Magic Menu

Magic Menu
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Magic Circuits:
Magic circuits are pseudo-nerves within the body of a magus. They have two primary functions: to act as pathways that generate magical energy and to access the magic foundation engraved in the world. Magi create magical energy with the magic circuits and use this energy to activate the magic foundation and thus effect magic. To perform either of these tasks, magic circuits are necessary.
As suggested by the description “pseudo-nerves,” the circuits are split into cores and lines joining these cores together. These are spread throughout the body in parallel to the mundane nervous system. Non-human beings may have magic circuits operating on a different structure, however.
One’s number of magic circuits is fixed at birth and their quantity cannot be increased other than by external means.

Sources of Magical Energy:
Magical energy is primarily generated through conversion of life force via magic circuits. Life energy can be found in two sources, known as the Greater Source and the Lesser Source. The Greater Source is Mana, the life energy of the world itself, and a magus who uses this energy to actualize a mystery must first gather the energy through some ritual with influence over the world, then pass the energy of the world through his own magic circuits in order to execute the final magic formula and achieve his result. For this reason, Mana is primarily used in Formal Craft, or ritual magic. The Lesser Source is Od, the life energy of an individual. Since Od is found within oneself, it is more easily accessed, and thus is more often used for informal, rapid magic.

Magic powered by the Greater Source:
The Greater Source is the life force of the planet, expressed as the life force of the atmosphere and other parts of nature. It is the life force that permeates the outer world. The nature of it is the same as the Lesser Source, but the amount is orders of magnitude greater than that of the Lesser Source. However, the amount of the Greater Source that a magus can convert at one time is limited by one’s magic circuits, so no matter how much Mana is available, it cannot be used without limit. There is also a limit to the amount of energy someone can hold at once, so it is not possible to convert the Greater Source to magical energy in advance and build up a massive reserve.

Magic powered by the Lesser Source:
The Lesser Source is the life force of the magus itself. It is something that exists in one’s inner world so there is no process needed to absorb it as with the Outer Source, and it is accordingly easy to handle. Many magi use their Lesser Source to generate magical energy. As one might assume from the name “life force,” overuse will have negative consequences on one’s body. Thus, it is typical for magi to gradually generate magical energy and build it up inside the body. Magical energy capacity differs by individual, and excellent magi can store large amounts of energy.

Characteristics of Magical Energy
Magical energy is fundamentally stored only inside the body, and if released in the outer world when not operating a phenomenon or under the control of a magus it will return to life force and be dispersed into the Greater Source. This phenomenon is also expressed as "evaporation.” Magical energy easily mixes with the fluids (such as blood or semen) of the magus, and these fluids are effective at holding magical energy for a time even after leaving the body. Because of this, by drinking a magus' blood, one can replenish one's magic power. Magi with financial difficulties have been known to sell their energized bodily fluids to the Association.

Element and Attribute:
An act of magic is made up of two essential components which shape its effects. These are Element, the type of magical energy used for the magic, and Attribute, an additional quality of shaping which gives nuance to magic. Of Elements, there are seven. Magic is divided into the Five Great Elements, of Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, and Sky, and the Imaginary Elements, of Emptiness and Nothingness. Pure elemental magic is the most fundamental type of magic, as the magus directly controls energy of his elemental alignment to create effects in the world. An example might be the manipulation of fire magic to create a fireball.
While this is the simplest type of magic, however, it is not the most widely used. Since the majority of magi can only control magic of one Element, known as their Elemental Alignment, pure elemental magic limits one's potential abilities greatly. For this reason, effects can be diversified through application of attributes. An example would be application of the attribute of Reinforcement to create a fireball which burns hotter, or application of the attribute of Halting to create a wall of water which acts as a firm barrier. In more advanced magic, the original elemental alignment can be more difficult to discern than its attribute, as the attribute alters the energy to the extent that it creates a purpose to be accomplished using the elemental magic as fuel. There are countless attributes, and while each magical lineage tends to specialize in delving into the possibilities of a single attribute, most magi learn to apply a number of them.

