Aberrant | Thaumaturges who have lost control of the magic they
channel, but instead of dying, have been changed. They
are usually much more magically powerful than they were in
life, and almost always have physical mutations. Some
Aberrants merely mutate into a dangerous beast-like
being, rabid for death and destruction. Some mutate into
grotesque or phantasmagorical forms, and have esoteric
magical effects. Some mutations remain minor, while the
mind and powers are twisted insidiously. Uniformly, an Aberrant is no longer human, having lost
their previous thoughts and desires. Almost all Aberrants
are malicious, even those with seemingly benign effects.
It is believed one is more likely to break and become an
Aberrant with a corrupted Will from casting immoral
magics. |
Adder stone | A stone with a hole worn through the middle by natural
means, it is said that adder stones impart clarity of
mind and vision, and one can look through the hole to
reveal illusions. Useful on their own, or as a component in
spells. |
Adhel juice | Mixed with honey, it creates a strong sticky substance.
It can be cleared through applying oil. |
Adze | A magical insectoid creature most prevalent in the few
areas of the Tataroc Desert with year-round water—and
static communities—the adze is a nocturnal bloodsucker.
Upon its hatching, the first person with an eligible disease
that the adze drinks from will be cured, as the adze
absorbs it, but after that all other victims will instead
be infected by its bite. Each time a disease is absorbed,
it is added to the adze’s collection and passed on along
with the others. This can lead quickly to the
annihilation of entire communities, making the adze one
of the most feared magical beasts. Anyone who hatches one
is to be put to death, along with all those who knew and did
not stop them. |
Alchemy | A ritual form of spellcasting that uses organic and
inorganic components to create magical concoctions. The
most common method of performing alchemy is through the
use of a cauldron to create potions, philtres, draughts, and
tinctures. It is the least expensive way to save a
particular magic for instant use at a later time, but not
the most efficient way. As with all ritual spells, the
magic woven into alchemical concoctions is semi-permanent. |
All-purpose antidote potion | A mild antidote to common poisons and venoms, the
all-purpose antidote is best used on mild irritants, or
to buy time for a more thorough solution to serious
toxins. It can be used in lieu of a sobering potion to
diminish the effects of alcohol. |
Animation spell | Animation spells give temporary and false life to an
inanimate object, such as in the case of the
Glasshopper’s eponymous confections. |
Anti-anxiety Potion | Also known as a calming potion, this is a weaker and less
addictive version of the elixir of peace. The University
infirmary keeps a large amount on hand for students
struggling with stress. |
Anti-coughing philtre | Suppresses the urge to cough. As coughing is often useful
to clear liquid from the lungs, this philtre is used when
there are extenuating circumstances, like broken ribs,
that may cause more damage. |
Arcanum | A magical institution, teaching “secrets” of magic and
the arcane. |
Artificery | A craft of magic that embeds a pre-cast spell in an
object for later release, or enchantment—changing the
object’s state. Battle wands, light crystals, and
self-cleaning chamber pots are examples of artifacts.
Enchantments and Wards are a sub-set of Artificery. |
Auger | A drilling artifact created in Osham. Though meant for
mining and construction, it can also be utilized to
brute-force wardbreak. |
Autography Spell | This spell, frequently used in divination, allows the
user to free write without conscious thought. |
Avery Park | An area of greenery around southwest Gilbratha. |
Avis Siverling | A court sorcerer who served the Krell line and married a
daughter of King Krell. |
Ball of light spell | Causes a spherical section of the air to glow with the
illusion of a ball of light. Brightness, color, size, and
location can be controlled. |
Banshee | A humanoid magical creature that is dangerous to humans,
and attacks with their voice through incapacitating
screams and songs with a soporific effect. |
Banshee’s Breath | A battle philtre that creates a swirling storm that
shrieks like the deadly wail of the banshees it was named
for. While not deadly, the philtre may cause hearing loss
and destruction within its area of effect. |
Bark skin potion | Grows a protective layer of bark over the skin of the
drinker, while still allowing them most of their range of
motion. While not as strong as plate mail armor, it is
much lighter, and more effective than chainmail against
atmospheric attacks. When damaged, chunks of bark will
fall off, which can be useful against spreading attacks
like rotting curses or acid. |
Battle wand | A wand-shaped artifact charged with offensive spells. For
law enforcement, this is most commonly a stunning spell. |
BCE | Before the Current Era. |
Beacon Spell | An esoteric spell that creates an invisible and
untraceable tracking mark. |
Beamshell Tincture | A highly addictive magical potion that infuses the user
with energy, often used to treat narcolepsy or insomnia.
Beamshell creates an energy debt, and addicts frequently
push through it until they collapse, starved and dehydrated.
It’s even riskier for thaumaturges, with high chances of
Will-strain. |
Beast core | Beast cores, which resemble raw gems, are harvested from
dead magical beasts, and can be used to power spells in
place of other sources of energy. They come in many
different colors, though the color itself is not as
important as the brightness and clarity, with brighter
and clearer cores being easier to draw energy from. Beast cores contain a total energy value of thousands of
thaums, up to millions of thaums, and are generally rated
either by their total energy value, or their per-second
capacity if they were drained completely over the course of
an hour. When drained, beast cores will shatter and crumble, and
cannot be recharged. Due to this, they are a rather
expensive source of power, and are most commonly used for
emergencies, for high-power spells that make it inconvenient
to use lesser sources of power, or by those who have the
coin to spend in exchange for convenience. Beast cores become exponentially more expensive as their
quality increases, similar to celerium. |
Beast king | A figure shrouded in mystery and fear, the beast king is
sleeping in Silva Erde, deep below the ground. While
details about him are vague, diviners consistently find
that if he wakes from his long sleep, calamity will follow. |
Berserker Potion | Temporarily increases a soldier’s performance at the cost
of some serious side effects, including addiction. |
Bewitchment hex | Draws the attention and interest of the victim. |
Bini frog | A magical amphibian often found in northern peat bogs,
when under duress or unable to find others of their
species, the Bini frog will change sexes, allowing
themselves to lay eggs as a female and then fertilize them
as a male. Notably, their male form has corrosive skin, a
defensive which may have led to an initial imbalance of
sexes and required this adaptation. |
Black star sapphire | A gem that can be used (as can many gems) as a Conduit.
It is not as robust as celerium. As components, star
sapphires can be used in space-bending spells, and it is
said that a black star sapphire was used in a spell to
travel within and through shadows faster than any mortal
could otherwise move. |
Blight-type Aberrant | These Aberrants spread their anomalous effect, physically
or otherwise, expanding their area of influence. If
allowed to get out of control, they can cause true
devastation. The first priority for this type of Aberrant is
containment. |
Blood clotting potion | Poured on a wound, clots blood and can stop excessive
blood loss. It can allow someone to wait till medical
attention arrives when otherwise they might bleed out. Not
typically considered a battle potion, because it does not
have offensive effects. |
Blood Emperor | The Blood Emperor was the leader of the Third Empire,
also known as the Blood Empire. His invading forces, from
an unknown land beyond the northern ice oceans, conquered
the continent about three hundred years ago. His empire was
eventually overthrown, but his policies shaped much of
modern society even after the Third Empire’s downfall.
