Magi Maxims

To understand the way of mages and wizards, we must first ask - what is the nature of magic? Some say magic is the way of defying nature, wild and unpredictable. Some say that magic is right there, accessible to anyone "intelligent" enough to find it and willful enough to access it. Some claim that magic is but the manipulation of energy and/or matter.

Whatever the case, in a world where magic exists, it has provided many benefits - usually taken for granted - in the lives of those who know how to wield it. Yet the adage "with great power comes great responsibility" remains firmer than the changes wrought to the dogma of magic. Those who can use magic are often as capable of great good as they are of equally, if not more, powerful destruction.

However, magic is not just a weapon. It can also be a trade, an art, a vision. Those who use magic almost definitely will pursue the study of magic, in an attempt to understand better its nature and its role in the bigger multiverse. Magic is a study as diverse as the study of life itself - branches as unrelated as hypnotism and necromancy can be traced back to magic at their roots. Thus, all wizards immerse themselves eagerly into their pursuits, asking for no more than the time and insight to discover what they seek.

In a way, magic is not so much different from the advanced technology available in this reality - both made contributions to achievements that would be impossible using conventional methods. However, should either fail utterly, what would happen? In each respective reality, both magic and technology would be the foundation for the structure of the society and lives of its inhabitants. The falling of either would almost immediately precede a time of anarchy and chaos, as the world would collapse from the heights it had scaled. In the end, perhaps there would be enough to survive, scavenge, and walk a new path to rebuild the world. Or perhaps the world would be the only thing left, not its current population.

- adapted from various sources