[center][h1][b][u]Mana and Magic[/u][/b][/h1][/center][hr]
Brought into being by the Primordial Embryo, Mana is a conscious energy, which suffuses reality and acts as the driving force for all living things regardless of their alignment or place in the world. It is this energy, which acts as the medium for all works, be they the mortal practice of mages or the workings of the divine. Alive in its own right, each particle of mana possesses its own simple mind without alignment and thus impressionable in its nature. This makes mana malleable to those of greater will, of which there are many, thus coloring the energy with Karmic “Right,” or “Wrong,” depending on how it is used and to what end.

It is this energy that allows living beings to weave magic by way of aligning their internal mana with the energy which surrounds them and bending it to their will. Thus magic is a working requiring the mastery of self and environment both lest one gain greater sway over the other and bring ruin to the caster, or perhaps those around them.

As an energy of impressionable nature whose essence infuses the world and its inhabitants it holds that workings of magic alter it, often influencing the people and places that dwell in its vicinity. In this way a twofold truth is revealed, as mana is tinged not only by the will and focused intentions of mages, but also from where it is drawn and to what ends it is used. Essentially, when mana is bent to the will of man or mer it is [i]changed[/i] taking on the “Right,” or “Wrong,” of the mage's actions. While the mage and those around them may benefit or suffer from this, it is not only the targets who are changed by the workings of magic, but the places it is used in and the inhabitants therein.

Thus it stands to reason that mana, through magic, influences the environments it dwells in, perhaps blessing or cursing places in which it is often used. Greater workings of magic may even alter a place in its very essence, twisting it into a horrible rendition of “Wrong,” or shifting it into a masterpiece of “Right.” The same is true for man, mer, flora, and fauna as magic changes not only the mage, but also those who live in the places they do magic. Conversely many smaller workings of magic may have the same effect.

[hider][center][h2][i]Élan and Sway[/i][/h2][/center][hr]The soul, known more often as Élan, meaning “Impetus,” is the life force and consciousness of all living things, though it takes varying forms. Perhaps the most notable trait of Élan aside from its giving of life, is its tendency to bestow upon the living the capacity to harness mana. This capacity, known as Sway, is the size of the mana field created by one's body as they naturally produce internal mana, exuding small amounts of it as a result—though this can differ between races. This Sway, in its natural state, is more often than not a rather small thing, being limited to an inch or so off of a given person's body when at rest. However, this field can nonetheless be utilized to influence other external mana and, over time, can be expanded through the intermingling of such. So it stands that the longer one utilizes magic the greater their Sway becomes.

While the use of conventional magic has the tendency to increase one's Sway, there are other methods through which one's Sway may be broadened, one being of the Karmic sort and the others being more nebulous in nature. Regardless there remains a consequence for stretching one's workings beyond the scope of their Sway, this consequence is known formally as Magical Backlash.

[center][h2][i]Karma[/i][/h2][/center][hr]A force of balance in the universe, Karma is something that all magic users must be abundantly aware of in their practice of the craft. While the average mortal's luck is influenced by their actions, it is the fate of a magic user to be [i]bound[/i] by such, rather than be influenced in a subtle way. While a mortal might suffer a small cut due to a verbal slight or the breaking of a promise, a mage could pay for their actions with a waning of their power and a series of unfortunate events for many days to come.

The way Karma swings has to do with the nebulous ideas of Chaos and Order, Right and Wrong, though these are often confused with Positive and Negative, Good and Evil, which are infrequently related to these ideas in truth. Rather, [I]Right[/i] and [I]Wrong[/i] refer more to the universe's status and the balance between the forces of creation and destruction, life and death, Substance and the lack thereof.

Essentially, when an individual commits an act reinforcing the Universe's balance and its preference for [I]“Right”[/I] they are awarded with good karma, which imparts positive luck and an easier time with most things. Personal pursuits are easier to pursue, opportunities arise more frequently, and people are perhaps more equitable.

However, on the other end of the spectrum, any act reinforcing the [I]“Wrong”[/I] in the world begets bad karma, punishing whomever committed the act with bad luck and the universe essentially working against them and their pursuits be they for the world's benefit or not.

It should be noted that Karma of either persuasion can be rescinded or negated by its opposite, essentially dragging someone into karmic debt or out of it depending on the situation.

Nonetheless it is prudent of any man, be they mage or otherwise to be thoughtful and cautious of their actions lest they suffer for them.

