Magic

Magic is supernatural power.

Background

Magic is the power that actually binds the universe together. It encompasses not just the connections all things have with each other, but includes the aether through which these relationships flow. Magic is the essence, belief is the glue; all is connected to each other. These connections may not always be clear to the mundane senses of sight, smell, and the like, but that does not mean they are less real. Cause and effect, action and interaction--all occur through the correspondences of nature. In conjunction with the elements of air, fire, earth, and water, all act to produce a desired result. Magic is considered the opposite of Science.

Magic and magical encounters are part of the very fabric of the universe. Without it Daventry itself would not be, could not be. It was to preserve Magic, mystique, wonder, and enchantment--the nonrational aspects of existence--that Daventry withdrew from the greater multiverse. Indeed, it was only through Magic itself that they were even able to withdraw. And it is only through continued practice and use of the arcane arts that the people are able to preserve and protect their very being. From the simplest charms and trivial spells, the plucking of a four-leafed clover or the knocking of wood, to the cosmos shattering invocations of the most fearsome Paradimensional deities, Magic is not just part but the very fabric of reality.

All types of magic practitioners come in the flavors of good and evil, and the shades of black and white. They are known to follow both the Left-Hand as well as the Right-Hand paths. It is through the use of the various magics that Daventry continues to exist. Evil follows good as night follows day. If Magic was to go away, so would Daventry. For Daventry to stop existing would be the greatest of evils.

Magic is occasionally referred to as the Art. As magic users maybe focused on different schools of magic, including black, white, and the elements: these different fields are referred to as the colors of magic. Generaly speaking most users of dark magic tend to be evil, and all practitioner of white magic tend to be good this is not always the case. There is potential for each school to be corrupted and used for evil or in other cases for good. As such the Society of Wizards is known to allow sorcerers, warlocks, and even necromancers as members.

Much of magic is based on words, artifice, or artifact. Iconomancy is a magic form without words, rather based on pictures and Icons.

The great principles of magic include "As above, so below" and "Nothing is as it appears". The minute is attached to the mighty. The flame of the candle and the flame of of love are one, and they too are one with the flame of life . With the use of the proper words or actions or magical tools, the relationships implicit in the aether are made explicit. Together the essence, the elements, and the principle both create and control reality. It is through the art of Magic that magicians know, understand, and manipulate these connections.

The practice of magic is both an art and a craft.

Harnessing the power of magic in Daventry requires a meticulous approach. To cast a spell successfully, for example, one must have an exact combination of ingredients and incantations and use them in an exact order.

To practice Magic at all is to practice it exactly and correctly. To do neither leads to dead wizards or worse.  Dire consequences await sloppy spell casters. One may find odd statuary, pillars of salt, mounds of dust, fluffy furries, or half-human half-insect abominations that were once users of the arcane arts who made a simple mistake, ones who did not follow craft to the last letter. Some things are worse than death. For the art of Magic to work, the craft of Magic must be carried out with no substitutions, exceptions, or shortcuts. Nothing must be taken for granted and no factors may be fudged. Shortcuts or substitutions can result in ineffective spells or magic that backfires in very unpleasant ways.

Because the craft must be practiced with concentration and precision, it is in the best interests of the individual wizards and their ilk to record in some manner the proper route to the completion of various mystical processes. To this end there arose over the eons a fabulous library of magical books--books that collected and explicated the great spells and conjurations devised and duplicated throughout the ages by the greatest of sorcerers. As a result many general provisioners stock on their shelves a myriad of manuscript titles covering all areas of the mystical arts, snug against vials of generic toad spittle, eye of newt, beetle juice, and the like. Hobbyiests, apprentices, and even graduates of the various academies of magic can find all their basic supplies and all they need to know in virtually any town.

For some, magic is seen as the only science known to man.

The ability to use magic is often inherited, and the offspring of the caster have the potential to be great magic users in their own right.

It is said that any spell, no matter how powerful, could always be removed by another magician of sufficient skill. However, this doesn't seem to be the case with a few rare spells: Transforming Another into a Cat for example states that the person who it is cast on is stuck as a cat 'forever!', and there is no evidence of it ever wearing off on its own. However, some suggest that this particular spell can only be undone by the perpetrator of the spell.Perhaps there are still other ways that someone else could break the spell, but if so that information is not common knowledge.

While enchantment maybe considered a form of magic, its also sometimes considered its own thing different than magic. Or at least when discussing creatures that are naturally magical (exudes its own magic), or has become enchanted (been transformed).

Magical documents

• Grimoires.
• scrolls of magical instruction.

Types of magic

Word magic

Some magic is cast by the use of powerful spell words; Words of Power. Many of the examples below contain much potency. Sometimes there is a need for an entire phrase or sentence to cast a spell. Often it is the full spell phrases are required to enchant objects after items are prepared (see spell books). Sometimes a wand or staff is needed, or the artifact related to the spell, but for some simply the word being spoken is enough to cast or break the enchantment. Poetry is often an important component to this kind of magic, and is a cousin to magic in its own right.

