Penda Lume setting brainstorm.

[O Senhor Leetz]

Ok, I've been whittling away at a new setting that in some ways is the spiritual successor to Arga, even though that's not done, because I'm a malcontent and restless. anyhoooooo, here is what I've written about magic (called magika) so far in the world of Penda Lume.

[ic]Magika
Magika permeates the world of Penda Lume, but that is not to say that it is easily harnessed by the whims of mortals. Magika is a complex and ancient thing. There is not one kind of all-pervasive force that exists only to be control. Just as the material world is composed of so many things '" fire, trees, clouds, seas, even mortals '" so too is magika. Some ancient tomes speak of times when there were fifty-seven known types of magika that where controlled by mortals, others say only eleven, while some conclude there was one nine-hundred and ninety-nine different elements of magika. Whatever the history says matters not, as today ? separate and unique elements of magika are known.

Phaen
The magika of Phaen is a wild and dangerous thing. Born of natural entropy and decay, the magika of Phaen is surprisingly easy to learn, but difficult to survive and near-impossible to master. Wielders of the wild Phaen use it to manipulate to inherent state of entropy in all things, often speeding up the process with deadly results. Rusting metal, turning stone to dust, the rapid decomposition of natural materials; all are the hallmarks of Phaen.

Due its fickle and wild nature, Phaen is easily harnessed, yet difficult to keep a hold of. Simple ritual turns ones body into a literal conduit for entropic energies, at the same time making them easier to control and allowing them to run dangerously free. Those of weak will and frail body are consumed by the Phaen they seek to control '" bursting into black flames, shattering into a million tiny pieces, or blowing away with the wind are known to occur frequently. Even those of worthy to wield the Phaen suffer terrible injuries and mutations '" charred and split skin, abnormal or extra limbs, or rapid aging are just a few of the possible consequences. Because of its dangerous and random temperament, the use of Phaen is often outlawed, yet because of its accessibility and tempting power, it is fairly wide-spread, albeit somewhat hidden.


Augmera
Augmera is one of the older elements of magika still practiced today. Augmera excels at altering and enhancing the inherent properties of materials. Not a flashy or grand type of magika, Augmera is one of the most common forms of magika practiced. Safe, useful, and easy to learn, Augmera is used to create anything from common baubles and trinkets to sparkwork machines. Augmera can be used in two different ways. The first is to augment an existent trait of something - an enhanced knife may be lighter; a pair of boots may be more durable; a cloak may be resistant to extremes of heat or cold; lamp oil may burn slower. The second is to change or add an attribute to something: food can be changed to quench thirst in addition to stop hunger: a lamp that floats; a rope that moves on its own accord.

Augmera is used through a manner of rites, rituals, and alchemy, some secret and some common. While not widespread, tomes and codices of Augmera enchantments and alterations can be found in older libraries, well-connected bookstores, and colleges of magika. Some learn of Augmera in an apprentice-master setting, as it is useful in the creation of quality goods and items. Others learn on their own through hand-me-down books and manuals.


Vax
The magika of Vax is in some ways the opposite of Phaen. Instead of speeding the eventual decay of all things, Vax slows it down through curative and remedial magika. It is strongly linked to the power that life and growth hold, and as such, the use of herbs, plants, animal parts, and minerals are the cornerstone to Vax. While the use of herbal remedies and elixirs for things such as the flu, a sore back, or a headache is extremely common throughout Penda Lume, the art of Vax takes thing one step further. Potions, tonics, and pastes are fortified and enhanced to mend broken bones, seal deep wounds, detoxify vile poisons, or even bring back one from the dead.

Apothecary guilds and religious organizations are the most frequent practioners of Vax, and as such hold much of the known knowledge about it. Still, it is not uncommon for a family to have a secret hangover cure that Vax finds it way into, or for a midwife to have several unique recipes of her own.  


Aethra
The magika of Aethra is perhaps the strangest of all the known types. Aethra is not magika insomuch as it is anti-magika. Just as life has death and the material has the immaterial, so too does magika have Aethra. Those who have learned how to harness aethra do not use it the way the other elements are. Aethra does not create, nor does it destroy the material, it does not alter the condition of the mind nor the body, it does not enhance motion, clairvoyance, or divination. Aethra, instead, interferes directly with all other types of magika. Sparkwork items and artifacts sputter and fail in the presence of sufficient Aethra, enchanted weapons and armor lose their potency, and other spells created by other elements of magika often do not work.

Due its nature, Aethra is both extremely difficult to control, exceedingly rare, and greatly feared and maligned for its negating effect on other elements of magika. The path to Aethra is currently unknown. There exists not one official college, coven, or conclave that openly studies and practices Aethra. That being said, however, rumors persist of a dark cult that seeks to use Aethra to reduce themselves to a state of pure nothingness.[/ic]
 

[Llum]

Interesting read, two things stuck out to me.

