World-Building Website by Daniel-André Sørensen
The Personal Website of Daniel A. Sørensen
Unlike the laws of mortals, Universal Laws are far more deeply ingrained and powerful. They are created and held up by actual potent and strict power; whether it be by a being of deistic identity, or forces still largely unknown to us. It is typically more or less impossible to break any of the Universal Laws, and if they do in fact break, then consequences can be very severe, indeed.
Mostly we look at the Universal Laws as the rules that hold our realities together. They are the real evidence of the many limits our world and us in it are held in place by, and they remain essential in maintaining the many balances that equally ensure that the structure of the Worldsoul, Nym's Eye and possibly beyond don't break apart.
They are more than just guidelines; they are everything that defines us, the world, and the universe.
A World of Laws,- Nashorn the Blue, Candlehold Scribe
A World of Laws,
- Nashorn the Blue, Candlehold Scribe
A R C A N E L A W S
Set in stone and enforced by the Creator Tiral, the Arcane Laws govern the rules and effects of magic within Nym's Eye, although they are much less restrictive outside of the Core Planes. Actual magical power is unlimited as it is fed and sustained by arcane energies from the Dark Beyond, which in theory means that there is nothing one can't do in conjunction with magic. However, Tiral's Arcane Laws purposefully limit the capabilities of magic to ensure that mortals don't misuse it.
Magic holds the ability and potential to alter any laws, and especially Primal and Cosmic Laws. In other words magic can bend the fabrics that hold existence together, twisting and changing aspects such as gravity or growth, ignoring the laws that govern them. This is likely why Tiral became the Guardian of Magic and set up the Arcane Laws, to prevent those attuned to magic-use from unraveling the Arcane Threads and bring utter chaos to reality by upsetting the magical balance.
The Arcane Laws don't require Tiral's constant watch to be active, and govern magic self-sufficiently. However, attempts at circumventing the Arcane Laws or defying them are often found out by Tiral, who won't be lenient in her punishments for those involved.
There are many Arcane Laws, and the study of magic constantly reveals new ones or bring new understanding of previously discovered laws. Mages constantly experiment and study the Arcane Laws to gain extensive knowledge of them, and in the process they might learn how to better control magic to their will. It is proven time and time again that the better one's understanding is of the Arcane Laws, the easier it is to navigate them in a way that allows for better ease of spellcasting, or even the creation of new spells or methods that benefit magic-users. By skirting the edge of what is allowed and possible, mages can unlock knowledge of the Arcane Laws that were otherwise hidden.
1st Law - Omnipresence:
Magic is everywhere. It surrounds all things and beings, and is forever present in the majority of mortals in the form of mana. Some beings are born with greater concentrations than others, which in turn makes them more capable at controlling and understanding magic. Magic is with almost complete certainty always present in any existing space at any given time.
2nd Law - Mana:
Magic is controlled by the mind. As almost every living being has traces of magic within them, those with higher amounts sustain greater control over it through an essence known as mana. Mana is the quantification of magical energy which aids in the flow of energy through the body, and only those with a trained mind can take control over it. A person with high traces of magical energy within their body doesn't necessarily have an equally large pool of mana, but it can be expanded through mental training.
3rd Law - Necessity:
Magic is an essential power. It is required that magic exists to ensure that the balance, sustainability and functionality of the world and overall universe persists. The Arcane Threads use magic to transfer energy through them, which in turn feeds the universe with the energies needed to maintain it. Similarly, the fabrics that hold Nym's Eye together need the power of magic to gather and transfer energy.4th Law - Origins:
Magic comes from three sources: Natural, Deistic and Cosmic. Natural magic comes from the energies of the local world, such as spirits and living beings. Deistic magic draws upon energies that surround deities and similar beings, like Celestials and other Astral entities. Cosmic is sourced from the universe itself, and is formed from within the Arcane Threads.
5th Law - Neutrality:
Magic is a neutral power. It is
neither from the source of good nor evil, but rather acts on the will of
those who wield it. Magic does not act on its own morality-based will.
It only responds to those who wield it and to the world and universe’s
needs.
6th Law - Reaction:
Magic is a reactive power. Magic will more or less always react to other energies to transform or bend those energies to cause effects that they would otherwise never perform. The potential of such reactions lead to many interesting results, such as sped-up growth, healing, immense destruction, etc.
