AUTHORS NOTE: This is an older document that I believe was part of a shared universe project that never really even got started. I found it buried in one of my back-up folders, and looking it over, I'm a little surprised at how familiar some of this stuff is. The Other World is clearly a prototype for later similar concepts of mine like the Fae Realm and the Roil. This isn't really a setting, but a power system that could be applied to different projects.
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THE OTHER WORLD
Everything we know of as “magic” is derived from the Other
World. The Other World is another reality, closely touching the Physical World,
but still operating on different laws. Those who are able to use magic simply
draw upon the essence of the Other World and allow its laws to override those
of the local area of the Physical World. Essentially, so long as the essence
(call it a force or energy if you will) of the Other World is sustained, a
person is able to essentially warp the Physical World’s reality by directing
the effects of the Other World upon the Physical World. In a way, think of the
Other World as a sort of fifth fundamental force or an often unseen state of
quantum reality which some can directly utilize through their will.
Only those who have a connection to the Physical World,
usually by means of possessing a “dual nature” through hybridization, Other
mutation, or proper exposure to Other World forces and energies can properly
wield magic.
OTHER WORLD “POCKET
REALMS”
The Other World is a mutable reality, an infinite realm that exists in a perpetual state of “potential.” The stabilized pocket worlds of the Other World are simply that potential realized into a form. It takes tremendous will and dedicated direction (individually or collectively) to create such a stable area, but once made it can generally be set in place. Then, so long as the structural support of the pocket reality is maintained (usually in the form of an important “pillar” which supports the pocket world, such as a World Tree), then the world can remain in place without the need for a constant effort to be maintained. However, protection and maintenance of the pillar is necessary.
WORKING MAGIC IN THE
OTHER WORLD
Assuming a being is able to survive in the Other World and they are able to directly utilize the forces of the Other World, then the magic user can basically do anything they put their mind to. The Other World is similar to existing in aDream
State
When a person is inside one of the stable Pocket Realms of
the Other World, then things are different. One still must have the ability to
control Other World forces to begin with, but now they are prone to following
the laws of magic set by those who created the Pocket Realm. A realm that
functions due to four elemental crystals may be set so that magic must be
channeled through elemental forces, or the crystals themselves must bestow some
power upon the user. The laws of magic in these pocket worlds are many and
varied, and are often a big part of what defines the nature of the world in
question.
WORKING MAGIC IN THE
PHYSICAL WORLD
As mentioned, working magic requires drawing upon the forces, energies, or essence of the Other World, and bending them to one’s will. Only a dual-natured entity, one with a connection to both the Physical and Other Worlds can truly manipulate magic, although the state of being a dual-natured entity can be achieved through various ways.
Despite its seemingly limitless capacity for effects, magic
requires three things in order to work: fuel to run, materials to manipulate,
and a system capable of directing the effects. In most cases, the system in
question is the mind of the spell caster, whose will and imagination are used
to direct the Other World essence, channeled through their body. However, for
enchanted objects, simple systems can be installed to draw and direct magical
effects (such as a gun enchanted to be able to shoot lightning bolts).
Other World Essence is necessary to power all spells, acting
as the “fuel.” While all dual-natured entities can draw upon the Essence, and
some are naturally able to draw upon more than others, being able to properly
direct it takes practice.
Finally, “materials” must be provided, or the spell will
have no medium through which to work. The materials in question can be matter
or energy (such as earth, water, heat, or flesh) or they can be more ethereal
in nature (such as the soul or thoughts). So long as there is something to manipulate, physical or
metaphysical, then magic can alter it. If there is nothing there to alter, then
nothing will happen.
AURA MAGIC
All things in the world have an “aura” a subtle essence of being. Living beings have the strongest auras due to the complexity of their form and the energies they constantly expend, but non-living things have auras of their own. This is not the same as the soul, but is akin to a mystic fingerprint or signature.
The Aura Mage is able to see those auras and manipulate
them. In this way, the Aura Mage can alter the properties of a being or object
by altering their aura.
Aura Magic can be used to strength and support life
(Biomancy) or damage and end life (Necromancy), as well as manipulate living
beings (Voodoo). An Aura Mage can also manipulate non-living things, able to
alter the structure of the environment (Geomancy).
