Introduction to magic
Magic is blood of everything that exists and it flows everywhere. Two kind of magic exists: Essence that stays on place and channeling that is all time moving. Magic controls matter and therefore dragons are embodiments of magic. Wizards, priests and arcanists use magic in their spells.
Wizard magic - Static energy
Priest magic - Moving/flowing energy
Arcana magic - Combination of static and flowing energy. The original form of magic.
In Meln magic is divided into degrees and levels
Magic of highest degree includes:
9. - level spells
8. - level spells
7. - level spells
Magic of middle degree includes:
6. - level spells
5. - level spells
4. - level spells
3. - level spells
Magic of lowest degree includes:
2. - level spells
1. - level spells
(In different role-playing systems divide levels on the scale above.)
Magic
As mentioned earlier, dragons represent this energy. The body of a dragon is meat but its soul pure magic. When dragon dies, its soul returns into that entirety, which exists everywhere but emits especially from earth.
The universal form of magic is neither good nor evil, but it is above all those concepts. It is only entirety that is called magic. This pure form of magic exists everywhere and therefore even air has magic. Some materials have it more and some less. For example a normal stone has less magic than fire and therefore fire is much easier to shape and control than stone. Stone has less magic, because in earth magic reacts by crystallizing at one place. Gems, precious metals and magical metals (pure platinum) form like this. Diamond is most magic impregnated matter. Energies inside diamond are so pure that it could be compared to arcana-magic.
Ways of Magic
Means for shaping magic are: will, knowledge, matter (material components), voice (words), motions (gestures) and figures (runes and symbols). Although effects of magic are stronger for the matter than for the psyche, magic can still be used also for affecting mind.
Flesh (matter) can not affect to mind, but it can affect to matter, voice, motion and form. All elements mentioned above, affect to magic and magic to the same extend affects to psyche. Therefore magic can be used for putting target into sleep. Magic and psyche are in the same "wavelength", though they are not one and the same matter.
Will is the most powerful and demanding way of magic. It resembles much the psychic energy, though it works completely in different ways. Wizards who can control their will, have also possibility to control the ancient arcana-magic. Through the will wizard is able to channel power, alter reality, affect time and define form, shape, direction, time, way, place, amount and sort. In principle it is possible to fully cast spells with mere willpower, but no creature has such willpower (excluding Dragon and Phoenix).
Knowledge is needed for controlling the ways of magic. Knowledge is base of everything. Without knowledge even the spells of the most powerful wizard would work accidentally and limply. Knowledge creates order and rhythm. Chaos-wizards are wizards who first have skill and after that they might have studied controlling their skills.
Matters (material components) are raw-materials, which react in a particular way with other ways of magic and bring about the chain reaction called spell. Matter is like a flint and steel. If you want light a gunpowder, you have to have something that would start the reaction.
Voices strengthen the power of spell. Voice can also be used for activating spell. Voice bases on mythical words of creation, in other words language of oarturde. Essential elements forming the voice are syllables, tones and pauses. Many wizards hide magical syllables either inside "gibberish" (like Raistlin Majere) or inside verses (like Vainamoinen). Among many nations versification is appreciated measurement of intelligence and "gibberish" is regarded to be amateurish unimaginative chatting of market-magician. Some wizard societies even handle their authority problems by improvised versification.
Magical syllables are hidden because then it is harder for a target to defend or negate the spell. Spellcasters also try to hide magical syllables because they don't want to reveal all their knowledge to others and don't want to give others possibility to use his own knowledge against him. If opposing spellcaster finds out the syllables of attacking wizard on-time, it is very easy to negate the spell of attacking wizard.
For example: Ot-syllable combined with a pause and Sa-syllable means silence. Whis-syllable, longer pause and He-syllable directs the spell to target. Ce-syllable activates the spell in this case. With this verse attacking wizard tries to silence the opposing spellcaster:
"You did not say a word, whispered the silence"
(Spell starts not until the syllable OT. Then short pause and syllable SA and again pause. WHIS, longer pause and HE directs the spell. Spell is activated by the syllable CE. In this verse other syllables are insignificant and work only as pauses.)
Syllables between bolded and underlined syllables are insignificant for a spell but with them spellcaster is able to fix the time for a next significant syllable. If pauses between significant syllables are too short or too long, the strength of the spell weakens or the spell won't activate at all. Wizard can say anything he wants or stay quiet between significant syllables. Only the length of significant syllables is essential.
It is extremely hard hide syllables of spell by improvising, therefore verses are usually committed to memory.
Motions and figures (gestures, runes and symbols) resemble each other. All them define form, shape, direction, time, way, place, amount and sort. Difference between motion and figure is that gestures are weaker than runes and runes are already planned for a certain spells. Benefit of gestures is that they give more freedom to shape the spell, than runes drawn on the air. Runes are most powerful when drawn or inscribed on solid surface.
Written by : NorAdron
Translated by : MoR
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