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[Shelved][✓] Awakened Blood Magic


Aelesh
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‘Blood is our charge,

The yoke of our forebears.

 

Blood is our freedom,

The path of our children.

 

Blood is our enlightenment,

Our glorious salvation.’

 

It is said that the great Archdragon Malghourn devised the blood runes used by magicians today. His vast intellect scavenged for scraps of knowledge pertaining to the blood mages of old and laced their teachings together into a new form. This, is blood magic as we know it today; the usage of one’s genus to bolster their already existent magical skills to even greater limits through the medium of the Archdragon’s runes. And yet those runes devised by Malghourn held secrets beknownst only to him, powers that he did not see fit to pass on to the descendants. Or perhaps even he was unaware of the powers he had stumbled upon.

Genus can be thought of as simply, pure power. The soul is a mysterious entity, and through its work it secretes and hides energy away in the blood. As a result of this storage process, genus is not normally accessible to a magician unless they are attuned to it, since it is not connected to the mana pool from which they normally draw their powers. Two stores of power are thus made, one hidden away from the touch of most practitioners of magic.

 

An Awakened blood mage is primarily interested in the idea of integrating these two pools of power; by linking their supply of mana directly with that of their genus, a single pool of power is created comprising both the mana pool and the blood. All mana is immediately turned into genus, and all genus is accessible by the soul. This blankets the soul in a thick shroud of pure genus, disbarring the newly Awakened blood mage from learning any other magical art. Indeed, all available supplies of mana are converted into genus; even if their soul was not shrouded in genus, disbarring them from a connection, they would still be unable to fuel magic conventionally.

 

This connection between genus and mana greatly expands upon the capabilities of a mortal soul. The mind of a blood mage becomes much expanded by the newly forged link of body and spirit, allowing the magician the ability to comprehend much more complex ideas, and store much more information than before. Such an increased supply of power also saturates the blood mages aura with newfound strength, giving them a subtle but noticeable magical presence. Most importantly, an Awakened blood mage is now capable of using genus directly, as opposed to converting it into mana for spellcraft.

 

This genus activates as yet unknown power found within the runes of blood magic, allowing them to be used without the power of Void, or Dark magic. The power of each rune is described later in the document, alongside the nature of the various rituals available.

Our universe was forged from the leavings of a great divine father whom many have named the Creator. The apex of smithery, the distillation of the very idea of creation itself, it was his magnificent magic which brought our world into being and fought back the tide of the Void. The Creator made many things as he worked within his cosmos. He made the Light, and the Dark; the Soil and the Sky, the Living and the Dead, the Spirit and the Body. Later, his blood itself came to flood the world as the power of life force whilst his birthplace, the Sun, blazed at the centre of all Creation. All things were made by the Creator or were born of his body, possessed of certain natures which defined them.

 

To one who has been Awakened, each of these wonderful creations is a Law. It is a basic state of being which negates and binds other states of beings, and indeed, binds certain states within itself. To be of Light is to glow, to cast a shadow and to repel encroaching darkness; to be of the Light is to forbid the Dark and bid it unwelcome. In much the same way, to be of the Dark is to smother Light and quench the flow of luminance. Each state of being has terms upon which it can exist. Should these Laws be broken or breached in some way, a thing would stop being whatever it was; should Light cease to glow, cease to forbid the passage of Dark, then Light it most certainly would not be. All things are bound within their Laws and it is the realization of these Laws that permits great power.

 

Recent investigation has revealed that by using genus to infuse and empower the runes of Malghourn, one may reach out to these Laws and invoke the very natures of the universe itself through painstaking rituals. Genus alone, however, is nowhere near enough to bring forth the true power of these arcane creations.

Perhaps the most important of all rituals open to an Awakened blood mage, is the ritual of Insight. Contrary to the many other rituals of the blood mages, known for their cataclysmic power and world destroying capacities, this ritual is both peaceful and non-destructive. The ritual of Insight is also strange in that it must necessarily be performed alone, since the disturbance of other souls taking part in the ritual would make it truly impossible to achieve the desired effects.

 

The Laws of the world can only be learnt if one is willing to interact with them and experience their natures first hand. Only by attaining a true state of oneness with the cosmos can a blood mage learn new truths about the Creator’s handiwork. Thus, the ritual of Insight is used to heighten a blood mage’s state of awareness far beyond what may have originally been thought possible for a mere mortal. Through the use of this ritual, a mortal soul can briefly achieve true omnipresence within the Veil, existing at all corners of the universe for a time. In this state a blood mage is incredibly vulnerable, having their still small soul spread out over such a huge distance. No new power is gained from this perceptual state, no great strength from spreading oneself out so thinly over all of Creation.

 

The purpose of this ritual is to allow for a blood mage to generate some new piece of arcane Knowledge. Once the ritual has been invoked the blood mage will find that their mind naturally hones in on some random phenomena occurring within the universe. From this one phenomena, over which they have no control, it will be up to the blood mage to divulge a secret from the world. These secrets normally take the form of short proverbs, visions and occasionally sounds, mental triggers that will mean nothing to an outsider, but everything to a seasoned blood mage. The Knowledge itself is likewise capable of being almost any fundamental truth about the world, of emotional, moral or physical significance.

