Need help with the use of Magic in my story

[cookieroach]

What makes the "normal" three types of magic limited to humans/wood elves/high elves? Is it biological, cultural (e.g. they only teach this magic to their own kind) or something else?

I think the logic to that should be tied in to why only the villain is able to do the new dark magic. For example, if it's limited by biology, maybe he's different in some way. If it's limited by culture and rules/rituals, maybe he stumbled upon this new magic by accident. I don't have any specific suggestions, but I think it follow the same logic between all magic usage and why it's limited to certain people/species.

[Legendofgenii]

Maybe he sacrifices the dragon in tribute to a god, and the god then awards him this new power? I don’t know the religious lore of your story, but that could work.

[Inspector_Spinda]

Kills the dragon and puts all it's blood into the well. Then you can also do a subplot about magic cholera.

[arbiterswake]

I hadn't considered this. Definitely something I'll have to flesh out, thanks!

@Legendofgenii There is religion but I'm trying to avoid "divine" power or the use of gods. Humans in the story believe they can use magic because it is a blessing from their "god." This isn't the case however.

@Inspector_Spinda I actually haven't considered this option. I really like the idea of corrupting one of the wells of magic. I'll have to brainstorm this a bit more and think of how it's plausable.

[bookkeeper]

I like a lot of the ideas above, so I won't repeat or spin-off from them.
A simple source or reasoning for how the dark magic was made could be backlash. The sacrificed dragon's resentment is what changes their magic and which the elf harnesses as dark magic. Essentially, the dragon's magic is tainted by the process, and the magic which is a blessing turns cursed. Possibly, due to his negative experiences and emotions, it synchronizes with the resentment, making it compatible for him to use this new dark magic.
This is an idea to explain how dark magic could be created without needing a tangible catalyst so to speak.

Edit: And possibly, this could give rise to new problems that antagonists might be able to wield dark magic too? That might be an interesting idea.

[DiegoPalacios]

What happens when such magic kinds get mixed?......could that discovery lead to other kinds?.....

Perhaps your villain could have discovered this by experimenting on dragons and becomming the first necromancer.....

If magic is biological and if it's possible to be born a half/elf or other mix in races, it could lead to the unique circumstances that lead to necromancy....

Maybe the villain was ostracised for his mixed race and unusual magic........

[Ordinaryaverageguy]

hhmmm... just thinking out loud....

Seems one dark(?) aspect of the new power is that it necessarily will include that of the Light & Nature magics (gained from the dragon). Mixing Light & Dark may create Nothingness. If you want, consider them as matter-antimatter mixes, with similar catastrophic release of uncontrolled (but harnessable?) energy.

Where do you perceive magic energies to come from? That may inform other ideas about mixing up magic types. While a dragon lives, it has power. When it dies, so does the power. What can sustain the Elf's new dragon-derived power once it's owner is dead?

Is the dragon held in half-alive state, not truly dead, like a passive zombie? Does the Elf hold dragon powers until (say) the dragon blood he/she collected evaporates (and it does with each use of the new power)?? Maybe a dragon magic reservoir is in the deceased dragon's treasure hoard & it, too, dissipates over time like a radioactive half-life.

[raeguardart]

Just spitballing here buut-

Perhaps by sacrificing the dragon bad guy absorbs the dragon’s essence/soul/magical doohickey to obtain it’s ability to wield all three magics, and trying to stuff an uber-powerful force of nature (i’m guessing) like a dragon’s soul into an elf-shaped container corrupts the magic into darkness? And the ensuing “wrongness” of cramming a dragon soul causes a magic dampening effect that seals off the other three?

Or maybe the other three species/people could only use magic because the dragons gave it to them prometheus style, and the murder of a dragon breaks some sort of pact/bargain/taboo

High elf getting new shiny powers could give an incentive for others to try and follow him, put dragons on the endangered list?

I really like your idea of a magic system being completely upended like how you described so fa, cant wait to see how it turns out!

[arbiterswake]

I like your ideas.

Just to elaborate some things.

*The power source of magic is these Leyline nodes all over the world where this "wells" of magic reside, or where magical energies are in higher concentration. ( Places of power I suppose.)

They are all connected via leyline through the air and earth. So if someone's closer to one of these nodes when they draw magical power, the power is stronger.

