Wednesday, September 21, 2011

ArcaneSteam: The Nature of Magic

Dear Readers,
          Two things permeate the life of the characters found within the world of ArcaneSteam. The presence of steam engines that drive the industrial age and the might of magic that perpetuates the age of mystery. The following article will take a look into the second showing how its works in the laws of nature. Please fill free to leave comments on this any any of my other pieces of work, as a writer I am always looking for feedback on how to improve and make my stories and world more enjoyable for my readers.

Full Steam Ahead,
               Cain


~The Nature of Magic~

                During the war seeing a man dressed in flamboyant robes, making strange gestures while speaking odd words was a common sight. The street lamps of Central, the great city of Albion, are enchanted crystals that glow brightly in the absence of sun light. And most doctors around the world are capable healers. But what is magic? How does it work? 

The Arcane Flux~

                For generations scientists have attempted to find ways to denounce the existence of what mages around the world have called the flux. They strove to disprove it by the simple nature of their inability to measure the flux at any given moment in time. However in February of 1844 a Sir Sapien Draco, an Albion physicist, discovered that an electromagnetic energy was generated from everything in nature.  He was unable to gain the exact measurements of this energy as it was constantly changing shifting between barely noticeable outputs to producing enough energy to potentially replace steam as the source of power. The harnessing of this energy through machines however remains impossible due to the rate at which the changes occur. 

                Mages around the world, while not denying that the electromagnetic energy is a portion of what they refer to as the flux, claim that there is more to the magical energies of the world than this. Their theories state that matter is in a constant change of state and that it merely has the appearance of being solid. This continual shifting of the basic particles that make up all things is what allows a mage to reach out and manipulate them to their will.  Understanding that they were wrong concerning the first nature of the Arcane Flux since the end of the war scientists have continued their study of this natural phenomenon but have been unsuccessful in their attempts to come to any conclusion concerning the mages second claim of the flux. The same scientists also admit that their understanding of the basic subatomic principles has been severely limited by their inability to further examine them and so the proposed nature of matter being in state of flux could very well be an accurate description of reality. 

                Having come to a general census concerning the nature of the arcane flux both scientists and mages have turned to discovering more about an individual is capable of manipulating these energies to produce effects that often appear to break the natural laws of the universe.  

Manipulating the Flux~

                Through only a few short years of study a surprising conclusion has been reached concerning the manipulation of the arcane energy. In 1910 Albion researcher Dr. Emma Goriano conducted a series of sensory experiments on three groups of test subjects. The first group consisted of individuals who had reached puberty and were incapable of manipulating the flux. The second was the same as the first while these individuals could make use of the arcane energy around them The final group was made up of older children who had not yet reached puberty and was divided into sub groups of those who were born to a mage or those that were not. The experiments primary purpose was to determine if the use of magic had any effects on the base line sensory capacity of individuals. The results however provided a much greater understanding into why some could use magic and others could not. 

                In the group that was capable of using magic their capacity to process sensory input was nearly five times greater than that of their counterpart group. The children’s group showed that all of them were also processing sensory input at a heightened rate of nearly four times of what those who could not use magic were capable of. Through further study the research team lead by Dr. Goriano came to the conclusion that all infants were born with the natural capacity to sense the Arcane Flux around them. However it was determined that this extra sensory capacity was not enough to manipulate the Flux and further studies were conducted.

                These studies involved a series of mental tests to determine if there was a higher intelligence or some other characteristic at play in the groups that would allow for the manipulation of the arcane flux. In the children it was discovered that their mental development had not yet reached a stage where they could think abstractly enough to understand the methods the magic instructors employed. The intelligence, IQ, levels of the two other groups were also not to play a factor in the final conclusion that these studies came to as they were neither better nor worse than one another. The final series of mental tests were designed to frustrate the individuals in an attempt to break their will to go on. It was this test, which showed that the mages would continue on through the frustration for nearly ten times as long as would their counterparts that gave the researches further data into the manipulation of the arcane. 

