Post by Maiyka on Jan 15, 2016 0:36:16 GMT 1
Yo! I'm about to start a small series where I post my theories about different types of magic, of course including the arcane, fel, chi, druidism and shamanism and we'll go from there.
Chapter 1: Arcane
Let us begin!
So, first of we have have the arcane, a very old and potent power source, in fact arcane stems from the foundation of all arcane magics and beings made up of it on Azeroth, namingly the ley-lines. The ley-lines are the magical map of Azeroth, with a couple of key points, such as Karazhan, isle of Quel’Danas and the Nexus a few of them.
What does these ley-lines do? Well, where these lines crisscross or go, the arcane, or magics that is based on the arcane, is more stable, stronger and more potent. Let’s say you ought to teleport from Stonard to somewhere in the Redridge Mountains; the ley-lines are used as a power source to fuel and secure that portal, however this would now go a bit wonky seeing as there is no ley-line anywhere in Redridge and you’d most likely end up being teleported high up in the air and fall down and die a horrible death.
So, now can any magi just say ‘’Tada!’’ and conjure a portal from the ley-lines? Unfortunately not, the mage in question has to be incredibly experienced when it comes to location and being able to harness the ley-lines to use them as stepping stones for their portals, and this is skill is reserved for some of the more powerful magi, and roleplaying a Ley-walker(as they are called) can be a bit questioned, seeing as they are few in number and it takes a powerful, or seasoned magi to ‘’walk the ley-lines’’.
What does the ley-lines look like now then? Picture yourself a spiderweb all across Azeroth with a few stronger points, some being the locations previously mentioned up top and we’re all good.
A lot of people can learn how to wield the arcane, for races such as the blood elves and human, wielding the arcane doesn’t need to be more difficult than holding a sword and shield. Blood elves themselves come from a society heavily built upon the arcane seeing as they descend from the Highbourne which refused to give up their birthright to magic. They developed their own society where magic is an everyday thing, something which they see almost everywhere they go and all it’s properties, from rangers that wield the arcane in their arrows to having had an elite group called Spellbreakers that were trained in negating magic and was a magic wielders worst nightmare.
Such spells as levitation and animation is something also very commonly seen in the blood elven society; trays with food and drink can be seen levitation, as well as bookshelves crafted in blood elven fashion. Pots with flowers that decorates Silvermoon is kept afloat by magic, as is lanterns and signs in the city. And the animation spells are most commonly seen on objects such as brooms to keep areas clean and tidy. Now, these spells in general isn’t that hard to learn, they are fairly simple in practice and you can trust that almost every shopkeep and innkeeper in Silvermoon knows these spells.
Blood elves are in one or more way dependant on the arcane, they use it in their daily life but it is also something they’ve had all of their lives, that they are to a certain degree addicted to it. They need a tinge of this source of power to survive, and that goes for almost any blood elf out there, seeing as a complete withdrawal from the arcane and being completely empty on mana can more or less lead to a depravity and eventually turn them into Wretched. However that is more or less the extreme cases, and blood elves don’t really need to take any extreme measures to be certain that they are exposed to the arcane, seeing as it’s about everywhere in the world of Azeroth thanks to the giant spiderweb that is the ley-lines.
How come now that more or less every blood elf know the arcane enough to have it for everyday uses? I direct you to their racial ‘’Arcane Torrent’’ which is more or less a spell negating ability when used. However the visual for this ability in the game is where your blood elf raises their arms up in the air and draws power -to them-. This could be interpreted that they cause a flux in the magical flow that causes their enemy unable to cast their spell, or they simply absorb the weaved energies, and add that strength to their own.
‘’Why the hell are going on about babbling on an in-game ability?’’ This more or less explains the arcane acuity that -ALL- blood elves have. Their region is heavy on the arcane and magic, their whole society is more or less based on it, wherever you turn your head to look at the blood elven infrastructure and how their militaristic forces are trained. If anything blood elves have a natural draw to the arcane, their body reacting and being alike a small catalyst that draws arcane particles to them. The fact that your character is a commoner or a mediocre mage, or a innkeeper, magic and the arcane is natural to you, and it’s something that is going to affect you more or less your whole life.
Now, arcane is what is wielded, then mana is the source of energy. Just like chi is the source of energy for monks, mana is what mages and the like are dependant on. I could go on and explain why paladins and druids have mana instead of something else, but that is game mechanic and lore-wise they use different sources of power to fuel their attacks.