Earth:
Element of soil, plants, minerals, and foundation. Especially useful for barriers, binding, and stabilization.

Water:
Element of the ocean, life, chaos, and secrets. Especially useful for magic affecting biology.

Fire:
Element of material energy, and a symbol of life and death. Especially useful for destructive magic.

Wind:
Element of motion, prediction, and the weather. A somewhat rare alignment among magi. Especially useful for divination and transportation magic.

Sky:
Previously regarded as a fundamental trait of pure energy, a non-element, this came to be regarded as an addition to the previous Four Great Elements during the Nineteenth Century. Element of spirits and celestial bodies. Also known as Ether.

Emptiness:
Defined in magic as "that which is possible, but not in the physical plane." The element forming the boundaries of nonexistence. With regard to Imaginary Elements, plays a similar role to that played in the real world by True Ether during the Age of Gods.

Nothingness:
Defined in magic as "that which is impossible, but materializes." The element forming the substance of nonexistence. With regard to Imaginary Elements, plays a similar role to that played in the real world by Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind.

Transference:
Specialization of the Einzbern line of magi. Capable of effects ranging from alteration of energy transfer to alchemical transmutation of materials, sensory transmission, creation of homunculi, and manipulation of the soul.

Transference of Pure Energy:
The simplest application of Transference learned by [Archer]. Useful for a magus in more precisely controlling the location of his magical energy, sealing off potential leakages of energy, altering the amount of magical energy flowing to a familiar, or rejecting the incursion of another's magical energy.

Transference of Conceptual Traits:
The second application of Transference learned by [Archer]. Isolates a descriptive quality of an entity, part of the schema of perceived concepts representing it in a magical context, and shifts that quality to something else by means of magical energy. Requires a degree of control over both objects, achieved by connection of magical energy, presence within territory constructed by boundary fields, or some other means. Often used by the Einzbern to alter the properties of objects, such as creating water with the hardness of stone. Through his connection to Imaginary Number Space made up of the Imaginary Elements, [Archer] is able to draw imaginary qualities from entities within the world of the impossible and apply them to real objects using this method. Qualities found within Imaginary Number Space currently include: total absorption of inertia.

Alignment of a Magus:
The Element a magus is compatible with is determined by elemental alignment, a trait determined from birth. The majority of magi are compatible with only one element, but occasionally a magus is born with two or even three alignments. A magus aligned to all five elements is known as an "Average One". Magi with an alignment of Emptiness or Nothingness are vanishingly rare, to the extent that most magi do not consider their existence worth factoring into any systematic discussion of alignment. Through extreme training or magical operations, it is possible to change the alignment of a magus, but this usually results in a loss of ability; the new alignment rarely suits a magus as well as his original. [Archer] has three alignments, being Sky, Emptiness, and Nothingness.

Origin:
The orientation of something at the time that it sprang into existence. An Origin is what defines an existence as itself. In magical contexts, it is sometimes used to refer to one’s magical alignment. As alignment determines the root of one's magic, the Origin which determines the root of one's existence has a still more fundamental effect on the magic of which one is capable. The degree to which Origin expresses itself varies from one being to another, however, and similarly varies in its degree of influence on magic from one magus to another. Those magi with an Origin that is strongly expressed are sometimes removed from the normal alignments, and there are times that the Origin itself becomes the alignment. Most of these magi exhibit their talents as extreme specialists. That an Origin, not being one of the Five Great Elements or the Imaginary Elements, can become the alignment of a magus and render him incompatible with magic of any element suggests the existence of magical energy which has no element. Since magi with strongly expressed Origins are rarely amenable to serving as objects of study to others, however, almost nothing is known about this phenomenon.
[Archer]'s Origin is Emptiness, and one of his alignments is also Emptiness, suggesting that his Origin exerts significant influence over his life.