Resonant Energy | Heartlands

Resonant Energies

Resonant Energy

All forms of magical energy possess a unique "Resonant Signature" which defines their innate nature. These signatures are loosely grouped into "elements" according to mortal comprehension of them, but in reality there are endless grey areas between each element as well, and they bleed into eachother. The 'elements' as understood by formal magical bodies are merely artificial constructs made to categorize the infinite variation in Resonance.

The Resonance of a type of magic defines what it draws from and how it is enacted upon the world. The only way to measure it even roughly is with the common magical ability of Witchsight, which allows one to view the world through resonant signatures rather than vision. Each resonance has its own "feeling" to it, a combination of emotions, principles, and physical properties which defines what it is.

When a form of magic, an artifact, or an individual is attuned to a specific resonance, it is known as 'Resonant Affinity'. This is a natural process which will always occur from exposure to resonant energies, as Resonant Energies will naturally infuse their surroundings. All spellcasting will create such an effect. It is possible for Resonant energies to bleed together, creating new forms of Resonance.

Resonance is a reflection of the nature of reality itself, and so by manipulating resonant energies you are altering reality. Through incredibly powerful rituals, new forms of Resonance have even been crafted into being artificially, altering the fundamental fabric of reality itself. Such creations will spread on their own with or without their creators influence.

Resonant Affinity and Attunement

Resonant Affinity is a state where something- an Artifact, an aura, an individual, or a place- is closely connected to a specific type of resonant energy. This is most important when dealing with spellcrafting, where a spellcaster may come to understand similar forms of magic by casting their spells and increasing their understanding.

Resonant Affinity will naturally infuse an object from exposure. All spellcasting will affect resonant affinity, changing the basic nature of its surroundings in minute ways. Should a very powerful spell take place, it may drastically affect the resonant affinities of everything around it. But phenomena in the physical world may also cause this; perhaps a raging firestorm left such an indelible mark on the land it crossed that it was forever infused with the essence of flame, or a great battle left the stench of death to hang over the land for years. Such things may eventually dissipate, but they are just as likely to become self-propagating and remain forever, or at least until something overwhelms them and pushes them out.

Resonant Affinity can be dangerous to a spellcaster; if they are not cautious, they can corrupt their very being with dark magic, or become elemental beings more spirit than person.

Related to Resonant Affinity is Attunement. When something is attuned to a resonance, it is more susceptible to it; it is not infused with it already, but it will readily absorb that resonant signature. In order to cast a spell, one must first be attuned to that resonance. Attunement can occur from proximity, but also focus and ritual.

Forms of magical energy

The most common form that magical energy comes in is termed 'spiritforce', and can roughly be understood as the basal state of magical energy. All of the world is infused with a certain, thin aether of spiritual power, but it is much more heavily concentrated within individuals, most particularly spellcasters. It is this resource which spellcasters of various types are generally fueling their magic with. Spiritforce is an inextinguishable resource, as if a spellcaster exhausts their reserves they will regenerate naturally- and through practice, they will generate more and more spiritforce.

An altered form of magical energy rests only within living creatures, in addition to the 'spirit'; this is Lifeforce. Lifeforce is much harder to percieve or use, and without lifeforce an entity will die. Creatures with great amounts of lifeforce are more difficult to harm, will regenerate quickly from wounds, and possess greater strength, intelligence, and power in all of its forms. Low lifeforce will render them sickly and may eventually kill them.

An entity may die without completely depleting its lifeforce, should its biological body be slain. In such a case, the lifeforce will dissipate rapidly- typically within a matter of seconds for most creatures, though the most powerful and strong-willed may last for hours. In this time period it is possible to capture the Lifeforce and restore life to their body or preserve their soul beyond death.

The entities spiritforce, conversely, lasts far beyond death; it is this energy that necromancers can use to raise the dead. When bound to a corpse, their spiritual energy retained but their soul lost, the undead become horrific, incomplete creatures. When not bound to a necromancer, they will invariably become maddened, raving fiends, afflicted with a terrible hollowness, half-living and horribly incomplete. Such a creature has no hope of sanity.

There are other creatures with no lifeforce; animated golems and other similar constructs are typically imbued only with spiritual energy. As a result, though often powerful, these creations are only loosely bound to the world and can be dismantled by a skilled magi.

Generally speaking, spiritforce is the main catalyst for magic; however, Lifeforce can also be utilized, though it is more dangerous and difficult. Lifeforce is a far more potent fuel for spellcasting, and the art of draining lifeforce from others to fuel ones magic is a sought-after, though often forbidden, art. Though lifeforce does exist within wild creatures and plants, the quantities are usually negligible and not worth the considerable effort required to extract.

