Melphor Magic

Magic

Power comes from the world around them. The force known as magic is a part of every living thing and can be tapped into by anyone with sufficient ability. As there is a finite amount of life on Melphor at any given time, then magic must therefore have a limit. It’s a renewable resource as life renews itself daily, but it’s theoretically possible to exhaust the supply available.

Magic typically manifests in a person between the ages of eight and fourteen. This generally depends on the species but it’s the standard average. Some are late bloomers. Once it’s manifested, the mage grows into their power over several years, typically peaking in their mid to late twenties. While rare, there have been cases of a mage reaching for too much power and burning out their ability to use magic at all. All attempts to heal such individuals have met with failure. Such people are to be pitied for what they’ve lost while also serving as examples for what not to do.
Magic can be temporarily blocked by a more gifted individual. The gods have the ability to artificially burn out someone's magic and have done so as punishment in the past.

Magic in the Alliance is controlled by the Order of the Rose.

Magic has an approximate half-life of 400 years.

Magic is almost entirely an innate skill, something you need to be born with to use. Non-Gifted people can use magical objects and learn the most basic spells if they put their minds to it. To do anything more than that requires the presence of the Gift.

The Gift can pop up anywhere and doesn’t require a person to have any Gifted heritage, although it certainly doesn’t hurt.
If magic isn’t managed right a mage runs the risk of going insane. An insane mage is a danger not only to the community of mages in general but to the entire population of Melphor. This is one of the reasons why the Order insists that all Gifted individuals belong. It gives them access to proper training and helps the Order to monitor the mages for any signs of magic misuse.
There is an oath they swear when they join the Order that is only slightly different from the non-Gifted members.

Strength is much like intelligence. It’s a matter of what you’re born with. Some mages can increase their strength with patience and study, but all mages have a limit. Power is really irrelevant anyway. It’s far more important to learn to work within your power and to learn to work in concert with other mages.
It’s strongly encouraged to learn to work with other mages to increase your strength. There’s some magic that simply cannot be worked by solitary mages.
There are some substances that can neutralize magic. Most of these are a closely guarded secret. By and large, magic and those who wield it are respected given that they belong to the Order which is itself a highly respected organization.
Any magic not used or sanctioned by the Order is illegal. This would technically include the magic used on Keltos although the people of Keltos wouldn’t see it that way.
The most common applications of magic are for things like healing, protection, water purification, and the destruction and disposal of dangerous beasts.

Mages on Melphor use elements either solo or in combination with others in order to cast spells, though a mage isn’t restricted to using any one type of element. A mage will have an affinity for a certain kind of magic.

Equipment

Mages require the use of an item called a magestone that they focus their magic through. To cast spells requires the correct spoken phrase and applying the right amount of energy through this stone.
Mages require a physical focus to work through. This focus needs to be in close proximity to them, preferably on their body somewhere. Some mages can work without the focus, but these are usually only minor workings and they can’t do it for long and there isn’t a lot of power behind it.
Typically, a focus is an item of jewelry that contains a gemstone of some sort. The fewer flaws a stone has, the more power a mage will be able to pour into it. If it has too many flaws, it will crack or even break if too much energy is put into it. If it breaks, it could be disastrous.
A mage doesn’t choose their focus. It’s largely a matter of trial and error in finding a stone that they can work with. Some mages get very lucky and find a stone that can be acquired inexpensively and still get a very high quality while others aren’t as fortunate. Common items for setting a focus stone are rings, pendants, and broaches, though belt buckles, wrist bands, arm bands, and bracelets are also used. Some mages who also practice the art of sword play, like members of the Order of the Rose, have been known to set a focus stone into the hilts of their swords.

Energy

There are two main sources for magical energy: internal and external. Internal uses the energy that a mage naturally contains within their bodies. External draws energy from other sources. You can acquire this energy by force or it can be given willingly. It can come from nature (plants and animals), other people, or from naturally occurring deposits of magical energy called ley lines. Artificial pools called Wellsprings can be created by mages by forming a spot where magical energy will pool. They can feed these Wellsprings with their own energy as well. These Wellsprings are stationary and cannot be moved but they can be drained and collapsed. It’s recommended that a mage who wishes to create one do so in a place that they will be for a long period of time.
At places where ley lines intersect, there is more magical energy than would ordinarily be found in just one line. These intersections are rare, however.
There is only so much energy that a mage can contain within their bodies and only so much that they can channel from an external source without killing themselves.

Magical traps require an unbroken line of sight in order to disarm them.

Thieves refer to incendiary traps as ‘firebombs’.

Mages can trigger something called Othersight at will. It allows them to see currents of magical energy.

magic traps require an unbroken line of sight to disarm

Rules

Laws of Magic

• All energy comes from somewhere
• All energy must, therefore, go somewhere.
• Every spell has a price.
• A spell in motion stays in motion until it is stopped by an opposing force; a spell that is latent will remain latent until it is acted upon by an opposing force.
• All actions have an opposing reaction.
• Magic used to harm can rebound on the caster.
• Magic used to help will also help the caster.
• Energy cannot be created or destroyed; it can only be transformed.
• For every spell there is an equal and opposite reacting spell.

Rules of magic

• Do not go against the laws of nature.
• Do not take energy from another person without their consent.
• Do not use your magic for personal gain.
• Killing with magic is prohibited.
• Do not use your magic to influence another person’s mind.
• Accept the cost of your spell casting and do not foist it off on another.