Origins of Meris

The Realms were spoken into existence by the Primordials, ancient and powerful beings forged from the formless chaos of the Void in acts of self-creation. Among these Realms is one known as Meris, the creation of Valyn the Everburning, and home to the mortal races. At the material level Meris is a flat, disc shaped world surrounded by a spherical firmament that separates the world from the hungering, entropic darkness of the Void. Beyond the boundary of the firmament are the stars, beacons of order which serve to weaken the force of chaos exerted on the realm itself. Within the firmament the Sun and triplet moons orbit the world using its equator as a midline. As they rotate their angle gradually changes northerly and then southerly to bring about the passage of seasons. Finally, the Serpents Sea flows around the world as a snaking current that passes under the great frozen extremes and then flows over the Edges of the World at the Eastern and Western Falls. This snaking current divides Meris into its four major continents, each filled with a variety of biomes and climates as their geography would dictate.

Of course Meris is more than its material plane. Higher and lower planes of existence coincide with the material plane, home to amortal beings such as celestials, fiends, and spirits as well as the underworlds where souls are rewarded and punished for their mortal deeds and the primal energy planes where elementals roam. To further complicate matters demiplanes, both natural and artificial, litter the imperceptible spatial contours of the Realm. All, however, are contained within the volume of the firmament.

Origins of Magic

The Void is relentless in its aggression against Meris, against all Realms. It ceaselessly works to erode the foundations of the Realms and subsume them, returning the liberated and transmuted energies of chaos to its primordial state. However to accomplish this it must first overcome the firmament, the barrier between all created things and the Void. In this pursuit it has been gradually gaining ground, slowly eroding the firmament away through sheer contact.

The vast majority of this erosion is undetectable as most of the energies released by the firmaments destruction are drawn into the Void. However the tiny fraction that isn't consumed is trapped within the firmament, gradually suffusing Meris' many planes as it accumulates. This eventually led to a critical point, some thousands of years ago, where the energy within Meris concentrated to a degree to illicit reactions within the world.

On the material plane all manner of beings began manifesting incidental powers, weak and instinctive, that granted them some minor command of the power around and within them. Gradually these incidental powers became more prevalent and pronounced. For the primitive animals and plants this meant they became supernaturally potent in their own right or transformed into creatures that would be known as Monsters in the coming eras. For those sapient races this increased power would lead to a burgeoning awareness of the forces around them and eventually the rudiments of understanding. These powers became collectively known as magic and the power which fueled it mana.

On the other planes these energies caused their own variety of transformations. The previously inert and static planes of subtle and ephemeral energies and matter began to coalesce into quasi-living and amortal forms. Even the planes themselves began to change and in doing so began to degrade, the admixture of their loosed planar energies altering the nature of mana and the resulting magic that would arise on these planes. Here spirits, celestials, fiends, psychopomps, elementals, and beings which defy classification came into being; each unaware of one another and set to the task of mastering their strange world.


History of Magic

The very first form of magic was sorcery. Sorceries are those oft minor magical abilities that are gained spontaneously or inherited from the bloodline. When they first appeared they were largely ignored as special talents or quirks rather than anything truly noteworthy. Over the centuries as they became more common people became aware of their potential and the age of sorcerers began. Nations were forged and broken by sorcererous bloodlines, each vying to increase and diversify their powers. Among these bloodlines the most famous from this period were the Selerian's. The Selerian's cultivated a sorcery which is known in modern times as second-sight, the ability to see that which cannot be seen. While immediately useful at countering the deceptions and illusions of other bloodlines their true fame came from the discovery of runes.

Runes are the normally imperceptible remnants of Valyn's will and Word that exist throughout Meris. These symbolic representations were at first a simple curiosity, one which was pursued for generations by the Selerian's who collected them in secret tomes within their ancestral keep. There they remained until the conclusion of the Blood Wars which saw the brutal end of many sorcerous bloodlines, although not the end of sorceries as a whole. During this time of reclamation the horded wealth of sorcerous houses was spread throughout the Realm, often into the hands the new militaristic elite. One of these elites was Ellisar Baros, one of the generals who led the final siege against the Selerian house. Ellisar took a keen interest on the tomes and tasked several of his scholarly advisors with determining their purpose and utility.

