The universe is a ceaseless shifting mass of everflowing energy like the big bang, flowing ever outward and causing complete chaos.
Gods are born of this energy.
Gods create a prison around the source of the big bang which becomes the planet the setting is based in.
Prison cannot entirely stop the effects of the energy which seeps through and creates life on the surface of said prison.
Said lifeforms therefore possess the same energy within them.
This energy can be channeled through means of martial talent or magic.
Wizards believe that they know to the answers of the universe and their view and capacity to understand the world around them and how they view magic within it allows them to shape different things into existence.
Sorcerers believe an innate spark of power within them allows them to reach the same result, though through different means.
Divine magic is in turn based on faith. The faith that something of a higher power is granting you the power to affect the world around you is what allows you to do just that.
Some theorize that the collective effort and the faith in the gods is what created them to begin with, which would mean that the collective faith and consciousness of all those who believed in them was powerful enough to cause a rip in time for the gods to go back into to begin existing to begin with and by extension allows the gods create the world upon which the lifeforce that grants them their own being lives upon.
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I feel like amongst non-humans magic should be pretty normal, but humans should have to tough it out (and being able to do so is their main perk, since they're "adaptable.")
So human clerics and wizards exist but they're pretty rare. Other races are confused as to what the heck these 'doctor' things humans have are, and why humans ride horses when they could just teleport where they wanna go!
>How is magic view in your setting
Generally with wonder, tinged with caution and trepidation. Magic users are common enough that nowhere can really afford to hate them, but few know the limits of a mage's power.
>Where does it come from?
Wizardly magic comes from Lifestream-like energy flowing through the universe, which practitioners of various traditions constantly argue about the nature of. Magic can also be granted by the Gods or other powerful entities and artifacts; whether these beings just concentrate the above, universal force is another debate. It can also be generated by the user's spirit directly, but this is generally not seen as magic, being more like how Monks work.
>Is it common or only a small group of people can use it?
Most people have witnessed magic at some point, and anyone can learn Wizardry if they have the time and resources. In one country, educated commoners can frequently use a few minor (not even first level) spells. However, training yourself to be able to survive and succeed in channeling the magical energy to use the really big spells is very rare.
>Do the common people fear it?
Depends on the area, but everyone rightfully fears a high-level spellcaster they don't know, given their capacity for destruction.
>Are there schools to study the arcane arts?
Depends on the area. The country I mentioned above, in the capital, teaches magical theory and some practice in free academies, and hosts the most advanced arcane universities and research centers in the world. For the most part, arcane magic is taught on a mentor/apprentice basis, though.
Wonders, signs, omens, miracles, and the various odd happenstances are a common enough phenomena that most every being has witnessed them. The lay people have their charms and rituals used to ward bad spirits away and bring good health and fortune to their side. But there are those whose magical might is far greater, able to command the forces of the world to their bidding. Whether by being blessed by the gods, by the teachings of the intricate arts of mage craft, by dealings with the many spirits and forces of the world, knowing the true name of a being, or many other ways of harnessing great power.
Where does this power come from? Many are the answers to this question, with each people's scholars providing more and more each day. I don't feel like providing one to the players, so it just is. There is magic and it works and that's the way of the world.
As to the common man's fears, does the common man fear the soldier with his sword and armor? Does the common man fear the king and his generals? Does the common man fear the high priests of his gods? Of course, but that fear is one of logical wariness for those who wield power and dangerous tools.
The many great schools and universities of learning are as varied in their teachings of the magical arts as there are ways to harness it. From the Clockwork Cathedral, a new college where they study the mechanical arts, to the Academy of Applied Magic, a more pragmatic school focusing on the application of spellcraft toward infrastructure and construction, to the grand Acadamae, an old and well known school for wizardry where one can go to get a well rounded education on the magical arts but has a strong focus on the art of conjuring.
I had a mage Warden, mage Hawke, mage side playthrough, and I still murdered his ass, because his plan sucked donkey dicks and killed more mages than the Templars did.