Diagetic Magic on Sorq — initial thoughts toward a sui generis magic system
Sorq's wizards, priests, temples, and the Underworld
A wizard is an arcane magic user not connected to either an established temple or to any of the rivals, although many wizards spent some time in the outer circles of a priesthood before going it alone. Many wizards are aligned with some grandee, or are themselves aristocrats, and others live in remote areas where no temple can apply political pressure or get away with murder, when secular rulers so often avert their gaze from temple affairs. In cities and populous country, temple magicians jealously watch for wizards operating in any public way, and have both the number of their own magicians as well as status with the state to prevent wizards from combining into circles, schools, orders, or upstart temples... so it is off to the far places that wizards hie themselves, NOT to combine and return in magical vengeance against their oppressors (not very often, anyway; the Revanchistas and the foundation of the Athamic Misericorde dynasty aside) but to learn from one another, so that wizards can do what they really want to do: use magic for its own sake, and maybe pursue some dream like transforming into a musical manticore, or permanently moving to some Shangri-La or Big Rock Candy Mountain out in the planes.
Not many wizards are in it for power itself, being smart enough to see:
a) how power is working out for the temples and grandees
b) it is a steep hill before one can think about facing all the kings and temples
c) that much destructive energy and all the practice destroying and killing to get there is much like deciding to become a serial killer, or those ancient tales of replacing every part of the body with metal and weapons — wizards who start off wanting to be the scary dude with the fireball that took out Margrave Featherstonehaugh's winter palace? that guy is already a monster, practicing smaller scale murder.
That kind of big magic much more often comes by empowerments, gifts, rewards, and dedicated seclusion in the Underworld. This includes those who perform a task for some being, and get paid in treasure and knowledge, as well as those who act in accordance with the nature and temperament of a magically attuned space, or start to play by the local rules, not for a reward but because it is in the nature of those attracted to magic to attune themselves to local manifestations of magic. This is a dance hall, and I shall dance across it; this is a sacred pool, and I shall immerse myself to meditate; this is a sacrificial altar... That is how things are here, it is weird and delightful and often teaches some lesson: cosmology, history, mathematics, a spiritual principle, a mythic theme.
Wizards do these things regularly, and even without the encouragement of fractionally-sentient wards or spooks that have been so bored in this room, for centuries, they've never had to make the room do what they were bound there for, because why?! because nobody's ever made it! That ruddy sorcerer, I'll bet he lost the clue-map on the way back to his baron. Or the baron's heir was afraid of the old weirdo's collection. Can't say as I blame a human, if I was back home, and found a room full of things making human mouth noises, ugh, I would have some hard questions! Yeah nah yeah, it is bad enough, I might go to the magistrate! Or let the whole public chorus know, and then where would his reputation be...? WHAT IS THAT?! The song-walls, are they vibrating? THEY ARE!! Somebody's coming!! Wow! I'd say hello and hug you, but I'm trapped in this orrery! Showtime! ...he's not watching? What's he doing? Feeling around the walls...? AH HA HA, this mortal isn't even here for the orrery or the books!! He's passing through, or just wants the gold, or I DON'T CARE! You weird looking biped, you are my hero, I would love you if you came in to melt this whole room to slag, so WHO'S GETTING SOME FIELD LINES ALIGNED? You are, you mortal goofus!
*need better name: the Underworld is full of many dedicated ritual spaces that gather, refine, transform, and direct energies from particular planes and planar spaces, and like all architecture and interior design have an extensive technical vocabulary full of pedantic distinctions and misleading names. Programmed chambers exist to train, test, discipline, and perfect magicians in some particular magical current, usually for the benefit of the temple or lineage in possession of the chamber.
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