High Magic
From Symphonia
The use of magic requires “the Gift”, the ability to perceive what Maestros call the “subtle song”, a melody surrounds people, places and items. Simply being able to hear the subtle song gives Maestros a tremendous boon, as they are able to perceive things about people and places that others are not.
Ever place has its own unique variation on the song, which is influenced by events which take place there. Particularly important or emotionally charged events may leave behind “Echoes” in the place's song. A skilled Maestro can perceive these Echoes, allowing him to view and understand past events. Additionally, as the song of a place is coloured, it becomes easier or more difficult for certain magics to be used there. This is a process called “Resonance”. The “Resonance” of a place can greatly affect the ease of crafting and using certain spells in those areas.
Each individual's magic is like an instrument unto itself – naturally suited for certain kinds of spells. This is because, just as everything else, the Maestro carries within them a piece of the “subtle song”. The subtle song, as it appears in living beings, is mutable, growing and changing as the person who carries it grows and changes, reflecting their personalities, moods and history. Studying the subtle song that's carried by a person can unlock great secrets for a Maestro who cares to take the time to do so.
The greatest of these secrets is that person's “Heart-Song”. The Heart-Song is the seed of magic that lies in the seat of a person's soul, each one a unique gem that encompasses – in it's own way – everything that a person is, was and can be. By possessing the Heart-Song of another, a Maestro can weave great enchantments on that person – blessings and curses, spells which will shape the very course of their destiny.
However, learning the Heart-Song of another being requires a great deal of effort and study, as the Maestro must listen again and again to the subtle song that they carry, searching for the distinct harmony that is that person's Heart-Song.
Spells are written in Old Cant, an ancient and exceedingly complex notational code developed by the first Maestros. In addition to recording the spell in a secret manner, while allowing any trained Maestro to understand the spell's contents, Old Cant can be used to describe the Resonance of a location or even to record the Heart-Song of an individual, making it an important notational tool for Maestros.
Many spells are codified into Old Cant and can be recorded on scrolls or even memorized by sufficiently skilled Maestros. As many of these spells as are currently known, there are just as many or more that have been lost. Many of these “lost” spells are among the most powerful magics available, but they often find their way into local lores and histories. Many Maestros make their livelihoods as “spell-seekers”, searching out ancient spells hidden in folklore and children's rhymes.
Even without Old Cant as a guide, a spell may be improvised on the spot by a Maestro, though such a thing is rarely recommended, as it takes a skilled ear and a powerful will to weave spells without some guidance.
Two “schools” of magical thought exist, largely based on the practice of magic. The first, Somatic school, uses specially “tuned” wands. Students of the somatic school have the benefit of being able to cast spells silently, often with a simple flourish of their wand, “conducting” the magical energies into their proper form, but find that their powers are diminished if they are bound or otherwise held immobile. The second, more common, school, the auditor school, uses vocal and instrumental music to channel the spell forces. Though less subtle, such magic can be used even when immobile – so long as the Maestro may speak, and – so – sing.
Most Maestros learn both “schools” of magic, though some may favour one or the other. Both schools use the same Old Cant notations to record spells and other information, though spells may include subtle variations if written by someone familiar with only one school. If this is the case, those who are unfamiliar with that school may have a difficult time casting the spell as written.
Items can be “tuned” - their songs changed slightly to serve as conduits for magical effects. Such tuning often requires that the user be able to sing a “spell of unlocking”, which resonates with the spell-song within the item, allowing its power to come to the fore. Some very rare and powerful items do not have this requirement, carrying within them all the power that they need. Tuning an item is a very precise act, and takes a great deal of time and effort to do. Further, items may typically only be tuned in such a way as to enhance their existing capabilities – a sword may be enchanted to possess a keen edge, or to seek vital points more readily, or even to attack and defend under its own power, but not to heal or to make flowers grow.
Magic is capable of a wide range of effects – spells exist which can charm the mind, weave realistic illusions and enchant a person into sleep. Likewise, skillful Maestros can sing up storms, calm winds and command both earth and fire with their voice or a flourish of their wand. There are spells that, when sung, make a sword strike true, or cause an arrow to seek the heart of the person whose song it carries. The power of magic does have its limits, however, as well. The songs of the Maestros cannot call back the spirits of the dead, nor can their magic reach forward in time to view events of the future. Finally, though it is possible to sing up the winds and soar among the heavens, travel between two places without crossing the intervening distances is impossible for a Maestro to achieve.
There exist spells that allow a Maestro to summon up a servant, a familiar spirit known as a “daimon”. Such a spell is difficult, and carries with it some danger, as the familiar spirit is created by singing into being a body formed of elemental power, and then imbuing it with the Maestro's own heart-song. Such creatures begin their lives as simple automatons, with no real free will or individuality, but as they and their Maestro's age, they begin to become more self-willed and independent. Many daimons have won their freedom in the past, and now exist as immortal reminders of great, lost Maestros, hiding in the dark places of the world.
