The Balance of Magic

Magic is a natural energy in the universe. It is maintained by the Balance; a powerful force that allows magic to be used safely. The Balance communicates with planet souls – the Toqvel – and through it, stabilises magical energies.

If Magic was to become unstable, it could destroy worlds. (See the corruption for more information)

Magic is divided into five elements: Fire, Water, Earth, Air and Spirit. There are ten possible levels of power in each element but the Humans in Renicia only know of five so far, and their bodies can only use up to level five without injury.

Only individuals with the Spark can communicate with the Balance and use magic safely.

The Corruption
The Corruption is a term used to describe unstable magic.

In the Age of Chaos, the race called the Chaos wanted to harness the pure power of magic. They tried to break the Balance which acts as a safety barrier. This led to the creation of the ‘corruption’; a disease that spreads through magic and confuses it. However, the Balance fought against the invasion and managed to disturb the Chaos’ plans. The Chaos had only completed half of the ritual and were trapped between life and death, and were suddenly addicted to energy in general which they now needed to survive.

The Corruption is a term used to describe the Chaos' touch on magic. It can affect anything that communicates with magic or the Balance in general - even planet souls, the Toqvel.

During the Age of Chaos, the race became insane because of their lust for energy and magic. This insanity prompted them to declare war on all life and to go on a mass conquest to dominate all the planets and to harness all the energy.

The Chaos' Corruption was dampened in the Final Battle. It has only recently returned, two thousand years later, in the present Age on Renicia.

The Magical Levels
There are five known levels of power in magic. The higher the level, the stronger the magical abilities will be.

In truth, there are actually ten levels of power but the Balance only allows the first five to be used. With the Balance now suffering from the Corruption and the Chaos returning, magic is growing unstable and more levels are becoming available. However, Humans can hurt themselves or even kill themselves if they draw on too much magical power.

During the early days of an Apprentice's training, they will all begin at level one and grow naturally in magic through training and frequent use. All Mages are born with a maximum cap for their Level of Power. However, it takes years of training and practice to reach that potential. It is possible – but very rare and dangerous – for a Mage to push those boundaries and reach beyond their maximum limit. The possible ways are listed below:


 * 1) It usually requires a ‘well’ artefact of power. Wells store magical energy over time and acts as a secondary source for the user, it helps them use more power without becoming as tired as they normally would without a Well.
 * 2) The ability to harness a lot of energy – similar to how the Darksworn use their unique powers – and break through the boundary by force. This can lead them to becoming Corrupted like the Darksworn.
 * 3) By increasing your spiritual connection with the Balance, like the Zaedik Oracles seek in their meditation, you can further your potential by becoming more closely linked with magic. This requires a lot of time and endurance, and will also make you more vulnerable to magic’s instability.
 * 4) Due to the randomness and volatility of the present Balance of Magic, the Spark is awakening in more people at any time or age. LoP are also randomly increasing without warning.

Although the level of power determines how strong that person's abilities are, a lot of a Mage's power comes from training, knowledge and experience. Just because someone is stronger in magic, doesn't mean they will necessarily win in any contests. It is very difficult for anyone with the Sparkto learn or create new spells by themselves, it can lead to an early death. Knowledge is power for a Mage. The more information they have access to, the more spells they can learn. For example: a Level 3 trained Mage, armed with the knowledge of many spells, can probably overwhelm a Level 5 untrained ‘Wilder’ Mage, who lacks the knowledge about the more advanced spells. Magic is complicated and there are thousands of known spells, and even more undiscovered combinations. It is very dangerous to experiment with magic and create new spells, most Wilders die in such accidents if they try to learn complicated spells without the guidance and training from other Mages. The Mage Organisations have thousands of years of knowledge and experience, they exist to train and educate anyone with the Spark in magic properly.

The Five Elements
Magic is divided into five elements: fire, water, earth, air and spirit. Complicated spells usually combine several elements at once.

The Fire element is a pyrokinetic ability. It can be manipulated from existing flames, high temperatures, or it can created where there is none. Fire is noted as the most offensive and destructive of the elements. By manipulating other elements with Fire in a spell, it is possible to create lightning, fierce storms or lava.

The Water element is a hydrokinetic ability. It can manipulate water and air moisture. Water is noted to be a more defensive element but can be very powerful if sources of water are nearby. By manipulating other elements with Water in a spell, it is possible to create ice, storms, chilling temperatures or frost.

