Library of Venoria: Dieties and Magic: Magic, the Gift
Magic, the Gift
Magic, the ocean of ethereal energy that covers the world and all things within. It was a gift delivered to the world and it's people's by the tears of Aiura as the old gods were leaving the world after the destruction of the Greldamar Empire by the elf Kovash'Ai and his brothers. Before the gift was delivered to humanity and world the only place that magic could be found was on the Quadra Isles amongst the temples dedicated to the four old gods, it was these that the elves used to focus their energies to destroy the Greldamar Empire.
Now the gift can be used by anyone anywhere if they have learned to accept it and harness it. Acceptance is no laughing matter however, one does not just use the ethereal energy simply because at birth no one can see it. One can live their entire life without ever seeing the energies of the gift, and many do this through their own devices knowing fully of the gift as acceptance can sometimes be fatal. However, this has not stopped some from learning the ways of the gift, many journey to Castle Xio on Xio Isle for the brief lesson that shows them how to recognize the barrier that surrounds all beings in the world, the barrier that keeps magic away from their minds and bodies. Once they see this barrier they are then instructed in the rituals needed to under go the acceptance of the gift. The deed has been described as trying to push your way through a wooden wall with a dagger, however some say it is easier than this, but once done the danger to the persons mind begins.
As the barrier is penetrated the ethereal energies of the gift come crashing through flooding both mind and body of person. For some the forces suddenly thrust upon them can be too much and they are driven to insanity, there have even been cases where the energies caused the individual to die while screaming in agony. For those successful however the world has changed dramatically, they are able to see not only this new ethereal ocean surrounding them but also others who have similarly accepted the gift. For those who now wield the gift they appear to others in the ethereal ocean as grey bodies walking about whereas non-magic users appear as white auras who are untouchable in the realm of the ethereal ocean. It takes many days to learn how to calm the mind and force the energies to balance out in one's self and once this is done they are able to begin manipulating the energies with their mind.
When a successful manipulation occurs a ripple is sent out through the ethereal ocean to distances governed by the strength and size of the manipulation. These ripples are detectable by anyone attuned to the gift and if a particularly large manipulation occurs it has been known to travel across the whole world. Magic users, or Gift Wielders as some call them, can attack one another directly with the energies of the ethereal ocean, they cannot do the same to those not attuned to the energies. It takes a skilled wielder to manipulate the energies of the gift to the point where they can manifest manipulations in the physical world. Once someone learn how to do this however they start to become a powerful force indeed. It's at this point that the wielder can begin to focus on the elements of the world, fire, air, water and earth to name a few. Schools focused on the teachings of the elements of the world have been established in the Shimmering City, however it is an extremely exclusive place where they only allow humans. It is when the physical world can manipulated that a Gift Wielder can attack not just other wielders but those who cannot.
The biggest downfall of magic is not only the possibility of death when you first accept it but also the extreme concentration required for most manipulations since it's the mind doing all the work. Even if a wielder has managed to summon a ethereal dragon that spews fire and stomps people to bits doesn't mean he is now invincible. The user doing such an act would have to be in deep concentration to keep their creation in existence and even a small interruption could break that concentration and the dragon would fade into non-existence. However, generally it is said amongst those who wield the Gift that their manipulations are limited only to what they can imagine.
Limits of a Gift Wielder:
- No massive manipulations like weather being affected over continents, maybe tornadoes and lightning, but the wielder has to be extremely skilled. Several wielders working together however could easily cause even greater manipulations.
- The Shimmering City teaches only humans and only the Elemental Arts.
- Castle Xio is the best place to learn magic safely, however self taught users have been known to exists...the first users for example.
- Perhaps more to come later....