ELEMENTAL MAGIC
Classically, there were only four or five “elements” in most cultures. Today there are over a hundred known elements and thousands of compounds. Those who are able to utilize Elemental Magic can manipulate the atomic structure of the elements themselves, as well as direct their movement. Elemental Magic using the classic four/five element system was actually more often than not a form of Faith Magic or Geomancy via Aura Magic. The first mages who created and later perfected true Elemental Magic were ancient alchemists, those who works would eventually evolve into accepted sciences used today, such as chemistry, physics, and medicine. Elemental Magic refers to the manipulation of both matter, energy, and natural forces such as gravity and strong/weak force.
A working understanding of chemistry is required for the
Elemental Mage to truly understand what they are doing, but even rudimentary
knowledge of common elements and thermodynamics is enough to let a person sling
fireballs and freeze water into ice. Greater practice with Elemental Magic can
even help a person innately understand the science behind the elements as they
work “hands on” with the mechanisms of the atomic structure. Those with enough
practice are able to perform complex feats of transmutation or turn matter into
energy and back again.
Elemental Magic’s primary weakness is that it is still
subject to Physical Laws. Elemental Magic can not create or destroy matter or
energy, only change its state of being. Water must be frozen by pulling the
heat from it, but that heat must then be transferred somewhere else. Elemental
Magic cannot alter the fundamental properties of atoms or create new, magical
elements. An Elemental Mage can nullify gravity in an area to cause a chunk of
iron to float, but he cannot fundamentally change the property of iron such
that iron nullifies gravity as a natural occurrence.
DREAM MAGIC
Though the mind is not truly independent of the body, the consciousness operates on a level partially separate from the physical world. The minds of humans can imagine things the Physical World isn’t capable of creating or providing. Some believe that perhaps the mind is partially touched by the Other World, and this may be why some of the stable Pocket Realities of the Other World so resemble many human concepts. Moreover, the mind does not possess an aura, as Physical things do. Instead, it creates what is called a Resonance.
Like radio waves broadcasting into the atmosphere, the mind
radiates a psychic signature, and is capable of receiving them in turn. If a
person has ever felt like they were being watched, or thought of a friend for
no particular reason just before that friend happened to give them a call, then
this is the effect of Resonance.
However, Resonance in normal humans is usually very weak.
The above mentioned examples may be the closest any person ever gets to
actually “using” their Resonance. Animals and plants have a slightly stronger
resonance, but it’s still usually not very strong. However, strong Resonance
can lead to the appearance of psychic powers.
The Dream Mages are able to see and bend the effects of
Resonance. More than just telepathy, they can fully manipulate the mind of a
person, as well read psychic impressions left on object (psychometry), observe
a person psychically from a distance (clairvoyance), and even receive psychic
impressions from past or future events (post-cognition/precognition). Unlike
true psychics, however, Dream Magic does not account for effects of telekinesis
or mind-over-body enhancement.
Dream Mages are so called because they are at their most
powerful in dreams, when the mind shifts into a subconscious state which is in
tune with its Resonance. As such, Dream Mages can enter and fully manipulate
the minds of a sleeping person. Unless the sleeper is themselves is capable of
using Dream Magic, they are utterly helpless against an invading mage.
It is important to note that unlike with true psychics,
Dream Mages cannot be blocked out by mere willpower, since Dream Magic
manipulates the fundamental mechanism by which the mind works. As such a person
cannot will away the effects of Dream Magic when the Dream Mage can simply shut
off their “will” by screwing up their Resonance frequency. Nor can these
effects be combated directly by psychic powers. On the other hand, Dream Magic
has no innate defense against psychic powers, so if a psychic or a Dream Mage
were to engage in mental combat, it would always come down to a quick draw:
either the psychic shuts off the Dream Mages’ mind or the Dream Mage shuts off
his Resonance.
CHAOS MAGIC
The Physical World is held together by a series of immutable laws: laws of physics, laws of chemistry, laws of thermodynamics, laws of gravity, etc. All of these systems can be represented by mathematical equations and scientific formulas which can, with enough research and thorough calculation, predict the probable outcomes of any given event within the Physical World. The Chaos Mage takes those figures and rearranges them, manipulating probability itself to alter the outcome of events.
If the Physical World were a computer, and the laws of
reality the computer’s operating system, consider the Chaos Mage to be the
hacker that breaks “the Code” and alters the functions of the system. The Chaos
Mage can perform simple tricks such as cause a coin to land on its edge or dice
to always come up as a pair of 1s, or can cause a lake to spontaneously turn
into bread.
