Editing Setting:Tabula Gloria (section)

==The Pure Existences==
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There has been something that has been baffling me for quite a while now. The myriad of religions in this world are somewhat concurrent with each other, despite the different cultures they came from. At first, I passed this off as a possibility of cultural mixing over a period of time. However I have recently come across an ancient text dated before even the founding of Benalor which describes the world as part of a larger, self contained world. It took me some time to translate it, as the language was something before anything produced by the Old Empires, from a people we know as the '''Temratu'''.
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We already know that the Temratu were the first to accurately figure out how time flows in our world by their model of the twenty-six hour day, as well as the fine tuning of the seasonal calendar. They managed to figure that out with primitive tools at the time, but what I didn't know until now was the extent of the research they did at their legendary observatory in present-day Vashial. In this text, the ''Study on the Nature of the Cycle,'' its author made a rather interesting theory about the world's place on a larger scale.
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[[Image:Tabula Gloria Loop Cosmology.jpg|200px|left]]Cup your hands and hold them apart from each other. Think of these hands as two forms of existence, the physical and the ethereal. Both of these existences are boundless and, for the most part, dead without the other. Now put them together. Where your fingers meet and thumbs meet are two junctions of a loop originating from these two opposite existences. One of these junctions is our world, the greatly physical world with the inalienable influence of '''Mana''', the source of all things magical. Following this logic, the world of the other junction must be an abstract world made of Mana, but with physical constraints upon it. But at these junctions, the opposite forces feed on each other, bringing forth life and activity.
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This idea correlates well with much of the god-like beings that we have here. Beings like the '''Sky Devourer''' are summoned from an alternate plane of existence. The '''Lord of the Tempest''' rages against the people of the world for seemingly no good reason. Then there the stories of the fell creatures of the '''Depths Below''' which feed more on fear than physical meat as the '''Wight''' of the '''Heavens Above''' foretold a terrible fate upon Benalor. For purposes of this argument, we will call our world the '''World Itself.''' Both the Heavens and the Depths are the parts of the loop closest and most observable to us from the World Itself. The further out we go in the Heavens and the deeper in the Depths we go, the stranger the mechanics of gravity and physics, so it would make sense that things are being distilled into these pure forms of existence the further away from the World Itself one goes.
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The theory can explain how Mana seems to never be in short supply for all the magic that is cast in the world, as well as how some people can overcome their own barriers to perform great physical feats of strength and agility. The Mana likely comes from the Pure Ethereal existence into our world as '''Will''' - the source of tremendous physical feats - may come from the pure physical existence on the other side.
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Given how the theory is stated, it wouldn't be any surprise that there is also another world on the other end of the circle, quite possibly a world of gods and their ilk, beings of immense magical power who are somehow constrained by simple physical barriers in which the beings of the World Itself - beings such as ourselves - could manage with little effort. Perhaps this would explain how, as people, we find it difficult to cast as the complexity and Mana required increases, but we can summon god-like beings here with relatively little effort, as in the case of the dreaded Obsidian Leviathan, which is summoned when such an act is botched. Also, if you ask a mage to describe how the process of summoning is done, the usual response begins with the mage having a "talk" with the creature in which is supposed to be summoned. So how can a channel of communication, much less a channel of travel, exist between two worlds separated by barriers which are more or less impenetrable by the denizens of said worlds?
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If you kept your hands cupped, you can see that there is a space inside the circle. The author couldn't quite describe what could lie in that space - perhaps nothing at all - but the idea is that creatures from both worlds can travel back and forth through this space to bypass the pure existences on either side of the circle. This is the basic principle of summoning according to the author, facilitated by the concentration of Mana which serves both an amplifier for the summoner's thoughts through the '''Empty Space''', as well as a beacon to the god-like creature on the '''Other World'''. Perhaps the principle can also work in reverse, with the god-like being collecting some of the physical components in the Other World, creating a concrete image in a person's mind in which he or she can see and communicate with.
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Though these ideas could make sense, more research needs to be done. While my associates will continue poring through the Library in search for more on the subject, I will tackle this theory directly. I know of a summoner who can teach me the ropes. Perhaps I can experience this communication myself and get more information from the beings on the Other World. They might know more than even the Temratu did about our place in the greater scheme of things.
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<tt>Memo from Worley Barlan, Master Researcher at the Imperial Library</tt>

===The Manifestation of Thought and Instinct===
It can be said that the Pure Ethereal is the embodiment of sentience. The processes of thought and conceptualization reside in the lofty expanses of this Existence, brought to the World Itself by a mind capable of making it its own. The direct link to these processes lie in a resource known as Mana. As such, it is no surprise that Mana tends to coalesce in areas in which there are large numbers of capable minds to pull it forth from the Ethereal. As such, some of the most famous thinkers throughout history have dubbed Mana as "the foremost gift of civilization unto the world." Be said civilization For'Channar, the Nation of Animar to the east, the Old Empires, or even the tribal peoples of the wilds, it is no surprise that Mana is to be abundant there.

