As I saw this I felt like just... going to help out with how magic works in my worlds in a simple way.
Viesn
Gained by study - how to access the latent magic of the world, how to manipulate said magic - but still with extreme variation in practice, execution, and what it does
Use Limitations: Cannot resurrect a person, cannot change the past. Laws.
Ability Limitations: Imagination, knowledge, misfires can be extremely dangerous.
Magic is a science, not fully understood but in process of being mapped, and a part of nature
While magic and magical beings exist everywhere, a combination of them being on both sides and knowledge about these things have caused the world to turn out very similar to our modern day world - history have key differences due to them, but nothing that dramatically changes the world
Magic is still largely out of sight out of mind by people who have not had first-hand experiences with it
Trys
Gained from their deities, anthropomorphic personifications of concepts
Use Limitations: Cannot resurrect a person, cannot change the past, limited to their concepts
Ability Limitations: Mainly cultural, knowledge
Magic is also a part of nature, especially shown with Chaos Storms
Let’s use my reblog spree yesterday as a way to start this off (not planned but this works).
Magic is a wonderful thing in Viesn. It is a way of life in Hy-Brasil, where most of my inspiration from yesterdays reblogs goes into. But it is also not necessary a good thing, and it is not always a safe thing to deal in...
Blood oaths is something that is greatly discouraged by both the Hunter Society and every magical community of Viesn, and while not strictly illegal to swear one it is very illegal to be sworn one. It is also a reliable way to ensure a bargain or deal between two people are held, to ensure loyalty, and/or to ensure nobody lies.
A blood oath is a magical oath sealed by blood, a simple form of Ritual magic, that binds the one making the oath to fulfilling it using that person's magic and life as collateral. If an oath to do something is not fulfilled, the person who failed dies and the magic is passed on to the other person or persons using the oath. If an oath to not lie is broken, the liar dies and the magic within them becomes a part of the one they lied to. If an oath to serve is broken by disobedience, the servant dies and their magic becomes a part of the location. You do not need to swear the oath of our own free will to be bound by it.
There is two other things a blood oath can do that is not illegal that does require both parties swearing the oath and do so out of their free will, namely to become siblings in all but biological matter, or marry through magic.
Thankfully, blood oaths are easily tracked as it gives of a distinct magical signature akin to a flare once completed. Unfortunately, there is no way to break a blood oath, not without the one it was sworn to dying, or intervention by a Faerie.
I wrote more on magic. A lot more. Some might be repeat information, but it should have a lot more of in-depth magic information.
Magic can, with enough magical prowess, do practically anything but travel more than a few hours in time at a total, actually resurrect the dead, and rewrite reality in any way. Some people may claim a miracle could accomplish these, but there are no such things as miracles, only interference. While limited reality warping exists, it is a family-bound magic and due to the fact it tears on the life span a lot of things would be suicide to even try. These limits has been tested and tried by powerful sorcerers and sorceresses across time, but has always resulted in their death at best, death to them and anyone in the vicinity at worst.
Years of study is the price required to become able to use magic, although those with in-born magic may have an advantage even they must study to be able to use it. Even this, some have tried to get around, but that is proving to be a fruitless endeavor in this time and in the future. The general amount of study to use the lowest level of magic, equal to using a lighter as a light source, is a year.
Magic exist everywhere, a force between the Realms wrapping around them. It is not an exhaustible resource, but impossible to use without knowing how to.
Sometimes, with some magics, magic does require something extra to help with the push for it to act on your behalf. It may be to preform an elaborate ritual (which is always in Ritual Magic, often in Summonings), or physical things like a staff, a wand, a crystal ball, or something else. The items doesn't need to be actually be anything of value though - crystal balls could be glass balls bought at some more obscure shops, staffs and wands can be branches and sticks, and items to perform rituals tends to be easy to get by. It is the magic that requires items or magic potions that take time to cast, and of them only the potions can be stored for later use. Rune Magic also take a long time to use, but those that can carve or make cards or sew can use those things to make themselves ways to do instant magic. Most magic tends to be a “point and shoot” affair. Most, if not all but the most theological, magic varieties are practiced, and if the user knows what they are doing and knows how to give magic that little push they are all work as well - just differently.
Noteworthy is that magic is only done by individuals, and two magic users preforming the same spell often leads to the magic backfiring back onto them instead. Likewise, what makes a magic user more powerful than another is a combination of knowledge of how to do certain things, ability to handle greater levels of power, and, at times, even older age. A magic user's magical ability/power doesn't change as the magic doesn't come from them, and magic can't be used up for a singular person - only by losing the knowledge of how or being within an anti-magic zone can a person be left unable to use magic.
