A Dark Fantasy RP (OOC and Interest check)

[Wyrd]

(This RP is Open to all)



The Continent of Ensiferum(Latin for "Sword Bearer") Is in a great turmoil. The Elven and Human lands are at the brink of a bloody war, The dwarfs in the Iron mountains of the south-east are slowly dieing of a horrific sickness. The Orcish raids have revenged Ensiferum and it's people without relent for years, and the raids are increasing as the days go by. And a Black mist has descended upon the land making days dark and nights ever more dangerous, for the mist has brought with it many strange and evil monsters like werewolves, vampires and Shadow Elves, that roam the night on a hunt for blood. 

Kind of a Dark twist on a typical fantasy setting. We will all start out in a small Tavern called the 'Twilight Tavern', deep in the forest roads far from the Human and Elf lands law and rules. All manner of peoples come to the Tavern with out fear of being judged of fear of punishment for the're crimes.   



Name;

Gender;

Age;

Race; (Any thing from any Fantasy novel or game that you think would fit)

Appearance; (Pic would be nice but written is fine.)

Equipment; (Weapons, clothes, armor...)

Position;(ex: Mercenary, Solder, Tavern Worker....) 

Preferences; 

Personality;

History; 

Any other info you would like to share:

(This is my first Idea for an RP. I'm still pretty new to the whole thing so go easy on me.)

(Any Ideas on where you would like this story to go would be much appreciated.)

[Wyrd]

Name;Darias Grakoon

Gender; Male

Age; Uknown

Race; Shadow Fiend, Prophet of the End

Appearance;


Equipment; Long, worn black clock. Enchanted Sword. Ancient Dark Elven Armor. Mysterious Hour Glass.
Other objects of Dark elven origin     

Position; Slayer of Light 

Ons; Darkness, The freezing cold, Death, The Suffering of others, Dark Elves. 

Offs; Sun light, a child's Laughter, happiness. 

History; Many ages ago, A group of Dark Elves who were part of a Shadow worshiping cult called 'The Dreamora Mor' tried get closer to the shadow gods the loved so much be preforming a summoning, but what they summoned was a new level Dark Magic. All the Elves who were part of the ritual were killed be the force of Dark, except for one vary young dark elven boy. But the boy was no longer an elf, But...  Something else. Something that would help bring the fall of Ensiferum.     

[hellcat858]

Nice idea, I will send you a PM. Hopefully we can work something out, the idea sounds great.

[Pandamonium]

Name: Zephyr Trell

Gender: Male

Age: 34

Race: Forsaken Human



Equipment: Dark robes with a deep hood. Scythe, and a broad sword.

Position: Self fulfillment.

Ons: Power, self gain.

Offs: Selfless acts, righteous people.

History: Zephyr is a powerful warrior, ever since he was a child, he was considered a prodigy in combat. He was always talented with a sword and was the best his village has ever seen. After he realized there was nothing else left to learn in his town he went out in search for a chance to improve his abilities. Zephyr was taken as an apprentice at the age of 17 by a swords master. He spent four years learning and training. His master saw the darkness in Zephyr and refused to train him anymore. Out raged Zephyr challenged his master to a fight and slew him, stealing his sword from the corpse of his former master.

All he wanted was more power, he loved his strength, but felt empty for no one was able to stand up to him. After hearing of a demon plaguing a city, Zephyr took it upon himself to thwart this demon, not as an act of good faith, but to test his sword against something so fierce. This monstrosity stood 8ft tall and wielded a giant scythe, decapitating anyone who stood in his path. Zephyr fought against this demon, legend says that Zephyr and the demon fought for 3 days, but finally the demon fell to the might of Zephyr. Seeing the scythe with great power, he took that as well. He had heard dark lore that if you should ever eat a demons heart you will gain enormous power, but if your heart is dark and evil then you shall fall victim to its demonic powers. Zephyr took the chance and cut out the demons heart and feasted, since that day Zephyr became more than a man but less than a demon. He roams from town to town looking for anyone who might pose as a threat, hoping one day to find someone who can give him a real challenge.

[Wyrd]

Great to see some people interested. I still need some mor people for this

[Dreamers Sand]

Name: Lucasta Althi

Gender: female

Age:
Actually- 301
Appears- 24

Race: Ghost Elf: A creative and unique subrace of elf.

