Post by Gaea on Aug 1, 2013 1:56:51 GMT -8
While the technical term for this branch of magic is Elder magic, the strong themes of darkness and shadow - while not inherently evil by any means - have lent Elder magic a certain reputation that has proven exceedingly hard for its practitioners to remove; there is a certain aversion to the dark inherent to human nature, of the horrors it may hold, and that prejudice is difficult to completely extinguish even among those who know better than to believe any of the countless rumors surrounding Elder magic. But what is "dark" magic, exactly? Why does it hold to themes of shifting shadow and roiling darkness, and why is it so often misunderstood and even feared?
At its core, Elder magic is knowledge of the world, of the underpinning fundamental nature of reality - and the knowledge to change that. Where other magics manipulate that which exists or create, Elder magic is the science of bending reality to one's will, of seeing beyond what things appear to be and learning to change them into what they should be. Manipulative and smoky or forceful and harsh, Elder magic does not so much request as it commands, rewriting the natural flow of magic into something unnatural - but perhaps more orderly - than what it was. It consumes what is natural and replaces that with what the caster wills, but Elder magic is not a child's plaything. It takes intense willpower to not be consumed by visions of what lies beyond, of the nothingness that replaces something, and Elder magic practitioners must balance exerting their will on the world and on themselves to hold their minds together as they delve into the nature of reality.
At its core, Elder magic is knowledge of the world, of the underpinning fundamental nature of reality - and the knowledge to change that. Where other magics manipulate that which exists or create, Elder magic is the science of bending reality to one's will, of seeing beyond what things appear to be and learning to change them into what they should be. Manipulative and smoky or forceful and harsh, Elder magic does not so much request as it commands, rewriting the natural flow of magic into something unnatural - but perhaps more orderly - than what it was. It consumes what is natural and replaces that with what the caster wills, but Elder magic is not a child's plaything. It takes intense willpower to not be consumed by visions of what lies beyond, of the nothingness that replaces something, and Elder magic practitioners must balance exerting their will on the world and on themselves to hold their minds together as they delve into the nature of reality.