Arcane is the raw natural power that is used by all mages and magi, but some chooses to use and wield it as something else. There are several schools of magic but three are most notable; arcane, fire and frost.
Arcane is fairly self explanatory, this can more or less be seen as someone bending the arcane around them to their will, using their own draw to absorb the arcane to then form the loose and wavering energy into powerful and explosive attacks. As seen in game, arcane has a high explosive dynamic and it’s a very direct source of energy once harnessed and released. Arcane itself is powerful and direct, as well highly destructive once mastered by someone. It is afterall a mass of pure raw energy, drawn and harnessed directly from the ley-lines, so this could very well be classified as the form most difficult to control and how to handle with professionality. Since arcane has such a high potency, it bears a high chance to expel more power on the way out with an attack or spell than when the mage draws the arcane to them, so it can definitely be seen as the most powerful, but also draining form.
We’ll be talking more about how much a mage can handle and the drain of energy at the end of this bit, let’s move on.
As said before, arcane is not only wielded in its pure form, but also in the means of fire and frost, I’m going to go with fire, seeing as I myself play a fire mage *cough*Totally not biased*cough*. Now the principle is the same, and I do not feel like writing the same thing twice.
What now, when did mages start to wield elemental powers? In fact, they are not, it is imitation of an elemental force, but it is very well real fire. You see, it still has it’s foundation in the arcane, the mages didn’t suddenly become shamans that don’t need totems to channel a elemental force, that is some Go’el shitz and he is a PP(powerplayer) m’kay?
As said, still using arcane as a foundation, but that is not the core in their spells and attacks. Fire is a highly offensive form of the arcane to use, you don’t use it to levitate flowerpots, this is used to turn your enemies to ash and roast them to cinders. What the mage does, is that they ignite the arcane with a fire incantation, thus using the arcane field around them as literal fuel for their attacks and turns it into fire.
One could argue the fact that they are drawing a part of their energy from the elemental plane of fire, which means that they would in other words be able to extend their magical reach through the void and draw a smidge of fire and use it during their own assaults. It is a very interesting theory, and it could very well make sense, but it is a bit lacking. Mages do not use fire in the same way that shamans does, they do not use a pure elemental form, but the convergence of arcane to fire, happens because of the conjuration of fire through igniting the arcane field around them with a spell. Thus this is how they can manipulate and use the fire however they wish once they learn how to master the principles of it. If anything the mage has to learn how to visualize fire around them, for me personally heat from overall sources can be a help as well to further the ignition of the arcane.
Some mages can even apt the feat of using their arcane abilities to manipulate fire itself, seeing as when they have learnt to fully understand the principle of turning arcane into fire, to some it might not be that much of a greater difficulty to affect and manipulate fire of another source in their surroundings, let’s say a candle or a campfire. To me personally I have always found it that it might be the most passionate of mages that relate with fire, thus they might have a greater affinity for it. Seeing as this fire will act accordingly to the mage's own commands, with it being their own conjuration, and it being based on their own will and incantation, it can be the easier form of magic to wield, but also possibly rival the arcane in how powerful it can become in the hands of the right and most potential wielder. Very skilled fire mages might not even have to go through with the conscience ignition of fire, but they simply have to conjure up their spell just like any other arcane specialized mage, seeing as their trade comes just as natural to them.
Now, I cannot say that this is exactly what happens in-game and when roleplaying, but the facts and theories behind how arcane made fire is incredibly vague, all we are shown and told is basically that the mage can wield both frost and fire simultaneously with the arcane. Sadly not much is written on this, but that leaves a hole for me to speculate upon this, anyway, moving on!
We do know that the arcane can become a highly addictive source. Oh, perhaps you didn’t? Well, it actually is. As I’ve said earlier in this chapter, arcane is incredibly potent and a very powerful raw source of energy. Think of it alike endorphins, it makes you feel very good and happy, and it keep you functioning even, we humans are dependant on it seeing as it’s our happy chemical, without it we’d be pretty depressed and sad constantly. Mages have it very easy to become addicted to magic, though they use it with such a consistency that it’s hardly noticed. Even though they might use it in high amounts during a battle, they are less likely to suffer through a withdrawal as they always negate arcane around them, and again the theory about a draw to the arcane plays in here. Once they have started to regularly use arcane and learnt how bend and conjure spells, it’s bound to become ‘’attracted’’ to the person in question, and with more use and practice the draw from the ley-lines, the easier access they have to a stable source of wielding power.