However, atrocities committed in the name of learning and
power caused a severe backlash against all forms of blood
magic and its practitioners. |
Blood print vow | A spell that binds two or more parties to an agreement
spoken while casting, bound by a thumbprint of blood. If at
least one of the vowers cannot cast magic, a third party
binder must be present to do so. |
Blood-regeneration potion | Boosts blood regeneration, but takes time and places
strain on the body. |
Bogles | Known for disguising themselves as scarecrows or other
inanimate objects when spotted, bogles may cause mischief
to human homes and settlements, but rarely serious harm. |
Brillig | A powerful race with strong affinity to magic, now
extinct, or close to it. |
Caidan’s Theorem | If distance is measured in meters, a divination spell
with the base cost B will require B x
distance/100^(B/100) thaums to cast. |
Calming spell | Forces calm and docility on the target. |
Carnagore | Myrddin’s most famous self-charging artifact, a horse
made of white metal, who he rode into battle. The name
Carnagore has roots in the words “hooves of dawn.” |
Cat’s cough | An herb. Commonly smoked, it is addictive and gives a
raspy, deep voice over time. |
Cataclysm | An apocalyptic event that destroyed civilization over ten
thousand years ago, and which is still shrouded in
mystery. |
Chameleon spell | Allows a non-living object to partially blend in with its
surroundings. |
Charybdis Gulf | The sea inlet that bisects the main area of Gilbratha
from the Lilies—the rich area where many of the nobles
and socialites live—to the east. The Charybdis Gulf is
dangerous, containing magical water beasts that will drown a
swimmer and even capsize small fishing boats, yet despite
this remains a large source of income and food,
especially for the poorer citizens. |
Cinder Stag | A powerful Aberrant that is contained within a sundered
zone, the Cinder Stag still manages to affect the world
outside the sundered zone with karmic flames of
retribution that can follow a chain of cause-and-effect back
to its source. |
Circle | Facilitates the three main elements of magic. It places a
physical boundary around a spherical domain controlled by
the thaumaturge, signifying that the things within are
theirs to trade away and change as they wish. |
Cockatrice | Two-legged dragon-like creature with a rooster’s head.
(And more or less the shape of a chicken.) Weasels are
their natural enemy. Can be the familiar of a witch. |
Cold box artifact | Sometimes referred to as an ice box, this is an artifact
which keeps the contents placed within it chilled or
frozen by siphoning out their heat. |
Compass divination spell | Uses two halves of a spelled, linked bone disk as a
sympathetic beacon and a stick with one burnt end. Using
one half of the bone, the burnt end of the stick will
point toward the other half, like a compass. |
Comprehensive Compendium of Components | A restricted book that contains its namesake, including
components that are illegal and unethical. |
Concussion-modified fireball spell | Adds a force effect to the fireball spell, similar to an
explosion. |
Concussive blast spell | Shoots ball of force which expands and weakens with
distance, but can cause severe damage to a human
(particularly their internal organs) or even break through
walls at close range. It is often visible as a waver or
fogginess in the air, but much less conspicuous than a
fireball or stunning spell. |
Concussive blast spell (faux) | A gentler, slower wave of concussive force used in
simulations to send the opposition flying. |
Conduit | Channels the thaumaturgic energy being converted as a
spell is cast. For most sorcerers, this is a celerium
crystal, which is resistant to the destructive effects of
channeling magic. Witches may use their familiars as
Conduits, and those sorcerers who cannot afford celerium
may use lesser gems, such as diamonds or sapphires. |
Contact stunning spell | Set into a ring artifact, releases the spell on firm,
sudden contact, like a punch. |
Continue-motion spell | A complex, finicky spell that allows the caster to
demonstrate an action as one of the inputs of the spell.
The spell will continue this action, exactly, for
as long as it is empowered. It is good for things like
stirring a pot continuously, spinning thread, or weaving
cloth, which require relatively simple, repetitive
movements. |
Coppers | Law enforcement, named for the copper nails in the soles
of their boots, the distinctive sound of which announces
their approach wherever they go. |
Craft | Specific path of magic: Sorcerer, Artificer, Witch,
Magician, Shaman, Animist, Gestura, etc. |
Deafening hex | Causes deafness, usually temporary, though some
variations will persist for a period of time after the
caster stops focusing on the hex. Some variations can be
used to some effect against a banshee in place of a
vibration-canceler. |
Devil | They possess living beings. |
Dingleberry bushes | Dingleberry bushes are named for their small, hard brown
fruits that smell like feces and rot even before they
fall to the ground. |
Disintegration Mine | A magical land mine developed in the Haze War. |
Dissolving tincture | A concentrated alchemical concoction that will dissolve
other substances it comes into contact with, the
dissolving tincture has many variants that can be adapted
to the type of material the alchemist wishes to dissolve.
Similar to a strong acid, but more versatile. |
Distagram | A long-distance messaging artifact recently created by a
University graduate that operates by using different
frequency bands. |
Diviner’s sight | Special magical sight of the divination realm, which
reveals that which might not be seen with the normal eye.
It is a catch-all term that includes any ocular
enhancements, such as the ability to see in the dark. |
Doorjamb alarm ward | A small ward spell, carved into the underside of a door,
will alert the caster when the door is opened. |
Dorienne invisibility spell | A spell that uses the self-camouflaging dorienne fish to
create true invisibility through which light can pass.
The dorienne fish itself sees through its skin and
adjusts its pigment on one side of its body to what it sees
on the other to appear invisible. |
Dowsing artifact | An artifact composed of two glass and copper spheres
which use divination to try to locate an object or
element. Siobhan uses her dowsing artifact to activate
her anti-divination wards and move about the city unnoticed. |
Dragon scales | A magical component sourced from the notoriously
contrary, spiteful, and difficult creatures. |
Drake | A miniature dragon creature, the size of a house cat. Not
as intelligent or powerful. Can be the familiar of a
witch. |
Draught of borrowed gills | This concoction allows someone to breath underwater by
dropping a small, living fish into a mucousy concoction
and then gulping the whole thing down whole. The fish is
kept alive within a bubble of potion within the stomach for
a few minutes, during which time the fish’s ability to
filter oxygen from water is transferred to the drinker’s
lungs. When the fish dies and the draught’s effect wears off,
the drinker must expel the water from their lungs quickly
to avoid drowning. Often, use of this potion in dirty
water can lead to complications and long-term side effects,
so it should not be used recreationally. |
Dream-walking | Often practiced by shamans, it is a form of divination
that sends their consciousness into the dream of another,
most often for exploration or healing purposes. |
Dreamless sleep spell | Keeps one from dreaming, using crystal and eagle feathers
as components, and cast on the pillow Siobhan uses, or
anywhere under her head. Uses alcohol and herb tincture
as the Circle, which evaporates quickly and isn’t
uncomfortable to sleep on. |
Dryad | A creature of living wood, shaped like a humanoid woman.
They come in different sub-species of trees, and can be
very small when young. Sometimes they disguise themselves
as trees before the unwary or unobservant, and short
bursts of activity are often followed by long periods of
“sleep.” |
Dueling board | A game where the pieces shoot fake spells at each other
and dodge attacks under the control of the players. |
Dysentery sustaining potion | Diluted in large amounts of water, will keep a patient
with diarrhea or dysentery hydrated with a small amount
of calories and the immediately necessary electrolytes
and minerals, and slightly slows the rate of expulsion,
allowing absorption. |
Earth disintegration and stone creation spell | One of Professor Lacer’s practice exercises. Dirt or
stone can be turned to sand and back again to stone using
either transmutation, which creates the effect through
natural processes, or through duplicative
transmogrification, which copies the properties of
existing material. |
Earth-aspected weta | Magical beast with a very tough hide. |
Elcan irises | A deadly, flesh-eating plant with purple-streaked flowers
whose long, tapered petals open and turn to follow prey
as it passes, releasing sweet-smelling pollen into the
air. They lure their prey with their beauty and the
soporific properties of their pollen. |
Eldritch-type Aberrant | A rare and highly dangerous aberrant whose anomalous
effects are based on abstract concepts. |
Elemental Planes | The five known Elemental Planes are accessible through
planar portal spells from the mundane plane, where humans
and other mundane races live. Each Elemental Plane
corresponds to an element: Radiance, Fire, Air, Water,
and Earth. Creatures, plants, and even the water and soil
from the Elemental Planes will be imbued with the energy of
their plane, and are powerful spellcasting components.