7th Law - Instability:
Magic is a wild power. It is a power that will grow and lash out unless
controlled effectively. There is no absolute certainty that magic will
act the way one wishes it to do, but the process can be altered through
control and understanding to grant a more accurate result when releasing magical energy in conjunction with mana.
8th Law - Risk:
Magic is a dangerous power. It holds the power to corrupt, weaken and
kill. When wielding magic, there is great risk for not only the
world and other people, but for the wielder as well to have his or her mana become too weak or too unstable, which in turn can lead to death or cripple the wielder. Additionally, the extreme use of magic can aid in the instability of reality's magical balance.
9th Law - Persistence:
Magic is a persistent power. It cannot dissipate entirely, but can grow
weaker in its presence. It will remain and shift around the world to
where it is most likely to thrive under better conditions.
10th Law - Independence:
Magic is an independent power. It requires no aid from outside forces to
exist, as it is fully capable of growing by itself. If the
world, its people, the deities and the universe was to cease existence,
magic would remain and slowly rebuild the universe by itself.
11th Law - Infinity:
Magic is an infinite power. It is
never-ending in its quantities. It slowly grows by itself and loses very
little of its overall power. When reaching limits, it releases magical
energy to avoid extreme density; effectively weakening itself to prevent
extensive growth. This also relates to the replenishment of a wielder's mana pool, which can be replenished from outside sources, such as the Weave.
12th Law - Exchange:
Magic requires equivalent exchange. The wielder must use his or her own mana to effectively use magic, which in turn means that the wielder will more often than not have to expend his or her own energies to make use of it. In all things pertaining to
magic, magic will require some exchange in power or energy to become reactive.
13th Law - Reversibility:
Magic is a reversible power. Anything caused by magic can be undone by
magic. The magical energies that persist in the world and the universe
will always react to each other, but it mainly depends on how these
energies meet and the conditions they are surrounded by. Generally a
stronger concentration of magic will neutralize a weaker concentration of magic.
14th Law - Immaterialness:
Magic is an immaterial power. It cannot
be materialized in any way to create new forever-lasting components or
materials. It can, however, be bent and shaped into
controlled magical energy; either from mana or surrounding
magical energies to create, for example, frost-bolts or fireballs, or
even temporary weapons or armour that will dissipate within a frame of time.
15th Law - Memory:
Magic can be shaped and retained. Extensive understanding, the reaction of energy and control of magic through mana can create memorized forms of it that can be replicated by other wielders to cast specified spells. An individual would have to possess immense control and knowledge over magic to create spells that could in turn be learned and cast by other wielders.
16th Law - Association:
Magic is an associative power. Any relation between an item and a
being’s magical energies strengthen the association between the two;
allowing for a strong connection that can cause improved effects through
spells or passive magic. By associating, say, an item such as a ring or
piece of clothing to a specific person, the magic cast will be more
potent and more successful to succeed in favourable results. This is a
vague law and does not always work properly.
17th Law - Knowledge:
Magic is a controllable power. A wielder’s knowledge and understanding
of magic in how its effects may cause various results can, and most
likely will, allow the wielder better control over the magical energies
he possesses. By understanding the basics of magic’s specific and
overall effect through a spell, the magical energies are far more
willing for use to the point where the energies are well within desired
control by the wielder. Mental acuity and a sufficient mana pool grow with knowledge.
18th Law - Integration:
Magic is an integrative power. It is possible to focus enough magical
energy to effectively imbue an item with desired effects. If done
properly, the magical energies integrated into an object will remain
within it until the object itself is either broken or completely
destroyed. These objects must also be properly attuned or strengthened
vessels to be able to carry the desired amount of magical energies. The
process of imbuing objects with magic is commonly known as enchanting,
and requires substantial control and knowledge to ensure as little
magical repercussion as possible.
19th Law - Repercussion:
Magic is a
power of backlash. If a mage should completely lose control over the
magical energies he or she has built up over their lifetime, the risk of
implosion by magic reaches imminent probability. The greater the
magical energy, the bigger the backlash. In other words; when a mage
dies, he or she relinquishes their energies and are consumed by the
magic they held. Thus a mage, upon death, will (instantly or within a short while) disintegrate into ashes
and the magical energies will return to the world. There is usually
little damage caused to anyone else near the deceasing mage.
