The paradox of drawing aether from different mediums

[Valence]

There is something I can't quite get my head around in the different ways different magical (or even non magical) classes draw the aether they need to do their stuff.

 

We know that the thaumathurges draw from their own body for example, while conjurers do from their environment. 

 

It causes two issues in the rational way i'm trying to analyze it:

 

1) The first one I can find answers at least. Drawing from the environment kills the planet according to the war of magi between White and Black mages. How do conjurers don't kill Hydaelyn? Because they don't do it on the same scale? They do it parsimoniously and respectfully? Or conjury is just not on the same scale of drain as succor and black magic are? Both?

 

Another thing, I have not played the Black Mage storyline, but I read that they draw their energy from the land, which is totally taboo or something? If I understand correctly then, it again stems from the war that drained the planet to the Umbral Flood? People aware of it don't want the same mistake to happen I suppose, thus the taboo... But! If Padjals are ready to get past that taboo with a respectful and moderate use of succor, then could that mean that a black mage can theoretically do the same as well without killing the planet? Or do they just have to be a whole legion of them for it to start being noticeable?

 

 

 

2) Is a real paradox to me. 

 

 

The conjurer class quest specifically introduces a gifted hyur girl that refuses to draw from mother nature because she thinks it hurts it, and prefers doing like her mother and draw from her own reserves. It is clearly stated that it is what killed her eventually because her reserves are finite and there is so much as what they can take out of it. The girl is following the same path and faces the same problem when she tries to Raise.

 

 

 

With that in mind, how do other magic users like thaumathurges do not eventually collapse to death when doing the exact same thing?

 

 

 

 

 

tl;dr: the constant dichotomy and apparent inconsistency between conjury and thaumathurgy, among others, is bothering me to no end.

[Yssen]

Hmmm. Where to start? Scale seems good. You are correct in that Conjurer's do not draw on the same scale as was done during The War of the Magi. For the most part, no one is really drawing on the same levels of aether as the war. It is also worth noting that part of the problem was giant levels of being drawn on constantly as the war escalated. In terms of scale, think of it being similar to two armies of primals going at each other, or lots of effects being aether fueled on the scale of Lousioux's massive spell to summon The Twelve at the end of 1.0. Constant, really massive aether drawing. Everything was happening on such a massive scale that the flood was needed so that things could balance out again. Individual conjurer's are not drawing in aether on those levels just by casting a cure spell. Further, they are taught to replace the aether they draw on with their own personal stores. 

 

Second, while a aether is a limited resource it does replenish itself over time. It seems that it comes back faster in living people than in the land, however. Casters also employ a variety of techniques to replenish their own stores quickly. Can a caster draw on so much that they can harm themselves and or die? Yes, but they do have other methods to regenerate their personal aether that they can employ first.

 

Next, Black Magic primarily draws from the Void. This can harm the land, but in a more indirect sense. The Void being the land of Voidsent and demons and things, it is mostly taboo because of that association. That and the fact that it has very little other purpose than to burninate things really really well. Touching the Void is a no no, mostly because the Void is a big ravenous maw that wants to eat all the aether it can get. Putting a tether to the Void on the regular ole planet attracts Voidsent who pretty much want to do the same thing. Still, it is all a matter of degree and scale. Moderation in all things, and what not. 

 

Lastly, there is a paradox because no one school of casting is completely right or completely wrong. They are all just different methods of channeling aether to make stuff happen. Each follower of a particular school thinks there way is the best way for x,y, and z reasons. What they are all really doing is chasing the same thing down a different road. One can argue that their particular method of stick shaking and mumbo jumbo is the best way to make magic happen. That is fine, they are not wrong because that is what works for them. That is what they have been taught. That does not mean that there way is the only way, because clearly other ways work. One giant unknowable truth, many different ways to understand a piece of it. Like... Paradigms in White Wolf's Mage: the Ascension, sorta. 

 

I hope this helps a little.

[Valence]

Yeah it sure helps. It also comforts me in what I already supposed regarding 1).

 

But, for 2), if aether replenishes itself as it seems to be the case for thaumathurgy and others, the conjurer class quest specifically shows that it doesn't when they draw only from themselves. That's the main gripe that I have and is bothering me... It just can't make sense if it replenishes.

[Oli!]

If I remember correctly, the issue is this:

 

When a thaumaturge or a conjurer uses aether, they draw it from the source, and then they put it back somewhere. A Thaumaturge might expel it into the environment where someone or something can reabsorb it later. A Conjurer might just let it disperse into the environment in the same way.

