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Post by frankthetriviaman on Aug 25, 2018 23:42:18 GMT -5
(NOTE: This is the first entry that pertains to the new canon, post reboot; the one that centers on the universe that picks up where the old one left off; not the new, original one that takes place in America) Magic is as old as time itself... it has always existed, along with matter and energy, but for much of human history, no one quite knew or understood what it was. Nobody was even quite sure if it could even be harnessed. All that was known was that it was there... and there were some "not quite human" beings who seemed to have some sort of control over it (a reference to elves, mermaids, etc; the species that would be considered "monsters" if you will) Humans achieved a breakthrough in the 400s BC though, in Ancient Greece. Around the same time as the idea of the classical four elements had been developed, a rogue group of four had made a breakthrough. No one is sure how it happened, or why... there are rumors that Herodotus' Histories actually has a lost passage which detailed this story; but it has never been substantiated. All that is known of this group of four- is that they were the first to figure out the use of magic. One figured out "how to manipulate, conjure and control fire; using it both as a weapon and a means of survival" Another determined "how to manipulate the winds, and take to the skies with the birds" Yet another discovered "how to control the rock, sand and dirt and use it to his bidding" And the last learned "how to control the waters of the rivers and oceans; manipulating them to his will" Their real names lost to history, the four became known as Pyros, Aeros, Aquos and Terros... the progenitors of magic itself would go on to become celebrated figures in magic for centuries to come. Collectively, the four are known as the "fathers of magic" and went on to teach pupils to ensure their knowledge would never die. The status quo of magic used by humans remained unchanged for many generations: The masters taught their pupils, who then would become masters themselves and teach their own pupils their ways. Because magic was such a mystery, for the longest time the only found use for magic was the four elements: wind, earth, fire and water. But as knowledge of magic spread across the world and more pupils and masters came and went, new forms of magic were discovered By 31 BC, when the Roman Republic was replaced with the Roman Empire, the amount of Magical disciplines had quite literally doubled. One mage, Solaris, discovered "How to harness the power of the sun in his hand;" and while the description was considered great exaggeration, it does not change the fact that he is the Father of Light Magic Initially a follower of Aquos, one mage far to the North in Europe, Glaceron, determined "how to manipulate the frozen waters and make them a weapons as effective as iron," making him the Father of Ice Magic No one is quite sure how Dark Magic came to be... it's progenitor, Daros, forbade his pupils from writing his work down, saying it "was a distraction from what was truly important" and indeed, the first written works on Dark Magic did not appear until the fourth generation of Daros' follower's decided his unwritten rule was rather... ridiculous and not worth following (Translation: I got nothing ) The last one, a sorceress, determined how to "Summon and control Zeus' weapons as her own" and to her followers she became known as the Mother of Lightning Magic.
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Post by Toz76 on Aug 26, 2018 16:50:15 GMT -5
You forget honey magic, the forgotten fifth element. (I actually have a really good retroactive justification for this: earth is solid, water is liquid, air gaseous, and fire... fire, but honey doesn't really fit any of these categories. It's not quite liquid and not quite solid, at least not to ancients with a poor grasp of matter)
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Post by frankthetriviaman on Aug 26, 2018 17:06:12 GMT -5
while that is true- I assure you there is a simple explanation: In the history of magic, no one is quite sure where honey magic comes from; While it is known that Pyros, Aeros, Aquos and Terros invented the four classical elemental magic disciplines... surprisingly no one has ever been able to quite pinpoint the origin of Honey Magic- all that is known is that it was a mage independent of the four fathers of magic, and his discipline did not achieve as large a following as the other four; this lead to the subsequent literature in the earliest generations of magic focusing on "the Four elements" (yea yea, I know it's lazy- but I got nothing for honey magic )
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Post by Toz76 on Aug 26, 2018 22:10:06 GMT -5
I've got plenty for honey magic. I'll lend a hand
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Post by frankthetriviaman on Sept 11, 2018 15:08:41 GMT -5
Magic in and of itself is inherently neutral; and yet often times in magic there are terms that get tossed around that appear to indicate otherwise:
Good magic
Evil magic
Pure of heart
Corrupted
Heart gone black
Purified
Made whole
Although morality in and of itself is technically subjective, surprisingly the nature of magic gives it a unique quirk that allows for an objective standard in the good and evil of magic... a standard that just about every magic faction is fully aware of and has used for centuries.