Appearance:


Equipment:
Weapons-
-The Arclight [spellbook]
-Althiro [spear]
Armor-
-Leather Armor [upper body/black]
-Leather Greaves [arm/black]
Attire-
-Quarter-sleeve 'V' neck [top/palatinate purple]
-Ankle-length fitted Breeches [pants/dark brown]
-Black leather knee-high boots
Accessories-
-Leather belt pouch
-Suede money pouch [dark brown]
-Lg. potion bag [dark brown]
-Leather & Whalebone travel flask [brown]
-Lg. Leather travel bag [dark brown]
-Moonstar [necklace/silver]
-Necromancer's Rune [ring/ruby and titanium]
Possessions/Other-
-(3) Healing Salves [helps seal a wound and aids in the recovery process]
-(5) Mint leaves [many uses]
-(1) Antidote [aids in poison]
-(2) Insomnia Nectar [helps bring one to sleep, can be used as an anesthetic]
-(1) Rejuvenation Serum  [brings about energy for a period of a few hours, energizing]
All of the above are in the potions bag
-(2) Change of clothes (2 other outfits)
-(1) Blanket
-(1) Paring Knife
-(2) Bandages
-(1) Needle and spool of stitching thread
-(3) Navel Oranges
-(2) Strips of salted beef wrapped in fresh butcher's paper
-(2) Lemons
-(1) Ginger Root
All of the above is inside of the traveling bag
-(1) Flask of spring water
Inside the traveling flask
-(34) Gold Coins
-(1) Gold bartering chain
All of the above are inside the money pouch
-(3) Potion recipes
Inside the belt pouch

Position: A traveling potions-maker. Sometimes she does jobs as a healer using her herbology skills. Other times she just remedies for people's ailments.

Ons:
-Height
-Intelligence
-Nature
-Dark/Night
-Power/Strength

Offs:
-Weak/Vulnerability (or liabilities)
-Stupidity/Doing things on a whim
-Big cities/crowded places

Personality: Lucasta is an intelligent woman, age blessed her with wisdom beyond most humans. She's creative, unique, and always searching for a new path to tackle common problems. She's easy to talk to, but she riddles around questions or prying efforts to get to know her. Lucasta keeps much to herself, and lets her nature be an enigma to most. But her most noticeable characteristics include kindness, generosity, wit, tactic, and an adamant nature.

History: Lucasta does not know her parents, only her foster family of high elves. The tale told to her is that she was brought to them by a wandering Ghost Elf mother. She knows nothing beyond it, and only knows of her family from then on. Her father was a mage, her mother an herbologist. Early on she was taken by her family's love and care, and willingness to teach her things that others would not. They shared with her all of their knowledge, and even some of their vast wisdom. Years passed, and things were well. But upon her eightieth year, things changed. A raid of ravenous orcs came to her colony and set it to blaze. Though the warriors amassed against the orcs, they failed. And though Lucasta joined her fellow Mages, they could not obliterate the flames. The most she could do was help in battle. And to battle, it was truly her first. Fighting the orcs with her spear in hand, trying to pierce their leathery taut skin. Her magic was the strongest aid though, as she bound many orcs and sent them to their deaths with poison spells and her power-consuming soul-eater spell. Soon, they died, and she was amongst one of the last few standing. Of a colony of over 200, there now stood perhaps 15. Amongst which, her parents were not there. While her father had died, her mother was still clinging to life. She had a ragged bone spear puncturing her diaphragm,  blood quickly filling her lungs. Lucasta only found it appropriate to take her mother's misery away. She  cast a sleeping spell and then slit her mother's throat, knowing she would feel no pain...
-
The years afterward passed and Lucasta became a traveling herbologist. She made her way around the world selling her remedies and learning the most unique potion-makings of any. Skilled in many things than just her potions, salves, and magic. She has, as well, in her travels come across many great battles. Weathered and seeking rest, she comes to a crossroads tavern to take rest for the night, if not two.

Any other info you would like to share:
-Her magic is that of aid and ail, with some smaller works such as telekinetic doings. She has no elemental magic.
-Her race glows a soft pale green in the purest dark. They also have keener senses, the ability to detect motion when they gaze at a scene or spot, as well as they can go days and even weeks without sleep.

[Pandamonium]

hot damn.
My character sheet feels so inefficient in comparison to that. hah
very detailed!

