[✗] [Magic Lore] Divination

[Aelesh 540]

 

DIVINATION

 

Divination is a Void magic that allows a practitioner to glimpse the future using a vast, otherworldly consciousness called the Zodiac.  The Zodiac is generated by countless celestials melding together into a single entity.  Since the Zodiac exists beyond reality’s laws it has certain powers unattainable by mortals, namely the ability to peer beyond time’s unmoving horizon.

 

☾     Divination is a Void magic that occupies [1] magic slot.

☾     Divination requires that the student have an established connection to the Void.

☾     Divination abides by the standard compatibility rules for all Void Magics.

 

Tier 1 (2 Weeks)	Manifest Celestial   Foretell	The diviner’s celestial familiar coalesces into a physical form.   The diviner reveals [1] Weal or Woe relating to an event in the petitioner’s near future.
Tier 2 (3 Weeks)	Illuminate   Benevolence	The diviner reveals [3] Weals or Woes that will affect the petitioner’s life.   The diviner’s celestial familiar imbues calming arcana into nearby flames.
Tier 3 (5 Weeks)	Synastry     Wandering Star	The diviner manipulates the Weals and Woes of [2] petitioners, cancelling them out or transferring them.   The diviner’s celestial familiar dashes through the air like a comet, leaving a trail of quickening arcana.
Tier 4 (6 Weeks)	Omen     Astral Sending	The diviner peers into the future and prepares a party for the road ahead, bestowing [1] Weal upon them.   The diviner sends their celestial familiar rocketing through the heavens with an important message.
Tier 5 (∞)	Memory of Ages     Fate’s Bindings     Rite of Meteorites	The diviner peers into the consciousness of the Zodiac, recalling prophecies of ages past.   The diviner imposes certain restrictions on an enchanted artefact during its creation, conferring potent arcane energies.   The diviner calls down a celestial from the heavens, imbuing a student with a familiar who grants them their divinatory powers.

 

---

 

ORIGINS

 

✦     The celestials are the tiniest of all Voidal horrors.  They survive by ingeniously taking shelter in the Veil, weaving between the threads of abjuring magic in order to hide from larger, more unwieldy horrors who would otherwise gobble them up.  They have contacted the descendants before in order to find further safety inside Creation itself, but withdrew for as yet unknown reasons.

 

✦     Unlike other horrors, whose size naturally causes them to be greedy and self-obsessed as they scour the nothingness for sources of mana to devour, celestials are capable of teamwork.  When they last came to the descendant world, they taught celestial arcanists how to ‘meld’ their auras with other descendants, bridging the gaps between individuals in a ‘melding’ of personalities and minds.  This ability serves them well at the far edge of the universe, since they can use it to send information to their comrades to help them avoid the Void’s hungry monsters.

 

✦     This great network of celestials is referred to as the Zodiac, named so for their place in the heavens and relationship with fate.  Their ability to warn each other also extends to the descendant world and whatever catastrophes might befall mortals; with their birds-eye view of all that occurs in our world and their ability to communicate with one another in order to compute all of the information they discover, celestials are able to forecast the future.

 

✦     The Zodiac has a vested interest in ensuring the continued survival of our world, since the Veil is their most stalwart ally in safeguarding them from the Void’s harsh ecosystem that would otherwise destroy them.  Iblees’ ejection from the Nether and the resulting quakes throughout the Veil have focused the celestial hivemind on our world and birthed in their countless members a fervent desire to bring peace and stability to our world.  We are their foundation and their salvation, after all.

 

---

 

MECHANICS

 

✦     A player can freely decide the appearance of their character’s celestial familiar.  It should take its basic appearance from mundane animals, although it can be embellished with whatever further details the player wishes.  Note animals, plural, meaning that most celestials tend to be amalgamations of different creatures.  A feathered fish with jewels for eyes, a dog with a snake's head and scales or a swan-necked, triple faced owl with six wings are all good examples.

☾     Celestials actively try to look appealing and beautiful to mortals.  Thus, they should not look overly terrifying, though they are often unnerving and alien.

☾     Celestials should not look overly ‘horrific’, in order to make the division between them and their larger cousins clear.  Less gnashing teeth, more otherworldly feathers fluttering in an ethereal wind.  More starlight, less all consuming darkness.