Seeing as magi and those able to wield the arcane, the higher risks are they can get corrupted by forces such as the fel or other highly corruptive energies, seeing as they are extremely potent to pick up on them, I see no difference that they would be the ones with a higher exposure to said forces, including the void and dark energies. Seeing as those powers could easily allure a mage or magi, because it’s different, and perhaps even more potent, or feels more powerful in comparison to the arcane.
However where there is a lack of arcane energies, or places that’s scarce in ley-lines, yes those places exist, crystallized mana or water might be necessary for the magi to have close in hand, seeing as mana is something that is slowly exhumed, should the mage not gather more, eventually they’d be quite empty on energy once they go out in a battle and realize that halfway through that they’re running on fumes. Running on fumes and exhausting oneself in battle is very dangerous, seeing as the mage isn’t only draining themselves so much it might tear on their very body. They also might not have a replacement of resources close in hand after the battle, and might suffer through a severe withdrawal as well cripple their ability to tap into mana and refuel. In way their body refuses mana because it’s what ‘’damaged’’ them, and recovering from such a state with a severe withdrawal might as well be life-threatening to the mage in question.
Something I’ve thought about many times over before, is how mana and arcane react to each and every individual. A lot of times one’s character, if sensitive to the flux in energies can ‘’sense’’ others presence and field of energy. What this can be comparable to is how a dog with their sensitive noses can make out scents from three different people on it’s owner, including making out it’s owners scent in the mix. The scents have different traits, as does the mana, or as I call it ‘’magical thumbprint’’. In other words, the energy surrounding a particular individual molds and reshapes around that person, making them identifiable by other magi and those who can sense differences in energies. Now, what is it that warps the field around this person? A lot of things can influence their field, everything from mood to feelings and emotions, even personality and what sort of power that they wield themselves. This does not only regard those who wield the arcane, but also necromancer and warlocks, who even might have a scent of sulphur around them considering that is what fel is described to smell like.
As stated before, mages have their own mana pool, and while that is a source that very slowly but surely drains unless refueled, a magical presence doesn’t just disappear. This is unless a very skilled mage knows how to cloak their trail and ‘’scent’’ so that they are untrackable, but since arcane and other forms of magic, which is mostly based on arcane, is so incredibly potent and strong that is hard to do, that the mage in question would almost have to either use an illusion or negate their own flow of magic which might even be painful for the mage in question. But these little particles are stubborn and like to stick to you, so much that they create a presence that is molded by you. It is also very possible that other magi would be able to track an individual due to their magical presence alone, however that does require some training in some field, or sensitivity for fluxes and changes in energetical fields. Most mages are able to do this however, considering that they are already sensitive enough to pick up on magical sources.
How does it work now that one mage should infuse another arcane wielder with their own mana to replenish their pool of energy? It’s not as tricky as it may sound to be. If one applies the theory explained above, it’s the same as a scent here again. Person nr.1’s magical field and presence temporarily gains a similarity to person nr.2’s own magical field. The ‘’magical thumbprint’’ is then noticeable by other magi, as two presences would mingle together. For some they might just muddle together into a completely new presence and they’d wonder what the heck is going on, while some know how to make out different mingled presences.
Another example of this can be how some presences are weaker, and some stronger. Should we place a stage with a almost non-magical user with a very minor presence, with a mage that has an almost overwhelming magical presence, the mage’s presence would most likely override the non-magical user's presence and colour that person's energetic field for some time, depending on how potent the presence is.
It can also be the question of familiarity, such as friends, family and lovers. A non-magical user such as a paladin (no Light is not magic it is another source of power) could very easily have their presence influenced by let’s say, their mage lover. There would be a mingling presence over this person that belongs to the mage, but as said before, two presences, each would be recognizable. But since these individuals probably spend a lot of time with one another, it isn’t hard to imagine that the magical presence from the magi or arcane user would have latched onto the other person’s presence, seeing as they see the other as a source of comfort and familiarity. It goes deeper than the magical presence over all and can be a force of mentality as well. Again with the case of the non-magical user, can bare a very strong presence of someone else's.
For Blood elves this would mean that everyone more or less have a magical thumbprint, seeing as they basically live in a region bathed in arcane. Some more powerful and some weaker but it’s there, and seeing as most elves have a small sensory skill for energetical fields, they’re the ones having the easy time making these out.
