Magic and Samanayrs
Magic is a part of every Samanayr, and every Samanayr is shaped by it. Although the exact origin of Samanayrs has long been lost to time, because of their susceptibility to magical influences it’s thought that they were originally a magically-created species. Over the years some Samanayrs have even become able to control various kinds of magic, and in some cases this use has become more specialized and specific as in the cases of species like Healers and Shifters.
Even those that can’t directly control magic are affected by it. Foals can be born with traits not inherited from either parent and even traits that no other Samanayr has, and their simplified method of trait inheritance itself – where there’s a 50% chance a trait will be inherited it only one parent carries it – is likely a result of magical development as a species. Their wide variety of traits and quick development of new species with specialized traits and abilities is also magical in nature.
The fact that Elementals – Samanayrs who live and breathe elemental magic – exist at all is a clear indication that magic played a role in the development of the Samanayr species as a whole. Elementals could even be seen as the result of what happens when magic is allowed to influence a susceptible species unchecked.
Sharian magic can also be used on Samanayrs to change them or their gestating foals directly. So far limited study has been made on exactly how much the Sharians can do, but being able to do things such as increasing an individual or Song’s fertility and giving an unborn foal wings is quite impressive. Samanayrs are not able to make changes to their own kind in such a way, but they also do not use a blend of the three main types of magic, as Sharians do.
Magic Types
There are three types of magical energy: aura, elemental, and celestial.
Aura Magic
Aura magic comes from an individual’s life force, or aura. When a Samanayr uses aura magic, they are drawing life energy directly from themselves and converting it to magical energy. What is done with the magical energy varies depending on the type of magic user. For example, Mystics use it to aid in the control of elemental magical energy, while Healers use only aura magic at great personal expense to themselves. All magic-using Samanayrs, with the exception of Elementals, use some form of aura magic, usually in combination with a different type as well. Healers are the only magic-using Samanayrs that use aura magic exclusively.
If the magic-user over-exerts themselves, they can quickly drain their life force and be rendered unconscious. As a result of the body’s ability to defend itself by falling unconscious and halting the flow of magical energy it is rare for someone to die as a result of using too much aura magic, although it can still happen on occasion.
A much more dangerous way to use aura magic is to link life-forces with additional Samanayrs and channel the energy of several into an individual. This is a danger to both the sources, as they can continue to be drained of energy even after falling unconscious, and a danger to the user, as they can be overwhelmed by the amount of energy they are attempting to channel and essentially be ‘burned out,’ either killed outright or stripped of their magical abilities. Using aura magic in this way is strongly discouraged and is no longer a method taught by Mystics, although some still figure it out on their own. This kind of magic use only occurs if all participants are willing, and aura magic cannot be taken from an individual by force.
Although most magic-users only use a relatively small amount of aura magic, it does still take a toll on the Samanayr. The life force must be replenished with sufficient food, rest, and water, ideally before more magic is performed. Excessive use of aura magic has both mental and physical effects, most often general weakness and tiredness, and in extreme causes resulting in physical exhaustion, sickness, depression, and anxiety. Magical accidents are often the result of a magic-user who has not recovered sufficiently from prior magic use.
Primary users: Healers
Part-users: All magical Samanayrs except Elementals
Elemental Magic
Elemental magic draws its energy directly from the world around it rather than the individual wielding it. It presents itself as four basic elements: earth, air fire, and water. Combinations of these elements to create new magic types is possible when the energy is channeled through a magic-user, but in nature the energy only occurs in the four basic elements.
All of the elements can be found everywhere, but larger concentrations of certain elements can be found in particular environments. Water energy is abundant near water sources, air energy is most common in particularly windy and open areas, earth energy is most dominant in verdant areas, and fire energy is greatest at volcanoes and in deserts. While the other elements are technically accessible in all places, a certain type or types may be so dominant that it all but buries the remaining types. For example, it would take a particularly sensitive water magic user to be able to use water magic at the site of a volcano.
Elemental magic can be used to manipulate the environment, but it does have limits. It is most commonly used to alter, channeling the energy from its usual path and using will to force it to do something else. It cannot be used to create something from nothing, or create life where no spark of life exists. The natural world also resists extreme changes, and trying to use elemental magic to do something like turn a rock into a mushroom is all but impossible.
How various species of magical Samanayrs use elemental magical energy varies widely, but it is almost always used in conjunction with an additional type of magic, most commonly aura magic. The user’s life energy channels, controls, directs, and can even transmute elemental energy. Elemental Samanayrs are the only species that use elemental magic exclusively.