The Earth element is a geokinetic ability. It can manipulate the soil below as well as rock and stone. It is considered to be both an offensive and defensive element. It is also possible to manipulate wood or natural sources of forests and earth. Combined with other elements, earth can be used to create quakes, lava or nature-inspired scenes.

The Air element is an aerokinetic ability to control and manipulate currents of air. It is considered to be a defensive element but can be used offensively when combined with other elements. By using the other elements, the Air element can create fierce storms, lightning or even alter temperatures.

The Spirit element is linked to the soul. It is the core of magic and is therefore linked to all four elements, as well as the Mage's living soul. By using Spirit in spells, it makes them more powerful and complicated. Furthermore, Spirit can be used to target another individual's mind, body and spirit, and can even 'silence' someone from magic for a brief amount of time.

Using Magic
All Mages can sense the Balance of Magic. They 'embrace' magic (literally connecting to the Balance of Magic and communicating with it) and are able to use it. For less experienced Mages, it may take a few seconds for them to reach out and embrace magic. As they get used to it, they will be able to use it without any delay at all.

Once a Mage has embraced magic, they will be surrounded by a glow that is only viewable by others with the Spark. The more power a Mage draws in and releases, the stronger the glow.

Mages use magic through spells and the 'crafting' process: communicating with the necessary element(s), shaping a pattern or mould for the spell, creating strings if necessary to make the spell larger, more advanced or difficult to interrupt, and then releasing it. (It's broken down to elements, pattern, strings, release)

Other Mages can view the pattern and strings of another Mage's spell. It is possible for them to cut the strings, thus interrupting the spell or dampening its strength, but it is a very difficult process and can be dangerous to either Mage as it could completely change the spell into something else. More experienced Mages know how to make the strings in a spell complicated enough that only an equal would be able to challenge them.

Magic affects a Human's condition like any other demanding exercise, whether physical or mental. Therefore, Mages do have a limit to how much power they can use before becoming exhausted. If a Mage pushes themselves too hard, they can burn their Spark out completely.

Creating Spells
Spells are created when a Mage embraces the Balance of Magic and crafts the elements together in a pattern, a glowing mould for the spell that only those with the Spark can see. Mages call the connections in a spell’s pattern ‘strings’. Once the spell’s pattern is ready, they can release it.

This is called the 'crafting' process: communicating with the necessary element(s), shaping a pattern or mould for the spell, creating strings if necessary to make the spell larger/more advanced/difficult to interrupt, and then releasing it. (It's broken down to elements, pattern, strings, release)

The more elements combined in the spell, the more complicated the spell. Usually, the number of elements in a spell is correlated to that Mage’s Level of Power. E.G: A Level Three Mage can weave three elements together.

A spell’s range is altered by how many strings there are. The most powerful Mages can have a spell with hundreds of strings in its pattern, but the most common spells will only have a few. It takes more time to create large spells because the Mage needs to form a large enough pattern together until it’s the correct size. This is quite common if a Mage is using a spell to manipulate or alter the weather (something large/natural), or if they’re far away from the spell’s target, or if the spell – like a fireball – needs to be large enough for a village. However, because it does take some preparation to create so many strings, sometimes a more simple spell can be more ideal in the majority of situations.

 Spell terminiology:

Spell = the term used to describe a completed magical action by a Mage.

Elements = there are five elements in the Balance of Magic (air, fire, earth, water and spirit), they are the basis of every spell. They can be combined to make stronger and more advanced spells.

Pattern = the term used to describe a spell’s mould and the process of making a spell. Patterns hold together what elements are in the spell and how many strings are connecting it all.

String = sometimes spells need to be divided into different directions or parts, or increased in size and range, a 'string' is the term used to describe how a spell’s pattern connects with other parts of the pattern. The more strings in a spell will make the spell larger, stronger and more complicated.

Example of a complicated spell: The White Flame is one of Vaná Vaewren’s signature spells. It is a purely destructive spell and combines all five elements, with Level Five capabilities in its two main elements – fire and air. It is possible for her to increase the flame’s size into a wide, towering wall of white flame. To do this, she creates a complicated mould for the spell (its pattern) and uses hundreds of strings to multiply this into a huge pattern.
 * It is possible for other Mages to see another Mage’s spell as it is being prepared. The strings which connect the spell’s pattern can be sliced by another Mage, to interrupt the spell or dampen its power. This is a common way for how Mages duel. It takes a lot of skill and practice to slice through a spell’s strings.