This group went on to become known as the Council of Baros or the First Council and their labors created what are known as glyphs. Glyphs are simple series of runes, often 2 to 5, connected in geometric arrangements which perform some simple function. Initially it was not known why glyphs operated at all rather than remaining inert as the runes had or any non-geometric series of runes they had tested previously. It was ultimately uncovered that the geometry itself lent a degree of order to the magical operations of the runes, guiding and structuring their functions, so that they might manifest an effect. To Ellisar, now elevated to the position of Duke within the fledgling kingdom of Hestian, this discovery was immensely valuable. He hoarded the knowledge for years, using their power to grow his own influence within the kingdom before ultimately revolting and forming the kingdom of Elisian under his banner.

Elisian would go on to conquer the remaining lands of Hestian and expand its boundaries into neighboring territories before solidifying its power through a series of treaties with its new neighbors who gained some of the periphery territories he'd recently conquered. Now secure in his power he formalized the study of glyphs under the now autonomous Glyphic Council, later to be renamed the Magicians Council. From there glyphs began to gradually advance, the allure of its power drawing the power hungry and curious from surrounding territories.

As the Council grew so did their understandings of the recently dubbed field of magic. They began to link glyphs together to create the first spells and then eventually learned to link spells together to form rituals. With spells and rituals the power of the Magicians Council grew and continued to do so until it threatened to topple the Elisian nobility. Seeing the potential dangers of this organization the then reigning king, Ailas Baros I, broke their power structure by decreeing the creation of two of magical organizations: the Court of Wizards, who were tasked with training the duly named profession of wizards to perform magic on behalf of the common citzenry, and the Court of Arcanists who were tasked with advancing magical knowledge under the guidance of the crown. The Magician's Council was then relegated to the task of maintaining Elisian magical history and preserving their unique culture of magic; at least on the surface. In truth Ailas saw the wizards as a means of removing the prestige of magic, drawing the practice down to that of something pedestrian, while also permitting magic to leave the tightly regulated hands of the magicians so that he might break their monopoly on the art. Simultaneously the arcanists, comprised of loyalist to the crown, would allow the kingdom to maintain its edge in magical theory while denying the resources to the magicians.

The magicians took the blow with indignation and there was a brief but bloody civil war that ended in the dissolution of the magician's council, although not the profession they represented. Magicians continued to exist, albeit in loose conclaves, where they drew from history and their own knowledge to advance magic in ways which were beneath or beyond the limited scope of the noble arcanists. From these different camps came several successes.

From the arcanists a formal understanding of mana matured and with it came the process of casting which allowed a magic user to mentally coax ambient mana, using verbal and kinesthetic mnemonic devices, into spell forms which replicated the older written variety of spells. This vastly accelerated the time needed to perform magic while also expanding its flexibility. They also learned how to enchant or imbue items with magic rather than simply engraving them with spells as well as began the study of alchemy which allowed them to distill magical effects into a liquid form.

The magicians on the other hand largely eschewed the use of casting, at least for a few generations, and instead focused on their own means of accelerating their spellcraft. They began experimenting with legends of otherworldly beings and developed spells and rituals that allowed them to reach across the boundaries of the planes to contact spirits, departed souls, elementals, and even minor celestials and fiends. From these efforts came the practice of pacts which allowed a magic user to draw on the magical abilities of other beings to perform magic on their behalf. Later various religious groups, and religiously affiliated mages, who had worshipped beings similar to the celestials would develop pact-based ritual magic known as theurgy.

Finally, from the humble ranks of wizards came cantrips and charms. Cantrips are cast glyphs which lack their highly ordered structure and instead rely on the caster's focus and willpower to shape the magical phenomena directly. While impractical and inefficient for more complex spells the creation of cantrips spurred the practice of spontaneous spellcasting which is still used heavily by wizards today. Charms on the other hand are the wizards solution to lacking the time or laboratory space for permanent enchantments. Charms, unlike traditional caster magic, endures for long-periods of time without the need for the caster to maintain the spellform. They accomplish this through techniques of mana-manipulation that would later grow into the field of meta-magic, the magic of manipulating magic.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:59, Wed 30 Sept 2020.

Modern Magic

With the fall of the kingdom of Elisian some three hundred years ago magic began to spread throughout the world, unchecked by the controlling structures of the now defunct courts and councils. Despite this dissolution of formal structure the titles of wizard, magician, and arcanist persist albeit with different contexts.