 

✦     Familiars fall into one of three categories which determine their capabilities when manifest.  They are either Strong, Deft or Flying.

☾     Strong familiars are the slowest and clumsiest of the three categories.  They move at descendant speeds and are possessed of below average grace, meaning that they are likely to fall from precarious surfaces and cannot jump particularly high (no more than [1] block).  They are the strongest of the three categories, and are able to move up to [10] kg.

☾     Deft familiars are middlingly strong, but possessed of the most precise control of their bodies.  They are able to jump up to [3] blocks, and are able to land safely on even precarious ledges without falling.  They are able to move objects up to [7] kg.

☾     Flying familiars are the weakest of the three categories, only able to move objects weighing up to [5] kg.  However, as their name implies, they are able to fly.  They can move up to [5] blocks above or below their diviner when in roleplay, and can be implied to fly at any height outside of roleplay (meaning, forum posts can describe a familiar flying across the sky, and familiars can be used to deliver letters in place of other birds).

 

✦     Even when not manifest, a diviner’s celestial always takes part in their divination spells.  The role that the celestial plays during the spell is up to the discretion of the diviner, but they must be involved in some way.  A celestial might dissipate into arcana and feed visions to the diviner as they travel the stars beyond, or they might remain in the physical world and begin burning with a powerful arcane light that rushes into the diviner’s eyes.

 

✦     A diviner experiences the outcomes of their fortune telling spells (Foretell, Illuminate, Synastry and Omen) as visions that inform them of the target’s fate.  These visions are always vague, relying on metaphor rather than revealing events exactly as they are fated to happen.  For instance, a diviner might witness a vision in which the target is pulled from the ocean by a passing sailor, representing hope or a positive social encounter.  Visions should ideally be interpretable in multiple different ways.

☾     A diviner can choose to evoke these visions or visions from other spells (such as Memory of Ages) through a chosen medium.  The face of the tarot card they have just drawn might suddenly come alive, its imagery warped by the vision, or a mirror's reflection might suddenly change.

 

✦     Divination spells cause their targets to accrue Weals and Woes.  Weals and Woes are foretold events that will affect a character’s life.

☾     A player chooses when their character experiences a Weal or Woe.

☾     A player must clearly state the Weals or Woes they currently have waiting to occur in their character card.

☾     Weals and Woes last indefinitely.  They cannot be avoided simply by waiting them out.  Additionally, new Weals and Woes cannot normally be gained unless a petitioner has first experienced all Weals and Woes accrued from a prior spell.

 

❈     A character may only experience [1] Weal every OOC day.  This is to prevent spamming them, cheapening their effects on the characters narrative.  They are intended to provide story beats, rather than to act as convenient blessings.   ❈     Characters are not aware of exactly which Weals and Woes await them.  Characters are only aware of the information provided to them in the vision experienced by the diviner who foretold their future.  How they interpret this vision is up to them.   ❈     Aside from in the case of the spell Omen, players should refrain from using their Weals in tandem.  Stacking Weals and having your group use them all at once to escape some particular trouble is considered powergaming, and likely also metagaming as it implies the manipulation described in the above redline.   ❈     Whilst Weals have very broad effects, the good luck that they offer should not be overstated.  Bear in mind that having exceedingly unlikely things happen to your character is also considered powergaming.  This redline can be bent with ST oversight if an outcome is agreed by staff.

Weal of Vitality [1]   ✦     A farmer fills his cart with hay in record time and without any extra help; he even manages to carry several extra bales by himself, all the way to market!   ✦     A messenger twists her ankle on her journey between cities, but miraculously, she gets back up and makes the rest of her journey without pain or lingering injury.   ✦     A tomb robber, exposed to a long lost plague hiding in the carcasses he has just surrounded himself with all night, manages to avoid contracting the illness.

❈     This Weal deals in health and strength, foretelling how an individual will avoid injury or illness.  It should focus on physical wellbeing. ❈     This Weal cannot be used in combat, although it can be used after a battle, lessening or outright preventing lingering physical injury.  A wound might heal slightly more quickly than usual and without scarring, for instance.  However, permanent and irreparable damage caused by a battle cannot be undone, such as a lost limb.   This is not magical healing. ❈     The character should not perform any feats of strength that are obviously supernatural.  A halfling will not be strong enough to bend steel, however long they may try. ❈     This Weal does not make a character anymore deft or precise. ❈     In event scenarios, this Weal might be used to lessen poisons or supernatural withering effects at the presiding ST’s discretion.  Outside of these scenarios, consent should be sought where hazardous substances are involved, lessening or preventing their effects only with the agreement of the inflicting character; this is to preserve narrative integrity.

