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So, you wanna know about magic? That's kind of a hard question without standing here lecturing you for two days straight. Well, to sum it up, magic is in everything. It's in the air, the land, in the water, and in every living thing. Anyone has the potential of becoming a magic user. Just like everyone has the potential of becoming a sea captain or a trades men. It's just not everyone's calling, right? Now, there's plenty of magic types… Uh, hold on… Here, it's crudely drawn, but hopefully, it should give you an idea of the magic archetypes.

Arcane is magic in it's rawest form. Before you cast any spell, such as fire or air, you must first tap into the arcane. Essentially, when you see a magi cast any of the elemental spells, it's a small amount of arcane turned into that element.

Mana, that's the magic in one's body, spread across our body like blood vessels. Mana are like the lungs, they inhale and exhale. When a mage wants to use a spell, they exhale magic out of their body. So, next time you see a magi cast a spell, remember what I told you. Mana is been exhaled out, as it leaves their body and it becomes magic in it's rawest form, arcane. Huh? How does the arcane become one of the elements? Well, I'm running short on time, so how about I tell you about spells next time we meet?

The first document of any race turning into a type of werewolf dates back thousands of years ago to a tribe of humans who worshiped wolves. This tribe were entwined with nature, so much so, that they could shape shift into the very animals that dwell along side them and into the very beast that made up their culture. But, simply looking like a wolf was not enough for some members of the tribe.
Some started dabble in alchemy, some seek answers through spiritual means, while others turned to magic. Some gave up trying to become more like a wolf and went back to their normal lives. Others, kept looking for ways to "ascend". Not satisfied with just living along side wolves, not satisfied with looking like one, they wanted more. They wanted their ferocity, they wanted their bone crushing jaws, they wanted the wolf's heightened senses. It became less and less to become closer to the the majestic beast which they worshiped and soon became clear they wanted the abilities of the wolves themselves.
A small group of the tribe, who worked together in both magic and alchemy, finally produce a potion. A potion to finally "ascend" humanity. For such a special occasion, they unveiled their work near the end of a festival underneath the harvest moon. They told the tribe that they found a way to become more than wolves. More than humans. Something better. Then, one by one, members of the group drank a vial of their own work. Some collapse and died on the spot, while the others started to change. That night 98% of the village was butchered.

Some say the Gods punished them for trying ascend beyond a human. Some say their own Wolf god was trying punish the entire village for trying to become something they could not. Others believe their own lust for power consumed them and made them the monsters we know today. Whatever the case, we don't know how many werewolves are out in the wild or even living among the civilized races.

The Basics:

What is "magic"?:
Magic, simply put, is the manipulation of internal energy in order to achieve a certain task. This could be anything from summoning a basic fireball to lifting a basket of cabbages into thin air. No matter what it is, all magic is energy at its core, and all magic uses up energy proportional to the both the power and complexity of the task it is being used for. Casting magic can be divided into four parts: the source, the spell, the medium and the effect.

The Source:
As previously stated, all magic takes energy. So where does this energy come from? All creatures have inherent energy in them, the very same that would otherwise be used for attacks, actions, or simple tasks. Magic uses this same energy; thus magic can tire someone out just like any other use of energy. A good assumption would be that all magic uses the same amount of energy as performing a task normally would. (There are ways for magicians to circumvent this to an extent, otherwise the craft would have never been invented. More on that later.) For example, lifting a rock physically will normally take the same amount of energy to lift with say, a force spell. There are other sources of energy magicians can tap into as well, primarily storage devices. Experienced magicians can store energy into objects for later use, such that they would have more power if they need it in a pinch. However, most materials are not prone to holding such things, and will gradually leak their stored energy. Most magicians will use things like gemstones to store energy, as these (among other objects) don't "leak" as much into the world. Essentially, materials all have different abilities to store magical energy. Energy stored this way can usually only be used for magic, and cannot be retrieved in other ways.

