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the magic

Magic existed far before people or any other creature that inhabits this world, itself an arcane energy form that was present within the atmosphere but not being utilized by most creatures. In this before time, it was much more common to see wisps floating about. Wisps are what is created when there’s an excess of magical energy. They are palm-sized balls of what look like light, with varying colors- though most tend not to be saturated or dark.

 

Wisps can be tied to objects. Being tied to something is akin to low level possession. When tied to a non-conscious object, a wisp can make it move around (if it’s small) or glow. When tied to an animal, it’s eyes glow and its movements can be redirected, but its consciousness is not overridden. Because of this ability, people unfamiliar with magic commonly mistake them for ghosts.

 

Wisps can change their bound object, but not on purpose. It will only happen via an exorcism that binds them to something else or simply by accident. Human beings cannot be possessed by wisps, unless the wisp is particularly strong. Like, incredibly strong. Even then, the possession will not be comfortable for either party, so humans are practically never bound objects.

 

In order to break a tie between a wisp and its host, one must perform an exorcism. This is an intricate magic ritual in which one needs the host, the ability to go into an incredibly deep meditation, and a specific charm depending on what type of wisp it is and what it is bound to. The types of wisps correspond to each different type of magic.

part i: wisps

part ii: magic

Magic is a unique type of energy that can be used to control other types of matter/energy/etc. Nothing can be created or destroyed by magic, only transformed or exchanged. There’s a very small amount of magical energy in every human, but not enough to control it.

 

There are five different types of magic. They include:

 

  • Light (Or; Solean, Luminous, Luminis)*

  • Dark (Or; Lumean, Tenebrae)

  • Earth (Or; Tellean, Earthen, Terrae)

  • Water (Or; Lacean, Aqueous, Aquae)

  • Aeternal* (Or; Aeterni) 

 

*The alternate names aren’t as common, and the latter was what it was called in the Language of Ancients, vernacular from which is sometimes still used.

 

*It should be noted that most of these are self explanatory except for Aeternal magic- it’s kind of an abstraction in and of itself. It fills in the gaps that the others miss. More on it later.

 

Magic is not biological, so a potential mage can choose what they want to do and when. (Sort of.) One can start learning magic once they’re inoculated by one of five magical bodies of water: The Diurn [Light], The Nocts [Dark], The Crepusc [Earth], The Sients [Water], or The Eterns [Aet].

 

There’s a limited time for when the pools are “activated” and one is able to be inoculated (though this wasn’t always the case). This is due to the Numen.

numen interlude

The Numen are the essence of each type of magic, overseeing its domain and having control over how it is distributed. They always existed in energy-like forms, but were willed into concrete forms by human beings themselves. Humans, as they always have been, were begging for an answer and a symbol, in this case for the energies around them. They wanted Gods, but instead birthed the five Numen from their wanting minds. 

 

The Numen are not Gods. They are not all knowing and their power is not unlimited- all they have control over is the type of magic energy they were summoned from. Fundamentally, they are the biggest and most powerful wisps.

 

They (for the most part) have physical forms that are ethereal and cyclopean, as well as human forms and energy forms. Their human forms were a later development, and differ from their etetheral forms as they are more natural, being able to get blemishes and change. Their energy and ethereal forms are usually used in The Liminal, the in-between space that they live in and can use to communicate with one another.

 

The Numen are:

 

  • Solis, the Numen of Light magic. She’s typically represented by beginnings, the summer, sun, life, animals,  plants, and fire. Solis doesn’t typically interact with people, feeling more like a guardian and helper, mostly visiting humans in dreams. She can come off as strange to those who aren’t used to her, as she voices most thoughts that come to her mind. She’s care-free and easy-going.

  • Luma, the Numen of Dark magic. She’s typically represented by the winter, moon, stars, death, nocturnal animals, and endings. When Luma ventures to the mortal realm, it’s typically nighttime. She enjoys the quiet, but isn’t adverse to companions who aren’t as soft spoken as she is. Some may describe her as mysterious, but she’s actually a very curious and open Numen. Her conversational skills are somewhat clunky.

  • Tellus, the Numen of Earth magic. They’re typically represented by the autumn, plants, animals, rocks/geodes, and dirt. Tellus loves being on Earth and enjoys wandering. They’ll be satisfied moseying through mostly anywhere, but the deep forest is where they’re truly the most comfortable. They have a deep respect for humans and their array of knowledge and enjoy making friends and exchanging stories with them. They do have a strange and cryptic way of speaking, though, one which confuses people and their fellow Numen alike.

