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As additional OOC-information here's more "old Lore" that did not make it into the game; this time about magic:

The Zoraïs are the Chosen, the Keepers of the Kamis. For them, the Age of Seed will be attained when the other species of Atys have shaken off their mortal coils and returned to the Original Energy, and Atys has given birth to the star that is inside of her. Then all Homins will be immortal and they will travel the universe on shooting stars towards their ultimate destination.

Purpose : Light and life must struggle against the void known as the Ravager of life. This destroyer devours the pure energy and prevents the birth of the Universe. The Ravager spreads itself throughout the world and isolates the sources of the Energy of Origins. Eternal life can only be granted when all the stars have entered into communion and the void has been defeated.

The Zoraïs are the masters of magic in Ryzom. The Kamis taught them the gifts that can transfer death to sap, enabling them to minimize injury and acquire more sap. Unlike the Fyros, the Zoraïs have learnt to their cost that their enemies' swords and axes are just as deadly as magic. Consequently, they have developed knowledge enabling them to protect themselves against physical attacks suffered in battle.

Source: http://www.worldofryzom.com/cgi-bin/wor.pl?page=zorai.html

The people of Atys have learnt their magic with the Kamis. Practising the high arts drains the planet's life energy, her sap. Cautious of the human's selfish nature, the Kamis thus taught their disciple formulas to drain the sap from the caster, and not from the planet herself. Except for the Karavan's members, each living creature of Atys is impregnated by the sap, so they can all potentially use magic. The strict rules imposed by the Kamis greatly limited the use of magic by the humans.

But some magicians tried and managed, to bypass these kamic rules. These magicians were able to increase the power of their spells by directly tapping in Atys' sap. The Kamis promptly discovered this violation, and reacted with much cruelty. Thousands of black Kamis erupted from the primal roots and razed to the ground the cities where the guilty magicians had taken shelter. Since then, the great civilisations of Atys have strictly forbidden the use of this black magic, as it was called after its adepts encountered their dreadful fate.

Despite the Kamis' strict vigilance, black magic adepts still exist today. A careful magician can even use this forbidden lore, with moderation. Indeed, the Kamis only detect those who practise black magic intensely. A black magician has to be cautious to progress. As most of the knowledge from the first black magic users has now disappeared, the only bits of lore left are not enough for a magician to progress correctly, and he will thus need the help of the Kamis.

Magic is based on the association of words of power in order to build a spell. Black magic is also composed of words of power, that can be associated with all the other formulas created by magicians.

Source: http://www.mpogd.com/news/?ID=615

The botany in Matis : the architects of life

The Matis have always been great botanists. Since they moved into the Matia's forests they showed innate talents for plant cultivation. Their harvests were exceptional, and the variety of plant species was such that new uses were discovered every day. The Matis prospered under the kind patronage of Jena and the Karavan. They developed their craft, inventing techniques to manipulate matter in a surprising way. However, nature imposed its limits, and the most visionary artists felt a bitter frustration.

Then the Kamis met the Matis in order to teach them magic, after having taught it to the Zorai. Despite Karavan disapproval who did not like natural spirits, the Matis became studious and ambitious students. They tried to use the magic very quickly in order to make plants submit to their will, so they could create other species.

However the Kamis opposed this and moved away from these overly ambitious disciples. On the contrary the Karavan had always encouraged the Matis to excel themselves. Then it was decided to reveal the secrets of living material, so they could give free rein to their creativity. Thus the art of manipulating flora and fauna became one of the foundations of Matis culture.

So, organic architecture takes its roots in the traditional craft of the Matis, the magic from the Kamis and the strange Technowises' knowledge. It is a living art which stretches the boundaries of possibility and permits the most extraordinary creations. The Matis see it as an outstanding mode of expression, which
elevates the mind and brings it to excellence.

Source: http://mirror.kaetemi.be/www.ryzom.com/development/q-a/answers-to -questions-from-the-boards-2005-07-14.html

Interesting informations, especially the concept of black magic, i.e. tapping sap directly from the planet. That concept would show that homins' normally used magic indeed differs from that of the Kami whom I assume to directly access the living planet's sap. Further on, I do not think that Kamis need incantations, cast times, or cooldowns like homins.

So I might agree that probably the nature of homin and kami magic is the same, as a magic using the sap, and the homin magic probably derived from kami magic (Luth would disagree, here). But there are grave differences, too, as it seems.