Each Elemental Plane has sapient creatures, some of which
are humanoid and can even cross breed with humans. |
Elementals | Beings from the Elemental Planes. On the mundane plane
(Earth), they are most often encountered as the familiars of
witches, who use them as a Conduit to channel magic. When
sapient and humanoid, they have specific labels. Radiance—Angels Fire—Demons Air—Sylphides Water—Undine Earth—Erdgeist |
Elixir of Euphoria | An alchemical concoction which, in low doses, combats
depression, but is more often sold recreationally for the
eponymous euphoria. Highly addictive. |
Elixir of peace | Imparts a sense of well-being, and can be used in small
doses to combat depression and anxiety, or for its
recreational effects in larger doses. It is used in war
to give soldiers who are dying some peace in their last
moments. |
Enenra | Magical beasts native to the East, enenra are creatures
that seem to be made from smoke and tattered cloth, said
to be born from bonfires and visible only to those of
pure heart and mind. |
Energy-reflecting spell | A general-purpose ward. A more expensive and inefficient
defense than setting wards against more specific spells
or incidents. |
Enkennad’s draught of shadowed concealment | A powerful potion that allows the user to disappear from
view, blending subtly with the shadows. |
Erlkings | Their name coming from the words “alder king” the
erlkings are a magical creature found in woodland areas,
sometimes conflated with the fey by the ignorant. They are
known to secrete poisonous substances from their hands, the
most potent of which allows them to kill with a simple
touch, and to enjoy chasing children and lost travelers
who have intruded on their domain. |
Erythrean horse | Horse with partial magical lineage. They are extremely
expensive, but don’t look much different from a normal
horse. |
Etherwood leaves | A luxury leaf for smoking. They are dark blue. The smoke
is smooth and calming, great for blowing smoke rings, but
nonaddictive. |
Ever-inking pen artifact | Comes as a set with an inkwell. Spelled to automatically
refill the ink cartridge of the pen with ink from the
inkwell whenever not in use. More expensive ones refill
based on the rate of expenditure, and some very expensive
ones maintain a folded space within the pen’s ink
cartridge, so the user never needs worry about their
inkwell running dry. |
Escrima | A short, cylindrical baton containing expanding spell
Circle discs. These weapons, based loosely on portable
war Circles, are well-known in the East but unpopular in
Gilbratha |
Fabric cutting spell | This spell creates a short-range slicing blade of air
that extends outward in an arc, the shape of which can be
controlled to some degree by the caster’s Will. Unlike
many similar spells, it doesn’t require the target to be
within the Circle, as it uses compressed air as the
cutting edge. At longer distances the cutting edge,
visible as a faintly glowing shimmer in the air, degrades
severely. With practice and enough power, it can be used to
overcome the inherent magical barrier that living
creatures possess, and injure a human or animal. |
Fever Reducing potion/balm | Cools the head, with some cooling to the body as well,
along with pain relief. Encourages comfort, allows sleep,
and should be given in conjunction with a sustaining
draught. |
Fey | A powerful race with strong affinity to magic, now close
to extinction. They were supposedly so agile they could
dance between raindrops without ever being hit. |
Fey Flowers | A fluorescent flower prized as a component for its rarity
and power. |
Fiend-type Aberrant | These Aberrants have monstrous physical mutations and use
physical attacks. Any magical effects are touch-based.
These are the most common type of Aberrant, and generally
the weakest. |
Finger bone divination | Human finger bones can be used in (illegal) divination,
after being processed and etched with symbols and glyphs.
The diviner will shake them while casting the divination,
throw them, and then read the spell’s output in the way they
have fallen, with certain glyphs in certain positions or
crossing others. Depending on the amount of bones and
what output options have been etched into them, this type
of divination can have nuance and impart a greater amount
of information than similar methods like dice-throwing or
card reading. |
Fireball spell | Shoots a ball of fire at about 12 meters per second. |
Fleetfoot potion | Fractionally increases movement speed, but not reaction
speed. |
Flesh-fusing potion | A more powerful version of the skin-knitting salve, this
potion is meant to seal larger wounds, ideally after the
use of the blood-clotting potion. |
Flicker-feather bird | Small birds that blink in and out of visibility with
every flap of their wings. |
Forest of Nod | The mythical forest that is said to be the center of the
world, if it ever existed, the Forest of Nod’s location
has been lost to time. Some suggest that it still exists,
beyond the known lands civilization was able to reclaim
after the Cataclysm, and some insist that it is, in fact,
one of any number of forests that now go by a different
name. |
Fortner’s | A high class, bespoke clothing shop. |
Free-casting | Casting magic at will, without the stabilizing external
Word of a physical spell array, a ritual, or special
movements. The Word, and sometimes the Circle as well, is
instead held solely in the mind. This feat is extremely
difficult, and only a few are proficient in it. |
Garden of wonders | An element of a children’s tale, which the University
Menagerie seems to exemplify. |
Gasping-tentacles spell | A spell which creates temporary tentacles growing from a
solid, nonliving surface. Used to bind or obstruct
movement from a distance, and often employed as a
nonlethal method of detainment. Gone wrong, can strangle a
victim to death. |
Gestura | A sect of thaumaturges who practice a different type of
craft, controlling the elements through sympathetic
connections to their body movements. They are slowly
dying out due to the difficulty in learning the craft and
its lack of versatility. |
Glow Slime | A phosphorescent magical slime that slowly releases the
light it absorbs during the daytime or from decaying
plants with an eerie glow through the night. |
Glow spell | Perhaps the most rudimentary light output spell possible,
can cause an object to let off a diffuse glow. |
Gold duplication spell | A duplicative transmogrification spell that copies a
source of matter. As with most attempts to create matter
through magic, only the most skilled thaumaturges can
create a truly perfect copy that will have the same magical
properties as the original, and thus duplicated gold or
other substances are often worth less than the authentic
originals. |
Golden apple | Fruit from a magical tree that closely resembles a
gold-skinned apple, and are said to improve organ
function and thus increase a person’s lifespan. |
Gregorian snail | Magical animal. Mucus can be used as a thickening agent
in most salves and lotions, especially those meant for
the face. |
Gremian | A small, humanoid stick creature that desperately wishes
to fly once again, and goes so far as to nest in the
trees and crack eggs on their bark-like skin to feel
closer to birds. They are an excellent familiar for a
beginner witch to practice a binding contract with. |
Gremlin | Small humanoid creatures with spiky backs, large, strange
eyes, and small razor-sharp claws. They seem to have a
great desire to fly, and collect feathers, steal eggs,
and other futile attempts to reach the skies. They are
sentient and somewhat trainable, but not considered sapient. |
Group proprioception potion | It allows everyone who drank from the same batch
instinctively know where the others were for a short
period of time. Its main component is a magical sea lichen
that connects and disconnects any singular part of itself at
will, still somehow communicating with the greater whole
to capture prey and then confine it until it starved to
death. |
Grubb’s barrier spell | A weak barrier spell that only protects against physical
projectiles, with a minimum requirement of under 200
thaums to cast. |
Gryphon | Creature with the head and wings of an eagle, with the
body, legs, and tail of a lion. Can be domesticated and
flown. |
Guld fish | Minnow-sized fish that glint as if they are made of
precious metals polished to a high sheen. |
Gust spell | Creates a simple gust of wind, with the size and speed
depending on the size of the Circle and the amount of power
fed to it. |
Hag | A magical humanoid. They have a natural predilection to
the dark, and good night vision. They have some facility
with hexagon/hexagram spells, dealing with balance. Hags
who integrate with society may sell good luck talismans
(or cursed objects.) |
Hangover-relief draught | Taken in doses of a liter or more, this draught
rehydrates, replenishes electrolytes, and mitigates the