  • Lacus, the Numen of Water magic. He’s typically represented by the spring, oceans/lakes/ponds/etc., precipitation, as well as aquatic plants and animals. Lacus is the only Numen who has had romantic and sexual relationships with humans, something he didn’t think much of at first but began to trouble him later in life. He’s an overly trusting individual, believing myths and doctrines about his own realm that he hasn’t verified.

  • Finally, Aeternus, the Numen of Aeternal magic. They’re typically represented by the sky, wind, stars, deep water, the void, and the unknown. Aeternus has no physical form for a very long time, just an energy form. This is because they have an incredibly difficult time viewing themselves as anything but what they believe they were made for. To them, their existence has one purpose, and it is to govern. They don’t hate people nor their fellow Numen, in fact, they respect both, but their frustration due to their differences can sometimes manifest as hostility. They’ve created somewhat of a miserable existence for themself, to the point where they do not want to exist. This makes Aeternal magic the hardest to learn, because it’s basically trying to grasp onto something that’s making every attempt to shrug you off.

 

Each of the Numen is tied to a pool that corresponds with their particular type of magic. But, unlike regular wisps, they have the ability to untie themselves from their object at will. Due to certain circumstances, they decided to limit the timeframe of when they are tied to them to particular days in the year.

part ii, continued

The Diurn is activated on the summer solstice.

The Nocts is activated on the first full moon after the winter solstice.

The Crepusc is activated every autumn solstice at dusk and dawn.

The Sients is activated on the day of the first spring rain.

The Eterns is always activated.

 

Inoculation is an incredibly simple process, as one simply needs to go to the pool and touch the water. It doesn’t typically matter the amount one is doused in, but a small drop won’t do anything, so people typically dip their hands in. It’s not uncommon to see people bathing or playing in the pools, though, especially child mages.

 

There are overseers that keep watch over each pool. They’re typically mages, though this isn’t necessary. Overseers live nearby the pools and organize inoculation days, making sure everyone who comes has an opportunity and that everything is organized. Previous overseers choose their successors.

 

While a mage can choose the type of magic they specialize in, the sub-type that they are chooses them. Sub-type names aren’t typically used by non-mages, but are useful in knowing what specifically a mage draws power from. 

 

  • Light magic users that draw power from the sun are called lumen, those that draw power from fire are called ignes, and those that draw power from plants are called folia.

  • Dark magic users that draw power from the moon are called astrum, while those that draw power from cold places and death are called os.

  • Earth mages that draw power from dirt/rocks are called terren, while those that draw power from plants are called folia.

  • Water mages are called mare if they draw power from oceans or large bodies of water, inber if they draw power from precipitation, or os if they draw power from ice and snow.

  • Aeternal mages are called opscur.

 

Some sub-types are rarer than others. The reason magic emerges in different ways in different people can be chalked up to those inherent differences themselves, though not one sub-type is “more special” than any other one. The rarities tend to go this way:

 

In light mages, lumen are the most common, then folia, then ignes. Ignes are practically scarce. It’s about a 60:37:3 split.

In dark mages, astrum are the most common, and os are quite the rarity, though not as rare as ignes by any means. It’s about an 80:20 split.

In earth mages, terren and folia are essentially tied for commonality. 50:50.

In water mages, mare are the most common, then os, then inber. It’s about a 45:30:25 split.

All aeternal mages are called opscur because the type differences vary incredibly wildly.

 

When a mage first gets inoculated, they’ll typically participate in a ritual that tells them which type they are, usually lead by an overseer. This involves the mage meditating and focusing on the elements around them, trying to summon what they feel in their hands. Eventually, an indicator will be summoned. The indicators are:



 

Lumen: A small ball of light

Folia*: A small plant will outstretch itself into the mage’s palm

Ignes: A little flame

Astrum: A small ball of darkness

Os [Dark]: Ice will emerge, stalactite-like, from the mage’s palm

Terren: The earth will lift itself from below the mage’s hands

Mare: A sphere of water will appear floating above the mage’s palms

Os [Water]: The air around the mages hands will turn to water and then freeze

Inber: A small cloud will appear above the mage’s hands

Opscur: Varies wildly. 

*Earthen folia have the same indicator as luminous folia.


 

People located in the continent where a specific pool is located tend to lean towards using that type of magic, but there are usually organized trips that help people travel to where they need to go to get inoculated in the type of magic they desire on time. A beginner mage will need to replenish their magic once every three years, or their abilities will fade. As time goes on, this timeframe is increased, magic becoming a part of a mage’s body. One knows when they need to be re-inoculated when they get a Calling.

