Magic Cycle

Magic is an ambient, animating force. In nature, it is the source of all manner of supernatural phenomena known as marvels. Harnessed by a sentient mind into a spell, the magic can power all sort of effects. Forged into a physical form, magic grants power to wonderous items. Left to it's own devices, magic flows, collects, and pools like water. Where magic is concentrated, life flurishes and presences may appear.   Fundamentally, magic is a finite but renewable resource. The living world is born from magic. As living beings go about their lives, they enrich the magic that they contain. When they pass, they will release more magic than it took to create them. Wizards and others, as well as natural phenomena and the gods, use this magical resource to power their supernatural abilities. The gods, among all their disparate duties, collectively balance the flow of magic. If to little magic is on hand for new life, they will release more from their divine reserves. If excess magic is building up, they remove and sequester it.