******************************************************************** Magic in Utheveger society ******************************************************************** In our own universe, we tend to define magic as non-existent. - If a thing occurs that science has no explanation for, sometimes a few people call it "magic" at first. - But as science figures it out, it just becomes part of the scientifically described world. -The word "magic" is reserved for things that cannot logically happen. - If logic provides an explanation for how it may happen... or if it's even just really clear that it does happen... then it's not considered magic. But, let's imagine there are uncountable numbers of parallel universes. - They're different from each other in uncountable ways... including the very laws of nature and how they work. - If that's the case, then there must be lots of universes where things occur that would be impossible in our universe. - Whether we'd consider those things "magic" may be kind of fuzzy when we look at them on a case-by-case basis. - Of course the people in the universe itself may not consider them magic at all. They're just life as usual. - People in those universes might not even have a specific word for what we'd call magic. (Why would they? After all, we don't have a word for "stuff that's possible in our universe that happens not to be possible in one specific other universe that we've never gone to.") ******************************************************************** So, how would we define and analyze a magical universe? - When it comes to the Utheveger universe, Melmel-Melmel, and other adjacent universes that Uthevegers explore, it can help to use the analogy of computer programming. - If we think of magic the way it's portrayed in all the folklore of our collective imagination... then computers are the closest thing to magic that most of us have experienced. - A computer can be like a world in itself. With enough resources, a computer could simulate just about any world we can imagine. - And in a computer, if we can find a way to access the command line, to write and run programs... then we can use what are basically magic words and incantations, to affect how that whole world works. The Uthevegers are from one particular universe: Melmel-melmel. - It is governed by a sort of universal operating system, accessible to a sort of programming if you know the right tricks. - No one knows why this operating system exists, any more than we know why our universe has its own particular laws of nature. - It could even be random. Given enough universes randomly coming into existence, pretty much any setup could happen to occur by chance in a few of them. Our story is about a cluster of universes that have similar operating systems. - Not identical. In fact, very different in a lot of ways. - They range from universes almost exactly like ours, to universes where altering reality with your mind is so easy that no one even invented tools or clothes. - The only thing that unites them is that they are all able to connect to one another by a certain type of inter-universal portal. The kind of portal that Uthevegers can make. - We'll start where the Uthevegers started, in the universe called Melmel-Melmel. ******************************************************************** Magic in Melmel-Melmel ******************************************************************** The way magic works is different between universes. - In some universes it's managed by a force that appears to have intelligence and morals, like the Glimmer in Ezzie's universe. - But the Glimmer and other such forces don't seem to have any control in Melmel-Melmel and the adjacent cluster of universes where Uthevegers are most powerful. - If they do, it really doesn't show. - Those universes are of a type that's just governed by.... a sort of system, which can interact and respond to people, but shows no sign of having goals or motivations of its own. - In those universes, a mage can begin to interact with this system by entering a state that the Uthevegers call "changeway." ******************************************************************** Changeway ******************************************************************** This is done differently in every universe. - The actions that trigger it can seem kind of random, like the conditions for triggering a glitch in a computer program. - It can involve performing certain movements, or going to a particular place, or finding certain physical substances and mixing them, or some combination of actions like those. - There are usually multiple ways to do it in each universe. - The state of changeway can have a longer or shorter duration, and affect a larger or smaller area, depending on how it is created. - But you know when it worked, because, in your immediate vicinity, a phenomenon called "Showing All" will begin. Showing All: - This consists of a series of brief, easily noticeable changes in what you can perceive around you. - The Uthevegers just call them "Signs." - They are believed to represent all the basic, primary concepts that form the building blocks of changeable reality in that universe. - It often starts with changes in the ambient light and temperature, and can go on to include changes in the appearance, texture, size, shape, and position of objects... including the ground, sky, rocks, water, air, plants, and even the bodies of people who are present. - Each Sign lasts only a few seconds, and usually is not harmful. (In universes where it's harmful, magic never progresses very far.) - Uthevegers interpret the Signs based on what type of change they involve, and what objects are involved in it. - The interpretations usually include simple concepts like "motion," "light," "size," "cause," "time," "begin," "distance" and so on. - In Melmel-Melmel, the Signs are the inspiration for the 90 syllables of the Uthish language, from which all words are built. - They don't correspond exactly, since usage has changed the language a lot since it was created by ancient mages. - But there's still a lot of overlap, and this is why Uthish can be such an effective language for magic. - Depending on the universe, there can be anywhere from twenty Signs to hundreds of them. - When all of them have been shown, the sequence will start over again in the same order, and this will continue indefinitely or until the state of changeway ends. Answers: - During changeway, the universe also becomes responsive to the mage's actions. - It is able to perceive when you make a deliberate response to a Sign, for example by speaking a word or making a hand gesture when a Sign appears. - Uthevegers call these words and motions "Answers," and they can be whatever you choose. Listening: - Once you have made an Answer to every Sign in the whole sequence, the changeway will enter another phase, which the Uthevegers call "Listening." - This usually buys you more time, extending