Woe of Weakness [2]   ✦     A soldier falters on their way home, falling unconscious after a particularly trying battle.   ✦     A doctor comes down with a terrible case of the flu, putting her out of action all winter.   ✦     A child wakes from their sleep without feeling even the slightest bit rested, and spends the rest of their day lagging behind their friends at school.

❈     This Woe foretells how an individual will be struck down by illness.  This illness can take many forms. ❈     This Woe can relate to the discovery or emergence of a chronic illness, and does not necessarily need to be new. ❈     This Woe can be roleplayed in moderation.  It can be roleplayed as relating to something incredibly severe, like a form of cancer, but it can also relate to more common illnesses striking at inopportune times, such as getting the flu and losing your voice right before a big concert.

Weal of Dreams [3]   ✦     An ambassador makes peace with the bitter enemies of her nation.   ✦     A village elder manages to keep the local youths calm whilst the village is raided using his carefully woven stories.   ✦     A young warrior rallies her faltering platoon after their commander is slain; even in the face of overwhelming odds, they maintain their composure and fight on.

❈     This Weal deals in positive social encounters, foretelling how an individual will use their charisma to calm their allies, make peace with their enemies or inspire hope where fear’s shadow has crept in.  It should focus on improving individuals' mental states. ❈     Other players should be contacted OOC for consent should this Weal be used to influence their character’s behaviour.  It should not be used to ‘mind control’ another character, forcing them to act in a particular way.

Woe of Nightmares [4]   ✦     A daughter responds with unintended snark and aggravates her mother, causing a row over nothing.   ✦     A bard plays a song the audience finds offensive; they are quickly dismissed from the stage, crowd jeering all the while.   ✦     A bar fight breaks out as a result of a slurred word sounding rather like an actual slur, which the dwarvish mercenaries sat at the bar take offence to.

❈     This Woe deals in negative social encounters, foretelling how an individual will fail to socialise well, create animosity or sour a mood, or offend someone. It should focus on upset, discontent and a worsening of individuals' moods. ❈     Other players should be contacted OOC for consent should this Woe be used to influence their character’s behaviour.  It should not be used to ‘mind control’ another character, forcing them to act in a particular way; rather, it should be used as a suggestion for the way a character should react to something.  That reaction should not be unrealistic or entirely out of character.

Weal of Inspiration [5]   ✦     A jeweller finishes a particularly difficult piece, which comes out excellently; dazzling, enchanting, entrancing.   ✦     A scholar discovers a one-of-a-kind volume tucked in the back of a library.   ✦     An archaeologist intuits the meaning of a word from a forgotten language, the words meaning popping into her mind spontaneously.

❈     This Weal deals in precise or intellectual pursuits, foretelling how an individual will be clever, cunning or dexterous.  It should focus on displays of skill. ❈     This Weal cannot be used to avoid harm; avoiding harm is covered by the Weals of Vitality and Protection.  It should refer to displaying excellence rather than avoiding catastrophe.

Woe of Fools [6]   ✦     A tailor makes a critical error, necessitating that they start the dress they were working on from scratch, wasting valuable time and resources.   ✦     An apprentice accidentally ignites their research notes on a candle after hours of late night study.   ✦     A builder accidentally builds a house in entirely the wrong end of town; they had their map upside down.   ❈     This Woe deals in making careless or thoughtless mistakes, fortelling how an individual will be clumsy or unfocused.  Events linked with this Woe should be events in which the character is vexed by a complex piece of work. ❈     This Woe deals less in danger and more in mishaps, breakages, brashness and bumbling.  It doesn’t often lead to anything more than inconvenience.

Weal of Protection [7]   ✦     Discovering an extra ration at the bottom of their travel bag, an adventurer manages to press on just long enough to reach town without running out of food.   ✦     Noticing a fraying rope, a foreman is able to save his worker from falling by mending poorly made scaffolding.   ✦     A thief’s cloak snags on a balcony after being hurled from above, saving their life… and their stolen goods.   ✦     An alchemist senses that the potion they have just made is particularly hazardous, and cautions their assistant just in time to prevent them from drinking it.