 

This Knowledge is the primary method by which one can increase their power. Each piece provides miniscule jumps in strength, but over time the library of Knowledge available to an Awakened blood mage will expand to truly giant proportions, offering them immense potential strength.

As one’s soul attempts to interact with the various Laws of the world, those Laws will also begin to interact with the soul of the blood mage. The Light of the aengudaemons will test them for impurity and diversion from the natural way of things, whilst the Dark shall probe their being for the touch of the divine. All forces shall test the blood mage. This phenomena forces the blood mage into a state of true neutrality.

 

Should a blood mage wield the power of an artefact of the Void, their soul will become somehow tainted by that magic. Both time and ritual work may be able to work away this poisoning effect but should a practitioner dirty their being too much with the influence of outer powers, then they will surely damage their precious neutrality. In the same way, the overuse of Dark artefacts (and indeed, the constant use at all) will sully their soul with further Darkness than that of another mortal. And again, even the touch of the divine will brighten a soul beyond what was originally meant for it. Should the being of a blood mage be tainted by the touch of an artefact, or by the touch of the arcane arts themselves, their soul shall surely be torn asunder as they attempt to utilize their ritual of Insight.

 

Their growth will halt, and even their ability to cast other rituals will be hampered by their disrupted neutrality. Thus it is important for a blood mage to cessate any affiliation with the Light or the Dark and turn to utter seclusion when it comes to the magical arts. To blemish their soul with the power of another art is to weaken their magic, and open themselves to utter destruction at the hands of the universe itself.

 

 

 

 

 

The Runes; Inheritance from Malghourn

 

The founder of Awakened blood magic, who peered deep into the Black Nexus in an attempt to spark his inner genius, was a sorcerer by the name of Rathian. His inspiration bade him take the runes of Malghourn and develop their natures into new runes, transcribing them anew and birthing his own library. Whilst these runes may look very different from the runes of Malghourn, an Awakened blood mage would be able to see their strange resemblance; something has been passed onto these creations from their predecessors that cannot be seen by the naked eye, a harmony of purpose that only an insightful soul could notice.

 

Runes of the Primeval

Fire

Burning passion, chaos unbound. The white-hot lick of orange tongues tempting, provoking. To incinerate and burn all to ashes, and to rule the world with a fist of searing iron. To be in tune with the inner, writhing of emotion of the soul. Fire is to be ferocious and changeable, beholden to none but oneself.

 

Water

Conscious and thoughtful, receptive. Flowing forth over rock and sea and stone and knowing all which it touches. To feel the roaring emotions of others and the solid earth. Water suggests adaptability and influence, changing with the will of others and being moulded by their ideas. Fluidity incarnate, changing at the behest of the world.

 

Earth

Sturdy and immovable, possessed of unbreakable conviction. The path beneath one’s feet is formed through the wiles of fate, never changing. Earth suggests a commitment to fate and the cycle of things, to be an unchanging monolith of stone. The stones will outlast all and see the end, an end that they have been aware of since the beginning.

 

Air

Changing and changing again, fluttering between the leaves and the mountains. Freedom incarnate. Unchained and untouched, bound by no rule or restriction. Air suggests total freedom and changeability, freedom from chaos or the spirit or fate.

 

Lightning

Sudden devastation. An unexpected event that warps even fate. To be smote by the world itself and torn asunder by pure chance. Lightning suggests the sudden and incredible changes born out of the natural world, free from emotion. The storm is a force which represents randomness, a lack of foresight, and downfall.

 

Metal

Steadfast against nature. The absorbing power of society and dogma. Family and kingdom, a king and his subjects. Metal suggests the power of society to defend against war, famine, plague, death; a great bulwark against the world itself.

 

Light

To be an ideal. To be free of death and destruction, body and soul. To live on through the minds of many as hope, love, truth and justice. Light suggests the unchanging divine, the ideals of all Men which guide them through their lives though they may not have the sight to see it. Ideals which will never be smothered so long as Man yet lives.

 

Dark

Transient. Fleeting. Shadow is of neither spirit nor matter, mind nor body, and possesses little strength alone. Life itself is a fleeting, insignificant thing if lived alone. But with unity comes unimaginable strength. Darkness suggests mortality, and the power of a thousand tiny cuts; the power of quantity over quality, of many over one. Rebellion itself.

 

Runes of Existence

Flesh

The body. Blood and bone and flesh. The need to consume, the need to depend. Weight upon the spirit, chaining it to the soil. Flesh is the yoke of the spirit, the power which drags a flickering soul into the throes of mortality.

 

Flora

Life lived in peace. A time of endless contemplation and patient thought. Simplicity and ease. Flora suggests the nature of plants, the nature of their many years spent under a loving sun. It suggests a life bearing a different kind of struggle than that of flesh, a different kind of cycle.

 

Ethereal

Life without having lived. Life beyond having lived. The infinite and indomitable spirit which persists beyond death. Ethereal suggests the power of a spirit to persist without a physical form, to be of pure energy and exist free of life and death.

 

Runes of Totality

Mortality

Lands of darkness unending. Roots embedded deep in the soil as creatures flutter past over countless years, so many generations. Mortality suggests genealogy and family, life leading to new life though death may always linger in the depths.

