Magic And Planes Of Thessir.

The Resurgence of Magic.

Magic in Thessir is divided up into several categories.  Natural, Faith, and Ethereal are the most commonly known, and commonly accepted.  There are, however, other, less accepted forms of magic which will be explored later.  

Each form of magic is drawing on a different 'affinity' or 'field'.  When a spellcaster draws upon this affinity, they are manifesting magic that is linked to that affinity, using the power of that field to change the material world in accordance to their will and the raw magic that they have controlled and then constrained into a specific manifestation.

'Magic', it should be said, describes the raw force of energy that makes up magic in all its varied forms.  There are several kinds of this energy, as has already been mentioned.  This magic is then taken by the caster, in whatever form they choose to do so, and moulded by words, thought and will, into a material 'manifestation' or 'spell'.  In basic parlance, 'magic' is the energy, and the 'spell' or 'manifestation' is the form that the caster makes that magic take.

Natural magic is drawing primarily on the raw force of nature.  It is a form of magic that is fuelled by living things, and primarily, is the domain of druidic spells.  It is found in nearly all living things, in variant forms – be it the hard nature of stone, or the warmth of the fire, or the living vibrancy of the forest and the creatures within it.

Faith magic is drawing on the domains of the gods, and their power – or so it is theorised by humans, from whom it originates.  Other theories is that faith based magic is in fact drawing on the collective will and depth of all forms of magic and welding it with sheer willpower into the forms that they deem appropriate.  Elven studies (widely rejected by human clergy) draw upon a similar conclusion, but proof, admittedly, is either in dispute or not to be found at all.

Ethereal magic is magic that draws on the raw magic, without a truly affiliated form.  It is magic unfettered and unassociated, with anything conventional.  It is also varied in 'how' it is made to manifest, in ways that are still found to be perplexing to those who attempt to teach it.  While an individual might cast a spell that is identical to that cast by their fellows, 'how' they make that magic manifest into an identified form could be completely different.  This is the oldest form of magic, and while it can be taught to an individual, it can also be wielded in a form best described as innate rather than carefully studied.  Some individuals can wield the Ethereal with ease – others must spend years trying to learn how to do so, and may never learn at all.  Both paths have equal merit however, as one involves natural talent, and the other, raw discipline.  With enough of either, a mage can achieve great potential.

Most magic is drawn from the world around the individual, and from within that individual as well, in a strangely symbiotic relationship.  Those who wield it describe it as reaching within oneself to reach 'beyond' oneself, using the physical body as a conduit to the energy beyond it, and then turning it into a manifestation from there.  The magic is both within the individual, and without them, and admittedly, the relationship is not fully understood.  Theories exist of 'where' this invisible force comes from, but there is little to nothing in the way of actual proof of what it actually is.  Attempts to do so have met with repeated failure, but inroads have been made in one way or another.  

In each land, in each race, there are those who have an aptitude towards magic.  Admittedly, some more so than others – elves, for example, halfings, humans and gnomes have a great affinity towards magic in all its forms.  Dwarves and orcs, far less so, but they do exist.  In each nation, as well, there is study of magic in some form or another, but it is to be mentioned that magic itself is a thing that is amoral.  It has no alignment, it is neither good nor evil.  As a result, some kinds of magic that have sprung up are best described as… questionable.

Several fields of magic are spoken about in hushed voices.  The magic of Shades, for example, involves illusion, deception and trickery.  It is a thing of shadows and from shadows it is drawn.  Necromancy also exists, but is less evil than the common folk like to think.  It is, in fact, a study of the magic of life 'and' death, for both are inextricably linked.  Despite this, it has much negativity associated with it, and necromantic magic, while necessary in quelling the unruly dead, is not often openly displayed.  However, there are forms of magic which are most assuredly hated, feared and reviled – the forbidden arts of Blood and Corruption.  Blood magic is amongst the most reviled – it involves the use of blood, and life force, to power magic.  The power offered by such things is terrible – by using the blood of another, given willingly or not, a spellcaster can use the substitute of life force as a reinforcement for their own magic, using the power of another person to further heighten their own.  But there is a danger to such a thing – using magic in such a fashion tends to have unfortunate effects on ones sanity and well being, or it could just be that only the insane practice this awful, cruel field of magic.

Of Corruption magic, little is known or spoken.  All that is known is that it is yielded in ways dreadful and destructive.  Texts exist on its use or creation, but they are not common knowledge.  Rumours, however, whisper that this is a magic that is drawn from a place unknown, from a place that none would wish to know, and that in drawing upon it, the one who does so is beyond damned.  

The Dreamspheres.

The very existence of the Dreamspheres is something that is heavily contested and argued amongst mages and scholars, and a thing of complete ignorance to those outside of such fields for the most part. What they are is difficult to explain, and few people amongst those who do admit they exist can even agree on what they actually are.

Currently, the theories tend towards those uncovered by the elven scholars, who claim that the Dreamspheres are individual 'worlds' that overlay the material universe. These Spheres are invisible and indivisible to the natural, 'real' world, and indeed, intersect with each other as well. Each one is a nexus, as it were, of thoughts, emotions, memories and feelings, drawn from the life force and experiences of living things. This psychic energy, fuelled by the living, is what both creates, sustains and empowers the Dreamspheres, creating enormous 'wells' of chaotic, unfettered energy that flows through both the ether and the real world as well, influencing it in certain ways. For while the Dreamspheres are invisible to the real world, they 'do' affect it, with the excess of energy that they create sometimes leaking into the material world and, by sheer weight of its manifestation, causes effects to reality that reflect its nature.

