Magic
Magic covers the world of Dragon-Bound like mist, moving in currents and patterns in the same way the wind does, or the way the ocean follows currents and seasons. It is typically dormant and the sentient races of Dragon-Bound have each developed their own way to tap into the currents of magic and use the power there to bend the world around them. The magic currents on their own are too dangerous to be directly tapped into, however, and so various forms of channeling magic have been developed. These methods are a sort of buffer between the mind and the magic, allowing the individual to manipulate the world around them without touching the currents directly.
Humans have the most complicated forms of magic as they are the physically weakest race in Dragon-Bound. As a result, they can tolerate very little exposure to raw magic and have to use methods that are very rigid and formulaic. Being a mage requires a good deal of knowledge about the way the world works (Ex: physics, natural sciences) as well as having the natural ability to tap into the magical currents. While some humans can naturally use magic, to be truly good at it requires study. While dragons can learn to use magic in the human form it is actually quite useless for them to do so, as the human method adds extra complexity.
Dragons channel magic by instinct in a much cruder form than humans. Any formulas or rituals they put into using magic is usually simplistic, the most common being dividing magic into elements such as fire and water. All dragons use magic by instinct, as it is necessary for them to fly, but not all dragons progress much further than what is strictly needed for them to survive. With time, a Bound human can learn to use the dragon form of magic, relying on the link between them and their dragon to keep them safe from the raw currents of magic around them.
Creatures that are created with magic, such as fae and vampires, channel it naturally with little awareness that they are doing so. It is part of what they are.
There are a number of prominent ways to channel magic. They are:
Types of Magic:
Blessed - The most powerful way to channel magic, Blessed can tap into the currents directly. Only those that have walked the Blessed Path can use raw magic without destroying themselves. The Blessed magic is magic incarnate and is said to have a will of its own - directing those that wield it to stabilize the world and maintain a balance between all things. Very few can use the Blessed magic as it has a high penalty and once a person walks the Blessed Path they can never turn their back on it. However, the Blessed magic can shape reality itself. Blessed magic grants knowledge to the user, the ability to see the different paths the future can take, and power to mold the world around them with only an act of will.
Fae - Fae (or fairy) magic is one step removed from raw magic. All fairies and some humans/dragons with fairy blood can use it. It requires very little outside of a conscious thought to use and is often an extension of the wielder, much as a sword can become almost a part of a person as their arm. Fae magic cannot be taught or learned - it simply is a natural thing that fairies can do. Levitating something would only require the fairy to think that the rock should levitate.
Dragon - All dragons can use magic but to a lesser degree than the fairies. Their magic is part-innate talent and part-learned. Dragons view magic according to the components of the world: earth, fire, water, flora, fauna, wind, sun, stone, etc. Using these generalized concepts dragons can then channel their magic along these lines into the form they wish it to take. For example, a dragon can concentrate on the concept of a storm and shape their magic to that concept in order to conjure rain. Dragon magic is fast to use and requires little to no preparation but has very little finesse.
Divine - This form of magic is a human creation, but not an intentional one. Devotees of a particular religion have found that if their faith is strong enough they can channel magic to advance the causes and tenets of their religion. Their magic does not come from themselves, but from the collective beliefs of their followers. The magic is channeled through the collection of people that believe in the religion and is then made manifest by someone with enough faith. For example, if enough people believed that their god could make the rain come and a priest prayed for rain, the magic would respond to the force of will being displayed and it would rain. Obviously, the more people that believe in a religion, the more powerful divine magic can be.
Human - In order to create a system of magic in which human mages could withstand the danger of raw magic a system of rules was developed. Humans are born with the ability to use magic and if they are not trained at some point they will lose the ability sometime during early adulthood. Human magic is highly structured and requires an immense amount of knowledge about the world, as it is based around the components of the world. However, unlike the dragons, humans use much stricter ideas of what the world is made of and incorporate these concepts into rituals to further focus their minds. Without this concentration, a mage would be unable to control their own magic. For example, a mage that wanted to transform lead into gold would have to first know the properties of lead, the properties of gold, and then how a substance would conceivably change from one to the other. Then, they would have to work up a way to put this into ritual - be it words or symbols - and channel their magic through this. Although it is time-consuming it means that human mages have a much higher degree of control over what their magic does than dragons do.
Specialized Magic:
The following forms of magic are very specific and limited. An individual is usually born with these and if you wish to roleplay a character with one of these kinds of magic please give it very careful consideration. If you aren't sure - ask. Any race can have these kinds of magic. All of the following attract a good deal of attention from other people - especially human mages who would love to find out how they work. As a result, it's sometimes dangerous to have these forms of magic.
Spectrum - The most dangerous of all forms of magic. There have only been three known users of spectrum magic and all have died young, destroyed by their own magic. Spectrum magic uses light and the refraction of light off of things to channel. It allows the user to channel immense amounts of power - as light and refraction are essentially everywhere - but the chaotic and complex nature of how light reacts with the world makes it nearly impossible to control for but a few minutes at a time. Furthermore, spectrum magic is incredibly beautiful and exhilarating and it is easy for a wielder to be lost in the sensation and burn themselves out without even realizing it. Most spectrum users die in their first attempt to wield and and those that do manage to control it live the rest of their lives battling with their own power. Spectrum magic cannot be learned and must be something the person is born with.
Spirit - The ability to interact with the spirits throughout the world. These spirits may be ones of nature that exist within each object or spirits of sentient creatures that have died. A user of spirit magic can see and talk to spirits and often ask them to do things that the user cannot. For example, a spirit mage can sense the 'soul' inside of a door and ask it to open for them. Or they can find the spirit of someone who has died and ask them questions. Spirit magic can be learned but it is extremely difficult. Most spirit mages are born that way.
Natural - A natural mage is someone that has magical talent but never realizes it. It is mostly among the humans and is usually someone that has magic but was never trained and for whatever reason, use it unconsciously. Many famous artisans are natural mages and work their magic into their art without ever finding out that they are in fact mages. In this case, it acts simply like 'luck', a force that helps the user in whatever it is they are doing. Most natural mages never find out they are mages and if someone notices and points it out, they're unlikely to believe it. After all, things have always been this way for them and they've never cast a spell in their lives. Natural mages find it very hard to transition to full mage, if they choose to try, and most just go on living as they always have.
Unwillingly Blessed - Sometimes the Blessed Path decides it needs someone to perform a certain role, whether the person in question wants to or not. Magic will then make itself a part of this person and turn them into what the Blessed path wants. Most people who are unwillingly Blessed don't even realize what it is that has made them this way. They just live as best as they can and the Blessed Path takes great care to ensure that they never find out that they've been granted the most powerful magic in existence. Unwillingly Blessed are the only people who can both use the Blessed magic and defy the Blessed Path's will at the same time. They're like a wild card and their ability to use the Blessed magic is as unstable as their actions.
