...by the sage and sometimes wizard, Dunnis Scot, late of Waterdeep, formerly of many and far locales.
Let ye know first, dear reader, the legitimacy of your source in this learning. The holder of this quill is a magic-user of some accomplishment, of the scholarly and independent variety you call "a wizard." Lately my use of the Art has become a bit unreliable - whether due to advanced age or for some external reason, I shudder to contemplate. Previously, however, I was a seasoned and reliable Planewalker, moving as easily from one reality to another as you might travel to the market or to a friend's abode. I have seen much of the world... indeed, I have seen much of many worlds.
Through that time, the skills I had acquired - controlling matter, manipulating explosive energies, altering perception - were simply tools to me. Spells kept me safe on the road, and warm in the night. simple folk held me in the highest regard, and the fiends of the hells feared the slightly twist of my fingers. I had little interest in my spells, save for what they could do for me.
As time went on, I began to wonder more deeply about these feats. Where do this "magic" come from, and why did it obey me so readily?
What you Faerunians call "the Weave" (and for convenience I will use your term) is really a force, or a substrate, that flows with and through all the matter and energy in the universe. Eons ago, when the modern races first began to cultivate intelligence, some individuals perceived this - that the universe consisted of more than just the material cause and effect visible to the eye. Such individuals could see that the Weave flowed everywhere and gave rise to the mystery of matter that we take for granted: Life.
Hear me: the Weave is in the grass, in the tree, in the worm and the bird... wherever matter has coalesced into complex systems - the very systems that have allowed the intelligent races to rise and flourish - there is the Weave. And it is inside us! Early on, those with strong inner focus developed the ability to channel the Weave through their own bodies, manipulating their life energy or "Chi," and thus performing extraordinary feats. We call such practitioners "monks," but before there was a name for them, they were simply this: the first magic-users.
Others saw that there was a direction, a flow, in the systems of the natural world, which could be controlled. Not changed outright, to be sure; but if you join your spirit in the harmony of nature, then with great focus and skill, you can learn to direct that symphony. Understanding this, some individuals learned to control plants, animals, and also other natural forces: the earth beneath our feet, the howling winds, the flows of water... even the crackling, jumping fire. Over time, the ability to exercise such control was handed down, one practitioner to another, in formalized techniques involving gestures, sounds, and symbols. These techniques are what we think of as "spells."
Those early Mystics were viewed with awe by their unsophisticated fellows, and some began to hold themselves out as higher beings. What happened next is unclear, even to me. Some say these mystics were worshipped, and the strength of their followers' belief was enough that they actually ascended to a higher form of existences, becoming deities. Others say the gods are timeless, and that the rise of magic use is simply what caused them to first notice mortals.
These deities are beings of unimaginable power (some say fueled by the belief and faith of their flocks). To them the Weave is not some invisible, mysterious force; they *see* it, and can control it with a mere thought. Through this, they have the ability to manipulate reality on a whim. With the slightest ease, they can send spells to the minds of their worshippers, enabling magical effects far more strange and flashy than those achievable by mystics.
Thus, the rise of religions. Mortals who gave fealty and service to deities learned to perform miracles. As societies became more urban and sophisticated, organized clerics amassed power. Mystics became known as strange men in the wilds, dancing among trees and howling at the moon. They did not disappear, however. Sylvanus and similar deities appreciated mystics' respect for nature, and guided some of them into the organized hierarchies of the Druids.
There are other ways to control the Weave, of course. Some individuals - whether or brave or foolhardy I shall not opine - learn the power in the stranger corners of the natural universe. Setting aside concepts of "harmony," these occultists derive magical powers from raw manipulation of energies from the elemental planes, or the demonic forces of the hells, or strange outer realms of which we know little.
More familiarly, scholars have learned to reproduce many spells without the aid of priestly worship. Indeed, rigorous study has led to the creation of brand new spells, with effects undreamt-of by clerics and mystics. And, not limited by jealous deities, we wizards have managed to use spells at higher levels of power than priests ever could. But, I do not claim superiority. For all our creativity and raw power, we old men in our towers could not hope to challenge the strength of the ordered clerics and their ranks of acolytes. They mix the organization of fighting-men with the miracles of magic, and for that, they hold vast sway over the societies of men and demihumans.
Yea, though some might prefer not to admit it, and some may argue otherwise (to their peril), the most powerful and influential forces in these Realms are surely Faiths and Powers.