❈     This Weal deals in avoiding disaster, foretelling how an individual will be alert and cautious.  It should focus on safeguarding against misfortune. ❈     This Weal should not be used to avoid death outright from being stabbed, poisoned or otherwise attacked by a player character.  It can be used to avoid death during events with the presiding ST’s agreement. ❈     When engaged with other players, their consent must be sought if this Weal is used to avoid death, and should ideally be used to avoid incidental death.  For instance, if a character were shoved from a great height, it would be reasonable to say that their good fortune allowed them to survive the fall.

Woe of Catastrophe [8]   ✦     A rope fails to bear a ranger’s weight and sends them tumbling down a cliff face.    ✦     A fisherman discovers a vodnik when out fishing, and runs screaming all the way back to town with a terrible slash in their side.   ✦     A barman accidentally brings their store of booze crashing down on their head after leaning a little too much of their weight on a shelf.

❈     This Woe deals in immediate danger.  It foretells an event in which a character will be threatened by some unforeseen peril. ❈     This Woe relates to dangers in the world rather than failures on the part of the character.  It should represent events that the character could have done nothing to avoid, where other Woes represent self-made problems. ❈     These events are those most likely to lead to physical harm.  Scars and bruises are most likely to result from the scrapes one gets into as a result of this Woe.

 

---

 

SPELLS

 

[T1 | Non-Combat] Manifest Celestial

 

✦     Manifest Celestial takes [2] emotes to cast.  Once manifest, a celestial can remain manifest even if their diviner disconnects from the Void.

 

✦     Whilst manifest a celestial can move of its own accord.  It behaves according to its category as defined in the mechanics section, of which there are [3]; Strong, Deft and Flying.  Celestials never take part in combat.  When in immediate danger, a celestial will always flee by dissipating into arcana and returning to their bound diviner.

 

✦     The celestial emits a starry radiance that illuminates the [5] block space surrounding it.  Those standing within this radius can see clearly within it, and have magically improved vision beyond it that allows them to perceive vague shapes even in pitch darkness.

☾     At [T2], the celestial learns to weave lingering orbs of light that remain in existence for as long as the celestial remains manifest.   These orbs are as bright as the celestial themselves and float at descendant speeds at the celestials command.  They do not require line of sight to remain in existence, although the celestial is only able to control them when they are able to see them and when within [8] blocks of them.  Conjured orbs dissipate if the celestial ever moves more than [15] blocks from them.

 

✦     Whilst manifest, a diviner's familiar is able to identify if an individual has a Weal or Woe waiting to pass by looking at them.  A familiar cannot identify which Weals or Woes specifically are in an individual's future, nor can they tell exactly how many there are.

☾     Casting Synastry temporarily muddles this sense.  A familiar cannot identify an individual's Weals or Woes for [1] IRL day once Synastry has been cast on them.

 

❈     Celestials never take part in combat.

❈     Celestials remain manifest when outside of their diviner’s line of sight, but must remain within [10] blocks of them.

❈     The lights produced by a celestial are never bright enough to blind.

❈     The lights produced by a celestial do not produce heat, and cannot be used to start fires.

 

[T1 | Non-Combat] Foretell

 

✦     Foretell takes [4] emotes to cast.

 

✦     The diviner peers into the immediate future of their target and rolls out of [8], determining which Weal or Woe is revealed.

☾     At [T3], a diviner can narrow their visions of the future to reveal a Weal or Woe in relation to a question asked by their target.  This question could be about a certain event, a certain person or even a vague concern of the targets.  If the target asks a question, they may choose to remove [1] Weal/Woe pair from the pool of possible outcomes.  Doing so shifts all results down by [1] increment; for example, if Vitality/Weakness were removed from the pool, Dreams/Nightmares would fill the 1 and 2 slots instead.

 

❈     A character can only be the target of this spell once per IRL day.

❈     Weals and Woes abide by their redlines as outlined in the Mechanics section.

❈     A character must experience the Weal or Woe gained from this spell before they can gain new Weals or Woes from either this spell or Illuminate.

 

[T2 | Non-Combat] Illuminate

 

✦     Illuminate takes [4] emotes to cast.

