Magic in the otherworld

[Ashdown Crier]

magic.
In the other ashdown, it doesn't matter what your power in the real Ashdown is. Talk to cats? Set things on fire with your mind? Doesn't matter, in the other ashdown you can do anything. There's a thousand ways to skin a cat, whether that's through herbalism or chanting or prayers or tossing the oracle bones. If you want to get a Harry Potter-style wand and cast Alohamora, that's as likely to work as anything else.

Magic in the otherworld trades upon one thing and one thing only: belief. You have to really, sincerely believe that whatever you're doing will have the results you want. It all comes down to that: warding? Belief. Banishing the Other Things? Belief.

A coda upon the topic of dreamers:

A major touchstone and point of commonality among the Ashdown dreamers is that they dream. What separates an Ashdown dream from a regular dream is its logic; while there's magic and unbelievable things, there is a logical progression to them. A dreamer will be able to navigate the other ashdown from their memories of the real Ashdown, and whatever changes they make will appear in the otherworld.

It's astral projection, basically.

 

[Ashdown Crier]

kinetics.

arguably the purest expression of the otherworld's magic. kinetics uses straight-up focus with the occasional gesture or mudra to manipulate the world around the user. this requires both force of will and imagination: you must be able to picture your desired result in great detail for best results.
tutors: the burning man

paxian herbalism.

a naturalistic new england based system of magic. uses native herbs and flowers to create potions and sachets. generally good for protection and healing, not so great for combat applications. magic from this style is focused around avoiding conflict in the first place.
tutors: pax

pop wizardry.

not precisely a style practiced or taught by residents of other ashdown. used by heliodora winters. a preferred style for combat, with a strong focus on both offense or defense. draws from popular culture and slang to add the force of the societal consciousness behind the caster's spells. the more popular the source material, the more powerful the spell. it is quite draining to use, however, and requires knowledge of the source material.
tutors: heliodora

 

[Ashdown Crier]

grimoires.

Grimoires are a powerful tool available to those who choose to study magic within other ashdown. They take many forms: a list on your cell phone, a tumblr post, an actual book. The trait they all share is that they are a living record of all the spells a character knows, and their existence makes it possible for a character to greatly expand their abilities.