1. Stone to sand from Phaen. Stone erodes due to erosion (form the elements) and has nothing to do with entropy, just seemed to stick out to me.

2. The Dark Cult that uses Aethra to reduce themselves to nothingness. Doesn't seem to fit with what Aethra does, unless people are powered by Magicka? Or they have some inherent twinning with Macicka? Definetly seems like something Phaen-like.

[Steerpike]

I very much like Phaen and Vax.  Does Vax produce any side-effects, like Phaen does?  Maybe those who wield Phaen tend to suffer from the decay-oriented mutations, whereas those who wield Vax might instead suffer from mutations involving excessive growth (like the extra limbs?) or perhaps other strange transmutations (perhaps partly into beasts or plants?)?

[O Senhor Leetz]

well, for Phaen, for both fluff and crunch, I wanted a very powerful, very easy, and very dangerous type of magic. Something that is tempting, but in the end deadly.

and as for Vax, it is basically a mix of alchemy, herbology, and magic. The powers of Vax cannot be harnessed directly by a person, but can be activated through plants/herbs/etc. in the form of potions, salves, whatever.

I was also thinking that each different element of magika (There will eventually be more than what I've listed, and any suggestions would be VERY welcomed) having a unique and specific "trigger" or way to draw out and activate the magika. for instance, in order to use Vax, you need to make elixirs, potions, pastes - something like that.

I was thinking that one type of magika could be based on runes and sigils, another based on music and song, and one more on corporal sacrifice - like blood letting or self-burning, this would probably fit Phaen well.

[XXsiriusXX]

Sparkwork items and artifacts sputter and fail in the presence of sufficient Aethra, enchanted weapons and armor lose their potency, and other spells created by other elements of magika often do not work.

You say often doesn't work, under what circumstances does magika still function?

[O Senhor Leetz]

alright, I seem to have the habit of posting something, and then totally rethinking it, which is good, as long as I feel like rewriting things, like now. so without further ado...

here are some changes/additions I've made magika (I am also trying to look for another cool name for 'magic'),

1. Leylines. Every different type of magic has it's own unique set of leylines, even the wild Phaen. There leylines rest on Penda Lume like latitude and longitude lines, but don't look anything like them. Some leylines are straight and orderly, others are seemingly random and unruly. No one knows why or how the leylines exist, but they do know that the each element of magic works better, if not exclusively, when practiced on it's corresponding leyline.

2. Magika is VERY VERY rare, which I don't feel my initial explanation, uh, explained.

now for answers.
@xx. the effect that Aethra has basically depends on the strength of the Aethra (who is using it, whether they are on a leyline, etc.) vs. the other element of magika's strenght.

[XXsiriusXX]

1. Leylines. Every different type of magic has it's own unique set of leylines, even the wild Phaen. There leylines rest on Penda Lume like latitude and longitude lines, but don't look anything like them. Some leylines are straight and orderly, others are seemingly random and unruly. No one knows why or how the leylines exist, but they do know that the each element of magic works better, if not exclusively, when practiced on it's corresponding leyline.

Interesting.

So what happens when two different leylines cross one another?

[O Senhor Leetz]

didn't really think about that, but interesting things could definitely happen.

maybe they allow unique and powerful rituals to be performed? they could negate each other, throw each other off, or even stack with each other. that would probably all depend on what kind of lines are crossing each other.

on the world map, which I should be uploading shortly, a lot of neat ruins, dead cities, and wonders sit on leylines, as do many cities in the world. Some places where intentionally built on the leylines, while other just happened to be near them. so even say that long-dead sorcerers could move the leylines to better harness their power, but that's just hear-say.

[Kaptn'Lath]

"on the world map, which I should be uploading shortly, a lot of neat ruins, dead cities, and wonders sit on leylines, as do many cities in the world. Some places where intentionally built on the leylines, while other just happened to be near them."

This would seem to indicate that ley lines junctions would be more useful than dangerous. Or at least understood/predictable.

So the decay/dismemberment/harm of phaen comes from the trigger not the energy channeled right?

As far as more magika, I love symmetry:

Vax (life) - Phaen (death)
Augmera - "A"
Aethra - "B"

"A" - Augmera adds magic to a device that does something. It already has a use or function but is enhanced. Maybe "A" adds purpose to something that does nothing. Magic Gem, a wand, or add magic to a river, a circle of stones, a tree, hmm maybe to magic up a location or area? Circle of Protection? Augmera adds magic to an object. "A" adds magic to a place? Sanctum for a name?