Actions in and of themselves are neutral. It is the consequences thereof and the motives of the user that dictate whether the action is good or evil. As the knowledge of magic grew and sorcerers dedicated time to studying magic itself, not just the use and casting of it, a shocking discovery was made.
People have different levels of affinity for magic- it is said affinity that allows one to build up their supply of magic within their body. Magic freely exists in a finite amount in the universe, like matter and energy. The stronger one's affinity, the more magic can be stored within the body to allow for the casting of more and stronger spells (side note: when spells are cast, the expended magic dissipates back into the universe, akin to how energy is lost in friction when you go back and forth on a swing)
But what does this have to do with morality? Well, magic has more to do with the soul and mind of the user than the body of the user; the act of harnessing magic may require a functioning body, but as one magic scholar noted:
"...even the eldest of men remain highly regarded as sorcerers and mages; for although the body wears then, the mind and soul remain strong"
It is the interaction among the soul and mind with magic that results in a unique quirk of magic: the build up of "the black stuff"
The black stuff in question is the key to understanding the morality of magic. Those who are good, I.e have motives and take actions to benefit others, help others, improve one's life and others for the better, etc. have little to no "black stuff" built up within them. Those who are evil though, have large amounts of the black stuff within their hearts.
The black stuff almost never exists in the physical world, but it can be brought into physical existence with spells such as the Colormen's corruption purge. Even today, nobody knows what causes the black stuff to form. However, the nature and what it is are all to well understood. As one colorman put it in his journal:
"I am sure my heart remains free of it, but even so I remain terrified of that accursed black stuff. Heavy and boiling like tar, yet somehow, in some way, also alive, this black tar forms only frim those with the wickedest of hearts. Just today, we slayed a Mage who murdered other mages, his sole motive being to prove himself stronger than all others. Out of curiosity we cast the corruption purge on him to see if he could be redeemed. I was horrified with just how much of that accursed black stuff poured out of his body. For but a brief moment, he looked repentant and remorseful... his heart purified and whole again. But then, as if by fate, he fell into the black stuff once again, and returned to his old self! We had no choice but to strike him down... for it seemed that the build up was to great and himself to prideful for any meaningful redemption"
Though its exact origins remain a mystery, four things are certain about the black stuff:
1) it is built up in ones heart area of the soul over time by commitimg evil and wicked interpreted-actions based on the consequences
2) almost everyone has small amounts of it; but good people keep it in check and are able to not turn evil
3) the black stuff does not exist physically, but certain spells can remove and destroy it under the right conditions
4) exposure to small amounts causes minimal effects; exposure to large amounts causes one to turn evil
Henceforth, the black stuff was referred to as "pure evil" and something that became the standard for determine the morality of magic users.
If one had little to no black stuff, they were "pure of heart"
If one has a lot of it, their heart is "black" or "corrupted"
If it is removed, one is "purified" and made good again. (Much research has shown removal of the black stuff does, indeed, cause formerly evil mages to turn good(
Although there are critics of the system, arguing that the black stuff is not fully understood and more research is necessary, even they do not deny the enormous amount of evidence and accounts that suggest the "Corrupted Heart Standard" has, at the very least, some degree of validity.
(And hopefully that reconciles and explains how it is that morality, which is subjective, is treated so objectively by most magic users)
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Post by Toz76 on Sept 11, 2018 17:29:47 GMT -5
I really like this explanation in universe. In a world where objective morality exists and can be measured, a physical/measurable source for it is a good idea. And I can use it in my continued deconstruction of the concept of objective morality. It's also inspired me to write more stuffs That said, in the real world, claiming that anything is truly objective is still, to put it scientifically, utter garbo
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Post by frankthetriviaman on Jun 26, 2019 16:57:12 GMT -5
Because magic spawned from numerous civilizations and regions, many types of magic evolved because of it. Over time, mages from all over met and exchanged ideas, and because mages were among the most open minded of learners, the concepts of bigotry and racism did not exist in the magic world, allowing an exchange and diffusion of knowledge from all over.
