Just some musings on something that's not ever really talked about -- Fate (as you can tell from previous suggestions I've been on a Fate kick lately, ha haa). Is the future 100% open? Does Kraus have a plan? Does free will reign or is there some kind of hidden influence, subtly tugging on your route through life...
So here's an idea for a new "mage body part" - the strand of a Mage's Timeline, aka their Destiny.
The supernatural anatomy of a Mage is largely composed of the soul (along with its essence), mana fuel, and circuits. However, there is one further aspect of a Mage that is largely automated -- the Timeline.
A Timeline is a string of events that shape a Mage's life, particularly events in their magical development that strengthen their magical powers; the Timeline has thus a strong influence in directing the future of the Mage in question. Their fates are different than non-Magi -- they are main characters, not background characters, and most Magi lead interesting lives and deaths, and have much more influential fates, compared to "ordinary" people.
A Timeline cannot directly influence a person's soul-- instead, it works like a string of fabric, entwining the Mage and guiding it towards the future that Fate has decided. This bond is not particularly strong; free will allows a Mage to break free from this supposed fate and direct their own destiny more forcefully. Nevertheless a Mage is always bound to their timeline. Only Divine beings can directly affect a person's soul; a Timeline functions more like a roadway - whether or not a person chooses to follow it is up to them.
The strings of Time can be affected by several things -- most prominently, extremely powerful Time magic, as well as certain supernatural beings. Often though this can lead to "errors" in the timeline, when current actions are "out of focus" with what was expected to happen. This can cause slow, subtle damage to a Mage's circuits as well as attracting certain mana/essence-hungry creatures, similar to sharks smelling blood in a body of water.
In addition, the Timeline is subtly affected by several other factors; the strings of Fate are actual metaphysical manifestations of a Mage's path through life, normally quite invisible, that travel through time and space along with the Mage in question. (It is assumed it's not actually a "string" exactly, but a resonance of a Mage's energy through time). This implies that things like close proximity to stars, strong local magical effects, or temporal disturbances can affect a person's string of Fate and thus indirectly influence their lives.
So how does this affect your average Magi, in their actual lives? Well, it doesn't, any more than circuits, souls, or mana does -- most Magi rarely, if ever actually focus on their Circuits; many simply use their magic naturally without even knowing about it. The Timeline works the same way-- always in the background, a constant record behind them, and a path ahead of them.
So here's an idea for a new "mage body part" - the strand of a Mage's Timeline, aka their Destiny.
The supernatural anatomy of a Mage is largely composed of the soul (along with its essence), mana fuel, and circuits. However, there is one further aspect of a Mage that is largely automated -- the Timeline.
A Timeline is a string of events that shape a Mage's life, particularly events in their magical development that strengthen their magical powers; the Timeline has thus a strong influence in directing the future of the Mage in question. Their fates are different than non-Magi -- they are main characters, not background characters, and most Magi lead interesting lives and deaths, and have much more influential fates, compared to "ordinary" people.
A Timeline cannot directly influence a person's soul-- instead, it works like a string of fabric, entwining the Mage and guiding it towards the future that Fate has decided. This bond is not particularly strong; free will allows a Mage to break free from this supposed fate and direct their own destiny more forcefully. Nevertheless a Mage is always bound to their timeline. Only Divine beings can directly affect a person's soul; a Timeline functions more like a roadway - whether or not a person chooses to follow it is up to them.
The strings of Time can be affected by several things -- most prominently, extremely powerful Time magic, as well as certain supernatural beings. Often though this can lead to "errors" in the timeline, when current actions are "out of focus" with what was expected to happen. This can cause slow, subtle damage to a Mage's circuits as well as attracting certain mana/essence-hungry creatures, similar to sharks smelling blood in a body of water.
In addition, the Timeline is subtly affected by several other factors; the strings of Fate are actual metaphysical manifestations of a Mage's path through life, normally quite invisible, that travel through time and space along with the Mage in question. (It is assumed it's not actually a "string" exactly, but a resonance of a Mage's energy through time). This implies that things like close proximity to stars, strong local magical effects, or temporal disturbances can affect a person's string of Fate and thus indirectly influence their lives.
So how does this affect your average Magi, in their actual lives? Well, it doesn't, any more than circuits, souls, or mana does -- most Magi rarely, if ever actually focus on their Circuits; many simply use their magic naturally without even knowing about it. The Timeline works the same way-- always in the background, a constant record behind them, and a path ahead of them.