Has there been any mention of black magic during the last years, or during the "reign" of Winchgate? Probably not, it would otherwise be rather a domain of the marauders.

But again, I want to stress that none of the concepts of how to deal with goo in the past was "wrong" or less valid. I confess that I have troubles to understand the effect of magnetism on goo, as magnetism, for me, is intuitively linked to Maxwell's equations, and there, goo is hard to integrate. Yet I must accept that and integrate it in our new world. And I would agree that homins never in our "modern age" of Atys achieved to remove goo from larger terrains so I understand the notion that goo in larger quantity cannot be destroyed and sick lands be recovered.

To answer the question " how effects magnetism on goo" its important to know what goo realy is , further i think this effect would be in a biological or chemical way, i dont think there are physical effects.

My question would be "how is it possible to have magnetism on Atys?" but that would be off topic.

Last reference to black magic in game (aniro, i don't know other) : marung horongi, zorai constitution (before merge), and wize quest in zora (Companie of Eternal Tree accuse Black Circle to use it ; you can verify that easily). I found old reference by players too (few guild revendicated be Black Wizard, and other guild sugger they fight them in distant past) but i think it's before beta. But Black Magic has not got direct link with goo. Indirect link : "maybe" it can create or destroy goo but like it's very forbidden, no experiment possible... (and not implemented ^^).
In aniro, during an event, Thesos was contaminated by goo. For fight it, toon plant vegetables who "aspirate" goo in ground and water and want burn it after, in forges of the Fyros. But event team say "no, forges haven't got natural fire, so goo is not destroy". So they throwed vegetable in goo in zorai land.

And repeatedly animator says (in aniro before the merge) : "there are not natural fire on Atys, except very uncommon phenomenon, like Coriolis". I confess, i don't like this. That our fireballs are "magic fire", ok. In Forges of the Fyros and in pyr's gate, why not. Special fire for Flamming Forest, probably, because if you try real fire and sawdust (as the sand of the desert is supposed), you obtain big conflagration.

But, if you enough warm a material like wood or sawdust , you obtain fire, real fire. And homin can make that. before merge we have campfire, they don't seem magic. And for event cited (fire destroy last spot of goo), this fire is created by carelessness of homin ! like campfire, maybe ! So, i think goo can be destroyed by very very hot fire. Difficult for homin to create this, because they don't have utility and so, they can't have technic.

The Forge of Pyr is for armor and weapon with bark, amber, sap, etc : material that do not need a big heat. Not like iron or steel (unknow on Atys outside Karavan). I think it's for this reason that tryker's box destroy goo : it's warm goo very hot, like in solar furnace ?

I have to precise that, in my opinion at least, this "Tryker Box" experiment has doubtful resulsts (in a roleplaying point of vue).
OOC it seems to be a player event, even if managed by an event team, being long ago (maybe previous winchgate) i'm not sure it can be treated as "real" in our virtual world of Atys :)

Another addition:

On the old temple of Ma-Duk outside of Zora it said:

"The Kamis and the Zoraï

In the old days, the Kamis had taken refuge in the jungle after the great fires, where they met the Zoraïs and entrusted them with the sacred mission to fight the Goo. The spirits of Nature developed very close ties with the Zoraïs, leading to the early devotions to the Kamis, who were the living incarnation of the pure energy that created Atys. The Kamis created the masks linking them to the Zoraïs, as a symbol of this spiritual bond. The Kamis initiated the Zoraïs into the secrets of magic. The first magicians appeared on Atys, performing miracles.

Then the Zoraïs' high Magi began to study the arcane mysteries, using sacred writing to transmit their knowledge. They learned the secret powers of lightning, and created the first peoples' magic, the magic of electricity. Using their magic and their knowledge of magnetism, the Zoraïs fought the Goo that was eating away at the forests of Atys. In the name of the Kamis, they bravely battled this plague. They were wary of the Karavan, who led homins away from the path of Enlightenment.
Their unshakeable faith has made the Zoraïs the sacred warriors of Ma-Duk."
http://en.ryzomnomnom.com/wiki/Kami#The_Kamis_and_the_Zora.C3.AF

The same had been written there in German:

"Mit ihrer Magie und ihrem Wissen über den Magnetismus bekämpften die Zoraï das Goo, das den Dschungel von Atys befiel."