and it moves through us. Movement in the physical realm creates turbulence in the Aether, affecting it as if it were a cloud of smoke, creating eddies and currents of energy. The Aether, however, is unorganized and chaotic, there is power, but no substance.
To manipulate this energy, one must use that which is possessed by all living things – Asuri, the energy of life. Asuri generates a field that affects the surrounding Aether, forcing it to flow. With practice and effort one can learn to manipulate her own Asuri to force the Aether to take precise forms, in the same way a child creates forms in wet sand by allowing it to run between her fingers. The patterns for these creations are combinations of the ‘Fundamentals’, the qualities that, in various combinations, create the matter of the physical realm. The combinations of these patterns, from the simple to the unfathomably complex, force order upon the energy of the Aether, in effect casting it into the physical realm as dictated by the patterns.
For most users of the Aether, creating these intricate, self repeating and nigh infinite patterns of asuric energy requires intensive study and meditation. The patterns must be chosen and the fields prepared in advance, only to be completed when the user requires. Some users, however, have a natural instinct that allows them to perceive these patterns instinctively, allowing them to forgo this period of preparation. Known as Sorcerers, these beings must nonetheless recover after utilizing this ability,requiring a period of meditation before they are able to shape the Aether again.
The sects of the druids have discovered a method to, through a close relationship with nature, affect the Asuri that flows through plants and other forms of life, subtly manipulating it to affect the surrounding Aether. There seems to exist an affinity between the druid’s Asuri and that of the natural life that he interacts with. How this affinity is formed is unknown.
It has also been proven that it is possible to manipulate asuric fields through the use of sound, providing an attractive way to affect multiple beings simultaneously. This application is not completely understood, but most likely is a result of the sound shaping the listeners’ personal asuric fields.
It is important that we do not neglect those ‘divine casters’ who need not study and have no natural affinity for manipulating aetheric energy – They are simply granted the patterns required after a period of prayer and meditation. The patterns they receive are infinitely more complex than those studied and understood by mortal minds. These patterns are indescribably complex, infinitely detailed and grant these casters the power over life and death – Divine power indeed. The method of casting the Aether with the patterns is the same but the effects are much different, reflecting the divine will that created them.
This is the LATEST magic system, and should be referenced as needed.
[Submitted by Ornir]
