COMPENDIUM

COMPENDIUM



OF



PRANG







Dedicated to the Memory of

RURIK

Whose legacy first financed my

thirst for knowledge.





And to the Memory of

SCULLION

Mentor, friend and personification

of knowledge that he was.

Artist Jamie Sims







CONTENTS



Introduction by Wizard Prang



Chapter 1 – Works

Cosmology and Life by Atan Al Rashish – many scholars say this book is

overrated, true it is old and much has been surpassed by more recent

research but for me it is the beginning.

Brand’s Notes by Brand – taken from Brand’s original notes found in the

Mages’ Guild Library. Unlike the House Charenten edition I have kept the

original order in which it was written and there are two previously unpublished

paragraphs at the end.

A Theory on Time by Grief – an old paper from the MGL. His explanation is

good but he fails to consider certain ways of manipulating time. I find it a little

flawed because of these omissions.

Magical Theory by Terwin – Master Terwin sometimes shakes his head

when he reads his own work. It is undoubtedly of its time but I have still found

several gems of wisdom in this work.

Magical Theory & The Universal Amalgam by Dimitri on Dracmodor –

after I joined the Guild early in 1108, it was my very first sad duty to attend

Dimitri’s funeral. I regret that I shall never be able to discuss matters with him.

Written only two years previously it is the best written, most up to date and

most informative work on the subject.

The Nature of Erdreja by Sheikh En’Rholl Al’Fayed – a slightly different

view of Erdreja, a very informative work.

On the Nature of Pattern by Cormac uile-ioc – The first work I ever

purchased, it is well written and explained – recommended reading.



Chapter 2 – The Void

Concerning the Void by Eyleissar Durios – One view of what the void is

made of.

On the Nature of the Void by Q. Julius Rujinus – Another view of the void.

The Void – by Eandrilla in-Ilsti su-Rulien o-Yallantil – A collection of

different views concerning the void.

On the Cause of Cracks in Reality by Sheikh – Strange happenings when

reality shook!



Chapter 3 – Ritual Circles

On Ritual Circles and their Foundation by Callastan Fschalt – short over

view on the use and powers involved.

The Creation of Circles by Cullen Lochan – more old musings.

Notes on the making/remaking of a ritual circle by Sapphire Kel’Neth –

an expeditionary account of the re-opening of the Bristol ritual circle 1099.

Ritual circles and their use in battle campaigns by Master McTay – a

short paper on marshalling and transporting armies.

Chaos and Causality – Rites by an anonymous Air Mage – a splendid

piece on conducting rites effectively.

A concise study of the Wellspring by Brand – information that any ritualist

should know!

Null Point Theory by Heather Sparrow – the first in a series of experiments

and refinements in traveling the paths of light. See the appendix for details of

(some of?) Master Heather’s other works.









Chapter 4 – Alchemy

Herbs & Alchemical Suspensions in Channelling by Sheikh – concerned

with the kind of alchemy that healers can accomplish with herbs.

Magic Properties of Warpstone by Sheikh – background and results of

experimentation at the Reiskarg circle.

Warpstone – A mineralogical analysis translated by Sheikh – from an old

paper, some terms are omitted since the meanings are no longer understood.

The origins of Anti-magic weapons – how they came to exist and some of

their known properties.



Chapter 5 – Beastiary

Unknown partial work – From the paper I would guess this dates from

around the time of Mage Jinx. It is mostly out of date but with a very

informative and lengthy beastiary at the end.

Mutterings from a senile old sage by Mage Jinx – of Vampires and

Werewolves.

The 32 Elemental Courts of Erdreja by Richard Glayer – An excellent work

that goes into great detail; a must for aspiring elementalists.

Resea rch on the Unliving by Durith Flanelath – detailing different stages in

the un-life-cycle of unliving and how to deal with them.



Chapter 6 – History and Maps

Copy of early Empire letter – recounting latest ritual circle theory in the

Empire which is now common practice, found in the MGL.

History of the Fey – deemed to be currently useful as the Heartlands are at

war with entropically tainted un-living fey – the Akari.

Mutterings from a senile old sage by Mage Jinx – a little bit of history and

geography.

Maps of Albion, Cymryr, Erin, Caledonia, Orkneyar and The Isles – all old

pre-cataclysm maps but they will give you a basic idea of where places are

located.

Two Maps of the Egg from the Scholars Guild (as is the Empire map at the

beginning of this chapter).



Appendix

A list of books, articles, leaflets and papers available from Divine*

Influence and Indigo Press 1109

Pillow’s Table of Elements – based on the latest research. Also of note is

Pillow’s collection of well over 300 indexed papers. Visit him in the Bards

Guild.

Introduction by Wizard Prang

Welcome to the Compendium of Prang, or as I think it could be sub-titled –

“A Mage’s Primer”. Earlier this year, I realised that my general knowledge was

sadly lacking and embarked on a feverish acquisition of any writings to which I

could lay my hands. Having decided that I needed a copy, and I should give

the Mages’ Guild a copy, it was only a short step to publish this collection of

other peoples’ work. Drawn from many different areas, some pieces represent

the latest research, some merely scratch the surface and many areas, I am

sure, are not even mentioned, but it has given me a basic grounding in the

things I need to know. I hope for myself and any other who cares to read this

tome that knowledge will quickly be followed by understanding. I do not think

that the earlier works should be over-looked; they still have wisdom to offer

us. Do not follow Brand’s example in his assessment of Al Rashish, for I am

sure that in due course, time will make fools of us all.



Wizard Jack Prang, Monastery of the Thorn, Asgard 1109

Chapter 1 Works

Cosmology & Life by Atan Al

Rashish

The Beginnings of Magic

Before the beginning all was perfection and light. Then came chaos and in the

midst of the chaos came our forebears and they looked upon the chaos and

were dismayed.



And some knew that that they had fallen from grace while others believed the

chaos had birthed them and they fought one with the other for dominance and

those who loved the chaos, though they did not win each battle, so it was they

won the wars.



Those who would know perfection were banished and in the midst of the

chaos grew the land and the seas and creatures lived and moved within, on

and above the both. And in the lands stood the peoples of the world, Elves

and Men, Dwarves and Halflings, Orcs and Goblins and all manner more that

were beyond reckoning.



And of the peoples of the world there were those who sought the

perfection and those who sought chaos and always they were warring one

with the other and even amongst themselves.



And always behind the world swam the sea of perfection; torn and shredded

flowing back and forth entwined and twisted with the sea of chaos almost so

that none could tell them apart. And this power moulded and formed the lands

and the peoples.



And among the people were those that could draw upon the powers of

perfection and chaos and mould it to their wills. Thus there was magic and

thus there were mages.



And those who knew how to bend the magic to their will were powerful and

they studied the ways of magic learning how to bind it and blend it, withhold it

and give it freely, and in some places they were reviled while in others they

were revered. And in some places they were strong and in others they were

weak and in passing from one place to another they would find their strength

would change.



Thus it was learned that magic was not constant throughout the world but that

it waxed and waned, ebbed and flowed sometimes with the constancy of

perfection, sometimes with the irrationality of chaos.



So it was in the beginning, so it is now and so it shall always be.



The Physical Universe

The breadth of the universe is without measure to mortal man, I have

stretched out my mind with magic and tried to touch the edges, but there were

none. I have walked the paths of light beyond the ken of all, strange lands that

have stolen the breath from my mouth and burnt my skin as the hottest fire,

yet no boundary have I found yet in my wanderings.



Yet this vastness is not the end of it, not the end of unendingness. There is

more within the range of powers that add strangeness but not distance. I have

walked a path to another place that was no distance from here. The same yet

different. Another place wherein the magic was less altered.



I have come to understand that I am distinct from those that live around me. In

body there is no variance beyond the natural. Yet unlike those about me, even

those steeped in the understanding of the natural world, I am able to perceive

the patterns of things merely by observing them. I do not know if there were

others like me but if, there were I would know them as they would know me.



And it was as I lay abed an image came to me of another place, another

room, another bed like to mine but unlike. I did not sleep in that bed. I awoke

and on the morrow I travelled to the Eye of power. With that other place to my

mind I stood and exerted my strength, the patterns flowed and I was in the

other place, like to mine but different.



In that other place I spoke a word and the sound was the same, I touched the

stones of this other circle and their cold was the cold I knew. Yet the pattern of

the place was not the pattern of my own place.



Fearing I may not be free to return I conceived the pattern of my own place

once more and changed from one to the other without moving. Comparing

closely my memory of one place with the other I perceived differences, a

stone moved, a blade of grass less grown, each change so slight as to be

insignificant. Yet there was meaning.



For many days I pondered this journey without moving, I studied the patterns

in my mind, and slowly I came to understand how one differed from the other.

I stood upon the stone fastness of the Eye of Power and, in my mind, I

changed the pattern that made that place. And it became a different place.



Still I stood on the desert sands, yet the dunes were differently placed and

wisps of clouds stood in the sky. I changed the pattern again and stood upon

a savannah of grass, grazing beasts all about me, the sun still shone in the

same place.



Once more I adjusted the pattern, and again, and again. Each place was the

same, yet different. Always the sun stood in the sky, as it should. As my

understanding of the pattern shifting grew I perceived that my position had in

truth not changed, nor could it. This pattern did not govern location in space.

Nor did it control the patterns of energy nor even yet of time, isolation of that

one pattern forever has eluded me. Yet I would fear its discovery.

Universes

Now I know this: There are other universes, ones other than our own

boundless one. How this can be I know not, but such it is. Each of these

universes is like our own, differing in few aspects if they are laid close

together, if their patterns are not far dissimilar. But as one travels through

these universes the differences grow.



I can express the concept no more than travelling, though it is without moving.

One need take no steps yet still travel as if upon a road, things that are near

are known but as you walk this road, newer things are revealed and you may

travel past them on to still further things.



The other universes lie so close to each other there is no thing between them,

yet so far distant for ordinary man that they would never even conceive of

their existence, their minds are not large enough to hold such concepts. I

have explained the pattern to my apprentices, yet they cannot see it let alone

make some change to it.



I have illustrated the point to them - I disappear, though on one instance I did

not The other me berated them for some misdeed of which they knew nothing,

on this occasion I was willing to believe that I had not succeeded, for my

apprentices still stood before me when I travelled just one step. Clearly

another me had stood in that very spot.



I do not know what would happen if I travelled to a point that contained an

object nor if I should travel to meet another me. It has never happened. I am

unwilling to try.



I have attempted to carry another with me, but failed. I believe the mind of the

traveller must be fully capable of comprehending the concept of the other

place before it is willing to go there.



Travelling the Multiverse

The extent of the universes, the Multiverse as I have named it, is still unknown

to me. I have spent many years in travelling yet have come to no ending but

there are truths that have made themselves clear to me that I am able to

reveal to you, if you have a mind willing to accept such strangeness.



To speed my travelling I have exerted myself to alter the pattern more than

one universe at a time, to travel it faster, yet I find the effort increases more

than by a simple step. To make two changes together needed more strength

than to perform each step singly. The problem became progressively worse

the bigger the jump.



In practice it seemed that a jump beyond seven universes was without sense.

I have experimented with larger jumps, though always to home for safety. I did

succeed in jumping by twelve, yet at the cost of two months of my life, I was

ably tended by my apprentices during my recovery.

There is not sufficient difference between twelve steps of the Multiverse to

justify such risk to life. If you are a Ritualist you may wonder why I did not

utilise the Eye of Power and my Ritual Circle to aid me with strength. To

change the pattern of the universe is easy, it requires little magical power, and

it does not require the full power of a Circle to achieve it as you do when

stepping from one place to another within the same universe.



But once the pattern has been altered, taking that step drains the strength of

your body as surely as physical labour does. And it is that which limits the

distance of the step.



Thus it is that all my explorations were undertaken in short jumps of just three

steps; enough to make a difference, but not enough to exhaust. I undertook

the preparation of my journeys with all the care of a journey across the desert.

And it is because of the many months I have spent journeying to such

alternate realms that I can express to you the nature of the Multiverse, though

whether you can comprehend it I know not.



The Pattern of the Multiverse

I believe the number of universes to be uncountable, to be beyond counting. I

have travelled them by the thousand and stepped into realms of light and dark

that are inconceivable save if you have perceived them with your own eye.

Yet though they are without number they are not without order. There is

difference in direction and there are two directions that may be travelled.



Conceive, if you can, the pattern of the universe, it has form and complexity,

lines and curves, yet it is all composed of a single thread. To alter the pattern

you may lengthen the thread and add a turn that is not there or shorten it to

straighten a bend that exists. One direction of the Multiverse lies in the

lengthening of the thread, the other in the shortening.



When first I began to travel I went only in the direction of lengthening, I feared

to shorten the thread. Yet on returning I needs must shorten it hence I

realised there should he no risk in shortening it from my home and this I

eventually did.



As I lengthened the thread its convolutions became increasingly complex and

the worlds through which I passed changed not only in their form but also in

their very nature. Magic became weaker and weaker. Most certainly I did

travel over one hundred universes before I began to notice, yet it did happen.

As if I were travelling away from some centre.



The universes became strange though resembling our own world superficially.

The words of our language make it hard to express, but put into words it

seemed these universes became more solid. As if a stone from here would be

but a sponge taken from the oceans in those outer places. Yet to the common

senses there was no perceptible alteration.



Yet to my sense of pattern it was clear. Each pattern that is part of every

object was becoming more complex too, as if it were an echo of the pattern of

the universe to which it belonged. It became harder and harder to work magic

in these realms, comprehending the patterns became an effort as well as

trying to draw upon the thinning Universal Amalgam.



In these realms magic is not used. It is not available to the denizens, even the

most powerful of them. Yet there is a constant that seems to run through all

the universes, the Ritual Circle. Whatever distance from my home I travelled,

the Ritual Circle was always there.



As I walked the universes far away from here I would still find a ring of stones

and still be able to draw on the power that lay there. It was even possible, as

far out as four thousand universes, to travel from one Ritual Circle to another

within that realm, though it was most taxing.



The Direction of Simplicity

Now I will reveal what lies in the direction of simplicity.



I ask you to consider this: if there is a thread with a beginning and an end it is

possible to increase the length of the thread forever, yet the length is always

measurable. But what of shortening? It is possible to reduce the length to zero

and when it has reached that there is no further it may reduce. Nothing may

become less than zero.



I have asked you to consider the pattern of the Multiverse as a thread and

thus it is. To travel one can make it longer or shorter, but though a length may

be imagined to extend forever there is a limit to how short it may become. It

may only become nothing.



I have shortened the thread of the Multiverse and walked through lands that

differ little from those around us. But in lands where the thread is half the

length it is here, all things seem the same, those that seem solid may be

touched and are indeed solid. Yet their patterns are simpler, echoes of the

Pattern of the Universe they occupy. The magic in these lands is so powerful

that it can almost be touched, felt with the skin. I have bathed in such power.



I stepped onwards through the Multiverse, shortening and shortening the

thread. There came a time when all things began to seem similar, their

patterns were simplifying such that they were failing to be differentiated, all

stone became one stone, all liquid became one liquid.



I believe I came close the centre, the heart of the Multiverse, the thread was

very short, I swam in the Universal Amalgam, all physical things were simply

the elements, one form of Earth, one of Air, one of Fire and one of Water,

there were no others. In this place I stopped, I dared not travel another step

for fear of losing myself, even then I did not know if I would be able to return.

How would the thread of my body know how to reconstruct itself into the

correct form? And in that place I felt the risk of my identity being absorbed by

the Universal Amalgam.

