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.