Magic is the pulse and breath of Worldstree. It is as basic and essential a Force as Wind or the Sun. There are very few living things in Worldstree that are not magical, and those (mostly fish and lower plants) can be considered exceptions.
All the Peoples are innately magical beings, universally manifested in their longevity, immunity to disease and the various effects of the High Metals. These effects are constant and cannot be altered, except by the Secret Rituals of Savantry.
In addition, most Races have one or more additional form of Magic. Some Arts are widely known and practiced by many Races, others are known only to a few or even a single Individual (such as the Storm Arts of the WindLord). The widely practiced Arts include Knacks, Lorecraft, Savantry, Alchemy, Art-Crafting and Spellsinging. Astrology is widely heard of, but practiced only by a few.
Secondsights are special advantages that allow users of magic (a sometimes others) to see or sense things beyond the normal world.
Many of the Arts make use of Ingredients and/or Components, the difference being that Ingredients are consumed in the casting of the Spell. The need for Ingredients in the Arts drives the Trade and Commerce of Worldstree.
Enchantments are Magical Items that can be used without the user actually casting a spell, though they often draw energy from the user. Enchantments include such everyday things as Potions and Magic Swords, but also such esoterica as Magic Beans and Black Lotus Smoke. Enchantments are the technology and basis of the Civilizations of Worldstree. Enchantments are created by means of Lorecraft, and are thus different from the Artifacts of ArtCraft. In particular, Enchantments tend to have a limited number of uses and/or must be recharged, and are an order of magnitude less powerful than Artifacts. The most powerful practioner of this art is without a doubt the Enchantress of Lonely Isle.
Knacks
The most basic Art is the Knack, the trick that allows Faeries
to fly and
Celenes to shape change.
Lorecraft is the traditional Magic of the Elves, but is also practiced by some Celenes and Dryads. Lorecraft is a highly literary art: the recording of Spells in SpellBooks is of great import. Like Alchemy, this Art uses Ingredients and Components, but they are not as rare as those needed for Greater Alchemy and lesser amounts are used. Lorecraft is a difficult and obtuse Art, created by Elves after eons of Civilizations, and its students tend to devote thier lives to it alone, in the quest for Archmagery - Lorecraft is a solitary Art. Lorecraft is powerful in battle and very flexible, but it is not the easiest Art for Enchantments. The High Metals are an integral part of Lorecraft, and the Race of the Mage is of defining importance.
The Art of Spellsong is musical Magic, through instrument and/or voice. It is the particular speciality of Birds, Satyrs, Grigs and other Little People, though some Spellsongs are known by entertainers of all Races. Most of this Art is involved in entertainment, and the Songs are those of Illusion and Charm. Spellsinging is not as structured an Art as Lorecraft, and Impromptu Songs are possible, though rare. Spellsingers cannot create Enchanments, not even the Magical Instruments so beloved of its Artists.
Savantry is the somewhat spurious term for the Magic of Savants, especially that done by Acolytes. Savants are Highly Concerned with an abstract force they call Balance. Balance is epitomized by a healthy and beautiful Econiche, lacking in areas where the Environs have been damaged or destroyed by the actions of both Nature and the various Peoples. In some ways it is the Elven way of compensating for the destruction caused in the War. Savantism is very structed and Hierarchical, based on a psuedoelemental analysis of the Universe. All Savants revere the Worldstree, but the highest level, the Heirophants study nothing but that, and the Mystery it represents. Savants often use simple natural Ingredients in their Rituals and Enchantments, which are best done Ceremonially.
Savantry is incompatible with other forms of Magic. In order to pass beyond the rank of Neophyte, a Savant must undergo rituals with free him of the effects of the High Metals, meaning that most other forms of magic (all but Alchemy and Astrology) are lost to him.
Alchemy is the most Useful and Widespread of the Arts, or so the Greater Alchemists say. No doubt, basic Potions are universally available and the Art of making them varies widely and uses mostly local Ingredients. Basic potions, healing potions, love potions, etc, however, are the province of Lesser Alchemy, which is distinctly different from Greater Alchemy. In addition, one must consider the perverse Necromantic Alchemy practiced by the Savage Elves of the Mistflower Jungles. Alchemy is the Art of combining naturally Magical Ingredients in such a way as to cause a predictable effect when the mixture is imbided. Little or no Spellcraft is involved; the Magic is in the Ingredients. Myrmidon Nurses and certain types of Pixies also have their own variety of Alchemy, which for conveince's sake will be call Hive Alchemy.
In some ways, the act of creating anything is an Art in that Creation in itself is Magic. The creation of Enchanments is merely a furthering of the Art of any craftsman, for what point is there in making some that's NOT Magical? Oreads, in particular, are Master Craftsmen, though Elves, Satyrs and Centaurs are known for certain specific Items. The skills involved in the Crafts are highly secret, taught only from Master to Apprentice.
Astrologyis exclusive to the Celene Races. Astrology is the means by which the Elders of Celenest use the Menhirs and the positions of the Celestial Bodies to open Gates to other Myths. This is not something they do lightly, or often, but the Menhirs themselves are hard to miss, as are the Travellers from other Myths.
Faerie Healing a form of lesser magic that uses the powers of gems and
powered high metals to heal the psychological diseases that affect Faeries,
and also has some limited power over simple wounds and poisonings.