If I took another step what would happen to the very Elements? Would they

continue into the next universe, or combine, perhaps Air and Fire, Earth and

Water then another step making just one base element from which all others

stem. And then that ultimate step into nothing. I wished to see, but I also

wished to return with the understanding I had gained.

I remained in that place a while and watched as creatures moved around me,

all constructed from the single, simple form of Earth standing on that

unvarying surface. The single form of Air blowing about us. I reached down

and picked up a stone determined to carry it with me.



I lengthened the thread and stepped back towards home. As I proceeded,

diversity returned, things became more and more separated and separable, I

watched the stone I had taken and found that though I was reconstructed it

was not. Though its pattern lengthened it did not grow complex, it remained

pure Earth.



I have determined that it is the pattern within the Universal Amalgam that

moulds the physical form thus my form was recreated but the pure Earth

stone was not altered.



The Heavens

I have travelled to the heart of the Multiverse and returned, | have travelled to

realms beyond magic yet I have desired to travel real distance, leagues upon

leagues here in the realm of my home but I have not been able.



With the help of the Ritual Circles I have gone long distances in jumps, yet not

seen what's between. I have forged links between Ritual Circles to go to

places others have not. But the nature of the Heavens has not been easy to

divine.



I have looked into the sun that rises above us each day and have determined

that not only does it provide light and heat for the common man to grow his

crops, it is a source of intense magical power. Like a Ritual Circle of such

strength as to dwarf the Eye of Power into insignificance.



Once I did essay to open a channel to it such that I could walk to it. I

perceived great distances and had I not been wary the great power that came

flooding down the path from it, I would have been consumed and, I believe, so

would much of this land.



Of the stars I have been able to discern almost nothing beyond what can be

seen with the eye. Save that their distance from us is very great, much greater

than the distance to the sun, which is itself a journey beyond our ken. The

firmament is not a ceiling on the world like a room in a house.



The wandering stars are closer, and not only do they wander about the

heavens they also wander in their distance from us, sometimes closer,

sometimes further. They are not mere points in the sky they are of great size

having land like ours yet separated by distance. I have opened paths to these

places, to the ones that pass nearest. The death of one of my Ritual Circle on

one attempt we essayed, persuaded me against any further travels of this

type. The wanderers are not welcome lands.



The Universal Amalgam

All things, both living and un-living are a combination of matter and magical

force. It is the patterns of the magical force that holds matter together. The

magical force in its pure form is known as the Universal Amalgam.



The amount of Universal Amalgam that exists in the Universe is constant but

differs in its density from place to place. When living things die and

decompose the Universal Amalgam that composed their pattern re-cycles to

be absorbed by the great Circles of Power which distribute Universal

Amalgam outwards again.



There are patterns within the Universal Amalgam that move and flow. Yet

other regions of the Universal Amalgam may show stable repetitive patterns

or even become completely stationary, but even these may be disrupted by

other moving patterns of sufficient power.



Mages can absorb and store the Universal Amalgam within the pattern of their

own being. The structure of the pattern of their lives determines how much

and how long they can hold the Universal Amalgam. Once stored they may

release it and manipulate its patterns. The nature of the Universal Amalgam is

such that Mages may become more powerful in areas of higher

concentrations.



It is written that many years ago a great drought of magic swept across the

land. Its progress was charted easily as its inexorable progress was not swift.

The border of the area of no magic was very clearly defined and definable.

The City of Karwandsward reported that at one time its South Eastern quarter

was entirely drained of magic while in the North-Western part magic could still

be performed with ease.

During this disaster the Eye of Power was only slightly diminished.



The Patterns

Low Magic is the manipulation of very simple patterns and has been

regularised to the point where people with quite limited ability can perform the

spells. High Magic or Rituals, require a very high level of ability and involve

the handling of multitudes of complex patterns simultaneously, which is why

Ritual Groups are required to perform the High Magic as opposed to

individuals.



Specific patterns in the Universal Amalgam may he bound through Rituals,

into objects to create magical items. It is not possible for a Ritual Group or

single individual to create a stable pattern and hence all magical items give up

their power in the end, the pattern breaks down and the power becomes re-

absorbed into the surrounding area. It is clear that the more effective the

pattern creation within the Ritual itself the longer the pattern will survive

although the ability of the Ritualist is an important consideration.

Although low magic gives the appearance of identical spells being cast, since

the results have the appearance of similarity but this is not the case. No two

patterns are ever the same even in Low Magic. Study of patterns shows that

they are always different, each pattern derives from different individuals at

different times, the originating patterns alter hence do the resultant ones.



Living Things

Examining the patterns of life I have determined that Life is not a single

pattern. Instead it is a group of very complex patterns within the Universal

Amalgam that interact with and are integrated into a physical body; each

supports and enhances the other.



Some forms of Life are so complex that they become self-aware and

intelligent. All these forms have fundamental similarities and there are

patterns within these forms that are common to all, though each has its own

variations. However they are of such complexity that divining which parts

relate to which parts of life has proved impossible to me.



Just as complex forms of life have complex patterns it is easy to see that very

simple forms of life have the simplest patterns, though even these may be

considered quite complex in themselves.



Span of life is a subject that affects many, most consider they have too little

time in this frame to do the deeds they wish. The long-life of elves has oft

been a reason that race use to indicate their superiority of human kind and

others. If one studies the patterns of life as I have it is clear that it is the

stability of the pattern that controls the life span of the living thing. It is not the

complexity.



It is certain that highly complex single patterns do not survive for long. I have

found it impossible to create a complex pattern that is self sustaining.

However as I have implied the complex life forms are not formed from a single

pattern. They are comprised of many patterns interlinked and inter-active one

with another.



They are all inherently unstable but maintain themselves by supporting each

other, and when that balance is finally upset the creature dies.



In consideration of the remaining sections of this treatise it is important that I

define my terms with some degree of accuracy. Thus it is that we will define a

living thing is a naturally occurring, self-perpetuating/duplicating thing, the

physical part of which is structured and maintained partially by the pattern in

the Universal Amalgam.



The Universal Amalgam patterns are free roaming things that are attracted to

and bound to the physical part at a point in the physical development of the

child form.



Unliving Things

From the living, which are difficult to comprehend we shall consider the

various forms of Unlife, which are, for the most part, simpler.



The Unliving

It is possible for a dead body to be invested with a new, artificially created

animating patterns of lesser complexity through the use of Ritual Magic. The

state of the body is not the most important factor although it is usually easier

for a Ritualist to imbue a body with a pattern if he can imagine its unliving

state clearly. Hence fleshed bodies are easier to comprehend as walking

about than skeletal figures; thus it is easier to imagine the patterns needed to

drive it.



Due to the complexity of patterns involved most of these creatures lack

intelligence and are easily controlled by the Ritualist that creates them. Rituals

can be performed to allow others control of the Unliving or to withdraw the

pattern from them (thus destroying them).



As with anything else created in a Ritual Circle, The Unliving eventually lose

their patterns and break down into simple matter. There are occasions when

an Unliving creature, created by a particularly well-formed Ritual, becomes

self-aware and has intelligence.



Although the precise form of these creatures cannot be stated due to the

vagaries of the Universal Amalgam the nature of life itself forces them,

generally, into the mould of the Vampire.



Vampires

The inability of Ritualists to create true life is linked to one crucial pattern,

which they find themselves unable to form, and it is this pattern that Vampires

must maintain if they are to continue to exist. A Vampire instinctively knows

that unless they regularly sustain the pattern that they are losing they will

cease to exist.



Most Vampires do not have the ability to supply the crucial pattern and these

cease to exist within a few hours. However some do and it is the nature of this

life pattern that needs to be supplied that the lack of it in a creature forces it

into the Vampire mould. Thus, to continue to exist, a Vampire must support

the defective pattern by absorbing it from a creature that is not defective. In

doing so they create the defect in the victim, thus bringing about a new

Vampire. Hence by absorbing the pattern the Vampire is able to propagate its

own specie.



By puncturing the skin of a victim with its teeth and/or claws a Vampire is able

to absorb the life pattern out which strengthens its own pattern and enhances

its knowledge; it knows what its victim knows, If the Vampire is rushed it

usually absorbs quickly, which disrupts the pattern completely and kills the

victim.



If it takes time, however, the absorbed pattern is not disrupted, instead the

attacking Vampire's pattern modifies that of the victim creating a less powerful

Vampire which will always be subservient to its creator. Scholars have

suggested that by destroying the original Vampires (those created by Rituals)

all their offspring will be released. Others believe that since the victims are

dead that the whole line will immediately die. The theory most believe to be

the case is that the destruction of ritually created Vampires will not affect their

progeny in any way. No clear evidence exists that any of these are true.



Golems

Many physical materials if constructed correctly can he invested with a series

of patterns that will animate them. Creatures of this type are named Golems.

No matter how complex the patterns that have been used in the creation of

Golems there have been no recorded incidents of one becoming, self-aware.

In fact Golems have no intelligence at all and can only perform the simplest of

tasks. This encourages the belief that it is the combination of living tissue and

Universal Amalgam patterns that is the true basis of life.



Golems have various attributes that depend on the material used in their

construction:



Clay: The most agile of the Golems as they do not need joints included in their

construction though most Ritualists who construct them find it easier to

conceive of naturally placed joints. Must be kept moist.

Stone: The slowest but strongest of the Golems. Difficult to construct as it is

hard to craft movable joints in stone.



Wood: The most common type of Golem. Not as agile as Clay, and not as

strong as Stone. Easiest to construct.



Metal: Versatile Golems. Their uses vary depending on the type of metal used

and the skill of the construction of the joints.



Though Golems are usually cast in the mould of man there is no reason why

one cannot be formed as a dog or horse.



Non-corporeal Beings

There exist a range of creatures that have no physical body. Not a great deal

is known of these and patterns usually require a physical body in which to

manifest as a living thing. It is probable that these are not truly living, as we

would define it.



A non-corporeal being is a complex patterned creature with a high intensity of

the Universal Amalgam. The complexity of the patterns gives them their

intelligence and stability while being supported by the Universal Amalgam that

composes their "body".



Such a creature is likely to be disrupted by another pattern if of sufficient

strength, or possibly drained in areas of weak concentration of the Universal

Amalgam. A Ritualist may bring about a disruption of the patterns of such a

creature if he can get it to remain in place for long enough.

The creation of such creatures is largely a mystery. The ghost is a form where

the physical body of a creature dies while the pattern remains intact for some

time afterwards; this is a rare event. Various names are attributed to non-

corporeals, depending on their apparent attributes, abilities and intentions.



Some Ritual Circles can create non-corporeal beings because their repetitive

patterns throw off the necessary patterns to bring about the creation. These

highly complex Ritual Circles would not be very long-lived as their own

delicate internal balance would he easily disrupted by the normal ebb and flow

of the Universal Amalgam.

It is also suggested that non-corporeal beings may be visitors from elsewhere.



Elementals

This final form of Unlife is derived from the base elements and is similar to the

Golem. However where the Golem is a constructed thing that has life patterns

added to it. The elemental pulls its physical form from the very elements that

surround it when the patterns are created.

The power of the life patterns bring the physical form of the creature into

existence themselves. The power of such a creature is directly related to the

strength and detail of the patterns used in their creation, only the most

powerful Ritualists are able to create elementals.

There are, of course, four types of Elemental: Earth, Air, Fire and Water,

although combinations of these are possible given Ritualists of even higher

skills.





(N.B. – The honest Arabian trader sold this copy to me incomplete, so eager

was he to part me from my gold. As yet I have not received the missing

pages. – Prang)



Brand’s Notes

25th day of April 1095 - The enigma

The cataclysm is the enigma I mull over is the greatest of upheavals natural or

unnatural. The basic cause could be one of many things, the abuse of magic by the

elves during the war of sundering, the over use of magic by the empire or is it some

strange natural disaster that occurs by sum shifting in the will of the dragon. I cannot

tell the only ones who could are either addled or too grand to be seen by one such as I

(Curse Floris llias) the thing that worries me the most is the possible that it may occur

again. How will we cope what could we do to stop the flow of magic against us? All I

can do is search Norhault and any other source of lore that I can find.



19th day of June 1095

I have the last weeks building a construct of sorts the ancient tome in the darkest

recesses of the great library of magic calls the thing a homunculus the creature is

imbued with the void and is capable of travelling unseen over vast distances at great

speed. My reasons I must explain. The corridors of Norhault are always watched, only

the most trusted are allowed to wander alone. The great readers and that addled fool

Scullion are very careful. But with practice one may make the scribes part with more

than they intend.



So one day I found myself party to a viewing of a map dating from the earliest age of

the empire. One symbol stood out. That of Norhault, for is not the wellspring the

greatest circle in the known world. But the symbol was repeated in the northern most

regions of the map. Noting this information I immediately headed for the transport

circle and attempted to transfer to this unknown circle but could not, it was

deactivated.



So I built the homunculus to travel there and send by mental power the image of the

place it is truly amazing such a wealth that I cannot describe but I think the solution is

there I intend to travel there as soon as business allows.



On Atan Al Rashish

I have recently been studying the works of the mage and ritualist Atan Al Rashish. I

have taken the time to study the work in the library of Norhault. It is to my knowledge

the only original copy left in existence though translated many times this copy was in

the original language



The work is detailed yet flawed Rahish had only understanding of the four manifest

elements not all of them. I consider myself a ritualist of power but to have half the

power this Rahish had (if he can be believed) was beyond the ken of any mortal mage

that I have ever seen the possibilities he opens up are remarkable there is a good

chance that he was a time mage of remarkable power even able to move between

worlds. But his lack of understanding of the ethereal and ideological elements of

existence, flaws his work to such and extent that the tome is overlooked by most of

the great minds of our time. But it contains many truths about magic in the natural

order, the primary fact it makes is that magic is the natural order of Erdreja.



One of the most interesting points discussed are the experimentations on the direction

of dimensional travel. He names the simplicity and the complexity. The theory goes

as follows, if you study the pattern of a ritual circle carefully you may be able with

significant use of ritual magic to change that pattern. By either making it more

complex or more simple. If the pattern is made more complex then according to

Rashish the wielder of the power will be transported to a realm like the starting one

but less magically sound with higher degrees of technology. If the pattern is made less

complex then the traveller is moved to a simpler but more magically sound realm with

less complex and advanced creatures inside its natural order.



The Intriguing thing is that as he moved in the direction of simplicity the realms

became more magically sound until he found himself in realms made purely of the

four manifest elements. He saw creatures made of one element alone and understood

the nature of the realms that the elementals came from. But then he made his grand

mistake and travelled no further considered his work complete the greatest flaws in all

his works.



On the world

The earliest of cartographers knew the world was rounded in some way. But the truth

is all the more strange. Out world is roughly the shape of a huge egg. This may

account for the differing lengths of day between the north and south as to the reasons

for the apparent lack of magic in the far south I cannot tell. Maybe sunlight bears

some connection with the flow of magic but I doubt it.



My next point derives from the way that magic flows, any mage worth his salt will

tell you that magic comes from the void. If the void is as many claim the great

expanse that surrounds our world why do the sinkholes and circles channel the magic

downwards towards the ground.



Does the surface of Erdreja have some strange earthing effect on the warp and weft of

magic? Or is a stranger thing true, does the void exist on the inside of the egg as well?

I am at a loss to understand this. But the thing that confuses me the most on this issue

are the famous pyramids of Aegyptus, they channel the power of the void upwards

and into the sky. I must make a logical study and compare one of the pyramids with

the wellspring.