 

On the other hand, when a White Mage or a Black Mage uses aether, in order for the spells they use to have the effects that they have, that aether dissipates entirely instead of returning to the environment. In other words, when they cast their spells, they contribute to the "magical heat-death" of the universe.

[Shoshopu]

If I remember correctly, the issue is this:

 

When a thaumaturge or a conjurer uses aether, they draw it from the source, and then they put it back somewhere. A Thaumaturge might expel it into the environment where someone or something can reabsorb it later. A Conjurer might just let it disperse into the environment in the same way.

 

On the other hand, when a White Mage or a Black Mage uses aether, in order for the spells they use to have the effects that they have, that aether dissipates entirely instead of returning to the environment. In other words, when they cast their spells, they contribute to the "magical heat-death" of the universe.

 

This is my understanding of it as well. Thaumaturges and conjurers have to play by equivalent exchange while white and black mages don't. That's basically the entire problem with them and how they almost destroyed the world in the War of the Magi and are now outlawed etc etc

[Parth Makeo]

I tried something different when it came to one of my characters, and that the crystals she have are where she draws her aether from. Problem being is that because it needs aether as well, she has to replenish it in her own way. By using Elemental Crystals. The problem with that is her limit is easily reached compared to actual Thamaturges and Conjurers. Meaning she likely stores the energies inside the crystals for later use.

 

So is it considered a paradox that she uses Elemental Clusters (Like in crafting) to fuel her crystals, thus able to cast spells that as a supposed witch would be able to? The Aether in question returns not to the source but rather dispersing into the planet. Reason why such a convoluted method is a bit hard to spoil.

[Yssen]

Yeah it sure helps. It also comforts me in what I already supposed regarding 1).

 

But, for 2), if aether replenishes itself as it seems to be the case for thaumathurgy and others, the conjurer class quest specifically shows that it doesn't when they draw only from themselves. That's the main gripe that I have and is bothering me... It just can't make sense if it replenishes.

 

Hmmm. If you are referring to the girl and such, they do not draw directly from themselves because they consider it too dangerous. They feel it is too easy to die drawing directly on themselves, apparently when healing in particular. They feel it is safer to draw on themselves to restore what they have taken from the area around them/elementals. It adds a buffer or something. Maybe the elementals will just not let them die in the process of putting stuff back, and that may have something to do with the whole "the elementals will not allow me to heal this person" thing.  It also helps to remember that the Guild is a product of it's nation. Gridania has a lot of random arbitrary rules couched in the excuse of "because the elementals say so!" So does Conjury.

[PhantasticPanda]

I look at aether as I do energy in the real world and I believe it is also explained in a similar way. There's a static amount of aether in the world. It is not added nor taken from the world when spells are cast, it merely takes on a new form which sooner or later is recycled back into the environment which may be reused by our own bodies (at least in regards to Thaumaturgy and Conjury). We should also note that both these schools of magic isn't just a style of channeling aether but each one also has different philosophical views of the world and how aether works. Both come in conflict with each other many times which have caused black mages/thaumaturges and white mages/conjurers to have bias to one school of magic than the other. So if we look at the conjury storyline, and how they said that channeling aether from oneself is destructive, they could also be indirectly bashing Thaumaturgy which we know cast all sorts of destructive magic.

[Valence]

Yeah it sure helps. It also comforts me in what I already supposed regarding 1).

 

But, for 2), if aether replenishes itself as it seems to be the case for thaumathurgy and others, the conjurer class quest specifically shows that it doesn't when they draw only from themselves. That's the main gripe that I have and is bothering me... It just can't make sense if it replenishes.

 

Hmmm. If you are referring to the girl and such, they do not draw directly from themselves because they consider it too dangerous. They feel it is too easy to die drawing directly on themselves, apparently when healing in particular. They feel it is safer to draw on themselves to restore what they have taken from the area around them/elementals. It adds a buffer or something. Maybe the elementals will just not let them die in the process of putting stuff back, and that may have something to do with the whole "the elementals will not allow me to heal this person" thing.  It also helps to remember that the Guild is a product of it's nation. Gridania has a lot of random arbitrary rules couched in the excuse of "because the elementals say so!" So does Conjury.

 

Mhh.

 

Maybe I did interpret something wrong with that storyline though. Or I saw too much in it.

 

I seem to remember pretty surely that they state that her mother died because her own body aether is only finite and it was a matter of time before she burnt all of it. It was confusing turned like that and maybe made me think that it wasn't regenerating.

