Eyom's magic is notably different from that of the rest of the world, the reason for the difference is the God Wall; the mystical energy barrier which surrounds Eyom and serves to keep Irus contained to the continent. This barrier interferes with the natural flow of magical energy, greatly reducing the amount of mana an individual can contain and channel. Consequently, individuals with the ability to cast anything beyond a spell of Energy Level 1 are exceptionally rare; so much so they are normally recruited by universities or governments to serve a highly specific role (Often scientific in nature.).

This dampening of arcane ability isn't limited to those born in Eyom. The moment anyone enters the God Wall their magical potential drops exponentially. Interestingly, inanimate objects which have been enchanted using conventional means retain their function and energies within the God Wall. It is believed this effect was intentional on the part of the wall's creators in order to ensure weapons they might being into Eyom would continue to function as expected. However, the possibility of this being entirely unintentional due to security concerns is equally likly.

Eyom's native population does not lack access to magic. As magic is required for a soul to exist and consequently a person to function, Eyom receives just enough energy to permit its residents to live comfortably. Most of Eyom's residents can learn and cast cantrips, with a majority able to produce a spell effect of Energy Level 1 regularly. Individuals with the capacity of the wizards of other lands also exist, but are exceptionally rare. So much so that these individuals rarely have any say in their lives and will be pressed into service by a state or other major actor.

An as of yet not understood phenomenon permits Eyom's residents access to large pools of magic in groups. For whatever reason, when individuals concentrate into groups of at least 500 a low level arcane energy field forms around the group, extending some distance from them. These nodes are limited in the degree of power, but bottomless in quantity of power available. For example, a town of 500 individuals could each power magical items of energy level 1 or lower simply off the ambient magic surrounding their community. An effectively unlimited number of magical items can be powered in this way, but any items requiring a greater activation energy will not function. In fact attempting to use such an item can temporarily overwhelm a town's aura and cause it to collapse for a short time before reforming.

To combat this problem, as well as the problem of lacking portable magic, Eyom has leaned more into technology and enchanting than any other land in the world. The three primary sources/means of Eyomic Magic are discussed below.

Patron Arcana

Patron Arcna is a form of magic where the power required for spell-effects is willingly granted to the caster by a single entity. In Eyom, this is most commonly observed in witches, whose powers are given to them by a powerful being in a form of business transaction. This form of magic source is rare in Eyom due to there being very few beings capable of projecting power through the God Wall to a significant degree. Most Eyomic Patrons (the word for entities offering power) exist within Eyom itself. Consequently, patrons are also power dampened.

As Patrons are reduced in power, few patrons can give a mortal the same level of power as mages outside the God Wall experience. These Patrons are therefore able to demand very high prices for their services. The price of a Patron's services is entirely dependent on the amount of power in question, and the specific individual offering the power. Patrons such as Kami may demand their Dependents (the word for someone receiving power) operate as employees within their employ. Others such as Succubi may simply wish for a friend or romantic partner and see the bestowing of magic as more of a gift.

Patrons are divided into a hierarchy based on how much power they can offer. Each category is named for a form of opal, for no other reason than the scholar shoes ranking system stuck really liked opals. A list of Eyom's Patron Hierarchy, with examples of common patrons:

Populous Arcana

Populous Arcana is the mechanism unique to Eyom where groups of souls in close proximity create a harmonic resonance field of tremendous energy, though limited in power. Most of Eyom's settlements possess such a field, each attuned to a specific school of magic based on the settlement's history, members, and geography. These fields are somewhat temperamental if left in their natural state, and are also easily disrupted simply by trying to draw more energy from them in one moment than they can supply. A series of theological rituals and ancient arcane wards are employed by each town (often through the employment of Civil Monks) to "cultivate" the town's aura into a more hearty, robust, and useful form.

Once an aura is cultivated, a specific talisman is required to attune to it. These talismans are usable in any other town with an aura of the identical energy type, thus most travelers will simply purchase a matched set of charms for their journeys. Each charm can funnel power either to magical items, or to a single individual. The tap is direct, and allows the user to cast spells, preform spell-effects, or otherwise draw on magical energy up to the limits of the field. Attempts to overdraw simply disable the talisman (Which will need to be reset by the user).

The most interesting aspect of this method of harnessing magical power is it is infinite. A town's aura may only support second level spells, but a caster attuned to it can cast as many second level spells as they wish back to back. (Imperial Warning: Criminally minded enterprising individuals are warned that while your mana pool is functionally bottomless in Eyomic towns, so too are those of the guards. And the citizens. Additionally, the wilds of Eyom are home to things far more cunning and dangerous than a mere mortal caster. Lastly, the town guards can disable your talisman remotely if necessary.) Many communities take measures to ensure more destructive spells can only be used by guards, government officials, and military personnel. This is possible due to the talismans being able to limit the energy level they provide. Tinkering to bypass these restrictions tends to destroy the Talisman.

Town Aura energy supplies are dependent on certain population thresholds being met. The curve these thresholds follow is based on the following equation:

If you would like to buy Junior Mathematician Edward Grove a sympathy drink for having worked that one out, you may contact him through the Ordos Scholaratoria Enforced Vacation Department.

Totem Arcana

Totem Arcana is the most common source of magical energy in Eyom. It serves as a supplment for Populous Arcana in rural areas, as well as being the means by which many industrial workings function. Totem Arcana utilities specially crafted totems which gather energy from various natural sources such as the moon, the stars, the mantle, and the natural ambient arcane field. Totems collect, store, and concentrate these energies at different rates depending on their specific makeup and design. A charged totem is able to transmit stored power to a talisman which has been attuned to it, thereby providing magical energy to an enchanted item. The energy levels gathered by natural sources are quite weak, but can power cantrip level spells. To gather power for more enrgy intinsive spells, the Totem must be charged within a Populous Arcana zone or be fuled by an elemental crystal.

Totems are not able to give power directly to individuals, nor can their power be refined at the totem or by an individual to produce a specific spell-effect. Each user of a totem requires a talisman for each spell they wish to use. This talisman will take the raw energies from the totem, convert them as needed, shape them, and then cast their spell, or activate their effect, as the user's will.

Totems have a few obvious drawbacks. Totems are finite reservoirs of magic, and require periods of charging between uses. Totems can only store so much magic at a given time, meaning one cannot simply let a totem sit for a year and then cast continuously for days on end. Totems are also somewhat bulky and difficult to move, often requiring a small two-wheeled cart to move if they support spells in excess of 8th level or have a particular large broadcast range. Totems are also limited in their range, and can only transmit power so far. This necessitates totem users take their totems into the field, and generally for them to have two or three totems for the sake of constant magic output. Additionally, managing the many talismans needed to have access to a wide array of spells can be cumbersome.

Many may wonder why is Totem Arcana the most common form of magic within Eyom, given the serious drawbacks. The answer is simple. Patrons prices can be far steeper than a simple purse of gold and needing to pull a cart through the woods once in a while. Patrons do not like having more than a few Dependents each (with some exceptions), and no institution could provide for all its magical needs via even a handful of patrons. Since taking a number of people into the field sufficient to use Populous Arcana is simply impractical at best, Totem Arcana is the only way one can reasonably obtain access to spells and spell-effects in the wilds of Eyom. Aside that is from enchanted items, as most of them can power themselves (Scholar's Note: Most if not all of Eyom's enchanted items which are not intended to be powered via Populous Arcana have quirks, drawbacks, and design flaws. Most importantly, no two are quite alike. Thus, no group operating in the wilds depends solely on enchanted equipment.)