pain of a hangover. The University infirmary stocks many
doses. |
Harrow Hill Penitentiary | Gilbratha’s jail, a stout stone building in the shape of
a cross, within a circular wall that encloses the
grounds. |
Headache-relieving salve | Minty. An alchemical concoction that relieves headache
pain and helps to rejuvenate the senses. |
Healing potion | Generalized healing potions, of which there are many
different variations of different strengths and
capabilities, are an extremely effective method to preserve
an injured or ill patient’s life. They can be used for
most types of wounds or illnesses, and are both
convenient and practical. However, due to the price of
components—many of which are from the Plane of Light—and the
abundance of magical energy packed into these potions,
they are expensive. |
Hellfire | Is sometimes bright neon green. |
Hemorrhaging curse | This curse causes the target’s blood vessels to rupture
and encourages excessive, forceful blood loss. It can
sometimes be recognized by the shape of its glowing force
as it travels. |
Henrik-Thompson | A measure of scale for maximum Will capacity. It is
measured by a crystal ball in an array that filters
incoming energy and outputs a portion of it as light through
the glowing crystal. It’s the most widely-used metric,
likely due to the fact that Will-capacity is the easiest
to test, and often shows correlation to the overall
caliber of a thaumaturge’s Will. The brighter the light, the
more power (thaums) is being channeled per second. |
Homunculus | Very small people, who outwardly seem indistinguishable
from humans, but are argued to be a different species due
to their facility with certain magics. |
Human fingernails | A component in some spells, human fingernails are illegal
due to the restrictions against blood magic. |
Humphries’ adapting solution | An alchemical concoction that can be spelled directly
into the veins to take the place of blood in a blood-loss
emergency. Expensive, and the shelf-life isn’t super
long, so it may not always be on hand. Can also be used to
keep creatures from the Plane of Water alive on the
mundane plane, which was its original purpose. |
Hydra | Multi-headed snake. The number of heads ranges from two
to nine, with more heads generally indicating a more
powerful, intelligent creature, as information processing
and bodily processes are divided among the heads based on
their individual priorities and specialties. |
Ice lion | A predatory, large, shaggy cat that lives near the
northern ice oceans. |
Ignore pain spell | Muffles pain slightly, allows mind to detach from the
focus pain draws, effects wear off quickly once spell is
released, but it can allow someone to prepare to heal
themselves. Recommended strongly against using this to do
things like set bones or put sockets back into place, in
case the sudden shock of pain causes the caster to lose
control of the spell. Muffles pain by about 15%, so of
moderate usefulness. May be good for exercise pain. Esoteric
magic. |
Impotence curse | A curse that removes the victim’s ability to successfully
complete intercourse, either through removing their
libido, or suppressing their physical ability to
copulate. |
Improved hearing spell | An esoteric spell that uses hands cupped behind the ears
to gather and direct amplified sound, and thus improve
selective hearing. |
Information collating spell | A spell used to search through, organize, and classify
information in a wide range of documents. |
Injury-protection ward | Makes physical damage less likely over a set diameter.
Very expensive, but nebulous and thus not very powerful.
Still can make a difference, either over time, or in
dangerous circumstances. |
Jentil | Giants, who are known for building megalithic monuments. |
Kaiseki Ryori | A decadent, luxurious, high class dining establishment
specializing in Eastern cuisine. They have many private
rooms and are owned by the Nightmare Pack. |
King Krell | The ruler of Lenore before the Blood Emperor, who had a
daughter who married the court sorcerer, Avis Siverling. |
Kitsune | A sometimes fox, sometimes woman. In human form, the
kitsune will still have her tails, more depending on how
old and powerful she is, up to nine. They often use their
tails to cover their bodies, wrapping around it in place of
clothing, and are considered seductively attractive,
though they do not appear often in Siobhan’s part of the
world. |
Knave Knoll | A jail that temporarily housed the Morrow prisoners for
the Verdant Stags and fell in the attack orchestrated by
the Architects of Khronos. |
Kreidae spider | A magical creature known for stealth and ambushes. Its
silk is highly coveted for its transparency and use in
camouflage or invisibility cloaks. |
Kuthian frog | Has sedative saliva, which is dried, powdered, and used
as a component in stunning spells. Upon release from the
spell, the treated saliva quickly degrades and becomes
inert. |
Landrum’s nourishing draught | As with many spells, there are multiple variations of the
nourishing draught. Should be diluted in large amounts of water, which will
thicken with the concoction. It contains vitamins,
minerals, and electrolytes, as well as some complex
sugars/starches. When given frequently, will keep the
patient hydrated and with the resources their body needs
to continue fighting. The nourishing draught should be
created over low heat, to avoid killing the vitamins.
Sometimes, it is then dehydrated for long-term storage. Some versions also induce repeated swallowing, for
patients who are insensate and cannot wake to drink. For
those with extended nausea, some versions can also help
them keep something down, though not stop diarrhea. |
Laughing poppy | A component in a sedative potion which is known to cause
allergic reactions, preferred for its ability to
tranquilize without causing depression. |
Light crystal | A non-celerium crystal made into an artifact spelled to
release light on command. The rich use them in place of
candles or lamps, as they are much brighter and require
less maintenance. But, though they also last longer than
a candle or lamp, they are expensive enough that the common
person cannot afford to buy one, even if it would save
them money in the long run. |
Light Sacrifice | Light can be used as a source of magical power just like
heat, matter, and kinetic force. Converting light within
an area to magical power will create an area of darkness,
as the light is absorbed before it can pass through or be
reflected. |
Light-show spell | Cast on an object, this spell creates many pulsing lights
of different colors, and is meant to draw the eye and be
visually enchanting. Good for traveling performers,
distracting wildlife, or to cast on the harlequin above a
baby’s crib |
Limb-regrowing potion | A newer, specialized type of regeneration potion that
uses lizard components, such as that of the chameleon, to
regrow missing limbs. |
Lineage test spell | A divination spell that uses a piece of the target to
confirm the existence of other members of their bloodline
over several weeks. It is known to give unreliable
results, and does not by itself allow one to track down the
supposed offspring. |
Lino-Wharton messenger spell | A power spell with several pre-requisites. It binds a
raven to a controller, allowing the controller to speak
through the raven at a distance to transmit messages, or to
complete simple tasks. |
Liquid fire potion | When exposed to air, this potion catches fire. |
Liquid stone potion | Expands like an aerosol foam and hardens quickly upon
contact with air. Can be used as a barrier or a splint
for broken bones, among other things. Not permeable to
air, or malleable once hardened, so it can suffocate if it
lands on the face. Liquid stone’s expansion is
purposefully inhibited when in contact with living flesh
so that those who carry it do not accidentally entomb
themselves if a vial breaks accidentally. It is softer than normal stone, similar with a similar
durability as sandstone. |
Loomis anti-awareness field | A spell, in artifact form on Siobhan’s heirloom Conduit
ring, that dissuades people from noticing or remembering
a small object. |
Lore-master | A scholar who focuses on the stories of old, on the
little-known or forgotten facets of magic and the
creatures who use it. |
Lotus flowers/bulbs | These flowers grow in the mud. Each night, they return to
the mud, and then miraculously re-bloom in the morning.
In transmogrification, they signify rebirth,
self-regeneration, cleansing, and enlightenment. |
Lugubrious | A powerful Aberrant. |
Lung-sealing philtre | When breathed in, this philtre creates a sealed bubble
inside the lung, which can apply internal pressure to a
puncture wound and keep someone from drowning in their
own blood. |
Lycanthrope | A type of skin-walker, lycanthropes take on and off the
skin of a wolf, transforming into the animal at will.
