Magic is the process of rewriting reality. It is the art of causing effects without causes, bending the natural laws of the universe to one's will. To cast a spell is to take the written fate of existence and carve one's own words into its tapestry.
But reality does not yield easily.
Magic is wild, unpredictable, and exceedingly dangerous. The universe resists rewriting, and every act of sorcery—every spell cast, every reality shifted—sends ripples across existence. A single spell may seem insignificant, a minor alteration to the great design, but all changes have consequences. A careless hand, an unchecked ambition, can shatter the delicate fabric of a realm, birthing anomalies, paradoxes, and horrors beyond mortal comprehension.
(META GAMING: Think of magic as altering the code of existence. A small, precise edit may go unnoticed, but drastic changes introduce instability—bugs in the system. Push too far, and the framework of reality itself may fracture beyond repair.)
The Cost of Magic
Magic demands energy, vast amounts of it. The greater the spell, the greater the price.
For most beings, this price is paid in soul. The soul is not just the essence of life, but the fundamental currency of power—the raw, irreducible force that ties a being to existence. To cast a spell, one must spend a fraction of their soul’s energy. For minor workings, the cost is negligible, the soul replenishing itself over time. But powerful magic can drain a soul to the brink, leaving the caster hollowed, broken… or worse.
Some civilizations, in their hunger for power, have sought to circumvent this cost. Through advanced technology, eldritch engines, or harvested essence, they have built systems capable of casting magic without the use of a living soul. These constructs, though efficient, come at their own peril. Without the guiding presence of a soul, magic becomes raw, volatile, its consequences harder to predict and its failures catastrophic.
The Divine Exchange
Gods and god-like beings do not burn their own souls to wield magic. Instead, they harvest the faith of their followers, drawing power from worship as one might draw water from an endless tide. Every prayer, every act of devotion, feeds them, each worshiper offering a sliver of their own soul—a tithe, often too small to notice. But faith is a double-edged blade. Gods are as powerful as the belief that sustains them, and those who lose their worshipers weaken, fade, and, in time, cease to be.
The Risks of Overreach
Magic is neither benevolent nor malevolent—it simply is. A tool, a force, a language written into the bones of existence. But to wield it without understanding, without respect for its cost, is to invite catastrophe.
To cast is to take. To take is to change. To change is to risk.
And there are some changes that cannot be undone.
Metaphysically, souls are a high-energy form of matter, a substance that transcends physical laws and serves as the foundation of sentient thought and self-awareness. While the body is mortal, and the mind can change, the soul is the constant—unique to each individual, immutable in its core identity, yet endlessly evolving throughout a person’s lifetime.
The study of souls is known as Aethology, a field that blends philosophy, magic, and theoretical metaphysics. Despite centuries of research, the origins of souls remain one of the great unsolved mysteries within Aethology. Are souls created at birth, emerging as an intrinsic function of sentience? Are they fragments of a greater cosmic force? Are they finite, reincarnated across lifetimes? Or are they crafted, deliberately shaped by an unseen hand? No scholar, mage, or god has answered this question with certainty.
What is known, however, is this:
Most biological, sentient beings are born with a soul.
No two souls are identical. They are as distinct as fingerprints, woven with the unique experiences, emotions, and energies of their bearer.
Souls are not static. They shift and change as a person grows, affected by trauma, triumph, suffering, and enlightenment.
The energy within a soul varies greatly. Some are born with vast reserves, enabling natural magic affinity. Others develop their talents later in life, as their soul deepens or strengthens.
When magic is cast, a minuscule fraction of the soul’s energy is expended—insignificant on its own, yet cumulative over time. A soul can recover its energy, much like a body replenishes stamina, but reckless overuse can leave it weakened, fragile… or broken.
When a soul is fractured—whether by immense trauma, powerful magic, or deliberate manipulation—it manifests a condition known as Soulfire. Those who suffer from it, called Soulfires, describe the sensation as their very essence being shattered, their body filled with something sharp and unbearable, like splinters of glass embedded beneath their skin.
But the pain is only the beginning.
A Soulfire’s magic is no longer restrained by the natural limits of their soul’s energy reserves. Their power becomes wild, unpredictable, and immense. In theory, their energy is limitless—an infinite wellspring of magic unlike any other. But there is a cost. The mind and body were never meant to channel such unrestricted force.
For a Soulfire, their own existence becomes a paradox: a source of unparalleled magical potential, yet one that is constantly consuming itself. The stronger the magic, the more their body strains, the more their mind fractures under the weight of power. Most Soulfires burn out young, their bodies unable to withstand the demands of their condition. Some, through sheer will or external intervention, learn to control the fire, tempering it, but they always live on borrowed time.
While rare, Soulfires are not unheard of, and certain species are more prone to this condition than others. The Dvatti, in particular, are frequently born as Soulfires—perhaps due to the nature of their existence, or something deeper in their origins.
To be a Soulfire is to walk the edge of oblivion. A blessing and a curse. A flame that can never be truly extinguished, only brightened until there is nothing left but embers.
Psionics is the school of magic dedicated to manifesting thought into reality. Unlike traditional sorcery, which rewrites the fabric of existence through energy manipulation and incantations, psionics operates on a far more fundamental principle: the sheer force of will.
At its core, psionics is the belief that the mind, when honed to its peak, can impose its will upon the world. It is not merely casting spells—it is bending reality through unshakable conviction, raw intellect, and the sheer intensity of thought. Where other forms of magic require rituals, gestures, and spoken commands, psionics requires only focus. A whisper of intent. A sharpened mind.
The Nature of Psionic Power
Psionics is distinct from conventional magic in several key ways:
No External Components – Traditional magic often requires external forces: incantations, gestures, sigils, or the channeling of external energies. Psionics needs none of these. Thought alone is the medium of power.
Willpower as the Catalyst – While magic burns through the energy of the soul, psionics draws directly from the mind itself. The stronger one’s will, the greater their ability to influence reality.
Subtle Yet Overwhelming – A master psion does not need to move or speak. They can turn thoughts into weapons, reality into an extension of their consciousness.
The Psions: A Race of Mindwalkers
The Psions, as a species, are uniquely attuned to psionic power. Unlike other sentient beings who must develop their psionic abilities through training and discipline, Psions are born with an innate connection to the fabric of thought-made-reality. Their very existence is proof that psionics is more than theory—it is an evolutionary path.
Many Psions demonstrate telekinesis before they can walk, speak in thoughts before they learn words, and navigate the unseen currents of the mind with ease. However, their natural talent comes at a cost. The mind is a fragile thing, and those born with immense psionic ability often struggle with the weight of their own thoughts. Without discipline, a Psion can become overwhelmed by the vast potential of their own consciousness, lost in the infinite reflections of thought upon thought.
For those who master it, however, psionics is perhaps the purest form of power: not drawn from the gods, not stolen from the soul—merely the mind imposing itself upon the universe and demanding that it obey.