 

✦     The diviner rolls out of [8] three times, peering into the future and discovering a total of [3] Weals or Woes that will affect the target.

☾     From [T4], the diviner may choose the outcome of [1] of the [3] Weals or Woes.

 

❈     A character can only be the target of this spell once per IRL week.

❈     Weals and Woes abide by their redlines as outlined in the Mechanics section.

❈     A character must experience all the Weals and Woes gained from this spell before they can gain new ones from either this spell or Foretell.

 

[T2 | Non-Combat] Benevolence

 

✦     Benevolence takes [4] emotes to cast and may only be cast at night.  The diviner’s celestial manifests and targets [1] large flame such as a crackling campfire or fireplace, or targets up to [3] smaller flames such as candles or torches within line of sight.  The familiar then leaps between those targets, suffusing each of them with a portion of their arcana.

 

✦     The chosen flames will not go out until morning arrives, and effervesce with twinkling, starry arcana in the colour of the diviner’s aura.

☾     If the flames are extinguished, they will reignite themselves within the next [2] narrative minutes or [6] emotes, whichever comes first.

 

✦     Those who rest nearby the flames will sleep perfectly and receive protection from negative emotions.

☾     Perfect sleep equates to a solid eight hours of rejuvenating rest.  This sleep cannot be disturbed by natural (sickness, poor bedding, etc.) or supernatural means (curses, banes, hexes, etc).  Players may choose to have their character awaken if in immediate danger.

☾     The resistance to negative emotions causes characters to tend towards positive reactions to things; if someone says something that would normally bother them, a character finds it easier to choose against becoming angry, for instance. This effect can be overcome by sensory illusion or other forms of magic, and is by no means coercive.  Those under this effect are still in control of their own thoughts.

 

✦     Flammable weapons or potions ignited using the flames count as magical and Voidal.

 

❈     All effects of this spell immediately end at dawn, causing flames to return to their mundane forms.

❈     The sleep induced by benevolence is not a magical coma and will not prevent someone from waking should the player choose such as if in danger. It does however ward away effects that would disturb sleep that are natural and supernatural; it does not break curses, banes, hexes, etc. only keeps them at bay.

❈     The protection from these effects is only possible whilst someone is asleep.  Being awake leaves one vulnerable to curses, banes, hexes, etc, and their mental effects.

❈     Flammable weapons affected by this spell do not reignite under any circumstances.  Once put out their flames will not reappear.  Equally, items used as a weapon in combat will not reignite until that combat concludes.

 

[T3 | Non-Combat] Synastry

 

✦     Synastry takes [4] emotes to cast, and requires [2] targets.

 

✦     One of the targeted individuals loses [1] Weal without benefiting from its effect, whilst the other loses [1] Woe without having to experience its misfortune.  

☾     From [T4], the diviner's powers of fate manipulation improve, allowing them to cast this spell in order to move [1] Weal or Woe from one target to the other without dispelling it instead of the previous effect.

 

❈     Weals and Woes abide by their redlines as outlined in the Mechanics section.

❈     Both individuals who are targeted by the spell cannot undergo the spell again until [1] IRL week has passed and they have received a new set of Weals and/or Woes from either Foretell or Illuminate.

 

[T3 | Combat] Wandering Star

 

✦     Wandering Star takes [3] emotes to cast, and can target any point in space up to [8] blocks away from the diviner.

 

✦     Once cast, the diviner’s celestial dashes forward in a blaze of overflowing arcana which fills their path with light.  The celestial remains at the targeted location until commanded to dissipate, or until an attack is aimed at them.  The celestial always immediately dissipates if an attack is launched at them, ending the spell.

 

✦     Those who walk in this light are bestowed with a comet's speed and grace, allowing them to move an additional [2] blocks per emote.  Additionally, those who walk in the light find that they are able to balance themselves more easily on precarious surfaces, such as a narrow ledge or slippery ice.

☾     The additional movement is only provided to those travelling towards the celestial at the far end of the spell.

 

❈     As much as this spell can be cast in combat, this doesn't imply that a familiar is anymore comfortable with combat. They will always immediately dissipate should anything happen that would cause them harm; even aiming an attack at a celestial is enough to scare them off and cause the spell to end.

❈     The celestial is incorporeal whilst dashing, and cannot bash, bump into or otherwise interfere with anyone or anything.

