Thaumaturgy

Thaumaturgy

Thaumaturgy is a power and a system in which all of Vär Mäne, and presumably beyond, function through. Thaumaturgy behaves like magic, but is able to be understood to the extent that it is also a science. There are portions of Thaumaturgy that exist within logical possibility, rather than being a completely unknown force. It can be studied, controlled, morphed, and utilized in various ways. Thaumaturgy is complex and one must understand every property that structures it before one can understand thaumaturgy itself.

Lethergy

Lethergy is “lifeforce”, the energy within all that is living. Leylines are made of lethergy and connect the lethergy of all natural material. 

Aletheiargy

Aletheiargy is the energy that is created through the death of lethergy. When a living being dies, it’s lethergy decays and from this corpus sprouts aletheiargy, in which will continue to grow. Very little is known about aletheiargy as it is far more abstract and difficult to contain or control than lethergy. Necromancers are the only thaumaturgists who have found ways to utilize the energy of death. 

Leylines

The lethergy that acts as “threads” or “pathways” connecting all natural material together. It is an incomprehensibly complicated system that is not visible to the mortal eye. It resides on a higher dimension than the three dimensions mortals experience. 

When thaumaturgy is performed, it is not the act of creating something from nothing, but rather calling upon forces, energies, or materials through the leylines, or sympathizing energies or materials by bonding their lines together. The rippling, buzzing, vibrating, and pulsing that can be felt when performing thaumaturgy is a result of energy passing through the lines. Stronger thaumaturgic ability creates higher frequencies and larger amounts of energy to pass through the lines, as well as finer control over the travel and performance of the energy. 

The Laws of Thaumaturgy

1. All natural material contains lethergy. 

2. Everything containing lethergy is connected through leylines.

3. As long as natural material exists, lethergy exists; so long as lethergy exist, leylines exist; so long as leylines exist, thaumaturgy is possible. 

4. All lethergy will eventually metamorphose into aletheiargy. 

5. Aletheiargy can only be created through the death of lethergy. Aletheiargy cannot exist without lethergy.

6. Aletheiargy cannot be metamorphosed into lethergy or reverted to its lethergical state. 

7. Once a leyline has been made aware of and opened through thaumaturgic process, the lethergy within that line can shift, upset, spill, dematerialize, travel, grow, or die at its own will. 

8. Every act of thaumaturgy performed must have intent behind it. 

9. An act of thaumaturgy must always come at a cost. The equivalent of what is taken from leylines, an individual's energy, or mass energy must be given back in mass of material or amount of energy. 

10. One’s thaumaturgic ability must be upheld, less it will fade. 

Practice vs Property

A practice of thaumaturgy versus a property of thaumaturgy is religion versus ritual. Practices are categories that include specific and typically related properties of thaumaturgy. A witch specializes in certain properties, like gourmagey, herbalism, familiarization, and potion usage. There can of course be overlap between practices, but the properties that overlap will typically be achieved in different ways; a magus and a witch will have different techniques for making potions and will make different types of potions. These properties are categorized for a reason: it takes very different skills and motivations to perform certain areas of thaumaturgy. A thaumaturgist inclined towards the mystery of death will have a much easier time performing necromancy than they would magustry, which uses entirely lethergical processes. A thaumaturgist born in the woods and raised by witches will have an easier time performing environmental properties in which they are familiar with the materials. 

Practices of Thaumaturgy 

Thaumaturgist

An umbrella term for all people who practice thaumaturgy.  

Magustry

n.: Magus.

Magustry focuses on dominating and controlling lethergy and lethergetic material. it is a practical magic that does not put a focus on relationships are offerings (which can be tedious and slow). magustry is often achieved by concentrating lethergy within a casting object or reciting incantations. This is the most commonly used form of thaumaturgy. Most people are not thaumaturgists, but one is expected to know basic spells for day-to-day life.

Witchcraft

n.: Witch. 

Witches work in tandem with nature to achieve lethergetic control. They create relationships, make offerings, and themselves become a facet of nature. Witches borrow and give back, and never take or dominant. Witches can work with both lethergy and aletheiargy, as nature is the very system of life and death. Witches perform rituals, create potions and substances, recite incantations and poetry, foster relationships with physical and metaphysical beings, and care for plant and animal life.

Necromancy

n.: Necromancer.

Necromancers work with aletheiargy. They are able to control and work with the energy of death to communicate with spirits, raise a deceased corpse (not the same as bringing something back to life, which is so far known to be impossible), and contort and regrow flesh and bone. They achieve this through forming a relationship with the energy and making offerings.

Alchemy

n.: Alchemist.

Alchemists study thaumaturgy and discover new elements and laws, rather than being active practitioners like the ones above. They study thaumaturgy as a science, wishing to know the logic behind the force. Alchemists are practitioners of precise potion making and other biological experiments.

Enchantry

n.: Enchanter.

Enchantry is a na umbrella term. An enchanter can perform any practice of thaumaturgy, it is the way they use it that makes the difference. Enchanters use thaumaturgy specifically for entertainment purposes. Their magic is visual and showy, and they may even practice forms of psychic thaumaturgy to enhance the excitement and joy of their audience, or to provide "predictions".

Phantasmalism

n.: Phantasmalist. 

This is the rarest form of thaumaturgy. A phantasmalist is someone who has the ability to perform every practice of thaumaturgy. Most people do not posses the lethergetic strength or inclination to take on so much knowledge and spiritually/energetically strenuous tasks. Even a single practice takes years- decades to master. A phantasmalist has to be born with a unique ability to connect with leylines more easily or at a stronger frequency. A phantasmalist must also be intelligent and have a strong will. They must be willing to take on the weight of responsibility and the weight of great amounts of lethergy. They must also be able to study, memorize, and learn massive amounts of knowledge for spells, incantations, potions, pathways, and relationships.

Maleficium

n.: Misfeasor. 

This is another umbrella term. A misfeasor can perform any practice of thaumaturgy, but its their intent that makes the difference. A misfeasor uses thaumaturgy specifically for dark reasons. Their intentions are malicious, and they perform with the goal to cause pain or misfortune. A misfeasor may choose this path, but often a thaumaturgist will end up falling into this role through unfortunate circumstances. They may become too hungry for power or wealth. They may become angry, bitter, and sad with the world and choose to use thaumaturgy to take that out on the world and its people. A misfeasor often thinks they are in the right, while in reality they are performing maleficium.

Properties of thaumaturgy