Dark Weave
Through the years, conducting various experiments and observations, I have come to the discovery, or creation if you will, of a more sinister method of spellcasting and magical development. Thus I have named it the Dark Weave.
Background
Weave and Shadow Weave
Most current magi of the world are associated with and use magic through what is known as the Weave. The Weave is the very fabric and makeup of all things magical, though still resides in things that are not. It is a part of reality as much as the ground and the oceans, and much like them, was created by the known and unknown gods. Highly dense areas of weave often result in magical creatures or other entities being more common, and this can be observed in even mundane creatures, which seem to soak up some of the magical essence that manifests in different physical characteristics. That is not to say that the Weave is the only means of magical access, as things such as the Shadow Weave are also underlying in the world, but are hidden and taboo. Practice of magic through the Shadow Weave has a plethora of its own benefits and consequences, but many see it as a form of magic that is evil, due to its nature and disconnect. The Weave and Shadow Weave are also highly incompatible, so it seems that one can not be a practitioner of both, but that is more speculation than fact; I am sure that there is a way to have them both active in the same entity.
Wild Magic Regions
Wild magic regions are areas of the world where the Weave has by some means become damaged. This means that magic used in that area is unstable, usually resulting in completely unusual effects taking place; spells go awry, magical creatures behave strangely, or completely new ecosystems develop. It is possible for such regions to heal over time, where magic becomes stable once again, but such processes usually take many years without any external influence. It is far more likely to find wild magic regions in the normal Weave than it is the Shadow Weave, as there are far more users of Weave than Shadow Weave. More accidents tend to happen within the Weave by default. This is not to say that it is easy to find or create wild magic regions, as it requires such a high density of magical use to disrupt the Weave that only the most powerful Arch Magi and minor deities could manage to disturb it.
Temporary Weave Disturbances
There are a variety of ways to somewhat alter or temporarily disrupt the Weave, though these are usually limited by time and area. Such things include Dispel Magic and Anti-Magic Field. These do not remove the Weave from the world, but temporarily alter or bend it in order for certain effects to stop happening, and as such are entirely different from actually causing damage or permanent distortion to the Weave.
It can be noted that such effects created by either Weave or Shadow Weave cannot work on their opposite fundamentals; Shadow Weave Dispel Magic will not work to dispel Weave magic.
Dead Magic Regions
Dead magic regions are extremely rare and problematic cases, where most if not all magic ceases to exist and function. These areas are usually only created by major Planar disasters, such as a fight between higher power deities or entirely perverse rituals with many High Magi. Magical creatures tend to stay away from such areas, due to the vulnerabilities they face there, and all but Legendary or above magical items will cease to function. The Weave, and most of the time Shadow Weave included, is completely destroyed in these areas, making magical exploits nearly impossible by normal means. Environments tend to be quite arid and desolate, the things that do survive being hardy and dangerous. As with dense magic regions, should a thriving environment be present, the entities exposed to dead magic regions for long periods of time will adopt some of its properties. This often leads to many of the materials and creatures in such areas having natural magic resistance, making these areas even more hostile to the magically inclined. Knowledge of these occurrences leads me to believe that in a way, these areas are valuable, due to what creations could be made within them.
Areas of Research
Weave and Dead Magic
The basis of my discovery was through the study of the relationship between the Weave and dead magic regions. Having little access to dead magic regions themselves, resorting to to the study of temporary occurrences, such as those from dispel magic, was needed. Dead magic regions were places that were separated from the Weave and/or Shadow Weave, but that is not to say that other types of magic could still linger there. If all life and ground contained magic, then how could something completely devoid of it come into existence? And even then, dead magic regions did not seem to destroy Weave entirely, hence a magical sword regaining its magical properties after being exposed to a dead magic region.
