The first step to affinity magic is drawing energy from the deities’ power pools…but what happens next? Throughout training, whether that be in the Mage’s Academy or independently, developing Mages learn to give form to magic using a combination of their mind, physical techniques, and external mechanisms.

The Foundation: Focus, Intent, and Channeling

Every act of magic begins with three core principles:

• Intent: The purpose behind the spell. This provides direction and “meaning” to the raw magical energy. A vague intent will result in a vague effect.
• Focus: A high level of focus is required to pinpoint and maintain intent. Distraction can cause spells to fizzle away or go wrong. While this principle may sound easy, it is difficult in practice, especially when spells are more complex and involve multiple intents.
• Channeling: The physical and mental act of a Mage drawing energy from the deity’s power pool and directing it through their personal channel (plus, optionally, a conduit such as a Staff) and into the world.
  
  

Directing Intent

There are several ways to direct the intent of a spell. For simple spells, mental willpower is suficient. However, more complex spells require several techniques to truly achieve the correct intent.

• Incantation: The art of incantation is the most widely recognized and fundamental method of giving form to magic. The words used in incantation are of an ancient, pre-Lightkeeper language, taught to the first four Archmages by the Deities and passed down through generations. Today, the Mage’s Academy strives to gain more understanding of this language, hoping to uncover more words and expand incantation vocabulary.
• Somatic: Somatic components such as gestures, body postures, and even dances are often used in combination with incantation. These movements act as physical directors for magical energy, guiding its trajectory and literally “molding” it.
  
  

Magical Tools

A variety of tools can be used for the third component of magic: channeling. The most common of these is the Mage’s Staff and alchemical ingredients, both of which are explained in other chapters (Staves: Conduits of Power, Lesser Arts). Although all magic is possible solely using the Mage’s personal channel (and either way, all energy must go through the personal channel first), tools help spells to gain more strength, longevity, and efficiency.

• Runes: Drawn or carved runes can act as temporary anchors for channeling. Mages use them to imbue a surface with a spell, so that it takes effect over a long period of time, even when they are not there. Similar to the words of incantation, the runes used by Mages are of an ancient, pre-Lightkeeper language, taught from generation to generation. Mages do not understand them; they simply memorize them. Runes can be erased by other Mages, but the difficulty of doing so depends on the strength of the initial Mage.
• Orbs: Orbs are similar to Mage’s Staves in functionality, but much weaker. They are most commonly used to store separate streams of intent, and cannot do so for very long. They can also be used to store whole spells, which take effect once the orb is broken. 
  
  

Overexertion and backlash

While the deities’ power pools are infinite, a Mage’s personal channel is not. All magic requires the Mage to first draw energy from the deities’ power pools. This energy is first channeled through their own body before being cast into the world or through another channeling tool. Channeling too much energy through one’s body can lead to overexertion, manifesting as physical weakness. When a Mage is experiencing overexertion, they are more prone to getting sick.

Additionally, trying to force magic while overexerted can result in backlash, where the magical energy becomes uncontrollable and rebounds on the caster. It is possible to train the endurance of one’s personal channel, but ultimately, all Faians have a limit.