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magic [2012/08/27 13:14]
jamesg
magic [2016/02/11 10:32] (current)
dan
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 ====== Magic and the Scholarly Arts ====== ====== Magic and the Scholarly Arts ======
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 ===== The College of the Stars ===== ===== The College of the Stars =====
  
 +Acryn is home to the College of the Stars, the greatest seat of the scholarly and magical arts upon the continent, rivalled in the world only by its counterpart in Strossborg, across the Eastern Ocean. History, Diplomacy, Engineering,​ Alchemy and Magic are the disciplines for which it is best known, but somewhere within its walls you can find an expert in any subject under the sun. Its presence has been acknowledged as a driving force in Acryn’s rise to its position as the greatest city state on the continent, and its arch-chancellor is granted a position on the council in recognition of this fact.
  
-Acryn is home to the College of the Stars, the greatest seat of the scholarly and magical arts upon the continentrivalled in the world only by its counterpart in Jithraacross ​the Eastern Ocean (which is, of courseinaccessible ​at this time)HistoryDiplomacyEngineering,​ Alchemy ​and Magic are the disciplines for which it is best known, but somewhere within its walls you can find an expert in any subject under the sunIts presence has been acknowledged as driving force in Acryn’s rise to its position as the greatest city state on the continentand its arch-chancellor is granted a position on the council in recognition ​of this fact.+All large cities have their seats of learning, but it is the mastery of magic that makes the College of the Stars truly stand out. The precise art of changing ​the world via the proper application of incantationssigils and gesturesfuelled by the consumption of reagents and manawas studied day and night by the finest minds of their generations,​ and their innovations gave Acryn capabilities no other city could equal, at least not until their lesser practitioners managed to discern and copy their methodsAny city could call upon a lesser mage to create some fireworks at great expense - only Acryn could bring to bear rituals of sufficient power to re-route riverspull down mountains, and create entire villages in moments. Rituals, of course, ​are the highest and most refined form of magic - a diverse variety of lesser effects ​can be achieved, separated roughly into Forms by the methods required to achieve themBy and large though, mana was too rare and valuable ​resource ​to waste on frivolous things, save at the behest of the extremely wealthybut the abilities ​of mages were none the less subject of considerable awe among those not versed in their arts.
  
-All large cities have their seats of learningbut it is the mastery ​of magic that makes the College of the Stars truly stand outThe precise art of changing the world via the proper application of incantations,​ sigils and gestures, fuelled ​by the consumption ​of reagents and mana, was studied day and night by the finest minds of their generations,​ and their innovations gave Acryn capabilities no other city could equal, at least not until their lesser practitioners managed to discern and copy their methods. Any city could call upon a lesser mage to create some fireworks at great expense - only Acryn could bring to bear rituals of sufficient power to re-route rivers, pull down mountains, and create entire villages in moments. Rituals, of course, are the highest and most refined form of magic - a diverse variety of lesser effects can be achievedseparated roughly into Forms by the methods required ​to achieve them. By and large though, mana was too rare and valuable ​resource ​to waste on frivolous things, save at the behest ​of the extremely wealthy, but the abilities ​of mages were none the less subject of considerable awe among those not versed in their arts.+===== The People'​s College ​of Acryn ===== 
 +Like its more prestigious cousinthe PCA is a place of learning for all the scholarly and magical artsFounded approximately 50 years ago by some wealthy merchants dissatisfied with the perceived elitist attitude ​of the College ​of the Stars, the college serves ​to educate anyone who shows desire ​to better themselves. The college itself is renown for an emphasis ​on practical application resulting in some truly astounding works of engineering, but also a reputation for action without thought - especially among members of the College ​of the Stars.
  
 ===== The Legend of The Five Dragons ===== ===== The Legend of The Five Dragons =====
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 There is some debate amongst mages and scholars as to the accuracy of this legend, and their views on magic are similarly inconsistent. Some say that mages draw their power from the trapped dragons, while others state that the dragon myth is merely a metaphor for the nature of the world, highlighting the five rites as fundamental forces. Others believe that their power is a gift, freely given from these creatures, and there are rumours that some even worship these dragons as gods. Regardless, while it is not necessarily understood why magic works, none could deny its usefulness, before or after the Upheaval. There is some debate amongst mages and scholars as to the accuracy of this legend, and their views on magic are similarly inconsistent. Some say that mages draw their power from the trapped dragons, while others state that the dragon myth is merely a metaphor for the nature of the world, highlighting the five rites as fundamental forces. Others believe that their power is a gift, freely given from these creatures, and there are rumours that some even worship these dragons as gods. Regardless, while it is not necessarily understood why magic works, none could deny its usefulness, before or after the Upheaval.
  
