Magic is a force that keeps almost all life alive. It flows around and through everyone and everything. It is always present. It operates on a different frequency/plane of existence as most other things, called the <magical plane> but is tied to the physical world.  Magic operates as a sort of river or current flowing in all directions in this separate plane. All living things have something called a <life ring> that serves as their connection to the <magical plane>. Magic flows through them constantly, commonly depicted as a torus or ring shape with magic flowing through and around it. This has lead to a common misconception among less educated groups that this is how magic flows. This description is rather simplified; in reality, magic flows in and out of the <life ring> at all angles, with no one “in” direction or “out” direction. If the <life ring> is somehow blocked or magic is somehow unable to flow through it freely, it will begin to collapse and the living being connected to it will begin to die. Complete deprivation of <magical flow> will cause death within minutes, but a partial blockage may cause weeks of exhaustion and confusion, followed by passing out and dying. Living beings have different capacities and requirements for the amount of <magic flow> required to survive. This capacity is linked both to genetics and to whether or not the being spends a lot of time around magic use. It is assumed that humans have the highest capacity for magic out of most other animals, due to the fact that only humans have been observed casting with magic. Magical blockage is most commonly caused by an inexperienced or malicious shade overfeeding on its host, though depriving areas of magical flow has been used as a weapon of mass destruction in the past. If someone has a very narrow <life ring> that only allows a small amount of magic through, this means they do not require much <magic flow> to survive, and thus can survive for longer in low-<magic flow> conditions. They, however, have little capacity to use their <life ring> for spellwork. Conversely, someone has a wide <life ring> , they will need more <magic flow> on average to survive, but they are much more able to cast spells, and are generally more sensitive to changes in the <magic plane>

            Mages are people who are in-tune with their <life ring> and can, by manipulating the shape and amount of their flow, use magic to affect the physical world. Anyone can become a mage with enough training and practice, but those with a wide <life ring> will have an easier time getting started, since they are naturally more in-tune with the <magic plane>. Casting spells requires flexing ones <life ring> , as well as a certain amount of will or belief. A person can have perfect technique, but still be unable to cast simply because they severely doubt their ability or believe outright that they cannot do it. This is often what holds back many potential mages from non-magical towns or cities from actually becoming mages, even if they want to. If a caster is not powerful enough for a spell (their <life ring> is not wide enough to give the spell as much <magic flow> as it needs) they run the risk of tearing their <life ring> if they stretch too much to accommodate the spell. A torn <life ring> can be deadly if it is torn too much, but if the tear is small enough, it can be healed by time and by not casting too much for a while. Mages have developed a sort of language to use when communicating spells through speech or writing called <language>, but it is not a natural language like English or Spanish. It communicates <life ring> positions and shapes rather than words or ideas, functioning as a sort of cross between a programming language and an origami diagram, but for magic. A written spell can be as simple, with only two or three sigil, or it can be incredibly complex, with several hundred sigils where a single sigil difference would have drastically different results. There are often multiple ways to complete the same task, each with varying complexities and <magic flow> requirements. While there are usually no objects required for casting (no wands or staves), it is possible for a mage to bind a specific spell to an inanimate object, giving that object a temporary artificial <life ring> built for casting a set number of spells. Most often, these objects’ spells are triggered by a particular magical command from the wielder, but it is also sometimes the case that the spells are triggered by some physical stimulus, such as physical contact or some sort of hand motion.

Shades

            Shades are inherently magical beings that reside mostly in <magical world>. In their natural state they look like a puddle of a viscous black liquid, commonly referred to as fleshmatter. They are able to manipulate their shape into almost any form they want. They mostly choose a human form in order to better fit into human society. They sometimes choose between male or female forms, but they are naturally genderless and usually do not care about gender distinctions. Their forms are frequently androgynous, since gender-defining features such as breasts or large muscles require more fleshmatter to render, and shades make a habit of conserving fleshmatter for more important features. After a while in the same form, it becomes familiar, and thus easier for the shade to hold for long periods of time. Despite this, after about a week in the same form, they often need to completely relax and assume their natural form for some time, a process called “resting” that is similar to human sleep. Other than resting, shades do not sleep, nor do they eat or drink.

