Post by The Storyteller on Jan 10, 2015 23:04:41 GMT
All forms of magic in After the Storm are the result of intervention by spirits, either nature spirits in this plane or wild spirits from the Aether. Humans and elves have no inherent magical abilities. Even liches, who can shape reality to their will, are utterly powerless without the Aether spirits sharing their bodies. Aetherians are the sole exception, but they themselves are essentially half-spirits, created as a means of preserving human culture through profane rituals merging man and spirit.
What is a spirit?
A spirit is an entity that was present during the First Dawn, when the Great Spirit of Light dissipated into smaller fragments and created the world. It is easy to imagine a spirit as a piece of God, a fragment of the energies that created our world. Every spirit, from the simplest tree spirit to the most deranged Aether spirit, has the potential to create worlds.
What is the different between a nature spirit and an Aether spirit?
All spirits desire substance, a purpose beyond floating in nothingness. It's just that some spirits were fortunate to be present when the world was created, and already have the stability they desire. These spirits, who found a home in the earth, or the streams, or the air, are typically content with their position.
Those spirits not so lucky find themselves on the fringes of our reality, desperate to enter and simply exist. They are not inherently malicious, but they are extraordinarily dangerous. Eons wandering in the Aether has made even the most benevolent ones confused and lonely. Every single one will, when given the opportunity, attempt to enter our world and claim a mortal form, so they might experience the things we take for granted.
What does a spirit look like?
It depends, actually. Most nature spirits don't have a distinct form and resemble some animate mass of their respective element. A very small number have more detailed forms, but can be just as abstract. Wolves made of fire, giants made of ice, old men made of wood. It's impossible to know why or how spirits choose their form.
Aether spirits are more difficult to describe, as they will latch onto any materials they can find and distort it to suit their needs. Almost all trafitional elements are claimed by native spirits, so they often latch on to living beings. To be possessed by one without an effective contract is almost always very painful and dangerous. These abominations frequently die days after the body wears out and the spirit moves on to its next prospective home.
What are runes?
A rune is a fancy word for a contract made with a spirit. Most runes are very old, forged by elves an extremely long time ago with nature spirits. Typically, a rune only responds to the original race that made that contract. (Spirits are typically unable to differentiate between individual mortals beyond race.) Human mages would be forced to make contact with Aether spirits later on, making similar pacts.
How do you use runes?
It's fairly simple, really. Since the actual contract with the relevant type of spirit is already in place, all you're doing is invoking it, i.e. reminding the universe it owes you. Some inscribe the runes directly on their body for others to see, while others can sing it aloud, (Spirits have an unusual affinity for music.) and then any nearby spirits will react.
However, a single rune only represent a portion of the original contract. Think of each 'tier' as a seperate clause, and if you can't remember the entire agreement, spirits will only feel the need to aid you in the slightest manner. If you can't remember all three tiers of a fire spirits, then he's just going to light a fire for you, or just give you the barest piece of himself to defend yourself with.
The runes binding Undying and Aetherian operate on the same principle, only since Aetherians are mortal beings who never agreed to the contract themselves, it's no better than slavery.
As an Aetherian, what is it like being controlled through a rune?
It's like having a second mind you never knew you had operating your body. You may not even realize it's not your choice until you've already done it. Obeying an Undying will seem as ordinary as breathing or chewing. Fortunately, not every rune effects every Aetherian, and so some Aetherians go their long lives without meeting the lich with the appropriate contract.
Are there forms of magic that don't involve runes?
Yes. Humans invented several alternative form of magic before the Long Storm. However, they are very intense and difficult arts, and require an incedible amount of study and training. Humans didn't have shortcuts like preexisting runes and had to start from scratch. Examples of arcane sciences include...
Conjuration The art of drawing a spirit from the Aether. Essentially, a magus lights a beacon for an Aether spirit to find its way to you. Very difficult, very dangerous.
Enchantment The art of coaxing a spirit into possessing a certain items. Since most materials in nature were already claimed by spirits, mages found they could only use alloys or other artificial materials to house the spirit. Thus, all enchanted items are almost always some form of steel.
Necromancy Contrary to what elves believes, animals don't actually have souls, at least not the sort recognized by spirits. Thus, many mages began experimenting with the idea of transferring Aether spirits into corpses. Interestingly, no spirit in a corpse ever displayed the sort of power liches command. A wild spirit, if left to its own devices, is a very stupid creature who is content filling its belly and exploring the woods. It's been suggested by various mages that without their intervention, wild spirits may simply be unaware of what they're capable of in this world. A few mages toyed with the idea of sustaining human consciousness between multiple bodies, but this was never really explored until the Undying found need of it at least a hundred years after the war.
