Magic

Much like the Creature System of Avilium, we intend to keep the Magic System uniquely structured and defined without taking from too unique terms from other media. In other words, we would like to avoid using terms like Force, Ki, Chi, or Mana. Because of this, even referring to it as a "Magic" system is a bit counter-productive to that specific end goal, but in this particular case, we opted for concept recognizability rather than over-complication.

The so-called "Magic" is really in reference to energies and power systems that allow creatures to perform actions and feats beyond the general limits of their physical form.

Myst Particles

Ultimately, Myst is the primary energy that fuels the extraordinary abilities that can be seen as "magical" in Avilium. The term Myst comes from the discovery of the Myst Particle. This quantum particle has, at this point in the canon, been observed to be the ultimate source of the awesome and terrifying capabilities of those who can manipulate them; consciously or otherwise.

The use of Myst to power one's abilities is referred to as Myst Manipulation. Meanwhile, Myst Capacity is the measurement of how many particles a person is capable of controlling at will.

Despite the understanding developed around Myst, much about these particles continues to remain a mystery. Currently it is still unknown what specific factors can increase or decrease a person's Myst Control, the measurement of how consistently a person can manipulate Myst to achieve the same objective every time with minimal or no variation.

Even further, the research into Myst shows that everyone has a unique Myst Affinity, a term used to define what specific actions a person can perform with their Myst; while some Mystics, the term for manipulators of Myst, find it very easy to control flames by utilizing their Myst Manipulation, others may find this type of activity impossible while being observed to have a greater aptitude when it comes to drastically different actions such summoning Mysterva or even creating personal pocket dimensions.

All that being said, there is evidence to support that using Myst in new ways outside of one's natural Affinity is something that can be taught. Because of this, various cultures throughout Avilium have developed unique Disciplines to give Mystics a structured basis to develop their Myst abilities. Many cultures pursue the development of their abilities in alignment with their customs and beliefs. Meanwhile, others have been known to develop their Myst solely to acquire destructive power and/or control over those weaker than them. In recent years some communities have begun making an effort to ensure that Myst Manipulation is practiced in safe, sane, and responsible ways with appropriate guidance and oversight.

These communities have begun establishing a more structured understanding and methodology for the research, development, and education around Myst.

The Five C's of Control

Myst Control is generally learned through the practice of what is referred to as the Five C's of Control. When a Mystic is learning to manipulate Myst Particles, they generally learn each of the following methods of control. The order in which they are listed is the generally recommended order to learn each of these methods, but it isn't necessarily required to learn them in that order.

Circulation

Moving particles by redirecting them, never stopping or obstructing them. Represented by a flowing river.

Crystallization

Moving particles into organized patterns to create a physical state. Represented by a crystal cluster.

Compilation

Organizing Crystallized and Circulated particles into defined structures. Represented by a symmetrical 4-pointed star.

Compaction

Bringing particles together to a singular point as closely as possible. Represented by pair of triangles placed into an hourglass shape.

Computation

Utilizing Crystallized and Circulated particles to define continuous, conditional, or reactionary behavior for specific particles. Represented by a circuit board pattern.

Control Mastery

Due to a variety of limitations encountered by Mystics and Myst researchers, most Mystics are usually only capable of truly mastering one method of control. Mystics capable of mastering two or three methods are often considered geniuses and are almost always responsible for influxes in academy enrollment when discovered. Meanwhile, those who can master four are extremely rare and generally find fame on an interplanetary scale. Mystics who master all five are generally only heard of in folklore and urban legends.

Depending on how many methods of control Mystics master, they are often organized into categorized groupings known as Monadics, Dyadics, Triadics, Tetradics, and Pentadics.

Mystic Disciplines

While learning to control particles, Mystics generally align themselves with one of five Mystic Disciplines. All disciplines utilize every type of control, but often focus more strongly on one of them over the others.

Fortification

Learning to control Myst to improve the physical attributes of any solid matter. Fortifiers often focus heavily on developing their Crystallization skills and are often capable of extraordinarily improving their personal physical strength, durability and agility. The majority of Monadics often happen to be Fortifiers. In most academies, Fortifiers are assigned uniforms with green-focused color schemes.

Manipulation

A discipline focused mostly on the direction and redirection of the natural flow of Myst through the focused usage of Circulation skills. Manipulators are able to affect the flow of particles in various ways from causing ripples in them to completely redirecting them. This grants them access to a varied list of abilities from being able to fire beams of plasma at targets to manipulating water into various shapes or impacting the cognitive state of others nearby. Some can even utilize particles to gather quantum-level information of space and matter near them. Academies usually assign purple-themed uniforms to Manipulators.

