I didn't want to hijack Khaze'to's awesome Power of Magic thread, but I do have a question regarding magic - or more particularly, mana, in ARR lore.
I know we have elemental magics, which are fairly self-explanatory. The energies used to cast associated spells are drawn from natural "currents" of elemental energy flowing through the planet. The caster is simply tapping in and borrowing from that available power.
What about non-elemental magic, however? For clarity's sake, we'll call non-elemental magic simply "mana", though for all I know ARR has its own term for it. I'm very new to Final Fantasy lore and have been having a difficult time finding detailed lore resources.
Anyway, I've always made it a point in any MMO world I roleplay in to develop at least a personal theory, if not a complete lore understanding (depending on the availability of official information), of the mechanisms behind the utilization of mana for magic. It's great fun for me to try and understand down to the most fundamental mechanisms what a character is doing when they cast a spell, and this level of understanding can help me find new ways to apply the same ideas in  roleplay.
So. Is it a kind of ambient power scattered across the world? Is it an innate part of any living organism? Is calling on "mana" an entirely personal venture, drawing from your own reserves, or does one channel energies from around them rather than within? Considering pugilists have a chakra-like concept, it seems to imply that Eorzea has some metaphysical idea of energy flow and energy nodes within an organism's body, and that with enough discipline you can tap into them. But what other applications could this have? Surely implications for the management of one's health and well-being, considering the philosophical history of chakra concepts.
Basically, I'm trying to get a handle on the nuts and bolts behind magic in Eorzea. So let us share and discuss!
I know we have elemental magics, which are fairly self-explanatory. The energies used to cast associated spells are drawn from natural "currents" of elemental energy flowing through the planet. The caster is simply tapping in and borrowing from that available power.
What about non-elemental magic, however? For clarity's sake, we'll call non-elemental magic simply "mana", though for all I know ARR has its own term for it. I'm very new to Final Fantasy lore and have been having a difficult time finding detailed lore resources.
Anyway, I've always made it a point in any MMO world I roleplay in to develop at least a personal theory, if not a complete lore understanding (depending on the availability of official information), of the mechanisms behind the utilization of mana for magic. It's great fun for me to try and understand down to the most fundamental mechanisms what a character is doing when they cast a spell, and this level of understanding can help me find new ways to apply the same ideas in  roleplay.
So. Is it a kind of ambient power scattered across the world? Is it an innate part of any living organism? Is calling on "mana" an entirely personal venture, drawing from your own reserves, or does one channel energies from around them rather than within? Considering pugilists have a chakra-like concept, it seems to imply that Eorzea has some metaphysical idea of energy flow and energy nodes within an organism's body, and that with enough discipline you can tap into them. But what other applications could this have? Surely implications for the management of one's health and well-being, considering the philosophical history of chakra concepts.
Basically, I'm trying to get a handle on the nuts and bolts behind magic in Eorzea. So let us share and discuss!
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