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.