The Will

The Will is the human name for the energy source that powers all magic on Esaethys and the Palace. It is somewhat misleading, as the Will very rarely demonstrates any intellect of its own, instead of conforming to the desires of its users. The Will predates both Esaethys and the Palace by a fair, though presently, unknown margin, having been used by the Three Sages to create both worlds.

Controlled
While humans and dragons use the Will somewhat differently, in general, both methods are very similar, and can be lumped into the category of “Controlled Will”. There are two requirements for the use of Controlled Will: the genetic propensity for magic, and appropriate training.

Kinetic Will
Draconic magic is the magic of energy and motion. This kinetic Will manifests in response to the user’s emotions and somatic gestures. For example, a dragon may roar in a specific way in order to breathe a precise jet of fire. Generally speaking, kinetic Will cannot reshape or transmute matter, aside from crude motion and thermal manipulation.

All kobolds (and thus, all dragons) are born with some ability to touch the Will, though it can be very minor. Kobolds and dragons generally receive training from other members of their clan, specializing them in the unique techniques of their clan. These techniques can date back centuries and are often central to the clan’s identity. If a kobold is raised outside their clan, they may never develop their potential beyond a few sparks and a gasp of fire. Dragons, however, all have a basic mastery of magic; enough to breathe fire and fly.

Substantive Will
Human magic is the magic of transmutation and transformation of matter. The substantive Will manifests in response to careful mental control and a deep understanding of the target matter. For example, an alchemist may memorize the formula for nitrocellulose in order to transmute a large quantity of smokeless powder for sale.

Only around ten percent of humans have the necessary genes to use magic. Since there is no common tradition of human magic, human mages often discover their powers by accident. Should a human discover their power, they will be taken on by the Alchemists’ Order, and assessed for their potential to become an alchemist. Those who fail to meet the requirements are ejected from their college and forbidden to ever use magic, on pain of death. However, there are a few underground communities of human “witches” and “medicine men” who use the Will in minor, concealable ways. In addition, castaway mages are far more vulnerable to the corruption of the Onereidoi.

Natural
There are a few “natural” instances of the Will’s power on and around Esaethys. The vyxodons of the Whirling Gulf, for example, can gather a thick fog around themselves to protect from predators and encourage the growth of the fungi they feed on. This magic is poorly understood, and possibly outside of even the Sages’ control.

Onereidic/Corrupted
The Will is not a perfect energy source, however. In order to be usable as magic, it has a mental component that shapes the minuscule particles of reality into the order a user needs. However, this mental component also forms “memories” when it is used. Usually, this simply makes creating the same effect multiple times easier, but not always.

Onereidoi form when the Will is impressed with the memories and personality of a person killed using magic. This impression, over millennia of isolation and intermingling with everything else that magic users put into the Will, gradually loses stability even as it becomes more determined to reclaim a physical body. When the impression leaks into a magic user, it overrides their magic, allowing a physical Onereidoa to form.

History
The Will was the creation of the same species as the Sages, though they did not personally create it. Whatever means were used to generate and store this energy are long lost, though it seems that there is no way to destroy it, nor a limit to its supply. This very fact was the direct cause of the Unmaking when the Will was used in war. The result was the obliteration of most of the Sages’ home planet, along with the entire population aside from them.

After reconvening amid the ruins of their homeworld, the Sages used the Will to construct Esaethys and gave draconians the genes to control both kinetic and substantive Will. However, the onereidoi were already growing inside the very power they’d crafted, fed by the immense energy harnessed to construct Esaethys. When the first onereidoi emerged, they fed on the Sages before turning their attention to the mortal realms. Through a series of events, the First Onereidoa transferred the substantive Will to humans and used the power to split draconians into kobolds and dragons. With the Sages’ control all but broken, it then trained the first human alchemists, founding the Alchemists’ Order.