SporeWiki:Fantasy Universe/Old/The Source



The Source on is a force that permeates existence and can be used by creatures within its presence to gain supernatural abilities. It is known by many names, including Magic, Mana, and Essence. "The Source" is a name given by those who consider this force to be a conscious being, while "magic" is also used to refer to alien equivalents of the Source.

Many creatures have a strong natural capacity to consciously utilise magic, while others do not and can only access its powers by intense training, or by using external aids such as fairy dust.

The Archipelago is believed by some to contain a nexus of the Source, underneath the sea floor. This would explain the various mysterious phenomena that have affected the region for thousands of years. The most obvious manifestation of this nexus would be an apparent psychic disturbance that is centred within a half-sunken pyramid near to one of the northernmost islands. It is also known that an ancient magical artifact, the "Eye", is somewhere underneath the Archipelago, but this is not the cause of these phenomena, since it was not placed there until the end of the.

Powers
The Source is, fundamentally, the power of abstraction given concrete form; it is the mechanism by which immaterial concepts are given the ability to act as physical forces and directly influence material things. As such, Source powers are generically classifiable as psychokinesis, in which a Source-user's mind manipulates phenomena in the external environment that the user cannot physically touch, and extrasensory perception, in which a Source-user allows their mind to receive information about phenomena in the external environment that the user cannot physically sense. The most advanced forms of magical transmutation involve the apparent creation, destruction and teleportation of matter and minds, a skill that most philosophers of sorcery believe involves harnessing dimensions of space that are imperceptible to most individuals.

The intrinsic properties of the Source mean that, while it does not inherently have "sides" or "types", different applications of magical powers can be treated separately based on their unifying concept. These concepts are potentially limitless in number, but as examples, a few well-known varieties of Source abilities are fire magic, ice magic, light magic, and dark magic. Similarly, many different races have developed their own techniques and rituals for accessing magical powers, some of which can appear to those not familiar with them as being completely different forces.

Deities
The Source appears to have a consciousness of some sort, as magic sometimes appears to have a "mind of its own", and unlike the physical universe, it does not necessarily follow a logical system of natural laws. However, whether or not it should be worshipped as a deity is up for debate, and there are many people in the world who have not seen proof of magical powers and so doubt that they even exist. Another belief, held by some cultures, is that the Source was created along with the rest of the world by a supreme deity.

Many other deities are and have been worshipped on Koldenwelt. Out of those that are not purely mythological, some of them seem to be personifications of the Source, such as, or of its aspects, such as the Colossi and Simulacra. Others may have been powerful sorcerers who managed to become incorporeal beings after death using the Source, a process sometimes known as "ascension", or they may be thoughtforms created by the minds of Source-users. Most thoughtforms are beings that only truly exist in one creature's perception, although even they still have a small degree of influence on the real world.

Effects and Species
Although most races of Koldenwelt and the Multiverse are in some way capable of wielding the Source or other magic energies, all of them react to the Source in different, specific ways. Some species are more attuned to magic in general, others have an affinity for a particular school or form of invocation, and there are also races - that not only have no sorcerous abilities, but can even negate spells through their anti-magical nature. Although no numbers can be given, certain paradigms can be noted when comparing different species in terms of Source affinity.

The  species as a whole is well-attuned to the Source, even though their abilities are rarely extraordinary. Elves in particular are powerful mages, with most of their subspecies possessing innate Source abilities, ranging from the Erilya elves' "inner fire" to the mystical link the Tamaraul elves have with their mountainois homeland. Also notable are the ancient Orichalcum Elves and their descendants, the diabolical , whose magic abilities are said to be unmatched by any species. On the other hand, Men, too Deiwos, are notoriously distanced from the Source; magic practice in human states is very limited and is only practiced by the two human academies in Saphronia and Karacay, as well as the Inquisition. While this distaste towards magic is mostly explained by humanity's hatred of elves (often associated with the Source), there are also purely physiological reasons for it. As human bodies are by nature not meant to use the Source, magic has a tendency to disfigure human wizards, altering their appearance to the point they may even stop looking human at all. At best, it tinges their eyes and (sometimes) hair in unnatural colours, from golden to purple; at worst, it mutates and kills them.

More attuned to the Source are the draconic  races, who are with a few exceptions inherently magical creatures. Almost all dragons, both True and Lesser, are capable of using magic to some extent; even when not controlled directly for casting spells, it still powers their bodies and gives them strength. A major exception to this rule is the dimunitive  race; having lost their attunement to the Source after their goddess' fall, they are no longer innately magical, although they are still capable of using the Source indirectly through alchemy. However, unlike the Deiwos wizards, Kelodhres are usually confined to a single element they can utilise; the Gorthúron, for example, are adept cryomancers, but are not known for extraordinary abilities in any other school of magic. This is especially true for the True Dragons, who represent the elements themselves.

With the animalistic , Source affinity may vary, owing to the beast races' great biological and cultureal diversity. While many of them are either innately magical (though their abilities are often only limited to a single school, much like Kelodhros magic), like the ' or the s, or generally well-attuned to the Source like the ' or the extinct Bizargar, some (such as the ) have mediocre Source potential that is on par with humans - though they usually do not suffer from the same side effects. Much like with the Deiwos and the Kelodhros, the oldest beast races - the s and the Ordnung - are also the most powerful in the Source, possessing immense hydromantic and geomantic abilities respectively.

Those species that do not fit the three large groups of peoples mentioned - most of them otherworldy creatures - are typically Source creatures and possess various forms of innate or learned magic. The  and the Outworlders are the examples of such races.

Schools
The Source is extremely variable when it comes to what kind of magic it can cast. Because of this, scholars and mages around Koldenwelt have separated magic in multiple "schools", according to their elemental nature.

Alien Magic
Additionally, magic also exists in planes other than Koldenwelt, but in forms distinct from the Source. Attempting to mix the Source with them often proves futile or destructive.