Chapter 1: Arcane
Let us begin!
So, first of we have have the arcane, a very old and potent power source, in fact arcane stems from the foundation of all arcane magics and beings made up of it on Azeroth, namingly the ley-lines. The ley-lines are the magical map of Azeroth, with a couple of key points, such as Karazhan, isle of Quel’Danas and the Nexus a few of them.
What does these ley-lines do? Well, where these lines crisscross or go, the arcane, or magics that is based on the arcane, is more stable, stronger and more potent. Let’s say you ought to teleport from Stonard to somewhere in the Redridge Mountains; the ley-lines are used as a power source to fuel and secure that portal, however this would now go a bit wonky seeing as there is no ley-line anywhere in Redridge and you’d most likely end up being teleported high up in the air and fall down and die a horrible death.
So, now can any magi just say ‘’Tada!’’ and conjure a portal from the ley-lines? Unfortunately not, the mage in question has to be incredibly experienced when it comes to location and being able to harness the ley-lines to use them as stepping stones for their portals, and this is skill is reserved for some of the more powerful magi, and roleplaying a Ley-walker(as they are called) can be a bit questioned, seeing as they are few in number and it takes a powerful, or seasoned magi to ‘’walk the ley-lines’’.
What does the ley-lines look like now then? Picture yourself a spiderweb all across Azeroth with a few stronger points, some being the locations previously mentioned up top and we’re all good.
A lot of people can learn how to wield the arcane, for races such as the blood elves and human, wielding the arcane doesn’t need to be more difficult than holding a sword and shield. Blood elves themselves come from a society heavily built upon the arcane seeing as they descend from the Highbourne which refused to give up their birthright to magic. They developed their own society where magic is an everyday thing, something which they see almost everywhere they go and all it’s properties, from rangers that wield the arcane in their arrows to having had an elite group called Spellbreakers that were trained in negating magic and was a magic wielders worst nightmare.
Such spells as levitation and animation is something also very commonly seen in the blood elven society; trays with food and drink can be seen levitation, as well as bookshelves crafted in blood elven fashion. Pots with flowers that decorates Silvermoon is kept afloat by magic, as is lanterns and signs in the city. And the animation spells are most commonly seen on objects such as brooms to keep areas clean and tidy. Now, these spells in general isn’t that hard to learn, they are fairly simple in practice and you can trust that almost every shopkeep and innkeeper in Silvermoon knows these spells.
Blood elves are in one or more way dependant on the arcane, they use it in their daily life but it is also something they’ve had all of their lives, that they are to a certain degree addicted to it. They need a tinge of this source of power to survive, and that goes for almost any blood elf out there, seeing as a complete withdrawal from the arcane and being completely empty on mana can more or less lead to a depravity and eventually turn them into Wretched. However that is more or less the extreme cases, and blood elves don’t really need to take any extreme measures to be certain that they are exposed to the arcane, seeing as it’s about everywhere in the world of Azeroth thanks to the giant spiderweb that is the ley-lines.
How come now that more or less every blood elf know the arcane enough to have it for everyday uses? I direct you to their racial ‘’Arcane Torrent’’ which is more or less a spell negating ability when used. However the visual for this ability in the game is where your blood elf raises their arms up in the air and draws power -to them-. This could be interpreted that they cause a flux in the magical flow that causes their enemy unable to cast their spell, or they simply absorb the weaved energies, and add that strength to their own.
‘’Why the hell are going on about babbling on an in-game ability?’’ This more or less explains the arcane acuity that -ALL- blood elves have. Their region is heavy on the arcane and magic, their whole society is more or less based on it, wherever you turn your head to look at the blood elven infrastructure and how their militaristic forces are trained. If anything blood elves have a natural draw to the arcane, their body reacting and being alike a small catalyst that draws arcane particles to them. The fact that your character is a commoner or a mediocre mage, or a innkeeper, magic and the arcane is natural to you, and it’s something that is going to affect you more or less your whole life.
Now, arcane is what is wielded, then mana is the source of energy. Just like chi is the source of energy for monks, mana is what mages and the like are dependant on. I could go on and explain why paladins and druids have mana instead of something else, but that is game mechanic and lore-wise they use different sources of power to fuel their attacks.
