In arcane theory, life energy is a magical energy within living sentient beings that gives them special arcane properties, including the ability to manipulate magical forces through spellcasting.
Life energy is integral to a sentient being’s consciousness, allowing their thoughts, emotions, and desires to transcend the constraints of their physical forms. This infinite potential is expressed in myriad ways, depending on a person’s life experience, cultural background, or general state of mind. Although most strongly associate life energy with the capability to manipulate magic, it can manifest more subtly; individuals with seemingly-supernatural strength, charisma, dexterity, or other such characteristics are merely expressing a different aspect of their inherent life energy.
Actively drawing upon one’s life energy to manipulate magic tends not to deplete that life energy, but to strengthen it, exercising it as one would a muscle. Those who do so on a continual basis often notice permanent physiological changes; mages often maintain a youthful appearance well into adulthood, and may live for decades or even centuries longer than their peers.
Life energy, like all arcane forces, can be manipulated by sufficiently-talented mages. Such magic falls under the umbrella of restorative magic. Healing and necromancy are two terms used to refer to restorative magic techniques, but in truth, they are two sides of the same coin. Necromancers draw life energy from another to fuel themselves while injuring their target, while healers carefully draw from their own life energy to revitalize their target without harming themselves. Both can be dangerous when attempted by those with insufficient experience or malicious intent. If a person’s life energy is completely drained, it can cause death even in an otherwise-healthy individual. Ambitious mages have attempted to use restorative magic to separate life energy from a living body, hoping to transfer that energy to a different body or study it without the complicating factors of flesh and blood. However, in all known cases, the only result was the subject’s demise.
Life energy can be detected using locative magic; it is often a tool used by mages to discover the location of living sentient beings in a given area, although it does not allow them to identify the specific individual to which it belongs. Life energy remains detectable within a corpse for several minutes after death, but eventually dissipates if the deceased is not successfully resuscitated.