Testing Existing Material
A material or entity, in most cases, is by default magically neutral; This is what allows materials to be enchanted with various magics, as they do not have an existing preference of magical energy. A material with natural magic resistance therefor would be harder to enchant, whereas materials that naturally 'soak' in magic would be easier to enchant. Once enchanted, the material is infused with a certain amount of Weave, or in the very least given the ability to manipulate it. The less Weave that is held within an item, or that an item is able to influence, determines its magical capacity. This is commonly referred to as rarity, with higher magic items becoming more and more rare.
That being said, higher rarity items show more natural resistance to having their magic dispelled, with the most rare Relics being reservoirs of magical potential. It is my first hypothesis that all objects contain magic within themselves even before enchantment, even if that magic is neutral. This is why a blood mage is able to manifest spells from his or her body.
Hypothesis Testing
Neutral Magic
Neutral magic, or raw magic, as its name suggests, is a magic without any advanced properties or developments. It is through the use and distribution of raw magic that one is able to sculpt spells, though they are not using the raw magic directly, as for even seasoned spellcasters this could prove to be dangerous. Raw magic contains tremendous power, and attempting to use it in this raw state, in nothing but small quantities, will erode away at the spell catalyst; being the caster in most cases. Raw magic as you might assume is not generally found within dead magic regions, but what if it could be? If all objects contain magic, then it should be possible to generate some raw magic from the object itself.
Note: The reason Detect Magic does not seem to work on mundane items is perhaps due to them not having a magic type. If it worked on all magic, casters would surely be blinded by the magic in the air around themselves.
Magic Siphoning
Under the assumption of my first hypothesis, that all objects contain an amount of magic, there was now the need to have a mechanism to test this theory. By re-writing the basis of a spell not to draw magic from the Weave, but from the entity or object that the spell is being cast though. Should this theory have backfired, I first resorted to my knowledge of Runes in order to create a Rune that had these properties, for safe testing on mundane objects. My first attempts of course failed, as one might expect from creating new magics, as the process is a long and experimental one. After a time, I was indeed able to produce a crude Rune that could cast a basic spell, with no external input. I was not able to keep the Rune intact however, as the wooden tablet I had inscribed it on developed small crack, splitting the item in half. This obviously called for some improvements, but it proved the theory.
Spellcasting
Due to the success of the previous magic siphoning trials, it was now time to try it on my person. To start off small, I changed the basic properties of a Firebolt spell upon casting, as I had done with the Rune. It worked, though I was left with a sharp pain in my hand, where my flesh seemed to have undergone the same rapid damage as the wooden tablet. The damage was easily remedied, with my bodies natural healing fixing itself over some rest. The next day, I tried my luck with a level one spell; this seemed to be a bit more physically taxing, but worked successfully. I tried a level two right after, which seemed to be a good margin more taxing; The necrosis had just about spread up my forearm, and though it was still functional, it was painful. Concentrating at the same time as using this method of casting may prove to be a bit difficult.
The results
The spellcasting I have created I have named the Dark Weave, as though it may be useful in certain situations, I'm sure many different parties would not condone such methods of self harm. Additionally, due to the perversion of material into magic, the Weave generated by this siphoning is a sinister kind; As such, Magics created in this manner do not seem to function when they are within the Divination school, and suffer a penalty within the Transmutation and Abjuration Schools.
| Spell Level | Necrotic Damage | Penalty Damage |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 1 | 6 | 2 |
| 2 | 12 | 2 |
| 3 | 18 | 3 |
| 4 | 24 | 3 |
| 5 | 36 | 4 |
| 6 | 48 | 4 |
| 7 | 54 | 5 |
| 8 | 60 | 6 |
| 9 | 78 | 7 |
It would be most interesting to see if dead magic regions could be restored by this breakdown of material. As it generates new 'Weave', one would only need to release the spell's base energies before it was cast, in order to distribute the new Dark Weave into the environment. It would also be interesting to find out how an amassed amount of Dark Weave would effect the world in general, and whether or not it could serve as a substitute for normal casters, in place of the Weave.