Floris

Floris llias is a conundrum. So much power and understanding. Why does he allow

himself to be bound to that useless form? This to me indicates that he has weaknesses

and weaknesses can be used to change the flow of fate maybe I could win his place

and lead mages into the place where they should be ruling the heartlands.



The Tomes

Centuries ago, the Four Tomes of Magic Earth, Air, Fire and Water, were constructed

by the Elves of old. At the height of their power, the Lore of the Elves was such that

they were able to fashion these living books as guardians of the world‟s power. Yet it

is plain to me that such mortal creatures could not have created these powerful items

alone. The Tomes are records of all magic that has ever been, and act to calm the

fluxing power that filters into the world from beyond. They are the cornerstones on

which the stable nature of Erdreja is based, and act to anchor the world, in the

turbulent seas of power that beset the void.



The Tomes filter the magic of the void into the world, distilling it into the basic four

elemental patterns from which our world is constructed. Without such cornerstones,

these patterns retain no template, and will gradually unravel themselves, jeopardising

our very existence.



The Elemental templates serve as the basis of codifying all forms of magical power.

They permit certain expressions of magic, and limit others. To be able to manipulate

the laws of the elements is the key to understanding the fundamental principles of

magic. To learn to combine and weave them together is to attain it proficiency.



To go beyond them, is to achieve its mastery.



In essence the Tomes remain both a blessing and a curse to the understanding of

power. Without them, the magic would remain a truly wild creature, unattainable by

all save the most foolhardy, or courageous. Yet, at the apex of such understanding as

they might grant, lies the truth that they serve to limit true expression of power.

Without them, one might never have achieved an ability of magic, with them, one

might never attain its complete understanding.

There are other forms of power within this world, yet still fewer truly understand

them. The powers of Faith and Belief have in their time served to shackle, bind and

constrict the possibilities of power as much as the curse of the Tomes has done. These

believers hold such a blinkered and blind truth in their ideals, that they serve to make

them possible. Each harkens back to one amongst their number who has passed into

death, yet served life and die by the ideals they follow. When expressing their power,

these believers often shout the name of the one they choose to follow, naming it an

Ancestor.



The belief and number of their followers limit the power of such Ancestors. As the

filtered strands of power pass beyond our world, so this shared faith serves to shape

and sustain an Icon of Power. The greater the magnitude of such faith, the stronger

that this Icon might be.



In the abysses of the Void, and of the planes, there is an eternal war between

champions of belief, as they seek to capture the ethereal patterned remnants of those

who have passed from this world. This raw power is also a source of harsher

sustenance to them. Indeed for all their moral platitudes, these planes are often little

more than carrion grounds for spiritual vultures; preying upon the feeble patterns of

the weak.



The expressions of power gained by believers of faith depend upon the gifts that are

granted to them for their belief. In truth, I believe the Elder did the world a favour

when they found a means to prevent the use of such power. We have enough close

minded people within the world already.



In their shaping of the land, the Elder races left many paths and expressions of talent.

Some remain within this world that are so attuned to its existence that they might

serve to preserve it. We know their lore as the Healing magic. These Healers serve as

guardians of the weave, their task to maintain its precious patterns. These chosen

draw their powers from an ancient place, known as the plane of life. In ancient times,

those who first fashioned our world, did so invoking the essence of the plane of life.

The Oldest of legends tells of a place of magic somewhere within the world, where

essence of the plane still touches our own. The Chosen speak of this place as the

Source of Life.



These Chosen are amongst the weakest of our kind. Bound by their patterns as they

are to the existence of this world, so they too are doomed to suffer its sickness and

eventual destruction.



Their opposites lurk amongst the nether reaches of the land. By the laws of existence,

both separate and a full part of the dictates of the Tomes, so all things must die and

end within the weave. There are rumours of creatures who exist beyond our world,

and of ancient patterns living millennia without end, yet the laws of our existence

demand that life be a finite spark, and so it that all who choose to live on Erdreja will

eventually succumb to death.



Yet there are some that have chosen to fight against this law. For differing causes,

some noble and others selfish, they seek to preserve their existence beyond the

allotted years that are granted to them. Somehow, in their greed they believe their own

arrogance will be enough to defy the law of life itself. This of course is not the case.

In the end, all these wretched fools serve to do is destroy what they truly are,

becoming aberrations of themselves, and remnants of what they once were. Some

even become twisted enough to attempt to enforce this corrupted life upon others, and

become Necromancers.



The power of a Necromancer is the most costly form of magic that exists. Indeed to

begin upon the path of such an evil power, serves only to corrupt the poor fool who

has chosen to make such a journey. In the end, the goals of such a creature might

aspire to will not be achieved, all they will serve to do is cause pain and suffering to

themselves, and to those around them. The magic of Necromancy is drawn from the

Nether planes, where the laws of the weave still exist at their weakest. In these darkest

and dank planes all that have suffered the corruption of this foul power gather and

seek to live some semblance of the lives they once had.



In truth, all these paths are to be pitied for they pale in comparison to that of the

magic. Only the magic has the potential power to work beyond the framework of our

reality. Yet all paths lead back to the limits that have been placed upon our existence.



Unless you have the key to unlocking what lies beyond.



The keys to such a working lie somewhere within the lands themselves. It is my belief

that the Elder races did not construct these items without a means of focussing such

power first. Such a device might well require as much effort to construct as the

Elemental receptacle itself. Nevertheless it must be achieved first. In current times

there is no knowledge left of the location of such devices. I think the Mages Guild

themselves have taken a hand in this. To remove the knowledge of powerful items is

an affront to their principles, however the perceived danger of letting the untrained

exploit such devices that are not clearly understood by the Grandmaster himself,

might explain why they have jealously guarded the secret locations. I believe Floris

llias knows where they are, and will likely reveal such secrets to no one.



A device fashioned to create an Elemental receptacle would need to be almost as

powerful as the receptacle itself. This is because such a device would have to contain

the powers that would be harnessed and tapped for a time, and so would need to be

enduring.



It is my belief that the central ritual circle of the Imperial Capital Malkarn was such a

device. Fashioned to tap energies from the void itself it is also my belief that the

Ritual attempted by the College wizards that caused the cataclysm activated this

device, and triggered an earthquake that was to destroy a vast continent. If such a

device had not existed beneath the circle, then I think we would not have seen such

devastation no matter what the wizards had been trying to attempt. However, such is

the arrogance of Mages that they must obtain more power. It was this greed that led to

their undoing.



It is my belief that the Colleges participating in the ritual where unaware of the

presence of the device. However I do not believe everyone was unaware of it. There

are records kept at the Great Library of Norhault that tell of the Knights of the Dragon

of the Empire. These small elite units were formed at the behest of Tebron himself,

and were stationed to guard the Ritual Circle at Malkarn. By the time the Empire fell,

I believe that the duties of these knights had become ceremonial, and that the lore of

their founding had been lost.



It is my considered opinion that the Knights of the Dragon were kept at the circle to

ensure that the Elder device was kept dormant, and that it did not interfere with the

rituals of the Colleges. However, such was the power of the final ritual, and such was

the ineptitude of the last of these knights, that the device was activated, and

annihilated to surrounding lands with a magical pulse so powerful it rent the very

earth.



In my exploration of texts and journeys across these lands. I have heard tales and

rumours of other such ancient orders Knights. Many have proved false rumours, but

others have seemed to be genuine when compared to the scant documentation of the

Malkarn Order. Never numbering more than a dozen, adept at magic as well as

understanding of the Blade, these knights were rigorously and secretly trained. I

cannot fathom how little or how much they knew but I do believe that their

incompetence caused the Cataclysm.



I believe that other such Guardians must have existed in other places so as to prevent

the use of the devices. These guardians would have been distinctly different

depending on where they were asked to make their homes. The need was for them to

blend in, as if part of the region itself.



Other clues as to the location of such devices lie in the land itself. Whilst it is clear

that the masters of such artefacts would have found some way to render them

dormant, the innate magic they posses must have leaked out in some way. Thus

anomalies with the lands might provide evidence to suggest location of such power.

Some distance past the Norscan Border the law of Lord Wolf ends. In these lands a

scattering of peoples attempt to survive amid the harshest and coldest climes known

to man, yet amongst all of these vagrants and wretched individuals I have heard of

tales of a pleasant green valley that exists amidst the arid tundra. None seemed to

know of its location, since otherwise they would live there themselves.



During my travels I was unable to find the valley that was spoken of. Yet I also heard

strange tales of an ancient creature, made of Ice, that would walk the lands. Such a

tale had become the stuff of a children's story. Yet often the simplest of truths are

passed down in this way.



To the south of the Kingdoms of Arabia there is a great place known only as Doom. It

is said that this place is a magical swirling storm of sands that never ends. Within it's

midst, the Wizards of the South claim it holds great sand daemons of the world. No

one knows who constructed it, nor where it came from, yet all fear to approach it



Further to the east there lies the capital of the once proud Southern Empire, whose

name is lost in time. In the last days a great battle was fought between the sons of

Tebron, and the rulers of the South. During that time atrocious magics were

unleashed, blighting the land for centuries to come. The Arabian peoples named the

ruined city that now remains Al Quiafiar - city of the dead.

Concerning Vampires

The powers of the Unliving are varied, and often potent. Yet, as I have made plain

before, they rely on a magic that is doomed to fail, Necromancy is a fool's wizardry. It

only offers immediate powers of violence owing to fewer restrictions imposed upon

its teachings.



The powers of Vampires are a prime example of this. It is said that in the earliest days

of the Empire, these creatures were bred to serve as generals amongst some of the

Legions of Teutonia. Substantial evidence has been gathered by others and myself

with a similar interest to suggest that the Teutonian kingdoms were something of an

exploration ground of many who would be practitioners of this magic. Experiments

were made on all levels, until such time as other more Orthodox followers of the

Imperial codes sought to wipe them out.



It is during this period of the middle years of Empire that the first of these creatures

seem to have been created, though it is possible that some amongst the Elder Races,

found such powers long before. If they did, they would be unlikely to reveal them.



Whoever did first construct these creatures, then a tribute must go to the elegance of

their work. The corruption of Vampirism is complete, warping the pattern to suit the

needs of the creator. The hierarchical structure of such creatures, becoming more

powerful as they age is also the work of a brilliant mind, much like the creation of the

disease Lycanthropy.



However, such a route to achieve power is doomed to failure. The boundaries

imposed on such creatures is immediately exposed, and the nature of their patterns

renders them weak and exposed to the machinations of other Necromancers, as well

as the depredation of those who practice the forgotten magics of Incantation, men

such as Schadel of Khatoum.



However, if one seeks a servant of moderate power then a Vampire can prove to be a

valuable tool. Intelligent, and powerful, they serve as admirable lieutenants, apart

from their obvious weakness in daylight.



On the Summoning of Demons

The use of extra-planar creatures (heretofore referred to as 'demons') for personal gain

is an undertaking that should be approached with a great deal of caution and only

when one has made sufficient researches into the nature of the beings one intends to

contact.



Many think of demons as universally evil, this is simply not the case. While many are

self-serving at best, if not downright dedicated to the active pursuit of evil for its own

sake, an equal number are quite the opposite. Only diligent research will allow the

summoner to comprehend the nature of that which is being summoned.



The actual process of summoning can be approached in two ways: Binding or

Bargaining.

Binding is the most dangerous of the two but can be the most profitable in terms of

power gained. By use of research and a strong ritual group one can force a weak

demon to do your will absolutely, in effect, one can enslave it. Clearly most demons

will attempt to resist this form of summoning and the penalties for failure in even the

smallest respect are high. Most gruesome tales of summoning gone wrong stem from

a failed attempt to bind the subject. The benefits are that for as long as one holds the

means of controlling the demon, it is bound absolutely to one's service in theory this

servitude can extend indefinitely, in practice it tends not to.



Bargaining, on the other hand, is a relatively straightforward process that carries only

minimal risk so long as one's research is accurate and diligently undertaken. In this

ritual one simply needs to create safeguards against the demon's refusal rather than a

means of binding it and then offer the correct inducement in return for a service

performed. Although the results of this form of ritual tend to be of shorter duration

than a binding, this is offset by the advantage of being relatively safe and simple to

perform. In addition, it is also far less likely to awake the enmity of an entire class of

demons, a fate to be studiously avoided.



Of what may be requested, there are but three forms: possession either of a being or

an item, imbuing of power or a service.



To permit a demon, whether bound or bargained to possess oneself is the height of

foolishness and will inevitably end badly for the poor fool who allows such a thing to

come to pass. However, this is a most potent means of power and if the consequences

are of little matter to the subject, such a ritual may be worth performing. It is far safer,

although less powerful to have the demon possess an item, although few demons will

willingly accede to this form of servitude without significant inducement and a finite

duration. Even a demon bound into a non-living object will be contained for a shorter

period than one bound into a living being.

The imbuing of power is a simple transference of an ability from one being to another.

This can be straightforward but equally, if one demands a power dear to the demon,

can be difficult to achieve without a great deal of risk or expense since, for the

duration bargain or binding, the demon loses the power given to the subject.



Of the three requests, service is probably the most equitable to both demon and

ritualist The exact nature of the servitude must be specified with great care though

since should a demon decide it no longer wishes to carry out the service it will often

attempt to twist the intent within the letter of the command, and thus escape its

obligations.



Whether summoning or binding a demon, there are three things that one must first

know. The creature's name (note that this does not need to be its True Name, the name

that it commonly uses should be sufficient), a weapon to coerce or payment the

demon will find apt, this is the most skilful part of the ritual, since weapon or payment

must be tailored very specifically or it will fail. Often the True Name of the demon is

sufficient to bind it in servitude for a year, but only the very foolish will rely upon this

as an inducement Demons will not suffer one who knows their true name to live too

long. Lastly the Ritualist will need a defence should anything go awry. Again this

should be carefully considered although defences need to be of a more general nature

than the inducement, in the event that something other than that which was intended is

summoned.



Once a demon has acquiesced to the ministrations of the Summoner, it should be

stated that the contest of wills is not over. Many creatures will look to find a loophole

or missed phrase within a Bargain, whilst those Bound, will always seek to exploit the

weaknesses of their new masters.



However, the profit of such a servant can be immense. The properties of creatures

from other worlds, and even of those who have great power can be varied and vast

Often they can perform the most difficult of tasks with relative ease, and can become

far more useful than any conventional minion.



Of the Dark Years

Centuries have passed since the fall of Empire and apart from the time of the

Pendragon it has taken many years to achieve anything approaching a lasting peace in

the Heartlands.



One thing does disturb me; the tendency of the current Factions to glorify the era of

their pasts. In the annals of Albion there exist records of all the descendants of

Pendragon, and how they became kings of his realm. What the records do not state is

the lawlessness of the times. The Lord Generals of Heartlands founded their

kingdoms in blood and can claim no true righteous high ground over the petty

criminals they might choose to hang. In the days immediately after the Cataclysm, the

wars and atrocities committed were unrivalled even in the days of the Race Wars.

With non but the cheapest of magic to offer support, Humans devised for themselves

many interesting ways to maim and torture each other in the misguided belief that

they were doing the right thing.

Within this chaos, the strongest tyrants eventually rose to the surface, and established

the nations that exist today. Yet it perplexes me that the opportunity to reform the

lands was not taken by the Mages Guild of the time.



Whilst it is plain that Merlin played a pivotal role in the establishment of the Lions as

a Faction, and in founding Albion as a kingdom, there were nearly three hundred

years in which the Guild seemed to have remained inactive. It seemed to do very little

to involve itself in the politics of the Heartland nations, and was almost conspicuous

in its absence in the affairs of Erdreja. It is conceivable that the Grandmasters of the

time felt some form of guilt for the machinations of their predecessors, or that their

efforts were completely ineffectual.