Most of the time, magic has no detrimental effect on the user, but one certain magic - Demonic Magic - is highly addictive, and another - Glamour - can only be used by non-Fae if they take an even more addictive drug called Nether.
Magic is best described as an art, and while it is not uncommon, it is not precisely common. In a city of 20000 people, maybe 15 is likely to be a magic users of more than the barest basics of magic. It is often glanced at and seen as a way to kill your social life due to the intense study it requires to learn, and magic users are generally stereotyped as being useless shut-ins in real life, while being so much more interesting on the silver screen ("Hah! If only you could do that!"). It is not possible to make a living practicing magic, so a magic user needs to have independent means.
As magic users are usually regular people, they are not truly above or a force in politics, and while some politics try to outlaw magic as a whole it is generally accepted that Hunter Society decide what to do with them - where the politics really don't concern magic users as much as it concerns training, vampires, Nightmares and Faerie. They fall under the same laws as everyone else, aside from a few additional ones. The magic laws are to prevent people using magic to harm others, force themselves or their will upon others, stealing others identities, disrespecting the dead, and to keep people from being unknowingly being pulled into debt to the Fair Folk. Those that break these are often easily detected by Covens - groups of magic users who often have spells set up for that express purpose - and reported to either the police or the Hunter Society, after which the Hunters handle it if it's too dangerous for the police.
No one wants to be dealt with by Hunters.
A magic users lifespan is usually the same as whatever species they belong to, but there are those who prolong their life by various magical techniques, such as Necromancy or by absorbing other peoples lifespans. Most of these methods are downright nasty.
There is one magical means of transportation, namely teleportation. It is far faster than any non-magical means and free, but teleportation sickness and the risk of accidentally teleporting into another object or person makes it both potentinally unpleasant and unsafe - though, normally, teleportation sickness isn't much worse than that of motion sickness, and teleporting to find yourself partly inside some object (or person) is rather low risk. This is a rather difficult and therefore rare magic, however, and is mostly used for fun.
There are several ways of long-distance communication using magic, and it is not particularly difficult, but due to the low amount of magic users it is not a widespread thing to use, and mostly used within families and friends. As for weapons, they are no longer many magical weapons out in the world, most owned by collectors or the magic user themselves, as the Hunter Society has made it their duty to gather up these and keep their potential threat from the world - and as bargaining tools towards Faerie. And while battlefield magic is possible, it requires a massive amount of power - making possible battle sorcerers and sorceresses rare, and it is not even sure they will want to use their magic in that way if found.
Magic can make an ordinary object extremely lethal by the way of enchantments, but it is more commonly to enhance them to cook gourmet cooking in the magic users stead or fix their hair. Such enchantments are both common and useful. Magic could potentially replace most technology, if it weren't for the fact enchanted items can't be mass produced and thus is mostly used for the magic users own benefit. Likewise it can be used in arts, for things like glowing paint, but it is mostly visual as to be able to create self-playing flute the magic user needs to know the instrument and song themselves.
How is it learned and executed?
It is learned by intense study and apprenticeships, and the execution varies between people and from where they have learned magic.
How is it accessed?
Tapping into it is like breathing to those with experience, and mainly just requires focus at what you want to do and knowledge of how to do it.
Does it have a will of its own?
No, although it may react on it's own to strong feelings magic is just energy to be harnassed.
Is it restricted in space and time?
Not as such, but to play with space in time requires power beyond that which the most powerful sorceres/ess alive is able to call upon.
What does available magic do?
Heal, hurt, create, enchant, change. That is basic sorcery, and further things like Necromancy and Demonology exist as well.
How does it relate to the character, plot and theme of the book?
I have several stories planned, so it varies. Magic is a tool, as such it is used as such by those who have it. In Alex's story the antagonist is the most powerful sorceress alive. In Antoinette's story it doesn't have nearly as much sway over the story. In Stella's story, she is a walking anti-magic area to a highly magical species and as such it drives the majority of the plot. In Evengaline's story it is just another thing that has to be fought against on occassion.
What is the cost of magic?
Nothing but time.
What can it not do?
Ressurect the dead, though Necromancy exists it is not truly ressurection.
How long does it last?
Until it is broken.
Who can use it?
Anyone who puts down enough time to study it.
How do others react to it?
Those who didn't yet know about it reacts with wonder or fear. Fear was a large reason for the witch hunts.
Why haven’t people with this power taken over the world?
Partly because not many have an actual interest in ruling the world, partly because of the Hunter Society, partly because they are still mortal - most who try are taken out by armies.