Arcane is the raw natural power that is used by all mages and magi, but some chooses to use and wield it as something else. There are several schools of magic but three are most notable; arcane, fire and frost.
Arcane is fairly self explanatory, this can more or less be seen as someone bending the arcane around them to their will, using their own draw to absorb the arcane to then form the loose and wavering energy into powerful and explosive attacks. As seen in game, arcane has a high explosive dynamic and it’s a very direct source of energy once harnessed and released. Arcane itself is powerful and direct, as well highly destructive once mastered by someone. It is afterall a mass of pure raw energy, drawn and harnessed directly from the ley-lines, so this could very well be classified as the form most difficult to control and how to handle with professionality. Since arcane has such a high potency, it bears a high chance to expel more power on the way out with an attack or spell than when the mage draws the arcane to them, so it can definitely be seen as the most powerful, but also draining form.
We’ll be talking more about how much a mage can handle and the drain of energy at the end of this bit, let’s move on.
As said before, arcane is not only wielded in its pure form, but also in the means of fire and frost, I’m going to go with fire, seeing as I myself play a fire mage *cough*Totally not biased*cough*. Now the principle is the same, and I do not feel like writing the same thing twice.
What now, when did mages start to wield elemental powers? In fact, they are not, it is imitation of an elemental force, but it is very well real fire. You see, it still has it’s foundation in the arcane, the mages didn’t suddenly become shamans that don’t need totems to channel a elemental force, that is some Go’el shitz and he is a PP(powerplayer) m’kay?
As said, still using arcane as a foundation, but that is not the core in their spells and attacks. Fire is a highly offensive form of the arcane to use, you don’t use it to levitate flowerpots, this is used to turn your enemies to ash and roast them to cinders. What the mage does, is that they ignite the arcane with a fire incantation, thus using the arcane field around them as literal fuel for their attacks and turns it into fire.
One could argue the fact that they are drawing a part of their energy from the elemental plane of fire, which means that they would in other words be able to extend their magical reach through the void and draw a smidge of fire and use it during their own assaults. It is a very interesting theory, and it could very well make sense, but it is a bit lacking. Mages do not use fire in the same way that shamans does, they do not use a pure elemental form, but the convergence of arcane to fire, happens because of the conjuration of fire through igniting the arcane field around them with a spell. Thus this is how they can manipulate and use the fire however they wish once they learn how to master the principles of it. If anything the mage has to learn how to visualize fire around them, for me personally heat from overall sources can be a help as well to further the ignition of the arcane.
Some mages can even apt the feat of using their arcane abilities to manipulate fire itself, seeing as when they have learnt to fully understand the principle of turning arcane into fire, to some it might not be that much of a greater difficulty to affect and manipulate fire of another source in their surroundings, let’s say a candle or a campfire. To me personally I have always found it that it might be the most passionate of mages that relate with fire, thus they might have a greater affinity for it. Seeing as this fire will act accordingly to the mage's own commands, with it being their own conjuration, and it being based on their own will and incantation, it can be the easier form of magic to wield, but also possibly rival the arcane in how powerful it can become in the hands of the right and most potential wielder. Very skilled fire mages might not even have to go through with the conscience ignition of fire, but they simply have to conjure up their spell just like any other arcane specialized mage, seeing as their trade comes just as natural to them.
Now, I cannot say that this is exactly what happens in-game and when roleplaying, but the facts and theories behind how arcane made fire is incredibly vague, all we are shown and told is basically that the mage can wield both frost and fire simultaneously with the arcane. Sadly not much is written on this, but that leaves a hole for me to speculate upon this, anyway, moving on!
We do know that the arcane can become a highly addictive source. Oh, perhaps you didn’t? Well, it actually is. As I’ve said earlier in this chapter, arcane is incredibly potent and a very powerful raw source of energy. Think of it alike endorphins, it makes you feel very good and happy, and it keep you functioning even, we humans are dependant on it seeing as it’s our happy chemical, without it we’d be pretty depressed and sad constantly. Mages have it very easy to become addicted to magic, though they use it with such a consistency that it’s hardly noticed. Even though they might use it in high amounts during a battle, they are less likely to suffer through a withdrawal as they always negate arcane around them, and again the theory about a draw to the arcane plays in here. Once they have started to regularly use arcane and learnt how bend and conjure spells, it’s bound to become ‘’attracted’’ to the person in question, and with more use and practice the draw from the ley-lines, the easier access they have to a stable source of wielding power.