Or that something else was going on entirely.



In current times, the Mages Guild has made substantial claims as to being the

Guardians of all the ritual circles in Erdreja. Yet at no time has it ever been explained

how it achieved the knowledge of discovering these circles. I surmise that these

discoveries have occurred some time ago as the Guild has maintained their active

status for years.

It is my belief that the centuries after that cataclysm were, spent by the Mages Guild

in developing the prowess of the Guild Guard and making extensive forays into

unexplored regions of the world, so as to map out all the ritual circles. These journeys

were undertaken for the most part in secret, as the Guild had no Emperor to answer to,

and saw no need to invoke the weak nations that absorbed in destroying one another.

The records of these expeditions are also not available in the Library, and so were

kept from the rest of the Guild. It is my belief that the reason for this was that the

Guild had already perpetuated the fact that it controlled or had ownership of all circles

in Erdreja. Rather than have this obvious lie revealed, they chose instead to attempt to

make it truthful. Some evidence within the Great Library does suggest that the Guild

held a contract with the Empire to maintain all known ritual circles in existence. By

the existence of such a document reveals the conceit of both organisations to be

colossal.



Whatever the truth is, it is known that this was the period in which the mages Guild

Guard established itself. Originally believed to have been a detachment assigned to

the Guild by the order of the Emperor, after the Cataclysm, the Guard found itself to

be the largest and best trained single fighting force in the Heartlands. It seems curious

that the Grandmaster of the time did not attempt to use it in a least some small way to

pacify the lawless lands. Yet it seems the price of human lives in the Dark Years was

of no consequence to him.



On Gargoyles & Golems

For a time during the years of the Dark Ages it is said that the Colour Mages

rediscovered the Ancient Lore on the creation of creatures. The first Gargoyles were

created back in the ancient days of the Elemental Collage of Earth, and served the

decadent wizards who led its ruling council.



In latter days, the College's reliance on such constructs to perform its will proved to

be its undoing. Some imperfection or perfection in the workings of the wizards

allowed the creatures to develop an intelligence of their own. As the Mages relaxed

their guard, so the Gargoyles were less controlled.

Eventually it is said that many of the Earth Colleges fell owing to the neglect of their

members, as other mages were able to simply trap and subvert such creatures.



The key with Gargoyles lies in their name. This remains true today as it was then.

Anyone who knows the true name of a Gargoyle may command its absolute obedience.

The Gargoyle will obey them to the letter and without question.



The weakness of such creature lies when they are kept in groups. If the name of one

Gargoyles is known, it is easy to swiftly obtain the others, if one is clever. It requires

the slip of only one stone tongue to gain the obedience of many.



However the profit of commanding such creatures is limited. Gargoyles are not highly

intelligent creatures, and prove an ineffectual army. They best serve as messengers or

wardens, using their abilities to brave moderate dangers to achieve the aims of their

master.



The construction of a Golem is somewhat different. For the most part these creatures

are less intelligent and more open to command. However, the lore of their

construction, and of commanding them has been lost to us. However, should one be

obtained it is possible for to cause substantial damage with such creatures. All but

impervious to the effects of non-magical attack, one of such creatures is enough to

defeat entire armies.



Golems are typically made of the base Elements. However, the variety of their

construction is usually quite considerable in comparison to Gargoyles, who are mainly

made of stone. It is plain that the arts of magic used in these efforts were refined

considerably in later years.



Nevertheless neither type of creature appeals to me as useful. Such minions have

already proven to be unreliable unless given constant attention, and remain limited in

their interpretations of orders.



Werewolves and Other Were-Creatures

I have never understood the fascination that the populous holds with werewolves, and

other were-creatures. It is a big enough hindrance in life to be a mongrel to be the

product of a union between different species, to be persecuted by both races, such that

there is no on race that one can calls one's own. Being hindered by the weaknesses of

both races, rarely compensated by the combination of the strengths of the races - all

too often I believe that we are defined far more by our weaknesses than our strengths.



But what of the were-creatures, taking one form by day and another by night, when

the moon is full and bright, what a sight. Surely this is the preferred for producing

hybrids? The most well-known of these is without a doubt the werewolf, but were-rats

are surprisingly common, merely much harder to locate. Other were-creatures are also

to be found, however during the daytime it can be very difficult to distinguish them

from the mundanes.



However, why does one go to the trouble of creating a werewolf? Forget all that talk

of them being natural creatures. I never did find one that was not artificially created,

either by ritual, or by contamination by an existing werewolf. Let us make not quibble

over minutiae, Lycanthropy (as we should be correctly referring to this affliction) is a

disease, induced by artificial means. Where the inspiration for their original creation

came from I do not know - I have heard tell over the years of rogue surgeons who

have created hybrid creatures by physical means, perhaps a human wolf hybrid was

tried and found to be a successful match?



Make no bones about it though, Lycanthropy is a disease, admittedly difficult to

acquire accidentally, but still a disease. I have not heard of Healers airing it, but then I

have noticed that people do not look upon it as the infection that it truly is. They are

proud of the werewolves in their midst, despite the fact that when the moon is full

these creatures can go on a rampage the like of which is rarely seen. Fools.



I have oft considered the form of Healing that might cure a creature with

Lycanthropy. I am told that when a person is healed by a Grand Master Healer, that

they have the essence of the Plane of Life channelled into them in such a pure and

concentrated form that they are cured of all ailments that they are suffering, perhaps

this might cure a lycanthrope? Even if it did not cure them, the mere attempt to cure

them of this disorder, which is intrinsically linked to their pattern, would surely cause

excruciating pain, no bad thing in my book. Perhaps this treatment might need to be

combined with High Countermagic to fully cure the Lycanthropy. Perhaps some

experimentation, in the cause of medical science, might be called for.



Concerning the Colour Mages

It is interesting to note that Floris Ilias once offered me the position of Colour Mage.

This was an offer I turned down flat. I have no wish to be a part of his little charade,

and have no stomach for the parlour tricks practised by such wizards as he had

assembled around him.



In uniting the Mages Guild, Every Grandmaster since the days of Thomas the Wise

has sought to obscure the power of our histories. When the Guild did not exist, the

Elemental Colleges were able to explore the Aspects of Magic in their truest and

purest form. The work of the Grandmaster's has been to hide these paths from the

practice of each generation of apprentices, so that they might control their talents, and

impose their doctrine upon all practitioners of magic.



In this little theatre, the Colour Mages stand forth as the Master's chief puppeteers.

What they clamed to represent had no true power, and as such was merely a mask for

their true study. These fools who would believe that we are convinced by their lies

have laughed at each generation, and have taught the cheapest of tricks to any who

would be blinded by their power and seek to follow them.



Is it any wonder that my exploration of the sentience of the Library of Magic show

that several hundred years worth of research and study have been removed? All

volumes pertaining to the codified principles of the Empire Mages no longer exist

within the Libraries records, or memories. These principles were a seasoned system of

Mathematics that explained the craft of magic. Ultimately, this system was flawed, as

the Cataclysm clearly demonstrates, nevertheless they should prove a useful aid to

anyone who would elect to learn of their own talents. But of course they no longer

exist.



Beyond this plane exists a place known only to the Grandmaster and his chosen

followers. It is in this place that all texts and tomes pertaining to Erdreja's magical

past exist. The Library of magic has a living presence in this place, but cannot obtain

access to much of its treasure owing to the arrogance and paranoia of the Grandmaster

Magician.



There is only one way to this location. Only those who have been there may go there

again. They are required to be invited by others. This is how the Grandmaster has

managed to preserve his position, by seducing prominent wizards with the promise of

access to the writings that lie beyond the reach of the Library. Yet even they have no

comprehension of exactly how far his deceit stretches. Wondrous items and Artefacts

created when the world was young rest within this place. Thomas the Wise

fastidiously gathered the works of the Elder Races that were lost, so that the Guild

might prevent any rival from standing against it, in its days of infancy.



Of course there are some Mages who had the sense to refuse the offers of the

Grandmaster. What records there are demonstrate how the Colour mages have also

been used as assassins to eliminate any potential rivals who might exist. In the days

before Ilias' ascension, it is said there was another more talented wizard who might

have proved Merlin's worthy successor. He was named Jovian. No-one knows what

became of this man, yet his name still appears in the annals of the Guild in matters of

theoretical excellence. It is my assumption that he was in some way done away with

by Ilias on his ascendance.



The Colour Mages themselves claim to each be hundreds of years old. Whilst this

might be true for those who are not human, it is less likely for the others, unless they

have resorted to drastic measures so that they might continue their studies. Such a

means of extended life-span can be achieved my making with bargains with Demons,

or worse. Yet such is their arrogance and all consuming hunger for this petty lore,

they will accept any terms on which they might remain.



Those who have managed to keep their dignity, or have not survived the despotic

tasks set for them by their master have been replaced over time. However, these

replacements have not been through the traditional promotion of members of the

Guild. Instead elaborate efforts have been made to preserve the idea that the most

powerful members of the Guild are in some way immortal. To this end, appearances

have been altered or marred so as to have ordinary folk believe that the Mages have

not died. The reason for this it is said, is that the Grandmaster wishes to preserve the

sense of the Guild's all powerfulness that he has tried so hard to create. It is believed

by many in the Guild that this illusion is necessary to maintain ordinary folks' trust in

the Guild as the Caretakers of magic, and wisest of Councillors.



On the Immortal Patterns

The lore of Erdreja pertaining to the physical manifestations of the great patterns is

nonsense. During my studies I have spent long hours attempting to argue the matter,

by I find little evidence to suggest that such creatures should exist. For a pattern to

represent an aspect of the universe so directly, that pattern would have to be of the

purest form. Such a creation could not, and will not, exist within any part of the

weave.



I have examined much of the lore concerning the Grandmaster Magician Floris Ilias.

Whilst I acknowledge the man's tremendous power, and longevity, I refuse to believe

the dogma and mysticism that he has chosen to surround himself with. Such

charlatanism belongs to the practice of false wizards, and the worst of the Elder

Races. To surround oneself with such obvious lies is to inhibit the growth of others in

the magics. I can only surmise that such a carefully crafted web of deceit has been put

in place owing to the Grandmaster's fear of rivals.



However I do believe the aspects exist in their purest form. The tomes themselves are

examples of this. But as I have said before, even they are not pure or perfect. Such

works would cease to exist should they achieve perfection. For anything to exist in

itself it must contain a flaw. Such are the rules of our existence.



It is conceivable by this line of inquiry, that the Grandmaster might represent a

different aspect of equal power to the tomes. However, such an idea is I think naïve.

For Floris Ilias to have achieved mastery of an aspect of the weave he would have had

to have spent countless centuries at study. Whilst the man is long lived, clear records

of his birth date back to less than two hundred years ago. In the life span of wizards

this is a long time, but in the age of magic, it is but a small breath.

There are rumours that circulate of other creatures that represent aspects of the powers

of the world. It is my belief that these legends are a concocted heresy perpetuated by

the Guild of Mages to explain this existence of itinerant powerful members who have

refused to swallow the lies of their Grandmaster. The mysteries that have surrounded

the legends of the Pendragon are an example to name. Whilst there can he no question

that the man was a powerful warrior and king, his efforts to bring peace to Albion in

the Dark Years after the Empire should be commended. However, to suggest he was

anything more than a great king is foolish in the extreme. It is my considered opinion

that the machinations of Corvus, Floris Ilias and the descendants of the House

Karlennon have concocted the web of myths surrounding his existence. Their

demonisation of the man referred to as Mordred is much the same. After all, parents

must always find a reason as to why a child might disagree with them.



My second reason for believing the Grandmaster lacking is that my own studies I

believe can rival his. Since rejecting the teachings of the Guild, I have found much

that they do not understand. My only weakness now lies in the fact that I cannot

obtain access to the Tomes themselves. Still, this is not a complete loss. Without them

I am forced to compensate and to search other periapts that might grant power to my

work.



In the end, for the magic to become free, the Tomes themselves must be unmade and

forged anew. It is said in the darkest of writings that the Books were created by the

Elves in the eldest of days. Yet in these times our understanding of the magic is so

much greater. If the Tomes were destroyed then an opportunity might arise to remake

them in a manner better attuned to the magic itself.



My studies on achieving this proceed a pace. I have discovered a means of obtaining

the artefacts, but my means in doing so must be subtle. The weave placed upon them

by the Grandmaster is strong, no less strong than the defences I have placed around

my own dwelling places. Yet, some concentration upon their weaknesses, and upon

the flaw that he must place in such a work may yet reveal a means of destroying him.



As for the Tomes themselves, to unmake them will require tremendous magics

indeed. As I understand them, each tome is built to be the exact opposite of its counter

element. Fire verses water, Air verses Earth. In this case, no water magic may destroy

a Fire Tome and visa versa. Instead every effort must be made to overload the

receptacle, and thus exploiting its flaw. This must also be the means of remaking such

a device. To fashion a working from pure Air magic might remake such a receptacle,

but a flaw must be placed within such a weave to grant it form, Therefore a magical

creation of Air, might be formed of the physical matter of Earth, etc.



To you the eternal judge, I commend my scribbles, whilst enduring the torture that

you have condemned me to share with the lowest forms of existence. Like a Phoenix;

I yearn to fly once more, and to regain the truth of my eternal birth, and yet as

languish within this fragile and foolish mortal form I know I am cursed to live within

its confines and limits of endurance.



From all my investigations, I have been able to ascertain much about the inalienable

truth of this world that I am condemned and shackled to exist within.

Within this land, there is a flame that burns brighter than any mortal might see or

comprehend. It burns so bright, it is black, burns so hot it is cold, and feed from all

that it touches.



That flame is magic.



In this land there are creatures known as moths, drawn to seductive light of a candle.

In many ways, I am but a moth to the magic. I am not alone in being able to see its

shimmering light, yet I am alone in understanding truly what it means.



The magic burns brightly in Erdreja. Not as brightly as it once did, yet bright enough

still to suit my purpose. Once in years long past it was much brighter, those were the

days of the Elder, when the races understood that the magic was part of them, as much

a part of nature as their right to live and breathe. Yet in their marvelling of their

existence, they lost sight of the possibility of their birthright, and so lost much of the

magic they once had.



The magic remains writhing and howling within our world, yet most have lost the

ability to hear its sweet screams. It is an unpredictable beast, untameable, and

uncontrollable at times, yet docile and servile in others. The magic has no purpose but

its own, and will accept no master, but one who would choose to share its truth, its

quest.



The weaving strands of magic twist and turn throughout existence, trailing far away in

the void and beyond to other worlds, some like and some not so like our own. Yet

unlike other worlds, the Magic of Erdreja is somewhat docile in nature, biddable and

willing, though still surprising powerful. The reason for this lies at the heart of my

discoveries and remains the chief goal of my first quest.



On the construction of the Tomes

I have been rethinking the matter of the flaw that is required to hold the form of a

Tome. My initial research suggested such an imperfection must consist of matter that

is the antithesis of the element to be contained, such as water to fire. However, now

that I have a tome in my possession, no amount of scrutiny reveals any evidence of a

flaw, it appears constructed entirely of its own matrix. How this could be so when my

studies prove such things cannot continue existence in the weave perplexed me for a

long while.



