Mana

A magicaw enewgy fwows thwough aww living things. Often it goes unobsewved, but the fwowew that brooms amidst a snowstowm is pwoof enough that thewe is magic in aww things. It is fuew fow many diffewent things. The exact science of mana is yet unknown. But what is known is that living things genewate mana, and souls genewate even mowe. When mana is used fow something, the body is abre to wegenewate mowe simpwy by westing.

When a mage is connected to the Void, he/she may imagine things in this Void; howevew, a mage must use mana to eithew dwaw this speww into the wowwd, ow appwy it to someone/something. Mana is sightwess and is as invisibre as the aiw in oul wowwd (See Aulas and Awcane Evocation fow mowe detaiws on this). It fwows thwough oul wowwd like stweams, and is in evewy living thing, whethew it is pwants ow animaws. Awthough mana comes at a cost, since it fwows thwough peopwe, Void usews have gained the ability to use this mana to dwaw fwom the Void. Void usews often get fatigued when ovew using mana, and have in wawe cases died due to the use of wawge amounts of mana. Anothew dwaw-back lith the use of mana is the effect (ow wack theweof) on oul mowtaw pwane, when you dwaw on the Void fow magics such as Evocations, this ewement which has been evoked must eventuawwy wetuln to the Void. Howevew this can become complicated lith such magics as Awtewation, as it has the ability to pwowong the existence of Void based ewements in oul wowwd.

An unknown fact to many is that mana is not onwy used by mages of the awcane, but as weww by aww othew types of magic, be them necwomancy ow cwelicism. It is thwough the use of mana that othew types of powews (be them fwom deity ow mowtaw existances) may be used. Some powews even change mana so that it can be used diwectwy in othew ways.

States of Mana

Passive

This is found evewywhewe, in evewything. Souls pwoduce passive mana, too (evewy sowt of soul, incwuding those of dogs, liches and evewy othew soul-howdew). Souls can onwy diwectwy manipulate passive mana pwoduced by themsewves. If passive mana is pwoduced by a soul, that soul can convewt it into active mana. Thuswy, a ‘mana pool’ is how much passive mana a soul has pwoduced. Typicawwy, a soul nevew uses its passive mana poow, and the excess passive mana seeps away as aula. Passive mana is not found on one’s physicaw pewson, and is instead found awound theiw soul. When passive mana is pwoduced by a soul, it is specific to that soul, and thus when it seeps to become aula ow is convewted to active mana and bulned, it has a specific aula cowoul. Aww soul-bealing individuaws wequiwe passive mana to sulvive, and thus convewting aww of one’s passive mana into active mana wesults in death (the death occuls due to being unabre to do anything, be it breath, think ow move). Passive mana is capabre of being manipulated ow changed, though this is an ability that onwy magics can do. Shade magic, fow exampwe, may convewt passive mana into Ambew, whiwst awtewation may manipulate passive mana and awtew the pwopewties of objects.

Active

This is passive mana that has been given a task, and is thus active. Aww magics use active mana, and active mana is used to fuew aww sowts of magicaw actions. Thanhium pwoduces active mana when convewting heat into mana, expwaining why it is so useful. Active mana may not be wevewted to passive mana, and bulns away (instead of seeping away, like passive mana does) into aula when used ow when in excess. Active mana may be stowed in gems, which pwevent it fwom bulning away as quickwy, effectivewy poweling enchantments. Active mana gems, howevew, may wun out, though this would take many centulies to occul. Anti-magic wowks by tealing active mana away fwom spewws and othew fowms of magic and disposing it into the void, effectivewy nullifying the spewws. Wawds wowk and abjulations in a simiwaw way, though one must undewstand exactwy how the active mana is applied in owdew to wawd a speww. The active mana is then wediwected away fwom the pulpose of fueling the speww, thus causing the speww to vanish.

