Origin and Nature of Magic
From Novatainia
| This article includes references or is fully on Magic If you are offended by this, you are advised to stop reading. |
A thesis by Andreas the Wise. It should be noted that this was written before the SCM
Contents |
[edit] Abstract
Magic is an important part of life for both Novatainia and Tokidoki, but it is only understood to a limited degree. Where did it come from? How does it actually work? What’s the point of having Lords? We see magic’s effects all around us, and can use it without knowing these things, but the questions remain. These and others will be answered throughout this paper, which is more a philosophical look at magic, than a careful theoretical study.
[edit] Givens
The following statements and facts are taken as givens. While some are said by Lords and unproven, they are considered to be highly likely, and so are taken as givens here. In brackets is given their reference.
Anybody or race can be magically trained. (Academy)
Magical training increases both magical strength and mp capacity. (Charter)
MP is required for magical workings. (Charter)
MP restores daily, regardless of use, at about the same time every day. (Charter)
Important mages get “bonus” levels. (Charter)
Lords receive their power “from the land”. (Andreas the Wise)
The land must always have its Lord. (Histories)
Lords power is greater within the borders of their own nation. (Andreas the Wise)
There are seven types of magic, Heart, Soul, Mind, Strength, Financial Wizardry, Mathemagics and Spiritual Magic. (Andreas the Wise)
There are seven orbs which produce these seven magic types. (Histories)
Some forms of these magic are present on some worlds and not on others. (Andreas the Wise)
Magic such as elemental attacks, teleportation and gating has particles which can be detected by those who know what to look for. (MANA defences)
[edit] Preamble
Before one can consider the origin of magic, one must first consider its nature. Magic, as is generally considered, requires MP, based on level. And this MP restores daily, at the same time each day. If magic were to come from the person themselves, this seems remarkably odd – would not the magic restore very gradually? And what of the “bonus levels” that some mages receive when taking high ranking positions in academies? The Novatainian Lord of Magic declared, when he first received the position, that his magical skill was not due to some basic skill, but instead his power was given to him “by the land.” While this sounds strange, all things considered, it makes a lot of sense, and also puts into perspective a number of other comments, such as the observation that Lord’s powers are strongest in their own country, and the historical declaration “The land must always have its Lord.” The exact relationship between a Lord and the Land will be dealt with later, but consider that magic, or more specifically mp, comes from the land. This explains bonus levels – they a boost of magical levels provided by the land for those who defend it. It also explains mp restoration – it is given by the land each day at a common time. Perhaps magic, like gravity, is present, to a degree, in all substances, however, it is most powerful when large chunks are together. Like gravity, the magic of an entire planet is so large that, compared to it, the magic present in, say, a person, seems virtually nil.
[edit] Magic like gravity
If magic is then present in every substance, it suggests that magic exists as some sort of particle or energy. The Wizards of New Myzoria have long considered this and declared the Thaum to be the smallest particle of magic. However, magic itself is manipulated by thought, and thus logically so are these particles. For a world to give an allowance of magical power daily (in the form of mp) to mages suggests not a blind force, like gravity, but a force which is at least slightly-sentient. Large stores of magic lie, therefore, not in planets, but in worlds – inhabited planets where the magic is shaped somewhat by the consciousnesses there (like the old phrase – “The whole is greater than the sum of the parts”). Though some would say a world and a planet are the same thing, the difference is that between a house and a home. Though people may visit either, and physically both are the same, one has a very different feel, and a much more stable population. There are, however, two obvious problems in this reasoning. If magic is provided by the world, then can magic be used in space? Or, if one spends too far away from the world, does it become used up? This is beyond the scope of this paper to test. The second, and more important problem, is that of the sevenfold definition of magic. Magical particles makes perfect sense for magic that uses mp. But music is magic. Maths is magic. Science is magic. While these obviously require mental ability and manipulation, one can hardly say they use MP which restores daily no matter what, or that they appear to have magic produced by the world at all. A good musician can play in any country regardless. Science certainly has been used in Space. This suggests that either our original thoughts on magic are wrong, or that there are, in fact, two types of magic – one which affects the physical world, and one the mental. We shall call the first Particle Magic, and it is largely explained above. That leaves the second to be explained, which we shall call Thought Magic.
