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Corporate Corporationist
- Posts:
- 35
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- Admins
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- #4
- Joined:
- Oct 16, 2013
- Personal Quote:
- Looking at it from my myopic modern perspective, I find it a curiosity that today's Monolith Of Capitalismâ„¢ was in ancient times a suspicious bastard child of capitalism and socialism.
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- Note: Collegiate policy is still unclear with regards to the petition to differentiate Doctors of Theology (ThD) from Doctors of Thaumaturgy (ThD). As a temporary measure, Doctors of Thaumaturgy are advised to adjust any mentions of their degree to "Th(m)D" if they so wish to avoid confusing their readers, while Doctors of Theology are advised to adjust theirs to "Th(e)D". Time will tell what the best course of action will be.
The Occults
For those in the know, Homo sapiens occultus (or simply the "occults") is the official designation for humans born with the potential to perform magical activities, regardless of their discipline. While less informed people in the ranks of the knowing believe that the idea of all such individuals fitting a single human subspecies is already a settled matter, it is in fact, still an issue of debate among the knowing intellectual elite. Indeed, there is still a huge matter of debate on whether the various disciplines all make use of a single "power source" under different names, or if each different name is in fact a separate, unique power source. If it is ever discovered to be the latter, the scientific consensus is that each discipline will be reclassified as a sub-species of Homo sapiens occultus.
A quickly growing body of dissenters, however, insists that regardless of the plurality of the power source(s), the unity of Homo sapiens occultus must remain. This is due to some observations demonstrating that many occults have potential compatibility to multiple disciplines (though they ultimately take only one). As such, one might use the analogy of the ancient Four Humours Personality categorization system (unscientific it may be, the terms, at least, are still used to some degree in modern personality assessment): They are still human, but they each have a more dominant amount of a certain humour (bodily fluid), which affects their personality. Dominant amounts of blood (Sanguine) leads to easily excited, hot blooded individuals, a dominance of phlegm (Phlegmatic) leads to docile, rational people, dominance of bile (Choleric) leads to very stubborn and forceful people, and dominance of black bile (Melancholic) leads to highly analytical and easily depressed people.
One might say then, that the power source for each discipline (if indeed unique and separate) could be seen as a factor similar to a dominant humour in different specimens of the same species.
The Axis and the Collegiate
There are various disciplines or categorizations of Homo sapiens occultus, depending on the focus of their power. There are about eight different disciplines, broadly speaking, each one generally going in one of four directions of what is known as the Axis of Disciplines. The concept of a universal axis from which all magics emanated from was originally proposed by the First President of the Royal Society of Amberly, the one and only Sir Joshua Kensington, Father of the Scientific Revolution (also one of the greatest Wizards in Daanan history). He was the first to make the observation that despite their superficial differences, all magics appeared to stem from similar roots.
 A simplified depiction of the Axis of Disciplines
Though Sir Kensington died before the publication of his Magical Theory of Everything, the post-humously published work started a wildfire of manpower support for his proteges, soon followed by money from all interested parties. The Royal Society flourished in multiple fields, but ultimately chose to follow the path laid down by its founder. By the late 1800's, it had evolved into an institution devoted entirely to the research and understanding of magical phenomena, with Sir Kensington's Axis of Disciplines as the clear core of its purpose... it had become the Axis Collegiate.
The Axis Collegiate is the primary body concerned with researching and defining Homo sapiens occultus and all of its related subjects. Funded primarily by the Council of Remus and other Council-aligned parties interested in the advancement of magical research, the Collegiate is headquartered in Amberly, with satellite branches in Uhokoku, the Firesea Union, and Tizona.
The Collegiate provides SI units for various magically related measurements (such as amounts for each of the power sources), peer reviewed research, standards for analysis, standards for ethics, and the most advanced magical research equipment and facilities on Danu. Due to the nature of the Collegiate's dealings and the existence of competitors, it hosts an extensive degree of security measures, ranging from highly trained security teams, state of the art security systems (including military grade hardware in some cases), and meticulous planning.
 The Collegiate's Emblem, a variation of the Axis. The motto means "From Mystic Knowledge, True Knowledge"
Collegiate Recognized Discipline Categories
Though these are officially recognized by the Collegiate, it should be noted that these are externally applied labels used by the Collegiate to organize their own documentation. Each group within each category either has their own name for their philosophy, or ignores or is unaware of the existence of such classifications.
Although the jury is still out on whether the different disciplines count as different subspecies, the party in favour of unnecessarily adding to the complexity of the issue has pre-emptively proposed a list of subspecies names to be used in the event that their side wins. Though these are appended in parentheses after the name of each discipline, they are by no means official designations by the Collegiate.