Divested of their wolf skins, they lose the ability to
transform. A Lycanthrope’s animal skin can be used to give a
thaumaturge a lesser version of the animal-transformation
skill practiced by the skinwalkers themselves, or as a
component in taming and binding spells. |
Magician | A person who uses magical artifacts rather than cast
spells themselves. Often derided as scammers, charlatans,
and unworthy by “true” thaumaturges. An artificer who
uses their own artifacts is not considered a magician. |
Malediction | A curse spoken with a wronged person’s dying breath
brings long-term misfortune to the cursed party. These
are considered baseless superstitions by most. |
Mandrake root | A root plant whose tuber takes the shape of a humanoid
being, and which can incapacitate and even kill with
their cry if pulled from the muffling earth. They grow
more expensive with age, and can be difficult to keep alive.
They enjoy being sung to, and may die if not given enough
personal attention even if conditions are otherwise
optimal. The mandrake root’s similarities to the human
form make it valuable for spells that would otherwise need a
human, such as simulacrum or surrogate spells, and they
are most well known for their ability to receive, as a
surrogate, a curse transferred from a human victim. They
are also used in hallucinogenic spells and concoctions. |
Map-based location divining spell | A divination spell that guides a drop of spelled mercury
over a place-anchored map to find a location based on a
sympathetic connection. |
Memory Spiders | A magical spider whose web, consumed whole without
missing a single strand of silk, is said to be able to
bring forth lost memories. |
Mending spell | Repairs mundane objects, but requires all the pieces as
well as components that would otherwise be required to
mend the objects by hand. The mending spell is able to
achieve somewhat finer control and dexterity than one might
with their hands and fingers. |
Mermaid | Mermaids are magical cephalopods. They lure prey by
sticking tentacles above water and making them look like
a human woman, who asks for help. When the victim gets
too close, the “mermaid” suddenly comes apart into a mass of
tentacles that grab them and drag them into the water to
be eaten. |
Metanite | A powerful Aberrant that the Red Guard has been unable to
destroy or contain. It is a void-black form, which
destroys everything it touches, but moves very slowly.
The Red Guard uses space magic to adjust its path and
evacuation to keep people safe from it. |
Mimeo-motion spell | A more complex version of the continue-motion spell, the
mimeo-motion spell allows duplication of the copied
motion in multiple places. It is used most commonly for
mass-producing books. |
Mind-muddling jinx | Causes the victim trouble reading, comprehending, and
focusing. As with all harmful spells classified as
jinxes, it is not permanent, and cast lightly, the victim
may not realize they have been affected. |
Mirrored healing spell/Flesh-mirroring spell | Using blood of the injured person as a Sacrifice, this
spell can mold flesh and bone to match the mirrored side
of the body, and thus heal injuries without the need for
rare and expensive components. Uses glyphs “blood,” “mirror,” and then the physical part
in need of mirrored healing, like “tooth.” One large
Circle around the whole area, and then two inner Circles,
meeting in the middle, one which has the good side and one
the injured side. Uses a pentagram inside a pentagon, for
the combination of transmutation and transmogrification
this spell requires. Relies more on the Will and
Sacrifice than the clarity or complexity of the written
Word. Requires a detailed, focused image of what the
caster wants to happen. Using the wounded person’s own
blood is especially efficient. |
Mnemonic-link tracking spell | Creates a sympathetic link between an object and the
target, but depends on the caster’s extreme familiarity
with the target, and best augmented by an item that has a
direct connection to the target. |
Moonbeams & fairy wings | Moonbeams and fairy wings, harvested (from the Menagerie)
at night, have mind-altering (recreational drug) effects. |
Moondew Drosera | This carnivorous magical plant is bioluminescent, and
preys primarily on insects and other small creatures. It
resembles a succulent during the day, and at night, its
spines drip with glowing mucous that lures creatures into
its sticky grasp. |
Moon-Orb Weaver | A spider prized for its shocking strength, beauty, and
efficiency in channeling magic. |
Moonseeds | Commonly used in their dried form, similar to pepper,
moonseeds are berries from a twining vine. The moonseed
vine is nocturnal, growing off-white berries that
resemble the pitted moon once dehydrated. |
Myrddin | An extraordinarily powerful sorcerer who lived over a
thousand years before. He has many incredible feats to
his name, some based in reality and others in fiction,
and has become enough of a household name that he’s
occasionally used in curses, E.G. “Myrddin’s crusty black
butthole.” |
Mystic-type Aberrant | A long-range subset of Blight and Nightmare-type. These
Aberrants effect people at range, often with methods that
are difficult to trace. |
Nightmare-type Aberrant | This type of Aberrant is the most difficult to deal with,
as they use stealth, memetic control, or subversion. |
Okora’s instant cottage | A spell that raises material from the ground to create a
small cottage in the shape of a small model cottage used
as a component. Size is dependent on power input and
spell array parameters. It is easiest to cast with loose
material that can be compacted together, such as snow or
mud. |
Orbs and Amulets | The Conduit shop at the north end of Waterside market |
Osham | A neighboring country to Lenore, known for its
innovations in machinery and artifacts. |
Osher tree | Young sapling that can uproot itself and move short
distances. Sometimes confused for a dryad, but an osher
has no humanoid form and is not considered to be
intelligent. |
Output Detachment | The practice of generating spell output outside of the
bounds of the circle and an important step on the way to
free-casting. |
Paired Movement Ward | When the ring holding a banner to the base of the spell
is ripped away, the sympathetically linked counterpart
held elsewhere also detaches. Spell must be cast ahead of
time, with both halves of the pair together. |
Paneth | A bustling city and popular tourist destination just to
the north of Gilbratha. |
Paper bird spell | Used to send letters or messages. The paper birds are
spelled to take flight and deliver themselves to set
destination or recipients. Unsuitable to fly in heavy winds
or rain. They are created from special ingredients that make
Siobhan feel they are not as practical as she suspected. The special paper used to make them requires
flicker-feathers from the sparrow-like bird of the same
name, which the University cultivates in the Menagerie. |
Password puzzle artifact | In the Night Market, inside a component shop, a stone
puzzle disk that must be solved with magic to make the
center rise up, allowing access to the warehouse in back
and the half-troll, Harvester. |
Pendragon Guards | The High Crown’s personal guards, kitted in the most
expensive protection and battle spells that money can
buy. Fighting against them is considered treasonous. |
Pendragon Palace | The home of the High Crown, the head of the Thirteen
Crown Families and leader of the country of Lenore. It is
built atop the white cliffs, to the northeast of
Gilbratha. |
Perimeter alarm ward | Alerts the caster within when a perimeter has been
breached. |
Philtre of darkness | After brewing, when this concoction is suddenly exposed
to air (e.g. when the bottle is smashed) the roiling
liquid within bursts into clouds of magical darkness,
which not even powerful night-vision can penetrate. |
Phoenix ashes | An incredibly rare spell component, the ashes of a
phoenix that has reached the end of one of its many life
cycles are used to incubate the phoenix’s egg as it
rebirths itself. They are used in powerful healing and fire
spells, and even supposed spells that can affect one’s
destiny. Most famously, they were said to have been used
by Myrddin to resurrect his recently-deceased lover. They
sell for about a hundred gold crowns per gram, and are
highly illegal, as phoenixes are on the verge of
extinction due to overhunting. |
Piercing spell | A shaped spell that, unlike the area-effect concussive
blast spell, is focused on penetrative power, and can
gouge out a few inches of stone in a narrow diameter. |
Pixie | Humanoid creatures with very delicate, multi-petaled
flesh wings that constantly regenerate, dropping dandruff
and little peels of dry skin. This “pixie dust” is an
expensive magical component, and many humans keep them to
harvest it. They are intelligent and mischievous, even
sometimes malicious, prone to irritation and insults. |
Planar divination-diverting ward | Protects against divination. The recipient will feel
pressure under any type of divination/scrying attempt,
and can add their Will to the artifact’s inherent shielding
capabilities to divert stronger and more determined
attempts. The ward does not directly oppose a scrying
spell, but turns aside, deflects, and hides instead, using
its connection to the five Elemental Planes. The effects may
also spill into the physical world, making it harder for
people to notice and focus on the user. When actively diverting, the embedded disks may be
painful as they consume the user’s blood for power. |
Planar portal | A portal to one of the other Planes. |
Plane of Darkness | The undiscovered sixth Elemental Plane, the Plane of
Darkness, is a hypothetical plane that has long been
hypothesized to balance the Plane of Radiance, creating
an Elemental hexagram. However, despite innumerable attempts
to access the plane, it remains entirely theoretical. |
Plane of Radiance | One of the five known Elemental Planes, the Plane of
Radiance hosts the element of Light in its many forms
and connotations. Creatures and plants of the
radiant element are very valuable spell components, and the
most powerful, sentient Elementals from the Plane of
Radiance are often called angels. The Plane of Radiance
has sympathetic connections to the ideas of light,
cleanliness, knowledge, strict justice, and healing.