[Dreamers Sand]

I got bored and kind of... carried away? lol


P.S.- Done with my profile!

[Foxfyr]

I would like to reserve a place in this RP. I'll post a character sheet tomorrow night.

[Wyrd]

Yes ofcorse! Anyone is welcome to join. Anyone have an idea of where they would like this story to go? I have a few ideas, but I would like to hear someone else's input. 

[Dreamers Sand]

Well there has to be a reason for the mist, for the decline of things as they are and the appearance of the creatures and whatnot. Have you thought about perhaps a journey to reach an artifact that may have some kind of mystic power over these things? Or a sorceress or demi-deity that's been waiting for hundreds of years to rise and take over?

[Wyrd]

That one of my main Ideas. I was thinking that an Evil fallen God of Death and Darkness or something like that, and and other dark Heretics could be behind the mist and the other worldly monsters. As for the Human and Elves, in my story they have always had a hate for one another, And now that this mist has covered the land, both the Humans and the Elves are blaming each other for the mist as an excuse for war. The mist could have also caused the Dwarven sickness.   

[Foxfyr]

Name; Darius Verune

Gender; Male

Age; 70 (appears in his late-twenties)

Race; White Court Vampire (aka, incubus)

Appearance;


Equipment;
Dragon Blades
Scimitar
Grey Cloak
Leather Armor

Position; Wanderer 

Ons; Lust, Fear, Theft, Sarcasm

Offs; Love, other vampires, his overpowering hunger

History;  As with much of the White Court Vampire families, underhanded politics and backroom dealings comprises much of their acquired strength and status.  Darius quickly grew wary of such a politically driven lifestyle and has earned much disdain from his family by ignoring their agenda.  After making a critical faux pas while at a high profile congregation, he was banished from his house in an attempt for his family to save face among the others.  Darius grabbed a few personal belongings, what money he had managed to save up, and left without looking back.  Ever since then, he had wandered without a cause and enjoying whatever entertainment chance had thrown his way.

[Capsarc]

This looks like fun...

Name: Berch

Gender: Male

Age: 19

Race: Ork

Appearance:



Equipment: Boots, loincloth, bracers, shoulderpads, twin axes, whatever he can steal from his opponent.

Position: ...Ork. Warrior, mercenary, hunter, berzerker, barbarian... it's all covered.

Ons:
Fighting
Killing
Winning
Looting
Partying
Dying Gloriously

Offs:
...boredom, i.e. anything not the above.

Personality: Orkish. He lives to fight, kill, win, looting the shinies, have a big party at the end, and then get up again to do it the next day until he finally dies in the biggest fight of them all.

History: Most of his life was pretty much just the above, and he saw most of his horde killed and robbed by various parties of adventurers without giving him the honor of dying at their hands. Figuring he must be doing something wrong, he decided to leave his horde and become an adventurer himself, because clearly they're the ones who get to do all the fighting, killing, winning, looting and partying. He joined the group by answering the only want ad that had pictures, and got the job after scaring away the rest of the competition and eating the one who remained.

[malaki]

Hi All!

I'd like to participate if possible!

Name; Alvanos Archale

Gender; Male

Age; Fairly young for an elf (120)

Race; Corrupted Wood Elf

Appearance;


Equipment; Heavily weathered brown/green leather pants and jerkin with a heavy hooded cloak made out of leafs and a moss like texture. Bound together with a hemp type material. (Very musky smell)
A thin looking worn sword that almost resembles a kryss, a small dagger and a well used bow.

Position; Alvanos use to be one of the watchers for his village, watching over the eastern entrance into the forest that his community use to reside.


Personality;

History;  Alvanos lived a fairly normal life until a large group of mercenaries were forced to take refuge in the very forest that Alvanos's village resided in. The mercenaries were fleeing from a butchering defeat by an organised force. Dehydrated and starved the mercenaries soon stumbled across the small village that could not repel the ravenous merc's resulting in a bloody slaughter of his village. By the time Alvanos realised what was happening it was all too late, he returned to find the very village he grew up in aflame. Over the next few years the spark of hatred he felt for those mercenaries consumed him. The things he was taught as a child by his elders were soon warped beyond recognition, hunting no longer involved respect for the forest and animals around him. Every time he killed, be it for food or out of spite his methods became more twisted and torturous. This was his way of getting back at whatever bastard god let his people fall in such a tragic manner.

