Magic's End
Magic's End is an excerpt from The Tome of Magic by Nokev the Wise. This passage describes the consequences of the Second Law of Magic - a concept that mages have determined to be a universal truth in the use of magic.
This codex follows a chapter that guides the reader through freezing a bowl of water while casting a fire spell, and then extinguishing the fire with magic while melting the ice.
Codex Text
Magic has an end.
From the simplest spell to the portal stones that connect the world – in time, all things magic will cease to have any power. Time itself consumes the magical aether – as if it was a self-sustaining spell. More on this in a future chapter. And don't assume any physical damage fades, though – the physical scars of magic won't fade so easily.
You may have noticed the effects of this law in the ice & fire exercises last chapter. Hopefully you followed the exercises to the exact letter. Can you create the same amount of ice with the fireball you made? Of course not. A considerable amount of water didn't refreeze.
This is the Second Law of Magic in action. Time doesn't require decades to drain magic like it does with magical tools and portal stones. Just a split second is enough. Not only do you have to pay the price for the spell's effect, but you must pay a price just to sustain the casting of the spell long enough – "waste magic" in a sense.
This is why the Lorel Swordmages all cast effectively the same simple spell. They've practiced it for years for peak mana efficiency. Apply this to a centuries old artifact continuously losing its magical energy, and you will understand why every merchant city pays handsomely for the few active portal stones to be maintained.
The Second Law is that universal and absolute. And those that master the First and Second Laws will grow to become great mages.
From the simplest spell to the portal stones that connect the world – in time, all things magic will cease to have any power. Time itself consumes the magical aether – as if it was a self-sustaining spell. More on this in a future chapter. And don't assume any physical damage fades, though – the physical scars of magic won't fade so easily.
You may have noticed the effects of this law in the ice & fire exercises last chapter. Hopefully you followed the exercises to the exact letter. Can you create the same amount of ice with the fireball you made? Of course not. A considerable amount of water didn't refreeze.
This is the Second Law of Magic in action. Time doesn't require decades to drain magic like it does with magical tools and portal stones. Just a split second is enough. Not only do you have to pay the price for the spell's effect, but you must pay a price just to sustain the casting of the spell long enough – "waste magic" in a sense.
This is why the Lorel Swordmages all cast effectively the same simple spell. They've practiced it for years for peak mana efficiency. Apply this to a centuries old artifact continuously losing its magical energy, and you will understand why every merchant city pays handsomely for the few active portal stones to be maintained.
The Second Law is that universal and absolute. And those that master the First and Second Laws will grow to become great mages.
– From The Tome of Magic, by Nokev the Wise, legendary mage and scholar