Wisp



Wisps, Aeia are translucent, floating, spherical entities that may be found across the world. There are six varieties, found in different but often overlapping regions. Individual wisps are not much to consider, but in groups they become far more powerful - that's an understatement. Wisps are not creatures per se, in that they are not formed from biological substances; nevertheless, they show some degree of intellect that is clearly different from the one that humans experience. Wisps of all varieties can be found almost ubiquitously, perhaps due to the fact that they cannot be destroyed by normal means.

Creation
It has always been an issue of debate as to how the wisps came to be, considering that they do not seem remotely related to anything else. Each theory has plenty of supporters, yet none can provide proof that any one of them is correct or incorrect. The different theories are as follows:

Existence

This school of thought holds that wisps are the very fabric of reality and thus have always been present, or ever since reality has been present. It is not understood how this could have much to do with reality's existence, if this is the correct theory, because wisps are not equally spaced across the world, and those places where wisps do not exist are in no way less real than those places where wisps conglomerate.

Energy

Another belief establishes wisps as the foundational units of energy in the world. This theory has in part been invalidated; however, it is such an enticing argument that many continue to adhere to it, claiming that the wisps work in such a strange way with regards to energy that we cannot fathom them.

Evolution

There are of course some who believe that the wisps are the by-products of evolution. If this were the case, it must be stressed that the wisps do not have a single currently extant relative even remotely similar to them. They are just... entirely different. No fossil records have been found to trace to the early days of wisps (if such a theory holds true); on the other hand, a fossil trail is completely invalid because the wisps never leave fossil trails. Indeed, they seldom leave trails whatsoever.

By-products

Still others think that wisps may be the by-products of some other process, natural or not. At any rate, the total number of wisps does not seem to be increasing nor decreasing, and so such a process has long halted and therefore the theory cannot be checked for validity. If the process were natural, some guess that it may be related to photosynthesis, though others claim this to be incorrect reasoning. If the process were artificial, then whatever advanced race created them has most certainly perished, and made sure to not leave behind any trails of their doings.

Gifts of the gods

Religious fanatics might suppose that wisps were once created by the gods (or whatever one deity they worship). However, if that is the case there has yet to be a very strong, impregnable line of reasoning for why this has been the case. Ecclesiasticals of course would not be willing to be forced into the untenable position of having to explain the way their god(s) think(s), claiming deities to be impossible to comprehend. Once again, this is a theory that can hardly be proved incorrect.



Behavior
The behaviors of wisps have been well charted. They are alone individuals, often preferring to keep away from other wisps (whether it is the same variety or not does not matter). As such, their natural tendencies keep them in lower states of power. However, they are at the same time drawn toward locations with certain ambiences. For example, gold wisps prefer the company of underground and metallic regions. As such, their tendencies to repel each other are countered by the attraction toward these locales. This in turn means that wisps of a kind can build up to much greater concentrations in certain regions than in others, and almost always eject all other varieties of wisps from the area.

It takes a tremendous amount of energy to fuse wisps together unless there is a way to draw them (and keep them) together. Ordinary means cannot do this. However, when magically brought together (magic being very intimately related to wisps), they can actually be made to attach to each other. Given the strain of repulsion between wisps -- which becomes exponentially strong at very close proximities -- this causes the wisp to unleash tremendous amounts of pristine energies. It is these energies that provide the world with their great wonders.

Wisps are very often observed to simply flit to and fro. At other times, they may move in coordinated patterns; research indicates that this occurs most often in highly agitated states. At other times, when the wisps are under the least amount of strain (few wisps in the vicinity and reduced attraction to preferred locales elsewhere), they barely seem to move.

Currently, heavy analysis is ongoing with the intention of finding out how to best control these wisps.



Ethereality
Wisps, being ethereal, are not impeded by normal physical barriers. However, it is possible to use magic to create wards -- often in tandem with physical impediments -- to block ethereal identities. It is indicated that the same magic traps that are used by magi to incarcerate ghosts and banshees can also be used to bind wisps to target objects. In other words, such spells cause wisps to lose their ethereality, causing them to be trapped within certain substances. Even when under high stress (such as being placed in very close proximity to another wisp), the laws of ethereality still hold and the wisps are forced to remain together.

Varieties
Different types of wisps can be found in different locations and have different colors. Their properties also mean that they are associated with distinct aspects of the world and have inspired the names given them. The six varieties of wisps are:



Magnitudal Theory
The magnitudal theory of wisps holds that multiple wisps in close proximity to one another greatly increase each others' powers. It is very similar to the concept of synergy, ie. the whole is greater (and of course different from) the sum of its parts, only in this case the combination of just two parts can become up to 100 times (two magnitudes) as powerful as any one such 'part'. The most basic 'part' is the incredibly weak single wisp; higher-degree parts have more and more wisps in conjunction with each other.

The power is directly proportional to the stress felt by the wisps and is equal to $$ \frac{q*m_1*m_1}{d^1} $$, where q is a constant, m is the type of power of a wisp, and d is the distance between two wisps. The formula quickly becomes very complex for more than two wisps.

A general chart of the powers of wisp synergies:


 * 1) 1 wisp: incredibly weak
 * 2) 2 wisps: 100x the power of a wisp
 * 3) 3 wisps: 10,000x the power of a wisp
 * 4) 4 wisps: 1,000,000x the power of a wisp
 * 5) 5 wisps: 100,000,000x the power of a wisp
 * 6) 6 wisps: 10,000,000,000x the power of a wisp
 * 7) 7 wisps: 1,000,000,000,000x the power of a wisp
 * 8) ...and so on.

It is this concept that leads to the fact that wisps are most powerful when arranged into tightly clustered groups, called complements.



Rune Stones
Whatever the reason for the wisps' existence, it is clear that they provide a very important service for all in the world. Uncharged rune stones are absolutely useless, but it is the power of the wisps that imbues them with powers. The recently uncovered runic altars have been found to bind multiple runes within the confines of the stone.

Recently, people have begun to use the knowledge of wisps to create new, smaller altars that can be used to permanently charge runes.



Staves
Being brought to the proximity of the correct wisp complement also empowers sticks of woods to the common concept of staves. As with the runes and all else, the correct complement must be used. There are no staff complements for the elemental staves, nor are there any for the god staves.

Orbs
Wisps are also at the core of the obelisks that power the conversion of a glass orb into an elemental orb. In modern times, people have begun to create smaller, contemporary obelisks in more accessible places that perform the same operation and do so just as well.

Enchantments and Auras
Enchantments are similar to the staff-imbuements, except that they are performed on an individual (a creature). Such an effect is nigh-permanent, and so one must consider carefully before exposing themselves to the force that brings such an enchantment into being. Once thus enchanted, a person will be able to, say, cast an infinite number of spells requiring fire runes and worry only about limited quantities of other spells, using the latent and inexhaustible source of fire rune-energy in the person's body. The power in an enchantment is greater than that needed to imbue an orb. Another form of enchantment allows a person to carry the essence of a particular staff in the body instead of a runic energy.

Auras are even more powerful than enchantments. Any being within a certain maximum range of the carrier of the aura has the effect of the related enchantment; as such, an aura is also in a sense merely a greater-power version of an enchantment.