Wizards are perhaps the most diverse of the magical professions both in terms of ability and their roles in society. While many wizards spend their lives as travelling merchants dealing in charms and spontaneous spells others find employ as mercenaries, midwives, physics, and a dozens of other niche roles. Most wizards follow a master-apprentice model of training where a senior wizard will take on one to four apprentices, often young people seeking to enter the trade or members of their own families, and train them for five to ten years. Occasionally, however, a wizard will attend a magical academy and receive a formal education to replace or supplant their traditional apprenticeship.

Magicians have largely eschewed their forced role of historian and cultural guardians and have instead shifted their focus to formalized magical professions. They often exist as merchants and artisans dealing in and creating magical goods, often in the form of enchantments and alchemical products although they do occasionally serve as ritualists-for-hire. In terms of their martial roles there are a small number of war mages but they are considered tactical assets rather than infantry. They often find themselves used for battlefield control, the erection of complex earthworks, intelligence and counterintelligence, etc.

Arcanists have largely maintained their scholarly role and fill the ranks of the various magical academies as researchers, theorists, historians, and instructors. While highly skilled in many facets of magic they are often lacking in practical skill due to their limited activities outside of academic settings. Those rare arcanists that take up practical lines employment often deal in bespoke enchantments and spellcraft for wealthy clientele.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:15, Tue 22 Sept 2020.

Limits of Magic

There are seven universally recognized limits on what magic is capable of. Extensive efforts have been made to supersede these limits and none have yet to succeed although more than a few have yielded disastrous results.

• Limit of the Heavens: No magical working which originates within the firmament may cross the boundary of the firmament and vice-versa.
• Limit of the Void: No magical working may allow passage into or beyond the Void of chaos.
• Limit of Time: No magical working may alter the passage of time nor influence events which occur beyond the present moment.
• Limit of Aging: No magical working may grant true immortality to a mortal being.
• Limit of Corruption: No magical working may prevent or remove Corruption gained from performing magic.
• Limit of Permanence: No magical working may create a permanent substance, material, or entity.
• Limit of Transience: No magical working is immune to countering, dissolution, or degradation by arcane and mundane forces.

Laws of Magic

The laws of magic dictate how magic operates rather than what it may act upon. Circumstances exist or may be found that allow the limited circumvention of these laws but they cannot be broken.

• Law of Power: No magical working may be performed without the expenditure of an equivalent amount of power.
• Law of Awareness: No magical working may act upon a target without an awareness of their location.
• Law of Resistance: No magical working may act upon a target without overcoming its innate magical resistance.
• Law of Distant Action: The power required to perform a magical working increases proportionally with the distance that the magic must manifest or travel.
• Law of Continuous Action: The power required to perform a magical working increases proportionally with the duration that the magic must persist.
• Law of Complexity: The power required to perform a magical working increases proportionally with the complexity of the magic performed.

Costs and Dangers of Magic

Magic is the art of reshaping reality to match the will and whims of the caster.  While a powerful skill it is not without its immediate and long-term costs as well as dangers.

• Backlash: When any magical working is performed improperly or interrupted prior to completion there is an immediate backlash of magical energies. This backlash ranges in intensity and effect relative to the working that failed. In some instances it is harmless and in others it is immediately fatal. Mercenary wizards and war mages spend years perfecting their spells to be able to use them in combat without fear of backlash.
• Casters Sickness: When using mana-manipulation techniques the concentration of mana within and around the caster fluctuates dramatically. If done in quick-succession or at repeatedly high frequencies this can cause a condition characterized by disorientation, light and sound sensitivity, nausea, and headaches. This state often lasts anywhere from 8 to 12 hrs but can occasionally last for up to 3 days. Repeated bouts of casters sickness have been known to accelerate the rate of corruption.
• Corruption: All forms of magic change those around it in both subtle and gross ways. While gradual these changes accumulate in the form of strange signs and omens that manifest around the individual as well as internal and external mutations. Eventually the accumulation of these corruptions kills the individual but in the interim the corruptions serve to augment their magical workings, especially in areas they often employ.

This message was last edited by the GM at 17:10, Sun 20 Sept 2020.

Magical Education

For the rare scholarly wizard as well as those who aspire to be mages and arcanists they undergo formal training at one of several magical academies. These magical academies differ greatly in their resources, facilities, and objectives but all share a common curriculum, albeit with minor alterations to suit the individual academies culture and mission.

1st Year: The first year is focused largely on ensuring that all students are on the same foundation in terms of literacy and mathematical ability, giving them a primer on the history and proper use of magic, and practical skills involving inscription of magic both using both pen and paper as well as etching tools. During the first year students learn do not learn any runes or how to compose them into glyphs.