 

Transcendence

Beyond understanding. Comprehension, failed. No law may bind, no word may describe, no light may see where even darkness cannot tread. Transcendence suggests the cosmos, and the mysteries therein. We mortals and our divine brethren are so small in comparison to the untouched infinite, beyond even the Void. Infinity in infinity, unending and truly unknowable.

 

Sacrosanctum

Brimming with ethereal light. Specks of bright sand in the sunlight, a hundred thousand realms of serenity. Sacrosanctum suggests the realms of the aengudaemonic, the light filled places that flutter through the cosmos. Thrones from which the supposed gods look down on the mortal realm.

Runes of Force

Ferocity

Strength unbridled, change for the sake of change, power. A ferocious forest fire, a tidal wave, a snowstorm. Ferocity suggests great power; not chaos, breaking through the laws of reality, but power expressed within those boundaries. To turn a meager hearthfire into a roaring inferno, a light breeze to a hurricane.

 

Quelling

To lessen, stifle, reduce, muffle. To cessate what once may have been a world ending fire, leaving it as only embers. Quelling suggests the power to end some phenomena of the world, to halt the lightning bolt in its path and protect the earth from its ire.

 

Draining

Consume. Take. Imbibe. Steal. All life longs for the flesh of others, the power of others, to continue living. For even the hurricane to continue storming it must sup on the breeze. Draining suggests the power to take, to consume, to integrate into oneself.

 

Binding

Locked beneath stone, earth, steel and key. Bound by laws material and ethereal, substances of mind or matter. Binding suggests the power to lock one form within another, to fuse two substances together through force. The natures of the world can be distilled into most unlikely forms.

 

Comprehension

Knowledge is power. Distilled from the depths of the universe, there has come a new understanding; the power of a rune, of a Law, is unlocked with understanding. Comprehension suggests the power of the mind to understand, to store and remember.

Rituals; Craft of the Red Art

 

Like a fabric are runes weaved together until they may come to resemble a cosmic tapestry; for by the higher powers found in the blood are men able to reach beyond their limitations and harness the strength found in universal forces made manifest through arcane script. With the runes developed and restored by the obscure magus Rathian, the Awakened may gather others in cooperation for intricate rituals from which many things can transpire; to the height of gaining the greatest of knowledge and comprehension, to setting forth the most terrible of cataclysms.

 

 

The Determination of Sacrifice

 

Like the runes that comprise the bulk of a ritual’s necessities, it is blood sacrifice that acts as their true foundation alongside the arcane diagrams to be drawn. Meticulous attention is put into the exact amounts of blood - and thus genus - required for each individual ritual, as too little may prevent a result from manifesting, and too much may cause a result to become uncontrollable and overwhelming. Because of this, the Awakened do not carelessly sacrifice the living in droves in order to conjure the effects of their chosen ritual, and confide in a system of blood measurement.

 

Types of rites, or rituals, are broken down into four forms-- Lesser Rites, Greater Rites, and then their Quelling Rite counterparts which also bear Lesser and Greater denominations. It is the Lesser form of rituals that ironically demand the most of an Awakened’s attention, as it is the form that requires tools of liquid measurement in order to determine the proper amount of genus to extract from the collected blood. Greater Rites, however, already have tools of measurements- the bodies of living sacrifices themselves. It has been stressed in the studies of the Awakened that there is a preference for Human and Elven bodies for the near-equal amounts of blood they contain, and thus they are deemed the standard to follow for Greater Rite sacrifice measurement. Dwarves are too stout, and thus bear too little blood needed for Greater Rites and too much blood for Lesser Rites, while Orcs have far too much for both Lesser and Greater Rites. It is in only very specific circumstances and individual rituals that the necessity for Dwarven or Orcish bodies would be present.

 

For Lesser Rites, the exact measurement of blood needed is four (4) fluid ounces, which can be extracted from the conducting Awakened themselves. For Greater Rites, five-point-five (5.5) litres is required, which is the entirety of a standardized sacrifice’s bodily supply of blood.

 

The Elaboration of Numinous Diagrams

 

Though the adherents of Malghourn established a system of rituals before the Awakened that depended on some semblance of organizing runes in an orderly fashion, it was not until the first of the Awakened Rathian’s rise to cosmic understanding that actual structure and integrity were brought to the ritualistic fields of Blood Magic. He had discerned the methodology of Numinous Diagrams; advanced and elaborate depictions carved into the earth intended to act as vessels or the means to house the runes used by ritual conductors. There is an ease of use in the creation of a Circle on behalf of the fact it can be drawn upon any surface, provided the proper detail is followed at a meticulous level- meaning Numinous Diagrams can be carved into wooden floors, into muddy earth, a dusty desert floor, or a stoney mountain face.

 

Similar to how sacrifices are split into two forms of measurements, there are two forms of Numinous Diagrams - Lesser and Greater, either of which are utilized based on the level of the ritual. The reason for it is for the ease of process-- a Lesser ritual could not be given a Greater diagram because the degree of elaboration would cause the effect’s processes to awkwardly configure with the detail dedicated to a Greater Numinous Diagram, whereas a Greater ritual could not have a Lesser diagram because it wouldn’t be able to contain the amount of power it harnesses.