The way of the Chaos Mage opens the road to immense power,
but also immense danger. The Physical World is vast and eons of existential
“momentum” mean that it will not easily abide the alteration of its laws. The
laws will assert themselves as soon as the Chaos Mage lets up, and take the path
of least resistance when doing so. If a Chaos Mage simply wishes to create any
random effect, then this poses little problem. All they have to do is tug on
the Code a bit, let go, and see what happens. But if a Chaos Mage wishes to
create an exact effect, than his control and precision, as well as his reflexive
ability to compensate for the sudden wild convulsions of the Code in flux, must
be perfect. And the greater the desired effect, the stronger and more stable he
must be. If the effect is too great or wild a violation and the Chaos Mage
loses their control, the Chaos Mage may find that not only may the effect they
desire fail or backfire, but the backlash of the Code asserting its control
could destroy them outright.
FAITH MAGIC
Belief is power. One need only point to tests of the Placebo Effect to know how much power the mind has over one’s being. To believe, truly believe, is to make things real, at least for the believer. And when the believer is capable of drawing upon the Essence of the Other World, what’s real for them can become real for everyone else, too.
Faith Magic by its very nature requires little to no
understanding of its mechanism. No Faith Mage will call themselves a “Faith
Mage.” All of them have their own explanation for their powers which they
believe in. To suggest that their magic is literally fueled purely by their
belief is usually taken as an insult by the Faith Mage, as this is usually a
direct antagonism against what they perceive is the “reality” of the belief.
However, that is exactly how Faith Magic works: “the Belief” is substance
enough for the Other World to make thoughts into reality. In fact, the Faith
Mage need not necessarily themselves be the Believer. If a Faith Mage of
particular iconic or social status has enough followers who believe in a
certain ideal of that person, then the Belief of those people can actually
empower the Faith Mage (who themselves is the one subconsciously drawing upon
the Other World Essence).
Faith Magic is often used by those who are deeply religious
or superstitious, and who believe their powers are a blessing or curse given
them by their figures in their religion. As such, rituals and ceremonies are
often popular among Faith Mages, as the act of performing a ritual helps them
focus their magic, even though technically its not really necessary to create
the effect. But for many Faith Mages, they may not actually demonstrate their
powers until they have a tangible mechanism for doing so (praying, making
offerings, etc.). Again, the Faith Mage will not usually understand that it’s
not actually the ritual that creates the effect, but rather their belief in it,
though it is the Belief that makes it work.
Faith Magic can also crop up in children or “immature”
individuals who have not yet “learned to disbelieve.” Unfortunately, it is also
found in those who are insane.
Though Faith Magic can cause many powerful effects, and
often with very little practice compared to other traditions, the glaring
weakness of Faith Magic is that if the user loses faith in their Belief, then
that can render them powerless. More than a few Faith Mages have lost their
powers when they were finally convinced that their beliefs were false, were
made to doubt their abilities, or even when their main goal in using the magic
began to deviate from the ideals of the Belief which fueled it.
SUMMONING MAGIC
Summoners are a whole other breed of magician. Often steeped in shamanic traditions, the Summoner does not directly utilize magic, but rather pulls forth spirits and monsters directly from the Other World to serve them. While Summoners can forcibly pull minor spirits and monsters into the world and dominate them through force of will, in order to bring forth any beings of real merit (that is to say, beings sentient and powerful enough to actually do more than stand around looking interesting), the Summoner must form pacts with the monsters and spirits he wishes to call. The pact will bind the Other World entity to the Summoner, and thus allow the Summoner to directly commune with them across the barrier between worlds. The pact will usually call for the Summoner to perform a service or present an offering to the spirit. Others will make the Summoner undergo a challenge or may require the Summoner to pay for every summoning through some form of sustenance, currency, or trade. For example, a noble dragon may have the Summoner fight them to prove the Summoner is worthy, while a mercenary swordsman may require the Summoner to pay them a coin every time they are called into battle.
To perform the summoning, the Summoner must call across the
barrier between the Physical and Other Worlds to the being he wishes to summon.