"B" - raw magic. Unchannelable raw energy, once formed into a spell its becomes one of the other forms of magika. Can be used to up the power of other magic spells and items. Could work well with the lay lines, these could be the most common of the lines. When junctions with a line of another magika its doesn't do anything new, its just creates a super junction of the other magika? Its like light, or white, when broken down you get purple, blue, red, yellow, ect. but on its own its the clear (metaphorically speaking) in this case Aethra would be black.  


I am thinking more on this... the ideas are just unorganized at this point.

[Superfluous Crow]

Ah, "malcontent and restless". Know how you feel ^^
When I first saw your reference to different types of magic i thought you might mean something akin to the magical counterpart of the natural  elements (periodic table and all).
But exactly what is magic in this setting? You talk about it being pervasive; is it a sort of ethereal matter common to their individual leylines? Or is it just some kind of omnipresent force that is easier to access near a corresponding leyline.
I could imagine leyline intersections would be areas of great interest since they in many cases would be the only place where rare types of magic could be used together.
Have the people of Penda Lume mapped the leylines?
How broad is a leyline?
Is every location subject to one or more of the lines or are they few and far between?

[Mason]

Just wanna say this is looking pretty cool Leetz. Can't wait for that map, as the Arga map was wicked intriguing.

[O Senhor Leetz]

first off, thanks for the comments and criticism. as I'm sure you all know, it's alot easier to focus and work on a setting when there is a stream of feedback. alright, now for the responses.

@Lath. I'm stoked you like the idea of magicka, and it still has a way to go before it's refined. Actually, when I imagined Phaen, it was very much like you "B" magic, just wild raw power. If you've seen the third X-men movie, when the Phoenix/Jean Grey just blew people into dust with her mind was how I envisioned Phaen to work, only a bit dirtier, as it would consume the person too.

And even though symmetry usually works very very well, I feel like it's too DnD.

I do really like your idea in A where type of magika is used to create protection, wards, and enchantments to places. I was thinking of a type of magika that was based on runes and sigils that would probably work very well with this type of magika.

@CC. It should be called GMADHD.

"But exactly what is magic in this setting? You talk about it being pervasive; is it a sort of ethereal matter common to their individual leylines? Or is it just some kind of omnipresent force that is easier to access near a corresponding leyline."

Think of magika like water. There is water everywhere, in the air, plants, earth, etc. but you just can't scoop it up and drink it. The leylines are like rivers, where magika flows strong and plentiful where you can dip in and drink. And just like water, there are ways to get magika away from the leylines, but they are difficult and specific.

"Have the people of Penda Lume mapped the leylines?" - Some of them.

"How broad is a leyline?" - Depends on the type of magika. TBD.

"Is every location subject to one or more of the lines or are they few and far between?" No, they are rare, but the most important locations are more often than not located on a leyline.

phew. that was alot. keep up the comments though please! hopefully I'll think of something to post later this evening.

[O Senhor Leetz]

okie dokie, because of map making purposes, I've whittled down magika to six different 'elements'

Phaen - the wild raw power, it's map color will be orange.
Augmera - the enhancer " " red
Vax - healing/apothercary " " green
Aethra - the nothing " " black
Mieda - magika of dreams and emotions " " purple
Paelabra - the magika of runes and sigils " " blue

[Kaptn'Lath]

so would Mieda have mind control and thought reading?

What about divination's? Aethra maybe?

so where do the spells of throwing magical energy at someone to burn/hurt them fall? just Phaen?

what about another magika about energy. this includes gravity, movement, not just "FIRE!" maybe more about potential than "energy"

Undead? do they fit in here and/or where?

oh... are leylines always straight? (personal interest, I have asked the question to myself a few times)

[O Senhor Leetz]

@ Lath

"so would Mieda have mind control and thought reading?"

Kinda. I was thinking divination/soothsaying would fall under Mieda, as one could enter a "dream realm" where time ran differently in order to see possible future outcomes. Mind control would fall under Mieda, but it would be very indiscreet and subtle, like Grima Worm-Tongue in LotR.


"so where do the spells of throwing magical energy at someone to burn/hurt them fall? just Phaen?"

yes, anything that directly harms someone is Phaen. except there is no type of magika that deals with Elements (in the Fire/Earth, etc. sense) Magika is immaterial, while things like Fire and Water are material.

"what about another magika about energy. this includes gravity, movement, not just "FIRE!" maybe more about potential than "energy"

I think Augmera could cover things like that.

"Undead? do they fit in here and/or where?"

yes they fit in, except they are anything but the classic DnD undead.

"oh... are leylines always straight? (personal interest, I have asked the question to myself a few times)"

I tried both on my world map, and curved lines looked a lot cooler. so no, only because of aesthetics.