The Great Tapestry

Sómniaoř

The third type of magic, one which normal humans can use, is a very corrupting and difficult to perform, sometimes even requiring sacrifice to hold. Through the Astral Proct, users can even 'Curse' and 'Charm' other entities, which may including strengthening or weakening their Galonnau (Galonnau is one's soul. Only magics and Duws deal with it). The easiest way to tap into the Astral Proct is to enter the Nmoir Daze, a secret hour which occurs only when the sun is at it's most visible in the sky.

Origin and Nature

1. The Binding of the Threads:
   • Sorcerers are individuals who can tap into the Aetherial Threads, an invisible network of metaphysical energies that binds the material world to the immaterial. These threads represent concepts such as fate, memory, dreams, and emotions.
   • Sorcerers don’t cast spells in the traditional sense. Instead, they manipulate these threads by weaving, severing, or knotting them, creating profound effects on reality.
2. Infection or Birthright:
   • Unlike the Báuturíí (hemomancy) or Máncátír (transformative cycles), the ability to access the Threads can either manifest at birth (hereditary) or be granted through an event called The Tethering, where an individual survives a brush with death and is "pulled back" by the Threads.

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Abilities and Techniques

Sorcerers’ powers are defined by their connection to the Threads. These abilities often come at a cost, as manipulating the Threads erodes the sorcerer’s connection to their own humanity.

1. Thread Weaving:
   • Sorcerers weave Threads to influence the fabric of reality, creating temporary phenomena such as:
     • Dreamscapes: Manifesting illusions or pulling others into their dreams.
     • Fate Swaying: Adjusting probabilities, such as altering luck or steering events toward a desired outcome.
     • Memory Fabrication: Weaving false memories into a target or obscuring their past.
2. Severing:
   • Cutting Threads allows a sorcerer to sever connections between people, objects, or even aspects of the self:
     • Emotional Detachment: Severing emotional ties between individuals.
     • Breaking Bonds: Undoing magical connections, curses, or allegiances.
     • Ego Shattering: Severing someone’s link to their own identity, causing amnesia or madness.
3. Knotting:
   • Knotting Threads binds things together, often in unnatural ways:
     • Soul Knots: Binding multiple souls into one body, creating amalgamated beings.
     • Tether Anchors: Tying a soul or concept to an object, such as creating a cursed weapon.
     • Temporal Knots: Twisting time around a location, causing it to loop or slow.
4. Threadwalking:
   • Advanced sorcerers can walk along the Threads, stepping into the Aetherial Plane, a liminal space where the past, present, and possible futures converge. Time flows strangely in this realm, and prolonged exposure can drive a sorcerer mad.
5. Summoning the Unwoven:
   • Sorcerers can call upon entities from the Aetherial Plane, known as Unwoven Ones, semi-sentient fragments of broken Threads. These entities often appear as shifting, dreamlike figures and can serve as allies or weapons.

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Physical and Psychological Costs

Manipulating the Threads takes a toll, making sorcerers a tragic and feared group.

1. Physical Decay:
   • Frequent use of their powers causes the sorcerer’s body to deteriorate, resulting in:
     • Pale, translucent skin as the Threads sap their life force.
     • Vein-like marks spreading across their bodies, glowing faintly during Thread manipulation.
     • Accelerated aging or fragility.
2. Psychological Fragmentation:
   • Sorcerers often lose their sense of reality, becoming detached or paranoid as they see the Threads everywhere. They may:
     • Hear whispers from the Threads, which could be helpful insights or maddening gibberish.
     • Lose track of time, struggling to discern past, present, and future.
     • Obsessively fixate on specific Threads, such as their own fate or the destiny of others.

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Sorcerer Society

1. The Weavebound Orders:
   • Sorcerers form loose, secretive guilds or orders called Weavebound, united by their shared connection to the Threads. These groups are often fragmented by differing philosophies:
     • The Knotwrights: Believe in using Threads to create order and stability.
     • The Severed: Advocate cutting the Threads to liberate individuals from fate and external control.
     • The Dreamwalkers: Seek enlightenment through Threadwalking and exploring the Aetherial Plane.
2. Role in the Dark Ages:
   • Sorcerers are both revered and feared during this era. Kings and nobles often seek their aid, though many turn on them when their powers become inconvenient.
   • Some serve as advisors or spies, while others live in isolation, pursued by those who wish to exploit or destroy them.

