Magic

Magic in Alter is very poorly understood. Despite how it might seem, magic has very little influence on the daily lives of most of Alter's citizens. Very few people have any natural ability to manipulate magic and those who do rarely ever find out about their gifts.   In its raw form, magic is wild and chaotic. Well-studied mages can perform minor miracles at great expense but risk destroying themselves if they overstretch. Even the nature of magic is highly disputed as outlined below. To some degree, manipulating magic isn't worth the trouble and is hardly invested in in most nations.   Some facts about magic are undisputed. It is certainly otherworldly; it actively defies the laws of physics which tie down the rest of the physical world. It also comes very naturally to spirits or demons who can control it fluently without trial or training. It is also highly chaotic; free magic manifests in extraordinary and destructive ways. When an overconfident sorcerer oversteps his limitations he might explode, turn to glass or vanish completely, amongst other weird happenings.   A side-effect of these truisms is that drastically different and incompatible approaches to magic have been developed by it's users. Some of these are outlined below.  

Interpretations of Magic

Different cultures and organisations have very different opinions about what magic is and where it comes from. Some of the notable opinions are listed below.

The magic in Tamijhiin tradition

The Tamijhiin Tamijhiin Spirituality commonly believe that magic is fundamentally a tool built by the Creator in order to exert his power over the primordial chaos. In this way, the Tamijhiin believe that the use of magic by mortals is taboo; it is presumptuous and egotistical to try to control a tool made for an incomprehensibly divine being. The Tamijhiin see the dangers of magic as a direct consequence of this fact; a mortal wielding magic is like a baby wielding a sword in the Tamijhiin view.   The Tamijhiin assert that the only true magicians are the spirits who are closer to the Creator. The spirits are guardians of the Nexus, the realm of pure magic which separate the Gleaming Bastion from the Universe. In many ways, the spirits are part of the Nexus, they are a by-product of it's creation. Many spirits descended onto the world when it was created to protect the world in reverence to the Creator. The Tamijhiin see this as a vital service of the spirits and believe that without the spirits stabilising the world metaphysically it would fall to chaos and destruction.   The Tamijhiin generally do not consider themselves users of magic because any magic they apparently use is in fact not done not by them but by spirits acting through them. Tamijhiin shamans, through meditation in nature, cultivate a close bond with the spirits and the Nexus. The shamans also wield a wooden staff decorated with natural charms which they use as a symbol of their reverence to spirits. The Tamijhiin acknowledge that spirits are fundamentally separate from the Universe and that this prevents the spirits from full control over the physical world. When it is necessary for a spirit to influence the physical world, shamans occasionally allow spirits to act through their bodies in a kind of voluntary possession. A shaman who does this is not considered to have used magic, instead the spirit used magic and the shaman was a passive partner in the act. The most successful shamans manage to entreat a spirit to become a familiar by possessing an animal and staying with the shaman as a companion. Many shamans form extremely close bonds to their familiars and stay with them for their whole lives. Familiars are often able to use magic o behalf of the shaman in some circumstances but they are not servants and cannot be commanded.   There are Tamijhiin legends about mages who managed to imprison spirits and command them to obey but these legends always end badly for the mage and are generally cautionary tales.  

The Mages Synod

The Mages Synod, the members of the College of Mages is the largest guild of mages in Alter, closely followed by the Sages of Vekirai. They are based at the fortress Valnasteron at the triple point where Bairek, Tosek and Mirjiin all meet. The auspicious location of this border was deliberately chosen to represent their political neutrality. Because magicians can be so dangerous, when they are discovered in Okredek, Tosek, Mirjiin, Bairek, or even further afield, they are frequently sent to the College to prevent them doing any damage to themselves or others.   The Mages Synod is primarily dedicated to study although the organisation is run as a business to some degree. Synod mages are hired by rulers for advice. Synod mages are also sometimes paid to perform magical feats or provide protective enchantments.   The Synod developed its understanding of magic from that of their Ancient Amalorian founders and by collecting testimony from all over Northern M'dia. Their interpretation was heavily influenced by the Tamijhiin view although with subtle differences. The Synod believes that the creator built Arcania (the magical realm) as a well in which to store the primordial chaos. He then built magic as a tool to manipulate the primal chaos stored within Arcania. The prevailing theory in the Synod is that demons (what the Tamijhiin call spirits) are lesser gods and angels who left the Heavens in order to use this magic to empower themselves but who were unable to return because they would have to give up their newfound power to do so. The Synod is very cautious about divulging its metaphysical philosophy in order to maintain its air of neutrality to its diversely religious neighbours. They tend not to publish any of their views on gods or spirits.   The Synod mages believe that magic is the exertion of order over chaos and that the Creator (who was the embodiment of perfect order) could therefore use magic naturally by exerting his own will over the chaos. They further posit that when He created the world, the Creator left a piece of himself in every person (and some scholars say, in everything). The result of this is that some individuals, who are particularly connected to their inner fragment of the Creator, are able to exert their will over the primordial chaos also. This is why some people have natural magical ability, they claim.   Magic is chaotic, wild and dangerous, and so Synod magic is focussed on commanding and structuring it. Synod mages use precise formulae and geometric forms to whip magic into shape. Patterns and sequences are particularly important in Synod magic as are fractals and regular polygons and polyhedrons. Synod mages also rely heavily on metal tools and crystals. Synod mages claim to have successful captured and commanded demons in this way although these claims are not widely believed. Certainly they are able to draw magic from Arcania by using elaborate rituals with a high degree of consistency.

