Magic as Treaty

Lots of talk goes around about spells as creatures. You know: they live in the caster's brain and you can breed them and everything like the Chao Garden or something. This is cool and fine but it sort of seems to make out spells as pets which sort of denigrates them, makes them into fluffy arcane brain doggos. So I had a different idea based off of what I have seen from various media including the Jungle Book, Dr. Strange and Mr. Norrell, and Earthsea

Magic is the ancient art of communication. In elder days when all creatures of the earth and sky, all the trees and the hills, the flames and wind, spoke the same language, every word was magic. It might be said that there was no magic, but that would completely undersell the wonder of the time. When man first emerged onto the world, they spoke at length with the mountains and called the stars by their names.

In those days the tribes of all things would establish among themselves and each other pacts and laws, devising Master Words that members of a tribe could use to recognize each other. The first war was waged between the mountains and the deep flames of the earth. The flames created forms for themselves of scaly flesh and gave birth to the salamanders and the dragons. The mountains crafted forms of stony flesh and industry, creating the first dwarves and giants.

By Ma-ako used without permission

The war lasted long until the first wizard, Emrys the Elder, stepped forward, a simple man to arbitrate between the two titanic forces. He signed a peace treaty between them with the first marriage of deep flame with mountain, creating the first volcano. The creatures made for their war mostly forgot their origins and still war among themselves to this day. In the process of this treaty, the first wizard guaranteed some rights for the tribe of men, eternal favors to be called upon in times of need.

Magic began to fade from the world as the communicative energies of creation wane as the world emerges from infancy. The tongues were scattered and now there were few who could draw upon the language of creation. These would become the wizards and wise women of mankind. In these days they were still many enough to converse with the trees and stars and learn their Master Words and create treaties and pacts. Imandrin the Crafty, born among the peoples of the forest learned the Master Words of the Forest Tribes and stole the seduced the sacred river Yan, marrying her to sign a pact to gain the healing powers of the Water People.

Ayo of the Fell Tongue, coaxed out the secrets of all things alcoholic. Penelope the Twisted learned the Master Words of the Snakes and all things serpentine. Linden the Joyful is legend for having made a pact with Sleep itself and gaining safe passage to the realm of dreams.

Many such heroes would become a part of the legend and myths of mankind as all but the folk of flesh began to fall asleep and the animals grew dumb, speaking no more, nor wandering as they did in elder days, speaking only to the gifted few who can rouse them from their stupor. In modern times, magic has become an art of study. Few things can speak or act at length in these days without the power of the ancient pacts forcing them, thus learning the details of the pacts, the Master Words, the ancient customs of parlay, the modern Wizard might use the work of the heroes which came before to their advantage. These wizards are hardly wizards as such but stand entirely upon the shoulders of those that came before. Though a gifted few still arise from time to time to awaken some elder concept and bandy words with it.

Mechanics: Spellcasting essentially can remain the same in most cases. Each spell is a pact or using the Master Words of elements of nature and calling upon these creative powers to communicate. This exhausts or perhaps overwhelms the caster as they channel the communicative wonder which first formed the world. This essentially removes the difference between the cleric and wizard as the wizard is essentially drawing upon the power of the divine words of the Creator.

Another difference might be the necessity of the element present to use it. You can't use a pact with the trees if there are none, nor speak Master Words for animals in a lifeless dungeon. Magic might become more situational.

Components would also be thought of differently as a component would be a ritualistic sign of the pact or an offering in exchange for services.

The greatest acts of magic become those times when a wizard speaks and the elements obey regardless of pact for it is in these moments that new pacts are made and the elements bow to the mastery of the wizard. Or when the wizard truly rouses a force of nature to speak with them.

Here is are some spells created or reworked with this idea:

Master Words:

A Master Words spell is a spell that powerfully rouses a creature to their Edenic consciousness. These are words that call upon the subject as words which identify the speaker as kin. Master Words do not guarantee much. If the subject is easily able to help then they must, but they may also require some service or trade. They might also refuse you outright if you have been bad to their kind or broken your promise to them. These are open-ended kinds of spells and spells that ought to be hard to find as they are simple in many ways and so all the easier to forget.

Fire: "I burn, as well."

Small friendly flames often just want kindling to spread themselves upon. Large flames and the deep flames of the earth (magma) often want sacrifices of the caster: proof that they truly burn.

Wind: "Fly high, friend!"

This spell does not work when there isn't much draft. Wind is alive and vibrant. Stagnant air is asleep. The wind is friendly and eager to help but is easily distracted. They might help you for a time and then go chatter to all their friends about you while your continued cries for help go unheard.

Earth: "Rumbling and low, I hear the song from down below."

The earth gives little. Its sleep is quite deep. Precious jewels can sway it to small acts: moving a hall, creating a 5 by 5 hole, causing a minor tremor. Some mountains can become angry, possessed by those deep stones whose minds are strange and who preside over stranger lands which man has never seen. The most these words will do for such creatures is begin a dialogue and amuse the stones to stop them from crushing you outright.

Water: "We are of one mighty sea, thou and I."

The water of a river is often eager to help. It may demand a damn be broken or that its fish be fed. The water of the river, however, likes to go with the flow. Asking it to behave too much outside of its nature simply does not work. The water of the ocean is a dangerous breed. Like the deep stones, it presides over places where light never reaches whose denizens are vast and alien. Such water is uncaring about the puny creatures which sail atop it but getting its attention might be enough to spare you a storm. Ocean water can also be bought with sunken ships full of treasure and baubles as it likes to think of itself as a collector of such things.


Contracts and Pacts:

Tunnel Guide: "Of old, you thanked me for giving you peace! Now guide me through your depths to safety!"

These words were spoken by Emrys the Elder when he became lost in the tunnels of Mount Sambor. He spoke thus, calling upon his rights as the creator of their peace with the deep flames, and Sambor gave him aid. Speaking these words gives the caster knowledge of which paths lead to what. Like an Augur, but the earth does not think as people do. If will know whether creatures are down this path but not what kind. It will know if there are contraptions down this path but nothing more. It will definitely know when there are large gaps or tight spaces. It will definitely know if there is magma or water. It will always know the way which leads out to the surface.

Healing Waters: "By the union of sacred Yan, give this wounded body the tenderness of your cleansing touch."

Requires: A fistful of rice as a symbol of Yan's marriage to Imandrin.

Calling upon the marriage of Imandrin the Crafty's marriage with the sacred river Yan, you can heal a submerged creature that you can touch 2d6 HP or heal a sickness or wound.

The Eyes of Kaa: "Feared Lord of the Apes, whose immense yellow length all envy, grant me your eyes whose beauty entrances all!"

Requirements: You must feed a snake before regaining the ability to cast this spell.

Ayo of the Fell Tongue was close friends with a great python who roamed the jungle. One day she talked this serpent into teaching her the trick of its enchanting eyes. Thus still, when this pact is called upon, the caster may lock eyes with a creature forcing that creature to make some save or be entranced by your eyes. Until the subject is commanded to do something that they would never do or takes damage or the caster breaks eye contact with them, the subject must obey the caster.