✷ Magic, the Shroud & Weavers

The Shroud & Weavers

​

All magical practices draw their power from the Shroud, a natural force which underpins reality. The Shroud permeates all things in the world - it helps the trees grow strong, the winds stir, the clouds to gather and the lightning strike to start a flame. Each culture has developed their own understanding of the Shroud, their own systems and teachings around it, but they all play off the same force.

Only a handful of people have the potential to become shroudweavers - those that study magic and draw energy from the Shroud to cast spells. And from that number, not everyone who has the potential ends up becoming a weaver. Like any other art, mastery takes decades of practice and experience, with some disciplines of weaving being harder to pick up than others.

Risks of Weaving​

There is a cost to casting magic - using the Shroud to weave magic has a direct impact on both the weaver, and the world around them. The first source of Shroud drawn upon is the weaver's own body. If a weaver reaches their physical limit, they risk injury, and if they go beyond that limit, they might permanently cripple their ability to manipulate the Shroud.

The Shroud naturally replenishes over time, which leads many to consider it a nigh-inexhaustible source of power. However, heavy, sustained use can drain a region of background Shroud. This has two major impacts: first, weavers are incapacitated and spells become difficult - or impossible - to cast. The Shroud is weaker in areas with denser populations of weavers. If the Shroud is not given a chance to replenish, life will desiccate and affected areas will become barren.

Magic Restrictions​

Because magic obeys the laws of nature like any other force, there are certain types of spells that are impossible to cast. Wielders of magic cannot:

• Teleport
• Travel through time or slow it down
• Create matter from nothing, or obliterate matter into nothing
• Travel to/between other planes of existence

​