I can’t believe it! The 100th post thanks for everyone whose supported an followed me so far. I will keep putting more content on all of my projects and better incorporate my WordPress with my other social media stuff.
So here is the content that I promised, the revised explanation of the magic system in my projects the Arcane Realm and Shu Ru
Do you believe in Magic?
Magic itself is defined as the extra-ordinary manipulation (either consciously or unconsciously) of natural, preternatural, or supernatural forces towards an intended result.
There is a multitude of ways to define, categorize, and refer to different types of magic but what we are going to focus on today is how magic has been looked at throughout the history of the Arcane Realm.
On a more philosophical level, one of the great debated questions is the true nature of magic. While Magi, Seers, and Shamans and similar types are a common fixture in Kaf society, knowledge of the truth behind their powers was until recently, was hotly debated throughout history. All that was commonly accepted was that spirits and some sort of ‘other-world’ or spirit realm were involved. Several schools are:
The Clerical School believed that spirits are divine beings (‘gods’ might be a better word) who guard the world against demons. Magic is power granted by the spirits to those they consider righteous. They believe books of laws must be followed, and certain rituals performed, in order to achieve this level of righteousness. Evil spirits (demons) exist and can possess people, or grant powers to those of evil will.
The Ritualistic School contended that magic is an impersonal force that obeys a set of fundamental rules, like gravity. ‘Spirits’ are either humanity’s attempts to personify this force, or beings who dwell within it, but are otherwise just as real and classifiable as any other mundane animal or plant. Their studies are devoted to learning these rules and attempting to test them by performing spells. Their name comes from the elaborate systems they have designed for trying to call upon these powers, which include things like playing particular musical notes, drawing mystical shapes, burning certain types of incense, or consuming various mind altering substances.
The Mentalist School is unique in that it stated that there is no independent ‘spirit world’. They believe that magic is simply an extension of the human will, and spirits are voices within one’s own head, giving voice to subconscious knowledge. All sentient beings are theoretically capable of performing magic, they simply need to unlock the hidden potential within their own hearts and minds. Mentalist practices include intense meditation and physical exercise, which is dedicated to giving one as much control over their body and mind as possible.
A fourth (relatively minor) classical faction is the Death School, whose practitioners are known as necromancers. They believe that spirits are the souls of the dead, and the other-world is a realm where the collected wisdom of every being who has ever died is collected into a single whole. Their studies centered around attempting to contact the dead and questioning them in order to gain access to this unlimited pool of knowledge. A few more extreme members even believe that it is possible to become one with this store of knowledge while one is still alive, and thus achieve physical immortality.
It should be noted that with a lot of explanations for phenomena, there are multiple theories that together help paint a clearer picture than they could alone. Even if the philosophies were not 100% accurate in all cases, all of them have contributed a significant amount to the advancement of knowledge in the subject.
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