The energy found throughout the world that powers elemental magic isn’t infinite, but it would be all but impossible to drain all of the magical energy from an area. The environment does suffer when too much magical energy is removed from an area too frequently and care must be taken not too drain to much energy from an area too quickly or suddenly.
As with all other kinds of magic, magic-users’ strength and ability varies widely, both when it comes to sensing the magical energy of an energy and wielding it. All elemental magic users must be careful to not try to channel more energy than they can handle. Becoming ‘burned out,’ injured, or killed is more likely to occur with elemental magic users, especially if in an area with an excess of the type of energy the Samanayr is trying to use.
Primary users: Elementals
Part-users: Mystics, Miseries, Mysteries, Sibyls, Shifters, Kirins
Divine Magic
Sometimes referred to as the ‘divine element,’ the exact source of divine magical energy is unknown. Those who wield its powers give different answers as to its source, some saying its comes to them from between worlds, or from the stars, or from the breath of all living things. Whatever the source, it appears to be an infinite source of magical energy where the only restriction is the ability and strength of the wielder. Unlike elemental magic, divine magic is able to completely defy the laws of nature and bend them to the will of the wielder – as long as they’re strong enough.
The vast majority of Samanayrs who use divine magic are only able to use it for a specific task, such as a Minayr’s teleportation ability or a Sibyl’s future-telling ability. There is little danger to these Samanayrs as their bodies are able to self-regulate their use of magic and they unconsciously access and use an appropriate amount of divine magical energy for their singular task. This fact has added some credence to the theory that Samanayrs were originally a magically-created species as these are the kinds of safeguards that Sharian mages build into their mage constructs and other created creatures. A Samanayr with a divine-powered ability can’t really explain how they’re able to do it, they just know what to do and it happens. If a Shifter is born to two non-Shifter parents it will still be able to shapeshift quite capably because it has an innate understanding of how to do so, and the only thing teaching could do is maybe help to streamline the process a little.
Elementals are a unique case as their use of divine magic is to power and enhance their elemental abilities. They can transmute divine energy to elemental energy and so wield their magic without having to depend on the environment. However, this ability tends to make them rather disconnected from reality and other Samanayrs tend to find the aloof and unapproachable. Some even see Elementals as gods as they appear to have limitless power. This isn’t entirely correct, as Elementals are still restrained by the limits of their physical bodies, some do encourage this perception.
Very rarely a Samanayr, and not necessarily one of a magical species, is born with the ability to consciously access and use divine magic. This ability manifests itself when the Samanayr approaches adolescence, and sadly the foal is destroyed when their body is flooded with and consumed by divine magical energy. So far no Samanayr has lived beyond this initial destructive activation of their power. A Sharian who was actively looking would be able to detect this ability before it fully developed and then train the foal to control it before the ability became a danger to them, but because this happens so rarely nobody has yet convinced the Sharians that all foals should be ‘screened’ just in case.
Wielding Magic
Those who are able to use magic of any type say that it’s a skill akin to singing or dancing, although with the mind rather than the body. It takes practice, control, intent, and a great deal of concentration. Although the work is done with the mind, many Samanayrs use their magic in conjunction with a physical cue, such as dancing, stamping out a particular pattern with the hooves, singing, reciting words, and so on. These methods of focus are highly individualized, each magic-using Samanayr finding a method that works for them. Very few Samanayrs are able to perform magic without a physical cue, but it is possible for some.
A magical Samanayr’s power refers to both how much magical energy they can wield at one time and also how long it takes them to ‘recharge’ after using magic. Regardless of the source of magical energy being used, all magic use takes a physical and mental toll on the Samanayr and a magic-user must take care not to overexert themselves. Doing so can result in injury or death, to themselves or others, and in extreme cases can result in their magical ability being burned away. On average, a magical Samanayr can perform magic of moderate ability three or four times per day with some rest in between.
With practice and trust, magical Samanayrs can combine their magical energy to achieve greater magical feats than they would otherwise be capable of. For example, a water Mystic and an air Mystic can work together to create localized rainfall over a greater area than they might be able to achieve alone, and Healers can combine their specialized abilities to more effectively heal an individual faster. As with dancing, the ability of two or more Samanayrs to work together improves with practice and also depends on a certain amount of compatibility between the individuals. Strangers are less likely to be able to combine their abilities than Samanayrs who know each other well.