There is however a much rarer third form of magical energy; Divinity. Divinity is the most potent form of magic at all, and is only possessed naturally by Divine creatures. Divinity possesses a very strong natural Resonance, and its mere presence will leak resonant energies to the surrounding area, such that a Divine beast will alter its surroundings by proximity alone. Divine creatures have neither spiritforce nor lifeforce to speak of, and Divinity is both their source of magical power and life. Divine creatures are the only entities that possess innate, instinctual control of magic- all others must learn to percieve, then control, magic on their own.

The 'fifteen elements'

Originating from a school of sages in the eastern kingdoms, the 'fifteen elements' is a commonly taught understanding of Resonant energies based on fifteen "core" resonances that are more simple and available in nature. These 'core' resonances are easily encountered and are considered more simple than other resonances which can be related to multiple of them.

In reality this is a very rough understanding of resonant energy, as there is no firm categorization or boundary for these powers; however, they serve as a suitable starting point.

The 'fifteen elements' are sorted into three categories; the six "Physical" elements, the six "Ethereal" elements, and the three "Metaphysical" elements. The Physical elements reflect physical phenomena, the Ethereal elements are nonphysical elements that are more mystical, and the Metaphysical elements represent core aspects of reality itself.

Generally, very physical forms of magic are the hardest to learn, because using spiritual energy to shape the material world is more difficult than casting purely magical spells. Conversely, the metaphysical elements are also dificult, as they require an innate familiarity with the nature of the world which cannot be attained through study alone. As a result, magic that is in between the two is typically the easiest to understand.

The 'physical' elements are as follows:

Cold magic is a fairly uncommon magic form, rare outside of isolated frost dragar clans and far southern Sidri. It has resonant affinity with fire and shadow magic. It can feel bleak and empty, similar to shadow magic. Cold magic is one of the more versatile elements, as precisely wielding it can allow for constructs of ice to be formed by freezing water particles in the air. However, it should not be confused with "ice" magic, which is closer to water- the ice itself is not animated or manipulated, only frozen in place. Beyond this, cold magic can be easily used to cool things down, and similarly in a more mystical sense to deplete the resonant energy within objects.
Fire magic is considered the most violent and aggressive of the commonly seen magic types, and is relatively common amongst tribal or clannish societies. It has resonant affinity with lightning, lifeforce, and heavenly magic, and is associated with aggression, fury, divinity, and cleansing. It can feel like a rampant, uncontrolled destructive force, but equally as a quiet strength or potential.
Fire magic is one of the most straightforward elements to utilize. In its most basic form, it can do little more than bend fire alone
The most ethereal and esoteric of the physical elements, Lightning has a strong resonant affinity with wind, solar, and fire. It is violent and arbitrary, and one of the most difficult to control and rampant forms of magic, being dangerous to its user as well as their enemies. It is also difficult to understand through scholarly study. It is associated with power, violence, intelligence, and grandiosity.
Lightning magic can be utilized to generate electrical currents, emit bolts of lightning, and enchant objects with energy and power.
Wind magic is associated with gaseous substances, the sky, weather, and invisible forces. It is one of the more loose elements with a wide range of specific resonances grouped under its banner. It is associated with freedom, speed, tranquil fury, and arbitrariness.
Wind magic not only controls currents of wind and air, but also can create vaccuums, manipulate weather, affect the sky, enchant objects with grace and speed, and manifest invisible curtains of force from different directions.
Earth, or "Geomancy", is widely considered the most difficult form of magic to master, as a result of its physical nature. It has a solid, stalwart feeling, and is associated with protection, strength, and physicality.
It is difficult to shape metal or rock with magic owing to their highly solid, physical natures, and as a result most geomancy is concerned with enchantment, witchsight (geomantic witchsight can detect objects through the earth, making it invaluable for mining among other things), and manipulating the properties of some objects. Certain alloys can only be forged with the aid of geomancy.
Water magic is clear and simplistic, possessing resonant affinity with Life, Cold, and Wind magic. It is relatively easy to use relative to other forms of magic, and has a fairly "mellow" feeling. Relative to other forms of magic, it is easier to directly affect the material world with it.

