Magic

Magic in the Locus is not due to supernatural forces as in most fantasy settings, although supernatural beings known as Granters play an important role in the discovery of magical techniques. Rather it is due to a mysterious "fifth force" that acts under certain specific conditions.

This force, known as arcanomanatism, has two important properties: spontaneous pattern formation, and threshold decay. Spontaneous pattern formation allows it to form immensely complex structures under relatively simple conditions; in this sense, magic can be thought of as an advanced technology comprised of self-organizing energy. Threshold decay means that if a manatic field accumulates too much energy, it becomes unstable and releases that energy. This prevents the force from manifesting itself under naturally occurring circumstances; on a geological or astronomical scale, mana fields cannot have enough energy to significantly affect the observable natural order without undergoing collapse. This results in a world which at least superficially resembles our own. The exact threshold for collapse varies considerably depending on the exact structure formed by a particular manatic field and what materials are present in the area. Finding those structures that are most stable is the key to creating powerful magic.

Creating magic:

Creating a magical device consist of four steps.

The first is seeding the magic. This consists of finding traces of magic imbued onto existing objects that can be manipulated into more complex enchantments. Sometimes this is done based simply on what is available in the immediate environment of the caster, other times spell materials may be transported over large distances to take advantages of specific sources of seed magic. Because of the chaotic nature of mana self-organization, any spell can be created with any seed magic, however, magic created with proper sources is more reliable and requires less skill to manipulate.

The second stage is forming the magic. This means combining and manipulating different magic sources to form a manatic field with the correct structure for the enchantment in question. This requires quite a bit of skill, as subtle variations in the mana source can cause massive variations in the resulting spell. Also, most of the complexity of the enchantment arises at this stage, so the more intricate an enchantment, the more difficult it is to form.

The third stage is induction. This is the process of making a manatic field powerful enough to produce macroscopically significant effects. This is done by subjecting the formed magic to periodic movement in a precise pattern determined by the specific enchantment being induced. The formed magic absorbs energy from the periodic motion, becoming more powerful in the process. As this happens, the magic also becomes more susceptible to spontaneous mutation and threshold decay, so considerable skill is required to adjust the induction if this is about to happen. Threshold decay will cause a spell to fizzle, whereas spontaneous mutation causes a completely different spell to result. Induction can be assisted by a machine, as with an enchantery engine, but a skilled enchanter is still required to prevent such a machine from malfunctioning.

The fourth stage is fixing. This means stabilizing the magic so that it cannot undergo further mutation until activated. In the case of permanent magic items, this can be an elaborate process involving specialized materials. In the case of spell materials, it is much less involved, but also much less reliable; spell materials usually do not remain viable long after their creation.

Spells vs. Magic Items:

In most fantasy settings, magic items are a special case of spells, i.e. a permanent enchantment on an object. In the Locus, spells are a special case of magic items, i.e. a magic item designed for a single use, or else integrated into the caster's body. The result is that only magic users whose bodies are magical can cast spells without prepared materials.

The most common form of prepared spell material is the spell slip. This is a small piece of paper marked with abstract symbols in a special ink that retains magic. The symbols themselves bear superficial resemblance to writing, but otherwise have no actual meaning; the spell is not determined by the symbols, rather the symbols are an indirect effect of the periodic motions of the spell induction. When the spell slip is activated, the sudden release of mana is accompanied by a release of heat, which usually ignites the paper or at least causes it to smolder. For this reason, spell slips are by nature single-use even if the enchantment were not expended right away. However, the materials required to make them are cheap and easily portable, and the finished spells are readily concealable.

Magic vs. Technology:

Magic and technology are not strictly antagonistic in the Locus. However, magic does tend to have a detrimental effect on technology, creating an effect known as magic jamming.

The cause of magic jamming is that the intricate, repetitive motions of many complex machines or other technological device resemble those used in spell inductions. Thus, if a sufficiently complex machine comes in contact with the correct type of seed magic, that magic will be amplified until its effects are noticeable. However, since this occurs spontaneously and without control, it is unlikely that this magic is desirable. In most cases, it causes the machine to malfunction, and occasionally can result in catastrophic failure.

There are three main ways to deal with magic jamming. One is to have the machine supervised by a trained wizard who can take corrective action in the event of an unwanted spell effect. This is an expensive solution, but in some cases is the easiest way to avoid undesirable effects. In the case of enchantery engines, it is the preferred solution, as the machine's user is a trained wizard anyways.

The second way is to simplify the machine by replacing mundane components with magical counterparts. This is the most common solution, as magical components tend to be very reliable, and pack enough functionality into a small space and part count to justify their higher cost. Magical components are not susceptible to magic jamming, as spell induction effects do not affect fixed magic. This results in a wide variety of magic-machine hybrids, which in turn form the backbone of the Locus economy.

The third solution is to render the entire machine resistant to magic jamming, either by constructing it entirely out of materials with fixed magic, or by placing the entire device inside an interference ward. This tends to be the rarest solution, as it tends to be expensive, and since the superior functionality of a magic-machine hybrid usually makes it far more economical.

Sensing magic:

In order for an enchanter to maintain control of their magic during the critical forming and induction stages, they must be able to monitor what the magic is doing. This is difficult because most magic has no tangible effect until it has reached its desired strength. Two solutions have been developed for this problem: magesight, and taggants.

Magesight is the ability to "see" magic. This is usually the result of natural talent or intensive training; natural magesight is one of the key abilities that distinguishes those with magical ability from those destined for non-magical trades. However, there are also commercially available eye drops that grant temporary magesight. These are usually used by security personnel, as magesight has the side effect of permitting the detection of magical invisibility.

Taggants are enchantments whose sole purpose is to render other enchantments visible. The extensive use of crystal in magic items is largely a result of this; because the crystal is transparent, the enchanter can clearly see taggants in its interior, allowing them to monitor the progress of an enchantment being placed on it. However, taggants often serve a useful purpose in the finished item. Many force fields have taggants to render them visible for safety or other reasons. The force bolts of a ray crossbow often have taggants to improve accuracy.

Magic types:

There are five main types of common magic in the Locus. There are also many types of uncommon magic, but these do not necessarily fit any simple classification scheme. The main varieties are as follows:


Classification of major magic varieties in the Locus.

Magic that interacts exclusively with other magic is sometimes termed metamagic. Examples of this include taggants and magesight potions. However, as metamagic is less common than the other varieties of magic, and since it interacts equally well with the other five categories, we treat it separately.

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