Magical Theory and Background
What is Magic?
One of the most common and pervasive aspects of life in Celegia is the overwhelming presence of magic. Nearly any character with an Intelligence score of eight or higher is able to use magic. In game terms, this translates to the ability to use cantrips and orisons at will each day, with a total duration of one minute per point of intelligence. Since most instant-use effects take the equivalent of only one second each, this adds up to hundreds of magical effects per day. Tailors use this ability to repair skipped stitches, cooks perfectly season food or fix ruined dishes by removing some spice, carpenters measure perfectly merely by looking, scribes erase a blot, mothers entertain children at bedtime, and a myriad other uses. Most of the hordes who possess this small talent train it minimally and use it to make their lives easier in a thousand small ways, never pausing to think what it is they are using. As a note, any effect which deals actual damage to anything larger than vermin is not allowed, and each point of damage healed counts as using up nine minutes of a person's affect. Thus, an intelligence of nine or higher is required to heal a point of damage, which is seen in Celegia as the equivalent of First Aid.
But what exactly are all those millions of Celegians doing? What is the mechanism for these commonplace miracles and delightful wonders?
That question is one of the greatest unsolved riddles of the universe, and is the subject of vigorous debates and rigorous investigations. There are three main schools of thought on the subject, which we will briefly attend.
The Fundamental School
The first main school of thought is the Fundamental school. It holds that magic is one of the Fundaments of the universe, and is the opposite of Force. The main argument against this is that, of course, this breaks the symmetry of the universe, as there are now ten Fundaments. Another argument is the fact that humans are made up of all of the Fundaments, in various amounts, and rigorous tests performed on newborn infants have proven that people are not born with any magic in them, and could in theory live in a world completely bereft of magic quite well.
The Divinities
The second main school of thought is the Divinities, who feel that magic is a boon of the Powers, and that all magic, not just the clerical sort, is granted by the Gods. This view is heartily supported by the major organized religions, but if this is the case, why is the individual mage able to create his own new magical effects without ever consulting a Power in any way? Indeed, there are records of an odd (very old) society conquered by the Empire in its very early history which did not worship any Gods at all, and nevertheless were fearsomely accomplished mages. Of course, the counter argument is that the Powers need not tell the mages they are aiding them, and may have compelling reasons not to. Proving either side of this debate will be next to impossible.
The Dweomerists
The third main school of thought is the Dweomerists. They feel that magic is that thing which is able to affect other things and is indefinable otherwise. The most serious mages and sages tend to favor this theory, but the complaint is that it doesn't explain anything. The counter argument here is that the more you try to figure out what magic is and how it works, the more chose effects change. It is as if the magic knows you are looking at it, and so it changes what it does to keep you from figuring it out. The Divinities take this as proof of their theory, saying that the Powers resist mankind meddling in their business too far. This debate is still going vigorously and there appears to be no end in sight, so perhaps the wisest course is to simply use magic and not worry about how it works.
The Hallowed Halls of Learning, and Who Lives There
Magic is widely available in the Empire, both in the form of knowledge and in the form of magical devices. The logical question to ask is where does all of this come from? The answer is simple, from the Imperial bureaucracy. As has been mentioned elsewhere, all citizens are expected to serve the Empire for at least three years, and most young women choose to perform this service with the Imperial Bureaucracy. Many of these young girls are chosen for training as wizards, since in truth the use of magic is not overwhelmingly difficult in Celegia and most people can manipulate minor manaflows just with the knowledge learned from their parents and friends. The Imperial Factoriums are much more than magical primary schools, however. There are literally thousands of independent mage guilds which are housed within the overstructure of the Factoriums, and they compete vigorously for the best students. The practice of forming mage circles is a further complication, as a full circle of premier students is practically guaranteed a bright future and wealth. There is a goodly percentage of men in training at the Factoriums as well, about one in five, of which many are on detached duty from the Imperial Legions.