20th Law - Sterility:
Magic sterilizes, meaning that anyone with extremely large pools of mana and magical energy within their body, such as the majority of mages, can't reproduce. This Law acts differently depending on race, as some races are able to hold greater amounts of magical energy and mana, while still being able to create natural offspring.21st Law - Awakening:
Magic typically awakens in an individual's body around puberty in the form of a larger-than-normal pool of mana. It is around this time that a person's affinity to magic becomes most evident, although in some cases it has been known to occur later. Awakening (Arcane, Deistic, and Spiritual) seems to happen around the same time of maturity regardless of race or gender. An individual's Awakening is not predictable, meaning that its occurrence in an individual is entirely random.
22nd Law - Sustainability:
Magic can sustain. Individuals who undergo the Awakening and thus have greater concentrations of magic within their bodies are sustained by magic. This simply means that anyone possessing high traces of magic live longer lives, so long as they maintain their control and knowledge of their magic. The longer one lives, the more powerful the energies, which means that the Law of Repercussion is always moving towards its inevitable state; when the body can no longer contain those energies.
P R I M A L L A W S
Laws pertaining to the localized sphere, typically present on a living world or minor world, are known as Primal Laws. These are laws that exist as a result of the world they are part of, and help sustain the balance that gives that world life. Specifically, Primal Laws deal with the natural, as well as the aspects of souls and spirits, and the flow which controls energy in a world.
What determines the growth of plants, or the movement of waves? How do climates form, and how is sustenance converted into energy? The Primal Laws determine these aspects of life and the natural world, seemingly controlling and altering them on a level which is automatic and self-sustaining.
It is agreed that the Worldsoul is at the center of the Primal Laws, as it controls the flow of energy in the world. As energies flow, so too do the Primal Laws feed and maintain the cycles of nature and souls. All things within a world must obey and act in accordance to the Primal Laws, with the only exception being those of interactions with magical or deistic interventions. Gods and magic both possess the ability to temporarily bend or change the Primal Laws, should proper means and process be amicable.
However, the fouling of the natural and the laws that control it can lead to imbalance, and thus tends to attract energies that corrupt and mutate, which further destabilizes the control of the Primal Laws. Even gods, who have twisted and changed so much of the Primal Laws already, must be wary of the effect their meddling might confer to the balance of the world.
C O S M I C L A W S
Cosmic Laws involve the overall overseeing of the universe and the Dark Beyond, and as such they are considered the laws above all laws. The greater effects on a cosmic level down to the minuscule and unknown are all equally pulled, pushed and controlled by the Cosmic Laws. The temporal aspects of the universe, the gravitational forces, the physics of movement and speed, the commandments of life and death, and the definitions and interactions of space and time come together to these laws.
The actual understanding of Cosmic Laws are ever-changing as new discoveries are made all the time. Old theories are renewed with newer questions, and the unknown of the laws that govern laws keeps those who study them in a constant chase for the truth. Cosmic Laws often intermingle or directly interact with Arcane or Primal Laws; changing the definitions that are otherwise well established beforehand.
What exactly oversees the structure of the Cosmic Laws? Are they self-sufficient, or is there a greater pull that controls them, like the Worldsoul to the Primal Laws? Theories suggest that the Wellspring is at the center of the Dark Beyond, and so it could possibly be the central core that maintains the Cosmic Laws.
In truth study of the Cosmic Laws only ever lead to more questions. Not even the Creators truly understand them, or at least they don't deem to share their knowledge of the Cosmic Laws with their worshipers. It is entirely possible that the Creators have some powerful mastery over the Cosmic Laws, as they themselves often transcend and ignore them, and were likely created from the accumulation of the Cosmic Laws' governance of the powers in the Dark Beyond.
L E S S E R L A W S
Lesser Laws are smaller, individual laws that weren't necessarily created through universal or natural means. Laws set by Creators or Wildgods, often in the form of pacts or blood-bonds, are all Lesser Laws that supervise smaller spheres and aspects, rather than greater forces like those of temporal or spirit.
The actual enforcement of Lesser Laws are less powerful, and are often easily broken with little consequence to the remaining universe or world. Instead, Lesser Laws more or less focus more on individuals and groups, and act more like oaths, guidelines or promises.
In some cases certain Lesser Laws are created with more powerful bindings, and the breaking of those laws might have fatal consequences to those who are bound to them. Some of the Lesser Laws have also become integral to the world; having ingrained themselves so deeply, or just developed in a way that the world itself has become dependent on them.