• Open Sesame!
• Hocus, Pocus, Aliocus!
• Abracadabra!
• Shazam!
• Etaoin Shrdlu
• Alakazam! Alakazoo! Alakazee!
• Higgledy, Piggledly, Pooh!
• Iä R'lyea! Cthulhu ftagn! Iä! Iä!
• Ali Zebu
• Razzle, dazzle, snap and snazzle, send a ball of light to frazzle.
• Hiss
• Lucy
• Hocus
• Whoosh
• FILL
• HOME
• You are a window through which I can see. You are a door through which I may walk. You are the way between the High and Low Kingdoms. Open, as Owen bade you.
• Open for a friend.
• What I once gave you, I now take back. What you once where, you are again.
• Zap!
• Poof

Runic Magic

Little is known about this type of magic (rune magic), but it is linked to the use of magic wands, and while it is based on 'alphabet/letters' it does not seem to be related to any specific 'words'. Perhaps there is a code system in place or a uttered sounds. Indeed it appears for this magic to work the wand must be gestured (actions) in the correct shape of a rune or several runes and in the right order (the runes required may change for whatever reason). Cedric's wand is associated with this type of magic. Some of these spells include:

• Sleep spell
• Break enchantment
• Improve Aim
• Strength

Artifact magic

Artifacts may have magic power, often combined with a spell word or enchantment.

• Ceramic Bowl (Fill)
• Amulet (HOME)
• Locket (Lucy)
• Magic Staff & Stone Door (Open Sesame!)
• Enchanted door (Ali Zebu)
• Magic Shoes (Whoosh)
• Ruby Slippers (There is no place like home!)
• Floating Castle Magic Mirrors (You are a window through which I can see. You are a door through which I may walk. You are the way between the High and Low Kingdoms. Open, as Owen bade you.)
• Golden pin
• Magic wallet
• Wands of Magic and magic staffs
• White snake
• Fairy dust (is likely a special case as it also ties into the faery magic another class of magic altogether).
• Jewel of Orkae
• Soul sphere

Iconomancy

Iconomancy is magic without words, relying on symbols and thought instead.

Action/gestures

Some forms of magic do not require words or wands, but simply require actions, and gestures. They do not require the caster to actually speak, but perhaps think. Manannan's Zap spell may be like this in some instances, but other times requires him to say mumbo-jumbos.

For the most part for this kind of magic to function the user must have hands, in which to gesture with.

Wish magic

This is perhaps one of the more powerful forms of magic be it related to djinn, faeries or an artifact, wish magic may require a verbal wish, or simply 'thought'. It is as powerful as the imagination of the caster. Though in some cases there are limitations (the djinn may only grant three wishes before the magic is used up).

See staff of power for one particularly power forms of this spell.

Musical magic

Musical magic is magic created through music. This maybe combined with word magic and poetry as well for highly effective spells. While not every example of music is necessarily a spell, music still often has innate magical properties on its own, sometimes entrancing the audience. It's hard to say how much magic was involved if any, but Graham, Alexander, and even Rosella are proficient musicians and found music has helped them past many obstacles. The practitioners of musical magic are often known as bards or minstrels. Musical talent gives minstrels innate magical power, with it the world provides for them, and they rarely go hungry. Even a bad minstrel might be helped out, if only to quiet them....

Faery Magic

Faery magic is a kind of 'wild magic'. It is a class of magic, that is natural or innate within the faery folk. Little is known about this kind of magic. Although there a number of examples of its use or various spells that fall within its domain. Including types of sleep spells, transformation spells, time altering spells, flying spells, protection spells, and wishes. In fact Fairy dust itself contains various magical properties from protection spells to allowing a person to fly.

Faeries are not the only races to have innate magical abilities or there own forms of magic, and there are other magical creatures including spirits, demons, dieties, djinn, gnomes, elves, and some of the other members of the 'little folk', however at least some of these maybe categorized under 'fae' in their own right...

Practioners of magic

Many of these types come in flavors of Good and Evil, and the shades of black and white. Some follow the Left-Hand and others the Right-Hand magic paths.

• Magic users
• Adepts
• Charmer
• Changeling
• Wizards
• Sorcerers
• Enchanters
• Witches
• Hags
• Mages
• Warlocks
• Alchemists
• Magicians
• Mystics
• Entomons
• Mages
• Seers
• Oracles
• Necromancers
• Mystics
• Shamans
• Terramancer
• Thaumaturgists
• Iconomancer

Behind the scenes

It is implied in the King's Quest Companion, and in the novels, that for one to be able to use 'spellwords', one must be born with the gift of magic. In some cases an object of power such as a magic wand, or staff is needed in addition to the spell word for the potential magic user to cast the spell. In some cases it may be possible in the case magic object with a spell word tied directly to it (such as the magic bowl), that magic of the object itself does all the work, even if a non-magic user activates the object through the use of the spell word. Thus the poor family would forever be able to use the bowl to gain stew, although themselves showing no magical prowess.

Alexander has shown great magical potential throughout the games, and spin off material, from his first time casting spells using a magic wand to escape Manannan, to his travels to train and learn more about the arts, and ultimately his advanced spell casting in the Green Isles.

His father Graham is less focused on the arts, but has shown that he is capable of using magic (with the use of a magic wand, or spell book), and the spells of Iconomancy, as well as a few magical artifacts; Magic Staff, Magic Bowl, and the Magic Amulet (though some of these may be special cases that do not require even a novice magician to be able to function). Though Graham's full abilities and limits are unknown.