Origin of Aura and its Influence
Ptitheros's magic originates from a source of energy/material/substance that surpasses all levels of dimensional properties. It is in the air, the ground, the trees, even a key part of the genetic makeup that makes up all living creatures. It is the carbon of the Ptitheros universe. The only known central source that can be narrowed down is that aura in a pure particle form comes from stars, however it is evident it comes from many other unknown sources as well.
Aura has been very prominent in the development of everything in Ptitheros. It has affected the outcome of wars based on high-aura fighters, enchantments on weapons, and even the influence of lindosts on the aftermath of these violent events. It has influenced how cultural tenets work, punishments, and values about what is rich (fruitful and desired) in the world. It has caused the development of the strange solarpunk technology Ptithians have access to, and many more things.
The Global Aura
Referred to as the "Global Aura" by most sapient creatures on Ptitheros, it is also called "Atmospheric Aura", "The Living Particles'', or just mentioned as the ever-existing magic that is present in the environment across the world. The Global Aura is important to the functionality of many species and magic types found in Ptitheros, which ranges from the use of drawing in energy for an incantation spell or it even is found to be the very life essence of some creatures. They breathe it, require it, are made of it even. The Global Aura cycles similar to how all nature is connected, as it is a part of it. It is another sphere in the vicious cycle to keep Ptitheros alive. The Aura is in every creature, every plant, and can even dilute into the earthy substances beneath one's feet. But, it must have means of being reused if it is drawn into a spell or locked within the body of a creature. As when it becomes locked in, it assimilates to become the magic of said creature and cannot become pure again until recycled by the upper realm known as Lindoss. Lindoss and its monsters rely on the Aura for life, but the Aura depends on them as well. They are collectors, decomposers of the corpses who lock the Aura away. They have means of harvesting the magic from the dead and pumping it back into the Global Aura to be used for the next spell or to be locked within the next hatchling to break from its egg. However, Lindoss cannot always rely on death to return the Aura, and its monsters are known for their dangerous and adamant nature to obtain it one way or another, but for a good purpose, of course.
The Global Aura's name gives its own definition. However, there are places and even actions that occur to remove the pure magic from the immediate area. It is unknown when and where dry spots occur across Ptitheros naturally, as none ever last long or have been researched much due to the rarity, but it is possible to remove or decrease the Aura in a location. Be it using magic itself to cast a small vacuum that drains the area and disperses it elsewhere, or accidentally placing too many strong magic entities in one place. While this does not hinder any respiration, it would be dangerous for an aura-breathing entity to be within the vicinity, as they would be drained of their lifeline rather quickly.
Aura Vacuums
On planets with strong global auras, like Ptitheros, there are natural occurrences where leylines of aura develop low or almost-desolate pockets that move over the planet like a "ripple". These pockets affect technology like a fried electrical line, causing it to lose connection or restart. On planets, the pockets are never completely deprived of aura.
Out in the depths of space, true aura vacuums exist. These sections are often outside of solar systems, on the outer reaches of galaxies and beyond because stars are the source of aura– going farther from any star clusters means less aura and increases the likelihood of vacuums.
Vacuums do not affect organic life because they have closed inner aura circulatory systems. They do affect technology and aura-built life.
- Technology that runs on aura and aura signals will cease function or be forced into a restart. Signals for callrunes cannot reach a callrune in a vacuum, just like how sound cannot travel in a vacuum.
- Automatons, although artificial aura life, are a closed system. They are unharmed by vacuums unless left to the mercy of one for a very long time, as slowly their aura will leak out without replenishment coming in.
- Lindosts are the most harmed by vacuums. Unlike automatons, their skin is also aura and their system is an open-system: they need constant replenishment to upkeep their vast amounts of energy that holds their form together. If a lindost is in a location where aura is empty it will begin to use its reserves. After reserves are burned through, they can become lethargic and eventually fall into a "sleep state" to save their form for as long as possible. This is the only time a lindost is vulnerable.
What Does Aura Look Like
Aura interacts with the light spectrum, the light spectrum can help identify different values of aura in an area. A natural amount of aura is ultraviolet, unseen by the naked eye, but through a UV lens it can be viewed as ever-flowing channels through all matter.
