Many have asked, and many have spent years and even lifetimes in contemplation of what exactly magic is, and why it can do what it does. Honestly, the "what" of magic is quite simple, but the general concept is hard to grasp for many, even those of my kind, the Miza’har.

Magic is simply an inherent power within the world, it is part of the very fabric that has woven into the lands where we all live and are a part of. Some places, beings, and things simply are "magical" or have the ability to harness magic. Magic is nothing but a tapping of potential. Now, I must admit, this is a simplification of the process, but in all reality, it is nothing but that, learning how to tap the potential from within and putting it to some sort of use.

Those who can harness various types of magic have an innate ability within them, sometimes this is seen relatively early after birth, sometimes later in life unexpectedly, and in some cases this innate ability is never found. When taught and instructed on how to harness the ability from within, one can use magic to do things of their bidding, regardless of their profession or calling. Essentially all magic is the same; it is simply magic, whether the wielder be a mage hurling fireballs, a cleric healing a wound, a druid harnessing weather, or a necromancer calling forth the dead to do their bidding. While some races have a greater chance to harness such an innate ability, such as the Miza’har who use magic as easy as breathing, nearly all races have the spark within them and can learn to control and harness specific types of the power. A simple non-magical comparison is that of physical ability. There are those who seem to be more athletic or physically gifted, and with instruction and training, their ability can be honed and specialized into a true talent. Magic is very similar, but instead of a physical ability, it is a mental one.

If you were to sit and have two magic-users of different fields cast their respective fire-based spells simultaneously, you would see two very different things. You would more than likely hear different spoken vocal components, see different movements and somatic components, and see different material components used as well. What you would not see is that inherently, the magics are the same. What differs is the training the particular person has undergone, and what their particular inherent traits give them a specialty in, but fundamentally, the magics are very similar. Their form, color, and ultimate use may differ, but when broken down, they are quite alike.

Something to remember is that the locale and training of a magic user can greatly modify what they might know, and what they might be able to do with their magic. Rumors abound that pockets of knowledge abound which tightly train those with the gift to specific uses of magic, even more tightly than what exist currently within the realms. Over the centuries one of the biggest sources of new forms of magics has been the Academie of Magic, which is now located in Stonegate. Mages over the years have devoted their study to new forms of magic, listing them in tomes and scrolls, and imparting their knowledge and lore to their students, who in turn impart it to their students, and so on. This is a very structured and standardized way of learning magic, which differs from those of the druidic path, who learn from use and in some cases through a mentor or two. While a spell used by a druid will generally stay relatively similar from generation to generation, there is great variety in those cast by mages, with new spells appearing and disappearing from their repertoire, as their use and usefulness ebbs and flows like a tide.

Another great misconception about various magics is that one type is essentially "good" while other types are essentially "evil". This could be no further from the truth and has been the cause of many a persecution or even death of a magic-user. What leads those down the paths of “good” and “evil” is personal experience and choice, not the inherent classification of the magic that a particular user might wield. Necromancy is thought of as “evil” more than anything else, but one must remember that death is a natural process, and while a necromancer might interrupt or interfere with that process, it is not inherently an “evil” deed being done, it is simply the field of magic which that person can harness and tap into. The fields of druidic magic and clerical magic have the power to be used for the wishes of “evil” just as easily as those who follow the path of necromancy, but those usually are not hindered by the stigma that is naturally associated with those who summon forth spirits and use bones as components.

Magic is something that has existed as long as I have existed, and I can guarantee even longer than that, more than likely as long as history has been recorded, or even longer. It is something which is tapped and used on a daily basis nearly everywhere, and has been finding more and more uses, and more and more specialties as time goes on and more people put forth efforts into research. Suffice it to say, magic simply "is" and always will be.