The World blinds you to the truth

...And the truth is, that since the very first days after the world began to spin, there has been magic, and there always will be. Magic is the lifeblood of the universe, the force from which the Universe was built. It exists everywhere, at all times, whispering quietly to the sensitive and beckoning mortal souls to hear its call and embrace its power.

The titles and associated positions inhabited by people that can use magic are numerous and have changed over the years to reflect both current sensibilities and ancient traditions. Today, there are two titles that are used most commonly.

• Magus (plural: Magi) - A Magus can be of either gender and refers to someone who was not born with an innate connection to magic, but has acquired the ability to use magic through study, effort, and time. A number of variants for the title have emerged and may still be used in the world: wizard, witch, warlock, priest, priestess, bokor, caplata, and others. Magus is the title given to someone who has learned to use magic rather than having the ability inborn.
• Witch (female) or Warlock (male) - Unlike traditional associations about the name, they have nothing to do with the Christian devil or other 'demonic' figures. Rather the titles reflect someone who's had an innate connection to the forces of magic from birth. This innate talent manifests at a young age, and the raw power available must be taught and shaped in order to bring the power under conscious control.

The Power of Belief

Magic is an energy source, similar in some respects to electricity or magnetism, and in other respects resembling the Force of the Star Wars realms. It is omnipresent, existing in all places at all times, but a human being cannot simply reach out a hand and tap this energy. In order to channel the power of magic, the Magus must believe that they can do so, and then must channel that power through his or her beliefs. This belief is commonly known as a Paradigm. At its heart, a paradigm is a core assumption about how the world works. For example, a mechanistic cosmos, a holistic or animistic approach to reality, or the belief that might makes right. This belief can be rendered into a mechanical nature, that magic consists of certian ingredients and certain words spoke in proper sequence to create a magical effect (referred to as a Sending). Or, it can be the result of a prayer to higher powers, an innate expression and flexing of willpower to override Reality. Regardless, all Magi channel their magic through the power of their beliefs.

You can read more about paradigms and ideas for them on the Paradigm Information page.

Sources of Power

Regardless of whether or not a Magus has an inborn talent for magic, they draw their power from the external world in some instances or from their beliefs themselves. The result being that that magic has power because the Magus believes it does. Magi draw on magical power through sources. Sources are a sort of filter through which the Mage pulls in power before expelling it through their paradigm as a sending.

Read more about magical sources on the Magical Sources Page.

Magical Techniques

If a Source is how a Magus pulls power inward, and paradigm is how they channel it back outwards, then technique is what shapes the magic to create the change the Mage wants to see in reality. Techniques can be thought of as "schools" of magic or broad categorical groupings of magic which have a common denominator in how they affect the world.

Some Magi decide to learn how to build items that can contain spells on a permanent or semi-permanent basis. These items, broadly referred to as magic items, have different requirements, but one rule holds true for all of them: you cannot imbue a spell into an object unless you know the technique the spell would come from. In other words, if you do not have the Healing technique, you cannot create items that can heal others.

Types of Magic Items Include:

• Charms - Magical trinkets imbued with a spell that have a limited number of uses before they must be recharged.
• Enchantments - Using magic to fortify or enhance mundane objects with supernatural capabilities. Examples include: Cars that use 1/10^th of their normal fuel, flaming swords, improved armor, etc.
• Inscription - A technique to make magical effects permanent, or to tender effects which can be activated at will, by embedding the spell in runes, tattoos, or carving them into a building or other surface.
• Potions - Magical effects distilled into various elixirs and drinks, sometimes unguents, which then affect whomever drinks or applies the potion.
• Talismans - An object which has a single spell embedded into it which can then be used over and over until it runs out of uses. Talismans can be used by those with no magical ability themselves.

See Magical Item Creation Techniques for more information.

Familiars

All Magi develop the power to claim and bind a familiar to them. Familiars are usually animals which have selected a particular Magus to tether themselves to for the rest of their lives. Some Familiars, after selecting a magician, gain the ability to take on a human shape. All Familiars enhance their Magi's power when near the Magus. They cannot resist direct orders from the Magus, but otherwise have free will and can do as they please.

Rumors suggest that some of the creatures known as Skinchangers can serve as a Familiar to Magi. See the Familiar Page for more information on familiars.

Planter Syndrome

A recent phenomenon in the magical world, brought about by the author Elia O.L Rolling, is known as Planter Syndrome. The main character in her Perry Planter novels learns that he is a wizard after a long childhood of poverty, degradation, and pain. Perry then uses his newfound magical prowess learned at the Mugwort's School of Meritous Magic in order to change the world as they know it. To do so, he must overcome several obstacles on his way to gain magical supremacy in order to reorder the world.

The Rolling novels have inspired a whole generation with a sort of rabid, frenzied interest into magical activities. Perhaps (un)fortunately, Miss Rolling is a Magus and has come to believe so strongly in her own work that it has created a whole magical paradigm of its own, and the magic contained within the Planter novels has become real. This paradigm is now spreading to younger generations of Magi around the world, much to the disdain and consternation of other practitioners.

Sorcery

Sorcery is magic which has been given to a human being by a demon. Rather than being something taught and honed, practiced and refined over years of effort, sorcery is the easy path to power. The demon serves as one of the sources for every Sorcerer and the sorcerer surrenders their soul in order to gain access to the power.

Read more about Sorcery, refer to the Sorcery page.