Seeing as magi and those able to wield the arcane, the higher risks are they can get corrupted by forces such as the fel or other highly corruptive energies, seeing as they are extremely potent to pick up on them, I see no difference that they would be the ones with a higher exposure to said forces, including the void and dark energies. Seeing as those powers could easily allure a mage or magi, because it’s different, and perhaps even more potent, or feels more powerful in comparison to the arcane.
However where there is a lack of arcane energies, or places that’s scarce in ley-lines, yes those places exist, crystallized mana or water might be necessary for the magi to have close in hand, seeing as mana is something that is slowly exhumed, should the mage not gather more, eventually they’d be quite empty on energy once they go out in a battle and realize that halfway through that they’re running on fumes. Running on fumes and exhausting oneself in battle is very dangerous, seeing as the mage isn’t only draining themselves so much it might tear on their very body. They also might not have a replacement of resources close in hand after the battle, and might suffer through a severe withdrawal as well cripple their ability to tap into mana and refuel. In way their body refuses mana because it’s what ‘’damaged’’ them, and recovering from such a state with a severe withdrawal might as well be life-threatening to the mage in question.
Something I’ve thought about many times over before, is how mana and arcane react to each and every individual. A lot of times one’s character, if sensitive to the flux in energies can ‘’sense’’ others presence and field of energy. What this can be comparable to is how a dog with their sensitive noses can make out scents from three different people on it’s owner, including making out it’s owners scent in the mix. The scents have different traits, as does the mana, or as I call it ‘’magical thumbprint’’. In other words, the energy surrounding a particular individual molds and reshapes around that person, making them identifiable by other magi and those who can sense differences in energies. Now, what is it that warps the field around this person? A lot of things can influence their field, everything from mood to feelings and emotions, even personality and what sort of power that they wield themselves. This does not only regard those who wield the arcane, but also necromancer and warlocks, who even might have a scent of sulphur around them considering that is what fel is described to smell like.
As stated before, mages have their own mana pool, and while that is a source that very slowly but surely drains unless refueled, a magical presence doesn’t just disappear. This is unless a very skilled mage knows how to cloak their trail and ‘’scent’’ so that they are untrackable, but since arcane and other forms of magic, which is mostly based on arcane, is so incredibly potent and strong that is hard to do, that the mage in question would almost have to either use an illusion or negate their own flow of magic which might even be painful for the mage in question. But these little particles are stubborn and like to stick to you, so much that they create a presence that is molded by you. It is also very possible that other magi would be able to track an individual due to their magical presence alone, however that does require some training in some field, or sensitivity for fluxes and changes in energetical fields. Most mages are able to do this however, considering that they are already sensitive enough to pick up on magical sources.
How does it work now that one mage should infuse another arcane wielder with their own mana to replenish their pool of energy? It’s not as tricky as it may sound to be. If one applies the theory explained above, it’s the same as a scent here again. Person nr.1’s magical field and presence temporarily gains a similarity to person nr.2’s own magical field. The ‘’magical thumbprint’’ is then noticeable by other magi, as two presences would mingle together. For some they might just muddle together into a completely new presence and they’d wonder what the heck is going on, while some know how to make out different mingled presences.
Another example of this can be how some presences are weaker, and some stronger. Should we place a stage with a almost non-magical user with a very minor presence, with a mage that has an almost overwhelming magical presence, the mage’s presence would most likely override the non-magical user's presence and colour that person's energetic field for some time, depending on how potent the presence is.
It can also be the question of familiarity, such as friends, family and lovers. A non-magical user such as a paladin (no Light is not magic it is another source of power) could very easily have their presence influenced by let’s say, their mage lover. There would be a mingling presence over this person that belongs to the mage, but as said before, two presences, each would be recognizable. But since these individuals probably spend a lot of time with one another, it isn’t hard to imagine that the magical presence from the magi or arcane user would have latched onto the other person’s presence, seeing as they see the other as a source of comfort and familiarity. It goes deeper than the magical presence over all and can be a force of mentality as well. Again with the case of the non-magical user, can bare a very strong presence of someone else's.
For Blood elves this would mean that everyone more or less have a magical thumbprint, seeing as they basically live in a region bathed in arcane. Some more powerful and some weaker but it’s there, and seeing as most elves have a small sensory skill for energetical fields, they’re the ones having the easy time making these out.