The Science of Magic: an ongoing collaborative study

[Daoud al-Maaz]

The Science of Magic

by Daoud al-Maaz et al.

It is widely thought that arcane energy, 'magic,' is something of its own world, only touching our own when wrought by learned hands. It is commonly believed that spellcraft is an esoteric system of impossible feats rendered possible only by those so brilliant, so wise, so powerful, and so dedicated to the practice that the common mind cannot comprehend or wield it. This belief is certainly not dispelled by those in ornate gold-fringed robes, carrying staves of power and advising rulers from a place of seemingly unfathomable knowledge. In my studies, I hope to dispel this as myth, bringing arcane energy into everyday practice and application in the hands of all.

We begin by broadly discussing energy as we know it to function in the mundane world. As most scholars will define it, energy is the ability to do work. It is observably quantitative and transferable, but unable to be created or destroyed. It is a constant. It is everything.

Most would commonly think of energy in terms of heat, from a simple candle casting light, a campfire cooking a stew, or the explosion of powders. These appear to be forms which destroy energy in the process, the reaction consuming its fuel source and then vanishing. In truth, thermal energy merely moves from one place to another in various levels of focus. The candle's heat moves to the air in a room via work, raising the temperature of that air exactly proportional to the thermal energy being conducted by the flame.

Less recognized, but far more often utilized, is kinetic energy. This is harnessed through the rotation of mechanism, flow of rivers, windblown sails, or simply swinging an arm. It, too, follows the same process of transfer. The energy in a kinetic system, no matter how small or large, does not create or destroy the energy as work is performed. Hitting a rock with a stick transfers some of the kinetic energy in the stick into the rock, propelling it forward. The back-swing of the stick, ready to strike, is an example of potential kinetic energy. It is a force awaiting application to its system.

Chemical energy is displayed in the simple food breaking down in our stomachs for fuel each day. We transfer the energy stored in a meal into energy to move. Fire is a form of chemical energy that is released by breaking down matter, converting it to thermal energy in the process.

We could spend a great deal of time simply listing all the forms of energy which exist in our known world, but I would instead like to bring attention to what is most evident when observing energy being used: waste.

When you light a candle to aid in reading at night, your sole intention is to produce light. In burning the candle, you are also generating heat, consuming matter as fuel, and even creating a mechanical energy through the subtle sound of the flame. All of this extra waste energy generation and additional consumption on a local scale ripples outward, touching and altering all other energy in the cosmos,yet all you wished for was mere light to read.

Arcane energy, I theorize, follows all the same rules of energy we observe in the mundane world, but is capable of such exponentially high outputs combined with such hyper-fixated application of that energy, that it appears to do something we would not normally believe possible. A basic cantrip to produce light does not seem to generate heat, consume matter or even produce sound. It would appear to create radiating light energy out of nothing, but this cannot be. There must always be a transfer.

I theorize that this transfer takes place within and through a constant, detectable field of existing arcane energy diffused throughout reality, which becomes its own fuel and receives the vast majority of its own 'waste' byproduct, reducing the effect of the work in its system to do only what is intended by the caster of its spell. The light of a spell still radiates outward into the world, acting kinetically to illuminate all it touches. The heat of a fireball, conjured seemingly from nothing, still burns our world and continues the exact same measurable transfer of energy we observe in a campfire or a candle.

Arcane energy is naturally entropic. It expands outward, suffusing across known realities, crashing into them and sparking a nearly infinite cascade of minute reactions which the naked eye cannot observe. In this state, the energy is sparse enough, and its sequence of applications so disorderly, that it does not regularly create disasters or otherwise threaten reality. There is a non-zero probability that the natural arcane energy could gather and arrange in such a way that a 'miracle,' disaster, or warped reality defying simple explanation takes place, though the high entropy of magic keeps the likelihood of such a thing from ever being a true danger.