The Spell:
Most, if not all magic takes shape in the form of a spell. Simply put, a spell is a set of instructions that dictate what the energy a mage is using does. A magician MUST know at least one spell in order to use magic at all, as energy with no instructions will dissipate into nothing. To use a spell properly, a magician has a number of options. The most basic and easiest to use is to simply say the spell out loud, drawing out the user's energy with it. More experienced mages can say the spell in their minds, a technique developed to keep their castings a secret from others. There are several other ways spells can be cast, but for the most part those are specialized processes not used for general tasks. Spells can also be engraved into runes, though that requires special technique (More on runes later). There are a limited number of spells in the world, albeit more than even the finest elephants could possibly memorize. All spells in existence were at some point invented or written. The writers of new spells are the powerful magic users known as Archmages, who use very advanced magic to form spells into existence. "New" spells are written and rediscovered every day, so there are spells for just about everything, in many different languages and formats.

The Medium:
Magicians can use a medium to assist with the formation of energy. It is worth nothing that using a medium is beneficial, but optional. It is entirely possible for a magician to use no medium while casting, simply firing the spell from their bodies, usually from the hands. A medium is a tool used to augment or change the energy on it's way to forming an effect. This could be reducing the energy cost of certain spells but filtering out unnecessary components, amplifying the effects and costs of a spell, etc. All mediums also have a certain capacity of energy they can use before overloading, so the medium must be able to handle the amount of energy going through them in order to function properly. Wands, staves, spellbooks and charms are the four main types of mediums.
Wands:
Wands are small, simple and easy to use, but have a low capacity compared to the others. Wands are suited to quickly casting simple spells at the drop of a hat, but cannot be used for larger projects. Also very suited for tasks that require precision, like enchanting.
Staves:
Staves are very similar to wands, but have a much larger energy capacity in exchange for being less precise. Staves are by far the most common medium for casting in battle, being durable and reliable while also providing more benefits than a wand could. However, staves absolutely cannot be used for anything that requires precision; they are far better as weapons than tools.
Spellbooks:
Spellbooks operate a bit differently than wands or staves. Spellbooks are capable of storing vast amounts of energy just like a gemstone or similar, while also able to provide many of the augments a wand or staff could potentially have. The drawback, is that a spellbook can only be used to cast the spells it is attuned to, and contains within its pages. Spellbooks are also quite a bit harder to use than wands or staves, as their drawback requires the user to have memorized all of the spells inside it, else risk having to search through the book each time they cast.
Charms:
Charms are a bit of an oddity among the different mediums. Charms are not used to actually cast spells. Rather, a charm can be used to perform a number of passive effects, which are made by enchanting the charm in question (More on enchanting later). Some charms also have single-use effects, which are triggered by specific things happening; effects such as an explosion, an ice wave, etc. The charm then loses its effect. Essentially, charms are used to "store" a spell in order to gain a comparatively weak passive benefit. There are spells made specifically for use with charms.

The Effect:
As the spell passes through the medium, if there is one, the energy finally takes the form of the effect. The effect is the form the used-up energy takes once the spell is cast, aka the result of the spell. This is the fireball you just launched out of your staff, or the force lifting that basket of cabbages. There isn't much else to it than that; at its core, the effect of a spell is still just energy, and can be manipulated as such. Once the energy is spent in the form of the effect, the spell is over, and the mage can stop focusing on it; unless of course, they wish to continue manipulating the energy through psychic powers or another spell.

Forms/Schools of Magic:
There are many different ways to utilize magic, and it's common practice for a mage to stick to one or two different "schools", or forms, such that they don't become overwhelmed by trying to master all of them. There are countless; here, I will list a few of the more common ones, and the ones practiced by characters in the RP.