He took to living in the dark as a way of survival leaving nothing to chance. This had a horrendous affect on his complexion, changing the fair skinned elf into a pale worn look of a man. 

Any other info you would like to share: This is my first attempt at playing a hate driven elf, hoping to add a rather dark twist on things :)

[Question Mark]

Damn, this looks full up.  Room for one more, or should I wait for someone to drop out?

[Wyrd]

We have not started yet, So if you want, go ahead and post a bio

[Wyrd]

Name: Vir Landros

Gender: Male

Age: 34

Race: Human

Appearance:

Equipment:Chain mail and leather armor, Steel long sword, Round wooded shield, Bow and arrows, Posen Dagger, Black and silver cloak, Map of Ensiferum,   

Personality: Driven with purpose

History: From child hood, Vir was raised on the boarders of the Human land of Keldian. Vir picked up a sword when he was merely 9 when he helped defended his town form Orc raiders. From that moment on Vir knew he wanted to live his life by the blade. Day in and day out, Vir would train with his sword. One day he was drafted to join the Keldian Legion as a swordsman. On one of his patrols on the Elven Border of Keldian, he found an Elf woman half dead in the middle of one of the forest roads. The Elf told him not to get help, but to listen. She told him that some day soon, Evil will fall upon Ensiferum. and that Darkness and war would rule for 100 years, and after every living thing in the land was dead, the cursed Goddess of death and shadows Would rule Ensiferum forever If something was not done to stop her and to stop the coming war. Vir did not believe her words. But then the mist came, and with it cursed and twisted creatures. When Vir saw the mist and the monsters, he left the army and Keldian to hunt down and kill these creatures, and to find out hoe to stop the coming of the end.         

Ons: The feel of his sword in hand, A good drink, The cool night breeze, The thrill of a good hunt.

Offs: Darkness, The Elves, Being unable to protect those who can not protect themselves   

(Tomorrow I will be putting up the RP thread)   

[Capsarc]

That one of my main Ideas. I was thinking that an Evil fallen God of Death and Darkness or something like that, and and other dark Heretics could be behind the mist and the other worldly monsters. As for the Human and Elves, in my story they have always had a hate for one another, And now that this mist has covered the land, both the Humans and the Elves are blaming each other for the mist as an excuse for war. The mist could have also caused the Dwarven sickness.

It'd be a really cool twist if it turned out to be one of the good deities who was responsible for all this, and he was trying to like cleanse the world like with Noah, because really, this whole place just sounds like a giant festering pit of evil and must be purged.

[PeacethatPowerbrings]

Name: Elizabeth Harlock

Gender: Female

Age: 21

Race: Human (Witch-Killer)

Appearance:


Equipment: Witch-Killer Armor (Bronze, worn over bare skin, but under the armor she wears on the outside) gives her strength, and physical protection. Heavy armor, steel chainmail coat, gauntlets, greaves. Witch-Killer Knight's tunic. Heavy Crossbow, Steel Shield, broadsword, longsword, dagger.

Position: Witch-Killer Knight

Preferences:
-Ons: Skill, Duty, Honor, Loyalty.
-Offs: Magic.

Personality: Honorable, dutiful, determined.

History: Born into a line of humans bred to have an unusually powerful resistence to magic, the Witch-Killers are a matriarchical knighthood. She was trained from childhood to hunt and kill magical creatures, or people, if they became troublesome. Serving as part of the regular order of knights as well, Witch-Killers are secretive about their order, and only leave their homes in the large human cities when duty demands it. Elizabeth proved herself exceptionally skilled as a warrior, and more so as a hunter, and tracker. She is routinely sent to deal with the most dangerous of events, though she is still young.

Any other info you would like to share: The suit of bronze armor she wears under her normal armor gives her the muscled look she has, the exceptional trait of Witch-Killers are their resistence to magic, without that bronze suit, she is of merely average human strength, though her skill with conventional weapons and on horseback are all very real.

[Capsarc]

*winces*

Might not wanna wear it over bare skin... armor can... pinch in very uncomfortable places. You might wind up with some impromptu nipple piercings.

[Wyrd]

It'd be a really cool twist if it turned out to be one of the good deities who was responsible for all this, and he was trying to like cleanse the world like with Noah, because really, this whole place just sounds like a giant festering pit of evil and must be purged.

