Avaloria, a land filled with wonders, host incredibly and awe-inspiring species, from a furry little fella to behemoths that carry entire cities and nations over their back, to the highest peak of the mountain to the lowest point in the ocean, has everything that one can think about.
But there is something more, one thing that makes these wonders possible: Mana.
Mana is the essence of magic, coursing through every living being and filling the world around us. It's the energy that makes magic possible, letting one push the boundaries of nature and achieve what would otherwise be impossible.
To understand mana, let's compare it with engineering, more specifically material engineering.
Think of mana as a kind of energy that's both familiar and completely alien. It's like a cross between the electromagnetic energy we know and something more tangible, almost like a material you can shape with your hands. Here's how I break it down:
Mana is a bit of a shape-shifter. It can exist purely as energy, something you might feel as a warm glow around you, or it can take on a more physical form—something you can actually store or manipulate, much like how light can behave both as a particle and a wave.
Mana Particles, or "Manons":
At its core, mana is made up of tiny units I like to call "manons." These are the building blocks of mana, and they have this strange ability to interact with both the physical world and the magical forces around us. Imagine them as little bridges between the ordinary and the extraordinary.
Mana Resonance:
Every bit of mana has its own frequency, depending on where it comes from and who's using it. This is similar to how engineers tune materials to specific frequencies to get the properties they want. Mages do something similar when they attune their mana to a specific spell or rituals (more on this in the chapters)
Integrating Mana into Matter:
Just like we can store energy in batteries or change the properties of metals with heat, mana can be woven into physical materials to change their properties. This is how enchanted objects come to be. The mana bonds with the material at let's say atomic level, making it stronger, more flexible, or giving it an ability out of its league.
Mana Conductivity:
Some ingredients are naturally better at conducting mana, just like how copper is a great conductor of electricity. Mages and smiths, who use them to craft weapons and armor to amplify their magical abilities, prized these materials.
Mana and Entropy:
Mana doesn't quite follow the usual rules of energy. Sure, Mana gets used up a lot, but it also has a way of recharging under the right conditions—e.g., through meditation or by tapping into natural sources like mana stones, that traps the mana in them through a natural process. It's a renewable resource, but it needs to be managed wisely, as the time it takes for nature to renew is pretty cruel.
Mana Fields and Amplification:
Mana behaves a lot like a magnetic field when it's concentrated. You can amplify it with certain materials or spells, just like how we use coils and magnets to amplify magnetic fields. This principle is at the heart of creating magical wards or boosting spells with circles and runes.
Influence of the Environment:
Mana is highly reactive to its surroundings. Everything from natural elements like fire and water to celestial events and even emotions can influence it. One can study these interactions carefully to design tools and carve spells that make the most of mana's potential, much like how we design modern systems to work well in specific environments.
To sum it up, mana is this incredibly versatile force that can be harnessed and shaped by those who understand it. From a material engineering perspective, getting to grips with how mana works and interacts with the world around them is crucial. The key to unlocking new opportunities and making the impossible possible.
(I Hope this is more than enough to get a clear insight into what mana is, more on it will be covered later here or possibly in the chapter, there are a lot of things like Soul Energy, Aether, and Spiritual Essence etc. Let's not confuse everyone from the start.)