All public magical knowledge is descended from the teachings of Erudír Polios the Wise, last of the Wizard-Kings, who willingly relinquished power by sharing his secrets with mortals.
While but a shadow of the powerful sorceries of the past, modern magic is much safer and less destructive to the fabric of reality. Other schools of thought exist, but most are forbidden for good reason.
The most famous record Polios wrote is without a doubt The Rule of Primes, required reading for any aspiring mage.
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The Rule of Naught:
Magic is Nothing. It comes from the Void, and ever returns to Oblivion. It is the shadow cast by a flame, the far side of the moon, the world in the mirror. It can be neither seen nor known, for it does not truly exist. Magic abhors Reality, for it is of the Unreal.
The Rule of One:
The practice of true magic cannot be taught; it is unique to the individual and must be learned through experience. Moreover: knowledge beyond the ken of others is a source of power over them. To become powerful is to be isolated - with magic, the converse is also true. Seeking power, I and others like me cloistered ourselves from the world, yet remained linked to it through the reverence of others. This led to hubris, as wizards began to act like kings and then gods. Let none ever again follow in our footsteps.
The Rule of Two:
To put magic to use is to exploit the dichotomy of self and other. It is to allow the self to affect the other, or forbid the other from affecting the self. Hence comes the Higher Order Charges: that of Light and Darkness. It is important to remember that these do not mean 'good' and 'evil', despite what a certain theologian may tell you. Light magic attends to the other above the self, while Dark magic attends to the self above the other. They are opposites, but do not negate each other. Sometimes they can be expressed in a counter-intuitive manner: in the past I have woven both Light spells which force one's will to submit to that of another, and Dark spells that reverse the effects of the passage of time.
The Rule of Three:
The three primary elements are Fire, Earth, and Wind. The three physical constraints are Force, Matter, and Motion. The three sources of power are Desire, Authority, and Discipline. Three is the number of the Lower Order Charges, and I refer to them as Red, Green, and Blue. Their relationship is complex enough for each to deserve its own dissertation, yet one may simply think of them as representing transient values, enduring values, and adaptive nature.
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The Rule of Five:
Two and Three make Five, the combined order of charges. After Red, Blue and Green, Light And Darkness are cast to White and Black. The Five Charges of magic, and the Five Attributes allowing mortals: Spirit, Will, Wit; Faith, and Conatus. These five qualities describe one's state of mind, and allow one to channel magic Power. The most blatant way is to use an incantation, prayer, or mantra to sculpt the mind in a specific manner for a desired effect, but such a method is only an aid at best. True magic is often done instinctively at a low level by the masters of any given art.
The Rule of Seven:
Seven Elements - Fire, Earth, Wind, Water; Acid, Lightning, Frost. Seven Metals - Iron, Copper, Silver, Gold; Bismuth, Tin, Mercury. Seven Virtues, Seven Sins: Seven Mysteries I leave behind for mortal men to puzzle.
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The works of Polios were subsequently built upon by Hegemony mages and scholars. Magus Suliac Parmen developed the theory linking the three Charges in the Lower Order of Nature to the seven elements, each paralleling an Abstract Class of spells with either Light or Dark forms.
Red Green Blue Element Abstract Class Light Form Dark Form X - - Fire Heart Charm Fury - X - Earth Soul Oath Contempt - - X Wind Thought Insight Delusion X X X Water Essence Purification Transmution X X - Alkahest(Acid) Life Entropy Regression X - X Lightning Paradox Doom Chaos - X X Frost Spacetime Stasis Warp
These teachings became the official doctrine of the Mage's guild, and are subsequently very widespread, even decades after its libraries went up in flames.
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{Inaccurate, erroneous, incomplete... Yet not untrue.} "I guess it wouldn't be the first time an ancient scholar whose words are beyond question got it wrong." {Maybe. Kat senses faint echo of oldest words. Reflected, distorted, but not gone. Intent of a great... Deception.}
"You mean- Polios deliberately wrote only half the truth?!" {Possible. Meaning fogged by time; Kat can only sense at all due to high Power at source.} "In that case, he may have been far wiser than anyone gave him credit for..."