                 Through these studies it was determined that two things were needed in order to manipulate the arcane flux. The first was the capacity to sense the energy that existed all around you. The second was the sheer force of will to bend the energy to your desire. However there was an anomaly in their results which had to be accounted for, three of the non-magic using test subjects possessed the same will as the mages did but were still unable to use any form of magic. So the team began to look more into what was present in the children that allowed them to feel parts of the flux and what changed during puberty to cause them to lose this capacity. Their studies concluded that in the majority of the population a chemical was released during puberty that stimulated growth and changes and would usually inhibit that portion of the brain which processed the extra sensory details. In a few, those who could use magic, however it enhanced this perception. 

                With the source of an individual’s ability to manipulate the arcane flux uncovered researchers shifted their focus to determine what made one mage more capable than others. The first thing which was determined was that those who had a greater understanding of the way in which the world interacted with itself were capable of producing stronger results and varying forms of results. The second determining factor was physical stamina and strength. It was determined that when a mage manipulates the arcane flux they are in essence projecting their own energy into the matter they wish to manipulate. As such the physical fitness of the individual plays a part in how much and how often they can manipulate the flux. The final aspect which often determines the strength of a mage is their ability to focus on one thing to the exclusion of all else. Because of these things magic is often considered both a physical and a mental discipline.

Classification of the flux manipulators~

                Over the years those who have been capable of manipulating the flux have gone by the single title of mage, although several other titles exist to differentiate between the different schools. Belonging to one school or another of manipulators is not typically a limiting factor on the individual’s path. It simple is an indication of what their leanings are for the use of their manipulations. Within each school tiers of proficiency exist which were implemented at the Council of Arcanum to indicate an individual’s strength and knowledge in that particular field. These tiers rank from 1 to 5 with 1 being the highest any can achieve in that school of manipulation. 

                The schools of manipulation are Healing, Combat, Transfiguring, Naturalistic, Necromantic, Archmage, and The Artificer. Within each of these schools several specializations can be witnessed but the afore mentioned are the generally agreed upon unique areas of study for a mage. The last three merit special mention due to some unique factors which surround them. 

The first is the school of Archmage—once a title applied to any manipulator who had achieved what is now considered tier one of any school the term was applied to an area that chose to study the applications of arcane manipulation on a cosmos level. Their studies are considered with the manipulation of time and space looking and moving through both as well as the ability to communicate via telepathy. The practitioners of this school are often revered for the their power and difficult to find seeking solitude so that their studies may not do harm to others as it is often one of the most dangerous schools to delve into as it can drive one to madness should they be undisciplined.

The second is that of Necromancy—often considered the opposite of the heart of healing necromantic manipulations came about as one mages desire to conquer death. In this school the secrets to cursing individuals with disease, spreading pestilence, and the word of death can be found should an individual be so inclined to study its dark pages. Here one can learn to put tainted life energy into inanimate and dead objects bringing them to life under one’s control with varying levels of freewill. This school seeks power above all else and with that power comes great sacrifices that its practitioners make and they often wind up deluded and corrupted souls themselves. Necromantic magic is forbidden through the majority of the world its students forming secret societies to pass on their knowledge ever on the quest for immortality. 

The final school is that of the Artificer—often considered not to be magic at all it not unheard of to find an individual who can be classified as an artificer but posses none of the other traits of a mage. The school of artifice is focused on the creation of devices through certain rituals and in certain manners which allow them to produce an identical affect to what a mage could do should they manipulate the energies in a certain manner. The affects that can be produced are limited only to the creators understanding of how these things are done through your normal magical means. This school deserves mention because all mages can be classified as an Artificer but a true Artificer is one who possesses no other magical abilities and therefore the school is often debated as even being real magic.

Alchemy a blending of two worlds~ 

                All the scientific research into the arcane world in the recent years since the end of the war has lead to a new branch of study that is neither magic nor science. Put simply it is the meshing of both of these studies seeking to use the understanding of one to enhance the other. Through this new field items have been created that can function as parts to machines and technology decreasing the size of certain machines making them more manageable. This field has also allowed scientists to discover facts about different elements that without the aid of magic would have been decades away from discovery. Leading the way in this field is the Albion Empire having been meshing science and magic sense the Collapse.


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