The 'Ethereal' elements are as follows

Shadow magic embodies concealment, hidden things, fear and mystery. It can feel like a wide, endless numbness, and seems to drain things of energy, yet it is not inherently evil or malicious, nor does it ravenously consume. It simply is. It has a resonant affinity with Death, Cold, and Malefic.
Shadow magic can manifest in a more literal sense, by blinding light or emitting choking clouds of dark fog and smoke, but equally by depriving creatures of their senses, disrupting their concentration, or draining them of vigor. Shadow energy can disrupt the bonds of life, swallow flames and light, and the touch of it feels like a contradictory, paradoxically painful numbness.
Light magic represents clarity, foresight, and vision. It has strong affinities with many other forms of magic, including lunar, solar, arcane, heavenly, and fire. Light magic feels brilliant and inspiring, but distant and unemotional.
Light magic can be used to generate light sources, including highly focused light such as lasers, as well as to manipulate the flow of light (allowing it to create darkness as well). More etherealy, light energy can reveal things concealed through magic and pierce magical barriers. Light magic energy feels stinging and overwhelming to the touch, as if a sensory overload.
Additionally, the barrier between arcane and light magic is not well established, and some rare abilities may fit into either category, depending on who you ask. Such abilities include manipulating the flow of time, distorting physical laws, and (hybridized with geomancy) manipulating gravity.
Lunar magic is the embodiment of the moon, and has a strong resonant affinity with water and silver. It is a shining beacon, radiating out in the night, but equally associated with the night and darkness. It represents purity, order, duality, mystery and mysticism. because of this, it is commonly considered close to arcane magic, even though they do not necessarily share resonant affinity. It is strongly associated with ritual magic, as it is fairly rare to be able to manipulate it at will. It is considered the purest form of magic, and as such is utterly anathema to Malefic.
Lunar magic, being a purely ethereal form of magic, can manifest threads of mystic light, invoke seals or wards, draw power from the phases of the moon (with different phases havign different uses), and purify corruption. More rarely, it will show its more esoteric, eldritch side, manifesting mysterious, curved blades of mystical power and invoking archaic mysteries as sources of power. In this state it can be surprisingly vicious. In its natural state, lunar magic feels cleansing, pure, but somehow judgemental at once. In its eldritch state, lunar magic feels befuddling, dreadful, mysterious and dominating.
Solar magic is the embodiment of the sun and everything it represents- a glorious, blazing fury, a surging center of heat and energy. It is equal parts furious and glorious, an unrelenting, eternal surge of power. It is associated with immortality, rebirth, glory, and power.
Solar magic manifests in waves or surges of roiling power, spheres or bolts of energy and incandescent fury. Solar energy will feel intensely hot, rippling and give a sense of grandeur and majesty.
Malefic magic is unusual for one of the base forms of magic, as it does not represent any real concepts or embody anything other than itself. It is corruption and perversity given form, yet at the same time sometimes has its own forms of perverse, misunderstood beauty. it is a thousand threads of deception, which bears an unseen face, calling out to practitioners in their dreams, showing them visions of a dark, forgotten world. It is unknown what it is associated with, if anything, and it can appear suddenly without any apparent cause.
Malefic magic exists in many, many forms, and the manner of magic it can cast is incredibly varied. More common incarnations of its power include rotting creatures alive, creating disease and pestilence, emitting unholy, bleak power which drains the lifeforce of objects it touches, degrading materials to dust, raising the dead in their still-rotting bodies, trapping the souls of those who have died, and ripping the soul from the body. Yet it can also grow and blossom, spreading in an asymmetric, deformed pattern of perverse beauty.
Heavenly magic is the essence of prayers and worship, of consecration, of protection. It is associated with safety, protection, purification, and divinity
Heavenly energy appears blue and yellow, shifting like a cloud of light. Its rays radiate peace and tranquility, safety. To the touch, it feels light and soft.

And the metaphysical elements are the following:

Death magic is the essence of ends, of oblivion and annihilation. Unlike many other forms of magic, Death is inherently destructive, and rather than releasing energy it absorbs it. For this reason, it has a resonant affinity with Cold and Malefic magic. It is associated with endings, order, sleep, peace, and finality.
Death energy appears black, but with tinges of green and purple. To the touch it is cold, absolute oblivion, an annihilation of all feeling and thought beyond any comprehensible in the material universe.
Life magic is the essence of growth, nature, flourishing, and wild animals and plants. It is verdant, flourishing, ever growing in a constant network, and its resonance is strong in places with strong diversity of life such as jungles. It is associated with growth, healing, and interconnectedness.
Life magic appears like an endlessly moving swirl of green and yellow strands of wind or string. It feels fluid and moving, an endless sensation of rustling and movement, strangely unsettling. In practice, it can heal, commune with, and influence lifeforms, especially the more primitive sort. It is considered highly difficult to use, especially its far more rarely seen abilities, including manipulating the structure of lifeforms (more typically plants, as the manipulation of animals is usually seen as blood magic, though it is questionable whether there is a distinction.). In theory, it may be possible to create life, but there is no known record of such a feat. Aspects of life magic may appear different in numerous ways- notably, the magic of the Sylvan Woodshapers appears amber and fluid, like sap.
Arcane magic is the resonant essence of the conception of spiritual energy itself; rather than a reflection of the material world, it reflects the esoteric and incomprehensible nature of magic itself. Depending on who you ask, Arcane magic may be its own resonance, a combination of all resonances, or have no resonance at all. It is associated with time, mystery, and paradoxes. Arcane magic itself is difficult to look at, and certainly nobody could ever assign an exact color or shape or sensation to it. It is a confusing, incomprehensible sensation, where emotions can be smelled and seen and the physical world can be percieved as emotions.