Rituals of Primordialism

Bound by primordial Laws that preside over the raw matters of Creation, this field of rituals focuses on weaving the natural elements of the Mortal World, such as Fire and Water alongside deeper, more intricate designs from which outright elements cannot be truly defined, such as Flesh and Flora.

 

 

Rituals of the Elements

 

Rite of Flameswathe

 

A ritual focused on summoning forth a mass of vicious flame, condensed to the size of a horse-carriage. It is used to send a cascade of destructive flame upon a far-away target, alike the descent of a comet or the projection of a trebuchet boulder.

 

One Lesser sacrifice,

Three Awakened Bloodmages,

Two Runes of Fire,

One Rune of Ferocity

One Lesser Numinous Diagram

 

Rite of Firestorm

 

A ritual of great power, aiming to generate a huge mass of flame comparable to a small building, to be cast out over an area of land in a voluminous torrent of heat, or to invigorate already existent fire into greater action and spread it further than it would otherwise travel, turning but a small campfire into a blazing bonfire, a hearthfire into an inferno.

 

One Greater sacrifice,

Five Awakened Bloodmages,

Six Runes of Fire,

Two Runes of Chaos,

Three Runes of Ferocity,

One Greater Numinous Diagram

 

Rite of Cinderwane

 

With every flame sparked to life is an eventual fate that spawns, bidding it to one day dwindle. This is the nature of our world, and thus through the means of Primordialism can the Awakened bid the torchlights of an entire city suddenly darken and fade in an instant, for a thousand burning candles in a mansion to go out, for a crawling forestfire to weaken over the course of but a single day.

 

One Lesser sacrifice,

Three Awakened Bloodmages,

Two Runes of Fire,

One Rune of Dark,

One Rune of Quelling

One Lesser Numinous Diagram

 

Rite of Hellfade

 

Even the greatest flame that churns upon this earth stays to the same nature of the smallest, flickering candlelight. All fire fades one day, no matter how furiously it burns, and thus with this rite can a wooden tower’s fiery undoing be reduced to embers, a volcano’s broiling depths be blanketed with a cooling dark, and a burning city be liberated from its raging destruction in but a moment’s notice.

 

One Greater sacrifice,

Five Awakened Bloodmages,

Six Runes of Fire,

Three Runes of Mortality,

Two Runes of Quelling,

One Greater Numinous Diagram

 

Rite of Lakeshudder

 

After the rage of every sea storm is a calm that settles, bidding those along the shore to experience some fleeting moment of relief. But in due time do still waters churn again, by the will of forces we do not perceive. With this rite can such forces be harnessed, causing lake-wide bodies of water to churn and twist and bathe the land beyond it like a building torrent with a force great enough to cast fish upon soaked gravel earth and whales upon smooth ocean shores.

 

One Lesser sacrifice,

Three Awakened Bloodmages,

Two Runes of Water,

One Rune of Ferocity,

One Lesser Numinous Diagram

 

Rite of Pelagicwroth

 

Sometimes the sea’s rage does not subside. Shores cursed with such an affliction are rendered lifeless, entire regions  drowned to such a degree that a desert may become a swamp in a half century’s passing. Cataclysmic upheavals of lakes known to be calm through the worst of storms may be willed forth; tsunamis lured from the oceans to cascade upon seaside settlements, marking them as watery graves.

 

One Greater sacrifice,

Five Awakened Bloodmages,

Six Runes of Water,

Two Runes of Chaos,

Three Runes of Ferocity,

One Greater Numinous Diagram

 

It should be noted that these rituals are mere examples of what can be achieved with the power of rune-work. They are a sea-spray scattered into an endless ocean of variety; equations of simplistic design, documented for the sake of establishing a basis or standard for the Awakened to follow.  Varieties of the above rituals exist for all the runes of the Primeval, warping the power of storm, earth, wind and so forth.

 

Rituals of Creation

Rite of Rootmoulding

To bear new life out of the soil; to take what once might have been the pinnacle of flowers, the grandest of trees, and embolden it with the grand might of a more powerful soul. By weaving together the soul essence of sacrificed vegetation, emboldened with blood sacrifice, blood mages can create beings of new forms and identities.

 

One Greater Sacrifice, or more,

Five Awakened Bloodmages,

Four runes of Flora,

Two runes of Binding,

Three runes of Comprehension

 

Rite of Fleshweaving

Flesh and bone, hewn into new shapes by the power of blood magic. By sacrificing the previous forms of fleshy animals, be they sentient or no, blood mages can create new beings from their components.

 

One Greater Sacrifice, or more,

Five Awakened Bloodmages,

Four runes of Flesh,

Two runes of Binding,

Three runes of Comprehension

(All of the above require MArts/CA’s to be roleplayed. The creation must be detailed in full and reviewed before it can be made and subsequently roleplayed. These creation’s must be roleplayed by a dedicated roleplayer, and cannot be roleplayed as pets, unless otherwise stated in the application.)

 

Rituals of Realmbreaching

Perhaps the most recent addition to the powers of the blood mages, the art of Riftmaking allows a blood mage to reach out into the cosmos and craft a bridge between worlds. Summoning is belike this art in that it extends beyond the reach of the mortal realm, and under Awakened blood magic the two arts are fused into one.