- Note: Additionally, those of the Collegiate High Faculty who have expressed a leaning in favour of this proposal have also suggested making the names less cumbersome by removing the "superfluous" gemstone names for the sake of simplifying the taxonomic term.
- The Northern Way, Orient of Order, or Sapphire Path, is adhered to by those who take the name of Wizard (aka Mage) or Monk. As its names suggest, this direction espouses a philosophy of rules and rationality, whether adhering to the rules observed in nature, or adhering to a codified philosophy with its own ruleset. Their geas is sugar, which interferes with their spells and meditative states. An individual with a high sugar diet, or merely has sugar somewhere on his person will find that they have some defence against the spells of a Wizard and the fearsome moves of a Monk.
- Wizards (Homo sapiens occultus sapphirus incantator) follow the tenets of Logic and reason, and thus believe the source of their magic to be knowledge and study. The path of the Wizard is long and arduous, taking many years of study to master. Indeed, it is not uncommon for Wizards to pass down their research to apprentices or heirs, in order to continue from where they will leave off. A Wizard's magic is what one might consider "passive". It's slower, steadier, and far more precise, no doubt what one would expect from all that knowledge they accumulate over many years of study. This makes them deadly adversaries as they possess the mindset and skillset to produce highly effective traps, to slowly and methodically erode an opponent's defences, or to confound them with a flexible variety of spells learned and honed over the years. Due to this same mindset, it is not unusual for a Wizard to hold one or more scientific or mathematical degrees in the mundane world.
Wizards brought up in classical schools call their power source a number of names, from the western schools' "Pneuma", to the "Mana" and "Qi" of the eastern schools. This power source is recharged through sleep, possibly connecting it to proper mental and physical health maintenance. For times on the go, the typical Boy Scout of a Wizard will have one or more mana potions handy. These are concocted with ingredients that are regularly available in most well-stocked Wizard workshops and laboratories.
- Note:
Other, more modern mages have much more variety, some going so far as to simply call their power source "MP" or "the Force", no doubt with influence from pop culture and games.
- In the same vein, the Monk (Homo sapiens occultus sapphirus monachus) follows the tenets of Law, an embodiment of the philosophies that they imbibe during their many years of training and study within their monastic orders. In this way, once appropriate meditation has been performed, it is possible for a Monk to temporarily override regular physical laws while in a state of meditative trance. If a Monk's philosophy teaches that punching a man in the solar plexus with a specific amount of force using a specific kung fu style will make him explode into a bloody mess, then by all means, the man will explode into a bloody mess, physics be damned. Such feats, however, are only available to the most seasoned monks.
Monks usually go with "Qi", "Chakra", "Ether", or others as the name of their power source, depending on their school. This power source is recharged by extended periods of meditation, separate from combat trances, which understandably, happen very quickly. Articles of faith like beads or rosaries might enhance the effectiveness of the meditation, but it does not subtract from the required amount of time.
- The Southern Way, Orient of Chaos, or Ruby Path is adhered to by those who take the name Sorcerer or Psion. As the names suggest, this direction is the opposite of the Northern Way, in that adherents of these disciplines focus on controlling their emotions to achieve effects, rather than relying on rules, rationality, and the mind. Both are adversely affected by Salt, which interferes with their control over their emotions.
- Sorcerers (Homo sapiens occultus rubinus praecantator) view their power as a form of magic, and use it as such, albeit in a more instinctive manner than a Wizard who must use what they have learned from their Tome of a Thousand and One Low Sugar Cooking Spells. Because of its instinctive, emotional nature, Sorcerer spells are more direct, and include such novelties as telekinesis or lightning bolts at the flick of a wrist. Fine-tuned emotional control is required for successful spell casting, a challenge all in itself, as Sorcerers have a natural tendency to be more emotional than the average person. Unlike the more flexible Wizard, the Sorcerer finds himself going down a path of very narrow specialization, a fair price to pay for more immediate magic than his more academic peers. As one might imagine, the Sorcerer is a deadly opponent in a straight up fight, as opposed to the Wizard, whose strength lays in their ability to crush opponents with well-thought-out and pre-planned attacks.
Sorcerers call their power source a variety of names, which may or may not overlap with the Wizards'. Sorcerers replenish their power source by tapping into life energy. This could be more or less any activity that strengthens or affirms life. The generally accepted standards are eating and sex. Yes, sex. For those times on the go, a particularly devious sorcerer may have on hand at least one vial of distilled life essence, which, as one can imagine, requires a lot of living things to give up their lives. Or, one human. Needless to say, the technology and knowledge required to create such potions is not only illegal, but forbidden. The Collegiate will move quickly to arrest any sorcerers found in possession of these potions.