Elementalism:
One of the most common, and by far the most basic of all the forms of magic. Elementalists manipulate the forces of nature in their spells, granting them wide access to a variety of mostly-offensive spells. Elementalism covers everything from Pyromancy to Hydromancy, and everything in between. There is no extra step to using Elementalism other than knowing what forces you are working with. One should know a lot about nature and its inner workings if they plan to truly master this, though it's not technically required.
Known Subcatagories: Destruction, Pyromancy, Hydromancy, Electromancy, Earth Magic, Druidism (Debatable), etc.

Illusionism:
A very complicated school revolving around the fragility of perception. Illusionists alter and shape the light around them to create images and copies of themselves and others. Such illusions, while likely quite weak, are not to be taken lightly. Illusionists are masters of deception and trickery; be wary of trusting your senses in combat against one. Illusionism also has several practical applications outside of combat as well, and several purely-cosmetic spells fall under this catagory. Most Illusory spells have no external requirements, though there are a few exceptions that require things like prisms and crystals to be on-hand when casting.
Known Subcatagories: Light Magic, Prismancy

Dark Magic:
Often considered the "evil" form of magic, Dark Magic utilizes an odd internal procedure to create unstable "black" energy, which is then used to cast powerful spells that draw upon alternative resources like fragments of the user's soul, sanity, and others. This "black" energy is not actually energy, but a lack of it, or a void, which then sucks up the required resource. As the effect of this procedure is not as taxing on the user's internal energy sources, it is often mistaken as being an infinite source of power, though it actually makes up for the low energy cost by using up more precious resources like the aforementioned soul, sanity, etc. It is very difficult to see the effects Dark Magic has on one's body without serious practice, and there is painfully little information on how the "black" energy really works; thus, it can be a very risky school to use, though it still finds use among many experienced sorcerers. Oddly enough, practitioners of Dark Magic also generally call themselves Witches and Warlocks, witch make it difficult to tell apart from practitioners of Witchcraft.
Known Subcatagories: Shadowmancy, Voidcraft, Black Magic, Abyssal Magic, Banishment

White Magic:
Once taught exclusively to clerics and priests, White Magic is the art of casting spells which almost exclusively involve healing and curing. While offensive White Magic exists, it's primary use is helping others. White Magic draws its power heavily on the emotions of the wielder, and thus its effectiveness varies from person to person. Kindhearted individuals will find their White Magic to be a bit stronger and more reliable, while those with unstable minds will have more difficulty.
Known Subcatagories: Miracle Working, Advanced Healing, Purging

Dislocation:
One of the most useful and widely-practiced schools of magic, Dislocation involves moving objects from one place to the other. Dislocation magic can only function between two points in space. Thus, the harder it is for the caster to concentrate on two things at once, the harder the spell is to cast. This can be anything from line of sight, distance, etc. There are innumerable ways one can move objects and even living things, but most require some kind of side-spell to keep the energy stable (IE: It is much easier to create two portals that are linked to each other than swap two objects on-command). Advanced Dislocation involves pulling creatures and objects from unseen places, or even other dimensions (Though control of such creatures falls under Telekineticism). There are very few magic users that can master Dislocation magic to its utmost, and those who have are a force to be reckoned with.
Known Subcatagories: Portals, Advanced Portals, Teleportation, Summoning

Telekineticism:
The art of controlling things through artificial psychic power. By forming a link between the internal energy of the caster and a consciousness, be it the caster's or another, it is possible to create a kind of "fake" psychic ability. Telekineticism is the act of creating and using this psychic-like power to perform a variety of tasks. The most common applications of this school vary from minor conveniences like levitation to mind control, and is thus very controversial among the magic community. As the energy used in Telekineticism takes an unusual form, most "spells" of this school have no words to be memorized, and operates far more closely to actual psychic power than magic. Unlike Illusionism, magic users with inherent psychic powers, are still considered practitioners of Telekineticism, as the spells still require an internal energy source to modify the behavior of the psychic power.
Known Subcatagories: Beastmastery, Construct Control, Mind Link, Tethering, Dream Infiltration