Enchantment

When a Mystic focuses on utilizing Computation, they are considered part of the Enchantment Discipline. These Mystics can create complex structures of particles allowing them to grant new abilities and traits to objects or creatures. They are often known to find great success in creating enchanted equipment and other enchanted goods. Aside from the financial possibilities, the naturally volatile nature of Myst is another reason most Enchanters focus on enchanting items and equipment, as losing focus when enchanting a creature can have very dangerous results due to the very likely situation in which their target's personal Myst Control conflicts with their enchantment. Due to the particularly complex skill sets required to master Computation, most Dyadics and Triadics often happen to be Enchanters. These Mystics are generally assigned yellow-themed uniforms in the academies.

Creation

Any Mystic particularly skilled with Compilation generally finds themselves becoming Creation Mystics. Utilizing a detailed understanding of the atomic structure of their topic of focus, Creators can create new matter from the atoms around them. This discipline is considerably rare for Mystics to align with due the amount of atomic understanding necessary to create even the simplest of objects. Monadic Creators are completely unheard of with most Creators focusing on becoming Triadics. Diadic Creators are widely considered irresponsible underachievers by their Discipline peers. Blue-themed uniforms are often assigned to Creators.

Destruction

While nearly every discipline has to learn Compaction to some extent or another, Destroyers can master it enough to violently force particles to collide into each other resulting in powerful explosions. In most academies, and unless they are able to control Myst from a substantial distance, most Destroyers are required to enroll as Fortifiers before being allowed to change to join the Destroyer classes. Destroyers are known for proudly sporting their red-themed uniforms.

Summoning

Summoning is not recognized as a Discipline by most academies due to the moral problems and dangers associated with it. Summoning involves utilizing considerable proficiency in every type of control to bring creatures known as Mysterva into existence. Mysterva are known to have a high chance of being infected by Maleidic Waves during their creation, contributing to the belief that the unofficial discipline is extremely dangerous. Mysterva have also been known to come into existence with sentient self-awareness and display high intelligence, which has caused a lot of controversy in Mystic circles as very few nations have defined laws around the treatment of Mysterva, and even fewer nations have laws in favor of said Mysterva. In the few places where Summoners are trained, they often wear orange-themed uniforms.

Maleidic Waves

Very little is known about Maleidic Waves and less is truly understood about them. These waves are a twisted form of quantum matter that can have all kinds of negative affects on existence from causing madness in sentient creatures to corrupting Myst Particles through a parasitic form of decay that can travel from a single particle to multiple others near it.

Maleidic Waves consume, preserve, and shift existence on a quantum scale so heavily that the academies researching it have discovered a parallel dimension known as the Maleidic Realm. In this twisted reflection of existence, the past, present, and future meld together constantly to create a mangled and terrifying environment. What people see and experience in the Maleidic Realm is directly influenced by their personal mental state, memories, and imagination, often driving people into madness from a single visit to the realm.

Maleidic Waves can also interact with the quantum essence of living beings, otherwise known as their souls, sometimes pulling them into the Maleidic realm upon a person's death, and locking the souls into a state of stability, forcing them to endlessly wander the realm while slowly being corrupted by the waves.

Because the waves are quantum in nature, they are not generally perceivable to the naked eye without very special equipment. Despite this, however, objects and people corrupted by these waves are known to emit the same waves and this close proximity to a generator of waves can often trigger feelings of unease and fight or flight in people nearby due to the density of waves when they're near their source. These feelings are believed to the a defense mechanism from the Myst Particles inside of living creatures to make them avoid the waves.

The further these waves travel from their source, the more they decay and disperse at an exponential rate, making it very difficult to notice them, or for them to affect the environment once they make it a certain distance. While extremely rare, it is possible for multiple waves to converge on certain points in space-time and have unexpected and varied effects on other dimensions.

Reign

Reign is generally considered a legend by the people of Avilium. The legend is based around the idea that a Mystic with enough talent and skill can grow their abilities to an ascended state, allowing them to gain direct control over complex concepts and ideas without needing to consciously use the teachable methods of control defined by the academies. Mystics with Reign are often referred to as Mystic Lords in the stories told about them.

This powerful control over Myst allows for truly miraculous and extremely rare abilities to develop set far apart from the capabilities of most Mystics. Because of this, most stories told and passed down about Mystic Lords often portray them as the harbingers of interplanetary destruction and cultural extinction or as fantastical saviors born from the power of prayer and belief, which can often lead to them generally being revered as divinities if not simply considered fantasy by non-believers.