Spellcraft is simply a method of temporarily harnessing this energy into a low-entropy state, and using it to perform a unfathomably complex series of calculations and manipulations of properties of our reality. Through arcane energy, these otherwise natural scientific changes happen with such ferocity, speed, and inexplicable connection to everyday events that it would appear to be something beyond the realm of possibility.

In researching this energy, I have managed to use the same scrolls, wands and other such 'magical' items without much difficulty at all, even absent formal education in wizardry. I similarly have no natural or intuitive understanding as a sorcerer might. I have not employed the practice of spellcraft or ritual. Magic is Energy. Just as we mundane engineers use kinetic, chemical, or thermal fuels to reach our planned result, so too can arcane energy be harnessed for the masses.

My first proof-of-concept prototype is the Magic Disruptor device. Portable, user-friendly and not terribly expensive to produce a few each day, the palm-sized device generates an Endo-Magic Pulse, detecting and pulling the low-entropy magic in a small area into its core, and then dissipating it harmlessly back outward in its naturally high-entropy state. This effect can remove 'spells' in its vicinity, as they only function when in an organized, low-entropy state.

Figure 1 – Magic Disruptor

I endeavor to find the true source of harnessed 'magic,' the exact scientific process taking place during the casting or activation of a spell effect, and the interaction of arcane energy within the natural world, all though provable mathematical equations and experimentation.

I invite scholars of science and mathematics, practitioners of the arcane and divine, and those gifted or intuitive to resolving unknowns, to speak with me or write to me with your thoughts, theories and experiments. This shall be an ongoing collaborative work, one which openly encourages the contribution, testing and insights of all other who might share the curiosity I do about a subject which remains a mystery, but need not be mysterious.

There shall be no secrets here.

[Daoud al-Maaz]

Magnets and Magicks

Magnetite, that curious mineral commonly known as 'lodestone,' gives us a unique insight into a force we cannot perceive through eyes alone. Magnetic fields exist in all matter, though the power of such is so small in most matter that it goes undetected. It is only when an object such as a lodestone is uncovered and applied to the world around it that we begin to recognize what has been there the whole time.

As magnetism can be granted to other materials through sufficient contact with lodestones, it seems most probable that there is potential magnetic energy within all matter, much as there is potential kinetic energy. Magnetic polarity displays an alignment of these fields, North and South, such that a general understanding of a weak magnetic force in a portion of matter could be considered "unaligned," while lodestones and similarly powerful magnetic objects are "aligned."

If an object is unaligned, the magnetic potential within it is disorderly, tugging the matter in multiple directions in such a way that it presents as non-magnetic entirely. A lodestone, conversely, is completely magnetically aligned, with the majority or entirety of its matter all arranged in an orderly fashion to emit a strong magnetic force.

This force can be visualized through the use of magnetically reactive materials. Iron shavings scattered across paper, then placed atop a bar magnet, clearly displays the magnetic field with the poles visible at the North and South of the magnet. I would like to highlight the area between the two poles, where the magnetic force is at its weakest despite the object itself being entirely magnetic.

Figure 1 - Magnetic Polarity (bar)

This can be visualized as well with ring magnets, having their own polarity. Depending on the process by which the magnet is fashioned, the entire outer periphery of the ring could be South polarity while the inner could be North. It is just as possible for the ring magnet to have polarity on its top and bottom rather than the inner and outer faces.

Figure 2 - Magnetic Polarity (ring and disc)

Temperature appears to have a significant impact on magnetic forces, with heat  weakening a magnetic force while cold strengthens it. This interesting property of magnetism results in varying levels of magnetic force in matter as it undergoes fluctuations due to weather, proximity to heat sources, and even the minute ambient thermal energy output of a person nearby.

With all of these variables and conflicting or supporting magnetic forces battling to decide polar alignment in all matter, why does a compass function? It is because, absent any closer magnetic force, the compass is reacting to the largest magnetic force detectable to it- our Disc. The grouping of the Disc's matter in totality has a polarity which is measurable but remains not felt by us in regular daily life.