 

 

 

Rite of Riftmaking

The walls of the world are thin. The gods have been known to descend upon our world throughout history; the power of blood has the same ability, to go beyond the world that appears to the descendants. By using this rite, a small area is made to vibrate with the cosmos, a place where the outer realms of the aengudaemonic and other such realms seep into the world of the descendants. From this unstable location, Awakened blood mages can reach out into the cosmos and secure realm runes and eventually, create bridges to world beyond their own. These spaces require constant maintenance to maintain their state, lest they begin to return to normal and the walls of the world grow thicker once again. Blood sacrifices should be made regularly (once/twice and IRL week).

 

Five Lesser Sacrifices,

Five Awakened Bloodmages,

Four runes of the Ethereal,

Two runes of Binding,

Two runes of Comprehension,

Two runes of Draining,

One Great Numinous Diagram

 

 

Rite of Searching

To travel to another realm, one must secure the realm’s rune. This rite allows Awakened blood mages to search the cosmos for other realms and transcribe their runes for use in rituals.

 

Three Lesser Sacrifices,

Three Awakened Bloodmages,

Two runes of Comprehension,

Two runes of Binding,

One rune of Light,

One Lesser Numinous Diagram

 

Rite of Calling

Awakened blood mages may use this rite to briefly open a gateway to another world. Using runes inscribed into their Numinous Diagram, they can then summon forth a singular item before the bridge closes shut. Either creatures or items may be summoned using this rite (all of which require MARTS for approval). A realm rune must also be known, so as to specify the realm being reach into; the mortal realm may also be specified, calling out to some entity or object on the same plane as the descendants.

 

Three Lesser Sacrifices,

Three Awakened Bloodmages,

One rune of Binding,

Two of the realm’s runes,

Two runes specifying the nature of the item or creature being summoned,

One Lesser Numinous Diagram

 

 

 

Rite of Bridging

The greatest feat of Realmbreaching; through great sacrifice of blood, a permanent bridge is forged into the heart of another world. Should the rift site cease to function, the bridge may lie dormant, but it will never cease to be unless purposefully undone via a ritual. Once the site has been reactivated, the door onto the bridge will once again open and be able to be used. Both to open and close this portal, blood must be given. A blood altar must be used as the anchor for the bridge; this altar cannot be used for any other purposes with a portal bound to it.

 

Five Lesser Sacrifices,

One Greater Sacrifice,

Five Awakened Bloodmages,

Three runes of Ferocity,

Three runes of Binding,

Two runes of Metal,

Two realm runes (of the same realm),

A Song Stone altar,

One Greater Numinous Diagram

 

 

 

Rituals of Ensorcelling

The Laws behind the existence of an item have been tampered with by magicians for millennia. The powers of the Void have readily warped and changed the nature of physical objects since the powers of that far off realm have existed. The power of Ensorcelling mimics this idea, but uses the strength of genus and the power of blood magic instead.

 

One Lesser Sacrifice,

One rune describing the substance being Ensorcelled (Metal, Flora, etc.),

Two runes of the Ensorcelled element (Fire, Water, Wind, Earth),

One rune of Binding,

One Lesser Numinous Diagram

 

Fire - the item becomes terribly brittle, flaking away with use. Swords may last a battle, but they will surely need tending to by the hand of a blacksmith afterwards. These items, when drawn quickly along rough surfaces after having the fresh blood of the wielder deposited upon them, will burst into flames and burn ferociously until the blood runs dry (four to five emotes). They are also very resistant to ambient heat, protecting the wearer within.

 

Water - when dropped into the water, the item will invariably float to the surface and rest atop the waves, no matter their ferocity. The wearer will always remain dry and free from the creeping chill of water. When the blood of the wielder is shed upon the item, it will become as malleable as liquid for a short period of time, and will shift into a new form that was determined at the time of the items ensorcelling. This transformation will take two to three emotes at the least, or more dependent on size.

 

Earth - the item becomes noticeably heavier; a single suit of armour may be comfortable to wear but certainly beyond anything a magician or untrained individual could handle. Swords are capable of being lifted by the untrained, but their added heft will quickly exhaust one who has not readied themselves beforehand. These items have great protection from physical stress, and their general durability is also considerably enhanced; vibration is also near completely nullified. These items have no activated ability.

 

Wind - an object ensorcelled with the element of Air becomes lighter and far more easy to handle. Mundane tools, for example, could be granted the freedom of Wind, enabling the force of its original weight to be exerted, yet its functional weight appears much lower than before. Ensorceled swords may be swung like light branches; armor may feel alike light cloth clothing. However the untrained would soon find the lack of weight in armaments imbalancing; weapons easily slipping from their hands mid-swing as the gracefulness of the wind betrays them.

 

The Creation of Song Stone

 

One Lesser Sacrifice,

Two runes of Earth,

Two runes of Comprehension,

One rune of Ferocity,

One rune of Binding,

One Lesser Numinous Diagram,

A chunk of stone, no bigger than a hand

Song Stone is a strange crystalline substance used by Awakened blood mages for the storage of Knowledge. Natural stone is taken and attuned to the power of Knowledge, allowing the stone to harbour ideas within it much like a mind would.