❈     If a target is bound or otherwise incapable of taking their normal movement, they do not become able to as a result of this spell.  This spell does not break stuns, or allow a prisoner to escape their chains.

❈     The granted grace is not superhuman.  Feats that would normally be impossible remain impossible, such as weaving through an overly narrow gap or standing on an otherwise sheer cliff face.

 

[T4 | Non-Combat] Omen

 

✦     Omen takes [4] emotes to cast.  This spell requires that at least [3] targets make offerings; acceptable offerings are listed below.  This spell must target at least [3] targets, and may target up to [6] targets.  The granted points of Weal may stack with Weal gained from other Divination spells.  Suitable offerings include:

☾     Valuable materials (magegold, gems such as diamond, ruby or sapphire, thanhium, etc.)

☾     Personally significant materials (rare herbs and spices, handmade crafts, heirlooms, memorial objects, etc.)

☾     Objects of genuine worship (Lorraine cross, mani statue, spiritualist totem, Xannic or Tahariaen symbol, Xionist literature, etc)

☾     Enchanted objects (Voidal, blessed, cursed, etc.)

 

✦     Each target receives [1] Weal which must relate to the chosen endeavour.  Following the conclusion of the event, the Weal immediately dissipates if not used.

 

✦     If the chosen endeavour is an ST run event, the diviner may contact the managing ST for a vision that relates to the upcoming event.  

 

❈     Weals abide by their redlines as outlined in the Mechanics section.

❈     If given a vision relating to an upcoming event, the diviner must relate the vision as instructed by the ST.  Further, the ST is not forced to provide a vision if they would rather not.

❈     Those targeted by this spell may not be targeted by it again until [1] IRL week has passed.

❈     Until the Weal gained from this spell is experienced, a character cannot be targeted by this spell again or other fortune telling spells that provide Weals and Woes.

❈     The chosen endeavour should be relatively arduous, difficult or important.  Providing a group of dungeon delvers with insight before their next adventure, or preparing a party of ambassadors before they engage in hours of diplomatic talks are suitable examples.

 

[T4 | Non-Combat] Astral Sending

 

✦     Astral Sending takes [5] emotes to cast.  This spell must be cast at night.  The spell can target any descendant in the world who is known to the diviner.

 

✦     Once cast, the diviner’s celestial rockets into the heavens on a plume of powerfully effervescing arcana and streaks across the night sky as a bolt of light, guided by the Zodiac’s ever watchful eye to their destination.  The celestial arrives in a great burst of refulgent but intangible energy.

 

✦     Touching the celestial allows the target to reveal their current location to the diviner in a vision, wherever they are in the world.  They may also receive a vision from the celestial which reveals the location of the diviner.  The celestial then either returns to the diviner, ready to guide them to the target’s location, or remains with the target in order to guide them back to the diviner.

 

❈     The message takes as long to reach its target as a bird would to arrive in an aviary.

❈     The target must be able to see the night sky in order for them to receive their message.

❈     The target cannot be imprisoned or in active combat, either when the spell is cast or before the celestial has arrived.  Otherwise it fails.

❈     The celestial’s arrival does not damage its surroundings when it lands.

❈     The celestial is only able to guide either party to the other’s location if OOC consent from both the target and the diviner is given. This is performed by giving directions or coordinates in PMs, on the server itself, for the sake of documentation.

 

[T5 | Non-Combat] Memory of Ages

 

✦     Memory of Ages takes [6] emotes to cast, and requires a willing target who has previously received a prophecy.  This spell requires that the diviner lowers themselves into a deep trance state.  Whilst in this state, they are numb to the affairs of the mortal world and cannot respond until they have left their trance.

 

✦     Once the diviner has entered into their trance, they recall a particular prophecy previously experienced by their target.  They experience the prophecy in exactly the same way as their target initially experienced the prophecy.

 

✦     If an ST is present, the diviner may ask [1] question about the prophecy they are recalling.  The response the diviner receives to this question is entirely at the discretion of the presiding ST.

☾     Example questions might include:

☾     What happens if we don’t succeed/if we ignore this/if we disagree?

☾     Can you tell us more about [this] aspect of the prophecy?

☾     Why are you telling us this?

☾     Who are you?  (As in, who has sent the prophecy?)