Silencing:
The long-forbidden art of negating the use of magic. While it's technically a form of magic in and of itself, it is shunned across nearly all magical societies. Silencing spells can work in a number of ways; muting the victim's voice, scrambling their thoughts, or dispersing the energy they release. This form of magic is extremely complex to use properly, and all known instructional tomes were lost to time anyway. Rumors speak of a cult that uses this school of magic, passing it's ways through speech, ironically enough.
Known Subcatagories: None

Sanguimancy:
A rather unsettling form of magic that involves manipulating organic matter like flesh and blood through magic, and is often used to repair or otherwise change one's physical form. Despite the intimidating subject matter, many sanguimancers are not actually evil, using their arts to help the victims of disease and injury. Sanguimancers can clean and clone blood cells and tissues, and even crack open or repair bones. Practitioners of Sanguimancy are your best bet for treating physical illnesses and deformities, but beware getting on one's bad side, as they can easily manipulate blood and tissues in… less productive manners.
Known Subcatagories: Osteomancy, Shamanism, Fleshbinding, Grafting

No two werewolves are alike. This ranges from their physical appearances to even their intelligence. Some trusted sources say that a small majority can still manage to hold control over their body and intelligence while transformed. We're still not sure if it's biological, magical resistance, or pure will power that prevent them from losing control. Despite popular belief, werewolves do not need the night time or the full moon to transform. A transformation can happen at any time. They're three known transformation. The unwilling transformation, emotional transformation, and freewill transformation.

While questioning werewolf subjects with the unwilling transformation trait, we' discovered they are two types of unwilling transformation. Some subjects experience signs to their upcoming transformation ranging from nightmares, hallucinations, and body aches hours or even days before the transformation. The other type are the ones that know that they're about to transform at the very last second. This version of the unwilling transformation is the most common among the unwilling transformation subjects. They can delay the transformation for only a bit before finally succumbing to pain.
The subjects were reluctant at first to show us the process they go through when they transform, but finally gave in after awhile. We placed them in a large, but heavily armored room, with a one way mirror enchanted with strengthening spell from the magic of the whole research team. We gave them enough food and water for a two months. We also provided a curtain for privacy for them to shower and to use the restroom.
On the third day, we finally got to see a werewolf transformation.
It was like nothing we ever seen. Researchers, in this field of magic, hypothesized that the transformation was similar to shape shifting. Quick and clean. Other believed the build up to the transformation was the more painful than the transformation itself.
It was neither or, at least, not what we saw from the subjects we observed during testing.

It was less of a transformation and more of a metamorphosis. During this process, each subject went through some type skeletal reconfiguration process. Some subjects skulls started to match that of a canine's. Subjects skin were stretched and torn, until it was finally replaced with a thick hide. Noticeable amount of hair growth on each subject. Other subjects started to grow large amounts of muscle mass. Height growth in a few subjects. Growth varied, from only a couple inches difference to a leap of two to three feet. Each person transformation time varied from thirty minutes to two hours.

The end results. Each subject looked as unique as their transformation they just went through. Some looked humanoid and walked on two legs while some others chose to walk on all four. Then they were some that looked like large monstrous looking wolves. Even though all of them were unique looking, they all shared the same physical trait. Top and bottom canines became prominent and started protruding out of their mouths. Toe nails and finger nails replaced with with claws. And their eyes glowed unnaturally.

I don't really have the time to longhand this, but in short Magic is tapping into the creation and rule making powers cosmic gods used to create the universe, just on a very very small scale. Either via squeezing it out of Mana Rich Matirals for potions, calling forth leftovers from the universe creation, or having a god let you borrow it's abilities for a bit. It's all fine.

Though for balance sake, I've locked any world I wind up thinking of into one of 3 magics regardless of how you invoke them. Creation (Magecraft), Animation, and Transfiguration. It's worked out well so far, but I'm a bit notorious for nerfs. A bit.