 

Callings are a magical tug, a summoning. They’re typically felt directly in a specific body part and seem to take partial control of someone. Callings vary in strength, the weakest being easy to ignore and the strongest making one’s actions compulsive. Ones that indicate needing re-inoculation are felt in the gut and tend to be middling in strength, getting worse as time goes on. (They will go away once enough time passes.) They aren’t inherently harmful, but they are quite annoying, and can make mages a bit irritable if the Calling can’t be acted on.

 

There are different types of Callings. The first, as already described, are re-inoculation Callings. Callings can also occur when a lot of magic is combined in a specific area. When the pools are activated each year, magic users will feel it gently tugging at their chests, these being easy to ignore if one doesn’t need to go. Magic users can “Call” one another as a means of communication, too. This can range from a distinct tug in the heart (usually meaning “come here”) to a short message sent to the hands, compelling the other person write down what the mage wishes to communicate to them. Creating Callings takes a lot of time to perfect, so only more experienced mages can accomplish such a thing.

 

Mages aren’t the only ones who can feel Callings, either. Non-mages can be called by magical beings, and, if they grew up around other magical people or places, can feel it very lightly in their chests when a pool is activated.

 

The opposite of a Calling is an Ousting. Oustings are incredibly rare things. As one might expect, Oustings keep someone away from a place. It’s possible to overcome an Ousting, but not without great effort and discomfort. Sometimes Oustings draw attention to an area instead of guarding it, hence why they aren’t commonly used in the modern day. Oustings that aren’t mage-made are almost never seen.

part iii: manifestations of magic

Magic can be manifested in different ways by different mages, most of which have varying techniques. 

 

Charms are when magic is placed on something almost completely separate from a magic user. (In other words, they are basically spells.) They can have time limits, vicinity limits, or both. Powerful mages don’t have to worry much about the charm wearing off. Charms will not usually persist after a mage’s death. 

 

Light Magic has three main ways it is manifested- by control of light, control of plants, and control of fire. 

 

When a lumen controls light, it gives them to ability to shape and shine the energy as they so please. Using charms, objects can be made to shine brightly for certain periods of time. The more objects that are charmed in such a way can put varying levels of stress on a mage. Light mages of this type can also touch light as if it were a physical object if they so choose. This can be used to create illusions, most of which come in the form of hologram-like images. They’re commonly used as maps, blueprints, etc. One is also able to create illusory objects that can help in other tasks, such as a sword. In this case, the object won’t sustain wear, but it takes energy to keep it extant. In some cases, lumen are able to alter the way color is viewed, as well as the clarity of an object. Light can be summoned anywhere, even in the dark. (Though it will be more difficult than where there is visible light.) Lumen can also draw energy not just from light, but from life and beginnings. Ones that have a child or otherwise begin a new phase in their lives will feel incredibly invigorated.

 

Light folia can control plants. They have the ability to expedite growth, as well as can shape plants to their will. Many folia work around farms, making crop harvest a much faster process. Light folia can also make their plants into objects or extra appendages. Some make houses, tables, etc. with their magic. They are more tuned into the state of plants, and can parse out the particular qualm a plant may be experiencing, such as illness or lack of water. They can also change the density of plants temporarily. Folia are usually attuned to a certain type/types of plants, not all of them, so their magic may be weaker if trying to control a plant they aren’t used to. (For example, a folia who usually controls seaweed would have a hard time trying to control cacti.)

 

The most difficult type of magic to control is fire magic. All forms of magic are connected to one’s emotions, but fire magic is incredibly susceptible to this. Ignes can control fire that already exists or summon fire of their own. They have heat resistance to fire, but can still be burned- just not by flames that they summoned themselves or are currently controlling. Most light mages have a higher body temperature than normal, but ignes have the highest, bodies surviving at feverish temperatures without damage. (This means that when they do catch fevers, their temperatures can be potentially fatal.) Fire magic can be used to heal, though this is incredibly uncommon. This can be done by manipulating one’s temperature and harnessing the electricity within a person's body to try and heal their maladies. Beginner ignes will have a hard time casting a flame in cold temperatures, but more experienced ones can do it with ease. Magic generated flames will usually have a different look to them than other fire.

 

Dark magic has two ways it is manifested- by means of darkness, as well as cold and death.

 

Astrum have the ability to summon darkness. This can be manifested in one’s hands similarly to light, but is pitch black in color. Some astrum can control and manipulate shadows. If they create an object with a particular shape, say out of paper or wood, and cast its shadow, they can pull out of the ground a similar object made out of magical energy that looks like the real thing. They tend to be masterful at blending in, even in broad daylight, as long as there are shadows to conceal themselves in. Many have good eyesight in the dark, but loose color visibility as this ability is improved. Some astrum can utilize teleportation via shadows, but cannot teleport people or animals (as they will die!), just objects.