Figure 3 - Universal Magnetic Force

Magic, I suspect, shares similar and possibly diametric field properties.

Consider the materials used in magical artifice. Gold, glass, silver, brass, bronze, and other similar materials. In general, they have have low magnetic susceptibility, even as some possess high electrical or thermal conductivity. Magnetic fields may have a negative effect on arcane energy, potentially nullifying them. In a room built of lodestone, could spells still function absent a constant arcane energy source?

Is this inverse field detectable by instrument? If so, the construction of an arcane compass could be possible, allowing for the detection of arcane fields and our disc's arcane polarity. It may allow for reliable recording of the types of arcane energy found, as well, varying by "school" as it is often divided. My next set of experiments will be on seeking these background energy fields in order to further expand upon my theory that arcane energy exists all around us, merely waiting for orderly alignment to unfold its force as energy.

[Daoud al-Maaz]

Baublium

As we work to unlock the mysteries of arcane energy, it is prudent to seek understanding of the components evidenced to power the ancient machines which astound us. My current theory is that those ancient civilizations, long since vanished, had already found the solutions to the problems I have outlined thus far.

Harnessing arcane energy, these ancient peoples had mastered the use of technology for seemingly boundless feats, all brought to the hands of the common people. Of course, the problem with a machine capable of pushing the laws of our reality to their very limits, is that you need a fuel source to facilitate it. As discussed earlier, energy cannot be truly removed or created. Following this same logic, arcane energy would need to either be actively harvested from the ambient field while a machine is active, or would need to be stored for use later.

While I do not know if the overall levels of arcane energy were greatly more dense in the past, I will work under the assumption that they have not changed wildly over these many generations. Those who practice spellcraft do not appear to have reduced in population enough to suggest a limitation to access for their own resources. From my own tests, ambient arcane energy is far too diffuse to make it practical to absorb it from the same area for extended periods of time. It may be possible for small and mobile machinery to function with ambient energy draw, but certainly not something as large and powerful as the Shade of Ephia's Well. Both practical arcanists and machines operating on active-harness arcane energy would be unable to perform as they consumed all passive resources.

To solve this problem, arcane energy was most likely harvested from numerous areas in smaller-scale operations, condensed into a stable form, and then converted back to pure arcane energy within the machines when necessary for them to function. I believe baublium to be this very substance.

Figure 1 - A typical sample of baublium

It is used by many in the desert to bring life back to ancient devices, though few understand why it is so critical or what it truly is. I have no knowledge of any individuals capable of creating baublium. To us, it is a seemingly finite resource which must be pried from the depths beneath our feet. In Ephia's Well, where the machinery below us has not been heavily explored, baublium is rare enough that not insignificant sums of dinar change hands to secure it.

On my recent journey to Tlonsiyya, I witnessed extensive mining and exploration pursuits made into the machine-lands twisting under the settlement. Near their lift to the depths, crates upon crates full of baublium were stacked almost haphazardly. They had found an abundance of it, likely aiding them in their use of impressive construct guards and labor. I truly envied them for their ability to study and work with these fantastic mechanisms, and hope Ephia's Well shares such bounty in the future. Given Tlonsiyya's unusually high volume of baublium, there may be an arcane energy condenser in the area. Finding such a machine could potentially allow us to extend the Shade far and wide, no longer limited by its fuel.

Should baublium be manufacturable, or found in great enough supply that it need not be urgently applied to the Shade, we may see more scholars dedicated to puzzling out its secrets. For now, baublium in Ephia's Well, like the priceless relics found by archaeologists, remains a precious and mysterious substance that is, sadly, treated like a log in a campfire.

[Daoud al-Maaz]

On Wands

It is commonly believed that wands are a mysterious tool which only those arcanists may wield, but this is not so. It is merely the obfuscated activation process of these items which causes them to be held to such a lofty standard. They simply do not come with instructions. With time and experimentation, I have come to reliably utilize any wand I have come across, even without having seen it function previously. By breaking them down and re-envisioning the fundamentals of these tools, we can begin to see how a machine could eventually replicate the same results with none of the ambiguity.

