Mana is a highly energetic, invisible, and nearly omnipresent substance which forms Mezia's manasphere. Mana permeates all aspects of the world, traveling along air and water currents, seeping into stone and ice, and even passing through rifts in space and time. It is vital to all known forms of life, though the amount of mana an organism can tolerate varies widely. Mana is the main essence of spirits, including those of living creatures, in which it acts as a conduit.
Most naturally occurring mana exists in the form of pure mana. Elemental mana only occurs naturally in mana springs and manastorms. Pure mana can also be converted to an element intentionally, through the use of manastones. Elemental mana is unstable and can only exist for a brief period before decaying back into pure mana.
The prevalence of mana does not mean it is infinite. Mana density varies by location. In places with low concentrations of mana, excessive use can drain the local mana faster than it can be replenished and form a mana scar. Places with high concentrations of mana are called mana springs and can result in spontaneous magic effects occurring.
Harnessing mana as a source of power to produce useful effects is called magic, and can be done through either boosts or spells. Although everyone has the potential to use magic, learning to control mana can be very difficult.
Elements
An element is the form of mana as it is manifested. Most naturally occurring mana exists in the form of pure mana, which is invisible and interacts weakly with most things. Mana can take on many other forms, either naturally in mana springs and manastorms or intentionally through the use of manastones. Elemental mana is unstable and can only exist for a brief period before decaying back into pure mana.
There are three categories of elemental mana: primordial, celestial, and vital. There are some minor differences in how these three elemental groups affect the world when used in spells, but otherwise they are very similar and the groupings are for convenience only.
The graphic below shows the 16 elements of mana. Clicking one of the elements will take you to the corresponding page.
If the graphic doesn't work, click here:
| Primordial Elements | Celestial Elements |
|---|---|
| Pure | Aether |
| Air | Dark |
| Earth | Light |
| Electric | Star |
| Fire | Void |
| Frost | Vital Elements |
| Metal | Body |
| Plant | Mind |
| Water | Spirit |
Manastone
A manastone is a crystallized chunk of elemental mana that serves as a conduit for converting pure mana into another element. Manastones come in many sizes, and larger stones can convert more mana and therefore make a spell more powerful.
Manastones are very valuable and sought after, especially for certain elements. Mages usually embed their manastones into their equipment to have them close at hand for conversions, as well as making them easier to guard.
Mana Springs
A mana spring is a source of mana. Mana springs produce mana of a specific element and create an area with a high concentration of elemental mana. Many believe mana springs are the manifestation of the Ancient Gods divine presence and that these sites are sacred grounds.
Mana springs hold a tremendous amount of magic energy which creates bizzare and hostile landscapes around them. Mana springs are not easy to navigate due to constantly shifting elemental energy. Powerful elemental creatures and manastorms make them even more dangerous.
Despite the many dangers, mana springs provide benefits that make them highly enticing. They are one source of mana shards, which are essential to elemental spellcasting. Mages may travel vast distances to reach a mana spring in hopes of finding a mana shard or improving their skills in that particular element.
Settlements built near mana springs benefit from a near limitless amount of mana, allowing them to develop magic intensive infrastructure without the risk of forming a mana scar.
Manamaterials
A manamaterial is a material that produces a spell-like effect when in the presence of mana. Manamaterials are different from mana shards, they cannot be used to convert mana from pure to some other element. Instead, manamaterials passively absorb pure mana and produce a specific effect that often has some elemental component to it. Examples include aquine, ignium, and levitite.
Mana Scars
A mana scar is a region of the manasphere without mana. They are usually temporary, but can be highly destructive during their existence.
Mana scars can form when all the local mana has been used for spells, which is most likely to occur during large battles with a significant mage presence. The size of the scar depends on how much mana was used up and how quickly. Using mana near a mana scar can cause it to expand. Mana scars typically last between 1 to 3 days, though some persist for much longer.
Mana scars are hazardous to everything within them. Since all living beings depend on some mana to survive the lack of mana can cause distress, illness, and even death. Animals and spirits will immediately flee a mana scar, and plants soon begin to wilt. Intentionally forming a mana scar around a settlement as a form of siege is an effective and brutal battle strategy.
A shrinking mana scar creates optimal conditions for manastorms to form, due to the imbalance in the concentration of mana. Especially powerful manastorms may form at the death throes of a mana scar.
Politics of Mana
Mana plays an important role in politics and economics. It can be used for everything: offense, defense, transportation, agriculture, industry, energy, sports, leisure, and more. A region plentiful in mana and people capable of utilizing it are core aspects determining the power and stability of a settlement.
Areas with a high concentration of mana are desirable to control. Cities built near mana springs can draw on the vast wealth of mana provided by the mana spring to fuel the defenses, luxuries, and development of the city. Wars have been fought over mana springs, and battles held near mana springs can result in such tremendous use of magic it leaves a permanent mark on the world.