Well it was not always this evil. 1000 years ago just the elves, dwarfs and dragon lived in Ensiferum. But then Humans came from across the ocean and tried to conquer the place, and then every thing started to get all fucked up. Though the idea of a good god doing all this and framing one of the evil gods sounds pretty cool. We will have to see where this goes.     

[Capsarc]

Well it was not always this evil. 1000 years ago just the elves, dwarfs and dragon lived in Ensiferum. But then Humans came from across the ocean and tried to conquer the place, and then every thing started to get all fucked up. Though the idea of a good god doing all this and framing one of the evil gods sounds pretty cool. We will have to see where this goes.   

Indeed, but even if it wasn't always this evil, it's evil now, and that's what matters.

[Gwindolyn]

Name;  Freezya Teardrop

Gender;  Female

Age; About 200, young for an elf.

Race; Elven

Appearance; Short little elf.  Oddly curvacious, speaking to human blood in her history.   Long Firey, red curls that fall to the back of her knees.  Most often pulls up on the sides and back from the front, but left to hang down her back.  Her skin the color of milk.  Ears longer than human, shorter than elf, but still pointed.  Her featues are soft and delicate.  There is an innocent playfulness in her looks.  She wears long gowns as favored by the elves, but not fancy or elite gowns.  Elegantly simple would be the phrase for her choice in clothing.  Her hands, use to hard work shows nothing but smooth softness.  Her eyes are turquoise green and most often sparkle with impish mischief.  Her smile is easy and rarely missing.  Her whole demeanor is of welcome and acceptance, even to the dark races.  She wears little to no make-up with slightly plum coloring to her lips and has long, dark eyelashes.  Her cheeks are nearly always rosy red with laughter or blushing.

Equipment; A full length, elven gown, boots to her knees, slightly heeled.  They often match the color of her gown.  Her clothing is simple, but elegant.  Not showy and modest.  Anything she would be carrying would be hidden in its folds.  Elven clothes are good for that.

Position;  Tavern keeper

Preferences;  She is oddly drawn to the chivalrous vampire or to goodly drow. 
A nice looking Elf always gets her going as well.
Good manners and a touch of flattery do her well.
She's a bit masochistic, but she doesn't show that to many.

She doesn't like rudeness, being belittled or underestimated. 
Things that would smell 'wrong' like undead or lycan would not be her desire.

Personality;  She is bubbly and firey.  She is polite and cheerful to the point of annoying. 
She is happy to be helpful and serve willingly, but don't try to make her your pet.  Her temper matches her firey red hair.
She welcomes all around her until they prove the need to be unwelcomed.  She carries nothing on her that would be threatening, at least not wear they can be seen.  She has an impish sense of humor and loves to tease.  She is often like the innocent lolita where innuendoes will make her blush and yet, she seems to invite them.

History;  She was born to these lands from a human father who farmed and an Elven bardic mother.  Her mother was cursed by the elves for her human love.  The curse was exile and a revoking of her immortality.  It took a few years for it to fully take her life, but it did deprive Freezya of a mother for most her life.  Her father, being human raised her until his death at the age of 87.  He had a good life.  They were isolated at their farm as Freezya was not accepted by the town nor the elves.  So she is use to isolation, making due with what she has and making friends in the oddest places and of the oddest races.  It may explain her ability to talk with animals.

She has little to no fear.

Any other info you would like to share:
She is a druid and keeps many herbs and such on hand at the tavern.  She makes teas to help.  She has limited access to the innate elven magic in her genes.  Her elven magic is mainly little distractions or touches, subtle.  Nothing that could hurt or heal.  Her druid powers are more helpful in that way.  But her magic is very nature orientated.  So she would not be able to throw a fireball, but she can call upon the bees to make someone decide not to be in her space. 

She is strong as she was a farmer with her father and now runs the tavern by herself.  However, she is just normal flesh and blood in any other way.

She always has need of supplies as this place is a little out of the way.