The typical training course in the Imperial Factoriums starts with students at the age of fifteen, who attend classes for six hours per day for a full year. At the end of the class they have been trained in the skill of twisting a quantity of mana into their auras for use in powering a full first ring spell, rather than the tiny cantrips available to most. These new students are known as Novices to the First Ring of Mana, or if they are specialists to a particular school of magic, as Initiates to the First Ring of Magic. The process of forming a mage circle is a serious and complex business, since it may only be attempted once per year. Most students make an attempt to form a full circle of nine soon after graduation, since a success is a huge boost, while a failure at this point will not terribly affect a career. Of course most of these attempts fail, and one year later most begin the process of forming a circle of three, a much easier process. Most of the circles consist of individuals who are carefully placed with one another by the guilds, to work well in harmony with one another. Most circles work together harmoniously because of this system, but a proverb in the Factoriums is that strife breeds greatness, and many highly dysfunctional circles are the most learned and dynamic in the Empire.
The Imperial Factoriums have an elaborate and complex ranking system for wizards in the Empire, which is based upon a very simple set of rules. For reasons which are related to the symmetry of the universe, there are nine distinct layers of power in the construction of spells. For even more complicated reasons, the layer a spell is on may not reflect the effect or power of the spell in its effects on the world. Finally, for reasons no one has yet figured out, when mere mortals begin monkeying about with magic and stuffing mana into their auras for use later, there is a definite progression of stages, as more powerful dweomers are learned. In earthly terms, it is as if there are "quantum shells" of magic ability in a human aura, and they fill up with dweomer in a definite order which is mostly unchanging. Because of this definite and unchanging progression, it is a simple matter to test a mage and determine exactly how skilled they are at storing magics compared to another mage.
Rings and Ranks
There are nine Rings of magical spells, and the Imperial Factorium recognizes nine ranks of skill in each of those nine rings. The ranks are as follows:
- Untalented
- Novice
- Initiate
- Journeyman
- Ovate
- Master
- Second Degree Master
- Third Degree Master
- Grand Master
There are ranks even greater, the so-called true Dweomers, but such ranks are un-named. if you are able to use such powers, everybody who needs to know knows all about you.
As has been mentioned, there is a definite progression through these Rings and Ranks which can be tested and proved so that the Factorium knows precisely how to rank each of its members. Most wizards begin as a Novice of the First ring. As they exercise and strengthen their auras, they progress to become Initiates of the First Ring, then they become Novices of the second ring and Journeymen of the First ring simultaneously. They next become Novices of the Third Ring and simultaneously advance to Ovate of the First Ring. This definite progression continues ad infinitum, and one of the long running debates is if there is an end to it, a maximum amount of mana a human can hold. The researchers into this puzzle are mighty indeed, as the theoretical maximum which is most often bandied about is the mythical "Nine Nines," or nine spells of all nine Rings. In all of history no person has ever reached this rank of prowess, which would equate to a rank of Ultimate Grandmaster of the Nine Rings. (In game turns this equates to epic levels and incredibly high Intelligence scores. No wonder no one known has ever made it. )
There are several titles which can be bestowed upon a wizard in addition to their Rings and Ranks. The first and lowest is Mage. This title is bestowed when the wizard gains mastery in the first three Rings of magic. Needless to say, a full Mage is not someone to anger unnecessarily! The next title is Archmage, granted when the wizard becomes a Novice of the Ninth Ring. Of course by this time the wizard is also a Master of the first five Rings. Titular Archmages are rare and powerful entities. The highest title bestowed is that of Magus. A Magus is also known as a Master of the Nine Rings, and are the acknowledged authorities on magic, as they are equally proficient with any of the Rings of magic. A Magus is a power of mythical proportions and no one with a brain will anger a Magus without cause. Rumors exist of ever higher titles as well, such as Archmagus, Grand Magus, and even Penultimate Magister. If there are people who can claim these titles, they are keeping quiet about it, at least among common circles.
However, no matter the might or exalted ability of a wizard in the Empire, the Edicts must be obeyed, especially the one concerning the Proper Regulation of Magic. The heartlessly efficient bureaucrats of the Empire have shackled all wizards in the Empire by the simple expedient of making spell books illegal to own. No wizard may possess in any written form the notes for twisting mana, without which spellcasting is impossible. All such notes are kept in spellbooks which are owned by the Empire and given to the wizards for use, but which can be taken back at any time. Sorcerers present a more complex problem, but the Imperial Bureaucracy deal with this issue by forcing all Sorcerers to also register and keep a spellbook, in which all study notes the Sorcerer has used to learn her chosen spells are kept. Since the main source for magical learning is within the Factoriums, Sorcerers are also kept strictly in check, and woe betide the Sorcerer who is found to have a spell in her aura for which matching notes are not in the spellbook.