What is a spirit?
A spirit is an entity that was present during the First Dawn, when the Great Spirit of Light dissipated into smaller fragments and created the world. It is easy to imagine a spirit as a piece of God, a fragment of the energies that created our world. Every spirit, from the simplest tree spirit to the most deranged Aether spirit, has the potential to create worlds.
What is the different between a nature spirit and an Aether spirit?
All spirits desire substance, a purpose beyond floating in nothingness. It's just that some spirits were fortunate to be present when the world was created, and already have the stability they desire. These spirits, who found a home in the earth, or the streams, or the air, are typically content with their position.
Those spirits not so lucky find themselves on the fringes of our reality, desperate to enter and simply exist. They are not inherently malicious, but they are extraordinarily dangerous. Eons wandering in the Aether has made even the most benevolent ones confused and lonely. Every single one will, when given the opportunity, attempt to enter our world and claim a mortal form, so they might experience the things we take for granted.
What does a spirit look like?
It depends, actually. Most nature spirits don't have a distinct form and resemble some animate mass of their respective element. A very small number have more detailed forms, but can be just as abstract. Wolves made of fire, giants made of ice, old men made of wood. It's impossible to know why or how spirits choose their form.
Aether spirits are more difficult to describe, as they will latch onto any materials they can find and distort it to suit their needs. Almost all trafitional elements are claimed by native spirits, so they often latch on to living beings. To be possessed by one without an effective contract is almost always very painful and dangerous. These abominations frequently die days after the body wears out and the spirit moves on to its next prospective home.
What are runes?
A rune is a fancy word for a contract made with a spirit. Most runes are very old, forged by elves an extremely long time ago with nature spirits. Typically, a rune only responds to the original race that made that contract. (Spirits are typically unable to differentiate between individual mortals beyond race.) Human mages would be forced to make contact with Aether spirits later on, making similar pacts.
How do you use runes?
It's fairly simple, really. Since the actual contract with the relevant type of spirit is already in place, all you're doing is invoking it, i.e. reminding the universe it owes you. Some inscribe the runes directly on their body for others to see, while others can sing it aloud, (Spirits have an unusual affinity for music.) and then any nearby spirits will react.
However, a single rune only represent a portion of the original contract. Think of each 'tier' as a seperate clause, and if you can't remember the entire agreement, spirits will only feel the need to aid you in the slightest manner. If you can't remember all three tiers of a fire spirits, then he's just going to light a fire for you, or just give you the barest piece of himself to defend yourself with.
The runes binding Undying and Aetherian operate on the same principle, only since Aetherians are mortal beings who never agreed to the contract themselves, it's no better than slavery.
As an Aetherian, what is it like being controlled through a rune?
It's like having a second mind you never knew you had operating your body. You may not even realize it's not your choice until you've already done it. Obeying an Undying will seem as ordinary as breathing or chewing. Fortunately, not every rune effects every Aetherian, and so some Aetherians go their long lives without meeting the lich with the appropriate contract.
Are there forms of magic that don't involve runes?
Yes. Humans invented several alternative form of magic before the Long Storm. However, they are very intense and difficult arts, and require an incedible amount of study and training. Humans didn't have shortcuts like preexisting runes and had to start from scratch. Examples of arcane sciences include...
Conjuration The art of drawing a spirit from the Aether. Essentially, a magus lights a beacon for an Aether spirit to find its way to you. Very difficult, very dangerous.
Enchantment The art of coaxing a spirit into possessing a certain items. Since most materials in nature were already claimed by spirits, mages found they could only use alloys or other artificial materials to house the spirit. Thus, all enchanted items are almost always some form of steel.
Necromancy Contrary to what elves believes, animals don't actually have souls, at least not the sort recognized by spirits. Thus, many mages began experimenting with the idea of transferring Aether spirits into corpses. Interestingly, no spirit in a corpse ever displayed the sort of power liches command. A wild spirit, if left to its own devices, is a very stupid creature who is content filling its belly and exploring the woods. It's been suggested by various mages that without their intervention, wild spirits may simply be unaware of what they're capable of in this world. A few mages toyed with the idea of sustaining human consciousness between multiple bodies, but this was never really explored until the Undying found need of it at least a hundred years after the war.