Excessive exposure has been known to cause toxicity. |
Planes-damned | A curse word, referring to the Elemental Planes. |
Portable office | A wooden block that unfolds into a chair and desk made
out of hundreds of smaller segments, created by Liza. She
sells them for ninety gold. |
Portable shield artifact | A small golden sphere with legs that blooms into a
semi-opaque shielding sphere that isolates the person
nearest to it. |
Potion of feather-fall | It uses a (preferably white) feather as a main component,
and seems to reduce the effects of gravity on the
imbiber, allowing them to jump from a high place without
injury. |
Potion of moonlight sizzle | A potion that lets off a soft blue, bright glow that
mimics the light of a full moon from its sizzling bubbles
when the bottle is shaken. It’s powerful enough to
illuminate a small room on its own, and when sold at a
reasonable price, much more affordable than light
crystals or candles. |
Potion of night vision | Allows one to see more clearly in the dark, in
monochrome. |
Prognos | Skilled in divination, have a single large eye in the
middle of their head. It’s said the best prognos diviners
can see into the past to discover the identity of a
criminal, but that’s a myth. They are simply perceptive.
They mature slowly and have longer lives than most
humans. |
Purple lobster | A luxury food. |
Puzzle band rings | A wedding ring, historically used to keep women from
cheating on their husbands, with the thought that they
would be unable take the ring off for their infidelities
and then fit the ring back together in time to keep their
misdeeds secret. |
Quintessence of quicksilver | The powder of a potion boiled down into a solid and then
crushed. It temporarily frenzies the mind, making you
smarter and granting a liquid creativity. Gives the
illusion of power and lowers inhibitions. The effects of a
single dose last about six hours on those who haven’t
built up a tolerance, and the come-down crash lasts a day
or two. Long-term users lose their ability to focus and
display various memory problems, becoming dependent on
quintessence of quicksilver to function normally. |
Radiant explosive | An intensely powerful, burning and cleansing explosive
using properties from the Elemental Plane of Radiance. |
Radiant Maiden | The progenitor of the Order of the Radiant Maiden. She is
a powerful Elemental from the Plane of Radiance. These
humanoid, often-winged beings have been referred to as
angels. |
Raven summoning spell | A spell originally designed to summon the Raven Queen,
which, instead appears to be a mild area-effect
compulsion that summons nearby corvids. |
Red Sage | A powerful Aberrant that is contained within a sundered
zone, but still manages to meet people. It has three
eyes, each of which are said to see the future. All
prophecies that it gives come true, but it seems that the
Red Sage can either choose who it meets through a sort of
subtle summoning (and thus control the prophecies it
gives) or it chooses what to prophecy—it can be bribed to
give a better fortune. However, in coming true
all
prophecies cause great suffering and destruction, if not
to the recipient, then to the people and world around the
recipient. Two of its prophecies—and eyes—are in constant
use, and ensure its continued existence and ability to
affect the world. The Red Guard facilitates the
prophecies from its third eye coming true to try and
mitigate the damage, and attempts to control who can meet
the Red Sage. |
Refinement of the Nine Heavens | Originally mistranslated as “Nine Light Filters,” this
esoteric spell was developed the Gestura to absorb
sunlight and to heal and repair the body and mind. It also
claims to speed up the caster’s recovery time, improve
mental strength, and reduce the need for sleep and the
chances of experiencing Will-strain. |
Regeneration-boosting potion | This potion boosts the body’s natural immune response,
lending some of its power to boost the healing effect and
taking the rest from the stored energy and nutrients of
the injured person’s body. It will struggle to fix anything
larger than a small dagger wound, a bone fracture, or a
hand-size burn. It takes time to work and is
uncomfortable, and cannot be used in quick succession, but
is much cheaper than a real healing potion. |
Revealing spell | Uncovers non-physical illusions and can see through
non-magical darkness. Usually cast via a wand, issued to
some coppers. A revealing spell shoots vibrational and
magic waves, which penetrate and bounce back to the wand. |
Retreat at Willowdale | The Retreat is a long-term treatment center where people
with magical damage can be housed safely or, ideally,
rehabilitated and healed. |
Reverse-scrying spell | A divination spell with the base of a map-based
sympathetic divination, but which targets instead the
other sympathetic end of the connection which is being used
to scry. Used to find the finder, historically most often
in warfare. |
Revivifying potion | Boosts organ function and energy levels. Can be used for
many different illnesses, but is expensive due to its
high magical load. |
Rune-inscribed basin | A basin for far-viewing, a type of divination that uses
water to see distant places, generally from the point of
view of another surface of water. The basin can be used
to contact other powerful diviners if they cast at the same
time, with the same intent. Far-viewing in this manner
does not transmit sound. |
Sacrifice | What you give up for the effect of a spell. It can be an
object, like a blob of mud used to create a brick, or
energy, like the heat from a flame. Components can have
either a natural or a sympathetic link to the effects of the
spell. |
Scab-root | A twisted, gnarled root adorned with pustules that looks
remarkably like an infected scab. It is a slow-growing,
endangered plant from the southwestern region of the
known lands, and contains nearly every possibly nutrient a
human needs to survive. Its taste is as appetizing as its
appearance suggests. |
Selby-Forman binding | A variation on conjuration/elemental binding used in the
Second Empire. |
Self-charging artifacts | Artifacts that contain the parameters to not only cast a
spell, but to gather and transform the energy for that
spell as part of their activation and release process.
Creating a self-powered, or self-charging, artifact is a
Grandmaster-level feat said to be pioneered by Myrddin, who
supposedly came up with several methods, some of which
have now been lost. Self-powered artifacts cannot cast truly endless spells,
as eventually the spell array breaks down—and more
quickly with heavy use, but they are still widely
coveted. |
Self-cleaning chamber pot artifact | Cleans and dries the nether regions, then processes the
waste, removing the liquid from fecal matter and
dehydrating urine into a thick paste, which it stores in a
sealed container for later removal. An auxiliary spell keeps
the smell from filtering out away from the chamber pot. |
Sempervivum apricus | A low-growing succulent plant from the Plane of Radiance.
Its juicy leaves grow in complex rosettes, glimmering
with tiny motes of light that travel beneath the
semi-transparent skin along with the water and nutrients. It
is technically a “low-light” plant in the Plane of
Radiance, and thus is able to survive on the mundane
plane in areas with bright sunlight and long days, or with
the help of artificial sunlight sources. They propagate
by sending out root offshoots that grow into new baby
plants. |
Sensory Deprivation Spell | A spell array developed by the Pendragon Corps to keep
enemy spies from killing themselves upon capture. It
separates the mind from the body and traps the victim in
a black, empty void. |
Severin Whilkes | A woman once known for developing several popular
cosmetic glamours who experienced a break event and
turned into an aberrant while channeling through her own
flesh in attempt to sacrifice unwanted fat stores. |
Shade (dust) | Shades are predatory creatures that take humanoid forms
and live in barren, arid areas such as deserts, where
they will prey on the sleeping or stalk the lost traveler
until they collapse from exhaustion. They are made of a fine
powder which can be gathered and used as an expensive
magical component. |
Shadow-familiar | An esoteric ritual spell that gives the user control of
their own shadow, allowing it to move, stretch, and take
unnatural shapes. Powered by electromagnetic radiation.
