Within the world there is an energy deeply connected to all living beings in this universe and every other. Commonly mortals refer to it as Magic. It is an omnipresent energy that permeates every part of existence.
The deep connection between Magic and living beings allows the latter to both consciously and subconsciously influence the former. And so the initially nebulous magic was influenced by mortal perception of the world, the belief and worship in gods made them take form within magic, turning into powerful deities, the attempts to understand magic and the world led to the creation of Powers, essentially aspects of magic through which mortals can more easily call its power to bear. This had a significant impact on the world as magic slowly aligned itself and its new aspects to the natural cycle, leading to different aspects being more powerful in different times of the year. The gods themselves might be connected to as many of the powers as the image of them is worshipped is.
These powers are often divided into two groups, most commonly just referred to as light and dark powers.
The light powers would consist of:
- Youthful Power - Referred to as Youth, Innocence or Honesty. It governs all that which comes before experience, the thoughtlessness of youth, the potential yet untapped, and the perception unmarred by cynicism. It is as much a child's first spring as a soldier's first campaign.
- Orderly Power - That known as Order. It governs all that is rigid and restrictive. It is as much the rule of a tyrant as a law protecting innocents from harm.
- Concessive Power - Known as Duty. It is all that which willingly ceases control over one's fate. Be it a soldiers following orders or backing down when faced by a threat.
- Preserving Power - Often referred to as Endurance. It is all that which endures unchanging, from recovering from an injury to standing strong against adversity.
- Lively Power - Life, governs all new life entering the world.
- Seeking Power - Called by many Curiosity, it is that which seeks to lift the veil off of Mystery, governs both the destructive desire for knowledge as well as innocent curiosity of the young.
- Deliberative Power - Simply known to many as Choice, it is all the decisions made while considering their impact on the world and others.
- Intangible Power - The Untouched is all that which, while within mortal perception, cannot be touched, beyond the physical realm. Past, future but also emotion
The dark powers would consist of:
- Deceptive Power - Known as Wisdom, it is all that which begins as innocence fades. The experience acquired through age, but also the lies which are learnt once youth fades.
- Chaotic Power - Chaos of choice unrestrained, the complete freedom in opposition to Order.
- Binding Power - The claiming of power over others and yourself, often referred to as Domination.
- Destructive Power - Known more neutrally as Change, governs all that without which the world would be stagnant and unchanging.
- Deathly Power - Death, the ultimate certainty, the end of all.
- Mysterious Power - That which governs knowledge unclaimed, or better left unclaimed. Mystery, as it is known, governs both the ultimate truth but also the madness of knowing.
- Solitary Power - Independence, both from others, as well as self reliance and selfishness.
- Imperceptible Power - Unknown, the power beyond mortal perception, it is all that beyond this reality and the impossible that cannot be perceived.
These powers are tapped into by users of magic in a variety of ways. The Arcanist attempts to force structure upon magic, causing it to manifest in some way. The Divinist would beseech the gods to grant him a boon in the form of the effect he wishes. The Primalist directly channels the magic through creation around them to affect it. While the Rune user would channel it through symbols and words that have gained power through the ages, in ways connecting to the core of magic. And finally those that use Verse, most pure of the magics, attempting to coerce its very essence to do their bidding.
While magic is omnipresent, it is affected by the world. Creating Ice is harder in the desert for instance. But there are less mundane effects too. When The Fool shines in full magic becomes both more powerful and harder to control. When the Twins shine bright the very fabric of reality weakens. But so does the whole year shift magics alignment across the powers. The Unknown is never stronger than during the week of Veil's Tear in Oiacuma, while Order is the most powerful during the week of Order's Return in Heren.