• Introductory Arithmetic (2 semesters)
• Logic and Reason (2 semesters)
• Literacy and Language Arts (2 semesters)
• History of Magic (3 semesters)
• Introduction to Inscription (2 semesters)
• Ethical Conduct of Magic (1 semester)

2nd Year: In the second year students build their theoretical foundations on magic while gaining practical knowledge on the basic forms of inscribed glyphs and spells. Additionally second year students will begin to take elective coursework based on their interests and future career goals.

• Introduction to Magical Theory (2 semesters)
• Fundamentals of Runes (2 semesters)
• Practicum: Glyphs and Spells (1 semester)
• Electives (2 x 2 semesters):
  • Practicum: Defensive Magic
  • Introduction to Magical Fauna and Flora
  • Fundamentals of Alchemy
  • Fundamentals of Enchanting
  • Intermediate Magical Theory
  • Applications of Sorcery

3rd Year: Third year students learn to utilize casting as well as various other basic mana manipulation techniques. At this stage they are also given the tools to begin experimenting with magic and developing their own spells and glyphs. Finally their electives allow for further specialization as well as a limited variety of exploratory options.

• Fundamentals of Mana Manipulation (2 semesters)
• Practicum: Spellcasting and Charms (2 semesters)
• Introduction to Magecraft (1 semester)
• Electives (2 x 2 semesters)
  • Arcanobotany (prerequisite: Introduction to Magical Fauna and Flora)
  • Arcanozoology (prerequisite: Introduction to Magical Fauna and Flora)
  • Intermediate Applications of Alchemy (prerequisite: Fundamentals of Alchemy)
  • Intermediate Enchanting (prerequisite: Fundamentals of Enchanting)
  • Practicum: Martial Applications of Magic (prerequisite: Practicum: Defensive Magic)
  • Introduction to Pacts
  • Introduction to Rituals

4th Year: Fourth year students are largely focused on gaining practical experience and advanced knowledge concerning their respective specialties. Their capstone course on independent magecraft is set to challenge them to produce a novel work of magic that is reflective of their curriculum and future aspirations. Many graduates attain job offers and research positions from the results of these courses.

• Independent Magecraft (3 semesters)
• Elective (2 x 3 semester):
  • Topics in Magical Theory (prerequisite: Intermediate Magical Theory)
  • Strategic Applications of Magic (prerequisite: Martial Applications of Magic)
  • Advanced Studies in Enchanting (prerequisite: Intermediate Enchanting)
  • Advanced Studies in Alchemy (prerequisite: Intermediate Applications of Alchemy)
  • Practicum: Arcanobotany Study (prerequisite: Arcanobotany)
  • Practicum: Arcanozoology Study (prerequisite: Arcanozoology)
  • Practicum: Rituals (prerequisite: Introduction to Rituals)

This message was last edited by the GM at 02:12, Wed 30 Sept 2020.

Magecraft

Rather than describing the products of magic by their runic compositions there are seven categories of magical workings that are universally accepted.

• Conjuring: the temporary creation of gross matter or energy.
• Calling: the summoning or otherwise translocation of existing entities.
• Shaping: the manipulation of the form and gross features of an existing substance, entity, or phenomena.
• Altering: the manipulation of the properties and qualities of an existing substance, entity, or phenomena.
• Ruling: the control of the motion or behavior of an existing substance, entity, or phenomena.
• Discerning: the process of obtaining knowledge or insight into an existing substance, entity, location, or phenomena.
• Ruining: the process of directly damaging, decaying, or otherwise destroying an existing substance, entity, or phenomena.

Types of Magic

Inscribed Magic

Inscribed magic comes in three forms: glyphs, spells, and rituals. Glyphs are the simplest form and are capable of producing a single, simple magical effect. Spells are combinations of glyphs, often with a greater deal of inherent complexity, and rituals are combinations of spells which continue the same trend. Initially these magical workings were placed on parchment but gradually diversified to be etched into stone and metal or painted onto ceramics and leather.

By its very nature inscribed magic is active upon completion, although not without delay due to the need to passively gather mana, which historically limited its flexibility but did bring about the creation of the first magical items such as everburning torches, supernaturally durable walls, and impossibly keen blades. There was also period of time where glyphs and spells were placed onto sliding and interlocking mechanisms that would allow for the inactivation of the magic although with the advent of enchantments they fell out of favor although permanent ritual sites still employ them to some extent.