Shades grow over time, gaining fleshmatter over the years. In shade culture (whatever little there is), size directly correlates to age, which is indicative of power. Young shades will put as much fleshmatter as they can toward height, often using tricks to inflate their size such as large empty cavities inside them or thinning their density immensely. After they have grown enough to have a comfortably large human form, they begin to store the rest of their fleshmatter in a different location. Shades can separate their fleshmatter into separate quantities, connected only through the <magic plane>. Since shades never stop growing, and thus far there is no evidence that shades are not immortal, a shade’s total volume can become massive. The Silver Magi have large underground storage rooms for old shades to rent if they want (and shades who work for the Silver Magi are required to so they can be kept in check). Some shades instead keep themselves in caverns or basements, and other, even older shades have managed to find ways to store themselves directly in the <magic plane>, which is far more difficult to do.

While humans are sometimes able (with great effort and focus) to separate their physical location with their location in the <magic plane>, shades are completely unable to do this, since their physical bodies and their bodies in the <magical plane> are one and the same. They can, however relocate themselves to areas far away from their current location through the <magical plane> if they are either familiar with the area or are following a familiar living <life ring>. To them, this is as easy as dipping beneath the surface of a river, following the current in a familiar direction, then surfacing in their new location. This leads to an ability similar to teleportation. Extremely practiced and experienced shades can sometimes do this in thin air, but most shades require a physical surface to slip in and out of.

For sustenance, shades consume magic energy, but only after it has been processed by a living <life ring>. They filter elements from the <magic flow> left by the <life ring> of a living being that they are near. The types and quantities of these elements are determined by a number of factors (magical health of the living being, magical potential, etc.) but the one factor that has the most effect is the emotion of the being. To a shade, a human’s emotion determines the “flavor” of the <magic flow>, and shades have different “tastes”. Some shades prefer happier, more positive emotions, some prefer anger or sadness, and some prefer something else entirely. Their preferences, however, are less optional than human tastes for food. A human can still get good out of a food that tastes disgusting, while a shade cannot get much sustenance from the wrong emotion, since the elements contained within the differing emotions are vastly different. A shade with a preference for fury, for example, could not effectively feed off of a consistently content human, and would likely starve if deprived of any negative emotions. Human emotions are a vast range rather than unique categories, so likewise, shade preferences are often a range. The aforementioned example shade may prefer fury, but it could also get plenty of sustenance from regular anger, frustration, and annoyance, as well as more complex emotions like betrayal or envy. Unsurprisingly, shades that prefer positive emotions are better liked and more trusted than shades that prefer negative emotions.

While feeding, it is very possible for a shade to harm its host. In order to feed, the shade must block a portion of the <life ring> to consume the <magic flow>. This means that if the living being tries to cast, the spell will be partially blocked and would not have the intended effect. In the best case, the spell would just do nothing, but in the worst case, the results of the incomplete spell could be deadly. A shade can also block the <life ring> too much, causing the living being to weaken and die. Shades are, however, mostly capable of controlling themselves, so this rarely happens by accident by a normal grown shade; only young, inexperienced shades or those with malicious intent could kill a human like that.

Shades tend to stay humanlike in form, but recently, pointed ears have become a fad among the younger generation. Previously, subtle pointed ears were a signal to others that a shade had magical ability and was not to be trifled with. This was adopted because of the human myth that pointed ears indicated extreme magical potential. They have become much more popular among the average shade population since the Hirein Teisk Rebellion, when the shade students (with pointed ears) showed remarkable bravery in standing together against Hirein Teisk during the Rebellion. It became a fashion statement, much to the annoyance of magical shades who had previously regarded it as a point of pride.