Wands, in their most basic structure, are entirely arcane devices which convert ambient Arcane Energy into directed and focused implementation, resulting in effects identical to spells cast by traditional practitioners. The complex process of conversion takes place within the structure of the wand rather than through formulation by, say, a wizard evoking. The specific way a wand is crafted imbues a template for how the energy should be utilized, as if the metal itself is traced through with each step.

Figure 1 – Basic wand functionality

The above simplification leads to the misconception that all wands interact with their environment the same way. A more critical analysis of wands allows for an engineer's approach to the functionality.

Where (Ue), the universal constant of energy available, overcomes Arcane Energy resistance (r) of a material, (Uw) represents this energy doing work (w) in the given system. A material's resistance seems  directly inverse to its magnetic permeability. I have previously written about this interaction, and I highly recommend seeking out more information on magnetic principals better researched at the Lamp of Learning in Il Modo.

Figure 2 – A comparison of wand types

In a charge wand, we see that the work is entirely expended from the system, resulting in a finite amount of uses for whichever application of Arcane Energy is intended. The energy can only diffuse away from the wand. Overcoming (r) required application of focused energy outside the system itself, entirely from its manufacturing process.

Conversely, in a passive draw wand, the Arcane Energy is constantly brought back into the system, allowing portions of its work to be used to ready future applications of the energy. This is accomplished by using previously stored energy to overcome (r) without a repeated external force. This allows for the wand to gradually refuel itself, but requires time to reach capacity of its maximum potential.

Due to the amount of work being done to facilitate the recharging process, these wands have a drastically lower frequency of use compared to charge wands of similar mass. I have often observed charged wands holding 50 expenditures, while passive draw wands of the same classification have a capacity, on average, of 5. Nine-tenths of the work being done in a passive draw wand goes to the complex process of gathering and compressing Arcane Energy!

With this in mind, it is no great surprise that the construction of an arcane energy harvester-generator has eluded general engineering. Having seen the Shade's massive primary generator, converting something ten times its size in order to fuel it would result in an entire cityscape dedicated to protecting a fraction of the same terrain. The draw on ambient arcane energy would undoubtedly cripple arcanists and other potential machinery using the same resource. It is additionally prohibitive for materials due to the square–cube law, as scaling up a generator by that much would exponentially increase costs while also threatening collapse of the device under its own mass.

It is probable that the ratios for wands are not directly comparable to devices properly designed for the scientific application of the same energy. Wizardy has often lent itself to form over function and does not always seek efficiency. It is also evident that advancements in technology by the loathsome Qa'immi people allow for miniaturization of what would normally require large amounts of complex gearing, external propulsion and the fuel sources demanded of such effort. They may have already unlocked the secrets of the technology I am researching.

For the past month, I have experimented with engineering a solution to adapt passive draw wand fundamentals and apply them to charge wands. My theory on arcane energy has thus far held up to testing, though not without many drawbacks and limitations. I have successfully built a device which allows for any common charge wand to benefit from utilizing ambient arcane energy: the Charge Extender.

Figure 3 – Charge Extender

The device is essentially a prototype harvester-generator with extremely limited application and unreliable frequency of overcoming resistance. It draws ambient arcane energy into it, directs it into the attached wand, and allows for a portion of its own work to prevent the need to expend a charge.

Similar to the problem of scaling up the Shade, the wand attachment is unwieldy in size and weight compared to an average wand, requiring both hands to operate. In its current state, charges are retained only 25% of the time when activated. I expect that much of this is due to forcing a mundane mechanical device to interact with an object of pure arcane artifice.

Even with these poor results, the object serves as a proof of concept for my theory. I hope that my limited success might one day inspire the more gifted and talented engineers of the world to refine, adapt and perfect the meager thoughts I have penned.