Magic

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Magic is the colloquial term for the channeling and manipulation of Mu radiation to preform actions otherwise prohibited by the laws of nature. Mu radiation, also referred to as simply Mu, is undetectable without specialized equipment and generally harmless unless channeled or in very high concentrations.


Source[edit | edit source]

Mu radiation emanates from an unknown source in the parallel dimension of Halla. In Antediluvian times, a theoretically infinite amount of Mu flowed freely from Halla into Viranos's universe, but, following the Collapse, when connections between Halla and Viranos were severed, Mu effectively became a finite resource, as no known sources of Mu exist in our universe. Over thousands of years, this remaining Mu, being a particle, coalesced around the gravitational pull of celestial bodies, creating large fields of magic, termed magispheres around several bodies in the Vira Star System and potentially beyond.

All feats of magic, therefore, rely either on Mu channeled either directly from the magisphere or from specialized storage mechanisms. With such reserves of Mu, magic grows weaker as one travels away from a celestial body, with the distance from the core at which magic becomes impossible being greater the denser the celestial body is.

Levels of Mu radiation are typically measured according to the Renn Scale, named after Oseki mage Vezhana Renn. 0 "Renns" represent such a low level of Mu that any form of magic becomes impossible to cast, typically found only at very high altitudes in the middle stratosphere at 30-40 kilometers above sea level. A level of 100 Renns is the level at which a shimmer can occur, breaking down the barrier between the dimensions of Viranos and Halla and adversely affecting biological life in an area.

However, the magisphere is not simply a static "ball" of Mu. Rather, it has been described as a sort of "atmosphere" or "ocean" of its own, unaffected by the physical world yet consisting of constantly shifting currents and waves that move Mu around planets, creating temporary surges or ebbs of Mu in certain areas at all altitudes and depths above or below a celestial body's surface. This means that magical "winds" or "waves" can change the levels of Mu radiation in a given area. The higher the levels, the more magic is able to be used by more mages until levels drop; localized Mu depletion has usually only been an issue in modern times due to increased industrial and military use. If the use of magic is temporarily stopped, levels can rise again over the course of several years.

The "baseline" level of Mu radiation on Viranos is roughly 20 Renns, and usually fluctuates by 10-20 Renns depending on the location. Certain localized areas can have significantly higher or lower consistent levels. Mu can, in theory, be "mined" by digging beneath a planet or moon's crust and using magical storage mechanisms to "collect" it at levels which are higher closer to the planet's core, but the expense of digging so deep and the potential long-term effects on the regeneration of local levels makes the use of this method highly dubious and situational.


Effects of Mu radiation[edit | edit source]

Although Mu radiation at levels below 80 Renns is typically harmless to most living things, sustained levels above 80 Renns could lead to numerous complications such as advanced radiation poisoning, cancer, and mental disorders. However, these risks are far more severe for those who actively channel magic on a regular basis.

One of the most significant effects of Mu radiation on non-organic matter is its tendency to accumulate in radioactive substances and interfere with the principle of critical mass. This prevents the very rapid, uncontrolled release of energy required for a theoretical "nuclear" bomb, while still allowing for the use of nuclear fission in energy generation and the creation of "dirty bombs".

At 100 Renns and above, it becomes possible for a shimmer to occur in an area. Though the precise mechanisms and nature of shimmers remains unknown, they effectively break down the fabric of reality between Halla and Viranos, allowing a tremendous amount of Mu radiation to flood in from Halla and significantly altering and rearranging the genetic code of any living thing caught within it. Shimmers also have the potential to escalate into deadly Breaches if they occur in areas of Halla where they draw the attention of the Corruption.

Mages[edit | edit source]

Mages, also referred to by countless other titles throughout history across many cultures, are Virans who are born with the ability to channel and manipulate Mu radiation in order to create a desired effect. Mages are also able to naturally "sense" Mu levels in an area.

Magical ability is hereditary, passed along through a hypothetical recessive "Mu gene", which, despite displaying behavior similar to traditional recessive genes, seems to abide by a unique, metaphysical rule-set and not actually in the genetic code. The global magic-capable population, based on various regional studies and censuses, is believe to be somewhere between 1.5 and 3%, with significant variations depending on the local population. It is believed that this is the rough ceiling, as, since the beginning of the 20th century, magic-capable populations have largely plateaued or even decline in many local or regional populations, with magical ability even inexplicably stopping being passed down in many cases where it otherwise should if it were a physical gene, suggesting that this is a natural "self-regulating" mechanism of some sort.

Natural magical potency varies greatly between individuals, but it is generally believed that only 75% of mages are able to put their magic to economic and military use. Many countries host state-sponsored schools and universities meant to foster magical ability from a young age; this is important, as it usually takes decades to master just one of the plethora of schools of magic.

Even powerful mages are severely limited by the natural limits of how much magic they can channel at once, as well as the amount of Mu available in a given area. If they attempt to channel more than they have conditioned themselves to handle, they risk unpleasant outcomes such as immolation, radiation poisoning, late-stage cancer, and severe mutation.

Magical paraphernalia[edit | edit source]

Mages often make use of various types of equipment in order to augment their magical abilities.

Amplifiers are items which allow mages to channel and store significantly more Mu than they would be able to naturally. Before modern times, these were usually jewellery made of gemstones and highly specific metals (namely bismuth, platinum, silver, gold, and iridium) inscribed with specific runes. These have largely been replaced by objects made of purified metals and synthetic gemstones, covered in exceptionally minuscule machined engravings of runes.