 

Dark os are quite different from water os. By utilizing the cold, they can control ice as they please. They have the lowest body temperatures of any kind of mage. Dark os also have the ability to draw strength from death. Death can be physical or simply an ending that has occurred. Not many os have the willpower to embrace the energy that death gives them, but those who do have the ability to temporarily reanimate bones and other forms of dead matter. Beginner os will have a hard time doing magic in warmer climates, but more experienced mages won’t have as much difficulty doing so. Ice summoned by dark os has a different, sharper and darker look to it than that of water os.

 

Earth magic has two ways it can be manifested- by manipulation of earthen materials or plants.

 

Terren have the ability to manipulate certain types of earthen material, such as dirt, rocks, or crystals. Usually the type of material they manipulate is focused in one area- for example, a terren could specialize in just metallic crystals, or just metamorphic rocks. Terren, using their abilities, can build structures with ease once their powers have reached a certain point. They can also form objects that can sustain their shape over time, unlike mages who deal in strictly energy based magic. Some terren can easily burrow beneath the ground, not needing to dig as a normal person would. Particularly strong terren can stop natural disasters like earthquakes or mudslides, absorbing the energy into themselves. 

 

Earthen folia work very similarly to light folia, simply drawing their energy from a different source.

 

Water magic can be manifested in three different ways- through control of water, precipitation, or ice.

 

Mare can manipulate water only in a liquid form. They have the ability to turn the air molecules around them into pure water, which works best in more humid environments. (All water mages can summon water using the air around them, but consequently the air dries somewhat.)  As with the other types of mages, they can make extra appendages/objects/etc. with water, but they won’t be permanent, turning back to its original form after some time. Very strong mare have the ability to stop natural disasters, such as tsunamis. They can also help purify water by manipulating the pure water out of its impurities. This kind of water magic is also widely used for healing. 

 

Inber can manipulate all forms of precipitation as well as clouds. Because of this, they tend to live in places that receive much more rainfall/snow. They can summon clouds of their own from the air molecules around them, and the stronger ones are able to cause precipitation to occur over large areas. Inber tend to be summoned if an area is experiencing drought. They have the ability to manipulate the density of clouds and fog, as well as create temporary objects and appendages with them.

 

Water os have the ability to manipulate ice at will. They can transform already extant water into ice, or summon ice from air molecules around them. Like dark os, their body temperatures tend to be lower than average, but unlike dark os, they do not have the ability to reanimate the dead. 

 

Aeternal magic is harder to pin down.

 

Since Aeternal magic is sort of a confusing grab bag, opscur tend to have powers that vary wildly from each other. Some can manipulate the wind and are more similar to inber, some draw power from the stars and wield power similar to both light and dark magic. Others can only manipulate materials that have specific elements (like sulfur or potassium) within them, or can manipulate acids. They truly exist to fill in the blanks. Opscur tend to be the best suited to perform exorcisms. Aeternal magic is the hardest to learn, use, and understand, as the magic is actively fighting against its host.

 

Magic used to be used commonly for fighting, but war is not commonplace in the modern world. There are competitive rings where fight magic is used, as well as certain sports, but magic is mostly used for other purposes as times have changed.

 

You can’t use magic forever. It’s a straining thing to do, both on the mind (which is part of why meditation is so stressed) and body. One doesn’t necessarily need to be physically fit to use magic for a long time, but one’s body does need to be trained to sustain the extra energy. A mage has the potential to faint/pass out if their body is strained too much, which typically happens when dealing with a lot of magic at once.

 

If a mage is in a certain emotional space, magic may be easier or more difficult to use/control. While the things mages control aren’t inherently emotional (like rocks or light, which are just objects), the energy of magic is. If a mage is depressed, magic will come less easily, but if they are in a more stable place, things will flow more freely. Things like happiness and anger can make magic more difficult to control unless one has a lot of practice doing so. Strong emotions can cause magic to occur without the mage’s explicit control- for example, an ignes getting angry and a nearby campfire roaring out of control, or a folia receiving upsetting news and nearby plants wilting. 

 

Magic also has the potential to backfire. If someone is being inoculated whose emotions are heightened, there’s a chance that they’ll end up inadvertently calling forth something powerful and harm themselves and/or others. This is called the Rebound Effect.

part iv: learning magic

There are several main techniques that new mages need to learn in order to control magic effectively. The first is meditation. Without knowing how to enter a meditative state, a mage cannot learn how to use or control their powers. 

 

Meditating is used to get the energy flowing around one’s body properly. There are several points in the body that can be blocked and unblocked, called Lare. One can use magic with some or all of the Lare being blocked, but never at full potential and without strain.

