Magic in Brave Earth

Magic, as it is understood by humanity, is a phenomenon that only came to exist after The Rending. While Old World technology was failing to work, the religious and occult rituals of surviving cultures seemed to have very real, tangible effects on reality. Within the first few decades, reliable magic systems and theory developed. By the end of the second century, magic in some regions was practically a science. A vague, unpredictable social science, but a science.

While the essence of Magic, the Soul, exists in everyone, access to it's deeper power is unevenly distributed throughout humanity. As such, while magic is a powerful tool, its existence brings inherent inequality and serves as a powerful source of tyranny in this world.

Magic and the Soul

Magic works in many ways, as many disciplines have been created to try and reliably and precisely control magic. Some study magic as a discipline while others seem to possess a more natural, empathic link to the aether.

The general thread that connects all of these methods is The Soul, and how it us leveraged to influence Aether.

The Soul is ones existence within the Astral Plane. It represents ones idealized sense of self. Even in the vast majority of non-magic using people, the soul acts almost as a backup for their body, helping them heal, and helping them achieve feats that would be impossible in the Old World. New World humans live longer, recover from more grievous wounds, and are in general healthier just from having a soul.*

While most people's souls exist within the bounds of their body, the aether around them will slowly attune itself with them. Bits of aether more "aware"(if that's the right word to use for aether) of the person's belief systems, magical studies, or even just their vibe, will congregate around them. When a spell is cast through whatever method, this aether moves with the caster's desires, influencing other aether around it, and creating magical effects.

More powerful mages tend to have more of this passively aligned aether around them, be it through having a larger soul that extends outside their body, or simply by having a stronger natural empathy.

While the aether field is what propagates magic, the raw energy itself is drawn up from the Astral Plane, the extra dimensional deep sea of aether that exists deeper outside physical space.

Magic in Brave Earth

Magic and the Soul

Further Reading