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Unique Traits

1. The Unweaving Curse:
   • If a sorcerer overuses their powers, they risk becoming Unwoven themselves, dissolving into the Aetherial Plane. These lost souls haunt the Threads, preying on other sorcerers or attempting to manifest in the physical world.
2. Thread Anchors:
   • Each sorcerer has a Thread Anchor, an object, person, or place that ties them to the physical world. Destroying an anchor renders them powerless or untethers them from reality, leaving them to drift in the Aetherial Plane.
3. Inherited Memory:
   • Sorcerers can access the memories of previous generations of Thread users, though this often leads to confusion or an overwhelming sense of identity loss.

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Relations with Báuturíí and Máncátír

• Báuturíí and Máncátír often view sorcerers with suspicion, as their powers are unpredictable and can sever the Báuturíí’s hive mind or disrupt the Máncátír’s cycles.
• Sorcerers see Báuturíí as dangerous parasites and Máncátír as cursed beings trapped by fate, often working to either cure or exploit them.

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Aesthetic

• Sorcerers are often depicted with vein-like glowing patterns across their skin, resembling intricate spiderwebs or constellations. Their clothing is tattered but elegant, with threads seemingly moving on their own around their bodies.

The Knotwrights (Order of Preservation)

• Philosophy:
  • The Knotwrights believed that the Threads were meant to create order and stability, binding people and events to a harmonious fate. They prioritized weaving connections between individuals, families, and nations, serving as mediators and builders of unity.
• Role in Lumea Sangelui:
  • After the Idle-Glance, the Knotwrights became the core architects of Lumea Sangelui's government, creating its foundational laws and hierarchies. They see themselves as guardians of societal structure, maintaining balance and peace among the Báuturíí and Máncátír.
• Current Influence:
  • Members of the Knotwrights hold influential positions as legislators and advisors across various nations. They often work to maintain global stability, even in the face of rising chaos:
    • Caidanadian Concentration: Advisors to the bunker system, promoting structured governance.
    • U.S.K.: Behind-the-scenes lobbyists advocating for cohesive leadership during times of division.
• Symbol: A silver ring encircling a golden thread, representing the weaving of unity.

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2. The Severed (Cult of Liberation)

• Philosophy:
  • The Severed believed that the Threads were chains, binding mortals to suffering, obligation, and predestined paths. They sought to cut these bindings, freeing themselves and others from the constraints of fate.
• Role in Lumea Sangelui:
  • After the Idle-Glance, the Severed became shadowy figures in Lumea Sangelui, acting as enforcers and revolutionaries. They gained a reputation for their ruthlessness, often cutting figurative and literal ties to maintain independence and power.
• Current Influence:
  • The Severed have splintered into secretive sects, thriving in nations plagued by corruption or rebellion:
    • Tamita: Working within cartels, severing political alliances and creating chaos to maintain their influence.
    • Hashikonai: Infiltrating corporations to destabilize industrial monopolies and create opportunities for smaller factions.
• Symbol: A broken thread bleeding droplets of crimson, symbolizing severance and sacrifice.

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3. The Dreamwalkers (Cult of Illumination)

• Philosophy:
  • The Dreamwalkers sought enlightenment by exploring the Aetherial Plane through Threadwalking. They believed the Threads revealed hidden truths and pathways to higher understanding, considering the Aetherial Plane a sacred space for transcendence.
• Role in Lumea Sangelui:
  • The Dreamwalkers formed the spiritual backbone of the nation, creating rites and rituals to help the populace connect with their inner selves. Post-Idle-Glance, they turned to philosophy and the arts, embedding their esoteric knowledge in Sangelui’s culture.
• Current Influence:
  • Dreamwalkers now hold positions as spiritual leaders, artists, and philosophers:
    • Eisina: Prominent in crafting mythic narratives that merge science and spirituality.
    • Veumand: Their artistic contributions influence Veumand’s unique blend of steampunk and mysticism.
• Symbol: A swirling spiral of threads, representing the infinite paths within the Aetherial Plane.

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4. The Shadow Weavers (Order of the Unseen)

• Philosophy:
  • The Shadow Weavers embraced the hidden and intangible aspects of the Threads, focusing on manipulating perception, memory, and fear. They thrived in secrecy, weaving illusions and obscuring truths.
• Role in Lumea Sangelui:
  • Post-Idle-Glance, the Shadow Weavers became spies and intelligence gatherers for the government. Their expertise in deception and subterfuge kept external threats at bay and internal rebellions subdued.
• Current Influence:
  • Shadow Weavers now operate covertly, often as spies, assassins, or intelligence agents:
    • Lumea Sangelui: They remain deeply entrenched in the nation’s secretive politics.
    • Hashikonai: Their techniques are mimicked by the government’s intelligence agencies, and some work as rogue agents.
• Symbol: A thread looped into an eye, symbolizing unseen knowledge.