 

It would seem more logical in your rationale that it actually replenishes, and that they just meant that she was bound someday to drain it too much by healing. 

 

Good sides points too, on Gridania.

[V'aleera]

With that in mind, how do other magic users like thaumathurges do not eventually collapse to death when doing the exact same thing?

 

Two reasons: thaumaturges typically have much higher than normal personal aether reserves to draw upon, and they are able to focus and refine their aether using crystal and bone foci in their staffs. We don't know how much personal aether the girl in the conjurer quests had, but we do know she wasn't using an appropriate tool to focus that aether (so she probably had to overcompensate by using even more aether).

[Gegenji]

Next, Black Magic primarily draws from the Void. This can harm the land, but in a more indirect sense. The Void being the land of Voidsent and demons and things, it is mostly taboo because of that association. That and the fact that it has very little other purpose than to burninate things really really well. Touching the Void is a no no, mostly because the Void is a big ravenous maw that wants to eat all the aether it can get. Putting a tether to the Void on the regular ole planet attracts Voidsent who pretty much want to do the same thing. Still, it is all a matter of degree and scale. Moderation in all things, and what not.

 

Just as a minor correction here, but Black Magic in and of itself does not draw primarily from the Void. It is a technique that a Mhach Thaumaturge named Shantoto (not to be confused with FFXI's Shantatto with three t's) developed to overcome her own deficiencies regarding her own personal aether stores. This technique was then used to draw massive amounts of aether to perform the great feats of magic claimed by Black Mages during the War of the Magi - calling down comets and making mountains moves and the like.

 

However, in the search for more and greater power - they begun tapping into the Void. The Void Ark, for example, uses Void energies to remain afloat because it requires such a constant supply of aether - not unlike how the Dravanians were kept by the Allagan to keep Bahamut present with their prayer. So, while Black Mages did tap into the Void later, it does not comprise the majority of "Black Magic." Because Black Magic isn't so much a different school of magic than an "advanced" thaumaturgic technique.

[Sounsyy]

There will be some repeat and overlap of previous answers.

 

 

1) The first one I can find answers at least. Drawing from the environment kills the planet according to the war of magi between White and Black mages. How do conjurers don't kill Hydaelyn? Because they don't do it on the same scale? They do it parsimoniously and respectfully? Or conjury is just not on the same scale of drain as succor and black magic are? Both?

 

Another thing, I have not played the Black Mage storyline, but I read that they draw their energy from the land, which is totally taboo or something? If I understand correctly then, it again stems from the war that drained the planet to the Umbral Flood? People aware of it don't want the same mistake to happen I suppose, thus the taboo... But! If Padjals are ready to get past that taboo with a respectful and moderate use of succor, then could that mean that a black mage can theoretically do the same as well without killing the planet? Or do they just have to be a whole legion of them for it to start being noticeable?

 

To reaffirm the answer to the first question, its a matter of scale. For countless years, three entire kingdoms of magi plucked aether relentlessly from Hydaelyn to fuel ever more powerful spells to advance their civilizations and ultimately to wage war and decimate others. We are not talking about 100 conjurers casting cure. We are talking hundreds, maybe thousands of White and Black Mages and Scholars performing magicks on the scale of animating entire mountains, opening massive voidgates, or altering a celestial body's course and bringing it down into the planet.

 

Drawing aether from the land isn't what's taboo. It's true that so much aether was drawn from the world that the elementals had to summon a great flood, but as Mhach was the aggressor-nation, most of the blame was heaped on them for summoning Voidsent towards the end of the War of the Magi. That is what is taboo about Black Magic. On its own, Black Magic has nothing to do with the Void. It is a technique discovered by Shatotto during the 5th Astral Era that allowed the early magi to cast magic using an aether source other than their own anima. This was revolutionary for the time and eventually paved the way for the magicks we know today. It was discovery that marked a zenith in the three magical civilizations of the era. However, the Mhachi desired ever more powerful magicks. Convinced there was no greater power that could be obtained on Hydaelyn, they sought the power of the Void. They made pacts with the Voidsent and pulled them into the physical plane to devour the world's aether.

 

The origins of black magic can be traced back many, many years - to the beginning of the Fifth Astral Era, to be precise. There lived at that time in Eorzea a powerful sorceress named Shatotto, who strived to push the destructive power of magic to its very limits. The typical practice of magi is to weave magic using their own aether. The ability to do so is the greatest magical gift, yet at the same time that gift's greatest limit.