Whereas the Pure Ethereal is the source of Mana, it can equally be said that the Pure Physical is the realm in which things become noticeable. Instinct, action, and focus course through the splendor of this Existence. These qualities manifest themselves in creatures subconsciously through Will. Unlike Mana which is the domain of sentient beings, almost any creature can use Will to perform great physical feats otherwise considered unlikely or downright impossible. As it is a subconscious process however, it comes in sparks, mostly whenever times are dire and the odds are stacked against something. But the truly strong and creative can sometimes create circumstances in which they take tremendous risk and gain great reward through a surge of Will from the Pure Physical.

===The Catalyst Within===
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I was pondering the meaning of the Temratu's findings on our world - the World Itself - and its place in a larger system of realms and worlds. According to them, we are somehow connected to two realms of Pure Existence, that of the Ethereal and of the Physical. Beyond there, the Pure Existences connect to another world - the "Other Worlds - in which godlike beings reside. The theory explains that Mana trickles in from the Pure Ethereal and Will comes from the Pure Physical. But while the mages of this world are able to quantify Mana, even detail areas which are rich and poor in it, there is really no way to quantify this Will the Temratu speak of. Sure, there have been figures throughout history who have shown great courage and fortitude despite lacking the gift of magic, but such qualities only arise in certain individuals, instead of spread over a large area to be tapped into.
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I am being led to believe that the World Itself can draw forth Mana from the Pure Ethereal, but it is the domain of living creatures in which Will is derived from the Pure Physical. But even then, that is not true - throughout the whole of history there have been similarly significant figures and creatures which harbor incredible magical ability, despite how Mana-thin or Mana-rich the area in which they were located. So perhaps the truth behind both Mana and Will are actually connected. This further leads me to believe that in most living creatures lies a catalyst, or perhaps a magnet of sorts, which harvests both Mana and Will from their respective Existences.
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For simplicity's sake, I will call this catalyst '''Spirit'''.
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Though the Temratu theory by itself can certainly explain the heroes of history, about how they stand above the rest, but what about the common man, the innocuous beast? Certainly, some of them have magical ability of varying degrees. Surely, they have the ability to persist in the face of varying difficulties. The entirety of Vashial may have been taught the gift of magic, but surely there were those who were unable to make the cut. Not all of the men of Weylos could be considered as heroic figures of martial excellence. And certainly, the Shapers and machinists of Benalor seemed to have found a balance between the magical and the physical.
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So, how does the spirit work? That much I do not know yet. I have been trying to acquire funding and a blessing from the Emperor as to how to handle this. I would like to enlist populations from both the Empire and from Animar (perhaps some from the Eltyain if they are willing). They would then be evaluated in their current magical and physical skills by the College of Magical Arts and the Knightly Orders, respectively. From there, they would be sorted by their worst attributes, as their advantages would be highlighted and, were we to go by this theory, the affinity of their Spirit would be discovered - Mana or Will. From there, I would send them to the College if they are lacking in magical skill, and to the Orders if they are lacking in martial skill. If they indeed harbor spirit, then they should be able to change the affinity of it, for the more notable creatures and people were able to adapt and overcome their challenges, building their Spirit through growth and experience, according to the various folk lore throughout the ages.
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If they are able to do this, it would prove the commonality and mutability of the Spirit, though I would have to devise another means of actually quantifying it. But at least the existence of it would be a bit clearer.
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<tt>Memo from Worley Barlan, Master Researcher at the Imperial Library</tt>

It can be said that Spirit is the sum of one's growth and experience, of one's ability to adapt to changing situations and overcome challenges. It influences one's ability to harness both Mana and Will, acting as a transformer to make those energies into something more tangible, be it a magical spell or a physical feat. Throughout one's lifetime, he may devote himself to learning how to tackle challenges through magical methods, physical approaches, or a combination of the two. As such, it can also be said that Spirit is the sum of one's magical and physical ability.