The Art is not “magic” per se, but one’s ability to use what others call “magic”. The Art, by
The Order's standards, is manipulation of reality based upon mind and body. That is to say that in order to manipulate the subjective nature of the physical realms, one has to have a determined, focused mind and a healthy, unhindered body. Minor things such as headaches, irritation, sicknesses, lack of sleep, etc can all affect the effectiveness of the art.
Use of the art requires energy of course. You’re not going to get away with messing with the physical without some energy exerted. The energy comes from two sources. The first is latent natural energy that is all around us: Light, Heat, Water, Wind, etc. The second is the biological being, from the streams of life. The Lifestream is a bundle, or strand of etheric energy that holds the spirit to the body. The state of the lifestream determines the health of the person. When a person grows old, the lifestream starts to degrade. When a person gets sick, the lifestream reflects it. Most Art Wielders use the lifestream to power their effects, naturally this could adversely affect their health. Long ago, the people learned that demons, natural to the land of Raekarta, could manipulate the forces of nature on a whim, without tiring. They were born with a different kind of lifestream, one that is reinforced and infused with their body from birth. Known as the
DemonStream, it is much more efficient in the use of the art than Lifestream Energy. Consider it like a higher-octane fuel for vehicles. The higher the octane, the better the performance, so long as it’s not too much that the engine can’t handle it properly. These demonstreams are known as “artstreams”. Artificial streams are granted to mages by the spirits of the Black Tapestries. (Might want to read BT for the explanation to that one.)
The art does not break the laws of physics; in actuality the art works with the laws of physics to achieve a goal – the result of which may appear to break the physical laws. That is to say, if a member of the Order tried to pop a building into existence without understanding the fundamental nature of a structure’s integrity (ie, Foundation) the building will not last long without constant Art usage to maintain it. The matter comes from particles around them, as well as their own energy. The nature of the ethereal energy (physical and astral at the same time) allows them to manipulate matter. (It helps that Raekarta’s world is close to the etheric, which means the world is much more subjective to one’s will).
Now when it comes to beings that have will of their own, the magic is a little harder to work. The mage with the artstream has the advantage, even moreso if properly trained to use it. The subject, if they have had practice and/or training, can do some things to defend themselves from the art. The art would have difficulty hitting people where their will is strongest. That is to say that if an Order mage wanted to simply kill a person from afar, it wouldn’t work. The desire to remain alive, the ‘survival instinct’ is too strong. This can be weakened with the art, or by alternative methods. In order to kill someone with the art, (cut the lifestream) you need to prepare yourself for it, and it requires physical contact of several seconds (Which puts the Order mage at risk).
In a roleplaying setting such as Kaerwyn, if one doesn’t have at least a willpower of 4 or 5, they will not be able to prepare and defend themselves from the art. Although, they are still part of the “Survival Instinct” rule. However, if the mage throws them into a brick wall, they could be killed all the same. (The art itself doesn’t do the killing, the impact does it).
That being said, the mage will be able to use the art insofar as what they’ve been trained in. If the mage has no information on major biological systems, they will not be able to change people (without killing them). If they haven’t had any training in structural design they cannot create or repair buildings. If they can adequately and accurately visualize the effect in their minds, they can pull off great feats with or without training. They do get a lot of this training at the Order academies, which is why it takes them so long to train for the art before they’re granted an artstream.
Characters with the ability to use The Art:
- Endymion Gaelin - He teaches it, infact
- Lorelei Tessemer - She was born with an innate artstream, though she's had very little training with it.
- Niixa Gaelin - A proficient mage of the Xarax-Hil people, as a human she is now learning the Art from her husband, Endymion.