 

Song Stone can act in one of two ways; firstly, it can act as a literal extension of the mind of the holder. When linked in this way, the stone must be held by the individual at all times. Should the stone be taken anymore than fifty feet from them, the link between the stone and the linked individual would slowly wither until the mind of the individual has the contents of the stone torn away from it. This process is not life threatening, though it is shockingly painful and stunning, leaving the mind of the individual reeling. This method is particularly useful for allowing a blood mage to harbour ideas too large for even the most developed of minds.

 

Whilst the previous variety of stone is only usable by Awakened blood mages, the second variety is usable even by the common man. An unlinked piece of Song Stone can lock away precious memories to be relived at a later date should the owner touch the stone and focus upon it. By doing this, a link is temporarily forged between the stone and the owner, allowing the memory to flood back into their mind. In this way, memories do not decay, as they can be re-lived as many times as the owner should want to.

 

Song Stone may also be used to create altars, which act as storage units for genus. These altars must be made using a particular ritual. Once this ritual is enacted, the leading blood mage will not be able to create another altar until the first is destroyed or undone using further blood magic, thus limiting the number of altars to one per blood mage. The altars may be used in one of two ways. Firstly, a greater sacrifice may be made upon them, storing the sacrifice away for later use. This must be documented, should proof be required. Secondly, blood mages may perform regular blood magic ceremonies using their own blood to eventually generate genus equivalent to a greater sacrifice over a very long period of time. Eight individual rituals must be performed over a period of one month; two may be performed in a week, before time must be allowed to pass for the genus to mature and bed into the altar.

 

Rituals of Knowledge

 

Rite of Insight

 

One need not look beyond oneself if they are to understand the universe around them, when a universe of possibility already swirls in the cradle of ones soul. Through this ritual of blood magic one dulls the senses and opens one's mind to the swirling of the cosmos as they draw their soul out thinly across all of Creation. Whilst the soul is numb to most of this baffling experience, the wonders of the cosmos do drip through into the mind of the Awakened as they commune with reality. Once performed it is sure that the soul will come upon some new, dazzling miracle to store within its banks of knowledge, another tome to be kept in the library.

 

One Lesser sacrifice,

One Awakened Bloodmage,

Two runes of Comprehension,

One rune of Transcendence,

One rune of the Ethereal,

One Lesser Numinous Diagram

 

Rite of Understanding

 

The Laws of the world are bound, subverted and born anew within the artefacts of the arcane. Each of these works of the Void, of the gods and perhaps even of the dark manifest Laws in new ways that have never been seen before. Should one of these artefacts be to hand, a ritual may be used to focus the mind of an Awakened and peer into their natures, picking apart their workings and cataloguing their arcane natures.

 

One Lesser Sacrifice,

One Awakened Bloodmage,

Two runes of Comprehension,

One rune that depicts the nature of the artefact being examined,

One rune of the Ethereal,

One Lesser Numinous Diagram

 

Rite of Tutelage

 

The gods, the spirits, the horrors of the Void, the Fae and even the dragons hold knowledge far beyond the scope of mortalities sight. Their minds churn with unknown volumes of strange lore, understandings and insights never happened upon by the descendants. Should one of these beings be willing to offer up their knowledge for an Awakened to learn of, an Awakened can perform this ritual and open a gateway into their mind for the knowledge to be implanted. Though only one Awakened will receive the knowledge, two sorcerers must partake in this ritual.

 

Two Lesser Sacrifices,

Two Awakened Bloodmages,

One rune of Comprehension,

One rune of the Ethereal,

One rune of Flesh,

One rune of Binding,

One Lesser Numinous Diagram

Aesthetics

The process by which genus is normally utilized famously turns the magic of the caster a sickly green. Stripping genus from the blood and transforming it into mana is an unnatural process which greatly damages the body and mind of the wielder. Awakened blood mages do not perform this process, and instead use genus in its purest form; thus, their magic takes on a crimson hue. Their runes simmer with reddened light as they work, arcs of energy snapping outwards from their diagrams. Whilst this genus doesn’t leave a conventional aura like mana, it does leave a powerful visual disturbance. Ritual sites are left surrounded by a veil of invisible energy, warping light as if one was looking at the area through water. Should an observer be perceptive enough, they would notice that the red light that manifests during a ritual of blood magic shimmers with this grey light.

 

Song Stone is named as it is, because it hums very slightly. In larger quantities this noise is magnified, and depending upon the nature of the Knowledge stored within the stone, the tonal quality of the sound can change.

Guidelines, Redlines and Further Thoughts

 

Those who read the below may notice that a lot of mention is made to ‘if the MT decide to allow such’. Part of Awakened blood magics draw is that hopefully, as it is roleplayed, previous impossibilities will slowly become possible as more Knowledge is gathered regarding the universe. I do not intend for Awakened blood mages to ever attempt to do anything ‘unfun’, breaking rules that were never meant to be broken, but breaking magical norms as a result of their power would be interesting; for example, Awakened blood magic could come upon the Knowledge required to make soul essence. This would be up to the MT/LT, of course (and the ability would have to be put under careful moderation), but that ability to reach new heights is my vision for the magic, the ability to perform feats once thought impossible by magicians IC. The drawback being that much has to be lost for these feats to ever be achieved.

