Spirits, Spirit Magic, and Spirit Channelers

"'With the presence of aetherius magic floating in the atmosphere, seeping into all things, the emergence of beings directly tied to this magic was inevitable. Magic in its most basic form is random and unpredictable, but sometimes random arrangements provided with the right circumstances can form order, and with order comes structure. With structure comes foundations. With a stable foundation comes the building blocks of life, not biologically formed like other creatures, but an existence that is purely magical in nature. That is the being of a Spirit.' - Kaifahr the Scholar"

Background
Spirits are creatures that are formed when a large enough amount of similar magic congregates in an area and is given enough time to develop into a functioning, physical beings. The amount of magic that these Spirits possess can vary when they first emerge depending on the size of the vessel they were formed in. Though Spirits are all formed from magic, a certain level of diversity can emerge based upon the type of magic that the spirit was formed from. For example, a spirit whose vessel is formed in an area that contains a large number of thunderstorms might end up adopting either a wind element or a lightning element. Typically, the spirit’s appearance will mimic the environment of its birth, though some Spirits possess the ability to twist and bend the shape of their magical form to adopt a new shape entirely. Ability-wise, the spirit is usually tied to only using magic within the element or elements of its birth, limiting its potential for diversity but strengthening its focus on mastery of its own element and set of powers. As beings made of pure magic, this gives them a distinct edge in magical combat due to a realized understanding of the nature of the magic that makes up their own body. However, combat for Spirits also carries its own downsides. When a Spirit chooses to use magic, it willingly sacrifices a portion of its own being in order to execute a spell. For some spirits, this is a very small loss as they contain a large amount of magic and sacrificing a little isn’t much to them. However, for smaller Spirits, using too much magic could potentially lead to their own demise as they end up burning away their own being in an attempt to defend themselves. Loss of 90% or more of the magic that makes up a Spirit’s being will cause them to enter into a state of dormancy, forcing themselves to recharge and build their magic back up, whereas a loss of all of their magic will result in the death of the Spirit.

"Biology"
As Spirits are not physical in a biological sense, they can choose not to feel pain, and thus the most effective means of harming/containing/killing a Spirit would be to displace its magic. This is best accomplished by using an element that is the polar opposite of the Spirit in question, as the element in question can be used to “knock the magic out of the Spirit’s body,” effectively decreasing its size and making it easier to manage. Another method is the use of seals, however this is less of a combative method as it requires preparation. The Spirit could be trapped within a seal and have its magical mass siphoned off into objects until it is either small enough to manage or it vanishes when all its magic is drained, however the success rate of this technique varies.

Those who study spirits have broken Spirits down into separate categories, as is a necessity when so much variety can exist between individual Spirits. Simplistically, you can separate Spirits from one another by the element from which their magic is derived, but also whether the Spirit is mobile or stationary. As the concentration of the type of magic that formed the Spirit is highest in the place of its birth, a Spirit is at its most powerful when it is in its birthplace, or in a place that bears a strong similarity to the place of its birth. This is where the concept of mobile and stationary is derived. As most known Spirits possess the ability to draw magic from the ether due to their nature of a Spirit tying them directly into the atmospheric magic, the term mobile refers to Spirits that choose to venture away from their birthplace/home and make use of that ability to draw from the ether. Conversely, those that choose not to travel are classified as stationary, not strictly because they lack the ability to move beyond their birthplace or place of rest, but because they do not wish to sacrifice their abilities and strength in exchange for traveling and growing weaker when they arrive in areas that do not contain the same magic as their own magical mass. The general observed trend is that younger Spirits desire to travel away from their birthplace and explore the world, being more mobile, while older Spirits tend to remain in a more stationary state as they are content with what they have seen of the world. Motivations for choosing one state or the other can vary depending upon the Spirit in question. Spirits that choose to remain in one place for an extended period of time are classified as Spirits of the Land.

