Chapter 7 – Paths to Power1. Magic Artefacts
Magic Artefacts are enchanted objects born from the fusion of magical energy and willpower. They can be forged deliberately or formed unintentionally during moments of intense emotion or spiritual resonance. These artefacts may take the shape of weapons—swords, spears, staves—or more personal items like rings, pendants, heirlooms, musical instruments, or even cherished tools.
Their strength does not lie in design, material, or age, but in the meaning embedded within. When someone with strong magical potential channels their energy into an object of deep personal significance, it may transform into a Magic Artefact: a vessel of will made manifest.
Some artefacts remain external, requiring the user to wield or carry them. Others fuse with the bearer's soul, bloodstream, or body—creating bonds that transcend the physical.
Not all artefacts are equal:
Lesser Artefacts are passive. They grant stable, reliable effects and can be used by most trained mages.
Greater Artefacts possess unique traits, often adapting to the user's needs or evolving over time.
Living Artefacts are rare and formidable. They possess their own will—ranging from dim instinct to full sentience. These artefacts are not wielded; they choose.
Some cultures revere such items, weaving myths around them. Others fear their autonomy and unknowable origins. Whatever the view, true artefacts are exceedingly rare—and to encounter one is to brush against greatness... or doom.
2. Divine Blessings
If Magic Artefacts are power made personal, Divine Blessings are power made sacred.
These blessings are gifts from gods or high-ranking spirits—beings who embody natural laws, ideals, or cosmic principles. A blessing is more than strength; it is alignment with the divine.
They enhance a mortal's abilities while linking them to a domain: war, wisdom, storms, dreams, love, death—or stranger, more esoteric forces. Gods rarely act directly. Instead, they influence the world through chosen mortals.
A Blessed individual might gain:
Enhanced magical or physical prowess
Immunity to certain types of harm
An intuitive bond with a divine concept
Abilities that defy conventional magical logic
But blessings do not guarantee virtue. A god of war may empower a brutal conqueror; a deity of death might choose a grieving child.
Some blessings are deliberate. Others occur spontaneously—granted through sheer faith, proximity to divine realms, or even blind chance. Gods are jealous with their favor. Receiving multiple blessings is nearly unheard of, and conflicting ones can tear a soul apart—causing magical instability, psychological strain, or worse.
Unlike artefacts or spells, Divine Blessings cannot be studied, copied, or transferred. They come only through recognition. For this reason, they are the rarest and most mysterious form of power. The Blessed are often revered as saints—or feared as omens.
3. Conventional Magic
While artefacts must be found and blessings bestowed, Conventional Magic is earned.
It is the most accessible and well-studied path to power. Open to all, though mastered by few, it rewards dedication, discipline, and knowledge. This is the long road—walked by scholars, adventurers, and dreamers alike.
All magic rests on three core principles:
Mana – The raw fuel of magic, found in all living things. Some are born with oceans of it, others with drops—but even a drop, in skilled hands, can change the world.
Will – The inner force that gives mana shape. It defines not only whether a spell works, but how it works.
Structure – The outer form a spell takes: gestures, spoken words, runes, magical arrays, or sheer focus. Some masters cast with a glance; others require pages of preparation.
Even when two mages learn the same spell, their casting will differ. This phenomenon is known as Will-Imprint Divergence—the idea that every spell is shaped by the caster's soul.
Key Influences on Spell Expression:
Intent – The clarity and intensity of the caster's purpose
Belief – A mage's conviction can shift outcomes dramatically
Method – The chosen technique changes how the spell unfolds
Resonance – Attunement to certain elements, concepts, or traditions flavors magic uniquely
Emotional State – Rage, sorrow, joy—these thread into spells, often without the caster realizing
Common Variations Include:
Visual alterations (e.g., fire as black flame, golden light, or crackling mist)
Modified sound, sensation, or effect
Changes in scale, speed, or intensity
Secondary effects triggered by emotional charge
Instability during stress or mana surges
Implications:
Spellbooks must be personalized—one mage's script may fail for another
Magic schools emphasize emotional control as much as theory
In duels, intent can matter more than raw power
In short: Magic is a mirror. It reflects not just knowledge—but the caster's very soul. Every spell is a self-portrait in motion.
Levels of Magic
Spells are broadly categorized by scope and complexity:
Minor Magic – Basic spells (e.g., light, flame, cleansing)
Functional Magic – Daily utility (e.g., healing cuts, barriers, telekinesis)
Battle Magic – Combat-oriented spells (e.g., projectiles, teleportation, enchantments)
High Magic – Rare and difficult spells (e.g., weather control, illusions, time dilation)
Reality-Bending Magic – Legendary spells that alter laws of reality (e.g., rewriting matter, fate manipulation). These often carry immense cost.
Disciplines of Magic
Magic is loosely divided into overlapping disciplines:
Evocation – Pure destructive force
Transmutation – Altering physical form
Conjuration – Summoning beings or objects
Illusion – Deception of the senses
Restoration – Healing, purification, balance
Divination – Revealing the unseen
Enchantment – Imbuing lasting magical effects
Necromancy – Manipulating death, souls, memory
Runecraft – Inscribing magic into material form
Alchemy – The fusion of magic and chemistry
Most mages specialize in one or two. Generalists dabble. True polymaths are legendary.
Ranks of Mages
Across cultures, mages are ranked by knowledge, skill, and magical depth. Terms may vary, but the structure is consistent:
[Apprentice] – Beginners learning fundamentals
[Arcanist] – Intermediate mages with stable control
[High Mage] – Specialists with diverse magical fluency
[Grand Arcanum] – Masters who shape magical development and invent new spells
[Genesis] – Mythic figures capable of rewriting magical law itself
Advancement can be earned through trials, feats, or peer recognition. Some nations have councils; others follow merit and conquest.
Strengths of Conventional Magic:
Accessible to all
Extremely versatile and adaptive
Deeply personal and expressive
Can rival divine or spiritual power
Limitations:
Demands years of learning and control
Vulnerable to emotional instability
Limited by mana reserves
Certain disciplines may be innately incompatible with a mage
In society, mages are scholars, healers, warriors, engineers, and more. Though lacking divine flair or spirit-bound mystique, they are the backbone of magical civilization.
4. Spirit Pacts
While Divine Blessings come from the heavens, Spirit Pacts are born from shared purpose between mortals and the wild, unseen forces of the world.
Spirits are sentient entities composed of raw magic. Some are ancient, others newly born. They embody forces of nature, emotions, places, or abstract ideas.
Spirit Forms Include:
Beasts – Primal and instinctive
Elementals – Living flame, water, stone, wind
Humanoids – Sapient, often wise or cunning
Phenomena – Abstract or surreal (e.g., whispering stars, wandering masks)
A Spirit Pact is a sacred contract. In return for companionship, mana, or purpose, the spirit lends its power to a mortal.
Benefits Include:
Spell Amplification – Strengthens specific magical domains
Unique Spells – Abilities inaccessible by conventional means
Manifestation – The spirit may act directly as an ally or guide
Spirits are not tools. They choose their partners—and demand respect. Some serve bloodlines for generations. Others vanish after a single bond.
Though rarer than standard magic, Spirit Pacts are far more common than divine blessings. They exist in a twilight realm—where myth breathes alongside mortals. To be chosen by a spirit is to step into an ancient story still being written.
"...And that's about it!" Dea clapped her hands with a theatrical flourish. "How did you two like the explanation from the ever-brilliant, undeniably charismatic, masterful Dea-sensei!?"