Doorways of the Soul - A Magic Paradigm

The source of magic is the Aether, the alternate realm of magical energy and the home to both the Soul and the Gods of this world. The Aether is a formless sea of power, which can me shaped by the wills of its residents. The souls of humans return here after death for a brief time, before being reincarnated into a new form. The Gods of the world occupy higher levels of the Aether, building their own small realms from the raw substance of the plane. The Aether and the physical world are distinct and separate unless a connection is created through outside intervention - either magical or divine.

Magic is brought into the world through the body of any creature with a soul (usually humans - animals can be used but they have a much lesser capacity to channel energy) via the use of sigils marked onto the flesh of the vessel. A spell takes the form of the correct sigils marked onto the correct location of the body, which are then activated by the spellcaster by an effort of will. Activating the spell causes the vessel's body to become a gateway into the Aether, using the connection of their soul, through which magical energy is drawn down into the physical realm. This energy is then shaped by the sigils into a specific manifestation, the spell itself.

The sigils can be marked onto the vessel's body in many ways. Weak or temporary spells can be cast through sigils painted onto the skin with inks or dyes. Use of more carefully prepared dyes will strengthen the spell, especially those involving blood (usually of the vessel themselves). Stronger sigils can be etched into the vessel's flesh, which may be temporary if the cutting is light, or leave permanant scars for a long-term sigil. Tatooing is also popular for marking commonly used sigils onto the vessel. As the sigils must be of a certain size and in set positions to work correctly, this obviously limits the number of spells that a vessel may cast at any one time - especially if some of the sigils are more permanant tattoos or scars.

The resilience of the vessel and their endurance to pain is an important factor in the casting of spells. Both the marking of the sigils (in the case of cutting and tattoos) and the spellcasting itself often take their toll on the body of the vessel. The more powerful a spell is, the greater the strain places on the vessel. Destructive spells especially require great skill and pain tolerance to cast successfully. Spells too powerful for their vessel will often cause bleeding, unconsciousness or more serious side-effects. As a spellcaster becomes more adept at channeling the power, they are able to lessen these effects, but it is impossible to cast highly powerful destructive spells through a weak vessel, no matter how skilled.

A spellcaster must also have sufficient strength of will or soul to open the doorway into the Aether and channel the resultant energy into the sigils. It takes a certain degree of determination to active even a basic sigil, which many would-be magic users do not possess. This is the one 'natural talent' that all spellcasters must possess to a certain degree. Academic knowledge is also important, as the sigils and their correct location must be known in order to produce anything more than undirected energy. With sufficient knowledge it is possible for a scholar of the subject to invent new sigils and determine their correct placement on the body of the vessel, but for the most part spellcasters will stick to tried and tested spells. Strength of soul and endurance are often inherited from a spellcaster's parents, and the knowledge is often passed down as well, which leads to a tendency for magic to run in certain bloodlines and families. However, it is theoretically possible for anyone with sufficient determination and access to at least some source of theoretical knowledge to teach themselves magic and harden their body to the resultant pain

As the most powerful and/or destructive spells are more of a danger to an unwary caster than anyone else, they tend to be fairly carefully guarded for the safety of novice spellcasters. However, what is heavily proscribed is the technique of channeling spells through a vessel other than the spellcaster's own body. All common learning teaches that the caster must channel his will through his own soul and body, and thus that the vessel must be himself. However, with the correct knowledge of how to focus one's will, it is possible for a spellcaster to use sigils inscribed into another vessel's body to channel the Aether. Obviously this releives the caster of any concern for overextending or casting spells more powerful than the vessel can contain, as the pain and overwhelming energy will not distract him or her from continuing with the spell. It is perfectly possibly, in fact, to use an unconscious or injured vessel to cast spells in this way, so long as the soul remains attached to the body and the sigils are intact. It is also an ideal method for those with strong will or knowledge, but insufficient strength of body and pain tolerance to cast powerful spells through their own body. Due to the horrendous possibilities for abuse, this knowledge is kept well hidden from the vast majority of spellcasters.