History
It should be noted that based on surviving evidence before the Happening, that which has allowed to be shared mind you, point in favor of stating that Spirits were not always as prevalent in the past. Spirits were often-times worshiped as deities and seeing one outside of the land it calls it home, attributed to the far lower levels of aetherius magic that is essential to the formation of Spirits. Mind you, Spirits are still worshiped as deities in some parts of the world, while in others they are just seen as just an aberration due to how common they can be in some areas if the conditions allow for the formation of multiple Spirits in the same area.

Spirit Magic and Channeling
Spirit magic, the other subject of discussion, is a form of magic derived from putting a Spirit’s magic through a casting medium. How is this accomplished? Well, one option references back to the idea of seals. By utilizing the stored magic of a Spirit, one can effectively replicate the magical strength and potency of a Spirit so long as magic remains within the seal. However, another method exists that is far less common, and that is the process of forming a bond with a Spirit. Based upon what is understood of the process from those who interact with Spirits and those members of “Spirit Clans”, a Spirit, with the consent of the being that is being bonded to, will form a sort of artificial link between their own mana pool (that being their entire being) and the mana pool of the being in question. That being is now referred to as a “Spirit Channeler.” A Spirit could have many possible reasons for wanting to bond with a person, from desiring companionship, wanting to become stronger, or just a desire to feed off the soul of the being it has bonded to. Regardless of their justification, once this link, henceforth referred to as a “tether” is formed, magic can be sent along it either from the Spirit to the Channeler, or from the Channeler to the Spirit. The benefits of this are rather obvious. With access to a Spirit’s large supply of magic, a Channeler will have a much greater access to magic than the conventional mage and thus will be able to do more with their magic. On the other side of the tether, Spirits that are bonded with a Channeler will be able to take magic from their Channeler when they feel their own supply growing low and they are in an environment where the aetherius magic doesn’t bond with their own magical mass. In some cases, after the tether is established, the Channeler may adopt certain physical or mental characteristics of the Spirit they are bonded with.

Limitations of Spirit Channeling
However, similar limitations exist with Spirit Channeling as with regular casting, as a Channeler can only handle so much magic being transferred down this tether at one time. Too much magic can potentially overwhelm the Channeler, causing a violent reaction as their mana pool is filled over capacity. A Channler must train to be able to handle the influx of magic being sent from their Spirit, else they suffer the less severe effects of overfilling your mana pool, or even death. Another limitation stems from the tether itself. As the tether is like a bowstring, it is easiest to transfer magic when the Spirit is at a close range to the Channeler, and when it is stretched, less and less magic can flow up and down the tether and just like a bowstring, when it is stretched past its limits, it will snap, spelling serious consequences as recoil is experienced on both sides of the tether, sometimes resulting in death. The Channeler also cannot change the element of the magic coming to them through the tether. If the Spirit bonded to the Channeler is a fire element Spirit, then the Channeler of that Spirit, when using their magic, can only cast spells of the same element as the Spirit. It cannot be converted into other elements. Limitations are placed upon the Spirit as well. While forming a tether isn’t very costly to the Spirit, the tether is a very durable magical construct to be able to allow for the transfer of highly concentrated Spirit magic down it. Thus, breaking down a bond costs a significant amount of magic if the Channeler does not consent to the breaking of the bond, as the Channeler will use their own magic to fight against the Spirit breaking the bond thus increasing the cost. The same can be said if the Channeler wishes to break the bond and the Spirit does not consent, though the Spirit has the advantage in that it has more magic with which to fight back against the Channeler with. However, if both consent to the breaking of the bond, the magic cost will be minimized as both the Spirit and the Channeler contribute their share of magic towards breaking the bond.

The Nature of the Spiritual Relationship
While this relationship can be mutualistic, it can also be parasitic, with Spirits forming bonds with beings only to drain their mana pools and subsequently their souls for power. These malicious Spirits, as well as Spirits that have intentions that aren’t understood by mortals, are known to fall under the term of “Demons”. Demons are Spirits that are strange in nature, often times with abilities that seem to break what is conventionally understood about Spirits, hence their classification being separate from that of conventional “Spirits”. What is understood is that these Spirits seek to prey upon others, be it stealing their magic and causing general chaos in the life of the person they have bonded to, and many other ill intents.