Magic

Magic in Amarax
There are a number of different forces that have been discovered throughout the many ages of Amarax, this section is organized in order of most to least commonly used forms of magic that can be found in the world

Stones
The use of Stones throughout Amarax is extremely familiar to the point where in many parts of the world Stones are commonplace in daily life. The stones are believed to be portions of the great stone Nara that were scattered across the land in the Great Breaking. This shattering has resulted in many different sizes of crystals, listed here:
 * Pocket Stones: The smallest of the stones, many carry a few for small tasks such as picking a single lock or being able to light a fire in camp.  These stones are not powerful enough to cast legitimate spells and only can be used a few times before needing to be re-invigorated.
 * Hand Stones: These stones are roughly the size of a chicken egg, and typically are a similar shape, roughly spherical or flat smooth disks.  They are carried by travelers and merchants who need a larger source of the Power without returning to town for re-invigoration.  Hand stones can be used to cast spells, but this depletes them very quickly.  More commonly they are used for the same tasks as pocket stones, but last much longer.
 * Staff stones (aka Wand Stones): Staff stones are the first of the "rare" stones, and are typically found integrated into wizard staffs (or less commonly, wands).  They are larger still than hand stones, and the use of the stone with a rod or staff is thought to keep the wielder safe from any incidents with the stone.  Another school of thought is that the staff stones are lashed to staffs to allow others to see the status of the owner, as they are extremely expensive.
 * Carriage Stone: These stones are typically used in extremely rare scenarios, such as a coronation or large scale war, as the stones are so large as to require a drawn carriage to transport. The advantage they present is that the stones are large and powerful enough as to be utilized by many casters at once, rather than each person having their own source of Power.  When paired with a powerful wizard or warlock, carriage stones can be used to cast extremely powerful spells, or significantly enhanced versions of lesser spells.
 * City Stone: By far the rarest stones in Amarax, city stones are called such as they are permanent fixtures of the world, and no method has been discovered to break pieces off of them. They are used to re-invigorate lesser stones, and many cities have grown nearby in order to utilize this power.  The city of Crown is the only city to be built directly on top of a city stone, but after a number of incidents in the third age it was widely agreed that it was unwise to build cities upon stones.

The Floes
The Floes is a force of power that exists in all living things, with varying concentrations. Floes are utilized by various casters by Focusing. There are two schools of thought when it comes to Focusing the Floes.
 * Consumption : One method of focusing is by consuming the Floes in other living things. This can lead to a number of side effects for the target, including a slight headache, exhaustion, and even death in the most extreme yet rare cases. Those who implement this method of Focusing are known as Sorcerers. Typically they wear a number of living plants on their person, and carry small creatures they can consume the Floes from and then rehabilitate (as long as the Focusing didn't kill the creature). There is a smaller school of thought among Sorcerers that states only plant material should be used for Focusing, and over the centuries they have refined this into learning which plants and components are most useful for various purposes. These Sorcerers have come to be known as Druids, but they are few and far between, some saying their kind disappeared over 200 years ago, attributed to the fact that plant life simply does not have the amount of Floes needed to sustain the Druids.
 * Synergy : The second method of Focusing is more symbiotic in nature, but follows similar principles. Both forms of Focusing require the consumption of Floes from living beings, but The Bardic school of magic convinces people to loosen their grip on the Floes and allows the Bards to consume the power. It was discovered some time in the second age that entertainment left the performer far more powerful and left the recipient of the performance feeling positive, but also quite tired. This exhaustion only lasted a day or so, but the Floes received by the performer were stronger and longer lasting than any form of Sorcery available at the time. Over the years, a number of Sorcerers began telling stories and performing various musical acts in taverns across Amarax, and the Bardic order was founded.