Potentia

Potentia is the metaphysical name for the energies of change which allow the forces of magic to work. It was bestowed upon creation by the primordial Aditi, and permeates all of existence.

Origin
From the Book of Medhue:"'As time drained into Mundus Agni & Aditi began to slow, unable to progress without the flow of time to change Them. Agni was content with this, and saw that it was good. Aditi saw that lack of change led to Their stagnation, and as time left Them, Aditi bestowed the gift of Change upon the new realms. This force came to be known as Potentia, and is the origin of all magical energy.'"

Accessibility
Potentia, or the potential for change, is constant in each and every reality. As such magic is more frequentuous than some physical forces. It can be accessed in every known dimension, however it is unknown if magic works within the void.

Innate Potentia
Everyone has the capacity to perform magic to varying degrees, however some beings are more powerful than others. This well of personal magic is called innate potentia. Many who use magic infrequently have a low amount of innate potentia and often rely upon deities to perform extraordinary feats for them, in exchange for offerings or sacrifices. Those with slightly more power, such as wiccans and wizards, will utilise the energies of the elements to perform their spells and rites. They often channel these energies through tools such as athames, besoms, wands or staves. Beings with considerably more innate potentia, such as witches, Enchanters and Sorcerers tend to rely solely on their own innate potentia to perform magical workings.

Beyond this lies the varied realm of magical creatures and beings. Some creatures magically shapeshift, such as Werewolves, but tend to have no ability to cast spells or perform magic beyond their transformation. Demons are malevolent spirits who are made of infernal energies, and have varying degrees of power depending on rank and consumption of other entities' power. Ghosts and all variations thereof, are manifestations of memories and personalities infused with potentia.

Deities are beings of consolidated potentia, formed of the union between potentia, belief and physical laws. This is why deities are often personifications of natural forces. Some deities are region-specific and become weaker the farther they travel from their domains. Their reliance upon belief limits their spheres of influence to those locations where they are worshipped and thus 'real' to those who believe in them; this is why there often exist multiple deities for the same natural force that are region specific. It is their limitation by the two external factors of location and belief and their inter-breeding with physics that prevent deities from becoming all-powerful.

Most powerful of all the creatures to wield potentia are the djinn. A more ancient and celestially advanced ancestor of the common genie, a djinn is one of 13 original spirits formed of pure potentia when the cosmos was new. They are capable of such incredible feats of reality-alteration that their powers were individually bound in ancient times by Ceror the Sorcerer. This was done through exorcism and imprisonment - only one djinn was banished from reality as the effort nearly killed the Sorcerer, the other twelve were imprisoned in vessels and hidden in secret locations throughout the world. it is unknown where the banished djinn was condemned to.

The granting of a wish from a djinn is what bestowed Elpha Vaher with "enough innate potentia to cast any spell".

Limitations of Innate Potentia
Potentia is a talent and like any talent must be honed and developed with time. Some are gifted with more skill than others, but diligent practice can oftentimes lead to developing a healthy reservoir of innate potentia. Each time someone casts a spell or performs a magical act trace amounts of potentia remain within their system; these layers build over time to become more powerful, much like the development of any muscle.

There are sometimes those who are born to magicool families, who are lacking the gift to wield potentia adequately. Either they possess none and (as any mortal) must rely upon the good graces of deities before their skills improve, or more rarely are born with a condition known as verdigritis, which is a genetic condition that prevents potentia from accruing within the body's systems. It is easily distinguishable by the green tinge it gives to the victim's skin.

Verdigritis is incurable by magic, and still considered a stigma within magical families today. Sufferers often find themselves shunned by the more archaic members of the magical community who consider verdigritis shameful and are often repulsed by the victim's skin. There has been little success in changing perceptions of this disease, with many suffering in silence, their green skins hidden away behind a glamour.