This is believed to be proven by two facts – that in some places, the magical nature of the area is far beyond what is accepted as normal. Things act strangely or unnaturally, such as water moving up a cave wall, rather than running down. Such phenomena are rare, and what is more, they don't often last long. It is implied that these strange effects are the result of too much magical energy gathering in one place, but it isn't quite clear how it comes to form, or how it comes to dissipate. Theories run that use of magic drains the excess magical energy from the Dreamspheres, or, that the Dreamspheres themselves move about.

Originally, it was suspected that these alternate 'bubbles' in reality were where all magic originated from. It is now suspected that in fact, they are only a part of the whole of the power of magic, and only one amongst many areas from which magic is drawn, albeit one of the strongest. There is also the Shade – what scholars theorise is the 'gap' between the real world and the world where the Dreamspheres exist. Some people even claim to be able to step 'into' the Shade and then from there back into the material, which would imply it is something of a bridge between realities. This would also mean, it is thought, that there are potentially more of these 'realities', some more obscure than others, that could potentially co-exist with the material world. The nature and variance of creatures in Thessir seems to promote this line of thought, as well as any number of as of yet unexplained mysteries.

The reason why the Dreamspheres are called thus is that it is believed that when an individual sleeps, and dreams, there is a chance that they will enter a Dreamsphere, at least in a vestigial sense. Here, they might become lost in their own memories, which could be subtly altered or shifted. For both dream and nightmare are the province of the Dreamspheres, and all are built from memory and emotion, be it ghastly or sublime. There is also the chance that one who enters these dreams is forced to experience the dream of another, and it is said that one who is affected by madness or delusion has wandered into someone else's dreams, and become heavily unsettled by the experience.

The Dreamspheres themselves are not uninhabited, however. Indeed, it is thought that these nexus points of psychic energy are in fact what sustain various creatures and spirits. These inhabitants of the Dreamspheres, these unfettered spirits, are what are known as (as a collective kind) the Fae.

The Fae.

They Who Dream Longest, the Spirit Folk, the Whisperers. The Fae are the most mysterious and widely regarded as the most dangerous inhabitants of Thessir and Wildebourne in particular.
Forms of the Fae are beyond diverse. They can, and do, take on a near infinite variety of shapes and forms, both wonderful and terrible. They are diverse not only in appearance but also in attitude and behaviour. They are also the only known inhabitants of Thessir that exist both as a part of the world and of the world beyond, and are widely regarded as the proof of the existence of the Dreamspheres.

The Fae are, in their original form, spiritual beings that exist primarily in the Dreamspheres. Whilst there, they feed upon the residue of energy that is created by the living. They find a thought or emotion, and savour it, feeding off this form of energy much like a living being might make use of food or drink. However, the kind of emotion or thought will attract different kinds of Fae as well. Some will seek out good, wholesome and happy thoughts and emotions. Some will instead seek out memories of pain, of torment, of misery. Others still seek the heady heights of excess, be it in rage, lust or glee. Different kinds of Fae seek different kinds of memories, and it is by these distinctions that they are not only known, but also able to manifest.

Fae sometimes grow either too strong, or too greedy, for the material world. And as such, they reach beyond it. They reach for the dreaming – for those that sleep, the bridge between the Dreamspheres and the material world. Through these dreams, they can feed directly. For some, it is but a touch upon the thoughts, but if a Fae finds the thoughts of someone with a strong latent magical ability, they can do far more than simply siphon from the excess energy of the individual.

It is not quite known which came first – if the shape given to a Fae is one they chose for themselves, or if it was a shape given to them by those who created them. But it is thought that the Fae can, by finding an image appropriate in the mind of the dreamer, and by drawing through them to the magic that they have and they are able to draw upon, are able to then step 'through' the dreaming world and into the material one, manifesting themselves into the real world, often in a completely random location. The oddity about such things is that the shape that they choose to then make for themselves is, despite all the manifold variations of actual physical appearance, is often one that suits their personality and, in particular, the emotions that they desire. For once in the material world, the Fae in question seeks out the emotion that they most savor, and usually, using their form, seek to instill the feeling into the living. In the material world, the feelings in question are, seemingly, much more potent – a Fae draws much more satisfaction from them, and will attempt to heighten the emotion or sensation in any way that they can.

Because of the variations of emotion, and feeling, and sensation, the variations of Fae can be most extreme. For example, the Redcap is a goblinoid creature, which wears a bright red cap – a cap which it reddens by dipping it in the blood of its victims, according to legend. What is known is that this horrible, stunted and clawed creature craves pain and fear as what it chooses to feed upon, and seeks to instil as much of that as possible into its targets, who are often, tragically, mere children. The beings known as Satyrs, on the other hand, seek the heights of excess in their emotional riot, seeking out the chaos of desire, and drunken debauchery. And the Nymphs and Dryads respond best to adoration, affection, and contentment. There are many more kinds of Fae, and each of them seek something different. Most people don't even realise that they are a food source to these creatures – indeed, they most certainly don't lose anything from the actual feeding itself. The Fae 'takes' nothing from the target of their attentions. However, the real danger comes from what the Fae might do to 'create' the appropriate reaction – and how greedy they are for it. Even the most benevolent of Fae can prove dangerous if the emotion they seek to create goes on for too long, or they drive the individual to it so much that the poor person forgets the importance of food and drink. The Fae often make use of the magic of shadows and illusion and deception as well, drawing from the power of the dreams of others to affect the world around them. Dangerously unpredictable, they walk the shadows of the world of Thessir, and Wildebourne in particular. Once things of mere tavern tales, the Fae are coming into the world more and more than ever before, until their presence is now an undeniable truth – but an ever elusive one, even as more terrible tales start to become apparent – stories where people die in their dreams, and then wake once again – but as someone else. These stories are whispered of alone, but they have a name to go with their dark legend – the Skinwearers. Whether or not the tales are true, or if instead they are something else, yet remains to be seen.