-===== Magic and the College ​after the Upheaval =====+===== Magic and the Colleges ​after the Upheaval =====
  
  
 Like faith, magic has not been left unchanged in the wake of the Upheaval, and like faith, it is only to the advantage of those who practice it. Previously, the rituals and arcane weaving that formed a spell were required to transmute the mana and any other material inputs used into the desired effect. Since the upheaval, to a degree, the rituals and motions themselves seem to give rise to effects, with or without material inputs. How this functions has been a matter of some significant academic and experimental investigation,​ and the current prevailing theory is that using the appropriate incantations and gestures creates an upwelling of proto-mana within the mage, which is immediately utilised to produce the desired effect. This theory is corroborated by the process being rather painful for the mage, as raw energy wells up within them, and actively dangerous if used too rapidly. This change has given mages scope to utilise their powers to a much greater extent than they did pre-upheaval,​ and a new breed of magician-adventurer has begun to be evinced among the ranks of the college, replacing the classic image of the cloistered scholar, their skills in high demand among those who wish to strike out into the Flux. Like faith, magic has not been left unchanged in the wake of the Upheaval, and like faith, it is only to the advantage of those who practice it. Previously, the rituals and arcane weaving that formed a spell were required to transmute the mana and any other material inputs used into the desired effect. Since the upheaval, to a degree, the rituals and motions themselves seem to give rise to effects, with or without material inputs. How this functions has been a matter of some significant academic and experimental investigation,​ and the current prevailing theory is that using the appropriate incantations and gestures creates an upwelling of proto-mana within the mage, which is immediately utilised to produce the desired effect. This theory is corroborated by the process being rather painful for the mage, as raw energy wells up within them, and actively dangerous if used too rapidly. This change has given mages scope to utilise their powers to a much greater extent than they did pre-upheaval,​ and a new breed of magician-adventurer has begun to be evinced among the ranks of the college, replacing the classic image of the cloistered scholar, their skills in high demand among those who wish to strike out into the Flux.
  
-The College and, especially, its mages look upon the Wayfinders guild with some significant degree of jealousy, feeling that they have missed a chance to bring a new scholarly art under their auspices and, worst of all, that the Wayfinder’s offer a service that they simply cannot compete with - after all, what use in raising up a mountain before your site if it vanishes as soon as you leave it alone. Magic has proven singularly useless in addressing the flux in a lasting manner, leaving a permanent mark only on Consensus areas, and only affecting Flux regions for as long as they are fixed. Navigational magic is, to all intents and purposes, dead as an art, as it simply doesn’t function when trying to cross Flux regions, which is required for any journey that strays even slightly from the beaten path. To add insult to injury, the guild has heavily resisted the college’s ​attempts to study Wayfinder’s ​and their abilities, preferring to accumulate their own internal stock of knowledge, which irks the College ​no end. However, the presence of the Guild is simply too important to the city for any censure to be passed against it by the council, and thus the college ​must seethe, but do nothing.+The College ​of the Stars and, especially, its mages look upon the Wayfinder's guild with some significant degree of jealousy, feeling that they have missed a chance to bring a new scholarly art under their auspices and, worst of all, that the Wayfinder’s offer a service that they simply cannot compete with - after all, what use in raising up a mountain before your site if it vanishes as soon as you leave it alone. Magic has proven singularly useless in addressing the flux in a lasting manner, leaving a permanent mark only on Consensus areas, and only affecting Flux regions for as long as they are fixed. Navigational magic is, to all intents and purposes, dead as an art, as it simply doesn’t function when trying to cross Flux regions, which is required for any journey that strays even slightly from the beaten path. To add insult to injury, the guild has heavily resisted ​either of the colleges' ​attempts to study Wayfinders ​and their abilities, preferring to accumulate their own internal stock of knowledge, which irks the Colleges ​no end. However, the presence of the Guild is simply too important to the city for any censure to be passed against it by the council, and thus the colleges ​must seethe, but do nothing.
  
-It is not, of course, just the magical arm of the College ​that has found great demand thrust upon it. People are looking to the bright minds of the College ​to help overcome the new challenges the city faces, everything from adapting centuries of agricultural practice to make intense use of the meagre tracts of Consensus land available for use to navigating a continental political situation cast into chaos by the Upheaval. Scholars and experts of all varieties find their skills marketable like never before. ​+It is not, of course, just the magical arm of the Colleges ​that has found great demand thrust upon them. People are looking to the bright minds of the Colleges ​to help overcome the new challenges the city faces, everything from adapting centuries of agricultural practice to make intense use of the meagre tracts of Consensus land available for use to navigating a continental political situation cast into chaos by the Upheaval. Scholars and experts of all varieties find their skills marketable like never before. ​
magic.1346073265.txt.gz · Last modified: 2015/05/14 21:09 (external edit)