[edit] Thought Magic
Consider then the magic present in playing an instrument or solving a maths problem. That this is magic can be shown by looking at two people learning an instrument, or learning maths. One can pick it up quickly, perseveres, and goes on to great things. Another can reach the same levels, but must work a lot harder, and longer – it doesn’t come naturally. This suggests that magic of this nature is similar to gifts or abilities. But does this sort of magic require mp? Clearly not. So where does magic of this nature come from? Going with the idea that it is a gift or ability someone has, to have this magic, one would logically guess that magic of this kind comes internally, from one’s self. Like the flashier sort, this magic allows one to do a task far easier. Just because someone else can, by dint of effort, learn to understand calculus, it doesn’t mean that one who can pick it up almost instantly is not magical. A mage can use magic to form a hill with a moat around it where there was flat earth – by dint of effort, a normal man can do this as well, but he must dig and scrape and carry. Thus it makes perfect sense to say that Music, Maths, Economics, Science etc are magics, but clearly magics of a different sort. Their magical ability does not change the physical world, but grants their user understanding. Once granted, they have this for life – theoretically speaking, regardless of whether they have the actual magic in them or not. That explains why, with the recent activity of Golgoth, we did not have musicians clamouring at our door demanding why they couldn’t play. They still could – just, for a few days, it was much harder to learn anything more. The other sort of magic, one must take time to learn how to work it, and then one can cast it for the rest of their lives – but must have magic each time. This complimentary relationship suggests strongly this view of magic is correct. There is left only to consider whether Thought Magic, as we have termed it, comes purely from the self or can come from outside. The orbs produce magic, even of this sort, so logically it must be able to come from outside, though not as commonly. From outside though, it comes not in the form of mp, but of inspiration – a flash of insight that one was not expecting. From this, we can firmly define Thought and Particle Magic.
[edit] Particle Magic
Almost all Strength and Heart Magic, most Soul Magic, and some Mind Magic. Particle Magic requires mp or other magical energy to use, which is generally drawn from the world, whether intentionally or not. This magic is present in the form of particles, and allows one to change the physical world, and through this, other’s understandings of it. Thought Magic: Almost all Financial Wizardry and Mathemagic, most Mind Magic and some Soul Magic. Thought magic does not require mp, but instead is drawn from oneself, only coming from outside in the form of Inspiration. This magic only effects one mentally, allowing great leaps of understanding, and through this, one can affect the physical world.
[edit] Notes
Spiritual Magic does not fit into either definition. It is both in kind – there is an obvious mental capacity for each of the three parts of it, but Faith as small as a mustard seed can move mountains, Love manifests itself in kind deeds, and Hope, more powerful than any particle magic stimulant to morale, keeps one physically joyful and is infectious to those around. Note also that only “Almost all” of some magics is put as each type. This leaves a tiny amount to be placed in the other, that is either rare or we do not yet know about. The only example that comes to mind is injecting Thought Magic into an object, say a pencil, or a flute, which allows whoever picks it up to use or play it very well, as if they had the Thought Magic talent.
[edit] Origin
Now we have defined the nature of magic, and where it generally comes from, we are left with two things – its complete Origin, and the role of Lords and Ladies in magic. Deciding its original origin is purely theoretical. History provides us with two claims – the Krynii claim to have seeded magic in our region, but this is generally discounted. At best, they tried to use their orb to stimulate magic, but magic was present in Gralus long before this time. The other claim, and far more likely, is that God created magic, and it was placed in this world specially – as it is probably placed in each world that uses it. This however may offend those who don’t yet know God, and so any further debate on the Origin will have to take place elsewhere. NB: Bayen aserts magic has always existed, regardless of God, though Andreas the Wise stands by the God option
[edit] Lords
The land has always had its Lord, and Lords are given their power by the land. One Lord once said that, if Lord’s didn’t restrict themselves to mp, the pure magical power they have would destroy them. This is more likely than it seems. Lords are given incredible power by the land, but with this comes an incredible responsibility – they are the guardian of the land, all magic within it, and all its magical population. Magic, used unwisely, could destroy the world, and there are powerful magical and non magical forces arrayed against our world. It is long suspected the orbs were given for that very reason – so that the only way we could survive against them was for all seven races to work together, coordinated by the Lords. The Lords, therefore, have a great magical responsibility, and in turn, access to great magical power beyond that of normal mages. This is why the few Lords and Ladies are wisest and greatest mages around – not necessarily the most powerful, and not necessarily the leaders, as many remain mere High Mages. Instead, the Lords and Ladies are the ones who understand this connection they have with the land, the people inside it, and carefully guard and care for them all.
[edit] Binding
NB: This paragraph was not in the original thesis
Finally must be mentioned the Binding of Magic by the Lords Andreas, Arnole and Bayen. This binding bound magic to the will of the Council of Mages, preventing rogue mages from creating their own powerful spells, and making it fit a specific structure. Magic on most worlds has been bound at one point or another, even if this is forgotten. However, it must be noted that this Binding on most worlds, our own included, is only that of Particle Magic, as, too often, Thought Magic is discounted as a true magic type.
[edit] Conclusion
In conclusion, it can be logically thought through that the seven magic splits into two types – Particle Magic, which affects the physical world and comes as a gift from the Land, and Thought Magic, which affects mental understanding, and is manifested as talents or gifts within ones self. Lords and Ladies have the unique responsibility to guard and care for both types of magic, and all the magical people’s within their land – if they did not, the results could be catastrophic.
