Magic Trivia

This section contains entries on several phenomena that involve magic.

Artificial Auras

An artificial aura is a magical aura produced by an enchantment or other magical construct rather than by a living being. Artificial auras can be detected through Aura Sense, although they are generally weaker than the aura of a living person and require greater concentration to distinguish.

Artificial auras are not true personal mana fields. They lack the qualities associated with a living aura and cannot be used for forms of Mana Interaction that require a living mana field, such as Aura Talk. Their presence is instead a by-product of the magical energy sustaining the enchantment or construct.

Dark Eye

The eyes are among the most mana-sensitive visible parts of the body, causing many forms of magical strain and mana-related symptoms to manifest there first. Dark Eye, also referred to as Blight Eye, is a phenomenon caused by excessive or uncontrolled use of darkness-aligned magic. The phenomenon is purely cosmetic and does not pose a danger to the individual's health or impair their vision. It fades naturally within a few days, provided excessive use of dark magic is avoided during recovery.

The symptom generally does not appear when dark magic is practised in a controlled and reasonable manner. It occurs when a dark mage overexerts themselves with a spell beyond their current capabilities or channels an excessive amount of mana into a spell, such as during a state of heightened emotion. The excess dark mana causes the sclera to gradually darken.

The first signs are usually dark veins appearing at the corners of the eyes and spreading towards the iris. In most cases, the discolouration remains limited to vein-like tendrils across part of the sclera. Complete blackening of the sclera is uncommon and generally indicates severe magical overexertion. In rare cases, the darkened veins may extend beyond the eye into the surrounding skin, fur, scales, or feathers. The amount of magic required for this to occur is estimated to be within the capabilities of faekin and therefore makes the phenomenon extremely uncommon among lower kindreds.

Individuals with naturally dark sclera can still develop Dark Eye, although the discolouration is considerably more difficult to observe.

Ley Lines

Ley lines are currents of raw mana that run throughout Mereldia. Their exact nature and origin remain poorly understood, but they form a fundamental part of the world's magical environment.

Faekin are particularly sensitive to ley lines and can perceive their presence through their exceptionally strong auras. This sensitivity does not grant them the ability to draw mana directly from or otherwise access the ley lines. Ley lines can instead be sensed as a distinct presence within the surrounding magical environment.

Magical Signature

Every source of mana has a distinctive magical signature that can be recognised by those capable of sensing mana. A person's aura carries their individual signature, allowing experienced mages to distinguish one person's mana from another's.

Magical signatures can also be preserved by enchantments. Transcription Ink, for example, carries the magical signature of the writing previously inscribed into it, allowing the enchantment to recognise and reproduce the recorded writing when supplied with mana through Invocation.

Mana Sickness

Mana sickness is the physical condition caused by severe depletion of a mage's available mana. It can occur when a mage expends more mana than their body can safely sustain, such as when powering a particularly demanding enchantment or overexerting themselves with magic.

The severity of mana sickness depends on the extent of the depletion. Mild cases can leave a mage exhausted and temporarily unable to perform demanding magic, while severe depletion can leave them seriously incapacitated. Recovering requires allowing the body's mana reserves to replenish.

Transcription Ink

Transcription Ink is ordinary ink that has been enchanted with a magical property allowing written text to be reproduced. The enchantment records the magical signature of writing made with the ink, allowing the recorded writing to be traced and reproduced in another book when supplied with mana through Invocation.

The enchantment reproduces the writing itself, so spelling mistakes, unusual lettering, damaged strokes, and other imperfections in the original are preserved in subsequent copies.

The transcribing property is not permanent. The enchantment gradually loses its stored mana and must be replenished regularly to remain functional. Books written with Transcription Ink can therefore remain copyable for as long as their enchantment is properly maintained.