Aythar

Aythar is the force of magic present in the novel series Mageborn by Michael G. Manning and its successor series. Most people in the novels refer to it simply as magic.

Basic theory
According to the teachings of mages and wizards, aythar is the vital force present in all living things and to a lesser degree also in inanimate objects. Others have used terms such as energy, spirit, life-force, élan, passion, magic, and faith. Although it is present in much greater concentrations in living beings it is also present in small amounts within all inanimate objects. The amount of aythar present seems to vary in direct proportion to the level of awareness possessed by the object. Animals possess varying amounts in proportion to their level of intelligence. Plants contain less, yet still more than non-living things such as rocks. Because self-awareness is directly proportional to the amount of aythar within something some conclude that even inanimate matter has some minimal level of awareness. Since aythar seems to be present within everything, it may be a fundamental property, or even a necessity for existence.

Several characteristics have been described and named to understand the interaction between aythar and human beings. These are capacitance, emittance and control.

Capacitance
Capacitance refers to the amount of aythar present or stored within a given person. The amount is not fixed and varies from moment to moment but never exceeds a certain limit. That limit varies greatly from person to person, but in most humans it is quite small. All living beings contain some amount of aythar, or else they would be dead, and even corpses contain some amount, much smaller.

Emittance
Emittance refers to the rate or ability of a person to channel or ‘use’ a given quantity of aythar. Unlike capacitance, emittance is not a universal trait in all human beings.

Some persons, called ‘stoics’, have no emittance whatsoever, and as a result are completely unable to use, sense or manipulate magic in any way. Stoics are rare, most likely not exceeding two examples for every hundred persons. Stoics cannot be manipulated by subtler forms of magic that affects the mind or spirit, such as enchantments, making them valuable as judicial workers in societies containing mages. They are still susceptible to other forms of magic, but no more so than any other physical being or object.

The vast majority of humans have a very low emittance, such that without extensive training or exposure they are largely unable to manipulate aythar to any meaningful degree. Similarly they have difficulty even perceiving things which are purely magical in nature. Such persons are able to use magical devices, and with extensive training even use some aythar directly, but to a very limited degree.

Rarely some people, maybe one person in a hundred, are born with a moderate to high emittance but with a low capacitance. Such people usually don't notice anything unusual until puberty, though it might happen earlier. The most common trait found in these people is 'the sight', the ability to sense and see things of a purely magical nature. They sometimes manifest precognitive abilities or other forms of prescience and clairvoyance. People such as this are capable of learning to channel aythar from beings such as the world's gods.

Rarest of all, maybe one in a thousand, are those born with both a high emittance and a high capacitance. The talents of those people are dangerous, to others but more so to themselves, and few of them survive past adolescence unless they find someone skilled and knowledgeable to guide and teach them. People capable of using magic by intent are known as mages. Mages possessing true training in the use of aythar are known as wizards.

Control
The skilled use of aythar by a mage or a wizard relies on the last characteristic, called control. Of the three attributes it is the only one that is able to change significantly with practice or training. Mages that survive puberty generally learn to channel their aythar using some method of symbolism and ritual, generally through the use of one or more dead languages. Although aythar may be used without language or symbols, it is quite dangerous to do so. Wizards learn the use of a language or system of rituals in order to control not merely ‘how’ their power is released, but also ‘when’. An untrained mage whose power lies purely in his thoughts is dangerous, as their power may come to the fore at any moment.

Using common language for magic is generally avoided. The best tool for controlling aythar is considered to be a dead language. It is also believed that languages which have been used for this purpose over many generations serve best, as the words and phrases gain a certain amount of power in their own right. Because of this, even individuals with a moderate to low emittance are sometimes able to use minor spells by using language and symbols that have absorbed some inherent power due to long use.