 

The points of lare around the body include:

 

The Earthen Lare: Located in the base of one’s spine. It deals with security and survival, and is blocked by fear or a feeling of unsafety.

The Aqueous Lare: Located in the sacrum. It deals with passion and pleasure, and is blocked by feelings of guilt or lack of inspiration. 

The Luminous Lare: Located in the stomach. It deals with personal will, and is blocked by shame, lack of control, or low self-esteem.

The Tenebrean Lare: Located in the heart. It deals with love, and is blocked by betrayal, fear, or hatred.

The Caelum Lare: Located in the throat. It deals with the truth, and is blocked by lies, improper communication, or repression.

The Ocellus Lare: Located in the left eye. It deals with the bigger picture, connection, and one’s purpose, and is blocked by ego or low self-worth.

 

One needs to obtain a balance of all of these Lare to use magic at their full potential. If the Lare that corresponds with one’s type of magic is blocked, then what magic they can use will be very little. If a potential mage, while being inoculated, Rebounds, it will usually target the blocked or heightened lare spots on their body.

 

Then, there are different techniques that a mage can learn. They are Small Magic, Medium Magic, and Big Magic.

 

Small Magic includes simple things. 

  • Summoning a small part of an element (i.e an orb of water, a palm sized flame)

  • Shaping said element into simple shapes

  • Learning to move the element around coherently

 

Medium Magic is more advanced.

  • Creating appendages with an element

  • Summoning items with the element

  • Developing specialized techniques with the element

  • Charming objects

  • Dispelling magic

 

Big Magic is the most powerful of the three. It tends to be very hard to control.

  • Advanced or refined Medium Magic techniques

  • Summoning or stopping natural disasters

  • Exorcisms

  • Transformative magic/Transmutation

  • Callings/Oustings

  • Soul Magic (A technique in which two or more people connect their minds in order to manifest certain things that can’t be summoned with normal magic. It’s a very intimate technique, and involves a lot of trust between the parties involved.)

 

Using Big Magic will make an average mage pass out due to exhaustion, and a stronger mage need to rest for a long time. The only exception is for refined Medium Magic techniques, as these tend to be already incredibly practiced and these mages are used to the strain it puts on their bodies. Too much Big Magic usage at once has the potential to kill a mage.

part v: magical creatures

Besides wisps, there aren’t many inherently magical creatures- and even calling wisps “creatures” is a stretch. But, there are animals that can have magic within them, and beings created from pure magic.

 

If an animal finds its way into one of the pools when it is activated, they will be imbued with the magic just like a person would be. Since they aren’t actively trying to control the magic, usually not much will happen, but in times of heightened emotion there might be more destruction than one would imagine from something like a duck or fish. It will wear off in a years time if they aren’t inoculated again. 

 

Human beings can also be charmed and transmuted into animals. This can be voluntary or involuntary. If one is charmed and is not the charmer, they are stuck until the charm wears off, the charmer relieves the spell, or they’re outside the vicinity of the charm.

 

Outside of these two things, there are creatures born with useable amounts of magic that exist, but not many of them are known. They include (but are not limited to):

  • Dimihydra: Dragon-like creatures. They’re around 15-30 feet long and 10-15 feet tall. Their bodies are scaled or feathered, and their faces and appendages are of different animals- for example, head and wings of an owl, legs of an insect. Not many of these creatures exist, and those that do tend to live at the peaks of mountains. Typically they use magic to hunt, burrow, and fight. What kind of magic they have varies.

  • Ichneumon: A large mongoose, just smaller than dimihydra. They have Light magic.

  • Phoenix: These birds are born with Light magic, and a new one regenerates in its place after its fiery death. 

  • Unicorn: One-horned long haired creatures, typically light in color, imbued with Water magic. They’re elusive, preferring forested areas to live in.

  • Imbirds: Big birds that can control precipitation. 

  • Giant Mole: Moles that can get up to 20 feet tall. They live underneath the earth and are imbued with earth magic.

  • Ruk: Very, very big birds. They are imbued with earth magic.

  • Ympe: Small, imp-like creatures. They’re imbued with Dark magic and are spawned from shadows. They’re carnivorous and disconcerting. Their looks vary from animalistic to more humanoid. They are not animals, they are pure magic.

  • Hiems’ Rabbits: Little white rabbits with Dark magic that are said to come from the moon. They aren’t. They live in the shadows.

  • Aeternae: Dark colored short hair horses with 3-4 horns, imbued with Aeternal magic.

  • White Coluber: A thin but long snake that has Aeternal magic.

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