Sacred 2:Book 1 - General Conspectus of Magic

From the Books of Magic
Book 1

General Conspectus of Magic

For more than five hundred years I have been studying the secrets of magic and I am walking the thin line between the thirst for knowledge and the realization that even an immortal existence would not be sufficient to unveil every last secret concealed by this arcane power.

1. Essence

All magic within this world derives from magical Essence. This mysterious power saturates everything, it never stagnates and it cannot be caught nor explained Every race and each person in this world uses the Essence one way or another. From the more primitive shaman spells of the Kobolds, to the complex conjuration rituals of High Elven magic lore - everyone everywhere on this world utilizes the Essence... some knowingly, some blissfully unaware.

Many cultures have begun to divide magic into fields and disciplines. Even the most extensive research did not spare us from having to use this kind of aid Therefore, we are using terms such as Fire Magic, Ice Magic, Conjuration Magic... even Poison Magic is being regarded as an independent discipline these days. Still, by now we know full well that all these divisions are nothing but feeble attempts to categorize something that is simply beyond categorization. In fact, these categories even prove to be impediments when it comes to transforming Essence into new spells.

The Essence is ubiquitous in Ancaria, albeit its presence appears to be stronger in some areas than others. Nobody has been able to explain this phenomenon though. The terms Essence accumulation' and Essence dispersion' are widely used for these occurrences. If a magician is in an area with high Essence accumulation, the desired effects will require considerably less transformation energy than in area with Essence dispersion. As yet a location with a complete absence of Essence is unknown,- however, persistent rumors exist that the Dragons are aware of such locations (which allegedly is the reason for their move to Ancaria). In all my years of research I have been unable to confirm these theories.

2. Transformation

Discovering and researching magic spells is not the true art of magic. The art is using Essence according to your own will and transforming it. That, of course, is far from being easy. Only very few people have been blessed with this talent; most people do not have the ability to influence Essence. Surveys have revealed that only one in three thousand High Elves is capable of it. Those who do have this ability face a long and arduous path before they are able to use their magical powers purposefully and efficiently. Magic results from the perfect combination of two powers: Essence and the individual power of the spell caster. That is the only way to invoke magic!

Having said that, even this profane approach does have its limits. There will always be fields that cannot be accessed successfully by merely combining Essence and the talent of transformation. The most distinctive example would be necromancy. Although it is possible to reanimate dead beings with relatively little effort, it is impossible to create new life by magic means. Essence always implies the change of a status quo. Delaeniel described this factor in his standard work "Lex Magica" in the year 974 (Old Time) as re-creational principle'.

3. Lex Magica

"How inadequate the thought that magic should be divided into categories. How pathetic to hide behind such a construct. How deplorable this naivety that will inevitably lead to failure!"

--- Delaeniel The Elder

The Lex Magica is arguably the most extensive work about magic. Its author, Delaeniel the Elder, created a systematic list of all known magical aspects. The central part of his work is the transcription of all the laws of magic. Although the Lex Magica is now more than 1.200 years old its contents are still as valid as ever. Delaeniel was the first to recognize that magic is not a priori divided into aspects, and that the categorization is merely a figment created This was a revolutionary thought at the time.