Let ye know first, dear reader, the legitimacy of your source in this learning. The holder of this quill is a magic-user of some accomplishment, of the scholarly and independent variety you call "a wizard." Lately my use of the Art has become a bit unreliable - whether due to advanced age or for some external reason, I shudder to contemplate. Previously, however, I was a seasoned and reliable Planewalker, moving as easily from one reality to another as you might travel to the market or to a friend's abode. I have seen much of the world... indeed, I have seen much of many worlds.
Through that time, the skills I had acquired - controlling matter, manipulating explosive energies, altering perception - were simply tools to me. Spells kept me safe on the road, and warm in the night. simple folk held me in the highest regard, and the fiends of the hells feared the slightly twist of my fingers. I had little interest in my spells, save for what they could do for me.
As time went on, I began to wonder more deeply about these feats. Where do this "magic" come from, and why did it obey me so readily?
What you Faerunians call "the Weave" (and for convenience I will use your term) is really a force, or a substrate, that flows with and through all the matter and energy in the universe. Eons ago, when the modern races first began to cultivate intelligence, some individuals perceived this - that the universe consisted of more than just the material cause and effect visible to the eye. Such individuals could see that the Weave flowed everywhere and gave rise to the mystery of matter that we take for granted: Life.
Hear me: the Weave is in the grass, in the tree, in the worm and the bird... wherever matter has coalesced into complex systems - the very systems that have allowed the intelligent races to rise and flourish - there is the Weave. And it is inside us! Early on, those with strong inner focus developed the ability to channel the Weave through their own bodies, manipulating their life energy or "Chi," and thus performing extraordinary feats. We call such practitioners "monks," but before there was a name for them, they were simply this: the first magic-users.
Others saw that there was a direction, a flow, in the systems of the natural world, which could be controlled. Not changed outright, to be sure; but if you join your spirit in the harmony of nature, then with great focus and skill, you can learn to direct that symphony. Understanding this, some individuals learned to control plants, animals, and also other natural forces: the earth beneath our feet, the howling winds, the flows of water... even the crackling, jumping fire. Over time, the ability to exercise such control was handed down, one practitioner to another, in formalized techniques involving gestures, sounds, and symbols. These techniques are what we think of as "spells."
Those early Mystics were viewed with awe by their unsophisticated fellows, and some began to hold themselves out as higher beings. What happened next is unclear, even to me. Some say these mystics were worshipped, and the strength of their followers' belief was enough that they actually ascended to a higher form of existences, becoming deities. Others say the gods are timeless, and that the rise of magic use is simply what caused them to first notice mortals.
These deities are beings of unimaginable power (some say fueled by the belief and faith of their flocks). To them the Weave is not some invisible, mysterious force; they *see* it, and can control it with a mere thought. Through this, they have the ability to manipulate reality on a whim. With the slightest ease, they can send spells to the minds of their worshippers, enabling magical effects far more strange and flashy than those achievable by mystics.
Thus, the rise of religions. Mortals who gave fealty and service to deities learned to perform miracles. As societies became more urban and sophisticated, organized clerics amassed power. Mystics became known as strange men in the wilds, dancing among trees and howling at the moon. They did not disappear, however. Sylvanus and similar deities appreciated mystics' respect for nature, and guided some of them into the organized hierarchies of the Druids.
There are other ways to control the Weave, of course. Some individuals - whether or brave or foolhardy I shall not opine - learn the power in the stranger corners of the natural universe. Setting aside concepts of "harmony," these occultists derive magical powers from raw manipulation of energies from the elemental planes, or the demonic forces of the hells, or strange outer realms of which we know little.
More familiarly, scholars have learned to reproduce many spells without the aid of priestly worship. Indeed, rigorous study has led to the creation of brand new spells, with effects undreamt-of by clerics and mystics. And, not limited by jealous deities, we wizards have managed to use spells at higher levels of power than priests ever could. But, I do not claim superiority. For all our creativity and raw power, we old men in our towers could not hope to challenge the strength of the ordered clerics and their ranks of acolytes. They mix the organization of fighting-men with the miracles of magic, and for that, they hold vast sway over the societies of men and demihumans.
Yea, though some might prefer not to admit it, and some may argue otherwise (to their peril), the most powerful and influential forces in these Realms are surely Faiths and Powers.