Post by Sol on Apr 28, 2014 19:58:43 GMT
"Man, what about those eyeballs hanging from… wait, I don't want to know."
- Aurelius Dootsby, adventurer
- Aurelius Dootsby, adventurer
Malediction (sometimes known as the Legacy) is a branch of world magic that deals with the remains and body parts of creatures both living and dead. The Maledictor can transform such parts into items variously called talismans, fetishes, charms and idols. When used on the living, these items grant some amount of power over the creature they were made from; when used on the remains of dead creatures, items may inherit some qualities from that being and bestow them upon the wielder.
Overview
Malediction is the dark sister of Magecraft. The feud between the two disciplines has very deep roots. While Magecraft is the refined science and craft of making magical items, Malediction is quite simply the opposite, stealing bones and organs from the dead, or hairs and nail clippings from the living. Indeed, the fact that Malediction makes magical items, and that certain creatures can be used as reagents in Magecraft, seems to indicate that there was a split at some point, and one magic form became the two we know today.
Malediction used to be called Zapatl in the ancient tongue (meaning the Legacy) and its practitioners were also called Legates. Throughout history, there have been times and places in which Magecraft was preferred over Malediction, as well as the other way around.
Malediction is based on the simple remark that a body is Djed and therefore holds power. The more powerful the body's owner, the more powerful the Djed. While a Magecrafter might see a body as a reagent at most, to be used in the making of, say, a sword, to a Maledictor the body or body part is the item itself. The Maledictor must craft the item out of what is available, for example turning a large bone into a sword hilt, or a fang and a hair into a necklace. For the very best effect, every single part of the fetish must be organic. Beginners are best off sticking with just one creature per item, but better Maledictors can combine more for higher benefits. It is allowed to use mundane skills on the parts to make them more practical or pleasant to the eye.
The first task in Malediction is to get a hold of the raw materials. Some wizards hunt for the relics themselves, others commission the work to killers, tomb raiders or adventurers. It is always best for the Maledictor to be on site when the body is found, but it is not necessary. The Maledictor should select the best parts for the task at hand, should he have the luxury of choosing. For example, skulls contained the brain in the life and would work better than a tibia in granting intellectual gifts. Conversely, a tibia would work better if one wished to acquire some of the speed or agility of the dead creature. Once selected, the part should be used whole, or as whole as it was found. Breaking it, for example to make multiple items out of it, will split the power accordingly.
When the materials are ready, they will be assembled into items as required. This can require art or craft depending on what the item is going to be. Turning them into bracelets and necklaces is the most common choice, though better Maledictors can embed a talisman into a larger item.
The third and final major task is the creation of malediction circles on the item. These actually bring forth the latent power of the item, and are quite similar to circles as seen in Animation and Summoning (once again hinting at the way all world magic seems to be connected). However, more so than in the two cited disciplines, these Malediction circles require a lot of accuracy in their making. This makes them longer to draw, carve or etch on the item's surface. As with the other disciplines, the user must activate the circle with a drop of his blood once it is complete. While activating the circle may have visible results, it does not have to. Malediction is not necessarily a flashy discipline.
Once the item is finally ready, it can be tested. Malediction is unlike Magecraft in many respects, among which the unpredictability of its results. There is no way to know if an item will work until it is finished, and while the exact nature of the effect will reflect the creature the item was made from, it can only be discovered afterwards. It is not uncommon for Maledicted items to carry negative penalties, as implied in the name itself. They can be blessings, curses, or both things at the same time. Care should be taken before buying or wearing one of these items. Many centuries ago, "Legacy Tester" was a job in itself, and a well-paid one due to the risks involved. Cursed items are not considered failures in Malediction - items that do nothing are.
Overview
Malediction requires the user to be able to place circles upon the surface of the item. Depending on the medium, this could be by Drawing, Painting, Carving or more. It is essential that the circles be permanent, as the item will lose its properties should the circles fade away. For this reason, carving and etching are more popular for items that are going to be worn outside and exposed to the elements, though drawing allows to fit a circle in a smaller area and is best for tiny items.
A Malediction circle is basically a way to tap into the item's Djed and pull out its potential. It could be imagined as a drill digging into the item's inner essence, reaching for the precious core. The actual shape of the circle or circles varies from one wizard to another and is also a matter of personal style. What they do have in common is that they contain and provide meaning to the object. This is where magic fuses with art, as meaning can be bestowed in a variety of ways. Meaning is usually related to the creature whose remains form the talisman, and Maledictors are most often very familiar with the biography of the ones whose relics they work with. This is best explained with a few examples.
Example 1. A man is killed, and a Maledictor makes a bone dagger out of his remains. He etches the story of that man on the hilt inside several circles, and the way he was backstabbed by his best friend. The dagger might become sharper against those who committed betrayal, or it might become deadly poisonous to the man's killer. Many more effects are possible.
Example 2. A necklace with an old Konti woman's teeth. Each tooth carries a letter of the word 'wisdom' in a circle as the woman was a just and fair advisor to a ruler. The necklace might offer wisdom to those wearing it, or even the occasional vision at times of great emotional stress. It could just as well conflict with the owner's personality and try to force choices on them. These effects are not even mutually exclusive.
Example 3. The Maledicted corpse of a follower of Rhysol is laid upon the foundations of a house during construction. Depending on how the Maledictor goes about making the circles, this setup may bring drastically different effects to the house, once built. If the circles speak of how the man was killed and the pain and suffering he endured, the house may emanate a feeling of dread, making the servants of Rhysols less willing to approach or enter and weakening them while inside. On the other hand, if the circles are a praise of the man's life and the chaos he brought into the world, then the Maledictor may well achieve the opposite effect and boost the confidence and reflexes of any follower of Rhysol in the building.
Circles need not contain words, though both prose and poetry are acceptable. Images and pictures work just as well. Interesting things will happen if the Maledictor misjudges the one he is writing or drawing about. Suppose he is making the hand of a great hero into a Malediction item, and sings great praise of this person's deeds. If the hero was really an imposter who did none of those deeds, instead taking credit for someone else's actions, then the item will probably display the same tendencies to scam its wielder.
Malediction Products
The following should be noted about the products of Malediction:
- They require no monetary investment aside from the costs involved in obtaining the remains and adding the circles.
- The magnitude of the effect depends on the user's skill and the quality of the source material. A legendary hero's relic will do much better things than the remains of just any veteran fighter, but it may take a master Maledictor to bring out its full potential.
- While the Maledictor may steer the effect in the direction of choice with a wise selection of circles, ultimately the effect is never guaranteed.
- Even though they are almost never sentient, many people report Maledicted items to have a personality of their own.
- They may attach to the wearer and refuse to let go.
- Crafting an item's circles may take hours or many days, depending on the surface.
- They stop working upon destruction, though particularly powerful items will keep functioning when split into shards.
- When trying to guess the nature of an item, Divination performs better than Gnosis.
- The market value of a Maledicted item is difficult to estimate. It could be worth nothing, or millions. They are quite difficult to sell due to people's mistrust of them, though.
- Preserved body parts are better than decayed ones.
Full name: Malediction
Availability: Throughout Nu Guardia
Learned from: Users, laboratories
Key concept: Creating items and talismans from a creature's remains
Uses: Charms, amulets, weapons and more
Risks: Acquiring the parts, cursed items/quote]
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