In addition to this, many spells are illegal or unavailable to learn, such as war magics, mind affecting magics, or battle magics. Any wizard who wishes access to these types of spells must do battle with the Imperial Machine to obtain a permit. Even worse, it is completely illegal to own or possess materials for research into dweomerweaving, or the art of creating new spells. All such materials are owned by the Empire and kept in the Imperial Factoriums. Of course, anyone who wants to can use them, for a fee, but any results have to approved by the Empire before it can be placed into your books.
It is possible to have offensive spells, but the permits for those spells must be kept permanently attached to the page of the book which holds the spell. All Imperial spellbooks have serial numbers, and the Empire keeps lists of who is using each book and which spells they have in the book. Any Imperial official may at any time and for any reason demand to see your books, and if there are any problems will seize them. The penalties for having unauthorized spells are harsh and inflexible, so few care to risk it. Even so, there is a thriving trade in unregistered spellbooks, and a blank, unnumbered spellbook can be sold for as much as a million dagits, or even more.
This is an older version of this page, taken from Mark Schleifer's wiki, and used in an older 3.5 campaign.
What is Magic?
One of the most common and pervasive aspects of life in Celegia is the overwhelming presence of magic. Nearly any character with an Intelligence score of eight or higher is able to use magic. In game terms, this translates to the ability to use cantrips and orisons at will each day, with a total duration of one minute per point of intelligence. Since most instant-use effects take the equivalent of only one second each, this adds up to hundreds of magical effects per day. Tailors use this ability to repair skipped stitches, cooks perfectly season food or fix ruined dishes by removing some spice, carpenters measure perfectly merely by looking, scribes erase a blot, mothers entertain children at bedtime, and a myriad other uses. Most of the hordes who possess this small talent train it minimally and use it to make their lives easier in a thousand small ways, never pausing to think what it is they are using. As a note, any effect which deals actual damage to anything larger than vermin is not allowed, and each point of damage healed counts as using up nine minutes of a person's affect. Thus, an intelligence of nine or higher is required to heal a point of damage, which is seen in Celegia as the equivalent of First Aid.
But what exactly are all those millions of Celegians doing? What is the mechanism for these commonplace miracles and delightful wonders?
That question is one of the greatest unsolved riddles of the universe, and is the subject of vigorous debates and rigorous investigations. There are three main schools of thought on the subject, which we will briefly attend.
The first main school of thought is the Fundamental school. It holds that magic is one of the Fundaments of the universe, and is the opposite of Force. The main argument against this is that, of course, this breaks the symmetry of the universe, as there are now ten Fundaments. Another argument is the fact that humans are made up of all of the Fundaments, in various amounts, and rigorous tests performed on newborn infants have proven that people are not born with any magic in them, and could in theory live in a world completely bereft of magic quite well.
The second main school of thought is the Divinities, who feel that magic is a boon of the Powers, and that all magic, not just the clerical sort, is granted by the Gods. This view is heartily supported by the major organized religions, but if this is the case, why is the individual mage able to create his own new magical effects without ever consulting a Power in any way? Indeed, there are records of an odd (very old) society conquered by the Empire in its very early history which did not worship any Gods at all, and nevertheless were fearsomely accomplished mages. Of course, the counter argument is that the Powers need not tell the mages they are aiding them, and may have compelling reasons not to. Proving either side of this debate will be next to impossible.
The third main school of thought is the Dweomerists. They feel that magic is that thing which is able to affect other things and is indefinable otherwise. The most serious mages and sages tend to favor this theory, but the complaint is that it doesn't explain anything. The counter argument here is that the more you try to figure out what magic is and how it works, the more chose effects change. It is as if the magic knows you are looking at it, and so it changes what it does to keep you from figuring it out. The Divinities take this as proof of their theory, saying that the Powers resist mankind meddling in their business too far. This debate is still going vigorously and there appears to be no end in sight, so perhaps the wisest course is to simply use magic and not worry about how it works.