 

Shatotto was able to overcome such inherent limitations by developing a new technique which allowed her to draw upon the aether all around her as the fount of her magic. It was this technique that came to be known as black magic. Following the War of the Magi and the Sixth Umbral Calamity, however, black magic was branded far too great a danger to life, and so its use and even its mere mention were made forbidden. Over time, it came to be forgotten entirely. Or so it was thought...

 

To the last part of your question, in the new Black Mage quests, there is a Conjurer NPC who sanctions a strict discipline of Black Magic, one that does not attempt to draw power from the Void.

 

That being said' date=' I am a conjurer. Were I to witness black magic used with ill intent, I would not hesitate to take action. Even if it were you, Lalai, I would hunt you down without mercy. You'd do well to not forget that my order still considers your black magic forbidden.[/quote']

 

 

__________________________

The conjurer class quest specifically introduces a gifted hyur girl that refuses to draw from mother nature because she thinks it hurts it, and prefers doing like her mother and draw from her own reserves. It is clearly stated that it is what killed her eventually because her reserves are finite and there is so much as what they can take out of it. The girl is following the same path and faces the same problem when she tries to Raise.

 

With that in mind, how do other magic users like thaumathurges do not eventually collapse to death when doing the exact same thing?

 

Thaumaturges and other magical disciplines which use personal anima must be incredibly cautious to not over-exert their energies, just like Sylphie from the Conjurer questline. It can be just as detrimental to a Thaumaturge as it is for a Conjurer. Sylphie was trying to cast advanced healing magic using her small reserves. Similarly, a Thaumaturge must also be wary of casting incredibly powerful magicks that might severely weaken themselves or their own life force. Also, teleporting, which uses personal anima stores, also runs this risk on repeated, successive attempts at teleporting.

 

That was Cocobusi' date=' our youngest brother. He so dearly wishes to become a thaumaturge like the rest of us, but it simply isn't possible. The poor boy's aetheric levels are pitifully low.[/quote']

 

For the art of mending' date=' we draw on the boundless life force of nature and bestow it upon the wounded. Sylphie has never sought to borrow from that bounty. Her power to heal stems from her own life force. The vital energies of mortals are, however, finite... Her mother unwittingly took her own life through the continued use of her healing skills. And Sylphie's aptitude for the art is, if anything, even greater. Thus it is not unexpected that she should reach the limits of her strength at a much earlier age.[/quote']

 

Teleportation' date=' on the other hand, comes with a greater price. A great deal of spiritual energy known as "anima" is required to fight the natural flow of the Lifestream and guide one's body and soul to a comparatively weak aetherial beacon. If one's body lacks sufficient anima, teleporting to a location may prove impossible. Luckily for most of us, anima is restored quickly and should not prohibit regular travel.[/quote']

 

However' date=' being broken down to the aetheric level can take its toll on one's body, and rest is often required after several consecutive jumps, especially as the distance becomes greater. As a precaution, most city-states strongly discourage over-teleporting, as it can lead to irreversible damage...[/quote']

 

 

__________________________

But, for 2), if aether replenishes itself as it seems to be the case for thaumathurgy and others, the conjurer class quest specifically shows that it doesn't when they draw only from themselves. That's the main gripe that I have and is bothering me... It just can't make sense if it replenishes.

 

It's not that the aether doesn't replenish with time, but more that Sylphie and her mother travel around the Shroud casting powerful healing magic repeatedly in short spans of time. In the quests, notice how every time Sylphie casts healing, it's AoE. Not only does she cure her intended target, she cures everyone in the area. She's not allowing herself time to replenish her aetherial stores. Hence, why her magic is killing her, and killed her mother.

 

 

Hope this helps! ^^

[Valence]

Yeah, it seemed for some reason I interpreted wrong the way it was presented by e-Sumi.

 

Now then it makes me wonder something else though... If conjurers cry in horror at people like Sylphie trying to draw aether from their own bodies, and their doctrines advise now to use the aether of the land, why is that thaumathurges, who probably are even less scrupulous about ethics and stuff, don't? Why do they persist in risking their own life? 

 

The black mage taboo?

[Oli!]

Yeah, it seemed for some reason I interpreted wrong the way it was presented by e-Sumi.

 

Now then it makes me wonder something else though... If conjurers cry in horror at people like Sylphie trying to draw aether from their own bodies, and their doctrines advise now to use the aether of the land, why is that thaumathurges, who probably are even less scrupulous about ethics and stuff, don't? Why do they persist in risking their own life? 

