Verve

Verve is a thought waiting on its completion. It is anticipation and resolve. It's a waltz between actors and a silent language of the universe.
Really, it's nothing and everything.

— Anastasia Mazur, "The principles of Verve"

Colloquially, coined the mind of God (although this cannot be confirmed) as opposed to Ichor, the body of God. Theories state that when God fell, his mind scattered as well, but in a more indescribable way. Some scholarly mages have attributed the distribution of Verve to dust. It hangs in the air, as omnipresent as God once was, but also clings to some things over time. 

Things which gather Verve do not inherently hold more power, but become sublime in appearance. 

Sublimity 

Some things are beautiful to the point of terrifying. A large never-ending ocean or large jagged cliffs. A subtle reminder of mortality. 

Verve has a curious habit of granting beauty, or sublimity, to things and people to which it gathers to. There is no inherent strength or power in these things, that is up to the will of the organisms themselves, they are haunting. A particularly enchanting tree hangs over the river bed, each single leaf seemingly glistening in the summer sun. A rock that glints and scintillates under a starry sky. There is a shine and grace to things and plants that has attracted Verve. 

Oddly though, mages exhibit sublimity strongest. There is a luster to them, a charm that draws people in. Their pores seem nonexistent, as if they were sculpted from marble or porcelain. Their eyes, not necessarily glowing, but ablaze nonetheless. They are impossible to ignore, even when in the corner of your vision. Fascinating creatures. 

When encountering sublimity, it’s hard not to consider it a mere trick of the eye. Choosing to examine it, feels impossible. There isn’t actually any luster or blaze. But as soon you turn your head, choose to focus on something else, you swear the person is just as distracting as before. 

Furthermore, maybe a byproduct of Ichor mixed with Verve usage, almost all human mages have a sixth finger bud on each hand. 

Usage

Verve is slippery and undefined. Casting spells and incantations is truly about the caster, not the magic around them. A skilled mage needs but a speck of Verve to work wonders. 

Forcing wonders upon the world, is truly playing God. Maybe this explains the arrogance found in a lot of spellcasters. 

You have to finish the hanging thought around you. Answer the constant “What if?” that hangs in the air. The catch? You have to imagine it perfectly. You have to believe it to be possible. This is where most human magic practitioners fail. Their poor mortality and insecurity convinces them that some things are just impossible. 

Dreaming helps. It gives you a new perspective on the world around you, one you could not have imagined before. It expands your horizons and simply put, the possibilities of the world. It is never needed though. There are always unique ways of learning. Strangely, bards and artists have broken the molds scholars have proposed. Dreaming is not a necessity, not when you have the arts to drive your fantasy. After all, they are constantly thinking of the untrue. Harvesters and Fey chose their own unique ways, but ultimately they all revolve around expanding what you believe to be true. 

Being a spellcaster, as is known, comes with dangers. If the Verve doesn’t drive you insane on its own, the effects it has on you might as well. Sublimity, while fascinating to others, is disconcerting. You don’t recognize yourself as the same anymore. You’ve become estranged from your own mind and body. If not careful, one risks becoming lost. 

Souls and the Lost

Lost spellcasters are simply put, out of their mind. They’re disconnected from reality, as if in a constant state of psychosis. Seemingly, conscious and able of coherent speech, all is not right in their head. Struggling to separate foe from ally and object from living being, lost mages wander aimlessly in search of something. Power for most, maybe an obsession they had been chasing?

Souls help keep mages sane. While still a source of theory and skepticism, a lot of mages have come to agree that Souls make sublimity bearable. In the face of sublimity, a Soul in a way dispels the illusion. It is beautiful, but the terrifying aspect has been lessened. It does not matter if it is a mage who bears sublimity or a grand feat of nature, Souls make you kin with it. The world is more heavenly. 

Additionally, mages that bear a Soul do not feel as estranged from themselves. Actually, it can help one be more in touch with the parts of themselves that have been touched by Verve. The smooth skin simply feels soft, and their blazing eyes feel as if lit with purpose.