Arcana

Arcana

  Arcana is born of the Metaphorical Forces; more precisely, foreign Arcane Forces are antithetical to the individual  dreams of the Godheads bleeding into one another, creating miracles that defy the natural laws each uses to ground reality. Every form of matter or Arcana can be traced back to the laws of another Plane by a Theorist. Upper-case Metaphor always refers to one of these forces.

Metaphorical Forces The Soul is a natural consequence of the Aetherium, and thus is privileged to grow as a Psychic or else draw Aether from the plane of infinites. Life Force - or Saol comes from Ælphyne; Fae Glamour evolved where Life Force suffuses its very air. The force of death - Miasmata - comes from Pandemonium, and indeed all Undead owe their continued existence to the Plane. The force of dreams and nightmares - Somnium - stems from the amorphous reflections of Arcadia. Fabula is the complex Antarokian force of change, underpinning all other forces within the Godlands. Anathema is the force from Gehenna which drives exchange and dissolution, composing Daemons. Heat and light are born from Luxium, shining down from the stars leading to Aarda. Earth such as stone or sand is derived from Geomena, the primal force that drives geology on other planes from within the Ur'Duun. Air and winds are composed of Aeris, a force belonging to Céleste far above Antarok. Water is derived from Imber which fills the depths of Lacon - the ocean of Antarok. The All and Nothing force of Absentia is similar yet limited as Nihilos is not a true Godhead, just as the Void is not a true Plane. Invocation Metaphor is invoked through theory by tying one's understanding of a Godhead's concepts, their forces, and their Plane to an aspect of the self, others, objects, or their environment as a whole. This is often comparable with religion and indeed many faiths teach Metaphor to their supplicants or utilize it with their Theurgical Language. Doing so creates a sensation associated with that Metaphorical Force within one's awareness. This sense can be shared with others, even beasts as a form of non-verbal language, and Theurgists are capable of reading the Metaphor within others and their environment as a form of divination. Example: Those who mentally understand the purpose of Saol and attribute Mimira, Godhead of Ælphyne, to the presence of a beast - in understanding that Saol powers its flesh - who then translate this through speech and gestures, are likely to conjure a feeling of Saol Metaphor within themselves and the beast to ease its nature. See Lore. Sovereignty Sovereignty is born from the sum of Metaphorical and Esoteric understanding, forged together through practice. When one truly understands a form of Arcana, they experience an edge of control. This control allows them to direct their spells more accurately, calling upon them more quickly and safely than someone who has not studied theory. There are more jagged bumps, edges, and irregularities in a spell conjured by a mage who has not cultivated this concept. Orders of Expression To express or cant an incantation is to think, chant, or gesture the very feeling of a Metaphor, speaking verbally or non-verbally the Metaphor of the forces you wield. A Fulgurist might thrust their body in arcs and swoops, screaming at a high pitch to better call upon the Luxium that fuels their spells with heat. This process confers a significant edge to the mage, with each canted Order of Expression of applying around five percent more control and power to the spell. Thought, the First Order - Canting via one's thoughts is the first order of expression, aligning oneself with a force by suffusing their thoughts. Speech, the Second Order - Canting via one's speech is the second order of expression, priming the environment for an expression of Sovereignty. Gesture, the Third Order - Canting via one's gesture is the third order of expression, directing Metaphorical forces towards one's intention. Sacrifice, the Fourth Order - Canting via sacrifice is to harm oneself or destroy a sentimental belonging, fueling a force with intensity. Environ, the Fifth Order - Canting within the bounds of an environment metaphorically connected to the force will add that power to a spell, if aware. Planar, the Sixth Order - Canting within the very Plane a force is from will yield a slight edge to casting, if aware.

Classifications

   Below you will find summaries for the various forms of unnatural power known to the world.

Theorems

Theorems are a form of supernatural study, arming the mundane with the ability to understand or act against supernatural forces such as Metaphor. Those who wield Arcana with no theory struggle to control their power or that of others. Theorems do not need a Minor Merit to progress. See Theorem.

	Cultists study the sovereign expression of Metaphor. They come to know the likes of Aether, Elementia, Psychism, and most Practices. See Occultism.
	Apocrypha refers to topics considered amoral or sacrilegious. The undead and their Poetics, Blights, Necromancy, and Malediction fall within their purview. See Apocrypha.
	Theurges study the divine sensations of Metaphor. They come to know Pacts, Summoning, and the Planes as well as their gods and inhabitants. See Theurgics.
	Lore is the study of Glamour, Saol, supernatural flora and fauna, or races such as Dragons or Fae and their utilization in Practices. See Lore.

Sorcery

Sorceries are a stressor of the soul, awakening it to the expression of magic. By drawing in Aether from the Aetherium using their soul as a conduit, a sorcerer is capable of creating miracles at the risk of unraveling their mind, body, and spirit. Some sorceries are even a form of foul curse. See Sorcery.