 

The black mage taboo?

 

It only eats away at your life if you do it wrong.

 

Think about it like using a buzzsaw. Sylphie isn't trained in using a buzzsaw, so every once in a while she cuts one of her fingers off while using it. Everyone around her is very concerned, because eventually she'll run out of fingers.

 

However, if you're a someone who studied and practiced, you'll be able to consistently use your buzzsaw with minimal issue and without cutting off your fingers. That's thaumaturgy (ideally).

[Valence]

Well yeah, but conjurers could do the same then. And yet it's presented like it's not the thing to do, period, novice or not, unless i'm again misinterpreting the quest lines.

 

Also, thaumaturges could still do like conjurers for it to become safer, and also not being limited by their own reserves...

[Oli!]

Well yeah, but conjurers could do the same then. And yet it's presented like it's not the thing to do, period, novice or not, unless i'm again misinterpreting the quest lines.

 

Also, thaumaturges could still do like conjurers for it to become safer, and also not being limited by their own reserves...

 

If I remember right, the implication is actually that using your internal reserves for magic is better than using your surroundings if you've got enough of it; your average Thaumaturge is packing more aether than the area around them in most circumstances. Sylphie's healing magic is very potent as a result, and Thaumaturges require much more aether than the common man as a prerequisite. Drawing aether from your surroundings as a Black Mage isn't a replacement for your inner aether, it's just a supplementary practice.

 

(The THM questline and other places touch on this a little more. The youngest lalafell brother is unable to become a Thaumaturge because he just doesn't have enough aether in him. Voidsent also love consuming the powers of Thaumaturges, because while the world around them is like picking for scraps, thaumaturges themselves are like walking four-course meals. If you try to use Black Magic without a soulstone / The Gem of Shatotto to focus it, the aether inside of you catches fire and you burn to death.)

 

As for why Conjurers don't do that, it's likely that for many of them, their internal reserves just aren't very large; most of the officially-trained Conjurers in Gridania are picked based on how in-tune with the elements and elementals they are, and not how much aether they're packing.

[V'aleera]

Conjurers not needing large internal aether reserves probably plays a large part in why conjury is generally considered the easiest magic discipline to learn.

[Sounsyy]

Perhaps just me, but I feel that the beliefs and history surrounding the magical arts have more to do with their mechanisms than anything else. Sure, a thaumaturge could draw aether from their surroundings like a conjurer, but then that would just be black magic. Which is forbidden to their Order. Forbidden, and ultimately forgotten, out of fear and misunderstanding than anything else.

 

Alternatively, a conjurer could pull only from themselves, but why would they when they have nature to pull from? The moogles taught conjury to mankind so that they could communicate with nature, it makes little sense to isolate themselves from it.

 

In short, they are two unique magical fields with very different origins, history, and fundamentals. Trying to determine why one does things one way and one another could have many variables and no one right answer.

[LiadansWhisper]

Yeah, it seemed for some reason I interpreted wrong the way it was presented by e-Sumi.

 

Now then it makes me wonder something else though... If conjurers cry in horror at people like Sylphie trying to draw aether from their own bodies, and their doctrines advise now to use the aether of the land, why is that thaumathurges, who probably are even less scrupulous about ethics and stuff, don't? Why do they persist in risking their own life? 

 

The black mage taboo?

 

It's important to remember that Conjury was never meant to be channeled from your own aether. The school of magic is set up in such a way that it's extremely unnatural (and difficult) to use it in such a manner. I have a personal theory that it might be all but impossible to manage it unless you have a natural, innate talent with Conjury that requires no real schooling to pick up. In general, Conjurers have to receive training to learn how to use Conjury, even though the art itself is not difficult to learn. Sylphie, however, appears to have been self-taught from numerous comments during the Conjurer questline. A possible explanation for this is that Sylphie isn't just a Conjurer, she's an untrained Hearer. It's implied in the storyline that her talent is inherited, and that her mother was a Hearer as well (and also untrained). Her mother was convinced that normal Conjury harmed the Elementals, because while she could hear them, without proper training she misunderstood what they were saying. She passed on that mistaken belief to Sylphie, and since Sylphie didn't exactly need training in Conjury to grasp particular spells (she managed to figure out Raise without being taught the spell), she just did things the way she saw her mother do them.

 

Thaum is a bit different.