the state of changeway for a few more hours at least. - In this phase, the system remembers which Answer you gave to each Sign. - And if you make those gestures or sounds again, it will respond by repeating the corresponding Sign back to you. - It can also tell when you deliberately give two or more Answers together-- either at the same time, or quickly one-after-another. - And it will combine the responding Signs in whichever way comes most naturally to that universe. - The Listening phase is like an exploratory sandbox where you can try out different combinations to see what happens. - You'll find out what the universe does if you say "light-increase-size" or "air-motion-speed." - This is when it really starts to feel like casting spells. - But, at this point, you can still only do this magic while you're in the listening phase of changeway. - And when changeway ends, you have to start it up again, and give all your Answers to the Signs all over again, before you can get back into Listening mode. - So you have to keep experimenting with different combinations... until you find the one that tells the universe to keep listening after you've left. Magic outside changeway: - Once you've done this, you'll be able to make up an incantation to open changeway into the Listening phase, on command, any time anywhere, automatically responsive to the language you've created. - You'll also find ways to encode a series of commands into a single word or gesture, or even encode a series of commands into a physical object... and look, now you've made your first enchanted amulet. - The general rule is that you can only invent spells and enchant objects while in changeway, but you can make it so those spells or objects can be used any time. Even by other people who don't know how they were made. - If that's how you want it. You can also make it so that you're the only one who can use them, or limit the use to certain people. - It may take a while to figure out how to encode a set of instructions like that. The way it's done may be complex and counterintuitive. But in most universes, there's a way to do most things you'd want to do. ******************************************************************** Energy ******************************************************************** Every magic spell you cast uses energy. - Ordinary physical energy, the same kind you replenish by eating food and burn up by doing exercise. - The amount of energy it takes will depend on the spell and the universe. - It also depends on the individual person. Some people seem to have an innate strength that allows them to do more magic with less energy. But as a general rule: - A spell takes more energy than the gestures, and less than the effect. For example: - Imagine you've got a spell where you point at a tree and yell "Timber," and that makes the tree fall down. - Casting that spell can tire you out, a lot more than just the act of pointing and yelling "Timber". - But a lot less than cutting down a tree by hand. Why? - It is unknown how or why the universe provides the extra energy, or why it takes the amount that it takes from you. - But the benefits are obvious, and many mages have devoted a lot of time to making the most of it, inventing spells that do a maximum of work with a minimum of effort. ******************************************************************** The Uthevegers got very good at this. - To the point that they eventually figured out how to make space portals. - Both within the universe, and from one universe to another. If a portal opens to another universe: - That doesn't mean magic works the same there. - Sometimes it does. Sometimes the new universe automatically learns some of what you've taught the old one, absorbing it through the portal, and your spells still work just the same. - But other times you have to start from scratch. - Lots of early Utheveger explorers were lost forever, traveling into universes where they couldn't find a way back. - Others got back, but only after years of exploring, finding out how to open changeway in the new universe and recreate all their spells. But by the time our story starts: - Every Utheveger has a personal directory of all the universes they can travel to, in the form of a magic tattoo. - When four symbols on the tattoo are selected by touch, a small portal will appear in front of the Utheveger, who can see through it to the destination. - Selecting different symbols will cause the view to change. - When the Utheveger has settled on a destination, another mark on the tattoo can be touched, which causes the portal to open large enough to walk through. There are ninety symbols to choose from. - So there are over 65 million possible arrangements of four (using a formula for permutation with replacement, since the order makes a difference and the symbols can be repeated). - Over millions of years in Utheveger history, most of those universes have already been explored by Utheveger pioneers. - Wherever they could, they figured out how changeway works there and adapted it to accept their magic. - So, if you're an Utheveger traveling between universes in modern times, your magic will work a bit differently in different universes, but it will usually work. - With the exception of the Poala line, Uthevegers have safeguards on their power so they can't open portals to anyplace that would automatically kill them or trap them permanently. ******************************************************************** Uthevegers in Melmel-Melmel ******************************************************************** In some ways their universe is a lot like our universe. - It has galaxies, suns, solar systems and planets. Some of those planets are quite a lot like our own. - Some of the same life forms exist. There's probably a version of Earth somewhere in there. But, in the time and place where our story begins, people are not really sure about this. - Uthevegers are a very old society, dating back many millions of years. They've been traveling for most of that time. - They're very sure that Melmel-melmel is their home universe, but even they admit that they don't know what planet they started out on. - It's possible that in Melmel-melmel their home planet doesn't even exist anymore. - They have traveled to many universes that have a version of Earth, identifiable by its physical structure, location, and native life forms. Many of those life forms-- including humans-- are also native to Melmel-Melmel. - Or at least have equivalents in Melmel-Melmel that are VERY similar. - But in Melmel-Melmel, none of them have a known planet of origin. - They've ALL been traveling from planet to planet so long that no one (in the setting where our story begins) is sure where they originally came from. - Mostly they've been transported by Uthevegers. Who are definitely a type of humans... just more powerful than most. ********************************************************************