Magic
Magic is ubiquitous in Avendar as a preternatural aspect of the plane's laws and is a necessary aspect of nearly every functioning society.
Types
Magic is divided by arcanologists into six spheres. Each sphere is associated with a specific ethos and cosmic alignment, known to arcanologists as resonance. Those whose personal resonance is too far removed from a sphere are unable to access those spheres of magic. The accepted arcane designations for each sphere are thus:
Water is resonant with the concept of life. Fire is resonant with the concept of destruction. Earth is resonant with the concept of structure. Air is resonant with the concept of creativity. Spirit is resonant with the concept of freedom. Void is resonant with the concept of death.
These are greatly simplified but broadly understood to be more or less true. There is disagreement between academics on the true nature of magic, the spheres, and resonance however, and many questions remain unanswered.
Learning magic
Nearly anyone is theoretically capable of performing magic save the alatharya, but discrimination, prejudice, and poverty all affect access to education and tools. As a result, the ability to become trained to perform magic may vary wildly between regions and even within different neighborhoods in the same city. In particular, the School of Heroes severely restricts licensure based on the species and study of an individual; for example, there are no chaja or srryn scholars among adventurers because the School will not issue licenses to them. This does not mean scholars are not represented (if rarely) among the broader population of srryn or chaja, only that they are barred from being adventurers.