Aura can be condensed artificially and naturally, but will only do so naturally under specific conditions. An average form of condensed aura (the highest amount Ptithians have managed to condense artificially), such as seen in capsules and callrunes, reflects a mix of yellow and blue, casting an almost holographic color effect.
Incredibly condensed aura will absorb all light, making its form a silky jetblack color. This is why lindosts are vantablack. Lindosts with slight color tints when in direct light actually have slightly less aura than their fully jetblack counterparts. The difference is minimal and does not affect the creatures as a whole.
Beyond a jetblack condensed state, aura moves into a light spectrum that cannot be seen and is barely documented. Architects are not actually visible to the naked eye of any creature below the jetblack-aura threshold, so the forms witnessed are ones of their own creation in order to be visible.
Because Architects choose their visible form, it is intriguing to think about why choose this one? Why some choose to be a tree, a dragon, a planet-hugging space worm, an unholy amalgamation of rotting flesh. . .
The Study of Aura
⇨ Arcanology is the science behind magic use and the global aura.
⇨ An arcanologist is someone who studies magic, magic history, and the aura.
Types of Aura Entity Classes
- Low-aura: Creatures that have enough locked aura within their body at birth to allow them to grow and survive. They cannot perform magic. Low-aura things include plants, feral animals, and some sapient animals.
- Average-aura: More than the absolute necessary amount of aura and are able to conduct the aura from inside of themselves for their own purpose. Average-aura creatures almost always have a form of "genetic magic", which is a magic talent of a specific type that relies on inheritance of genes. For example, an average-aura lefiká can geoshift and inherited that ability from their parents. Or, an average-aura gryphon could have aquamancy (water magic) because they inherited it from a parent.
- High-aura: High excess of inner aura. Not only can they have a genetic magic that uses their inner aura, they can also make use of outer aura (aura from outside the body and in the surrounding environment). High-auras can use spell books and tomes, which hold magic castings that range across all magic talents and allow the high-aura to not be bound to a singular magic ability.
- Extra-high-aura: The high-aura classification found in lindosts. Permits manipulation of space-time and teleportation. (Lindost mutts tend to fall somewhere between high and extra-high aura, because not all have space-time manipulation abilities. Despite this, most are labeled as extra-high anyway.)
- Architect-aura: Only found in Architects. Architects are the gods of worlds. In Ptitheros they are known as Cardinals. Architect-aura beings are capable of twisting everything on a planet and surrounding systems to their liking.
- Omni-aura: [redacted]
Aura and Genetics
Depending on the species or an individual's magic heritage, the amount of aura that is trapped within them at birth is different. Most kin (Architect-made) creatures have an average amount inside them, meanwhile feral animals and plants have low amounts.
Genetic magic is a specific type of aura-control that every average-aura to high-aura individual has encoded in their bloodline. Genetic magics are always a narrow region of magic, never a broad magic type like "Water magic", instead a Ptithian could have "seawater aquamancy" or "ice crystal cryomancy". Often, the more specific the better, in order to keep character abilities from becoming overpowered and help Ptithians be unique.
A few outliers from the genetic magic rule is the mandatory geoshift ability for lefikas (they would require high-aura/minor magic upgrade to use any other magics) and the singular magic learning capability of an average-aura taroot that was not born with any kind of genetic magic, since tions do not carry said genes.
There are no branches or overarching classes to genetic magic. It simply manifests as a Ptithian grows older and learns what they are capable of. Some abilities appear all the time across Ptitheros, like fire breath, and some are extremely rare, like blood manipulation magic.
Difference Between Internal and External Aura
Inner aura is aura inside one's body, outer aura is aura taken from the surrounding environment.
Inner aura is used to cast genetic magic abilities: powers encoded in a Ptithian's bloodline. Inner aura can be exhausted with use, but cannot be depleted.
A creature does not need to draw energy from the outer aura to use their own main magic abilities, such as the geoshifting of a lefiká or the pyromancy of a dragon, but using spells from books or runes will draw from the outer aura. Casting massive spells will not only drain an individual's inner aura, but can cause dry spots to occur temporarily in the outer aura.
Outer aura can be manipulated without having to use spell books, rune symbols, or chants, however only high inner aura beings are capable of pulling in outer aura to use in their magic. This outer aura is not retained in their body after the magic usage and quickly returns to where it was pulled. This pull of outer aura takes a lot of energy, even from a high aura individual.