- Note:
The Grandmaster of the North Wessex Sorcerer Society has published an official apology to the Collegiate Head Librarian for "accidentally broiling two copies of the Tome of a Thousand and One Low Sugar Cooking Spells" that he had earlier borrowed from the Collegiate Library.
- Psions (Homo sapiens occultus rubinus motator), on the other hand, see their powers as a type of psychic ability, and so tend to hone their skills around this concept. High level telekinesis, pyrokinesis, cryokinesis, whateverkinesis, and mind probing are just a few of the various tricks possessed by this particular discipline. It should be noted that like Sorcerers, most Psions can usually only have one of these lovely tricks to play with. Not surprising when all of your time and effort are spent trying to keep your emotions in check, rather than, say, oh, studying a slew of new fascinating spells. Psions are a rare breed, and are highly sought after by the Collegiate and its competitors, for the sake of learning as much as possible. After all, Psions possess some of the greatest amounts of raw power on average, and even top class Wizards can only compare to the weakest of Psions. Their powers tend to begin manifesting in early childhood, resulting in some degree of mental instability or another, making control of the swirling vortex of their emotions all that more challenging. In this sense, one might consider Psions the opposite of Monks, individuals given to throwing away the shackles of Law altogether, rather than using alternative Laws to substitute the regular Laws of physics.
Most Psions don't bother naming their power source, although those few who do simply call it "the Chaos" (usually said in a chilling manner). Psions do not need to recharge so much as they need to prevent themselves from burning out. Being closely linked to their emotional state, their powers tend to be wild and extremely difficult to control, sometimes to the point of being "always on". A Psion has to maintain solid control over his power, and filter out all the useless energy-consuming rubbish, like unconsciously reading the thoughts of some bloke who happens to be in the loo three rooms down the hall. Who wants to know what he's thinking, anyway? In this case, one might say that instead of a constantly draining battery, a Psion is more of a melting candle. And the more he can reduce his melting rate, the better.
- The Eastern Way, Orient of Faith, or Ivory Path is adhered to by those who take many names, all of which ultimately boil down to "Spiritual". The Collegiate has taken to organizing the three most common disciplines under the names Priest, Shaman, and Seer. As its names suggest, this direction points towards faith in a greater abstract force outside of the individual, whether gods, angels, demons, saints, kami, spirits (ancestral or otherwise), or even some vague impersonal Force. Practitioners who adhere to these disciplines tend towards purer thoughts necessary for invocation of their faiths. The filth of exsanguinated blood serves as a shield against this purity, but only under certain conditions. It must either have been ritualistically placed, bloodlet by one's self, or, by someone close to one's self.
- Priests (Homo sapiens occultus ebur sacredos) are agents of organized religion, tasked with caring for the sacred buildings of their faith, and the faithful who use these buildings to pay tribute to their objects of worship. Their spells rely on a combination of incantations based on their holy texts, intonations of their voice, and any ritualistic gestures that might be necessary during such instances, and tend to invoke some form divine intervention or another, whether a "blessing" of bountiful crop from a purported goddess of plenty, a "punishing bolt of righteousness" from an alleged angel of justice, or a "curse" from the supposed kami of an offended mountain shrine.
Due to the extensive number of organized religions around the world, most of which do not even bother to acknowledge the existence of a power source (separate from their objects of worship, in any case), the Collegiate has decided that the best course of action was to simply coin its own name, "Diva". Priests replenish their power source by performing sincere acts of faith, be it praying, offering ritual sacrifice, or performing whatever duties a miko is required to perform. The sincerity of these acts is critical, as it is the belief in the external force which they worship that allows them to perform their "miracles". As such, one cannot replenish his power by faking a prayer on the go.
- Shamans (Homo sapiens occultus ebur samanus) view themselves as mediums between this world and the spiritual world, which they access by reaching a state of meditative trance, typically using psychoactive drugs known as entheogens. Once in trance, they are capable of "convincing spirit guides" to perform various actions for them, from curing curses left by "malevolent spirits" to gaining control over animals via the "aid" of their "guides". Shamans also use their trance states to see visions in the form of dreams, which they interpret and use as guidance for their future actions. Collegiate research on the effectiveness of these visions, particularly the accuracy of predictions, has proven inconclusive, although non-predictive visions do appear to hold merit when it comes to advice.
The Collegiate has taken to calling the Shamanist power source "Spiritus", for lack of a better word. They replenish this power by entering a meditative trance and "communing" with the "spirits". Like monks, this requires a certain time commitment that cannot be shortcut. Oh, and yes, they reach that trance by applying liberal use of entheogens. For obvious reasons, it is unwise to enter "communion" in the heat of battle.