[Valence]

Ok I see... Thanks for the insight.

 

I also find your explanation Sounssy to make a lot of sense by its simplicity.

 

 

As for why Conjurers don't do that, it's likely that for many of them, their internal reserves just aren't very large; most of the officially-trained Conjurers in Gridania are picked based on how in-tune with the elements and elementals they are, and not how much aether they're packing.

 

Ok... Well, let's imagine that some conjurers are as potent as thaumaturges in terms of aether and in tune with elementals and the woods... Some of them at least must be strong in aether. 

 

Then, it renders the point a bit moot... 

 

 

 

Conjurers not needing large internal aether reserves probably plays a large part in why conjury is generally considered the easiest magic discipline to learn.

 

 

It is?

[Oli!]

 

As for why Conjurers don't do that, it's likely that for many of them, their internal reserves just aren't very large; most of the officially-trained Conjurers in Gridania are picked based on how in-tune with the elements and elementals they are, and not how much aether they're packing.

 

Ok... Well, let's imagine that some conjurers are as potent as thaumaturges in terms of aether and in tune with elementals and the woods... Some of them at least must be strong in aether. 

 

Then, it renders the point a bit moot... 

 

 

 

Not really; there's nothing that says a Conjurer can't draw from themselves, and Sylphie and her mother are proof that you can (but they do it poorly). The main thing is that most Conjurers don't operate in that way. The likely reasons for why most don't have been outlined by myself and others:

 

-- Belief; the point of Conjury is to attune yourself to nature, not to maximize your power output. If you're not using that nature, you're not attuning yourself to it. Considering that Hearers (those that are more attuned to nature than anyone else) have a natural affinity for Conjury, and that skilled Conjurers can also become Hearers after enough Conjury practice, it's likely that the two (affinity to nature and your power in Conjury) go hand in hand.

 

-- Inability; having enough aether for Thaumaturgy isn't an every-day thing, and it's stressed that you need a lot of the stuff in order to be a successful Thaumaturge. It's possible that if you try to take up the art without having enough aether, you'll burn yourself out in a similar manner to Sylphie.

 

 

None of these say that a Conjurer can't use their own internal aether. If they did, they'd likely be a very good Conjurer with very potent spells. What stops all Conjurers from being that way, or even most or many of them, is the fact that using aether in that way isn't something that just anyone can do, and / or that Conjury as a type of magic just works better when you use the elements you're attuned to.

[V'aleera]

The other issue at hand is focusing materials. Conjurers use staves of wood and other natural elements because it enhances their ability to draw aether from nature. Whereas thaumaturges use gems and bone in order to focus and enhance their aether so they can make the most of what they have. So while a conjurer can use their internal aether, the average conjurer isn't equipped with the right tool to do so efficiently (and vice versa).

[LiadansWhisper]

The other issue at hand is focusing materials. Conjurers use staves of wood and other natural elements because it enhances their ability to draw aether from nature. Whereas thaumaturges use gems and bone in order to focus and enhance their aether so they can make the most of what they have. So while a conjurer can use their internal aether, the average conjurer isn't equipped with the right tool to do so efficiently (and vice versa).

 

There is no reason to believe that where you draw aether from determines what sort of materials you have to use. Thaumatergy channels internal aether. Black Magi draw aether from the land. Both use gems and bone in their focusing brands/staves. As far as I remember, it's the type of magic you are using that determines weapon type, not where you are drawing the aether from.

[Valence]

But both thaumaturges and conjurers seem to actually use the exact same fuel through the exact same elemental wheel... Just differently.

 

I am really starting to think that this whole affair is a mess since they changed it in a rush post 1.0... 

 

The most logical explanation to me is just as Sounssy said: traditions and schools of learning that lead to different results, but different only due to tradition and doctrines.

[PhantasticPanda]

But both thaumaturges and conjurers seem to actually use the exact same fuel through the exact same elemental wheel... Just differently.

 

I am really starting to think that this whole affair is a mess since they changed it in a rush post 1.0... 

 

The most logical explanation to me is just as Sounssy said: traditions and schools of learning that lead to different results, but different only due to tradition and doctrines.

This. The only reason why I can confidently come to a conclusion why their style of aether channeling is different is because of the philosophies, traditions, doctrines that go into becoming a thaumaturge or conjurer. Not that one is more effective than the other. We're going into centuries of the, maybe a millennium or two of how long these schools have magic have been taught. It's well-defined and will take a lot to change the very foundation of their studies (for the majority).