The Great Sages of Vekirai

The Sages of Vekirai followed in the footsteps of the Mages Synod in formulating their understanding of magic by collecting records and opinions from all over M'dia. The Sages are considerably less politically limited than the Synod and therefore more free to hold controversial views. This freedom attracted defectors from the Synod in the early days of the Sages although, as dark rumours about the Sages' practices have spread, fewer and fewer sorcerers actively seek to join their ranks.   The Sages don't publish any of their research so their understanding of magic can only be gleaned from rumours. Much of the Sages' magic relies on service to the Fallen Amalorian Gods who lend them power in return. It is pretty well established however that Oloroa, the Archsage, has somehow managed to find a technique to spontaneously channel magic through his own body without entreating a fallen god or demon for aid. Whether this ability is widespread amongst the Sages is entirely unknown.   What is known is that the Sages' theory of magic has a lot in common with the Synod's, although there is some evidence from the little information that has leaked on the Sages' magic that their understanding of the fundamentals of magic is atheistic.  

The Dreamstriders

In stark contrast to the Espirion in north M'dia, the Haravi Dreamstriders in the east believe that their supreme deity, Ma'at , cultivated narcotic plants throughout the world so they could use them to send their minds into the Spirit World. The Dreamstriders believe that, from the Spirit World, they can manipulate magic to bring back with them to the physical world. In Dreamstrider lore, Ma'at tricked the Creator into trying to command the primordial chaos. The Creator collected the Chaos into a vast ocean called Balaman and built tools called magic to manipulate it. Ultimately the Creator could not truly command the chaos though as it was so antithetical to his nature. Ma'at, on the other hand, had no such limitations and could wield the tools of magic freely.   The Haravi respect the spirits but keep their distance; they believe that spirits are vulnerable to the corrupting power the primordial chaos. The spirits are therefore considered very dangerous. The narcotics which the Dreamstriders use to pass into the Spirit World are poisonous to the other races save the Ga Samathen. The Haravi explain this phenomenon thus: Ma'at only invited the Haravi and Ga Samathen to manipulate Balaman so if other races try to enter the Spirit World, Ma'at imprisons them there in a vast maze-like prison called Balanasra.  

The Ice Giants

The Ice Giants' understanding of magic is very complex. It is primarily used to manipulate the weather, waves and animal behaviour. Ice Giant magic is based on focussed chanting. Little is understood of it by outsiders. In northern M'dia, the existence of the Ice Giants is disputed even.  

The Saravan

The Saravan, who inhabit the vast mountainous centre of M'dia and elsewhere in high altitude regions, are the only race to have successfully used magic for combat. They believe magic emanates from vast reservoirs. These reservoirs are located at the magnetic poles, in deep caverns under the mountains, spread thinly across the forests, in the deepest parts of the ocean and in the Sun, Moon and stars. Each reservoir is protected an immensely powerful Guardian who must be entreated to for access to their reservoir. They see crystals as magical batteries and conductors and their battlemages used magically charged crystals to empower themselves. They see the world itself as a kind of divine being and consider magic from the deep cavern under the mountains to be the world's gift to the mighty Saravan. Magic from the sky is considered to be somewhat separate is only accessible by the righteous and principled.   The Saravan use magic to make their weapons unnaturally sharp and strong. They charge crystals to use as grenades and channel deep magic to make themselves stronger and faster.