Natural Magic vs Multiversal Doors

While the multiversal magic system allows for energy trades between Ilynika and any imaginable world out in the multiverse, the origins of the magic were focused on the world of Ilynika itself and only broadened into the multiverse later on. There was something in the Eldren blood that gave them a natural connection to the energy of the world and all other worlds, allowing them to sing powerful energy into crafting materials like stone, steel, and glass, resulting in buildings and tools that were deemed indestructible, at least until the War of Doors and the near-shattering of the multiverse proved that, with enough power, anything can be broken (even existence).

The main difference in these two magic types relates to where the energy exchange takes place. Natural magic is when a mage trades their innate energy with the energy of the world of Ilynika. Multiversal or “door” magic takes place when the mage trades their innate energy with the energy of another world in the multiverse.

The ease of the magic relates to the coordinates of the world and its innate rules. For example, to summon elements like heat, cold, and wind is fairly easy, because the world needs only one standard to be fulfilled: extreme access to the element in question. However, for extremely complicated energy trades, the more specific the world needs to be, the more dangerous the magic becomes.

Magical enchanting and runecraft are also common, where artisans can create access to the multiverse via a rune that’s been embedded into an object. A common example is a wind rune that gets placed on the masts of ships to allow them to call upon wind on a still day, or the flame runes that can ignite the wood in one’s fireplace with ease.

The major limitation of this magic type relates to the lack of physical movement. It is only energy which can be traded, so a rune like that of Gabriel’s lute, which allows the volume of the music to attune to the inner desire of the listener (meaning an uninterested listener will hear it very faintly, while an interested listener would find it as loud as they would comfortably enjoy) would be extremely complicated and would take ages to craft at Amon Nornar.

The Three Sages

Throughout all of Ilynika’s history, only three mages have ever managed to successfully achieve immortality via the world’s innate magical energy. This pursuit of interest was always considered deeply unnatural and unhealthy in the 2nd Era, and was likewise thought to be impossible, but the three who were considered the greatest mages of their time were successful, all via different means. These three, the Sages, are considered the most powerful people in all of Ilynika and their jurisdiction covers the whole world and transcends any local governments, because magic is universal and the dangers are known.

Eivind Gaul

Eivind Gaul was originally my version of a “dark mage” or the type who studies “black magic” in your usual fantasy tropes. However, since I always want to take a bit of a different spin on things, Gaul’s interest has always been in experimental and new magics. In his youthful quest for power and immortality, he managed to hostilely absorb every possible version of himself from a limitless multiverse, giving him an infinite amount of energy that his body struggles to contain, and which he has limited control over. As such, there are fracture marks in his skin that he tries to keep hidden, and he always appears to be surrounded by a light wind, created by the energy pouring out of him at all times. His unrestrained desire for exploration and progress, endlessly pushing the limits of magic, is what eventually lead to a rift between himself and his peers, Leander Ven’vaen and Airi Rae’lai, eventually leading to the War of Doors and fracturing of reality, the shuffling of the surface landscape of Ilynika. His personal decision to acknowledge and take accountability for his mistake, stand down, and take the lead on fixing the damage he did were considered proof of his understanding of his mistake. As such, at the beginning of the 3rd Era, he was put in charge of a remote volcanic island known as Amon Nornar, and only there, under his extremely watchful guidance, are mages allowed to experiment with opening new and unfamiliar multiversal doors. His charge is experimental magic, as such. However, since the War of Doors was less than 250 turns in the past, he still has a reputation as a destroyer and is often referred to as though he were a legendary monster, despite his successful efforts to fix his mistake.

Leander Ven’vaen

Leander Ven’vaen was originally my de facto “normal” mage, so it makes sense that he is in charge of the Mage College in Nordvahl. Leander’s immortality came from him merging with every version of himself throughout the multiverse, which means that while he cannot die, he’s also constantly contending with other versions of himself inside his own head. As such, he has a spacey demeanor, often winces or giggles at random, and makes unpredictable jerky movements. He also has a habit of mumbling to other versions of himself. Following the connection between himself and his other selves, he went through a period of severe insanity before he learned some control over the cacophony of voices in his head. Following the War of Doors and the creation of the Mage College in Nordvahl, Leander was put in charge of magical education, as well as magical news. Alongside guiding mages in the known magics, he is also in charge of traveling the world to explore new discoveries or unusual situations and reports them back to the other Sages.

Airi Rae’lai

My personal favorite of the sages, Airi’s character and arc weren’t actually developed until the writing of Volume II: Three Oracles, A Dance, & A Song in 2025. As opposed to Eivind and Leander, Airi’s magical path involved her exploring the natural magic of Ilynika deeply under Eldren tutelage, before she ever experimented with the multiversal doors. Airi is the only known mage from history with the ability to move matter through the multiverse. Unlike her two peers, Airi was able to eventually figure out how to phase her body out of existence and into other realities, so her immortality is much more peaceful than that of her “brothers,” as she simply moved her body into a world where it does not age. As such, she has earned several nicknames, such as The Wanderer’s Sage or the Plainwalker. She has followers in Ilynika, but has no school and rarely taken apprentices. When she does, it’s usually because an existing mage has figured out one of the magical secrets she has uncovered and wants to teach them to proceed safely, to avoid fracturing reality yet again. All of the monks at the Monastery of Silk, for example, are her apprentices. No one, not even Leander or Eivind, know what she is working on out in the vaster multiverse.

The Mage College & Amon Nornar

Once again, these are riffs on the usual magic schools, but with my attempt to try something a bit different. The Mage College in Nordvahl is one of the classic “wizard schools.” Young mages must have apprenticed to a mage in order to be accepted into the school. There, mages can study the basics of common magic, as well as enchanting/runecraft. Every form of magic taught at the college is stable and safe, and patented for public use.

Amon Nornar was originally my “black magic school” but evolved in a way that tried to balance my desire for this world to be better and kinder than our own, but still keeps the unsettling tension of the “black magic” college. While it surely won’t appear in the story until far nearer to the end, Amon Nornar will be visited eventually. However, unlike in Nordvahl, tourism is not allowed. In fact, in order to even be allowed to study at Amon Nornar, the mage in question must submit a proposal about what they want to study, how they expect to accomplish it, and they must be willing to sign their life away to Eivind Gaul. Ergo, if you have a great idea that you want to bring to life, you’d better be willing to wager your life on it, because once you go to Amon Nornar, there’s no guarantee that Eivind Gaul will ever give you permission to leave.

Altas & Vetas Mages

There are two types of mages in Ilynika, separated by bloodlines. Altas mages are those of very direct original Eldren bloodlines and carry on the names of their Eldren ancestors, including such families as Rae, Nivekorpi, Sukeva, and Kaleva. All three Sages are said to be of Altas blood.

Vetas mages, conversely, are people who have some Eldren in their bloodline—enough for them to have some ability to access the multiversal doors—but do not have the sheer power or depth of energy to reach the level of their Altas counterparts. There are some people who technically count as Vetas mages, but their bloodline is so far removed from their Eldren origins that they do not have enough energy to safely trade without burning themselves out, risking death.

The Yaedrin

The Yaedrin are the equivalent of Ilynika’s secret magic police and their task is to hunt down mages who have escaped from Amon Nornar without Gaul’s permission. The Yaedrin are considered to have one of, if not the most dangerous jobs in all of Ilynika and as such, it is rare for there to be volunteers to join. As such, Yaedrin are often raised on Amon Nornar when mages of Altas blood are orphaned or abandoned, which is also a very rare event. There are not many Yaedrin, but they are trained in some questionable tactics and are generally feared by the public, even though public safety is their job.