 

❈     The target for this spell must understand the nature of the spell, and must willingly consent to allowing the prophecy to be recalled.

❈     This spell can be cast without ST oversight if no question is asked.

❈     The presiding ST is not required to answer the question in any particular way.  They may even choose not to answer the question, providing no response at all or an answer adjacent to the question.

❈     It is rarely clear to a diviner who or what is responding to their question.  At certain times, it may be that the originator of the prophecy is contacted for their response, whilst at other times the Zodiac may stand in to provide insight.  The ST is under no obligation to clearly identify who they are responding as.

 

[T5 | Non-Combat] Fate’s Bindings

 

✦     Fate’s Bindings may take effect while using ritual casting’s infusion ritual.  Fate’s Bindings must be cast as an enchanted artefact (MArt) is being created.

 

✦     Once cast, the diviner chooses up to [3] fateful bindings to be placed on the enchanted artefact.  These bindings restrict the usage of the artefact; below are some helpful examples.

☾     An artefact might require that it be wielded by or against someone of a particular race or bloodline, someone with a particular name, or even someone with a particular colour of hair or other specific feature.

☾     An artefact might require that it be used, or it might only become active, at a particular time of day or during a particular event.  It might be that the artefact can only be used for so long as nation [x] is at war with nation [y], or for so long as a certain person is alive.

☾     An artefact might only be able to be wielded with certain motivations.  Perhaps a sword can only be wielded in defence of the weak, or a magically burning censor can only be ignited by a true Canonist priest.

 

✦     The more of these bindings that the diviner chooses to place upon the artefact, the more powerful it becomes.  If all three bindings are placed on an artefact, the artefact becomes so infused with the Zodiac’s will that a celestial takes up residence within the artefact.  This celestial can supernaturally influence the demeanour of the one who wields the artefact, planting ideas in their mind that draw them towards certain courses of action.

☾     Explanations of the celestials desires and how it influences those who wield the artefact should be documented in the MArt application made for the artefact.

 

❈     This ability is freeform in its application and merely allows MArts to be made with specific parameters for use. It cannot be applied to non-MArt objects or enchantments.

❈     Each binding should be a single clause.  They should specify only one restriction each, and should not double up on restrictions or become overly complicated.

 

[T5 | Connection] Rite of Meteorites

 

✦     This freeform ritual calls a celestial down from the Zodiac, which the diviner-to-be absorbs into their body.  They might do this by physically eating the star, or by having it disperse into their skin, or by drinking its light through their eyes.  Whatever happens, the fallen star integrates itself into them physically, connecting them to the Void if they have not yet been connected.

☾     Through roleplay, a familiar might be destroyed, or return to the Zodiac if they have a serious disagreement with their bound diviner.  This ritual can be performed again to call down a new celestial from the heavens should a diviner require a new companion.

☾     Once summoned, either the celestial’s aura becomes identical to their bound diviner’s, or the diviner’s aura changes to be identical to their familiar’s.

 

❈     This ritual can involve whatever implements or practices that the diviner wishes.  

❈     Divination does not have a lore prescribed disconnection ritual, and can be dropped at any time.  The diviner can release their Celestial from their body by making an offering to the Zodiac and thanking them for their assistance in a freeform ritual.

❈     Familiars are only likely to be lost during events.  As such, a diviner should be careful when it comes to how often they are receiving new familiars, and ideally should not receive a new one more frequently than every [6] months.  This isn’t a hard line, and should be taken as guidance.

 

---

 

PURPOSE

 

✦     I wrote this magic with one particular piece of feedback in mind from my previous Celestialism write-up; “I thought that this was going to be more emotionally focused”.   This has been written to have as little focus on combat as is possible, putting the spotlight on character growth and development.  I really think this has the potential to jumpstart so many characters that are currently sitting still in their lives.

 

✦     My hope is that this will proliferate quickly into lots of different communities and become something that draws characters together.  I’ve long thought that we’ve needed a more pastoral magic that focuses on helping people live their lives, rather than providing outright healing or magical protection.  I think that this will fulfil an important priestly role for many different cultures and religions.

 

✦     Thematically, this is most similar to seer.  It has a similarly mysterious and occult theming, but ultimately this magic does something entirely distinct.  This magic focuses entirely on true fortune telling, creating narratives for characters to embark upon, where seer has a much more manipulative and controlling feel to it.  Where they are the magical Illuminati, diviners are village priests and doctors providing heavenly blessings from the beyond.