Rare High-Aura Users
High-aura Ptithians can conduct spells and runes, but even these have limitations. They can also train to learn multiple minor magics that use their inner-aura instead of outer-aura.
Ptithians with high-aura will often come from families where the excess amount of aura is heredity, so watching for the trait is common. These families will then be sure to teach their children about their strong magic.
On Magic Usage
Magic is any action that requires aura to work. Aura courses through everything and is a constant force across the planet. Aura can be used in a variety of ways.
The higher a creature's inner aura reserve is, the more powerful their main abilities and spell/rune casting capabilities will be. This is classified as active magic.
Natural magic is anything that uses aura in a naturally purposed way, such as the growth of a plant or the gentle cycle of aura going into the body of an animal when it breathes in and out. Natural magic cannot be messed with directly, interrupted, or controlled. Natural magic requires aura to constantly be flowing; when an animal with aura locked within it dies, a lindost takes the aura from it, recycles it in Lindoss, and it is returned to the planet's flow again.
Magic Education and Training
Magic training is left up to each individual Ptithian and their desires. It is reliant on family members to teach their children the basics to their magic because childhood schooling does not touch on the physical training subject. Early schooling will teach about magic and aura, but practical training is avoided due to the wide array of genetic magic types and the number of students who do not have a genetic magic.
The renowned colleges around Ptitheros provide practical training in advanced magic usage, especially for those who excel with a particularly useful magic type. These classes are not cheap, but ensure a Ptithian is well-versed in their magic and how to make use of it.
Necessity magic training is not found everywhere. Depending on the community, some education setups are mandatory. Some of these include practical training sessions for lefika cubs so they learn how to use their geoshift, or learning shops for rubasyn joeys in Steam City where they are taught about the elemental bells they may someday own. Certain groups take magic training very seriously and make it a necessity early on, like the 5th-Cardinal Organization so they can discover quickly if any child is born with a useful ability.
Ptithians with average or high aura can learn a secondary magic, called a minor magic. Average users have enough extra aura to learn one more ability, meanwhile high users can learn multiple.
For Ptithians with high-aura, many who wish to use their power as a means of occupation seek out older high-aura Ptithians to teach them their ways. These are called Mage Tutors, and students often become their apprentice for a few years in order to spend time and learn from the master before heading out on their own.
Magic Restrictions
These restricted magics apply to Ptithians only, not lindosts or Architects.
Not Allowed -
No controlling mass weather. No creating mass natural disasters. No traveling dimensions. No traversing the afterlife. No altering time or traveling through time. No death touch or various automatic death magic. No disease or virus magic. No nightmare creation/manipulation magic. No dream creation/manipulation magic. No automatic healing abilities. No mass gravity manipulation. No mass life creation. No extreme telekinetic lifting abilities. No super-speed. No invincibility. No mind control. No portal creation. No teleportation. No raising the dead.
Be careful -
future sight, blood magic, sensory manipulation, telekinesis, and mind reading.
Spellbooks and Runes
High-aura Ptithians have the capability to use spells and runes. These ancient items allow them to do all of the powerful magic that mages are known for. Such as enchanting objects and creating some of the arcane-technology found throughout the world.
Tome magic, also called spells, spellbound, book, and runic magic, is any magic usage that comes from having an object. Ancient magic from the E.W era is enclosed in the pages and rocks left behind across the world by the Cardinals, and over time much of the items have been found. Those with spell books or runes in their possession can make use of the outer aura to cast magic that they couldn't naturally perform. These include curses or wish granting and many more.
Original runes, tomes, and spellbooks are not rare but they are finite and most of the items are protected in libraries and magic museums. The rest are scattered across families or in the archives below ground still. Spellbooks (which are what contain the rune sigils) can be reprinted, making the newer translated versions easier to obtain compared to originals.
Sigils (runes) are very complex. A mage wouldn't be able to memorize most sigils, nor risk messing up. And any sigils that are easy would be simple spells like aquamany which the mage would be much better off just learning aquamancy than wasting their time memorizing a one-off spell.
Some spells and enchantments require specific words to be spoken so tomes from the past or translated new ones are required. The Cardinals assigned unique phrases to certain arcane abilities to make using them easier on their kin, since their kin were unable to process aura into new magic the same way Cardinals could.
Spellbook Handlers: specialized librarians, handle spell books and similar scriptures.
