Elemental Magic

Magic is the practice of harnessing one's emotions and biology to manipulate an element. Many of the creatures in Elgis have the biological ability to use magic, though it frequently requires conscious thought to practice proficiently. Those who practice magic are called mages.   There are six Magical Elements that a mage can use: Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Light, and Shadow. Each of these elements has different properties and offers different abilities to the user. Which element a mage uses is determined by the biological aspect.   Magiphatic System:   Magic relies on a biological system called the Magiphatic system. This system consists of small sac-like organs lying beneath the skin, called nodes, a larger stomach-like organ underneath the ribcage on the left side of the body called the uva, and thin white vein-like chords that stretch from the nodes to the uva. The nodes absorb errant aeriouia from the air and condense it into mana, which is sent to the uva through the white chords. The uva uses a filtering system to filter out every element from the mana except for one -which is the element the mage can manipulate- and stores the now refined mana. When a mage uses magic, their uva sends the refined mana to the nodes which convert it back to aeriouia which is expelled into the air and manipulated for the desired effect.   Methods:   Magic has two separate methods of application: Unformed and Spells. Unformed is a simple release of the element in a general direction, nothing fancy or precise about it. Spells are a practiced, rigid set of motions, thoughts, or emotions that result in a release of the element that has a predetermined effect.   Spells must be constructed by the mage through trial and error to find the right set of movements, thoughts, or emotions -referred to as focuses- that will make their uva send the mana to the right nodes to perform the spell. Because of the differences in psychology and biology between each mage, the focuses will not have the same result, meaning it is impossible to perfectly replicate another mage's spell.   Because of the biological and psychological nature of magic, mastering it is a process of self-discovery. The magic draws from a person's nature to supply power and the style of that power. Unformed magic tends to draw from the mage's emotions while Spells draw from the personality traits of a mage. As a mage grows emotionally, their Spells tend to strengthen, weaken, or become altered as a result of the change.