Staves, wands, and scepters have also historically been used to "focus" magical power. Due to their size and weight, they were typically made out of wood and adorned with gems and metal, instead of being made entirely out of these materials. Modern examples are usually made out of carbon and silicon-based synthetic materials and adorned with similar synthetic gemstones, purified metals, and machined runes as amplifiers.


Aufhebenite and rezharite[edit | edit source]

Aufhebenite is a green, crystalline material with anti-magical properties which has been weaponized throughout history to combat magic and mages. Applications range from embedding crystals into swords, to turning them into power for use in grenades, to embedding them in objects one wishes to remain unaffected by magic. Aufhebenite is typically found in areas with traditionally low Mu levels, and historical records show that more sources of aufhebenite are usually found when military-industrial use of magic increases globally, suggesting that aufhebenite serves as a sort of "self-regulating" reaction to the presence and usage of Mu radiation.

Rezharite is a blue crystalline material which functionally serves as "physical magic", possessing very high levels of Mu radiation which can be mined directly from the earth, meaning that users don't need to manually store large quantities of Mu in other, less efficient containers instead. Once the initially stored Mu is used up, these crystals serve as moderately more effective Mu storage than most other materials. ċødéwøřd MANGO Rezharite is usually found in locations which traditionally have very large Mu levels, and sources tend to decrease in times of increased global magic use.


Schools of Magic[edit | edit source]

Magic is usually divided into 6 traditional "schools" and 15 "sub-schools". This classification system is based heavily on largely arbitrary historical concepts of "elements" and metaphysics. Different magical institutions and cultures around the world use many variations of this system. Typically, mages only specialize in one school, although particularly talented or long-lived individuals have been known to master several.


Atomancy[edit | edit source]

Atomancy represents the manipulation of "classical elements" of fire, earth, air, and water; however, its modern classification include "metal" in the place of earth and exclude fire, placing it instead with the "destructive" magicks of excimancy.

Aeromancy[edit | edit source]

The manipulation of air currents and pressures.

Ferromancy[edit | edit source]

The control of microstructures and telekinetic control of enchanted metallic objects.

Hydromancy[edit | edit source]

The telekinetic manipulation of dihydrogen monoxide.


Biomancy (Life)[edit | edit source]

The control and guidance of cellular development and regeneration.

Toxicogenics[edit | edit source]

The creation and manipulation of dangerous toxins, poisons, and pathogens.

Mutagenics[edit | edit source]

The alteration and mutation of living things, especially plants and animals.

Regeneration[edit | edit source]

The healing of wounds and regeneration of lost body parts.


Excimancy[edit | edit source]

Cryomancy[edit | edit source]

Forced reversal of second law of thermodynamics, draining (through radiation) heat from a control volume into the surrounding environment.

Photomancy[edit | edit source]

The spontaneous creation and manipulation of lightning and electricity.

Pyromancy[edit | edit source]

Forced overcoming of second law of thermodynamics, forcing heat into a control volume from the surrounding environment. Can be used to manipulate existing flames, superheating gases to create plasma Often used to smelt and work metals at extremely high temperatures.


Grafimancy[edit | edit source]

Grafimancy utilizes magical Hallan runes discovered and catalogued throughout the ages from Antediluvian ruins and stranded gods, which invoke some metaphysical, magical connection to Halla based on the runes used and the context between them. Grafimancers essentially write a list of instructions, somewhat like a programming language, which the runes then apply if they have a source of Mu nearby.

Enchantment[edit | edit source]

The inscribing of runes onto objects.

Thaumaturgy[edit | edit source]

The creation of metaphysical links between people and/or objects, which yield effects based on context. Essentially "curses" or "blessings" using runes and DNA of a subject.

Warding[edit | edit source]

Warding revolves around the negation and prevention of the use of magic, either on a personal or area level, typically through the use of runes and aufhebenite. It is frequently practiced using instruments and tools engraved with runes, and is characteristic of mage-hunters and protective services such as the military, in the protection of buildings, areas, and objects from magic utilizing perimeter runes and aufhebenite. While never impervious, these wards effectively "deflect" incoming magic until their store of magical energy is drained. Also includes the creation of "anti-magic fields" in the immediate area which makes the casting of magic impossible so long as the enchanted object has magical charge. Warding also includes the reversal of magical effects back to the status quo at significant magical cost using runes. Used to nullify enchantments or warding, as well as "roll back" or "cancel" certain non-concrete physical effects, such the illusions created by photomancy or the resurrection of corpses by necromancy.


Necromancy (Undead)[edit | edit source]

The reanimation of corpses which "installs" a rudimentary intelligence loyal to the caster, and at higher skill levels allows for higher functions and access to the undead's former skills.


Oramancy[edit | edit source]

The ability to affect collapse of universal wavefunctions; in other words, ability to effect control over probabilistic outcomes.

Tychimancy[edit | edit source]

Essentially temporarily railroads the caster down a series of favorable outcomes, in effect making them "lucky", although this does not guarantee a positive outcome.

Divination[edit | edit source]

Limited ability to predict the future, through the ability to predict and reaction to the most likely future outcome, often no more so than a minute in advance.

Scrying[edit | edit source]

Ability to observe a distant person or object based, although context is lost.