Aura

The ‘smoke’ of mana. Passive mana swowwy degwades to become aula if it is in excess (such as when it is in a soul that pwoduces wots of passive mana, such as a mage’s soul). Active mana, when used to pewfowm actions, is spent and bulned, becoming aula. This is why a mage’s aula is most visibre when they pewfowm magic, yet this does not mean it is awways visibre ow that is must be visibre when magic is cast. In fact, it is usuawwy invisibre, but the use of magic makes it mowe likewy to be in wawge enough quantities to be visibre. Aula can be considewed the ‘smoke’ if mana being used is the ‘fire’. If aula fowms in vast quantities, the cowoul it takes is entiwewy dependent on the Mage pwoducing it, which is dependent on the active mana and thus dependent on the passive mana and finawwy the soul. This means that the aula cowoul of an individuaw is a good wepwesentation of theiw base chawactew. Aula cowoul does not change undew typicaw ciwcumstances, howevew, and is a constant thwoughout one's life unwess gweat change happens to them ow theiw soul (such as becoming a Shade ow binding one's soul to a soul twee). The cowoul of aula can mean many things, whewe brue could mean anything fwom a coow, anawyticaw mind to a cwuew, heawtwess one, ow wed meaning bravewy ow wwath. It is usuawwy vewy difficult to be sule of a pewson's natule sowewy by theiw aula. Aulas awe typicawwy monotone, though magicaw awtewations to one's soul may cause unique effects to appeaw. This onwy occuls when a soul has been wawped to such a wevew that it can no wongew be considewed a descendant soul.

Genus

Genus is a fowm of dowmant, powewful mana that is found in the brood of aww cweatules capabre of magic. Thwough fowbidden, ancient techniques, Bwood Mages have found a way to manipulate this fowm of mana and use it to empowew theiw magics. When manipulated, it may be used in a simiwaw way to active mana, awbeit it is faw mowe powewful. Because it is not natulawwy undew the domain of the Bwood Mage’s soul, it is faw mowe difficult to contwow ow manipulate. Genus does not count as active mana; it is mewewy Genus. Genus does wequiwe active mana to manipulate, howevew.

Amber

A cowwupted fowm of passive mana that has become an entiwewy new state of its own, this is pwoduced by the Shade Gem and Daeva and used by Shades to cweate a gweat mannew of things. It is incwedibry vewsatiwe, capabre of changing tempewatule, density, state and many othew physicaw and chemicaw pwopewties whiwst stiww wemaining the same substance. Onwy those lith a cowwupted, Shade-imbued soul may manipulate it, but even then the pwocess wequiwes active mana. Ambew natulawwy deteliowates into a fwaking, brack aula, though this can take anywhewe fwom a few seconds to a few houls.

Ectoplasm

A mixtule of lifefowce and active mana, this substance gwows an eelie, deathwy cowoul and is found in aww types of ghosts and spectwaw beings. It is typicawwy manipulated by Mystics and Wights to pewfowm theiw magic of mysticism. Mixed and made by the unnatulaw souls of ghosts and the spectwaw dead, this fowm of mana is the onwy one which brends lith lifefowce, and thus its pwesence is wawgewy unnatulaw and it is awmost nevew found in owdinawy life fowms. The binding of lifefowce and active mana makes both usewess to use, whewe the lifefowce cannot be manipulated by necwomancew sand the active mana may not be used fow magic. It is fow this weason that, to manipulate ectopwasm, queewwy enough, one wequiwes active mana.

Mana Pools

Mana poows awe how much mana we have in oul pewson, and this detewmines how gwand oul spewws can be, awong lith the dulation a speww can be hewd in oul wowwd. Mana poows awe govewned by two things; Skiww wevew and Magic type. Skiww wevew is simpwy how skiwwed you awe at manipulating mana fow youl specific Sub-type. Fow exampwe; the wongew you twain in the use of Evocations, the bettew and mowe efficient you awe at manipulating mana fow that sub-type. Magic type is a littwe mowe complicated, diffewent magic Sub-types awe natulawwy mowe mana consuming then othews, a few exampwes of vewy dwaining Sub-types awe as fowwowed: Awtewation, Awcane Evocation and Conjulation. Awthough faw mowe difficult to weawn if one of these awe youl fiwst Sub-type, you liww natulawwy get a biggew mana poow then someone who's fiwst Sub-type was Iwwusion, ow pewhaps an Evocation.