However, as knowledge grew it became clear that there were some types of magic too horrible to use... magic that, when practiced, had no real benefit to the world. This gave rise to the concept of “The Four Taboos” in magic.
They are:
“Famine” magic: Not a specific kind of spell per se, but refers to any use of magic that results in mass depletion of food supply, such as using fire magic to burn grain fields or electric magic to “strike the waters and kill the fish.” Prior to the 1400s warring factions of mages often employed this tactic as a means of weakening enemies. However, the long term effects were often too horrible for what the short term tactical gain was... namely, mass die-offs of starvation would follow because the fields in question often fed others, not just the factions. It was in 1410 at a special gathering of Mages from almost every existing faction that the decision was made to ban so called “famine warfare” for the same reason that gas warfare was banned in the normal world following World War I... it was simply too horrible to condone.
Mind Control Magic:
In magic, there is a concept known as the “Founder’s Law” that was laid down by the founding fathers of magic themselves. It is simple, but powerful: “Magic exists to preserve the free will of man, not limit it.” In other words magic is not intended to be used to make one subject to the will of another. Though this magic was known to exist at least during the dark ages at least in some form, the practice was banned, along with Famine magic, in the same at the 1410 mage gathering.
Human Sacrifice:
Although historically only practiced by a small handful of factions, some considered this the most repulsive of the taboos because it is considered the most direct contradiction of the Founder’s law- to forcefully take life just to fulfill the needs of a single spell was seen as a flagrant violation of one’s free will.
Necromancy:
In this context, referring only to the acts of raising the dead. While some consider human sacrifice the worst taboo, others will say it is this. Many saw this act as preventing the dead from resting in peace, and others still found the act of grave desecration utterly vulgar.
Although modern necromancers do exist, and many aren’t outright evil (in fact are highly spiritual) those on the outside looking in at necromancy still see the act as terrible; many modern factions have banned its practice as a requirement of membership.
the academy of magic in Germany does not teach necromancy; instead leaving it to a necromancy specific academy in Finland.
Although the “necromancy renaissance” of the 1700s managed to slightly weaken the taboo following the discovery that necromancy and healing were two sides of the same coin, many mages still refuse to acknowledge the two arts as related. For some mages who specialize in healing, they consider being called a “necromancer” akin to being called a slur and very offensive. Graduates of the academy in Finland, however, do not mind being called “necromancers” regardless of specializing in healing, raising the dead, or both.
Although necromancy itself is not banned, the act of grave desecration and digging up bodies for “necromatic puppety” is; meaning that today, the practice of “traditional” necromancy is rare
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Post by frankthetriviaman on Jul 7, 2019 15:55:26 GMT -5
Spirit Magic:
After the Prism's discovery and formation of the Colormen in 1095 AD, the knowledge it granted allowed for many varied spells never before seen to come to fruition. One such discipline was Spirit Magic.
Magic was seen as only capable of attacking "the physical" for a long time... and indeed many foes who had high resistance to magic proved difficult to defeat by normal means. The discovery of Spirit magic marked a breakthrough... for the first time, magic wielders were now able to cast spells that directly attacked the soul of a target, bypassing any physical defense along the way. Now with such a potent weapon in their arsenal, the Spirit-type Colormen became feared by the forces of evil and respected by the forces of good.
Spirit attacks are only 1/2 of the equation though... Spirit magic has the unique ability of being able to stabilize lost spirits that have failed to move on, assist spirits in moving onto the afterlife, and, of course, allow for communication with said spirits (who normally go unseen and unheard).
While there are non-Colorfolk "mediums" in the world of 3WSR- it should be noted that they primarily specialize in exorcisms and communication with spirits, not so much heloing them move on or stabilizing said spirits.
Some argued that Spirit Magic must be evil because of how dangerous it was. However, unlike other magic traditionally considered "evil" such as the Four Taboos, Spirit magic has been shown to be very beneficial outside of combat, and because it is only used by certain colormen, it has never been used for evil to begin with.