Elementia

	Exodii manipulate the aether of space itself to traverse great distances, sometimes breaching other planes of existence. See Exodus.
	Fulguri excite aether to conjure displays of power such as flame or lightning, or to overcharge the body. See Fulgur.
	Aboteurs sap the aether from matter to slow motions, manifest the ice from vapor in the air, or weaken the bodies of others. See Abation.
	Zephyri create wind and solidify gases to create storms and barriers, suffocate others, and fly. See Zephyr.
	Aquari manipulate liquids and ocean currents, even manipulating the fluids in the body to puppeteer others or stop their bleeding. See Aqua.
	Terrari sculpt all manner of minerals from sand to stone or even metal to crush, impale, or fashion. See Terra.

Blights

	Devorari are vampires who abuse or siphon the aether found in the blood of living things for terrible deeds. See Devorare.
	Scourges are curse mages who sacrifice their vitality to manipulate the ashes of death or weave terrible afflictions. See Scourge.
	Succori are afflicted with immense desire, leeching the passions of others to bolster their own dark charisma. See Succor.
	Nightwalkers are souls maligned with therianthropy, periodically bursting with wild fervor as werebeasts. See Nightwalker.

Dominion

Dominion is the term for power gleaned through a sheer force of will. Those who wield Dominion form pacts with powerful beings, or else summon lesser entities to them. They may even possess profound psionic power, or hold sway over a deathly state of being - Poetics. See Dominion.

	Summoners form bonds with planar spirits as familiars, ripping powerful monsters from distant planes of existence to do their bidding. See Summoning.
	Psychics cultivate the mind to achieve a power of their own for aetheric understanding, precognition, and force of will. See Psychism.

Pacts

	Paladins light a pact with Andormu, Godhead of Aarda to wield wrathful displays of solid light. See Radiance.
Crest.	Crested dive a pact with Aolu, Godhead of Céleste to liberate what is caged and roost with the winged. See Crest.
Hecatomb.	The Entombed throb a pact with Ukhu, Godhead of the Ur'Duun to sacrifice the one for the many. See Hecatomb.
Abyss.	Deep Ones fathom a pact with Triton, Godhead of Lacon to stalk their prey for secrets and mind-flesh. See Abyss.
	Bards dirge a pact with Anok, Godhead of Antarok to hold subtle sway over stories, ideas, and fate itself. See Fabula.
	Dreamwalkers beseech a pact with Somna, Godhead of Arcadia to travel lucidly across dreams and nightmares, dragging their consequences into the waking world. See Somnis.
	Healers weave a pact with Mimira, Godhead of Elphyne to wield the force of Saol, reinforcing and mending the flesh of living beings. See Nimhea.
	Necromancers enter a dark pact with Hypnea, Godhead of Pandamonium to wield Miasmata for the purpose of uniting the living with the dead. See Nekros.
	Faustians make a deal with Balor, Godhead of Gehenna to forge pacts of their own with other beings. See Faust.
	Nihilists submit to Nihilos, The Night-Father for the power of all and nothing so that he may one day swallow the world. See Absentia.

Poetics

	Syphon is the power by which the undead syphon memories or else convert Metaphor - or Saol from the living - into Miasmata for the purpose of sustaining themselves. See Syphon.
	Apparation is how discorporated bodies traverse the planes and interact with the world around them. See Apparation.
	Possession is how discorporated bodies take possession of other entities or objects. See Possession.
	Remnant is the unnatural ability to bind memories into totems that bend reality from within Pandemonium. See Remnant

Glamour

Glamour is the ability to manifest unnatural power by channeling life force - Saol - through arcane-adapted biology. Some races including the Draconidae and Faefolk are born with the biology necessary to cultivate it. Magical creatures sometimes wield minor forms of Glamour to terrifying effect. See Glamour.

	Grist is the power of Draconidae such as Kobolds and Dragons to meld with their environment and impart aspects of themselves upon it. See Grist.
	Changelings such as Boggarts or Inari don the guises of other bodies and even personalities, taking a life lived as their own. See Seeming.
	Shimmer is the psychoactive dust spread by a Pixie or Sidhe to show those who sense it all manner of sensory illusions. See Shimmer.
	Druids inter nature within themselves to then connect with flora and fauna through a symbiotic bond. See Draoidh.
	Myceli'i slowly replace their arteries with fungi to regenerate their body and expand their senses across fungal networks. See Sloan.

Practices

Practices are a form of scientific magic derived from the world around the mage, using planar Alkahest or the strange laws of reality to manufacture Artifacts and bend the universe to their desire. What a Practice can do is theoretically without limitation, provided the necessary materials are on hand. See Practices.

	Strickensmiths embed runes inlayed with Alkahest, creating arcane shrouds of kaleidoscopic complexity for the creation of relics. See Strickening.
	Alchemists break down Alkahest for the transfer of properties and spells between the environment, materials, and people, creating compounds for use in relics or alkemicals. See Alchemistry.
	Weavers loom souls and surfaces with tapestries of metaphor, adjusting the function of spells and writing them to grimoires or scrolls. See Weaving.
	Artificers encode artificial souls into objects, fashioning Automata and Automatricks such as firearms. See Artifice.
	Maltricians weave flesh using Saol or Miasmata to mend or modify the living and the dead alike. See Malediction.

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