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5. The Threadwardens (Order of Guardianship)

• Philosophy:
  • The Threadwardens believed their role was to protect the natural flow of the Threads, ensuring they were not abused or manipulated. They acted as custodians, maintaining the delicate balance between the physical and metaphysical worlds.
• Role in Lumea Sangelui:
  • The Threadwardens became the protectors of magical and historical relics after the Idle-Glance. They sought to preserve what little remained of their world’s mystical heritage, often clashing with others who sought to exploit it.
• Current Influence:
  • The Threadwardens now function as archaeologists, historians, and cultural preservationists:
    • Chealar: Actively protecting ancient ruins and artifacts tied to the Aetherial Threads.
    • Hera: Serving as archivists, preserving the knowledge of lost civilizations.
• Symbol: A golden thread woven into a shield, representing protection and preservation.

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6. The Unwoven (The Cursed)

• Philosophy:
  • The Unwoven are a tragic remnant, sorcerers who overused their powers and became lost in the Threads. These individuals are feared and pitied, often considered dangerous.
• Role in Lumea Sangelui:
  • Many Unwoven were banished to the outskirts of Lumea Sangelui, forming isolated enclaves. They remain a cautionary tale of hubris and the dangers of wielding magic recklessly.
• Current Influence:
  • The Unwoven rarely hold political power, but their existence shapes the perception of sorcerers worldwide:
    • Oris: Treated as outcasts or scapegoats for societal problems.
    • Eub: Feared and revered as living warnings against the misuse of magic.
• Symbol: A fraying thread, symbolizing their lost connection to reality.

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Sorcerer Politics in the Present Day

• Global Influence:
  • While their powers have largely faded, sorcerers' philosophies continue to shape politics and culture. Their ideologies are embedded in government systems, rebellions, and underground movements.
• Conflict with Modern Magic:
  • The resurgence of magic post-2030 has created tension. Sorcerer-descended factions clash with newer magical practitioners, seeing them as reckless or unworthy of wielding power.
• Cultural Legacy:
  • Sorcerer groups have become mythologized, their histories and symbols integrated into art, literature, and national identities.

The Idle-Glance left humanity with fragmented, unstable remnants of the Aetherial Threads, and since then, countless attempts have been made to restore the threads and reignite magic. While some efforts have achieved partial or localized success, none have managed to replicate the strength or consistency of magic before the Idle-Glance. Here are the most notable failed or incomplete attempts:

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1. The Threadmender’s Circle (1668–1720)

• Goal: Reweave the Aetherial Threads using remnants of the severed ones.
• Method:
  • A coalition of surviving sorcerers in Lumea Sangelui sought to use their fading abilities to manually "re-stitch" fragments of the Threads. They developed intricate spells and tools to anchor severed Threads to new hosts, hoping to rebuild magic strand by strand.
  • The group focused on blood rituals, as Báuturíí remnants retained limited access to hemomantic energy.
• Outcome:
  • The process created localized areas of restored magic (e.g., Bloodlit Glades, zones where sorcery briefly flourished). However, the Threads proved too unstable, collapsing into chaotic bursts that either destroyed the casters or warped the local reality.
  • By 1720, the group disbanded after a failed ritual in Vintaroc Valley unleashed a massive aetherial storm, corrupting the landscape and leaving it uninhabitable.

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2. The Codex Reformation (1835–1889)

• Goal: Harness the Tome of Fragmented Threads to reestablish a connection to the Aetherial Plane.
• Method:
  • Discovered by Miren Dell, the Tome contained fragmented instructions on manipulating Threads. A new generation of sorcerers and scholars attempted to decipher its cryptic text. They believed the key lay in understanding the Thread Language, a long-forgotten dialect encoded in the Tome.
  • Experiments focused on creating "anchors" to stabilize fragments of the Threads and draw power directly from the Aetherial Plane.
• Outcome:
  • The anchors succeeded in connecting to the Aetherial Plane, but the energy pulled through was too volatile. Many experiments ended in disaster, with participants either disintegrated or driven mad.
  • The project’s greatest failure, the Flame of Aedyr, consumed an entire city when a poorly stabilized anchor ignited a chain reaction, incinerating over 50,000 people.
  • The Tome was lost during the incident and remains a sought-after artifact.

