Ancestral Magic

Ancestral magic is a type of magic, that draws upon the consecrated power of those already dead.

''To see a list of other forms of magic and magical abilities, see here. ''

The Source of Magic
Throughout one's life, the use of magic permeates both body and soul with a raw form of energy. After a true death and burial, that energy can be magically consecrated directly into the ground below the site of one's burial, though the process is lengthy and requires much magic in its own right to be performed. In the cases of a cremation, that same energy can instead be consecrated into the ashes themselves. As a result of consecration, the area around the body/ashes is transformed into an eternal well of magical energy for as long as the body/ashes remain untouched and intact. Any spells and incantations that draw upon this well of magical energy is said to be ancestral magic.
 * To have its energy consecrated, the physical body must be placed to rest and otherwise be together as a whole; thus consecration cannot be performed for those dead at sea or if their physical body is not complete

Ancestral magic is highly circumstantial however, as the well can only be drawn upon for as long as the caster remains within the vicinity of the consecrated body/ashes. For this reason, graveyards tend to be powerful sites of ancestral magic and proficient casters of ancestral magic tend to live nearby to these cemeteries.

Applications
The site of consecration can also be destroyed however, using a particular ancestral spell known as a Corruption; in this case, the well of magic is destroyed entirely or simply made unusable until reconsecration occurs.