 

The second use of the altars is meant to allow for blood mages to act a little more benevolently if they should wish to; these mages are meant to be neutral after all, and can swing a little in either direction. Should a coven be particularly ambitious, they can indulge in the darker side of their art and sacrifice individuals for faster access to power; or, they may lose the essence of speed and instead work from their own supplies of blood, though it will take a very long time to catch up with their darker counterparts. This part of the lore was also written with the state of character death in mind. Some magics and creatures have a hyper focus on killing or hunting other players, which can leave the hunted player with a feeling of redundancy should their character die. Forcing players to take this route with no leniency can make a magic feel stale, whereas leaving it open as a darker option seems to work better, at least in my eyes. I wanted to at least try to offer a different path for people to take should they wish to, with a rather extreme price to pay. Although the continuous roleplay generated by these rituals could be seen as a bonus rather than a price.

 

The criticism may be made that much, if not all of this magic, can be readily achieved by other arts. I would argue that the most important thing about this lore, is that it strips its users of standard augmentation and the ability to use blood bending, in favour of pure ritualism. By taking away the on hand abilities that promote combat roleplay, this magic instead promotes roleplay orientated more towards philosophy and thought, which I hope can be appreciated.

 

The attempted use of other magics, or the attempted use of artefacts (enchanted items), will at first slow one’s abilities and hamper one’s current powers, before total loss of the magic occurs, and the soul reverts to its prior state in a single occurrence so catastrophic, that death is inevitable.

 

Awakened blood mages do not have access to bloodbending, or empowerment.

 

Awakened blood mages do not gain specific, cosmic knowledge when performing their rites of Knowledge. They gain singular pieces equivalent to proverbs that explain small parts of the universe, that amass over time into great understanding. Very important knowledge relevant to creation, the soul, or any other very important entity can be gleaned eventually (with the acknowledgement of the MT/LT), but even that knowledge will incomplete. A piece of knowledge like that may amount to a singular, blurry vision that at most suggests something very vague. This knowledge is meant more as a form of communion than anything else, a philosophical or religious understanding of the world.

 

All rituals abide by standard LOTC magic rules; Primeval rituals cannot manipulate items beyond the caster's line of sight. For example; should a blood mage wish to quell a raging forest fire, that blood mage must be able to see the forest fire from their ritual site.

 

All rituals, regardless of their use, take at least ten emotes to cast. All Numinous Diagrams, regardless of their use, take at least ten emotes to scribe. The magic takes time to put together, and requires concentration and calm to be done correctly.

 

In reference to the previous statement, Numinous Diagrams cannot be scribed in open combat. The ritual itself may be conducted so long as those performing the ritual do not have their concentration interrupted, but the Diagram must be crafted before or after combat.

 

Numinous Diagrams require a sign to be placed to properly represent their location within the world. This sign must detail when the Diagram was scribed, and the MT must be informed that a Diagram has been made, using a screenshot of the placed sign.

 

Whilst slight bending of the rituals provided above is acceptable, even those slight bendings should be run past the MT to get a general opinion. Ritual submissions must be handled via the forums and put before a proper reviewal process.

 

Primeval rituals must be in one of two ‘modes’; they either control or evoke an element. Rituals could be created that employ both, but those would have to be made and submitted to the MT via an MART or some other form of review. The rituals currently present do not allow both control and evocation.

 

Primeval rituals cannot control evoked Voidal elements as they run on mana supplies which an Awakened blood magic ritual cannot provide, though Voidal elements may be quelled by rituals of quelling.

 

Runes of Flesh and Flora can be used in a ritual to create Flora and Flesh from nothingness (ie. they can be evoked). However, as is the norm, blood mages lack the talent or power required to generate soul essence from nothing, meaning that the evoked matter would be dead upon creation. Thus, the creation of an entity from nothingness is totally impossible at this time, though they may be summoned from other realms. Once again, development may occur in the future to allow the creation of creatures from nothing, but that would be up to the MT/reviewal process.

 

Awakened may travel to Transcendental planes at will, since they do not fit into any piece of established LOTC lore. They exist beyond the norm, and travelling to them should have no effect on any lore besides those realms. Only when items or creatures wish to be brought back into the mortal realm is an application required for reviewal. Aengudaemonic and mortal planes, however, do fit into established lore and even if they are simply to be travelled to, they must have a reviewal process take place prior to any interaction whatsoever.

 

The knowledge stored within Song Stone cannot be used to self-teach a locked magic.

 

The use of regular rituals upon a Song Stone altar to generate a greater sacrifice must be moderated by the MT. Screenshots and documentation as to the dates of the rituals must be kept for the future.

 

Ever Song Stone altar is bound to a blood mage; every blood mage may only have one altar at a time.

 

A Song Stone altar may hold one, and only one greater sacrifice at a time.

 

A Song Stone altar must have actual MC representation, and must be clearly pointed out.

 

A Song Stone altar is bound to the location in which it was made; they may not be moved, and can only be broken to be reformed elsewhere, losing any stored genus in the process.

 

Unless attached to an installation, such as a rift site, or an altar, a ritual circle can never be reused once a rite has been conducted. A new circle must be scribed each time a ritual is to be completed.

 

The rite of Calling is never precise. Calling out across the mortal plane will likely summon something similar to the blood mages desires, but rarely will they summon exactly their target.