This does not mean Spirit-type colormen are unstoppable though. A spirit-type colormen can only use spells he has an affinity for; so if his affinities are light and electric, he cannot learn any other spells outside of spirit, light and electric.
Furthermore, Spirit magic does not work against beings that do not have souls, such as golems, hommunculi and demons.
Learning spirit magic is also dangerous compared to other disciplines, even more so than fire magic
The highest tiers of spells also consume almost all magic in one go; as such spirit magic users will typically refrain from using them except as a last resort
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Post by frankthetriviaman on Jul 10, 2019 11:27:56 GMT -5
Dimensional Magic (the early years)
Magic was capable of many different things, and yet there was one thing that could not seem to be licked: Dimensional magic. It wasn’t impossible as it wasn’t one of the eight laws, and yet still, no one could come close to it.
In the 20th century a Colorman, Winston Farley, the Man in Bright Turquoise, decided to dedicate his life to figuring out dimensional magic once and for all.
However, one of his experiments went wrong, and he found himself sucked outside the normal flow of time and “in a region beyond space”
It was here he met a being known as “teacher” who taught him the secrets of not just dimensions, but also the inner workings of reality.
It was here that BT understood why dimensional magic was impossible to master- it took the equivalent of 400 years to learn the basics... far longer than any human has ever lived.
After 25,000 years outside of the normal flow of time he tried to go home, but there was a problem: in the normal plane of existence the knowledge he had learned was too much for his mortal mind to handle; despite an attempt to put mental blocks in place he ran into... “problems” and was forced to retreat into a pocket plain between dimensions before he could cause too much harm.
Desperate to return home, he compiled what he knew specifically on dimensional magic, translated it into terms he hoped others would understand, and tried to send it back to the “real world.” However due to reasons “not even he quite understood” the books found themselves in the Academy of Magic, around the mid-20th century or so.
BT’s hope was that someone would understand his work and try to save him... instead the discovery was used to create a new dimension all together (Magic Underground) rather than look for existing ones.
This left BT trapped in his plane, and other than an occasional “reach out” to try and send a message through, he is unable to truly interact with the normal world.
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Post by frankthetriviaman on Jul 30, 2019 23:51:43 GMT -5
With all the power mages possess, it leaves one to wonder- why isn’t the world dominated by magic empires lead by the strongest of the strong?
The simple answer is- because in the magic world, one is forbidden from holding both political power in the “real” world and being able to use magic at the same time... it is simply too much power for any one person to wield.
The primary justification for this universally agreed upon rule comes from three of the most infamous figures in Magic history:
Xavier the Warmonger: a self-proclaimed “warrior mage” he saw it as he goal to prove himself the strongest of the mages, and in the years following the fall of the Roman Empire lead a 20+ year campaign where he and his followers travelled around the known world, destroying many magic factions and taking any land they controlled for his own use. Would have controlled a substantial land area... only to die of dysentery from drinking bad water. Is the magic world’s equivalent of Ghengis Khan (if Khan was only a warmonger and did not do the good that gets surprisingly overlooked)
Faustus the Imperial: after the Renaissance but before the industrial revolution, tried to unite all magic users under his rule and waged a 6 year, unstoppable conquest that only ended when he was killed in battle in Northern France. Killed any mage that stood in the way of his attempted rise to power. His reign of terror so Cruel his close advisors arranged for him to be killed by poisoned wine... did not work due to not ingesting enough to be effective. Seen as magic world’s equivalent to Napoleon (with regard to his drive to conquer the world)
Quentin the Tyrant: In the years before the creation of Majika Supremus, he and his followers very nearly became successful in creating a “shadow magic empire,” ruling the world from the shadows. His cruelty towards those who survived battle with him was his way of forcing his will upon them- either obey him, or be killed. Ultimately killed in an uprising after his own followers become disillusioned with his rule. Seen as the magic world’s equivalent to Robespierre.
Side note- While there is no true ruler of the “magic world” one could argue that Majika Supremus’ High Council comes close to this capacity. However, it’s power is quite limited and there are several checks and balances in place to ensure so (see Majika Supremus thread for more details)
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