The Hallowed Halls of Learning, and Who Lives There
Magic is widely available in the Empire, both in the form of knowledge and in the form of magical devices. The logical question to ask is where does all of this come from? The answer is simple, from the Imperial bureaucracy. As has been mentioned elsewhere, all citizens are expected to serve the Empire for at least three years, and most young women choose to perform this service with the Imperial Bureaucracy. Many of these young girls are chosen for training as wizards, since in truth the use of magic is not overwhelmingly difficult in Celegia and most people can manipulate minor manaflows just with the knowledge learned from their parents and friends. The Imperial Factoriums are much more than magical primary schools, however. There are literally thousands of independent mage guilds which are housed within the overstructure of the Factoriums, and they compete vigorously for the best students. The practice of forming mage circles is a further complication, as a full circle of premier students is practically guaranteed a bright future and wealth. There are a large percentage of men in training at the Factoriums as well, about one in five, of which many are on detached duty from the Imperial Legions. The typical training course in the Imperial Factoriums starts with students at the age of fifteen, who attend classes for six hours per day for a full year. At the end of the class they have been trained in the skill of twisting a quantity of mana into their auras for use in powering a full bore spell, rather than the tiny cantrips available to most. These new students are known as Novices to the First Ring of Mana, or if they are specialists to a particular school of magic, as Initiates to the First Ring of Magic.
The process of forming a mage circle is a serious and complex business, since it may only be attempted once per year. Most students make an attempt to form a full circle of nine soon after graduation, since a success is a huge boost, while a failure at this point will not terribly affect a career. Of course most of these attempts fail, and one year later most begin the process of forming a circle of three, a much easier process. Most of the circles consist of individuals who are carefully placed with one another by the guilds, to work well in harmony with one another. Most circles work together harmoniously because of this system, but a proverb in the Factoriums is that strife breeds greatness, and many highly dysfunctional circles are the most learned and dynamic in the Empire.
The Imperial Factoriums have an elaborate and complex ranking system for wizards in the Empire, which is based upon a very simple set of rules. For reasons which are related to the symmetry of the universe, there are nine distinct layers of power in the construction of spells. For even more complicated reasons, the layer a spell is on may not reflect the effect or power of the spell in its effects on the world. Finally, for reasons no one has yet figured out, when mere mortals begin monkeying about with magic and stuffing mana into their auras for use later, there is a definite progression of stages, as more powerful dweomers are learned. In earthly terms, it is as if there are "quantum shells" of magic ability in a human aura, and they fill up with dweomer in a definite order which is mostly unchanging. Because of this definite and unchanging progression, it is a simple matter to test a mage and determine exactly how skilled they are at storing magics compared to another mage.
There are nine Rings of magical spells, and the Imperial Factorium recognizes nine ranks of skill in each of those nine rings. The ranks are as follows: Untalented, Novice, Initiate, Journeyman, Ovate, Master, Second Degree Master, Third Degree Master, and Grand Master. There are rumors of ranks even greater, but it is unknown who if anyone qualifies for those ranks. As has been mentioned, there is a definite progression through these Rings and Ranks which can be tested and proved so that the Factorium knows precisely how to rank each of its members. Most wizards begin as a Novice of the First ring. As they exercise and strengthen their auras, they progress to become Initiates of the First Ring, then they become Novices of the second ring and Journeymen of the First ring simultaneously. They next become Novices of the Third Ring and simultaneously advance to Ovate of the First Ring. This definite progression continues ad infinitum, and one of the long running debates is if there is an end to it, a maximum amount of mana a human can hold. The researchers into this puzzle are mighty indeed, as the theoretical maximum which is most often bandied about is the mythical "Nine Nines," or nine spells of all nine Rings. In all of history no person has ever reached this rank of prowess, which would equate to a rank of Ultimate Grandmaster of the Nine Rings. (In game turns this equates to epic levels and incredibly high Intelligence scores. No wonder no one known has ever made it. }
There are several titles which can be bestowed upon a wizard in addition to their Rings and Ranks. The first and lowest is Mage. This title is bestowed when the wizard gains mastery in the first three Rings of magic. Needless to say, a full Mage is not someone to anger unnecessarily! The next title is Archmage, granted when the wizard becomes a Novice of the Ninth Ring. Of course by this time the wizard is also a Master of the first five Rings. Titular Archmages are rare and hugely powerful entities. The highest title bestowed is that of Magus. A Magus is also known as a Master of the Nine Rings, and are the acknowledged authorities on magic, as they are equally proficient with any of the Rings of magic. A Magus is a power of mythical proportions and no one with a brain will anger a Magus without cause. Rumors exist of ever higher titles as well, such as Archmagus, Grand Magus, and even Penultimate Magister. If there are people who can claim these titles, they are keeping quiet about it.