In modern times this disadvantage has been overcome through the alchemical products such as thaumagraphic paper. This specially made paper is one of several weakly mana inert materials that block the passage of ambient mana. This prevents inscribed magic from being passively active and instead can only be activated through mana manipulation. In spite of this the increased investment of time and resources has allowed caster magic to remain the favored form of magic although spell tomes and prepared talismans are popular in certain circles.

Caster Magic

Caster magic is defined by its use of mana manipulation techniques to perform magic without a physical medium. There are four forms of caster magic which are: cantrips, spells, charms, and spontaneous spells. Cantrips are the oldest, simplest form of caster magic and are the equivalent to glyphs with the exception that they lack any defining geometry. Spells, often distinguished from their inscribed counterpart by referring to their usage as spell-casting, do have defining geometry although both the runic composition and geometry can be altered to accommodate changing variables or in response to certain triggers. Charms are spells which use 'meta-magic' to create enduring magical effects. Finally, spontaneous spells are those spells that are constructed largely of through direct mana manipulation rather than runes or arcane geometry. These spells are exceptionally dangerous to perform comparatively but give unparralleled flexibility in spellcasting.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:14, Wed 30 Sept 2020.

History of Mana Manipulation

When magic was first developed by the First Council it was not known what granted the magic its power. Many at the time believed it to be a natural phenomena of the world and magic was one of the many sets of laws which governed its operations. Those of a more religious inclination believed it the product of the gods themselves, a gift and responsibility granted unto the sapient races. These theories persisted during the early days of magical theory but were largely disproven following the work of the Council of Arcanists.

From them came the field of alchemy and one of its major contributions to magical theory was its in-depth study of naturally occurring magical phenomena, particularly those related to animals, plants, and minerals. While many of these discoveries helped to expand the broader applicability of magic one material, haemitite, proved to be exceptionally useful. This blood red mineral is an uncommon find in the red mud of the Nansali River Delta. When ground into a powder and used to tint glass it produces a rose-colored glass that allows for the detection of mana.

In its ambient state mana appears as a nearly translucent field of fiery smoke that gathers into scintillating currents and streams seemingly at random. Through this haemitic glass Arcanists learned that inscribed magic draws in mana, transforming it into the phenomena that they witness. This same trend held true for all naturally occurring magical phenomena and was even found in the sapient races, albeit to a lesser extent, when scrutinizing the oft-mysterious corruptions that magic users gained. While the source of this was later identified through comparative anatomy studies the more important outcome was that the discovery spurred the development of mana manipulation techniques.

With the identification of these phenomena efforts were taken to better understand the principles that governed its behavior and to assess if it had any greater utility. Many initial studies focused on magical plants and animals, attempting to quantify their behavior under different circumstances. While ultimately abandoned due to the arcanists limited ability to control these magical beings they did develop several improvements to haemitic glass that allowed them to quantify the intensity of the mana flow into a being. This proved essential in parallel studies involving sorcerous volunteers.

By evaluating hundreds of sorcerers whose powers ranged in both intensity and effect they were able to identify many principles of mana manipulation as well as tease out previously underappreciated and uncharacterized mental efforts that sorcerers used to control their abilities. Correlating these findings with the sparse remnants of techniques employed by the bloodline houses of old mana manipulation as a skill entered its infancy.

Techniques

The core principle of mana manipulation is known as guiding, the process by which a magic worker controls the motion of ambient mana. From this principle comes several techniques, some more specialized than others, which are embraced by different schools of thought dependent on their racial, cultural, and educational backgrounds.

Shaping Techniques

The basis of caster magic is the ability to coax ambient mana into the shape of runes and their defining geometry to manifest an effect. There are three methods for performing this, each with their own strengths and weaknesses.

• Flow Control: This technique embraces the understanding that mana is constantly in motion, moving and flowing through the world. By working with the nature of this motion to form spell structures they can create spells with greater initial power at the cost of their spells taking longer to perform. Additionally flow controlled spells are more resistant to attempts to disrupt them.
• Reinforcement: This technique stems from the concept of mana as a diffuse sea of power that can be shaped freely. To do so reinforcement spells condense ambient mana into the desired spell structure directly, allowing for exceptionally fast casting speeds. Additionally these spells are more easily modified after creation making them favored by highly technical magic workers. In exchange for this speed and flexibility the resulting structure is easily disrupted and has low overall power without compensational spell structure.
• Boundary: This technique attempts to merge the strengths of both flow control and reinforcement by defining a boundary of ambient mana and shaping spell structures onto this boundary. This allows for spell structures to form with greater initial power than reinforcement spells while also casting at speeds superior to flow control. In exchange for this boundary spells are the least flexible to alteration and can be disrupted by targeting the boundary or spell structure.

