Mana Fill

Legend

“Mana flows around and through us; it is what all things are made of. Some know the ability to alter the flow and accelerate energies funnelling into their being without being ripped apart or dissolved in the process.”

“His draw of energies became a visible, almost divine, shimmering aura.”
—Skjald Sejrik

 

Description

Whenever a being, or item, utilises its stored energies to manipulate the mana sea, some of these energies float away and leave the mana husk. This action builds a vacuum that will refill, a process that can be tampered with, either slowing it or speeding it up. The reasons for slowing can be many: dulling an opponent’s potency, caring for a damaged mana husk, panicking for more energy, or careful training of receiving amounts.

Mana Fill is the art of managing the replenishment of a manipulator’s mana husk — the reservoir of magical energy that fuels all casting. Every manipulation of the mana sea depletes this husk, creating a vacuum that naturally refills over time. But this process can be slowed, accelerated, or even redirected.

The academy teaches two core techniques:

• Self-Filling: Safely increase or decrease the rate of mana intake.
• Projected Filling: Forcing a redirected refill, often at risk to body, mind, or environment.

Students learn to align their magical arts with their physical and mental states, training to receive mana in harmony rather than desperation. The process is delicate — too much fill too fast can rupture the husk, while too little can leave the manipulator vulnerable or ineffective.

“She did not cast. She prepared to cast—and the world bent toward her.”
—Skjald Kazumix

 

Teachings on the benefits of ‘manipulated filling’ and the risks of ‘projected filling’. Any mana manipulator must consider both sides of the coin when refilling themselves or others. As a result, students learn how to balance their physical and mental health. In the same eight levels of mastery that are used in all other academies.

“She changed at heartbeats, from halted fill to roaring surge – everyone wide-eyed in awe.”
—Skjald Yell'a'Beard

 

History

At first, in the days of the early Dark Ages, none gave it thought, and the concept of mana refill was largely ignored. Manipulators focused on immediate releases, not continued flow or recovery. Slowly, the Vornir at first, then many others, realised that as energies were spent, it resulted in less potent manipulations. Manipulation could end with a drained energetic well, and if forcing manipulations anyway, one’s body, spirit, and mind would act as fuel.

So, as the Vornir and other elder races had observed the toll of depleted husks, they began to teach the rhythms of mana restoration so manipulation safely could go arm in arm with refilling. These studies, results, and knowledge about fill conditions led to the formation of the Mana Fill academy, which emphasised sustainable manipulation and energetic balance.

Up through the Dark Ages the core of refilling in the void stayed unchanged, and the world reformation, where the void and its void gardens were made into a globe containing the astral, only resulted in a slight change.

The globe containing the Astral altered the ambient mana environment but did not disrupt the fundamental principles of fill. Mortals still draw from the Astral within the world and from flickering Void sources seen in the night sky. The world reformation was the elder divines’ attempt to prevent further mana leaks, more mana links becoming gods, and the taming of gods’ energies. It prevented neither but changed the environment greatly. Mana manipulators still fill by mana from the Astral contained inside the world or sources out in the Void, seen flickering in the sky at night.

Thus, this academy still teaches in the old ways.

“Some things changed since leaking glows, but under void reflections, filling is the same.”
—Skjald Valgrif