magic          
                          
                                   
                                          
   magic is about being unaccountable,    
 about  removing the source of the action 
 from yourself. it works by  exploiting a 
        kind of gravity, called the       
              arrow of time.              
                                          
 things  in this universe always seek the 
 least energetic state.  all potential is 
 gradually lost  into  lesser forms (such 
                as heat).                 
                                          
     magic then, is creating tunnels,     
 specific and intricate canals, for  this 
 to happen in  a controlled manner. think 
 of it  as  setting an elaborate trap for 
                 entropy.                 
                                          
 and then, when the  circuit closes,  the 
 arrow  is  forced  to do  your  bidding! 
                                          
    of course, you're also irreversably   
 draining  time from  the  universe,  but 
                   yeah.                  
                                          
                                          
                                  
                                          
                                          
 the  danger is a runaway  spell - if the 
 filament of your  canal  is too weak, or 
 the potential  is  high enough to escape 
 any self-closing mechanisms  - a breach. 
                                          
     these are usually catastrophic.      
 although  many  are  local,   they  stay 
 active  until  closed   off  by  counter 
 spells (hard to pull off) or  there's no 
       more energy to fall through.       
                                          
 in that case  the outcome depends on the 
   spell. small-scale breaches might not  
 even  be noticeable by the  uninitiated; 
 but  a spell might also very well  bring 
 about the heat  death of  the  universe. 
                                          
                                          
                                       
                                          
                                          
 well. it is  what  it  is. a dying art.. 
            maybe for the best.