 

 

 

Closing Thoughts (whenever we finish):

 

Magics tend to look out at the world of LOTC from a very one sided angle. I set out to create a magic that one really could twist to their desires whilst still functioning within the bounds of a well constructed system. Whilst characters who follow this art are forced into neutrality; they must seek conversation with both the holy and the blasphemous, the Light and the Dark and perhaps even, the Beyond. They use their own power to shape the world, but they do so as a result of their knowledge and understanding of all parts of the universe, rather than hailing only the Dark, or only the Light. Though I have said this before, I shall say it again; I hope that these sorcerers can be looked upon as wise, sagely figures who bring not only magical roleplay, but philosophical and contemplative conversation and discussion, to any and all races.

 

Perhaps the most important part of this lore, is that it disallows the caster from having access to any in-hand magic without losing access to Awakened blood magic, as even artefacts cannot be wielded without heavy consequences. That change in focus makes these casters into purely ritual magic users; whilst ensorcelling does provide some enchanting skills, these skills are not on the same tier as what might be possible for a Void mage. The most powerful parts of ensorcelling are not even combat focused, as they focus instead upon the storage of Knowledge and the creation of amplification altars and systems. They are supplements to the rituals that the blood mages already have access to.

 

In conclusion, my heartfelt thanks go out to Cameron for his help on putting this document together. I couldn’t have done it without your interest and support. My thanks also go out to all those who have read the piece and offered their feedback, your ideas have been integral to my additions and subtractions from the piece. Lastly, for all who have arrived at this point, thank you very much for reading!

 

The above is a very large, very ugly, very difficult to read text dump of everything in the following document:

 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/17Jsh9vatoGrHf_S8-RAZU61h4e39IYOxeMesvRQ2FZM/edit?usp=sharing

 

I would highly recommend that people read the document over the text dump, but for the sake of protocol, the text dump is there.

Edited by Sorcerous
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the power of gods dwells the blood

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Looks good!

Expansions to existing lore which make it more interesting, always a +1

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what did he mean by this

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i've got two questions

is this a rewrite or an addition

do all current blood mages become awakened blood mages

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5 hours ago, Abyssus said:

i've got two questions

is this a rewrite or an addition

do all current blood mages become awakened blood mages

 

This is an addition; an entirely separate branch of blood magic for people who want to delve into it more.

No, current blood mages will remain as they are.

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I can say with certainty that this is some of my favourite magic lore I've ever had the pleasure of reading. The rituals all are very unique in my opinion. And I feel as if I'd enjoy the RP which could come out of this, towards non-blood mages. This has my complete support, LT should hop all over this.

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13 hours ago, Sorcerous said:

This is an addition; an entirely separate branch of blood magic for people who want to delve into it more.

No, current blood mages will remain as they are.

 

 

The issue I'm seeing here is that this can easily be circle-jerked into an even tinier fraction of the community. There is such a thing as making a character "too powerful" and adding too many additions to a magic can break that character into something OP, especially if there's no competition.

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15 minutes ago, drfate786 said:

 

The issue I'm seeing here is that this can easily be circle-jerked into an even tinier fraction of the community. There is such a thing as making a character "too powerful" and adding too many additions to a magic can break that character into something OP, especially if there's no competition.

 

The thing is, in this instance a person using this magic can do next to nothing alone. If you approach them on the street looking to attack, they can only defend themselves physically. Considering that no magics can be used in conjunction with an Awakened Blood Mage.

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26 minutes ago, drfate786 said:

 

The issue I'm seeing here is that this can easily be circle-jerked into an even tinier fraction of the community. There is such a thing as making a character "too powerful" and adding too many additions to a magic can break that character into something OP, especially if there's no competition.

 


You've failed to read over the two most defining points in the magic - one being that it is a seperation from BM, aka it is not apart of the original form, and two, the Awakened cannot learn any other magic if they practice this, so their effectiveness comes in the form of their mastery in rituals.

 

I always see you talk about how both new and old magic is always pulled into player-formed "circle-jerks", but I don't know what you're trying to get at, exactly. It would be absurd to throw this out into the open and let people, at random, choose to learn this magic (among others) when it's usually the basis of a group's allowance of a player's joining in the first place to gauge their interest and ability to cooperate with the rest of the group. This "circle-jerking" you give such negative connotations to isn't as flawed as you've portrayed it to be.

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17 hours ago, drfate786 said:

 

The issue I'm seeing here is that this can easily be circle-jerked into an even tinier fraction of the community. There is such a thing as making a character "too powerful" and adding too many additions to a magic can break that character into something OP, especially if there's no competition.

 

From what I gathered from this lore (Which I have no part in either on an IC or OOC level) is that it is a new Branch of Blood Magic. The Magic itself if this were to be accepted branching off into three pathways that offer their own unique take on Blood Magic. You consistently accuse Blood Magic (Among others) of being a massive circle jerk but I can assure you, out of the many teachers there are, only three of them are aligned in RP. The rest are independent agents who teach who they want, when they want. Its not one big group its heavily split up right now.

 

As for the Powerful aspect, they're powerful in the sense of a utility but absolutely useless in combat, its a trade off where you can either become a behind the scenes kind of mage or remain as a Blood Mage retaining significant combat ability. Since most power is measured by combat effectiveness when it comes to Magic, it is not OP. My critique of the lore which I have, is that its incredibly long for a lore piece. 

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