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3. The Red Covenant (1921–1953)

• Goal: Use Báuturíí hemomantic abilities to bypass the Aetherial Plane entirely and create a new, blood-based system of magic.
• Method:
  • The Red Covenant, a sect of Báuturíí elders, theorized that blood itself could serve as a new conduit for magical energy. By enhancing the hemomantic hive mind, they sought to weave a self-contained network of blood-powered Threads.
  • Rituals involved large-scale blood sacrifices, pooling the life essence of thousands into centralized "Crimson Nexuses."
• Outcome:
  • The Nexuses worked briefly, creating areas where sorcery flourished again. However, they consumed blood at an unsustainable rate, requiring constant sacrifices to remain active.
  • The collapse of the largest Nexus, Velrith’s Heart, resulted in a catastrophic explosion that killed every Báuturíí elder involved and scorched the surrounding region.
  • Hemomantic magic persisted but remained limited to localized, small-scale applications.

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4. Eisina’s Thread Engines (2010–2040)

• Goal: Use technology to replicate and stabilize the Aetherial Threads.
• Method:
  • The Eisinian Federation engineered massive machines, called Thread Engines, designed to simulate the flow of Aetherial Threads using artificial conduits.
  • The project combined advanced quantum physics and energy manipulation, attempting to recreate the Aetherial Plane artificially.
• Outcome:
  • Early prototypes produced promising results, generating faint, localized magical effects. However, the process required immense energy and had dangerous side effects, including aetherial radiation that warped nearby living beings.
  • A catastrophic meltdown of the Velstadt Engine in 2037 killed thousands and created a Thread Scar, a permanent tear in reality that continues to destabilize the region.
  • The project was abandoned after Eisina faced public backlash and resource depletion.

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5. The Ritual of Sanguine Threads (2070–2079)

• Goal: Combine Báuturíí blood magic and human engineering to recreate the Threads.
• Method:
  • A collaboration between Lumea Sangelui and Shimafuki, this ritual involved using genetically modified Báuturíí as living conduits to channel and weave blood and aetherial remnants.
  • The modified Báuturíí were implanted with bioengineered organs, designed to stabilize the flow of magic and prevent overloading.
• Outcome:
  • While the modified Báuturíí gained incredible powers, their bodies rapidly deteriorated, often succumbing to a violent, cancerous implosion.
  • The project was deemed unethical and was shut down after widespread protests.

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6. The Abandoned City’s Aether Core (2230–2240)

• Goal: Use the Aether Core, an ancient artifact recovered from a pre-Idle-Glance sorcerer ruin, to restore the Threads.
• Method:
  • The Shin Sekai Federation built a massive structure around the Core, attempting to harness its energy to generate a new Aetherial Plane.
  • The Core was activated in 2237, sending waves of energy through the region. Early results seemed to suggest partial success, with small areas experiencing restored magical phenomena.
• Outcome:
  • The energy surge created wild magic zones where reality itself warped uncontrollably. Plants grew into monstrous forms, animals mutated, and time moved irregularly.
  • In 2240, the Core overloaded, creating an aetherial rift that swallowed half of the Abandoned City, turning it into an uninhabitable wasteland.

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Lingering Effects of Failed Attempts

1. Thread Echoes:
   • Some of these attempts created Thread Echoes, fragmented bursts of unstable magic that occasionally manifest in the form of ghostly apparitions, spatial anomalies, or temporary surges of power.
2. Scars on Reality:
   • Thread Scars left by failed experiments serve as constant reminders of the dangers of tampering with magic. These scars are often surrounded by unstable environments and attract shadow entities.
3. Cultural and Political Fallout:
   • Nations that invested heavily in restoration efforts suffered severe economic and political repercussions, leading to distrust of future experiments.
   • Báuturíí and Máncátír factions remain divided over whether such attempts are worth pursuing.

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Why Do All Attempts Fail?

• Aetherial Plane Instability:
  • The Idle-Glance irreparably damaged the Aetherial Plane, leaving it too unstable to support widespread magic.
• Thread Fragmentation:
  • The severed Threads cannot be fully reconnected, as their anchors have been lost or destroyed over centuries.
• Human Limitation:
  • Attempts to manipulate the Threads require a level of understanding and power that humanity no longer possesses.