The villain is a high elf, and knows arcane magic but kills this specific dragon out of jealousy and spite. At some point of this process he corrupts his already existing Arcane magic and is able use necromancy. However he is the first and only High elf in the story to pervert Arcane magic in this way.

I'm still trying to figure out

a) What he did to cause this corruption?
b) How would killing a dragon aid in this corruption process?

All magic in the story comes at the cost of life force, and for Arcane magic users, its their own life force that is drained by using spells. If it's a big spell or one they are not familiar with, it could possible be fatal for them.

[Ordinaryaverageguy]

I see you've given thought & designed your universe well with consistent internal rules. I always admired Larry Niven's magic stories for their almost scientific rules of magic.

Why is the High Elf & his magic not corrupted by the very motive of his killing? Killing a dragon to gain its power has, at least, ambition & a goal to create something big. Killing it for spite has no such room for growth or creation. It merely destroys. Pure negativity. So, perhaps the new power is also one suitable only for destruction, no matter how one tries to otherwise wield it. And it corrupts & destroys the Elf & that, it time, is the dragon's revenge.

[arbiterswake]

In a previous rendition of this story from years ago, the villain was corrupted and manifested this "dark" magic purely through negative emotions, and evil deeds done in the world.

I felt that wasn't logical, since all the other forms of magic have laws that make sense or could be justified.

I'm also struggling with.."If he could manifest this new power, what is stopping other high elves from also being able to do the same." Which I don't want at all. I want this manifestation to be purely of his making and not easily replicated.

There are so many good ideas floating around in this thread.

[Ordinaryaverageguy]

That is tricky. What one can do, others ought to be able to replicate. Unless there's a 1-of-a-kind aspect, like a unique stone or dragon. Something to close the door, so to speak, on duplicating the results.

[arbiterswake]

The only justification that's popped into my mind, while using influences from this thread is that..

He finds one of these Leyline nodes. ( a Well.) And lures the dragon to it, killing it in some sort of ritualistic, spell breaking way as an experiment to see if he can attain greater power.

He does but at the cost of his own humani-elfmanity?

That well then becomes the corrupted source of power that he draws from, and others do not have the means of accessing the new well's power.

I don't know I'm just spit balling here as well.

[Ordinaryaverageguy]

Won't others be able to access the well power if they discover its location & nature? That leads to some writing on how it might be concealed.

[arbiterswake]

Magic is biologically locked.

For example:

High elves can only use Arcane Magic, which take years for them to study, and master.

Wood elves can only do Nature magic, which is druidic in concept.

Humans can only use Divine (or light magic) but this has a vetting process and is controlled by their religion. Only the most devout gain access to the well they draw their power from.

and Dragons can only use Elemental magic.

So a Fire dragon for example would have to draw their power from the Fire Well to use its magic, just as a Wood elf would have to draw power from the Nature Well for their magic. The dragon could not use the Nature Well as a power source, just as the Wood elf couldn't use the Fire well to boost their magic.

So in this case, the villain already draws power from the Arcane Well because of his High Elf biology. The new source he creates would be one only he could access for power.

[Ordinaryaverageguy]

Oh, I thought I read in the first post that dragons could use all of the magics (Light, Nature & Arcane).

[arbiterswake]

Oh right I did say that. Only one of them can but I don't want to get into spoiler territory.

[Ordinaryaverageguy]

ohhhh... I see. hhmmmm.... If magic is biologically keyed that way, how can the Elf access the deceased dragon's magic to create the new magic? Dragon magic ought to be behind a lock, too.
Workaround: Elf has to be mutated in creation of the new magic, so that he can carry the correct bio key (similar to DNA).
Workaround: He doesn't actually access the dragon's magic but then from whence comes the new power, I guess.....

[arbiterswake]

He's not really trying to gain the dragon's power or abilities.

I think it's more like the dragon is a powerful source of magic and energy so it acts more like a catalyst or sacrifice for creating this new magic. I could only imagine trying to create a new magic would be so intensive it would fatally drain the Elf's life force. So instead he lures and traps a much stronger life force creature to be able to do this maybe?

Thanks for the back and forth by the way it's really helpful.

[Ordinaryaverageguy]

Well, you'll figure it out to your satisfaction in time. Sometimes if I get into a corner, so to speak, eventually a light will come on & I'll suddenly see a solution. Sort of letting the subconscious work on it.