Magic

Magic is power and substance that flows throughout the universe, attaching itself to both inorganic and organic objects. As one of the building blocks of the universe, it is considered just as important as energy and matter, and supersedes all other natural laws, including such forces as gravity. This allows magic-users to break, bend, or ignore the laws of physics at the cost of immense power. Magic is by nature composed of slow-moving particles which drift through the universe without physically connecting with anything. However, in contrast something like light, magic has no fixed speed and can pass through solid objects, but is subject to the cosmic winds and tides which are yet to be fully explained or discovered, even in the highest magical academies.

Magic is composed of three distinct forms, known as positive, negative, and neutral magic respectively. Unlike magnetism, wherein like repels like, with magic like attracts like. Positive magic attracts positive magic and repels negative magic, while negative magic attracts negative magic and repels positive magic. Neutral magic neither attracts or repels positive or negative magic- or other neutral magic, making it far less reactive and less prone to rushing to fill one place. That said, all three can build up in a region over time, though this process takes longer for neutral magic. When a magic spell is cast, the magic exhasted by the spell is split apart and becomes unusable until it recollects into fully formed magic. Over time, depending on how powerful the spell was, this magic rebinds, while giving off magical raditation in the meantime. This means extremely powerful spells can scatter magic to such an extent that a region becomes highly dangerous to enter. As it decays, the environment once more becomes filled with magic and will therefore become more attractive to either positive or negative magic. Usually, if both positive and negative magic are drawn into a region together they will react violently and cause explosive fallout, but when mages keep pulling on them they can instead bond to form neutral magic, which dampens the effects and prevents violent reactions. Mages are currently unsure how this process works, with many attributing it to the gods.

Magic can be manipulated and used by many beings within the realm to fuel distinct spells which affects the natural landscape. While most beings, including many which are nonsentient, have the ability to use natural magic or cast simple spells, magic becomes exponentially more difficult once going past the simplest spells, or ones which are not part of a creature's natural repertoire. To conjure a small flame is one of the simplest magical abilities, but to time travel, warp reality, and switch dimensions requires immense strength that is beyond the abilities of any mortal, and approaches the upper threshold of theorized divine powers. This is primarily because using magic in a spell requires an exchange of energy as well as a ready source of magic as fuel, and neither of these exist in sufficient quantities in mortals. Since magic's effects on one's energy and lifeforce are often invisible, it is very easy to overdo it attempting a powerful spell and cause injury or death. This makes even the simplest of spells dangerous for the inexperienced.

To power a spell, one must use a source of magic they can reach. Each mage has an ability to naturally store and use magic, with this being likened to a flask of water. By pulling magic from an amulet or nature, you can refill your magic reserve, but cannot suddenly cast more magic-heavy spells. With more magic reserves available to draw on, a mage can maintain much more powerful spells without drawing on their own reserves, but every mage has a hard limit that can only be approached through extensive training, and never passed. Beyond a person's personal magical capacity, they may also draw on amulets, rings, or other Magical Items which carry latent magic in storage. They can also draw magic from the environment, which may vary depending on what magical zone a person is in.

In the Eighth Realm there are many ways to cast and use a variety of spells, and different spells are categorized differently depending on the region. The most prevalent way to categorize different types of magic and spells is by following the specifications of the Committee for Magic Safety. The CMS is a regulatory body which categorizes and defines different spells and casting types in a comprehensive glossary, updated yearly. They also define which types of spells or individual spells are considered taboo, and many nations follow these guidelines in defining which types of magic to ban. While not all nations, races, or even continents follow the CMS categorization (magic is not exact, and many alternate methods of categorization exist, each with their own benefits and drawbacks) the CMS provides a relatively simple and easy chart. In essence, this boils down to there being 7 methods for casting magic of 12 schools, which are discussed on their own pages in more detail.

7 Methods for Casting Magic

• Natural Magic
• Mental Magic
• Runic Magic
• Ritual Magic
• Alchemical Magic
• Imbuement Magic
• Innate Magic
• Voodoo Magic

12 Schools of Magic

• Conjuration (Conjurology): The act of summoning beings or objects
• Elemental: control elements, manipulate weather
• Sensual: illusions, enchantments, charms
• Chaos: shadow magic, control darkness, curses
• Ethereal: blessings, raw magic, create dimensions
• Restoration: healing, disease prevention, cleansing
• Abjuration: defense, protecting, warding, sealing
• Temporal: time travel(theoretical), immortality, divination, scrying
• Planaric: teleportation, manipulation of gravity, dimensions, matter, and seasons
• Necromancy: raising the dead, speaking to spirits, manipulation of undead
• Construic: creating beings such as homunculi and golems
• Transmutation: transformation or changing of properties of something
• subgenre = Corpomancy: Henomancy, Osteomancy, and other things dealing with bodily functions