However, I believe I now have the answer. It is known that the ritual circles have

much more potential than the mundane uses they are mostly employed for. By

changing their pattern they can be tuned to realms of more or less magic, depending

on the simplification: or complication of the pattern. This is the key to a tomes

construction, I believe the flaw is the receptacle itself, made of the most inert, non-

magical matter of the tome's own element, collected from the non-magical

extremities, of those realms like ours. This is why it cannot be seen, nor hinders the

flow of magic. It is as a sinkhole when the tome is not used, and a well when the tome

is tapped.

Though no mortal would survive in the extremities, though I would test my senses far

beyond the limits Rahish gave himself, it is possible to pull raw substance through a

ritual circle, pure material and pure magic, the one to contain the other. The artefacts

beneath ritual circles must be used to bind these together, drawing and focussing the

magic whilst the matter is given form. I believe this could be a trigger for the

cataclysm, if the magic was drawn through without an appropriate receptacle to

contain it. However, I still speculate on the precise method the Elders used to fashion

the form of a Tome and what other forms may be fashioned.



I continue to consider performing the feat of building new Tomes myself, to tap those

elements not yet manifest in our realm, but it concerns me that creating a single tome

will tip the balance of our realm too severely. It is my considered option that the only

way to bring such new items into our realm is to first destroy all the tomes and

simultaneously recreate those required to maintain the balance, else tap some form of

counter magic at the same time, but where such power would then be dissipated to I

cannot fathom, certainly not to another circle, nor back the void, the feedback would

be too much. Perhaps into the ritualist creating the Tome, though the risks of such a

feat would be immense, failure would be a fate worse than oblivion.



On the books of light and dark

During my exhaustive studies I have found evidence of a Fifth Tome of Magic,

though only a select few know of its existence, if it has ever truly existed in our realm

at all. I state this as none of my studies have I found what this Tome contains, but

indicate it consists of three parts, and no library contains the knowledge whether these

parts were ever whole. It appears that the Tome exists in potential, rather than reality.

However, I believe I have located the vessels that are the three parts, being the books

of Dark and the book of Light.

Of the location of the book of Light I can only speculate, I find no evidence of its

continued presence in our realm, it is my considered opinion that Floris Ilias knows

only too well the potential of this book and has it concealed, with so many other

artefacts, in that place beyond, where only he and his chosen followers may enter.

That there is only one book I am certain, no matter how much darkness exists in the

void, it takes but one single spark for it to be diminished. Such is the nature of magic,

and such is the nature of light.



However, the books of the Dark, are a different matter. Having studied both, I find

that although each stands complete on its own, containing all that is sustained 'by the

darkness of reality, these books are indeed fragments of some greater whole. Indeed,

the darkness contained within each book changes over time, passing from one book to

the other, even as the pages turn. I have found, in theory at least, these books will bind

to each other, though only a fool would undertake such an task. However, it does

indicate the nature of the binding that would occur were these books ever to embrace

to the book of light.





It is my considered option that were such an event to occur the books would totally

annihilate each other, leaving something altogether different in their place. I can only

speculate as to the nature of the Tome created, but I believe that it would become a

Tome of Void, and hold all the mysteries that are contained within. I also firmly

believe this is why the Tome was never completed, even the Elves where afraid what

may happen, were such a Tome to gain a hold in our realm.

A Theory on Time by Grief

Being a consolidation of research and theory

regarding the nature and functions of

the element of Time



All material contained within must be

regarded as only theoretical

The author takes no responsibility for

mishaps, which may occur when using this

material



Dedication

This work is dedicated to all the mages of the guild who have assisted me in my

studies.



It is also dedicated to the memory of my family who sparked my investigations into

this field. Admittedly I started my research into Time for purely personal reasons,

however, I soon discovered that no matter how great the need for one person to

meddle with the forces of Time it is not worth the end result. I hope to show how as

part of the following work.



If anything is to come of this work it is that the reader will gain an understanding of

the nature and purpose of time. And hopefully to understand that it is not an area to be

meddled with for needless or selfish reasons. In short Time is a force which almost

more than any other effects everything in this universe. Therefore any action without

careful consideration can have considerable adverse effects on the rest of the universe.

Knowledge in this case is paramount and more research must be carried out prior to

attempting anything within the remit of this element than is strictly necessary with

others, save maybe the notable exception of Void.



I hope the reader will enjoy their study of this work. I am, however, always willing to

accept reasoned criticism.

Yours in Magic

Grief

(The Tower of Sorrows - Norsca, January 1099)

The Tapestry



Introduction

This is the fundamental allegory I will be using throughout this work it is a relatively

simple concept and I will do my best to explain it as concisely as possible. All

following chapters and discussions will refer to it. Make sure that you have a full

understanding of all the concepts outlined before progressing further.



The Thread (A base unit in the universe)

Consider this. Everything in the universe has a thread. This thread is created when the

object is created. For example a new thread is created when a child is born, or when a

weapon-smith makes a sword, even when a meal is made.

There is, however, a difference between the Created threads in the above examples.



When a child is born a completely new thread is created, since it is a new entrant to

the universe. But when a sword is made, constituent parts are required, such as the

steel. The thread from the steel is changed by the actions of the smith. Therefore at

that point the threads would split to form a new thread for the sword as well as the

thread for the steel, which is left over carrying on as a separate thread.



The logical assumption, given this is the case, is that threads can only be created and

manipulated by other threads. If you are thinking along those lines you are correct.

This brings me neatly onto the most important section of this chapter: A discussion of

the tapestry.



What is the Tapestry?

Simply put the tapestry is a concoction of all the threads as mentioned above. Each

thread interconnects with several other threads and will therefore dictate the course of

those threads it meets.



Putting it more elegantly and in terms which can relate to existence; when an item

affects another item, the two threads of those items affect each other, altering their

course and thereby altering time.



We know this phenomenon as a meeting. If you consider your life so far, think back

on all those you have met And All the things you have done. Each meeting has

Affected your life to a lesser or greater extent. Examples of this are meeting the

person who is to become your best friend for the first time in your life, meeting the

mage who first introduced you to your talents or maybe first holding a sword.



A diagrammatic representation of this can be found below (fig 1).









As you can see from the diagram, the meeting has moved thread „A‟ significantly.

Thread „B‟ has not moved from its original course.

It is impossible to gauge the effect on a particular thread when it encounters another

unless both are known intimately. However reasonable estimates can be made

depending on the nature of the thread and therefore the person/object it is linked to.

For example if we took the example threads of a normal man and that of a demon. It

would be reasonable to assume that the man would be more affected than the demon

would, similar to a man running into a brick wall.



Therefore we can draw some ultimate conclusions about the nature of the tapestry and

the threads which comprise it.



If a thread changes course within the tapestry on meeting another thread, then it

follows that the threads will now meet other threads and effect them. In this way the

tapestry is woven. Threads inter-link and create a fundamental pattern to the universe.



Past, Present & Future

What do we conclude from the universe being a tapestry woven over time?



Simply put we can see that the tapestry is only being woven in the present and that it

is already been woven in the past. In this manner we acquire a past. The past is the

tapestry fully woven. Everything has been decided and all actions have been recorded

into the ultimate pattern.



What of the future? Prophecy? And Destiny?



Well seeing as threads follow a course and only change their course when they

encounter other threads a certain amount of limited future knowledge can be gained

by anyone. For example I can predict now that you will finish reading this sentence.

There, that prediction came true! This is mainly because of probability. It is probable

that you will not be killed in the next 10 seconds. These are all simple predictions

everyone can make. Logically the further you go into the future the more unreliable

such predictions will be.



There is one caveat on this the more one knows the thread the more one can predict

which threads it will likely cross and what the ultimate effect of this crossing will be.

It is safe to assume that given the choice a mage would not enter hand to hand combat

with anyone. Therefore it is safe to assume that the mages path will not cross that of a

creature which is combat oriented, at least directly. Whereas you can easily assume

that a warrior would willingly enter combat with that creature. Therefore assumptions

can be made as to the future based on how well the participants are known.



But how does this help us if we do not know them ourselves? We look at the thread,

follow it and draw conclusions from nearby threads, then you extrapolate. I will cover

this more in detail in the section called "Predicting the future, a question of

probabilities"



Time Travel

How many of us have not dreamed of the opportunity to travel in time. To see the

advances in Erdreja, what the future holds for our descendants or for us, or possibly to

replay an instance of time with the benefit of hindsight. If it is for this purpose that

you are reading this work then I would urge you to put it down immediately. Through

many long years of study, and devoting myself to the concepts of the element, I have

come to the conclusion that such travel is possible. However the dangers associated

with doing so far outweigh any benefit which may be gained.

I would best serve this document by explaining the intricacies of travel in either

direction separately. I shall start with the future.



This poses us with a single inherent problem to begin with. Since the tapestry is built

of probability and is constantly weaving itself based upon the directions of threads,

the future is mutable and in a permanent state of flux. If it has not been written yet

then how can it be visited?



Obviously it cannot unless the future is at that point so secure that the thread moving

will not loose itself and become unravelled and absorbed into the unwoven threads.

Small jumps of possibly a minute or two may well be possible but beyond that I

would start to fear for the safety of the individuals involved. Simply put I would not

advise such a foolish endeavour. Far better than travelling forwards would be scrying

somehow. But I leave the mechanisms of scrying up to the individual.



As to the past, this would theoretically be an easier undertaking. But there are

difficulties with this as well. Firstly a thread transposed to the past would re link with

itself and then there would be two possible outcomes.



Either the thread would merge with itself leaving a redundant loose thread joining to

the tapestry at the point the travel was undertaken. Thus meaning that the thread

would effectively be removed from the tapestry at the point transport took place. And

leaving the unfortunate soul to life in an ever-unchanging loop of time. Experienced

over and over again.



The other prospect is no less pleasant. I have heard tale from various sources of a

shadow realm. One in which time is a reflection of what happens. In this scenario the

threads travelling back would reach the destination in the past as they had intended,

but a sub-tapestry would be created splitting off from the main flow. The travellers

would essentially enter their own time line. A time line divorced from the natural

tapestry. They could effect change to the sub-tapestry, but could never change the

main one. I am not even sure if at any point once they had entered the sub-tapestry,

they would be able to return to the main one. This is something that would require

extensive research and experimentation, beyond the intended scope of this document.



Predicting the future, a question of probabilities

As to scrying the future, this is essentially a question, as the title of this section

suggests, of probability.



What do I mean by this? Well simply put imagine the following scenario. You have a

group of four people in a tavern, a Mage, an Incantor, a Warrior and a Scout. If there

was a sudden attack on the tavern by bandits how would each react. Think carefully.



Most likely the Scout would use stealth, the Warrior would attack to the front. The

Mage would cast offensive spells and the Incantor would attempt to appeal to their

better nature.



Simple probability.

This becomes more complex when you consider that the four were all wolves and

followed their own Ancestors. Say the Warrior followed Tyr, the Scout Thor, the

Incantor Fenris and the Mage Kvasir.



This would change the situation. Most likely now is that the Warrior would try to

subdue the bandits and bring them to justice; the scout would be very aggressive in

his attack; the Incantor would do his best to use the bestial nature of his Ancestor to

cow the bandits into submission, and the Mage would analyse the situation before

taking any action.



A simple change as this has changed the whole nature of the instance in time.



Therefore it is safe to assume that the better one knows a threads nature, the better one

can predict its actions.





To accurately scry the future you must know the thread intimately almost as well as

you know your own.







Magical Theory

Based on Mage Jinks lecture of 16th Nov 1102, by ArchMage Terwin (College of

Light)



Introduction

This is a thesis based on a number of lectures given by Mage Jinks at the Mages

Conclave 1102. It also contains notes I have from a number of other sources.

Acknowledgements are included at the end for use in further reading. I hope the

reader enjoys this look into the complexity that is magic within Edreja.



Brief Overview

How does magic work and why do we need the Mages Guild are questions often

being asked. The answer in brief goes something like this.



The World is a giant egg, inside the Void. Between the Void and us a barrier has

formed. This Barrier prevents the Void crashing in and destroying us all, but it

does allow small amount in that allows us to use magic. The Mages Guild insures

that the weak points in this Barrier are maintained to prevent the uncontrolled

flood of magic into an area (Ritual Circles).



Of course that is a very simplistic view of the nature of the universe and I shall

now elaborate further.



The Great Egg

The World upon which we stand is infact an egg. The

Egg of an element Dragon laid thousands of years ago.

To see a representation of this examine the model of

balance (Fig 1). Many of the Worlds that travel

though the Void are eggs laid by these great creatures.

Others are just elements that have formed together.



Due to the strong connection to the plane of life,

these eggs are normally populated by a number of

intelligent races. Worlds made up of the elements tend to be more barren,

containing few creatures, which are closely tied in with the elements. These Eggs

also have a strong tie with the element of Time. It is this connection that in part

forms the Barrier between it and the Void.



Through out its history the baby has shifted a couple of time. The last was in about

1100, this caused the flows of magic to shift. Mage Jinks did observe that he

believed that it was about time for the Egg to hatch.



The Barrier

Formed between the element of Void and the element of Time (which are

opposites), it prevents the energies of the void crashing uncontrollable into our

world. Luckily this Barrier is not completely solid and is riddled with tiny holes,

which allow small amounts of void into our world. It is this that we use when we

cast are everyday spells. Ritual circle are bigger holes within this barrier that have

been plugged to prevent a huge rush of magic though.



The balance is very important, Alexander of Palermo wrote, "Should too much

magic flow then the world's balance will swing towards a state almost like

intoxication, magical discoveries will rush onwards at the expense of more

mundane solution. The magic will eventually lead the world into a spiral of doom

towards its own end, in another cataclysm. Likewise if the opposite is the case and

to little flows then it would be as if the source of life was itself cut from us and the

world would ebb fail and die in plague and famine all life would be destroyed"



It is worth noting that although ritual circles can potentially allow a large amount

of void energy in, causing wide scale destruction, the total void leakage is small

compared to the amount that flows though the tiny holes that permeate the

barrier. It is this tiny leakage that allows mages to cast their spells even then there

is no circle for miles.



The Mages Guild in it quest to maintain the balance of magic created a tool to help

it monitor the barrier. Ritually created at the Gathering of Nations 1102, it maps

the physical layout of the world and then superimposes a representation of the

barrier.

Ritual Circles

The places were we perform the most powerful of magic's, calling directly on the

power of the void. The main function of a circle though is to act as a plug in the

barrier. Figure 2 show a simple diagram of the circle and its connection to the

barrier.



The Void









Seal

Fig 2.



In some cases ritual circle are deliberately created, by weakening the barrier. This

is done for a number of different reasons. Normally it is made because that point

in the barrier is already weak and in danger of failing.



Construction of Circles

Once a suitable site has been selected for a circle, normally away from build up

areas, as some times the circles "flare" releasing the pressure that builds up around

the seal. The barrier is further weakened and the power of the void channelled

through a number of binding stones. This power is then channelled back towards

the void to form the seal preventing the further release of void energies.



Transport Circles

Most seals aren't perfect, if they were there wouldn't be any void energy to form

them. The small (in comparison) amount of energy that does leak through creates

a ripple effect on the flows of magic within the world. Flows of magic are covered

later but for now think of them as a lake. By extending the pattern /ripples of the

circle as shown in below (fig 3) it is possible to include other places. These place

are transport circles.



Main Circle

Fig 3

When you transport from a transport circle you travel these "ripples" until you

reach the main circle. You then travel up into the barrier, this is possible even if

the circle is sealed. From there you travel through the cracks (fig 2) until you

reach another circle.



It should be noted that due to the closeness of the Void, how you perceive time

can change. It is also possible to "loop" yourself within these fissures staying

within the barrier indefinitely.



