Magic and Familiars (Part 2)

For a practitioner of magic to claim their power is purely the result of hard work and natural talent it isn't exactly a lie, but more of a convenient omission of certain facts (whether through deliberate obfuscation, or ignorance), this is somewhat like a rich entrepreneur claiming that their success was purely the result of perseverance and business acumen. Such tales inspire a myth of the practitioner, something that can be exploited in the naive. In truth, there are a number of factors known to contribute to a successful practitioner of magic, and far more suspected factors that seem have a propensity toward effective practice, but not always. The deep metaphysical yearning, sometimes called ennui, is the strongest known factor, but it's appearance seems erratic, almost random, across the population. A second known factor for a practitioner's potential is the acceptance of a specific mystic path, either through the tutelage of a mentor or the reading of a grimoire, though this requires a latent potential before the effects can apply. the secondary factors are an insatiable curiosity, a genetic heritage shared with other mystic practitioners, proximity to other mystic or unexplainable phenomena, or moments of intense trauma.

Perhaps the most consistent factor when it comes to a mystic practitioner is the presence of a familiar. Familiars acts as mystical catalysts, awakening those on the edge of metaphysical slumber, stirring a drive in those feeling dissatisfaction, manifesting phenomena unexplainable by mundane science, bringing change to an otherwise static world. Of course, the problem here is that many familiars go out of their way not to be seen, and in their hubris many practitioners of magic believe their own lies of bootstrapping their way to enlightenment through hard work and natural talent. Some occultists and mystics even go so far as to claim that familiars are awoken by them, but those investigating more than the superficial quickly see through such claims as they would see through the claims of an overly assertive politician.