By Master Inar Airegnz of the College of Magic, Vain’Estra

Throughout history magic and the use of such has necessarily changed as our understandings of it has grown, diminished, and been shaped by the cataclysm that left its scar across the world. In this dissertation I will discuss the three prevalent views on magic throughout the world as we currently understand it. Although the most common understanding of magic is the Weft and Weave of the Tapestry, I would present the other theories as valid, with none being equal to another.

I shall begin this discussion with the perception of the beginning of magic and move thru time to our current understanding of magic and its uses. To begin our discussion, we must of coarse look at the original theory, that of the God born.

God born:

The God born theory is the first magical theory to become well known amongst practitioners of the arts. The god born theory stems from the 2 nd age, when the gods themselves walked on the earth and made themselves rulers over the races. This theory is that all magic stems from the gods and flows through the practitioners because of the blessings of the gods.

During the 2 nd age it is believed that no Sorcerers or Wizards existed and that only the magic of that we now call Divine was present. It was believed that all magic was the sole ownership of the gods. Even today this is a hot button issue with some of our clerical brothers as the belief that knowledge of magic and magical arts was stolen from the gods and given to the races are an integral belief system still taught in some churches. If this theory was to hold true than all magic comes from the gods and that when a wizard speaks his magical language and waves his hand is actually performing a profane ritual to the god that stole magic for the races, who then grants his power to the practitioner in the form of magical spells.

It can be thought that even Wyld sorcerers, those whose blood seems to rush with magic, is merely an instrument of the gods, who uses them as pawns in their endless wars for dominance amongst the races. Evidence can be pointed that even thought different cultures and races practice wizardry differently, many of the gestures and restrictions on the spells the exact same. Magic missile, for instance, although different in many cultures, the effects are the same and defensible by the Shield spell.

Practitioners would of coarse dispute this, as some wizards worship one god while still being able to cast spells. Furthermore, spells of a wizard, while similar across many cultures, do differ from that of the divine. Still, it is an interesting thought, to think that magic is just a different side of the same coin used to pay homage to the gods.

Resonance Theory

The second theory of magical practice that became popular during the 5 th age was the resonance theory. This theory posits that all things in the universe produce a magical resonance, much like a sound, that flows from the being, object, or location. These individual resonances play off each other, like music, and one familiar with the individual resonances can then harmonize with the resonance and change its tune, like a conductor of a symphony. The resonance, once changed, then acts upon the original item, changing the item to match the sound.

It is believed that the practitioners of this theory spent there earlier years learning how to attune to the world and the universe around them. The practitioners believed that even inanimate constructs had resonance, like laughter, joy, sadness and fury. Event the gods themselves were viewed as merely just a larger form of resonance, with practitioners of the divine arts having learned to attune to their specific god’s resonance.

I would be hard pressed to say that this theory does tend to hold some weight as the technology of the 5 th age seemed to use the resonance theory in the crafting of their strange machines. If this theory is to be believed, it means that with machines properly attuned, you could reach into the resonance of items, objects, people and gods and change them as you saw fit! What a terrible and powerful thing this would be, if it were proven to be true.

Sadly, this theory has fallen out of favor in our current age. Perhaps it’s the clearly proven path of deep study that our current wizards prefer versus the relaxation and inner peace the practitioners of the 5 th age subscribed to that has left this theory gathering dust. As I said at the beginning of this dissertation, I would not discount any theory though. There is some speculation that the fabled World Engine or Chaos Wheel was constructed with just this thought in mind.

The Tapestry

The final theory of magic is presented as a newer concept, one that came about near the end of the 6 th age. This theory believes that all things are created by magic. The universe, gods, men, the air we breath and the very foundations we walk on are, fundamentally, a manifestation of magic. This Tapestry of the universe is right in front of us, for all to see, but only the most skilled to touch and manipulate.

Through this theory we get the scholarly wizard. One who spends his time studying and practicing the practical effects of magic on this world. When a Wizard casts his spell, he is reaching out with his inner being, his soul, his pure essence, and he is grabbing hold of the threads of the Tapestry and Weaving something new and marvelous. When the spell is released the effect, the new reality, becomes evident on the tapestry, and in affect, the universe at large.

With our current practitioners studying this art form, it is by scholarly duties that the weave is learned, and by long and arduous study the weaving of the Tapestry becomes a reality.

But what of the Sorcerer you ask? Even in scholarly studies, I would ask you in turn, do you now know of students that barely touch the texts while still passing the exam?