Ambiance – The World’s Language
Notes from the Author: There are actually two largely-disconnected magic systems within New Heroes. The first is what I will call a scientific magic system: a system that follows certain rules and has strict behaviors (like allomancy from The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson). The other is what I would call a divine magic system. It just magically exists and, if there are rules dictating its behavior, they aren’t revealed to the reader or any characters (like the force from Star Wars, and yes, I know about midichlorians but that isn’t a real explanation of how jedi can do what they do). The scientific magic system in New Heroes is the World’s language, or the manipulation of ambient energy. The divine system is the existence of artifacts.
Ambiance: the World’s Language
Ambiance is an energy that exists in all things, living and nonliving. It freely flows between matter and takes on characteristics of what it inhabits before moving on and changing its nature. Normal humans can only interact with ambiance by performing rituals, which consist of a matrix, ingredients and a catalyst.
A matrix is a path through which ambiance travels during a ritual. It can be made out of anything, though usually powders work the best because they can be shaped easily. Castor and Jayna, his sister, usually use sea salt because they live on the ocean where it’s readily available. Matrices are made up of shapes and Kayzamira script.
Ingredients are physical items used in a ritual. The material that is used in creating the matrix is one ingredient, but there are usually more. Ambiance takes on characteristics of the matter it inhabits, and those characteristics are called flavors. The flavors of the ingredients used in a ritual are part of what determines the ritual’s overall effect.
A catalyst is a small surge in ambiance that jumpstarts a ritual. Usually, Catalysts are made out of paper tags, which would be burned from one end. When an object is quickly burned, the ambiance contained inside is forced to condense into a smaller and smaller space. Eventually the ambiance runs out of matter to inhabit and “pops,” releasing a sudden rush of energy.
Heroes can catalyze a ritual without using a tag because, unlike normal people, they can manipulate the ambiance held in their bodies. By consciously releasing a burst of ambiance, heroes can catalyze a ritual on command.
Rituals are an ancient art, created over many generations of trial and error. They can be used to stimulate healing or growth, create heat, light or fire, enhance the mind and body, and move heavy loads. Or they could be used for more… nefarious purposes.
For a ritual to succeed, certain criteria must be met. The matrix and ingredients need to be properly prepared. The ingredients need to be steeped properly. The ambiance needs to receive proper instruction. And the user needs to offer up some of the ambiance within their own body as a toll.
Ingredients need to be “Steeped” in ambiance of a specific temperature. Otherwise, the ambiance contained inside each ingredient cannot be integrated properly into the rest of the matrix. The natural temperature of ambiance is described as temperate, however, that temperature can be controlled by the shapes and design of the matrix to become calmer or more volatile. Some ingredients need to be steeped in sufficiently volatile ambiance to achieve a desired effect, some need to be steeped in calm ambiance, and some are fine to be steeped in ordinary, temperate ambiance. Ambiance temperature has nothing to do with its environment.
Kayzamira Script is added to a matrix to provide instruction to the ambiance. For example, a gardener might perform a ritual to stimulate the growth of a rose bush. Without the inclusion of script, this ritual might slightly improve the health of everything in a small radius, even weeds. With script, the effects of the ritual can be concentrated down into a smaller area.
For a ritual to succeed, the user must offer up a portion of ambiance from their own body as tribute. Rituals are judged by two metrics: difficulty and cost. Difficulty describes the amount of internal ambiance required from the activator to carry out a ritual, and cost refers to the physical items that are needed. The level of difficulty depends on the ritual, and can sometimes be quite extreme.
When inanimate objects are used in a ritual, the ambiance inside them is completely ripped out. This makes them extremely brittle and they will crumble away under the slightest pressure. For this reason, you can’t reuse most ritual ingredients.
The same thing happens to living things as well. If someone loses too much ambiance, their bodies can break down, which is, more often than not, fatal. It is not uncommon for careless people to die from ambiance depletion when experimenting with new rituals.