Control Techniques

Control techniques are focused on manipulating existing spell structures and their resulting effects using ambient mana. There are six techniques that can be used independently or in conjunction with each other.

• Anchoring: This technique creates a mana tether between spell structures or to a physical medium. When used to tether spell structures together this can be used to keep them in relative alignment with each other as they move through space or to link their operations. When used to link a spell structure to a physical medium this is most often used to cause the spell structure to follow the medium through space such as a light that follows the caster.
• Pathway: This technique creates a path for a spell structure or its effect to follow. These pathways can be static or dynamic allowing spells to move in pre-determined ways or accurately target at a distance. Pathways can also be used as conduits for the guiding of spell effects.
• Transformation: This technique alters the spell structure in some pre-determined fashion or at the dictates of the caster. These transformations are used to alter runic compositions, geometries, or even other control techniques.
• Modulate: This technique can be used to create dependencies or conditions between control techniques within a spell structure. Using this technique other controls can be activated or suspended together or in response to the behavior of another control.
• Rate: This technique controls the flow of ambient mana into the spell structure. This is used to modulate the intensity of the effect without altering the structure of the spell.
• Linkage: This technique conjoins portions the spell structure or other controls so that their operations are intertwined.

Manifesting Techniques

Manifesting Techniques work in conjunction with Shaping Techniques to dictate how and where spell structures appear. There are three techniques that can be used independently or in conjunction with each other.

• Remote: By default spells manifest within the reach of the caster due to the ease of forming the proprioceptive link necessary to control mana. However by creating conduits which extend from the caster spells can be created at greater range. Boundary shaping techniques are often employed when using remote manifesting as they held define the area of influence for the magic.
• Mirrored: A spell structure can be mirrored in composition and orientation by taking advantage of symmetrical manipulations. This creates two identical copies of the same spell. These spells can be further mirrored to increase their numbers exponentially but each iteration increases the difficulty of the manipulation by the same factor. Flow control is often used for mirrored manifesting.
• Multicast: Spell structures needn't be created one at a time and can instead be created in parallel with one another. These spells can have entirely different compositions, orientations, and control techniques but doing so is exceptionally difficult. Reinforcement is often used for multicast spells.

Meta-magic Techniques

Meta-magical techniques are focused on augmenting or expanding upon the capabilities of magic through the direct manipulation of mana rather than simply controlling its behavior or creation as with previous techniques. Meta-magic is considered one of magical theory's greatest accomplishment since there is no rune or magical effect which allows for the direct interaction of mana or magical effects. There are five techniques that can be used independently or in conjunction with each other.

• Enduring: This technique creates a reinforcing lattice of mana around a spell structure which shields the structure from the traditional decay processes of mana outside the stabilizing influence of a magic workers will. This technique greatly extends the duration of magical effects while freeing the magic worker to focus on other effects.
• Well: This technique creates a boundary of mana and then condenses it, increasing the concentration to be well above the ambient level. This allows any spell structure created within to have dramatically higher initial manifesting power or self-contained reservoir of mana to draw from.
• Delay: This technique orders mana into an impermeable boundary around the spell structure, preventing ambient mana from activating the spell structure. This technique can be terminated using flow control shaping to drive mana into the spell structure or by allowing the meta-magic to degrade over time.
• Echo: This technique retains impresses a remnant of a spell structure onto the ambient mana around its creation, allowing the spell to recast under identical circumstances using a fraction of the initial time and investment in concentration. Due to the nature of the technique the echo only lasts for a handful of seconds.
• Warded: This technique creates a reinforcing lattice of mana around a spell effect, shielding the effect from disruption or negation by other magical effects. This shielding effects endures only as long as the spell effect is manifest and each separate manifestation of a spell must be individually warded.

Limits of Mana Manipulation

Due to the nature of mana manipulation it requires a great deal of mental focus and fortitude perform. This is made easier by mnemonic devices in the form of gestures and incantations but all workings of mana manipulation are mentally taxing. Additionally due to the fluctuating mana densities involved with mana manipulation
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:35, Sun 20 Sept 2020.