As part of the pact, an action may be needed to initiate the summoning. Usually
this means the Summoner must verbally call the spirit, either through spoken
word, song, or some kind of instrument. Sometimes, this may mean some kind of
physical action, like splashing water onto the battlefield or rolling a pair of
dice. Rarely, a Summoner may be able to just mentally call a spirit. Once the
Other World entity (usually a spirit, but can also be a monster or denizen from
one of the Pocket Worlds) is summoned, the Summoner must then continue to imbue
the summoned entity with Other World essence to sustain their existence in the
Physical World. A Summoner can have a spirit directly possess them, but this is
usually not done as this puts the Summoner’s body at risk.
RUNE MAGIC
Some ancient cultures unlocked the secrets to drawing upon the Other World. Just as a Summoner may call across the barrier with spoke words or song, so a Rune Mage can use symbols and writings to draw in Other World essence to create magical effects. Something like a halfway point between Summoning and Enchantment, the Runes carved or drawn onto something literally act like grooves which Other World essence begins to run along, channeling the essence into the Physical World.
The effects created depend on the symbols. Rune Magic is a
pretty exact science, and that is why the symbols must be created perfectly, or
the effect may just not work, or could work incorrectly. Because of this, Rune
Magic is not preferred by dual-natured beings. Rather, Rune Magic is a form of
magic created and honed for the use of non-magical people. Magic circles, runic
texts, religious symbols, all of these, when created properly, are capable of
creating and even sustaining magical effects. The person who creates them need
not have any sort of Other World connection themselves, or any amount of
magical potential. They just need to get the Runes right. Due to the
time-consuming and strict nature of Rune Magic, it is used almost exclusively
in magical rituals or sometimes in the construction of magical equipment
(different from Enchantment).
There have, on rare occasion, been humans and animals who
have had Runes tattooed/branded/cut into their bodies in order to imbue them
with mystical powers. Because this can be even more difficult to do correctly,
the art is all but lost, and Rune-decked beings are virtually impossible to find.
On the other hand, Rune Magic can be very effective in creating Golems.
BEAST MAGIC
Through mechanisms unknown to science and human mage craft, animals are sometimes capable of utilizing magic. These powers seem to be utilized instinctively, as if on some primitive level, the animal understands that it is now connected to the forces of the Other World, and uses this ability as it would its own natural weapons. Fortunately, the vast majority of beasts lack the intellect to perform anything more than rudimentary spell-like effects, such as growing bigger, turning invisible, or spitting fire. Occasionally, however, Other World power may cause a mutation which grants animals higher intellect and even sapience. The exact extent of Beast Magic is unknown, but the potential effects on the ecosystem is catastrophic.
PLANT MAGIC
Very rarely does it occur, but sometimes even plants (or fungus) can obtain magical powers. Plants and fungus, of course, have no minds to speak of, and being able to actually use the magic comes down to whether or not they are mystically made sentient and sapient enough to utilize the magic. Otherwise, a magic plant or fungus is essentially the same as an Enchanted Object.
ENCHANTMENT MAGIC
Mystical properties can be imbued into objects, such that they use Other World essence to produce specific effects. The Other World essence can either be stored as charges or the object may have some way of drawing upon Other World essence continuously or during “recharge” periods.
Enchanted objects can have a variety of effects, but most
are pretty simple. A gun can be enchanted to never run out of bullets. A
tee-shirt can be enchanted to allow someone to breathe underwater for an hour.
A car can be made to fly. Golems are perhaps the greatest examples of enchanted
objects, as they are beings made of basic materials that have been mystically
animated to serve a master. The more enchantments laid onto an object, however,
the more chances there are that some of the effects may interfere with one another,
which is why things like giant Magitech mecha are not a feasible reality.
Nevertheless, outside of Rune Magic, Enchanted Objects are
really the only other way ordinary people can use magic.
The Other World is a mutable reality, an infinite realm that exists in a perpetual state of “potential.” The stabilized pocket worlds of the Other World are simply that potential realized into a form. It takes tremendous will and dedicated direction (individually or collectively) to create such a stable area, but once made it can generally be set in place. Then, so long as the structural support of the pocket reality is maintained (usually in the form of an important “pillar” which supports the pocket world, such as a World Tree), then the world can remain in place without the need for a constant effort to be maintained. However, protection and maintenance of the pillar is necessary.
Assuming a being is able to survive in the Other World and they are able to directly utilize the forces of the Other World, then the magic user can basically do anything they put their mind to. The Other World is similar to existing in a
As mentioned, working magic requires drawing upon the forces, energies, or essence of the Other World, and bending them to one’s will. Only a dual-natured entity, one with a connection to both the Physical and Other Worlds can truly manipulate magic, although the state of being a dual-natured entity can be achieved through various ways.