- Seers (Homo sapiens occultus ebur augur), as the name implies, see things that ordinary humans, or indeed, that most other occults, are incapable of seeing. Full concentration is necessary to trigger their clairvoyant abilities, requiring them to expose themselves to sensory deprivation. Though a blindfold is suitable for easier feats of sight, superior blinding lab equipment does even better, to the point of emulating total blindness. Earplugs are also useful to avoid auditory distractions. Seers have a great variety of clairvoyant powers. Most commonly, they possess the classical remote viewing, while others have glimpses into the immediate mutable future. Others still are able to see typically invisible things such as radio waves, air currents, UV radiation, and in some extremely rare cases, surface thoughts of individuals. Seers come in many belief packages, but many of them adhere to some faith or another, using it as an anchor around which to focus their concentration.
As such, the Collegiate has taken to calling the Seer power source "Anchor". Seers do not recharge, as their amount of power is outside of their control, much like their use of it. (See note).
- Note:
Seers are particularly irritating to deal with for Collegiate researchers specializing in experimentation. Aside from the difficulty posed by requiring the above-stated conditions, there is also a tendency for their powers to manifest at the most inopportune times. The test subjects frequently either claim that their powers only manifest "when needed", or that their time of activation is determined by some external force, usually their Anchor. This has resulted in an incident wherein a remote viewer remained in the testing chamber for six hours with no activity. His powers manifested only when the entire research team was either beginning to fall asleep, preparing to leave for a break, or just out right giving up. This has prompted the Ivory Dean to raise funding for a project aiming to discover a means to control Seer power manifestation.
- The Western Way, Orient of Vision, or Obsidian Path is adhered to by those who take the name Artificer. As the names suggest, this direction is the opposite of the Eastern Way, in that adherents of its single discipline concern themselves more with the fulfilment of of their personal aspirations, the great potential within themselves, rather than an external force. Do they recognize an external force? Some do, others don't. Utilizing this creative potential requires intense focus, however, meaning that Artificers are susceptible to being distracted by things such as smells, particularly frankincense or incense, the disruptive effects of which will weaken, or even halt, the powers of an Artificer.
- Artificers (Homo sapiens occultus obsianum artifex), the only discipline to fall under this path, see themselves as the fulfilment of human potential, the Weylands, Da Vincis, Starks, and MacGyvers of their trade, artists. Their creative energy is not merely creativity to construct a fascinating object, but a force that actively enchants the object into becoming the best it could possibly be. Not only does it mean one can create an incredible knife, but it goes beyond the ideas of the mundane as well. Should an Artificer construct a flying machine that according to modern aeronautics, has no place in the sky, said machine will spit in the face of modern aeronautics and fly. Should an Artificer construct a magic wand out of black cloth, white cloth, and a drumstick, not only will it make a rabbit come out of a hat, it will play damn good on the drum set.
Unsurprisingly, Artificers use familiar terms for their power source, such as "Muse", "Inspiration", and "Spark", amongst others. Their power is replenished through flights of fancy, whether dreams or simple imaginary reveries. When their minds are actively constructing things, that creative spark is renewed. It should be noted that sleeping dreams provide more output than daydreams. Suffice it to say that since REM sleep only occurs for 20-25% of the average adult's total sleeping time, it takes much more time to fully recharge an Artificer - a full night's sleep as opposed to a few hours of napping, say. Due to their unique talents, Artificers have designed a means of bottling this Inspiration in the form of Dreamcatchers. They may or may not look like the similarly-named Native Hyborean good luck charms. Additionally, they may be given to another occult who wishes to have a reusable Artificer artefact. However, due to Artificers having a very rare and powerful form of imagination, the amount of Inspiration gained from others' dreams are a pithy fraction in comparison. Other occults will produce only a tenth of an Artificers output, while mundanes will produce a measly twentieth, in addition to suffering from side-effects identical to a whole night of sleep deprivation. Dreamcatchers are not toys.
- Note: In light of the recent spree of "prank bombings" plaguing the areas surrounding Obsidian Section, its Dean has announced a policy change prohibiting the unauthorized bringing of seemingly innocuous items such as paper-clips, chewing gum, duct tape, and string, into the vicinity of Obsidian Section. All instances of such "potential explosives construction materials" (PECM's) to be brought into Obsidian Section's premises must be pre-approved by a Collegiate Security Captain or higher, else deposited at the security checkpoints at the entrances to Obsidian Section. The Dean additionally commented that "Gruneberger Army Knives are even more dangerous. And no, it's not because you can stab people with them."
Edited by Zalo, Jun 27 2014, 09:27 AM.
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