Rune symbols have to be drawn, the size of the symbol does not matter. It can be drawn large and open in the sky, as small as in one's palm, etc. The only thing required is that the symbol is physically drawn by the caster.
Rune Caretakers: clean, store, handle special and antique runes.
Draconic is used for scientific labeling and is the language used for almost all spells and runes.
Abuse of Aura and Consequences
Using magic for dark purposes, beastly curses (especially vampiric ones), and anything that tampers with the fabric of time/life (anything that would cause a lindost to hunt you down and gut you) all would count for curses and dark arts.
Sometimes magic usage goes wrong, especially when using tome magics. The spells or runes can be tainted or broken after so many years of use and travel, rendering the spells useless or dangerous. A broken spell can fizzle out, not work entirely, or backlash on the caster. Creatures with heavy magic suffer the most when magic goes awry. Lindosts are made almost purely of magic, so when their creation goes wrong, they themselves form wrong, creating the lumbering monsters known as Soyowas.
Organizations Based on Magic
Arcana Guild:
The Magic guild is a single location group in Wyndgale, Foes District. They originally held their hub in Chaveri and quickly set up farther north once that kingdom fell. The Magic guild focuses on the aspect of spells and magic-training in schools and colleges. They fund libraries, assist small business owners who own magic shops, and are known to have some of the strongest high-aura individuals within their guild.
Witchdoctor Organization:
Doctors of all kinds are invited to the Witchdoctor Organization. Led by aura doctors, the organization combines the effort from all in the medical field to search for cures to ailments using aura and magic abilities. In their research they have discovered new powers among healing-type casters and lost spells within the Archives that fix diseases thought to be incurable.
Magic Fatigue and Illnesses
Within a creature's body, their aura is found throughout all parts of them, as deep down as their genetic material. The aura they are able to pull forth for magic is constantly flowing through them in motion that travels a bit slower than the pumping of blood. Some creatures with a high inner aura have a visible flow of aura within them when they are cut open, but for most, this flowing inner aura is invisible. When a creature uses their magic, this flow is interrupted and pushed towards the source for the magic, often a hand or the throat. It is this action, when held in an active motion for too long, that causes the flow to disrupt and cause the common magic fatigue. The aura will naturally recollect itself and start flowing properly again, restoring and fixing the magic fatigue.
Some genetic magics are perceived as a disease too due to them harming the body, like corrosive acid magic that sometimes corrodes the own wielder's body.
Aura Overexposure Illness:
Ptithians have a natural inner aura and can cycle excess out of their body, but sometimes too much aura is present at once and will take time to get rid of. The Ptithian will succumb to aura-overexposure when this happens and will become ill with muscle pain, headaches, and blurry vision. Death is possible if exposure amount is too high, but most cases are low enough to recover from. Overexposure can come from powerful spells, runes, lindost-proximinity, machinery, and simply residing in space unprotected (the planet's magnetic field naturally protects from the excess aura coming from the sun, but in space this protection is lost). Extreme overexposure can only be cured by an aura-doctor or a lindost. They are capable of extracting the excess and diverting it elsewhere.
Aura Curses
Aura can cause problems. Curses are the product of aura going haywire and altering the physical and mental form of whatever victim falls close to it. These haywire bundles of aura are compared to viruses, however some can transfer from beast to Ptithian, some require a ritual or divine influence to occur. No aura curse is considered good, but luckily there are treatments for a few curses thanks to aura-doctors and bioarcanological research.
- Werebeasts: A curse transferred from Basilisk to Ptithian when a Ptithian kills the beast.
- Cannibals: A curse transferred from Basilisk to Ptithian when a Basilisk gravely wounds a Ptithian to the brink of death but without killing them.
- Vampires: A curse cast upon a Ptithian during a ritual by a malicious spellcaster.
- Windiage: A curse set upon a Ptithian when half their soul is shattered and the aura within their soul goes haywire, causing them to be caught in the middle of life and death.
Curing a Curse: ARPG PROMPT - Turn in at #freeplay
An aura-doctor is actively seeking patients. Their name is Chiro, a unique dragon who dawns a plague doctor-esce uniform and is excellent at their craft. To remove a curse, draw or write about your character being cured by Chiro. How they cure them is up to you, aura-doctors are Ptithians with many talents.