[center][h2][i]Backlash and Fallout[/i][/h2][/center][hr]
The workings of magic have two well known and pervasive repercussions, one which affects only the caster, and another which affects the world in earnest. The former of these two is referred to as Magical Backlash, a phenomenon which occurs upon a spellcaster overextending the reach of their Sway, the result of which has three stages. The stages are as follows:

[hider=Spoiler]First among these stages is Magical Exhaustion, which is characterized by a feeling of mild lethargy and a reduced attention span, resulting in diminished focus and rational decision making. This stage is the least dangerous form of Magical Backlash and is even used as a tool to assist in the expansion of one's Sway, which is accomplished by reaching this stage repeatedly, though not before allowing one's body to regenerate the minuscule amount of Élan that is taken due to one's Sway having been diminished considerably—though only temporarily. This stage is easily recovered from and is fairly common, as mages often do not know their limits when first learning the intricacies of magic. Recovery time varies depending on the size of a given mage's Sway, but for most it does not last more than three(3) or four(4) days.

Second among the stages of Magical Backlash is what is known as Hollowness, which is characterized by a distinct lack of motivation or drive, a lethargy of body and mind, and a sensation of [i]emptiness[/i]. This stage, while not overtly painful, has a malign effect on mind and body both, causing one to feel without purpose. Particularly severe cases of Hollowness can result in a mage's Élan  and Sway never fully recovering, wherein their Sway's capacity is reduced, and the time that they require to replenish their Sway is doubled. Perhaps more detrimental are the possibly permanent effects on the mind, as one can become aimless in purpose, possessing little will to do much of anything aside from the essentials.

The most severe cases of Hollowing have resulted in mages with living bodies, but dead minds, incapable of taking care of themselves. Hollowing is sometimes considered a state worse than death and is so severe that even the crass and tactless would think twice before using it as, or in, a threat. Recovery from the mental effects Hollowness often requires either a tremendous will, an acute understanding of one's Self, or the assistance of others to remind one of their place in the world. The physical and metaphysical aspects of Hollowness require one to abstain from the use of magic for at least twice the time that they would take to recover from Magical Exhaustion. After roughly half of the time has elapsed, the use of simple spells is safe and advised to remind the body to keep healing.

The third and only fatal stage of Magical Backlash is known simply as Dissolution, and is characterized by an overexertion of one's Élan in addition to their Sway. Essentially, when one passes beyond the point of third degree Hollowness, Dissolution becomes the likely consequence of their actions, which will result in the magical energy, upon it completing the given spell—provided there was sufficient mana for it to do so—to outright [i]collapse[/i] back into the empty space within a mage's body. The result is the individual becoming so suffused with mana that instead of merely occupying space and holding them together, it upsets whatever flicker of Élan that remains, causing their essence and body to disintegrate completely.

For the unlucky this process is slow enough for them to realize their mistake as they gradually come apart at the seams, the mana within them tearing them apart. What consciousness they retain writhes in agony until they finally disappear entirely. On the other hand one can simply go out in a brilliant spike of mana wherein the body is seen as if illuminated from within, following by every atom of their being bursting outwards and upwards like hundreds of tiny lights, before flickering out of existence. While obviously the result of creating a space devoid of mana, which the mana then overcompensates to fill, Dissolution is also the result of the Primordial Embryo defending itself from an individual's misuse of the energies imparted to them by it. While only a theory, some mages believe that a sufficiently large Dissolution could cause actual damage to Embryo. Their theory is flawed as Dissolution itself is a [i]result[/i] of Embryo's consciousness taking hold of one's mana upon them spending the entirety of their Élan. Nonetheless, a sufficiently large Dissolution or a cluster of moderate Dissolutions is nonetheless a dangerous thing—though less so for Embryo than those individuals who remain near the phenomenon.[/hider]
Moving on from Magical Backlash there is the aforementioned second repercussion to the use of magic, which is admittedly more pervasive than Backlash. In fact, this second repercussion, known as Magical Fallout, is so pervasive as to occur [i]every single time[/i] magic is utilized in any capacity. Essentially, Magical Fallout is the result of mana being influenced by magic, as the weaving of a spell, or otherwise use of magic, alters the base state of the mana in question. Thus, with every use of magic in the same area, mana is altered and gradually, over time, these alterations can cause changes in environment and subsequently the flora and fauna that dwell therein. A mundane forest, if commonly exposed to magic of a defensive sort might become a forest that bars the entrance of those with malign intent; an arena affected by psychic magic and elemental magic might begin to create obstacles and golems, perhaps with minds of their own, etc etc. While this Fallout is more often caused by the build up of many uses of magic in an area, it can be caused to such an extent by workings of magic that are vast in scope, either by the hand of an adept and truly terrifying mage, or by the workings of a group of mages.

Lastly among the effects of Magical Fallout are those effects that take root in the mage or mages in question as their Élan is too influenced by their workings. With practice and the proper knowledge mutations or departures from their natural state, be it mental or physical, can be stopped, but without a certain mindfulness one is more likely to, on some level, be altered by what sorts of magic they deal in. This is, perhaps, the most dangerous aspect of magic, if only due to its subtle nature causing a great many to overlook the future consequences of their actions. Nonetheless, magic is wrought and the world at large takes this consequence as a necessary evil.

One wonders if they are right.[/hider]