Arcane

The Source

Magic is, by nature, impossible to rationally understand. Magic's ability to alter or break the laws of the physical world is what makes it magical. To explain the workings of magic in mundane terms, expecting the logical progression of cause and effect, is impossible.

It is known that the discovery of magic coincided with the discovery of the other planes of existence. As a result, it is commonly believed that the presence of cracks in the barrier between the various planes is what allows magic to exist.

The Teachings of the Schools of Magic

Those that teach others in the ways of wielding magic often use the various schools of magic to teach their students proper judgement and character.

Abjuration
It is better to save a friend than destroy an enemy

Conjuration
Everywhere is everywhere

Divination
Knowledge is both armor and weapon

Enchantment
The mind does not sit still

Evocation
Power unfocused dissipates

Illusion
Life is but a dream

Necromancy
Death is not the end

Transmutation
All forms are one

Items of Power

Those who practice the arcane arts of manipulating the extra-planar energies involved in magic also often investigate and debate the nature of items of power. These objects are somehow capable of enacting the effects that students of the arcane take years of study to master. Even in the hands of the untrained, many of these objects endow their possessor with extraordinary abilities.

Those who have discovered how to create such items have found that extra-planar energies are sometimes found encapsulated within the material. Often, these energies are pooled within creatures with a natural, inborn supernatural abilities. It is believed that these creatures, whether they hail from the other planes or are descended from "outsiders" carry this essence the way a snake carries its venom or a skunk its musk. Glands and organs rich with extra-planar energies can be quite valuable in the right hands.

Whatever the creature's natural abilities were can be laced into an item. The organs found near the throat of a fire breathing creature could be used to create an elixir that enables the creature who drinks it to spout flames from their lips as well, or it could be utilized to endow an enchanted blade with the capability to become wreathed in flames that leap out to scorch those it strikes. Tales exist of those who spent decades seeking out rare and dangerous creatures in order to create items of truly remarkable abilities.

Another form of material energy is commonly known as diamond dust. Despite its name, diamond dust is not actually made from diamonds. Rather, it is called this as a result of its glistening, gem-like appearance. Scholars debate the nature of diamond dust. Some say it is the stuff of stars, having fallen from the heavens long ago. Others believe it is the result of eons of planar energies slowly leaking into the material world, crystallizing like salt on the ocean's shore. Some argue that it is the other way around. They theorize that it is the quintessential element of the material plane, the primordial core that can take any form and causes our world to act as the nexus for all others. They believe that at one point all that existed on our plane was diamond dust, which gradually took form as everything in Kaledor and the heavens above.

Whatever their beliefs as to its origins, diamond dust is known to be an extremely versatile material for the purposes of manipulating planar energies. Not only is it necessary for the most powerful of spells, it can be utilized to craft any item of power. Unlike the practice of organ harvesting, diamond dust is not limited in the possibilities of its use. In the right hands, diamond dust could be used to craft nearly anything imaginable. As a result, it is extremely rare and expensive. Even those who do not have the knowledge or skill to use it will horde it, knowing its value. Much of it was used up during the war, and what little remains is jealously guarded.