Historically, shades have not been trusted in normal society. Even shades with positive preferences were often considered at best a nuisance and at worst dangerous leeches. Shades have become more accepted, however, since the rise of the Shade King, and the movement has picked up speed since the Hirein Teisk Rebellion when the shade students showed remarkable bravery in standing together against Hirein Teisk. The Shade King is not quite a literal king. Shades do not have any one land, society, or culture. They are highly individualistic and tend to avoid contact with other shades. The Shade King was once an individual as well, but decided that it would be easier for humans to accept shades if they had one leader that could be talked to on behalf of all, or at least most, shades. No one is quite sure how he managed to get so much support, but his ranks grew quickly. He is often treated like the leader of all shades, though he makes it clear that he has no real authority. No one knows how old he is, though it is believed that he is an Ancient.

Shades are typically categorized into three generational categories: Younger, Elder, and Ancient. There are no hard-and-fast rules about where the lines between them are, but the definitions and characteristics of each are roughly as follows: Younger shades are defined as less than 100 years old, or within a normal human lifespan. They are more human-like, dressing in clothes and typically being a normal member of human society. They rarely break their human form except in private when resting. Even then, it is more embarrassing, similar to the American perception of nudeness; it is a private matter, only to be shared with those the shade is close with. When it comes to gaining sustenance, they rely heavily on artificial sources created by the Silver Magi that mimic human emotion. Though these sources are not perfect, they are sufficient to keep the shades alive. There are not many younger shades (only about one thousand), but they are far more prominent than the other generations due to their visibility. Elder shades are much more numerous, with about 3,000 currently cataloged by the Silver Magi, and several thousand more theorized to live in more rural areas. They are defined as shades older than one hundred years, but younger than two thousand. These shades are far more loose and “uncivilized” than younger shades. They spent most of their lives in a time when shades were hated or feared, so most of them are used to hiding from humans or otherwise avoiding them. The ones who have joined human society are known to be eccentric; they usually refuse to wear clothes, their human forms are minimal (often consisting of a head, shoulders, arms when necessary, and nothing more than a blob underneath), and they are much less subtle about manipulating humans to get their emotional fix. They usually refuse artificial <magic flow> because the flavor is far more basic and bland than true human emotion, which they are used to getting by any means necessary. Ancient shades are the oldest of all shades, of which less than one hundred are known. There is no evidence that these shades ever die of natural causes, though some have disappeared, thought to have retreated into hiding deep within the earth. The oldest known shade resides atop a mountain that has special spiritual value to most shades. It lives alone, save for once every few years when it comes down to a small mountainside village to have its extra fleshmatter seared off. The habits of these shades are not well known, but they tend to be extremely reclusive, feeding on humans in secret from a great distance. One uncanny tendency is that the younger a shade is, the more human it behaves and the more comfortable it is around humans. Whether this is an effect of humanity’s gradual acceptance of shades or a natural part of shade evolution is unknown, but there are few exceptions to this tendency.

Shades may not die of natural causes, but this does not mean they are invincible. Regular physical attacks have little permanent effect on shades due to their liquid composition, but some physical attacks on an unprepared shade can be quite painful. Shades are most hurt when anything damages their form or otherwise conflicts with the way their fleshmatter is flexed, like pulling or over-stressing a muscle. The more disruptive to their form it is, the more painful it is. This means that heavy blunt trauma has immense effect, while small stabs have very little. None of these affect the shade for very long though. One way to harm a shade permanently is through fire. Extreme heat can solidify portions of a shade into a tough, rubbery material that the shade cannot move. The only thing a shade can do in this case is separate the living fleshmatter from the dead, a fairly painful process. The most effective way to damage a shade is by using magic, since they are inherently magical beings. Enchanted weapons are most able to harm shades by severing portions of their physical fleshmatter from their body in the <magical plane>. Fleshmatter without any magic flowing through it solidifies into a grey powdery stone, and the <magical plane> portion dissolves into <magical flow>. When all physical fleshmatter is separated from the <magical plane>, the shade is officially dead. This process is usually extremely painful. Along with enchanted weapons, there is a special class of stones and minerals native to <magical world> that have the same or a similar effect. These used to be widely available, but have since become heavily restricted since they have little use other than shade-killing.