Magic is, in its simplest form, a way to influence the world around you in a manner beyond what conventional physics could explain. However, the insufficiency of physics to explain the impact of magic on the world must not be equated with its explanation being impossible. There is a way to explain its impact on the world. But before getting into that, we should first explain where magic comes from.

Magic comes from three primary sources. Willpower, Leylines, and Information Energy. Any of these three may be converted into potentia, which is the source of all magic power. Potentia is stored in an organ which all sapients, fae folk, and draconics have, called the olum.

Willpower is, in brief, a measurement of one's own desire to impact the world. It can help to channel one's manaflow in a more directed, focused manner. It is important for any magic user to develop a strong will, in order to keep their magic under control. Willpower can also be burned, itself, in order to fuel a spell after one's potentia has run out, via will magic. However, this is extremely dangerous, and no self-respecting magic scholar would ever recommend trying this.

Leylines are the safest and most readily accessible source of inner power for a magic user. If you are within a leyline's area of coverage, it is almost always safe to use magic, as far as your own physical health is concerned. Understanding the significance of an area (that is, why there is a leyline there) will make magic cast in that area more potent. A deeper understanding of that significance will result in higher magical potency. The highest possible magical potency derived from this sort of understanding is only possible for the draconic who initially generated that leyline, followed by those who have heard firsthand from the draconic of the area's significance.

Information energy, or alternately, the power of knowledge, is a source of magical power that is the result of extended focus. Through focus and study, power may be stored in an object or movement and then drawn out later. The most obvious example is a magic scroll. A dance or song may also store information energy which can be used to fuel magic. In addition to acting as a relatively safe source of potentia, applying information energy to a spell, taking advantage of a person's familiarity with the magic they're using, will improve the potentia efficiency of that spell. No upper limit has been found for the efficiency increase. In extreme cases, a person can cast a spell which consumes almost no potentia. The Oracle of Tainar is a living extreme example of an individual who has practiced levitation so constantly that she has not touched the ground in fifty years. She has stated that her potentia consumption is so low that it may as well be zero.