All things in the world have an “aura” a subtle essence of being. Living beings have the strongest auras due to the complexity of their form and the energies they constantly expend, but non-living things have auras of their own. This is not the same as the soul, but is akin to a mystic fingerprint or signature.
Classically, there were only four or five “elements” in most cultures. Today there are over a hundred known elements and thousands of compounds. Those who are able to utilize Elemental Magic can manipulate the atomic structure of the elements themselves, as well as direct their movement. Elemental Magic using the classic four/five element system was actually more often than not a form of Faith Magic or Geomancy via Aura Magic. The first mages who created and later perfected true Elemental Magic were ancient alchemists, those who works would eventually evolve into accepted sciences used today, such as chemistry, physics, and medicine. Elemental Magic refers to the manipulation of both matter, energy, and natural forces such as gravity and strong/weak force.
Though the mind is not truly independent of the body, the consciousness operates on a level partially separate from the physical world. The minds of humans can imagine things the Physical World isn’t capable of creating or providing. Some believe that perhaps the mind is partially touched by the Other World, and this may be why some of the stable Pocket Realities of the Other World so resemble many human concepts. Moreover, the mind does not possess an aura, as Physical things do. Instead, it creates what is called a Resonance.
The Physical World is held together by a series of immutable laws: laws of physics, laws of chemistry, laws of thermodynamics, laws of gravity, etc. All of these systems can be represented by mathematical equations and scientific formulas which can, with enough research and thorough calculation, predict the probable outcomes of any given event within the Physical World. The Chaos Mage takes those figures and rearranges them, manipulating probability itself to alter the outcome of events.
Belief is power. One need only point to tests of the Placebo Effect to know how much power the mind has over one’s being. To believe, truly believe, is to make things real, at least for the believer. And when the believer is capable of drawing upon the Essence of the Other World, what’s real for them can become real for everyone else, too.
Summoners are a whole other breed of magician. Often steeped in shamanic traditions, the Summoner does not directly utilize magic, but rather pulls forth spirits and monsters directly from the Other World to serve them. While Summoners can forcibly pull minor spirits and monsters into the world and dominate them through force of will, in order to bring forth any beings of real merit (that is to say, beings sentient and powerful enough to actually do more than stand around looking interesting), the Summoner must form pacts with the monsters and spirits he wishes to call. The pact will bind the Other World entity to the Summoner, and thus allow the Summoner to directly commune with them across the barrier between worlds. The pact will usually call for the Summoner to perform a service or present an offering to the spirit. Others will make the Summoner undergo a challenge or may require the Summoner to pay for every summoning through some form of sustenance, currency, or trade. For example, a noble dragon may have the Summoner fight them to prove the Summoner is worthy, while a mercenary swordsman may require the Summoner to pay them a coin every time they are called into battle.
Some ancient cultures unlocked the secrets to drawing upon the Other World. Just as a Summoner may call across the barrier with spoke words or song, so a Rune Mage can use symbols and writings to draw in Other World essence to create magical effects. Something like a halfway point between Summoning and Enchantment, the Runes carved or drawn onto something literally act like grooves which Other World essence begins to run along, channeling the essence into the Physical World.
Through mechanisms unknown to science and human mage craft, animals are sometimes capable of utilizing magic. These powers seem to be utilized instinctively, as if on some primitive level, the animal understands that it is now connected to the forces of the Other World, and uses this ability as it would its own natural weapons. Fortunately, the vast majority of beasts lack the intellect to perform anything more than rudimentary spell-like effects, such as growing bigger, turning invisible, or spitting fire. Occasionally, however, Other World power may cause a mutation which grants animals higher intellect and even sapience. The exact extent of Beast Magic is unknown, but the potential effects on the ecosystem is catastrophic.
Very rarely does it occur, but sometimes even plants (or fungus) can obtain magical powers. Plants and fungus, of course, have no minds to speak of, and being able to actually use the magic comes down to whether or not they are mystically made sentient and sapient enough to utilize the magic. Otherwise, a magic plant or fungus is essentially the same as an Enchanted Object.
Mystical properties can be imbued into objects, such that they use Other World essence to produce specific effects. The Other World essence can either be stored as charges or the object may have some way of drawing upon Other World essence continuously or during “recharge” periods.
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