The Source
The source of Nahwaer's magic, tie to the planes, and much of its supernatural wonders stems from an ancient Beholder device that was meant to grant the beholder race an edge in fighting the Psionically gifted races.
Although no one is really sure what the device was supposed to do(The original beholder engineers who activated it were driven insane), what it DID do is generate a field that allows for people within the field(known as the Arcanosphere) to tap the field itself for supernatural powers.
The Destruction of Magic
Unlike normal forms of energy, magic can be both created and destroyed. however, there is a price to be paid for it. When a creature or object holds a large amount of magical energy(since everyone knows it as mana already, I'll just continue to use the term) within it, the mana continues to generate more of itself if held in one object or being long enough(which is often fatal to living creatures, and is something that wizards refer to as Mana Burn). If a creature or object that is made of, or holds within it, a large amount of mana is suddenly killed or destroyed, it releases a backlash into the surrounding area charging everything within the area with mana often fatal to living organisms and destructive to objects(think Staff of the Magi). This is what causes wizard towers to collapse when you kill the wizard, or why heroes die after they have already defeated the terrible dragon adversary. Other supernatural creatures, such as Elves, Giants, and Outsiders suffer strange side effects when this occurs(with unnatural aging, blindness, or insanity in the worst cases).
Ley Lines and Power Nexuses
Deep within the Earth lay strong currents of power, in which the Arcanosphere's radiation has built up over time, resulting in an easy-to-tap source of mana. These places are called Power Nexuses. Sometimes they are artificially created(By powerful wizards), but most often they are created where two or more ley lines converge, and the mana pools. Ley lines also occur both naturally and artificially. They traverse the land, often seemingly willy-nilly.
The Power of Belief
The only reason magicof any variety works at all on Nahwaer is because people believe in it. The Elves, Dragons, and Giants did not spring up on their own, nor did the gods. They are a direct byproduct of belief's effects on the Arcanosphere. In reality, none of them exist. This is why a demon can be utterly destroyed one day, but somehow be summoned by a wizard the next. Granted, the Arcanosphere has its own, internal logic, but this logic is not easily understood.
Raise Dead
Since magic doesn't exist, some question the effects of the raise dead spells and rituals. Unlike a standard d20 campaign, there are additional problems that arise with raising the dead. First, the caster must be close with the deceased(as in have spent at least the last month or so living in close proximity to him). Additionally, he must physically go to the "Other Side" and bring the deceased back over to the land of the living. What is actually occuring is that a magical duplicate of the deceased based on the memory of the caster is being created. As a persons memory is often shaky, this is the reasoning behind the xp penalty and the time limit. This also explains why some people who have been raised act differently than from before they were raised.
The Types of Magic
- Divine: Divine Magic stems from the power of the deities. It is the source of power used by the Ancient Giants. It can be used to fundamentally alter reality in large shocking ways. Divine magic however is one of the more dangerous forms of magic as it uses the psyche of the caster as well as those around him to work.
- Natural: The Magic of Spirits and Fae. Also referred to as lesser magic, even though many of its effects can be devastating. The least physically dangerous to the caster, Natural magic prefers to just alter the flow of nature and physics rather than go against it. Believed to be the most common form of magic. This form of Magic is dangerous to the caster because it relies on tapping the natural reserves of magic stored within the caster himself.
- Thaumaturgy: Thaumaturgical magic is a highly destructive magical discipline. It is also considered a very violent form of magic in which the practitioners in a sense rape the land for the energy needed to cast their spells. However, the world at large always carries a hidden danger and a wizard must be careful when using his abilities. The vast majority of the practitioners are High Wizards, who are organize magic into various schools of magic.