“Life’s breath, shadow mine. In darkness we were born. In
darkness do we feast. Devour, and arise.” |
Shaman | A thaumaturge who specializes in contacting the spirit
realm for the purpose of divination, including dream
walking, as well as certain types of mental healing and
wards. They often use mind-altering or hallucinogenic
substances to facilitate contact. |
Shaman-king Deon | He ruled in Qusnia, a country that exited to the
southeast of current Lenore in the distant past. |
Shipp Evidence box | Metal cube meant to put evidence in stasis. Has a
transparent setting to allow examination of the contents
within. |
Silk Door | An upscale brothel known for its cleanliness and
discretion, and frequently used by Siobhan under the
assumed name of Silvia Nakai to conceal her whereabouts. |
Silva Erde | A neighboring country that Lenore frequently trades with,
known for its celerium mines. The Beast King is rumored
to be buried deep beneath its forests. |
Silver-Billed Woodpecker | A magical creature that can never develop its magic
correctly if it’s helped out of its shell. |
Simple locking spell | Learned from one of the warding books Katerin bought
Siobhan, this spell locks a container that can be opened
and closed, without need of a key or even a physical
locking apparatus. Does not stop one from breaking in
physically or magically, but will require some extra
effort. |
Simple unlocking spell | Used to bypass either mundane locks, or negate the simple
locking spell. Cannot unlock a locking spell cast with
greater power. |
Sinus-clearing spell | A variation on the water falling spell, used to draw off
liquid and thus clear the airways. Esoteric magic taught
to Siobhan by a hedge-witch. |
Siren | Sometimes confused for mermaids, sirens are not in fact
associated with aquatic animals, but with avians. Sirens
have brightly colored feathers that sprout from the scalp
and sides of their face where ears and hair would be on a
human. They are best known for their mesmerizing voices,
which are said to cause sailors to steer their ships into
submerged rocks or even directly into cliff-sides in an
attempt to get closer to the enchanting sound of the siren
song. Largely carnivorous, sirens are intelligent beings and
those who are willing to integrate into human society are
rare and coveted for their abilities. |
Skin-knitting salve | An alchemical concoction that mends small cuts over the
course of about an hour. It can heal a deep scratch, cut,
or a second-degree burn, but not a serious wound, and
most (less expensive) versions will leave minor scarring. |
Skinjacker | A creature used in cautionary tales to children, which
can take over a person’s form and replace them. |
Skolex worm | Magical worm-like beasts that can grow hundreds of meters
long, the skolex has no eyes, and hunts through vibration
alone. When devouring its prey, the skolex’s mouthparts
one up in four directions simultaneously, revealing
multiple inward-facing rows of serrated and hooked teeth
which ring the entire mouth opening. The teeth are
coveted for their piercing ability and how difficult
wounds formed with them are to heal. |
Sleep-proxy spell | Using the principles of binding magic, one can allow a
magically boosted creature to sleep in the place of
another being. |
Slingshot spell | Created by Siobhan based on a Practical Casting exercise,
it uses the glyphs “line,” “movement,” and “circle” to
send a projectile revolving around a central axis. When
it is released, the projectile shoots out, similar to a
stone out of a shepherd’s slingshot. |
Smoke cloud philtre | A battle philtre that creates a sudden and thick smoke
cloud when released from its container. Considered a
battle potion. |
Sobering potion | This potion speeds up the process of filtering alcohol
from the body, but can cause an overwhelming need to
urinate and, if overused, lead to dehydration. |
Sound muffling spell | Creates a bubble of stilled air that suppressed the
ability of vibrations to travel through it, and thus
muffles sound. |
Space-bending spells | This type of magic can bend, and even fold space. They
are extremely difficult and expensive. If a smaller area
is filled with more space than it could normally hold,
that space must come from somewhere, which will in turn be
smaller than it normally is. There are usually
visually-disorienting signs of the spell when you try to
gain perspective or mentally measure the space. |
Spark-shooting wand | Artifacts charged with firework-like sparks of light. Can
start a fire, with the right tinder, be used as a
distraction, a signal, or a threat, though the
spark-shooting spell is a non-combat spell. |
Speer’s philtre of stench | A powerful, physically painful stench that causes tears,
mucus buildup, and vomiting, like a combination of a
stink bomb and pepper spray. Used as crowd control to
non-lethally incapacitate a large number of people. It has
magical as well as physical properties. |
Spirit | Ephemeral, small and often harmless beings, it is argued
whether spirits are technically “alive” or merely
accumulations of a concentrated type of magical energy over
time, or perhaps imprinted residue from once-living beings.
They may be summoned and contracted, but often have
little ability to exert influence on the mundane world.
Shamans often communicate with spirits to gain information
through their particular brand of divination. |
Spirit-trapping spell | Useful for trapping spirits for communication or
contracting. There are many variations on this type of
Circle. |
Sprites | Tiny, insect-winged humanoids. They have some measure of
intelligence, but are not considered sapient “people,”
rather more akin to interesting bugs. |
Star-maple wood | A wood with properties from the Plane of Radiance, it can
be used in regenerative and healing spells, as well as
other spells using the Radiant attribute, or for its
beauty. As it can be molded into an accessory while still
living, it is rather valuable. As an accessory, sometimes
is used to enhance beauty through improving health. |
Stunning spell | Red projectile spell. When high-powered, can leave scorch
marks and a little steam or smoke at the point of impact.
Uses a combination of low-current electricity and
sedative material (the powdered saliva from a Kuthian frog),
contained within a field of force, to incapacitate the
target. |
Summoning ritual | Summoning is said to slightly skew fate to cause a being
that meets your requirements to come into contact with
you. It has inconsistent results, and clarity of wording
and intention is very important. One can summon spirits,
animals, or even another person who has the capability to
help you with a certain problem. Once summoned, you may
come into contact with a being that meets your
requirements as if through coincidence after some time has
passed, or more directly and immediately. Some question
the efficacy, hypothesizing that the vagueness of most
types of summoning rituals leads to false interpretations
of fulfillment. |
Sundered zone | The strongest barrier spell known to man. From the
outside, it looks like a perfect white dome, with all
light reflected. They are used to quarantine Aberrants
that cannot be killed. The sundered zones cannot be exited
by the thing they were created to contain or anything
tainted by them, but can technically be entered by
sapient creatures who are able to give their informed
consent. |
Sylphide | Powerful, humanoid elementals from the Plane of Air,
given to song, laughter, and knowledge carried on the
wind. |
Tataroc Desert | Known for its dryness, a line of standing stones through
this desert signifies Lenore’s border to the east. |
The Bitter Phoenix | A tavern with a private back area where people partake of
the illegal quintessence of quicksilver, and a powerful
diviner will sell you information or make connections for
the right price. |
The Black Wastes | An area where dangerous magic has infected the land
itself. The environment shifts rapidly, with deadly and
mutated land, flora, fauna. Time spent in the Black
Wastes causes paranoia, hallucinations, and makes it
difficult to find your way. |
The Charmed Highlands | An area where celerium is mined. |
The Citadel | The main University building, where the classes are held,
and which also contains the supervised casting rooms. It
looks like a coliseum made of white stone, with
shimmering spelled windows and tall columns. It is huge and
towering, and laid out in rings, like a cross-cut of a
tree stump. |
The Dawn Troupe | A powerful Aberrant which is not contained within a
sundered zone. It manifests as a group of wealthy,
attractive horse-riders with weapons and musical
instruments. This Aberrant appreciates intelligence and
talent, and will give boons to those who meet it and
impress it. The Dawn Troupe can be bargained with, and
never breaks its promises. The Red Guard has agreed not to
attempt to contain it, and as long as it receives a
certain amount of people interacting with it—usually to
attempt to gain one of its boons—it does not leave a
certain area to go on a hunt. The Red Guard allows people to
know about the boons so they will risk their lives to try
for one. |
The Elementary | A shop in the Night Market which secretly sells, in the
back room, items from the Elemental Planes. Their
supplier, Harvester, is a half-troll. |
The Gervin Family | The Fourth Crown Family. They control much of the textile
industry, as well as the high-end fashion industry. |
The Mires | Gilbratha’s slums, which get worse further toward the
south of the city. The Mires are named for the sticky,
stinking waste that lines the streets and wafts from the
canals. They spread beyond the bounds of the white cliffs,
which have been sunk, broken, or taken apart for use as
building materials on that side of the city. |
The Nightmare Pack | A gang consisting mostly of non-humans, which holds
territory that houses a large percentage of non-humans.