Ritual Circle Networks

Circles that have a lot of connection to other circles by ways of the crack within

the barrier are called a network. Due to the lower number of paths between

networks it's normally a lot hard to travel between them. Needing more energy to

push through some of the "thinner" cracks. These networks are normally

geographically close together as well, with the Heartlands being a good example of

a Network.





Flow of Magic

As the forces of the Void push into our world they take on a flavour of the

elements they find here. (Earth, Air, Fire and Water). This flow acts much like a

river and surges through the countryside. It course dictated by the make up of the

terrain it pass through. At certain points this flow swells up creating "pools" of

magic. These areas need to be drained else the area becomes dangerous and

unstable. To drain an area a sinkhole is created. Similar to a ritual circle it also has

an add feature. This feature is a hole about fifty feet deep, constructed to conduct

the surplus void energies down through it. As it passes down it flows through a

number of lens, until it hit the bottom where it is reflected back up into the void.



Knowledge of how terrain affects the different strands of the flow is useful in the

construction of Magic Items.



Stone/Rock is slow to store the energy but once it's in it tends to be low powered

but very durable.

Wood tends to be quick to allow the flow in, but just as quick to allow it out again.



Different threads of the flow are also connected to certain materials



Silver-Time

Gold - The Void

Brass - Fire



This is why silver does a good job of effecting creatures coming from the Void.



The Tomes

To understand the Tomes we need to look at the deep past, to the time of the

Sundering. This was when Lloth had died, becoming an ancestor. The Elves were

split in to two factions, eventual leading to war. During the war both sides pulled

heavily on the threads that made up the flow of Magic. They would rip strands of

fire from the weave and cast it upon enemy cities, pull earth strands to create

earthquakes etc.



Over time the treads were separated from each other and the world pattern. These

strands thrashed and flailed about, causing great damage.



Realising what they had done the elves set about to correct the damage. We don't

know if they couldn't or won't reform the weave. Instead they created the Tomes

to lock the elements back into the main flow.





Tome

Loresti Elves Earth

Sylvan Elves Air

Aquilas Elves Water

Vermilion Elves Fire





With the destruction of a Tome as with the case in 1100 with the loss of the Tome

of Fire, the thread becomes lose. Strange magical effects including floating swords

were witness. When the Tome of Air (1102) was unlocked the effect was a lot less

severe but still quite dangerous.





Travelling in the Void

I should start by saying that travelling in the void is extremely dangerous; the void

is not a friendly place to anyone with any connection to time. The normal method

of travelling through the void is by performing a ritual, which extends the weave

of our world to the selected destination. Unfortunately this only creates a very

thin corridor, which isn't totally stable and if often the focus of void entities. It is

therefore often necessary to travel to closer point, pick up supplies and move on

from there.







Fig 4



Also due to being surrounded by Void energies the time or perceived time to

travel is not constant.



Void Walking

For those creatures of the Void it is possible to walking through the void directly.

How it appears is dependent on the observer.



Void Ships

This creation are like mini worlds that contain their own barrier that protects

them from the worst of the void.



The Casting of Spells

Most living things are made up mainly of the four physical elements. The mind is

made up off Air and Fire, the body from Water and Earth. When a spell is cast you

attempt to manipulate different elements. For instance in a sleep spell you attempt

to affect the stands of Air (which is normally passive) within the mind. This then

over comes the fire part of the mind and sends you to sleep.



In a fear spell you affect the fire element. With strike down you affect the water

part of the body.



True Magic

Involves manipulating the thread directly. It can be used to mimic all the other

channelling arts. For instance instead of calling on the plane of life and using it on

a body, you directly manipulate the threads that make up the body until they are

whole again.



To compare it to a shatter spell, instead of forcing strands of air into an object,

True Magic would manipulate "pattern'' of an object to be broken. The same affect

but different methods of achieving it. The true magic version wouldn't just be

limited to an object the size of a large shield but could "shatter" whole houses.



Acknowledgments

Mage Jinks

Master Light(information on void travel)

Alexander of Palermo (for his work on the barrier)

Captain Dogan

Magical Theory & The Universal

Amalgam

An Essay on the Workings of the Void and Patterns

(Including Cadres, Petrifaction, Psionics and Ritual Magic)

Third Edition – 1106AF

By Professor Dimitri von Dracmodor, Faculty of Demonology, University of

Teutonia



Foreword

First off try not to panic, this shouldn't be like a long drawn out drone but

hopefully an interesting read ringing you closer to understand what is actually

going on around you, maybe you want this as a party piece at guild meetings or

maybe just to shut up that mage that won't stop going on about how magic is

better than incantation, you will be able to set him straight that its in fact all the

same power you're just a little more different from him, and let's be honest that

isn't always a bad thing.



This document covers many areas. Due to this, some subjects are covered in less

depth without having to extend the document by an extra few hundred pages...

you can thank me later. It should be noted that reading this document will not

make you an expert, fee paying Faculty students are reminded to speak to a

professor before performing dangerous experiments.



I would like to thank the Faculty of the University of Teutonia, if it wasn't them

pushing me forward to take up a Professorship in the University then this would

have never got finished this side of the Cataclysm.



Dimitri

1105 AF





What is Magical Theory and the Universal Amalgam?

The most important thing to cover is that Magical Theory is a title which most

people can understand, it should really be Void Theory, the reason for this is that

the Void touches everything, it links every place to another, be it other Cosmic

Eggs like Erdreja or inner void and the pathways of light.



The Universal Amalgam is the template which all "Patterns" are made up of; each

Cosmic Egg has its own delicate balance, which may be altered by the local

happenings such as Cataclysms or great abuses of the Void's might through Ritual

Magics. The Amalgam is made up of 16 Lesser Aspects, which fall under the

"Jurisdiction" of 4 Greater Aspects; the Lesser Aspects "Elemental Nature" denotes

which Greater Aspect is its overseer. The greater Aspects do not appear within the

pattern of an object or person itself they are part of the Universal Amalgam of the

Erdreja.









The Void



The Outer Void

The Outer Void is an almost infinite expanse of nothing, it is only a matter of time

before objects or people within the Void succumb to its might. The very nature of

the Void is to channel power from one place to another and touching all magics as

it is their source. This is where the Cosmic Egg Erdreja hangs and all the other

Eggs once laid by a Pair of Dragons.

Recently it has been proven that take magic items into the Void is a bad idea as it

attracts certain demons, most regularly the J'Roth Phyla (See Demonic

Classifications by Arch Chancellor Viktor von Geshalt) as this Phyla has an

affinity for magic.



The Inner Void

The Inner Void is in fact within Erdreja, existing within the Egg; this enables us to

use the Paths of Light to transport from one location to another within the

network of Heartlands Ritual/Transport Circles. It is possible to travel to a

different network of Ritual/Transport Circles out only through the use of a Ritual.

The knowledge of Paths of Light returned to the Heartlands in 101 AF when an

old document by Atan Al Rashish was recovered, they were infact built long

before when the Ritual and Transport Circles were created. Atan Al Rashish had

also used Ritual Circles to step further into "Higher" and "Lower" planes, this

requires an incredible amount of Skill, Control and Power, the planes being Closer

or Further away to magic.









Aspects and Patterns

The Aspects, also called the Elements and Lesser Aspects are the building blocks of

everything, their weave fills every Pattern; magical, alien, unliving, living or

inanimate. The Strength of the Aspect within a thing denotes its nature in all

forms from the Physical to the Ability to manipulate the Void.



Greater Elemental Lesser

Aspect Nature Aspects

Creation Physical Earth Air Fire Water

Existence Concept Reality Illusion Fortune Fate

Void Ethereal Time Magic Spirit Knowledge

Neutrality Alignment Law Chaos Good Evil



The Physical Aspects are the Elemental building blocks of the Physical form; they

make the "Physical Pattern". For example a strong amount of Earth within the

Pattern will give greater strength and resilience. The stronger a Pattern is in all

the Physical Aspects, the better it will hold "magics "for a longer time;

Mastercrafted Objects are a good example of this.



The Concept Aspects govern the perception of the world, how the things around it

will interact with them and their destiny through Reality, Illusion, Fate and

Fortune.



The Ethereal Aspect denotes the force of will and mind, forming the Mind

Pattern. A person or object with a greater level of Ethereal Aspects in its Pattern

will have a greater link to the Void and that Aspect to show its "magical' nature.

So an Incantor’s is more aligned to the Aspect of Spirit, when a person has a strong

alignment to all of the Ethereal Aspects they understand how to manipulate

"magic" on a Ritual Level without the need of a ritual circle or they are a

Personification. If your mind has been altered or tampered with it shows in the

Mind Pattern.



The Alignment Aspects form the person's disposition and morals, I will not try to

explain the basics of Law, Chaos, Good and Evil as I feel that you should have a

grasp of these concepts to get this far.

Sentience and Life span

Sentience comes from the level of the Mind Pattern's complexity, the exact part of

the Pattern actually grants Sentience and Self-Awareness is unknown perhaps

only to those with the greatest of knowledge, even then if it is possible to truly

create this is unknown.

The Span of the creature's life is dependant on the stability of the Pattern itself

and not the level of complexity but this can have a factor as if the body is flawed

this will also weaken the Pattern and hence killing it faster in a similar way to a

Fatal Necromantic wound will cause the Pattern to unravel and therefore killing it

earlier than it would normally live.

Alien Patterns

These Patterns are as they suggest, not from this place, not in the common sense of

across the seas, but from a different place somewhere else within the Void. Due to

the nature of Channelling being tied to the Universal Amalgam of Erdreja, an

untrained healer can not cure wounds on an Alien Pattern; likewise they are not

affected by Necromantic effects.

Magical Patterns

While these are not "Alien" they are very rare and in a strict sense not alive, the

exception Being the Personifications who are a unique bonding of Magical Pattern

and Normal Living Pattern. The more common Magical Patterns are Golems and

Elementals which while they appear to be sentient are perhaps on par with a blade

of grass.



Personification of the Aspects

The Personifications, also referred to as Immortal Patterns and Embodiments, are

the Personifications of each of Erdrejas' Aspects, both Greater and Lesser. These

are essentially altered Beings who host the Aspect of Universal Amalgam. A

Personification will normally use their Aspect or their original name, this is not a

hard rule but the option of the Personification.



The Greater Aspects are different by their very nature, Void and Creation create

their own forms using their might and power, Neutrality much like the other

Aspects takes hosts, while retaining the title Floris. Existence is a unique case, not

much is known about "him" or "Eric", many if not all personifications refer to him

as "the one we don't talk about", this seems to be from fear of Existence taking

form, my own beliefs on this subject is that it would be a Cataclysmic effect.



It is surmised that the Aspects take forms so they may interact with Erdreja when

the time is needed, in their natural state they are observers, in a more Erdrejan

form they have a personality and mind like any other person, a combination of the

temperament of the Aspect and the host itself,



Chaos may only Personify if the Chaos Knights: Mayhem, Oblivion, Reaper,

Disorder, Random, Executioner, Discord are together.

Law may only Personify if Excalibur, the Hart's Artefact sword is formed from,

the Seven Swords of Wayland: Albion, Beleth, Elidor, Louros, Morax, Orias, Solas.



The Items of Power

The 16 Items of Power (Tomes, Orbs, Runes and Helms) are ancient magical items

created by the Elder Races that they wished to master, each ties strongly into the

Aspect of the Amalgam which it represents. This create a significant sway over

that Aspect and a safety net holding the wild magics created by rituals and the

like in check, without them, with the damage done to the Erdreja already would

spell the end or maybe the beginning.



Items Elemental Aspect

Form Nature





Tomes Physical Earth Air Water Fire

Runes Concept Reality Illusion Fortune Fate

Orbs Ethereal Time Magic Spirit Knowledge

Helms Alignment Law Chaos Good Evil



Each item holds three levels of power. The first is accessible to most people, in the

form of a Spell or Incantation of High Magic a number of times a day. The Second

is that in the hands of a Ritualist they will help control the flow of the Void

thereby increasing the rituals power. The third is only in the hands of a person

with the ancient knowledge of the true purpose of the Items, to control magic on a

Ritual level. Similar to the Personifications, the Items of Power contain an altered

thread of the Aspects, this gives them Sentience.



When the Tome of Fire sacrificed itself in 1100 AF at the Heartlands Gathering of

Nations, the thread of Fire wove into the Tome by the Sylvan Elves moved freely

and wildly altering the flows of the Pattern of Erdreja and creating pulses of

magic, this was a better option than the Cataclysm which would have been of Fire.



The Herald of the Aspects and their Champions

The Personifications need help, despite their power they are bound to their level

of interaction with "us mere mortals'', due to this agreement they require agents

these come in the form of the Champions and their Herald.



Each of the 20 Aspects may take Champions, those who embody the very nature

of the Aspect, much like the effects of a ritual they are granted gifts to do the work

that their master requires. The Champions of the Greater Aspects are some times

called Guardians.

To create Champions and to perform other tasks, especially those related to

Cataclysms, Void and Creation create the form of the Herald of the Aspects. The

task of Heralding the Aspects is a great one, not only for the things they must do

for their 20 masters but also that come the next Cataclysm it will be their last day,

the final sunrise before their Pattern is used to create the next Herald come the

time of the next Cataclysm.









What is a Cataclysm?

In simple terms a Cataclysm is the Universal Amalgam changing to rebalance the

Egg, this is to stop the egg itself coming to greater harm, the effects of a Cataclysm

depends on the type that occurs, this is denoted by its Elemental Nature (Physical,

Concept, Alignment or Ethereal) and the Aspect itself.



The Cataclysm of Water in 397 AF which still currently runs the end of its long

reign, altered the Universal Amalgam of the Egg, hence why after the Cataclysm

some magics are harder to control than they once were. Water is also a Physical

Aspect; due to this it caused great floods occurred in the Heartlands, killing

thousands and altering land masses as far away as Nihhon.



Cadres & the Aspect/Pattern War

Come the time of a Cataclysm there is conflict over who will direct the direction

of the Cataclysm itself, this comes in many forms of machinations by the

Personifications themselves, due to the nature of the Aspects the Personifications

embody, the conflicts occur on many levels.



These conflicts do not always occur if the damage happens too fast for example

had the Tome of Fire not sacrificed itself in Tanis in 1100 AF then a Cataclysm

would have occurred without a war or conflict by the Aspects.



To stop these things getting out of hand the Personifications have a set of rules

which they must live by, clearly crossing this line can result in an offending

Personification to be removed from the host and taken to a place far away where

an Aspect can be placed to stop Personification. The offending Aspect still exists

but is merely out of the picture to interfere and is forced to exist as a concept.



The Cadres are the four sides of the war, they each represent how the Aspect work

together, the Cadres have changed in the past, Evil abused Knowledge's domain

and created the Planes of Unlife by corrupting himself this caused Time and

Knowledge to switch positions.



Feast (Good, Spirit, Fortune and Water) – Enough for all, Prosperity,

Opportunities for all.

Famine (Evil, Time, Fate and Fire) - not enough for all, those with great sway have

the goodies, No opportunities to gain or grow.



War (Chaos, Magic, Illusion and Air) - Change, Nothing is static from weather to

power.

Peace (Law, Knowledge, Reality and Earth) - The Empire, Everything is static and

predictable.



Post Cataclysm

The Cataclysm is a time of rebalanced, a hard fix for a serious situation, the

actually direction of how the world will be after the Cataclysm is lead by the

Personifications, the ultimate choices are in the hands of mortals and this forges

the future of the egg.



