I wanted to collect some ideas here, so I have a spot to centralize, update, and to refer to when people have questions!
One of the things I wanted to make sure I did when I wrote Greysmoke Rising was to fit into the setting as seamlessly as possible, while also making sure to leave my own fingerprints in subtle ways. I love the super hero aesthetic of the setting, and wanted to make sure anything I contributed made sense in a comic book way, but also in a fantasy style setting. This is a shared universe however, so obviously what you want to write is your prerogative, and I'm not here to stifle anyone!
Remember: This is Karen's playground at the end of the day, and she's just letting us use it!
(If there is anything you would like to see me address, please leave a comment or an ask and I'll add it to the list!)
There are spoilers for Greysmoke Rising here so I will put all of it beneath the cut! Enjoy my darlings~!
Magic
Magic in my mind is the manipulation of elemental and aetheric energies to cause effects on this plane of existence. Each sentient being*1 is a link between the world outside, and the mortal realm, and with training and practice can manipulate these forces. Think of each consciousness like a pipe through which energy can flow, some pipes are wider, but more unwieldy, and some are thin but easier to manage.
Take Mabel, she has an abnormally powerful flow for someone with so little training due to some special circumstances regarding a confluence of blessings/boons. This means manipulation of magic is easier for her in general, but fine casting is more difficult because it's hard to focus when the song is so loud for a beginner. This is why Mabel's innate blessings from Wind and Fire come so easily, but she has about a 20/80 shot of casting a successful Fireball despite having Ifriti ties, the 20 being perfectly cast room filling, party endangering conflagration, and the 80 being at best a loud pop, maybe a spark, and at worst, singed fur and upset cat noises!
One can be cut off from magic by choice, or through force, though within the magical community there is no greater punishment, and truly no greater dishonor than sealing someones connection to the mystic without their consent, or in anything less than the most dire of circumstances.
Candesca
Candesca (Can-Dess-Ah) is the name for the magical energy magicians, witches, wizards, etc. manipulate in order to create the spells, enchantments, etc. on this plane. There are other names for it of course depending on the culture, but this is the one that Eneera, and Mabel use, as well as many other magic users, including Magella, @Caela-Argent and Lorica. It is a renewable resource, but the body can under normal circumstances hold only a small amount. To paraphrase Lao Tzu; Think of it like a bowl, and it must be refilled after being drained. The bowl is still useful, but it has nothing left to give.
When one runs out of candesca, the consequences will quickly set in, and the effects are similar to heat exhaustion, with the same disorientation, generalized weakness, cold limbs, etc. Users have to be conscious of their energy, and this is difficult for novices to gauge, which is why Mabel ends up in a bad spot so often when wielding her abilities.
That and she also pushes past, because she is incredibly reckless. Maybe she'll learn some day! (Probably not)
Candesca itself does not have innate appearance in the world, unless you know what to look for2.
Candesca comes from the word 'incandescence' which it defined as:
- emitting light as a result of giving off heat,
- full of strong emotions, or passionate.
The term was created as an alternative to the word 'mana' which is in fact a word that was appropriated by a missionary (whom I will not be naming and giving any credence to) from the Polynesian people. It is a colonialist theft of indigenous traditional knowledge and practice, and I wanted to try and help break that cycle of dusty old white men trying to appear creative by stealing from PoC.
Elements
Magic pulls from the planes of existence that lay on top of, and surrounds the mortal world. Think of our reality as one of millions, each like a shard of glass, laid carefully on top of each other, these panes are cracked, and threaded in unique ways, so no two are exactly alike, but suffused between them, and binding them are elemental and primal planes. The classical elements (Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Aether and all the permutations there of) are the layer closest to the mortal world, unseen save for the incursions by the energy of these elements. All magic has an elemental affinity, and those that wield that magic do as well.
What this means for instance, is that a spell-caster with an affinity for fire will have an easier time with fire and a more difficult time with water. Note I said easier, it does not mean they will automatically be successful, and difficulty with the opposing element does not mean they are excluded from casting from it at all, it's just more challenging.
Some folks can have an affinity for multiple elements, even opposing ones, but it is rare, but not so rare it is unheard of. Much more common is affinity for the elements created by the merging of two unopposed elements. And example would be Wind+Fire=Lighting and with that, a special insight to electrical effects. Have you ever wondered why Mabel has such a resistance from being zapped? It's not a tolerance like Ellen has built-up/trained/willed into existence, that is for certain! Does this mean Volta is Lightning attuned? I say yes, but at the end of the day, not all super powers are magical in origin! But all powers draw from energy that is not necessarily of this plane.
More Coming Soon!
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Sentient Being includes synthetic individuals. Absence of a mortal shell does not preclude you from having magic.
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Magic users can detect candesca in a variety of ways! From technoarcana (see: ACGs), to aura vision, to some like Mabel, who can smell and taste candesca! Each and every user gives off their own unique flavor, which can be used to quickly identify someone even without being able to see them!