WILDPACT
The Wildpact was first made by the Wildgod Nahulf, who approached the Wildkith and offered them wisdom and protection, so long as they served the natural lands. It is from the Wildpact that the first shamans came to be, who dedicated themselves to watch over and serve the lands and spirits who inhabited those lands.
Through the Wildpact, Wildgods can be reborn anew through their most loyal servants, thus ensuring that the Wildgods can continue to act as the world's guardians for as long as there are those who stand by the Wildpact. However, after Nalnir offered the Wildkith the Wildblood, many of those who once dedicated themselves to the Wildpact have since turned away from the Wildgods, and instead might serve Nalnir or the Dreampact.
The Wildpact remains the most primal promise to the protection of the natural lands, and the majority of shamans in the world still hold onto the Wildpact and the worship of the Wildgods.
WILD LAWS
The Wild Laws were created by the Creator Nalnir after he offered the Wildblood to the Wildkith. When most of the Wildkith turned away from the Wildpact in favour of the Wildblood, Nalnir's Wild Laws became their new creed.
In essence, the Wild Laws govern the instinctual nature of beasts and the wild, and those who follow them serve the wildness more so than anything else. The Wildgod Nahulf openly disputes Nalnir's Wild Laws, as he makes the point that the wilds should be governed by no laws or rules, as such things can't contain the primal forces of the world.
This dispute has led to a natural rivalry between Nalnir and Nahulf, and shamans or druids serving both the Wildpact and the Wild Laws find little to agree upon.
DREAMPACT
After Malendii's Dream was formed, she reached out to World Spirits and some of the Wildgods, and created a bond between them that would lead to the creation of the Wyld Spirits and the Dreampact. The Dreampact binds Wyld Spirits and druids to nature, as well as the Dreaming World as they work to cleanse the natural world of corruption, and heal the natural world.
All mortals who dedicate themselves to the Dreampact are druids, often chosen by Malendii herself through the Calling. The Dreampact's purpose is the safekeeping of the natural world, the eased flow of natural energies, and the defiance against the Worldblight's effects on the world.
TARIEL'S SOULBIND
After the War of Titans, Tariel planted the Solstree at the edge of Arkath's Divide, then entered into it. By merging with the Solstree, Tariel bound all Creators within Nym's Eye to the Worldsoul, and effectively made them dependent on it. Any Creators who leave nym's Eye will soon find themselves weakened, forcing them to return before their connection to the Worldsoul is broken forever, which would then lead to their deaths.
Tariel's Soulbind also ensures that Creators can be reborn from the Solstree should they perish, however it is not effective when within the sphere of the Core Planes.
Creators can communicate with their worshipers because of the Soulbind, which gives them a source from which they can gather energy from their worshipers, as well as grant their worshipers with some of their own deistic powers, should there be a need for it.
KELMORA'S CYCLE
Also known as the Cycle of Souls, Kelmora's Cycle is the ingrained process of life and death, and the inbetween journey of souls. It binds mortals to a cycle of rebirth, where souls on Nym gather energies from their surroundings, which is then broken down into purer forms as they enter through Kelmora's Soulgate in the afterlife, and then redistributed to the world and Planeworlds within Arkath's Divide through the Stream and the Weave.
While there are exceptions, most souls will undertake the Cycle's journey. Kelmora's Cycle ensures that souls of the dead have a purpose, and in their rebirth they assist in rejuvenating the balance of souls, energy and spirits in the world.
THE ARCANE WHEEL
The Arcane Wheel is more a process than an actual law, but it does adhere to its cycle without fail. The arrival of chaotic magical energy in Nym's Eye is caught in the Arcane Wheel to purify it, at which point it can be more safely distributed and used to both Nym and Arkath's Divide.
It begins when Lucine captures the chaotic magical energy in her shawl and sends it towards the Worldsoul; where it is purified. It is then returned and caught by the Worldsea's Ebb until it is taken by Celunar's shawl and sent outwards away from Arkath's Divide.
Both Lucine and Celunar's involvement in the Arcane Wheel helps to maintain the magical balance of Nym's Eye, and especially so for the worlds within Arkath's Divide. The Worldsoul acts as the core spiral that spins the Wheel, as it similarly controls the flow of magic as it does the flow of energy in the world.