The actions of mortals can direct and guide the path of the oncoming storm,

through action and belief, the best choice a person can make is those truest to

themselves, there is as such no right or wrong answer but only one that you and

the individuals form and build, be it guild or faction.



The Conclave

Who are the Conclave?



The Conclave are some of the remnants of the Elder races after the "Race Wars"

between the Younger and Elder races.



The younger races lead by what would become the Empire of Man wanted

freedom away from the eye of the Elder races, who believed that the Younger

races were not ready for this. Informed of their request for a seat on the Council of

Estel they rebelled.



Whilst neither side was right, the Younger Races do abuse ritual magics but the

Elder Races had no right to do that which they did, so the Race Wars began.



The Race War was abruptly ended when the Mordred Device was made by man,

with no defence against the aging effects the Elder Races fell. The then forming

Conclave fled into the Void to find a safe haven to rebuild and plan.



And so began the greatest of the old grudges...



What do they want?

The Conclave seem to have a simple agenda born upon this ancient grudge to kill

the Younger Races and all who work with them, they believe the Younger Races

an infection that must be purged.

Since the Conclaves Base of operations appears to be off world at the least, they do

not care about the Cataclysm, hoping it will destroy all traces of the Younger

Races so they can start again.









Manipulation of the Amalgam

The Aspects which form the Universal Amalgam can through training and focus

maybe manipulated to perform differing tasks, like anything involving the use of

the Aspects always remember the three C's: Conjuring, Concentration and Control

of sufficient power to evoke, the desired effect.



Low Magic

Often called Battle Magic, the first and second levels of both Spell Casting and

Incantation, is the manipulation of simple patterns to form effects of a set trained

pattern.



High Magic

With training, experience and an eye for magic it is possible la form more

complex, patterns from the Amalgam, such manipulations while still below the

power of a Ritual can have far greater and more devastating effects, but still upon a

set and trained path.



Channelling

Unlike other Power Users, Healers and Necromancy can Channel power directly

from the Planes of Life or Unlife to perform their "magics", when a Channeller

works their art they are in fact acting as a conduit allowing the power to flow.



Psionics

Psionics are seemingly Alien form of Aspect of Magic, perhaps from places in the

Universe where the Plane or Egg has a very different Aspect of Magic. Psionics

can not be countered by a spell caster or incantor. Also training or Ritual Powers

that would stop a spell do not effect do this, where as defence against a non

verbally use effect would work, this points towards that Psionics are merely too

Alien for Erdrejan "Magics" to counter such as in the case of Alien Patterns and

Channelling.



Ritual Manipulation

Manipulating ritual magic is a very differing art from Low and High Magics; these

offer a known pattern, with known results. A skilled Ritualist will be able to

estimate with enough information about the ritual circle what it should be capable

of, and a very skilled Ritualist may even be able to some extent guarantee certain

things from experience and knowledge, but only the masters of this art can tell for

sure, through the use of ancient techniques mostly lost to time.



Whereas Low and High Magic users manipulate a single pattern, ritualists are

performing many careful balancing tasks controlling, creating and manipulation

many patterns at once, while watching the ebb and flow of the power within the

circle, the contributors as well as gifting power to the ritual are also an important

part of balancing and fine tuning the ritual circle and focusing the power.

The use of Spell Tempered and Mastercrafted Objects aid in this and but to create

a more perfect item from this requires the object to be far more perfect to hold the

magics for longer as it will hold the pattern better this holds true to a greater

extent with the use of items beyond spell tempering with the object prepared

specially for the ritual, Master Armourer would carefully forge such items, using

Aspect(s) specific to the ritual to make an object when taken into a ritual circle

and the correct ritual used upon it would create items with far more stable

patterns than most of the items created today.



Greater Magics

Beyond that of a person with the knowledge to use ritual circles are those who do

not require a Ritual Circle to create Ritual Level feats, when they focus, they see

and feel the Amalgam before them, plucking at the threads of the Void creating

what they desire. Also falling into this bracket are things such as True Magic and

True Song.



Manipulation of Living Pattern

The manipulation of a Living Pattern can created a number of effects, some good

and some bad.



Low and High Level Magics

Through these manipulations of Magics it is possible to create temporary effect on

an individual, the greater the power of the magic the longer the duration, the

exception being when the effects are of a very large magnitude.



Ritually Altered

A trained Ritualist can place a temporary change to the Pattern of an individual,

these acts as covering over the person's pattern not permanently altering it but

adding to it and thus creating "gifts".



A Ritualist of almost unrivalled might (within the Heartlands) can permanently

after the Pattern of a person, even then the effects are often not truly permanent

But until the Pattern leaves the body, a strong enough Ritual will even hold the

Pattern in the body but this is incredible rare due to the imperfection of the target

subject and the power required.

It should he noted that the overuse of Ritual Circles with yourself as a target can

be a danger to your health, the knowledge of current Ritualists is not great enough

to alter the pattern more than a handful of times, the more it is altered the more

imperfections in the Pattern can occur, past a point your Pattern would just

unravel. Altering an already ritually enhanced pattern is also a very risky indeed,

however it is possible for those with great skill to after the pattern of an already

enhanced pattern, I am one such living example of such work having been ritually

altered twice by the power of the Archdruid Elistan von Dracmodor, after an

unwanted Lycanthropy situation,

Channelling

Both Necromancy and healing affect the Pattern of the individuals in a varied

array of effects, commonly healing is a positive effect and Necromancy a negative

effect on the individual.



The effects are commonly known and experienced by many, while Necromancy

remains a dark hidden art, difficult and dangerous to learn.



The path to Necromancy itself can start from any form of "power wielder" not just

Channelers, both Incantors and Mages can with the correct training attain a link

to the plane of Unlife while learning how to Channel its power.



Petrification

"Probably the worse pattern effect in the world… ", this alteration on the Pattern

is an incredibly powerful one, once you have been petrified your Physical Pattern

slowly becomes stone, the fact that the stone stays magical indefinitely shows that

the alterations to the Physical Pattern are bad for your health they are fairly

Perfect.



Curing Petrification; If within a minute of the person being 'Petrified', get a

Healer to Cure Fatal to the touch location and then Counterspell each bodily

location. If a minute has passed then Cure Fatal and every bodily location. It

should be noted that I have not been able to test this but I have been informed

that it will work, if in doubt use more Counterspells and Cure Fatal.



Vampirism

Vampirism alters the Pattern of the person affected by it, unlike Lycanthropy the

form either magically created or infected makes little or no difference. Vampirism

itself creates a flaw in the Pattern it alters, this can be seen in the inability to go

out in the Sun and also the need to feed on others, thus for a short while repairing

their Pattern otherwise their Pattern would unravel.



Lycanthropy

Lycanthropy comes in one of three forms, Disease, Magical based or Birth. A born

"Were" maybe either a Disease type, ritual or maybe even a combination of both

dependant on the Amalgam structure of both Parents.



Lycanthropic Disease, is an uncontrolled, un-evolving form of Lycanthropy,

caused by being mauled under a full moon to the point of death and surviving the

attack and changes to your body as the disease takes hold of your Pattern, altering

it. Those who have been through such an experience will find their body shift and

twist under the full moons light but retaining nothing of their personality as the

disease takes control of their form.

Magical based Lycanthropy is normally an altered form of the Lycanthropic

disease, those who have been through this process gain control and might over

time, while the early stages of such may appear similar to the disease, they are in

fact very different, but once again the Pattern is altered by such an occurrence.

The Pattern forge of Ustica

On the Island of Ustica, located in the Empire Isles, which was once the home of

the Heartlands guilds has a Pattern Forge, located just near the Bar.



The Forge's Guardian has a Hammer which is the Amalgam's Key to unlocking it's

power, with it a Pattern can be manipulated, the effects of Pattern alterations can

be wide ranging and equal to the power of a Ritual Circle if used correctly. It

should be noted that in the hands of the Forges Guardian the Hammer can cause

Petrifying strikes, while he can be polite to talk to keep your distance if unsure.



Who’s That/I Spy

Below is a list of the current Personifications and Champions of the Aspects, both

of these can and do change, Personifications less often.

The blank spaces represent those not personified or seen in recent times, maybe

collect the set and find me for a prize.



Aspect Personification Champion

Creation Creation Nym

Earth

Air

Fire Lasha

Water Name Unknown

(Disembodied)

Existence Various

Reality Spittle

Illusion Orcus

Fortune

Fate

Void Void

Spirit Gwion Hargan

Knowledge Scullion

Time Squeeker

Magic Abar Bisquis

Neutrality Floris (“In the box”) Celadore Rulien (dead)

Good Schadel (Disembodied) Sister Bethanie

Evil Satuun

Law Elias Karlenon Gullen Sunstone

Chaos Mordred Weatherspoons









The Authors Last thoughts

Cataclysms come and go so stop panicking, stay true to what you believe and

know and you can’t go far wrong. I would like to add also that cataclysms are also

caused by abuse of Rituals and other greater magics, the people of the Heartlands

have not yet learned this important fact. While Ritualists without proper

knowledge and ritual might use Ritual Circles the Heartlands will be doomed to

re-suffer past lessons of the importance of the Amalgam.



Interested on learning more, come visit the Halls of Commerce (Part of the Bank

of Erdreja) we have a large library on a wide band of information and maps.



After reading this document you should have more than a good theoretical

knowledge on how the Universe works a little better, from here I would suggest

going out into the world and discovering more for yourself and how this

newfound knowledge worlds in practice. Find an area of things that interest you

and go for it, just remember to check back and let me know how you’re doing.



Dimitri von Dracmodor June 1105 AF



Bibliography

 Cosmology and Life & Arcane Lore –Atan Al Rashish

 Demonic Classifications – Arch Chancellor Viktor von Geshalt

 The Art of Channelling - Frantica Karrash-Morr



Thanks to (in no particular order)

 All of Existence for being there

 Scullion for hours of talking

 Acbar al-Rashish for his insights

 Gwion for being helpful, insightful & wise

 Jinx for his knowledge on the last Cataclysm

 Lasha for his insightful thrust of conversations

 Water for being the last Cataclysm

 Archangel for teenage angst and being evasive

 Sister Bethanie for trying despite all odds

 The Mages Guild for their input

 Elistan von Dracmodor for a new view on Incantation and Faith

 Elistan and Viktor von Geshalt for Ritual discussions

 Runt for early Aspect charts

 Pyrites for enthusing me to find the truth

 The Orb of Knowledge for being a know it all

 Rath, Baron of Elvas, who apparently does not control my brain









Upon the Nature of Erdreja by

Sheikh Rhattel En’Rholl

Al’Fayed

The Philosophical Nature of Erdreja

To all who seek comprehension of the world that we call Erdreja, through the study of

both abstract and natural philosophy, certain basic patterns are made readily apparent

with surprising regularity. A firm grasp of these concepts is necessary for any who

desires true understanding and true influence. I shall introduce these concepts in a

very abstract form, and then proceed to show how they arise again and again in more

specific circumstances: the wise reader will bear them in mind throughout this text,

and, I hope, in all other things also.

The first of these all-encompassing structures is known as The Rule of the

Fundamental, and may be described thus: the nature of all things is expressed as a

composition of certain fundamental concepts, few in number, and nothing that is, can

be other than such a composition. All things are thus in essence similar, however

different each may superficially appear, and so we may speak of the „pattern‟ of a

thing, a description of the way in which fundamental concepts combine with it – but

one must understand that the pattern of a thing, and the thing itself, are one and the

same. To know the pattern is to know the thing, and to manipulate the thing best, one

must know and manipulate its pattern.

The second is known as the Rule of Four, or the Rule of Quarters, and may be

described thus: in the composition of concepts, a similarity of structure arises at all

levels and in each arena of study. That structure is four elements, considered as two

sets, each set being of two elements opposed in some sense – yet with each of the four

elements also, perhaps paradoxically, complimentary to each of the others. Where one

finds evidence of three concepts fitting this structure, one must always look to an

undiscovered fourth – and seldom has this approach failed to bear fruit, for good or

ill.

The third is known as the Rule of Balance, and may be described thus: where there is

an instance of the Rule of Four, there is also to be found a concept which represents

the interaction of the quarters, the sum of the complimentary action of the elements

with one another and the friction between them. One thinks of this balance of the four

elements as a concept in itself: by the word „balance‟, we mean both the underlying

elements and their composition. Much of what describes a pattern may be expressed

as the conflict of the elements within a balance.



The Balance of Erdreja and Universal Amalgam

The Universal Amalgam is the fundament of which all 'patterns' are made, from the

Dragon of the Cosmic Egg itself to the most trivial of items - it is the collection of the

most fundamental elements of our world, the Greater and Lesser Aspects. The Cosmic

(or Greater) Balance is that of the four Greater Aspects (Void, Creation, Existence,

and Neutrality), and each Greater Aspect is itself a balance of four of the 16 Lesser

Aspects, according to the rule of Quarters.



Void balances knowledge against Spirit and Magic against Time.

Existence balances Fortune against Fate and Reality against Illusion.

Creation balances Water against Fire and Earth against Air.

Neutrality balances Evil against Good and Law against Chaos.



The patterns of the elder and younger races, and of each non-sentient entity or thing,

are a balance of the Lesser Aspects. The Cosmic pattern of Erdreja itself is the

balance of all 20. The Greater Balance may be considered to pivot around an axis that

is often denoted Anti-Magic - that Is, the emergent concept that comes from the

balance of the Greater Aspects may be called Anti-Magic, though it might equally

well be described as the totality of power, as the world of Erdreja, or as the Cosmic

Dragon itself. When this balance is manifested, it will act against any pattern in which

the Lesser Aspects are 'out of balance' - witness the effect of the anti-magic daggers

upon the Embodiment of Good, a pattern extremely skewed towards one Lesser

Aspect.

There are in fact many worlds akin to Erdreja, each will! Its pattern built of the

Universal Amalgam, each with its own Cosmic balance. Each lies within the Void

(more properly, the Outer Void), which may be advisable to think of as the universe

of possibility, though it is equally a place of annihilation, an arena of creation and

dissipation. Ultimately the Void is the source and destination of all power and magic,

from and to which the Cosmic pattern of Erdreja draws, circulates and releases energy

in a relatively stable cycle. Ultimately, the existence and evolution of Erdreja is

nothing more than the continued movement of energy between the Aspects of the

Cosmic Balance and everything within - and thus the continued reshaping of the

Cosmic pattern.

The balance of Aspects in every single pattern, however large or small, affects the

Cosmic pattern of Erdreja as a whole. The stated purpose of the Elder and Younger

races of beings is to maintain a balance of Aspects sufficient to nurture and eventually

bring it birth the Dragon within the Cosmic Egg. The cycle of Life is the process by

which living patterns distil energy into a form suited to the Egg. The balance of a

sentient creature‟s pattern determines to some degree its actions, and its actions

control the balance of its pattern as it evolves. Each of our choices influences the

Cosmic balance, if only slightly.



Cataclysm and The Embodiments of the Aspects

The Greater and Lesser Aspects exist as concepts, and .sometimes as more physical

'embodiments' - forms taken on to allow them to interact and influence Erdreja (which

they cannot do in their pure state). The Greater Aspects may create their own forms,

but the Lesser must embody by merging into an existing pattern; a host, as it were -

and by doing so, the Aspect becomes impure, influenced as much by the personality

and nature of their host as by their elemental being. These Embodiments retain much

of their old personality – the price the Aspects pay for interacting with our world Is

being Influenced in turn by It. The Embodiments have frequently been called the

Immortal Patterns, but this stems from a misunderstanding of their nature - the pattern

of the Embodiment Is no longer the pattern of the Aspect and only the latter could be

reasonably considered lo be 'immortal‟. One should note that not all of the Lesser

Aspects are embodied at this moment.

