More thoughts on Fel Magic

I've been thinking more about Fel Magic lately and how it related to Arcane magic and the other sources of energy.

Arcane magic seems to be the power of sentient life, of organization and creation. Arcane magic seems to be ambient to Azeroth and many other shaped worlds, and it can be harnessed, solidified, trapped, and used. The single largest physical embodiment of Arcane magic in the current lore is the Well of Eternity. Several sentient races such as the Aqir and the Night Elves can trace their ascension from primitive races back to close proximity to the Well of Eternity. If, as implied in the Warcraft III manual, the well was created by the Titans then it surely embodied the principles of balance and order which they so valued.

If Arcane magic is the power of organization, balance, creation, life and order, then Fel magic is its polar and eternal opposite. Fel magic seems to embody the forces of destruction, chaos, savagery and madness. Just as Arcane energy seems to empower and improve, making Aqir from Silithids (probably) and Night Elves from Trolls (probably), Fel energy corrupts, turning (Arcane) Eredar in to Man'ari Eredar, (Arcane) Night Elves in to Satyr, Orcs in to Fel Orcs, etc etc. Whats more is that it appears that Fel energy is more potent then Arcane energy and more addictive, because one of the downfalls of Arcane magic is that it tempts its practitioners to turn to even greater sources of power - Fel power.

So where does Fel magic come from? Let us assume that Arcane energy comes from the natural forces that make up a world, the elements, the minds of sentient beings and other such sources. Previous source material suggests that some Arcane energy comes naturally from the Great Dark Beyond (Space(?)) - it may even be the very force that holds the cosmos together and forms shaped reality. Where then does Fel energy come from? Here are some possibilities:

- Fel energy comes from the Twisting Nether, the strange interdimensional subspace that links worlds and enables travel between those worlds. Fel energy is often associatted with demons and many demons choose to live within the Twisting Nether, so this is a possibility.

- Fel energy comes from Sargeras' corrupted desires. As a Titan who previously worked towards the forces of Order and Balance, in his fall Sargeras desires only Corrupted, Destruction and Chaos - the forces that Fel energy embodies. Sargeras' own considerable power as a Titan may be the origin of all Fel Energy.

The only real point for the first option is that it is still official lore that Sargeras encountered the Nathrezim (and possibly other demonic races) before his fall (unlike the Eredar). Presumably these races ued Fel Magic, although it may be that they merely wielded Arcane magic in unwise or evil ways, or that they relied on a force more akin to shadow divine energy. Regardless, if the first option is the truth it may be that Sargeras' exposure to the demonic realm during these initial battles is what led to his madness and fall.

Points for the second possibility abound. First of all there is the fact that Fel energy is infectous. All demons seem to have Fel energy innate to their body and can pass it on to other people. Demons also hunger for Arcane energy (which presumably increases their power based on Archimonde's actions during WC III) and this seems to be converted in to Fel energy as part of its consumption/absorption. Additionally Fel energy seems to be able to corrupt fonts of Arcane energy, as the natural magic of many places and objects remain corrupted indefinitely until they are purified or destroyed (and serve as a source of corruption for Arcane users). It may be that significant proportions of Arcane to Fel energy are needed since the demons during the War of the Ancients seemed to be unable to consume or corrupt the vast powers of the Well of Eternity without Sargeras' direct intervention.

Whatever the case, Fel energy channeled through Sargeras was able to corrupt most of the Eredar race from peaceful and advanced Arcane users in to ravening, spiteful Man'ari Eredar bound to the service of Sargeras. Fel energy was able to corrupt the Night Elves and the Blood Elves and several other races, and severe forms of corruption seem to supress the ability to use Arcane magic at all. Fel energy is mutative and seems to be a force of unraveling all on it's own, and this leads to a third interpretation:

- Assume that the proto-Nathrezim and other proto-Legion races used something akin to Shadow type divine energy. This same energy seems to be the source of power for the Old Gods of Azeroth, allowing for compulsion (mind control, infiltration, etc) but not Corruption (servants of the Old Gods, even Elementals, remain true to their essential nature). If that is the case it may be that Fel Energy IS Sargeras in some way. It has already been made clear in the lore that Sargeras is able to manifest Avatars with some or all of his power, that he is able to inhabit and corrupt a powerful arcane being from within, and that at this time the "being" of Sargeras is missing, presumably weakened by being within Medivh at the time of his "Death".

If all Fel energy IS the essence of Sargeras then he may still be controlling the Burning Legion, albeit without their knowledge. If this is the case then the actions of Archimonde (considerbly more powerful since the War of the Ancients) in trying to absorb the power of the Well of Eternity to become more powerful then Sargeras may have been the jolt his master needed to return to his Prime physical body, wherever it is. Kil'Jaeden's recent bids to re-enter Azeroth through the Dark Portal and then again through the Sunwell and begin a new legion invasion may have been the same. Sargeras may be secretly controlling his in-fighting, back-biting, rebellious chaotic Legion to return him to the world and finally allow him to claim the power of the Well.