However, no matter the might or exalted ability of a wizard in the Empire, the Edicts must be obeyed, especially the one concerning the Proper Regulation of Magic. The heartlessly efficient bureaucrats of the Empire have shackled all wizards in the Empire by the simple expedient of making spell books illegal to own. No wizard may possess in any written form the notes for twisting mana, without which spellcasting is impossible. All such notes are kept in spellbooks which are owned by the Empire and given to the wizards for use, but which can be taken back at any time.
Sorcerers present a more complex problem, but the Imperial Bureaucracy deal with this issue by forcing all Sorcerers to also register and keep a spellbook, in which all study notes the Sorcerer has used to learn her chosen spells are kept. Since the main source for magical learning is within the Factoriums, Sorcerers are also kept strictly in check, and woe betide the Sorcerer who is found to have a spell in her aura for which matching notes are not in the spellbook.
In addition to this, many spells are illegal or unavailable to learn, such as war magics, mind affecting magics, or battle magics. Any wizard who wishes access to these types of spells must do battle with the Imperial Machine to obtain a permit. Even worse, it is completely illegal to own or possess materials for research into dweomerweaving, or the art of creating new spells. All such materials are owned by the Empire and kept in the Imperial Factoriums. Of course, anyone who wants to can use them, for a fee, but any results have to approved by the Empire before it can be placed into your books.
It is possible to have offensive spells, but the permits for those spells must be kept permanently attached to the page of the book which holds the spell. All Imperial spellbooks have serial numbers, and the Empire keeps lists of who is using each book and which spells they have in the book. Any Imperial official may at any time and for any reason demand to see your books, and if there are any problems will seize them. The penalties for having unauthorized spells are harsh and inflexible, so few care to risk it. Even so, there is a thriving trade in unregistered spellbooks, and a blank, unnumbered spellbook can be sold for as much as a million dagits, or even more.
Common Dweomers in Celegia, and the Role of Magical Auras
Magic is widely available in the Empire, and mages are highly respected professionals. The large majority of practicing local mages are women, who learned their trade during their service to the Imperial Bureaucracy. These mages provide all manner of professional services in the Empire, and fulfill many of the tasks we commonly associate with lawyers, accountants, physicians, librarians, and many other professions. One of the most common and highly profitable trades to take up is that of Wizardsmith. There is a series of common spells in the Empire known as the Dweomercraft Series. These are common fabrication spells, used to generate stable, long term magical effects.
The duration of any magical effect is based upon the principal of "aural resonance." All living things, all magical things, and many other objects and entities have what is called an aura.
An aura is a "shadow" of the thing in question that is formed by the interaction with the ambient background magic in the Prime Material. It is roughly analogous to the wake of a boat. Spells have auras as well, and the length of time a continuing spell will last is influenced by the resonance the dweomer has with its aura. This is a hugely convoluted topic and no effort is here made to go into great detail. To state it simply: In general, the more aura resonance there is, the shorter the duration will be.
Many attack spells are what is known as "aura coupled" and bleed their energy immediately. This effect is what allows them to be so destructive. Spells of moderate duration are known as being "aura resonant," and rapidly bleed out. Spells of long duration are designed to be "aura stagnant," causing little or no disturbance in their auras and so losing little or no energy. The dweomercraft series of spells are designed to be flexible enough to impart various effects upon an object they are cast upon, and are especially designed to be lightly coupled or stagnant, so the effects last for a good period of time. There are several other spells, such as "Lithodendros" "Glasssteel" and "Permanence" that are similar but more powerful and specialized. The most powerful of the fabrication spells is permanence, which is specifically designed to totally sever an object or spell effect from its aura. There is some hazard to using this spell, since there have been accidents where the dweomer has partially severed the aura of the caster, an experience widely described as horrible in the extreme, although not fatal.
Dweomercraft spells are generally weak but fast reflections of the effects of item creation feats. In general, a dweomercraft spell can create any minor permanent item which has little to no adventuring utility with no trouble. Creating a needle of sewing, or an ever-stirring spoon, or a gathering basket, or a cool version of a portable fire, is easy and simple and extremely common.
Manastones, water stones, portable fires, light crystals, true needles, all manner of fine tools, spice jars, water bowls, jewelry, toiletries, etc., are all crafted by these spells and are so common and unremarked that they are invisible.