They are led by Lord Lynwood, a lycanthrope, and his
adopted prognos sister, Gera. |
The Red Guard | A special, semi-autonomous branch of law enforcement
which handles rogue magic beyond the abilities of the
normal coppers. Their operations are confidential. |
The Surior Mountains | An area where celerium is mined. |
The Thaumaturgic University of Lenore | The most prominent and prestigious arcanum in the
country, and the only one that can give a Mastery
certification. It is matched in status only by Pendragon
Palace, and looks down upon the city from atop the northern
side of the white cliffs. Its grounds are extensive, and
its structures include areas dug into the white cliffs
themselves. Every year, thousands of students, both new to magic and
who have come from other arcanums to achieve their
Mastery certification, take the entrance exam. |
The Thirteen Pointed Star | A secret organization that Sebastien and Damien are
involved in that exists as a cover for Sebastien’s double
life. Their symbol is a small, lighted coaster with the
symbol of the order etched into the top. |
The Westbay Family | The Second Crown Family. They control the Gilbrathan
coppers, and often have influence in the army as
high-ranking commanders. |
Timed alarm spell | Cast on a time-keeper such as a pocket watch, goes off at
a set time to alert anyone nearby to the conditions of
the spell being reached. |
Titan | A gargantuan, powerful, humanoid being prevalent in the
early days of recorded human history, who survived the
Cataclysm. A Titan might simply walk by and decide to
crush half a human city like a child kicking an anthill.
They had enormous appetites and were entirely omnivorous,
in the true meaning of the word. Extremely magically
powerful. Now extinct. |
Tome | A large, expensive book created with high-quality
material meant for channeling magic. It has very thick
pages, with a spell array drawn on each page. This allows
the holder to carry portable spell arrays, open to any
particular page, and cast the spell as quickly as they
can place any necessary components and/or Sacrifices.
Each tome usually carries between 12-20 spell pages. |
Turtle creation spell | Uses a turtle egg and duplicative transmogrification to
create an anatomically-correct, edible, dead turtle. |
Under-bed dust bunnies | A magical creature that is spontaneously generated from
the fluffy dust under a bed in a magical environment.
Supposedly. |
Unicorn/Pegasus | A magical, horse-like beast with a valuable horn on its
head. The pegasus is the progressed form of a unicorn,
the wings growing after an intense accumulation of magic. |
Unnamed subtle curses | Uses sea spray gathered on a moonless night. “I swam
through an ocean of uncertainty.” |
Scourge-type Aberrant | The most common classification of Aberrant, Scourge-types
have a short to mid-range effect whose anomalous effect
is clear, allowing quantification and elimination or
containment. |
Utility wand | A wand artifact with multi-purpose spells meant to be
widely useful for a variety of emergency situations, not
simply battle. |
Vampire | Sentient, magical, humanoid beings, who often prey on
humans for their blood. They often have blood-red hair,
pale skin, and a mouth full of canine teeth. They are
weak to things from the Plane of Radiance, and a common
weapon against them is water imbued with energy from the
Plane of Radiance. They have a natural predilection to
the dark, and good night vision. |
Vibrational self-calming spell | Esoteric, rather than using a written spell array, it
uses the hands over the chest to form the Circle, and the
vibration of the voice as a sympathetic component for
forcibly calming the body. The longer you draw out the hum,
the further it “stretches” your body into a calm state.
Repeat ad nauseam. |
Wakefulness brew | A pseudo-alchemical concoction, but more commonly
classified as “kitchen magic,” this spell marginally
boosts the rejuvenating effects of caffeinated beverages.
Better quality base materials take the wakefulness magic
more smoothly, just as in standard alchemy. |
Ward against untruth | The strongest legal wards against lies create a moderate
vague compulsion, and are thus utterly useless against a
strong thaumaturge who can imbue their lies with their
Will. Illegal wards create stronger compulsions, but are
considered blood magic as they take away the free will of a
human. |
Wardbreaker | A specialist in diverting, subverting, and breaking
wards. |
Waterside Market | A sprawling market within Gilbratha proper that has a lot
of shops in the streets around. People of all ages and
races can be seen, as well as thaumaturges who practice
many different crafts, a testament to Gilbratha’s diversity.
Sells everything from food to magical animals. There are
stalls as well as shops, with stalls being cheaper, but
shops having a better selection. |
Whiskerton’s Whiskey of Well-being | An expensive magical whiskey guaranteed to impart an
additional sense of warmth and wellbeing by the shot, in
addition to the standard effects of liquor. |
White cliffs | Gilbratha is built within a gargantuan circle of white
stone cliffs that have been drawn up from the ground in
what is undoubtedly a legendary feat of magic. These
cliffs are intact to the north, but have sunk, crumbled, and
been demolished for other purposes toward the poorer
south. The Thaumaturgic University of Lenore as well as many
Crown Family houses have been built into and atop the
cliffs, and nearer the bottom are many buildings placed
on the staggered plateaus. Tubes run down from the
University to transport people and goods, powered by
magic. |
Will | The Will makes magic possible. The stronger a
thaumaturge’s Will, the more power they can channel, the
less defined the Word needs to be, and the less power will
be lost in conversion from input to effect. There are
different facets to a strong Will. |
Will-strain | Caused by over-exertion when casting magic. It starts
with headaches, dizziness, and inability to concentrate.
With more moderate strain, judgment is impaired.
Sometimes thaumaturges display difficulty modulating
emotions, with rapid swings from one to the other. Then
hallucinations, with the more severe ones resulting in
paranoia and even accidental harm to oneself or others.
Beyond this, Will-strain damage is irreversible, and
results in complete insanity and at times, the loss of
higher brain functions. In extreme circumstances, loss of
control while casting will lead directly to a “break” and
the creation of an Aberrant. |
Wit-sharpening potion | While it doesn’t actually increase intelligence, it will
temporarily make the drinker more aware and improve
performance in situations that require multitasking. In
too high a dose, it can cause overstimulation through
increased sensory input. It is somewhat addictive. |
Witch | A thaumaturge who uses a summoned contracted creature,
often from one of the Elemental Planes, to cast spells,
rather than using an inanimate Conduit like sorcerer. |
Word | The Word guides the transformation of energy or matter,
steering the effects of a spell. It can be any type of
instruction, though with sorcery it is most often written
into the Circle as an array of glyphs and
numerically-significant symbols. These are often
supplemented with speech or written instructions,
especially for complex effects. |
Wortcunning | Magical herbalism, the study of plants and herbs,
specifically for their healing and magical properties. |
Wound cleansing potion | There are many different versions of this potion, and
they come in different strengths and act in different
ways. Uniformly, however, they work to clear the wound of
dirt and debris, as well as kill any infectious agents such
as viruses or bacteria. Formerly, this was understood to
be overwhelming the “bad humors,” and so, wound-cleansing
potions often have strong scents due to components like
distilled alcohol and herbal oil extracts. |
Yak urine | Used to help dyes stay color-fast. |