 

✦     This piece adds a lot of interactivity with the Void, particularly with the relationship we can see between familiars and the Zodiac at large.  I’m in contact with the lore writer currently working on Horror lore to join the Zodiac into the work that’s being done there.

 

✦     Many thanks to @Zarsies for helping with the work on this one, I couldn’t have done it without you.

 

---

 

CHANGELOG

 

[16/08/2024, 16:00 GMT]

✦     Added the following to Manifest Familiar in response to @Samler's comment:

✦     Whilst manifest, a diviner's familiar is able to identify if an individual has a Weal or Woe waiting to pass by looking at them.  A familiar cannot identify which Weals or Woes specifically are in an individual's future, nor can they tell exactly how many there are.

☾     Casting Synastry temporarily muddles this sense.  A familiar cannot identify an individual's Weals or Woes for [1] IRL day once Synastry has been cast on them.

Edited August 16, 2024 by Aelesh

[Zarsies 6795]

A real labor of love. This drips with flavor and I hope the community embraces the ideas here and run wild with the possibilities.

 

I'm equally excited about getting through the Voidal horror rewrite, I hope in the exact same way this is evocative and rich that the resurgence of horrors is inspirational to readers - unaffiliated players, mages, and ST alike - and motivates us all to engage more deeply with our stories.

[christman 3529]

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[King_Kunuk 3022]

An interesting idea. I want to give it a proper review though when i am not at work

[Unwillingly 18103]

while I've always felt like seer kinda touches on that fortune-teller niche, this REALLY hits the nail on the head and doesn't hold back. hope this gets passed

[rathat 868]

Question: Can we pretend that airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars?

[Venomous_Pup 2978]

Have to say, I love everything in here so far, reading some of the explanation about this magic's function and was wondering is this simply compatible with everything that can establish a Voidal Connection, or would certain Magics be unable to use it/certain spells?

 

[Karina 1882]

I wish i could upvote this three times this is genuinely the most interesting write for voidal anything in a long time. I am so glad it's not just another set of combative evocations. 

[Holyland 3650]

Aelesh Lore is without compare in so many ways. Your writing is truly incredible and the artistic fashion in which you've portrayed the lore piece itself is astounding. I really hope this gets passed. Lots of luck, lots of love xx

[Aelesh 540]

7 minutes ago, Punished_Pup said:

Have to say, I love everything in here so far, reading some of the explanation about this magic's function and was wondering is this simply compatible with everything that can establish a Voidal Connection, or would certain Magics be unable to use it/certain spells?

 

 

Currently, I'm open to it being compatible with everything.  I have thought about Voidstalking, and... well, it could be compatible.  You could, in theory, stop the bigger horror from eating the smaller one.  Might get a bit tense.  I'll let the ST be the judge of how feasible it is and we can go from there.

[Samler 1564]

Seems very neat, just maybe tho, add a Tier 1 spell allowing the Diviner to 'sense' weals/woes on their target to also make Synastra more likely to be used without light meta-gaming. Potentially at the early tiers have the weal/woe be unidentified (except on the karma spectrum) and then at a later tier allow them to identify which one it is.

Seems cute, seems nice. Hope it gets accepted.

Edit: Maybe add in that aviaries takes 5 minutes to arrive, not everyone might know that.

[Luxury 1082]

Thank you for sharing this with the community.

[Aelesh 540]

23 minutes ago, Samler said:

Seems very neat, just maybe tho, add a Tier 1 spell allowing the Diviner to 'sense' weals/woes on their target to also make Synastra more likely to be used without light meta-gaming. Potentially at the early tiers have the weal/woe be unidentified (except on the karma spectrum) and then at a later tier allow them to identify which one it is.

Seems cute, seems nice. Hope it gets accepted.

Edit: Maybe add in that aviaries takes 5 minutes to arrive, not everyone might know that.

 

I have added a clause to Manifest Celestial which should sort this out!  Thank you for bringing it to my attention, there should be some way for them to know the most basic stuff so that Synastry works well.

[Animael 1500]

+1

[Laeonathan 5889]

There it is, at last... :) Glad you finally got to finish it!!!