[Question Mark]

Name: Emrick Stone

Gender: Male

Age: 24

Race: Human, Southern

Appearance:


Equipment:
Clothing - What he has on in the picture.  His pants go to his ankles, where they hook onto clasps on his boots, which are thick, uncolored leather.
Weaponry - Emrick posseses a roughly built composite shotgun, made by his father.  Single shot with a long reload (~45 seconds if he hurries), accurate to about twenty five meters.  Can be loaded with a single slug or crushed shot for scatter.  ((E.N.: If you don't want gunpowder or explosives in the RP, that's cool to.  Just let me know.))
- He also owns a springloaded bolter.  It's a small simple device: a metal spring in a cylinder hooked to a trigger release.  When released, it can hurl a stone a good ten meters about as fast as a sling.  Really only effective in close range due to poor accuracy.  Takes a good ten minutes to recompact the spring, so the first shot is the only shot.
- Emrick doesn't possess any bladed or other melee weapons.  The shotgun is for hunting, and the bolter is a last resort, and more of a show-off weapon anyway.
Scholar - He possesses several rolls of blank parchment, as well as a couple of writing quills and a decent amount of ink.  These are for recording his findings, taking notes, working equations, and miscellaneous journaling.
- Emrick also has several books, including one he is in the process of writing.  The others are mainly geographic and cultural surveys of  Ensiferum, relevant to his travels.  They contain maps, eyewitness accounts of local animals and persons, paths and roads, sources of water, remote settlements, etc.
Powders - Amidst his satchels, Emrick has a small segmented pouch that contains a variety of powders.  Some are magical in nature: mystical residue, strange dust, and other powders that contain abnormal qualities or energy.  Some are samples, such as ground metal that somehow clings together, or crushed dirt from a remote, dark-watered river.  There are a few, too, that serve more recreational purposes, IYKWIM.

Position: Scholar, Researcher, Explorer, Mage

Preferences: In general, Emrick prefers the wild and random nature of, er, nature over the moderated structure of civilization.  He is easily bored.  He is a good-oriented person
Ons
- Exploration and discovery
- Information, research, and knowledge
- Happiness
- Nature
- Magic
- Storytelling
- Open mindedness
- Intelligence
- Change
- Utilitarianism
- Women
Offs
- Death and pain
- Rigidity and monotony
- Stupidity
- Tradition, ceremony, etc.
- Ignorance
- Evil, malevolence, "dark" people and things
- Needless fighting/destruction

Personality: Emrick's youth, combined with his expeditions throughout Ensiferum, has created a semi-mature personality.  He's both naive and street smart, knowing how to survive and how the world works, but also stuck in the eternal optimism of youth.  He takes things as they come, often jumping to conclusions and acting on impulse.  He's not stupid though; his impulses are based on accurate insight, a knack for seeing through the bullshit and straight to the source of the problem.  Emrick has a boundless imagination, always experimenting with magic and expressing his creativity through writing and storytelling.  He's bored easily, always on the move and looking for change.  He prefers diplomacy over violence, talking over combat; this is both because of his relative inexperience with fighting, and because of his overall focus on creation and discovery.
Two Words - Curious Optimist

History: Emrick was born to a dutiful father and a priestess mother.  He was raised in the confines of a sheltered town, fortified and heavily defended from the increasingly dangerous world around it.  From a young age he thirsted for exploration, and spent more than one night dozing off on a ceiling or on the edge of the ramparts, looking out into the unknown world.  At the age of thirteen, he permanently turned away from his parents professions, instead pursuing the life of a student.  He was moved into the local academy, and spent many of his teenage years examining scrolls, learning long forgotten languages, and studying the works of the world.  In time, he turned his attention away from worldly matters, and began studying magic.

His studies were cut off when he turned 17, and took on his first contract with a local guild to research parts of the world that haven't been visited in years.  Emrick was to travel there, document his findings, grab samples, and return for his next assignment.  Obviously, he lept at the opportunity to explore the unknown.  He continues to take such contracts from guilds around Ensiferum, and still studies magic and the world around him as he goes.  His current contract has lead him here, and he uses the Twilight Tavern as a central location from which to explore the surrounding wilderness.






My only questions are about magic and technology.  What level of technology is there?  Do we have primitive guns or steampunk (a la Warcraft), or is it pure fantasy (a la LotR)?

What kind of magic exists in the world?  Is it common?  What are its abilities, its limits?  Where do magic users draw power from (i.e. from lambent energy, a definitive power source somewhere, from within themselves, etc.)?  Do certain people have a natural aptitude for it, or can anyone learn how to use it?  Does magic work only through specific incantations (think spoken spells, written scrolls, runes, empowered objects, etc.), or is it free energy that can be willed to do whatever work the mage wishes?