Each of the Lesser Embodiments desires that his Aspect become the dominant one in

the Balances - but equally, each knows that the Balances must not tilt too far, lest

Erdreja and the Dragon be lost entirely. Erdreja itself corrects excessive imbalances

and instabilities via the mechanism of Cataclysm - simply put, the establishment of a

new, stable Cosmic balance, usually with extremely nasty effects on the Inhabitants.

This has happened many times in Erdreja's history.

Those Aspects in ascendance as the cataclysm begins will be those with greater

influence in the new Balances that are established, for the cataclysm is a flux of power

across the universe. The stronger the Aspects' position in the Balance beforehand, the

more power will flow through it, and the more control it will exert as the world is

reshaped. This flux of power may be expected lo destroy each of the embodiments,

and return the Aspects to disembodied form. Because the flux that reshapes the world

is concentrated to the Aspects in ascendance, the side effects of the Cataclysm reflect

this: the Cataclysm of Water manifested massive flooding, sundering islands and

drowning many people. It is believed that there have been at least six previous

Cataclysms within Erdreja: the first, a Cataclysm in which evil was dominant, when

Satuun tied Everon's Knot.

The abilities of certain of the Aspects to become embodied have become bound to

specific objects, sometimes to aid their own agenda, but often to thwart it. Schaedel

the Embodiment of Good, Imbued a staff with part of his pattern, to allow him more

easily to embody within a willing vessel, the staff was later destroyed In a ritual to rid

the surface of Erdreja of undead. Pendragon, the Embodiment of Law, did much the

same, placing his pattern within the Artifact sword Excalibur, which was then split

Into the Seven Swords of Wayland (Albion, Beleth, Elidor, Louros, Morax, Orias,

Solas), Law was thus unable to embody unless the swords were re-forged Into

Excalibur. This also caused Mordred (or Medroth), the Embodiment of Chaos, to be

bound within the seven Chaos Blades carried by the Chaos Knights (Mayhem,

Oblivion, Reaper, Disorder, Random, Executioner, Discord), again unable to embody

unless the blades are reunited.

The Effects of Forced Disembodiment of the Aspects

It is clear that, without an Embodiment, there can be no direct, conscious moves made

within the Cadre war on the part of, and originated by, the Aspect itself. It should be

equally clear to the reader that the only way an Embodied Aspect can influence that

war is through the action of its followers. Thus, the act of disembodiment of an

Aspect prevents it from rallying support, but also deprives those with the wit and

caution to see through the basic propaganda of the Embodiments of the opportunity to

further their own understanding and ideology through direct interaction with the

Embodiments.

The balances between the Lesser Aspects, and between the Cadres will always be

determined by the actions of all sentient patterns within (he world, and not the actions

of the Embodiments. The Aspects are eternal, if one were to destroy the physical

Embodiment of an Aspect, the primary effect is movement of the energies of that

Aspect that were concentrated within the Embodiment to a distributed over all

Erdreja, which corresponds to the standard, disembodied, state of that Aspect. There

is also an accompanying adjustment of the Balance.

That flux of energy from within the concentrated physical form back lo a

disseminated form is deeply destabilising to the Cosmic Pattern, and at the current

time, can cause what appear to be 'cracks' in the reality of our world, looking Into the

Paths of Light, and beyond into the Outer Void. This is a result of the Balance that

maintains and protects Erdreja being highly stressed and therefore slower to respond

to large-scale movements of power. The same effect occurs when an Item of Power Is

destroyed or damaged and releases a large amount of energy.

With the lesser Aspects disembodied, the Cataclysm will still happen, the Cadres

followers will still fight, and the balance will still tilt this way and that, it seems to

this writer that killing their Embodiments accomplishes nothing more than making it

much harder to find out what Is truly happening. When they are embodied, when one

speaks to them, one knows that each will twist things to their point of view, but one

can speak to each of them, and come to understand how they distort things. This

writer hopes that his readers are all of sufficient intellect lo be able lo talk safely to

people they don‟t trust, and still gain valuable knowledge.

Some of the Lesser Aspects have recently been forced to disembody - this has became

easier lo accomplish, as their grips on the world are tenuous at best. with Erdreja

teetering on the bring of cataclysm or destruction, the balances tilting wildly, and

everything so unstable. It is also likely that the heightened awareness of the Aspects

and the Cadres at this time is effectively concentrating more of the energy of each

Aspect within sentient beings, as choices of Cadre are made, and less within the

Embodiments themselves, thus weakening them further.

There is an Accord requiring that no more than two Aspects from each Cadre be

Embodied at once: with the current situation, it may be that other Aspects from within

the Cadres that have recently lost Embodiments may no longer be able to embody to

maintain this number.



The Aspects, the Balance, and the Stability of Erdreja

It is the balance of the Greater Aspects (Void, Creation, Existence, and Neutrality)

that represent the forces that keep our world together, and all within it: the Cosmic

Pattern of Erdreja writ in the Universal Amalgam.



Creation ties together the physical elements that make up the forms of all things, the

shells in which our beings lie.



Void ties together the forces of magic and faith, time and knowledge, that both

provide the raw power that fuels our existence, and the barrier against the Outer Void

that would see us dissipated into fragments of inert energy.



Existence ties together the way we perceive, and interact with, the world. What is real

or not, and what we perceive to be, or not. How our choices can affect the world, and

how we are affected by the choices of others - whether things are predestined, fated to

be, or whether we each can forge our own fortunes.

Neutrality ties together the manner in which we frame and make our choices - our

perception of how our own actions influence the wider world, be they good, evil,

lawful, or chaotic.



When the world was younger, only Neutrality was needed to represent the balance of

the world, as the highest order of the balances, for balancing our choices was all that

was required for stability. As the world evolved and was altered in more diverse ways,

as things became less balanced and stable, as powers and magics were abused more,

the lower order Greater Aspects were forced to embody in order to influence the

balance of the world, for things were out of kilter at more fundamental levels, such as

those of the physical elements. Eventually, each of the four Greater Balances was

embodied in order to attempt to maintain the stability of our world.

Now, as the world seems to be cracking and falling apart, even that is not enough. So

we must have cataclysm, a rebalancing, for the alternative is for the Aspects to move

so far out of balance that no cohesion remains. The world is what it is only through

the delicate interplay of the Aspects, but pushed too far, even that can break down.



The Accords and the Servants of the Embodiments

The embodiments have a long-established agreement between themselves, known us

the Accords, governing how each interacts with Erdreja. These may be considered

„rules of engagement', and their apparent purpose is two-fold: to prevent the conflict

between the Aspects degenerating into all-out war, and to provide means for the

Embodiments to work together when it is in their interests. Supposedly, they may not

speak of the Accords, but a number are known. One must bear in mind each

Embodiment has an agenda of his own, and each may be willing to Ignore or

circumvent the Accords should the value of doing so be great enough, or the cost little

enough.

In order to enforce the accords, the Embodiments have created a prison of sorts, in

which just one of their number may be bound, unable to escape or interact with

Erdreja. Known as Castle Hassan, this prison is essentially a lower manifestation of

the world, simplified to a place of forms, in which the full richness of Erdreja cannot

be found. In recent history, the Embodiment of Neutrality was cast into this place by

Void and Creation as punishment for breaking an Accord, releasing Existence, who

had previously been bound there.

The Embodiments frequently choose a champion amongst those of the younger and

elder races, from those -who most reflect within their patterns the relevant Aspect.

The Champion is not constrained by the Accords, and so is able to work further his

Embodiment's cause, free from those limitations. The Champion brings also a

perspective closer to the races of the world, to counteract the extreme one-sidedness

of the typical Embodiment's personality caused by the dominance of the Aspect

within his pattern. In addition, the Champion may act to further his master's will even

when the Embodiment is imprisoned or un-manifested within Erdreja. The Champion

is usually imbued with great power in order to better perform his role, and as reward

for his service.

The Aspects have other servants, for example, the (Herald of the Aspects, currently

named 'Archangel', is serially re-created by Void and Creation to do the bidding of all

of the Greater and Lesser Aspects as each Cataclysm approaches. Although a

combination of each of the Aspects, it is unclear whether the (Herald possesses free

will as we of the younger and elder races do - the current incarnation presents herself

as an unwilling slave of the Aspects. It is speculated that the Herald must be present at

the moment of Cataclysm, and may possibly play a fundamental role in its causation

or triggering.

Other servants of the Aspects are not created, but rather are normal beings altered,

adapted, and bound to a particular service. An example of this is the Void Librarian,

bound to Knowledge and tasked to spread information around the factions of the

Heartlands and to aid each of the factions‟ leaders in matters that do not lead to

adverse inter-factional action, such as warfare. The other lands of Erdreja have been

sent similar emissaries from the Aspects.



The Cadres of the Aspects and the Eternal War

The Lesser Aspects have grouped Into Cadres of similar sympathies, notionally Feast,

Famine, War and Peace, each of four Aspects. These are distinct from the groupings

under which they form the Greater Balance, and in particular, the Cadres are not

immutable: Time and Knowledge were „exchanged‟ in the Cadres when Satuun tied

Everon's Knot to create unlife.

The Aspects in each cadre may be considered to hold a temporal affiliation with one

another, but the truth of the Cadres is that they are alliances of link-minded

Embodiments, working together to establish supremacy in the new balance. We

should expect the Embodiments of even the ascendant Cadre to scheme amongst

themselves for prime position in the last days before the Cataclysm. It appears that

certain constraints act to allow only the two most dominant Aspects within each

Lesser Balance to embody (with the exception of Illusion and Reality, whose

Embodiments appear to act quite distinctly from the others).

The Cadre of Feast aims at a world in which all have the opportunity for prosperity

and power, should they make the effort to earn it. Each would have the chance to

make his own fortune; only those who deserve it will achieve it.

The Cadre of Famine stands for a world tilted to predestination, in which all but a

lucky few arc fated to have nothing, with little opportunity to gain more or develop

strength. Those in power would have and hoard great influence, magic, resources,

beyond what they could possibly use. A good choice if one expects to be at the top -

but not everyone will be!

The Cadre of War seeks a time of strife, change, and uncertainly. All power would be

in flux, and constantly challenged. Magic would be unpredictable and unreliable, but

also widespread and powerful.

The Cadre Peace desire to tilt Erdreja towards a period of peace, law, predictability

and semi-stasis: a time akin to that of the Empire before the previous Cataclysm.

Progress would be slow but reliable, by gradual increments, and available to all; there

is little to challenge or excite.

The make up of the Cadres and exactly what each implies for life on Erdreja may

change, but their conflict has continued since the beginning of time. Yet, the power to

change the Balance lies always with the living, whose patterns are a mutable mix of

each of 16 Aspects and not with the Embodiments, who are too 'pure' to change the

world directly - instead, they reflect it. The Cadre War Is ultimately fought between

and won by the peoples of Erdreja: we must not remain blind to the cost.

The previous Cataclysm was that of Water, in 397 AF the time of the Empire of

Tebron: it was directly caused by the Conclave, and occurred too abruptly to result in

the very visible jockeying for position between the Cadres that we see today. It is

instructive to consider that this means that the Cadres were already well entrenched,

and that their conflict was more subtle: peace was dominant through the Empire, and

Water strong through the magics employed by the Colleges. The actions of the

Conclave within the circle of Malkarn that triggered the Cataclysm could be seen as

an attempt by another Cadre to alter the Balance.



The Items of Powers and the Affinities of the Aspects

In the early days of the world, each Embodiment of the Greater Aspects „adopted‟ an

Elder race: these were the days of the elemental empires. For each Lesser Aspect

within the Greater Aspect‟s balance was made an Item of Power by the Elder race so

chosen. Their primary purpose is to hold in check the powers of the Elements, as a

method of distillation and a safety net to allow the safe use of magics by all races of

Erdreja.

The Tomes of the Physical Elements, in particular, were each made by one of the

Elven Houses: the Vermillion (fire), Sylvan (air), Aquilas (water) and Loresti (earth).

Each Greater Aspect is associated with a Greater Item of Power, of which little is

known, save that each was essential to the creation of the Lesser Items under its

jurisdiction. Only by the use of an item, and perhaps also an „elemental cauldron‟ a

ritual circle very strongly attuned to the relevant element, could the power involved in

the creation of the Lesser Items be controlled. The idea of elemental cauldrons is

encountered in the writings of Brand: it is thought that the relevant circles might be

En‟esh (fire), the Wellspring (air), Malkarn (water) and Obsidia (earth). The Greater

Items of Power has recently proved essential to the repair or reconstruction of some of

the damaged items of power, such as the Orb of Magic.

Each of the aspects is linked to a colour, metal or material; the Aspect is reflected

more strongly than any other in the balance of the pattern of that material. It is likely

that the Items of Power made use of this affinity.

At a very simple level, the patterns of the Items of Power are little more than

extremely dense and powerful concentrations of energy corresponding to a particular

Aspect, and any sufficiently localised concentration of threads of one Aspect could in

theory become another such Item. There is rather more to the matter than this though.

Firstly, there is the inherent difficulty in acquiring, handling and maintaining such a

level of power. Secondly, the difficulty of constructing a physical shell or form

sufficient to contain such a concentration – the Tomes are believed to exploit a

technique in which „flaws‟ of the opposed elements are used to control the chosen

element. Thirdly, the known Items of Power have shown a tendency to develop a form

of sentience, by a process thought to be akin to the way in which the Aspects form

embodiments, though less complete. Lastly, each of the known Items of Power has

some manner of home within the Void to which it may return apparently „at will‟.

The Items of Power may be tapped by those with sufficient understanding, in the first

instance, as an external source of controlled magical energies (aiding the casting the

higher level incantations or spells), and in the second instance, and more importantly,

as both a source of power and a focal point for the manipulation of power with a ritual

circle or to aid direct manipulation of the pattern of the world.

The Light Shard and the Dark Shard are not Items of Power in the sense discussed

here, though they might seem superficially similar. They are instead focuses for

communion with the Ancestors in one form or another.





The Aspects and their Relationships



The cadres and Balances and associations of the Aspects are as follows:

Elemental Nature Quintessential Metaphysical Physical Ideological

Greater Aspect Void Existence Creation Neutrality

Item of Power The Orbs The Runes The Tomes The Helms

Elder Race Ologs Dwarves Elves Fae

Peace/Order Knowledge Reality Earth Law

War/Freedom Magic Illusion Air Chaos

Feast/Plenty Spirit Fortune Water Good

Famine/Destruction Time Fate Fire Evil









Aspect Colour Substance Item of Power

Void Orichalchium Circlet of Orichalcium

Spirit Iron Red Orb of Spirit

Knowledge Gold Blue Orb of Knowledge

Magic Silver Green Orb of Magic

Time Mercury Yellow Orb of Time

Existence Adamantine Hammer of

Yoshamelenthes

Reality Ruby Rune of Reality

Illusion Diamond Rune of Illusion

Fortune Amethyst Rune of Fortune

Fate Emerald Rune of Fate

Creation Mithril Bowl of the Phoenix

Fire Red Copper Red tome of Fire

Water Blue Blue tome of Water

Air White White tome of Air

Earth Green Brown tome of Earth

Neutrality Eye of the Dragon/the

Awl

Law Violet Blue helm of Law

Chaos Yellow Gold helm of Chaos

Good Orange Purple helm of Good

Evil Indigo Black helm of Evil