Thaumaturgy

The information displayed in this article pertains to the continuity of Moonsong. As such, the wording may seem more flowery than normal. This is intentional.

The eight (technically seven) classical forces and their interactions.

Thaumaturgy is the act of performing miraculous or supernatural acts through manipulating the worldly forces. This can be achieved through the inner processes of the body, known as inner thaumaturgy or cisthaumaturgy, or through the use of external resources, named catalysts, known as outer thaumaturgy or transthaumaturgy. It has several applications, including medicine, combat, divination and convenience, among others.

Core concepts

Æther

The æther is a spiritual wind that flows following the ocean current. It is the quintessence of thaumaturgical power, and it vacillates between seven to eight forces (depending on count) associated with various aspects of reality.

Aun

The aun is the organic, bodily manifestation of æther within the body of a living being, flowing through the lymphatic system. Every organism has aun, and every individual's aun favours one or two forces more than the rest.

Force

A force is an aspect of reality influenced, in some way, by the flow of the æther.

Forces

Diagram displaying the focus of each force.

Each of the six forces has several characteristics that define them, the most important being an association with a body part, called the focus (plural foci), the bodily resource it utilises, and the sense through which they may be perceived.

Forces and characteristics

Force	Ice	Thunder	Water	Fire	Air	Soil	Light	Shade
Focus	Brain	Heart	Sinuses	Bowels	Lungs	Bones	Whole body
Body resource	Electric impulse	Blood	Body moisture	Digested material	Breath	Minerals	Aun
Sense	Sight	Extrasensory	Sound	Taste	Smell	Touch	Imperceptible
Plant part	Stems	Seeds	Fruit	Flowers	Leaves	Roots, tubers, bulbs	Aun
Materials	Platinum, lead, bismuth	Gold, aluminium	Quicksilver, silver	Sulfur, antimony	Zinc, nickel, tin	Iron, copper	N/A
Moon	Linden moon	Willow moon	Birch moon	Rowan moon	Spruce moon	Elm moon	Ashen moon	6 monthless days
Ring	Night	Eventide	Dusk		Undern		Noontide	Dark earth
Vice	Laziness	Fear	Grief	Anger	Restlessness	Anxiety	Stagnation
Virtue	Quiet	Caution	Compassion	Passion	Happiness	Forethought	Equity
Colour	Deep blue	Pink	Light blue	Red	Green	Yellow	Teal	Black

Interactions between the forces

The six forces interact with each other in various manners. The most basic of these are the generating interactions, which make forces turn into other forces given energy and time. Ice thaws and melts into water, which in turn evaporates into the air. The thunder falls and burns as fire, which chars the swidden and becomes the soil. This also conveniently divides the forces into two groups, those derived from ice are the cold forces, while those derived from thunder are the hot forces.

Generating interactions

Alignment	1st order	becomes	2nd order	becomes	3rd order
Cold forces	Ice	melts into	Water	sprays into	Air
Hot forces	Thunder	burns as	Fire	chars into	Soil

This division also joins forces of different groups into pairs, called orders. These pairs themselves interact in two distinct ways. When one force overcomes the other, a sundering interaction is triggered, which in itself may trigger a generative interaction, such as water turning to air when evaporated by fire, and fire smoldering and turning to soil when extinguished by water. Instead, when both forces coexist in equal amounts, an exalting interaction takes place, creating a constructive process. Ice and thunder create weather, water and fire purify, and air and soil create life.

Sundering interactions

One	sunders	Another
Ice	insulates →	Thunder
	→ creates weather ←
	← breaks
Water	extinguishes →	Fire
	→ purifies ←
	← evaporates
Air	erodes →	Soil
	→ creates life ←
	← dirties

The last interaction is a peculiar one in that it is asymmetric. Higher order cold forces mediate lower order hot ones. Water, when in contact with thunder, extends its reach, and fire requires air to keep burning.

Higher order	mediates	Lower order
Water	conducts	Thunder
Air	feeds	Fire

Light and shade

At the opposite ends of these processes sit two aspects of one un-sunderable force: light and shade. Understanding the manipulation of these states is fundamental to the practice of thaumaturgy. These names are not meant to be interpreted literally, instead they stand for two co-existing states of one immaterial æther. Light generates the primordial forces of ice and thunder, while shade is generated by the late forces of air and soil. The opposite is also true, because they are one and the same. Take the following as an analogy: under the light of the moon are brought forth the cold winds of winter, which bring snow, an icy rain. Snow itself is generated under the shade of the clouds. From these same clouds, lightning can appear, which in itself is made of light.

Syzygy

Every person, plant, dæmon and æon is aligned to certain forces by virtue of being born. These are called syzygies. In æons and intelligent ilks the variation is much more pronounced, changing from individual to individual, while in plants and dæmons the distinction tends to be seen from species to species. There exist two kinds of syzygy: the pattern and the accessory. The pattern is static, and follows the person throughout their life unchanged. The accessory, instead, is dynamic, and may change based on several factors such as the flow of the æther, the month, personal circumstance, etc.

Cisthaumaturgy

Cisthaumaturgy, ergo the inner manipulation of the forces, can be achieved by understanding two fundamental principles: the control of the æther and its flow in the body. Deep awareness of the inner processes is needed to accurately influence these, and inexperienced practitioners may make mistakes that could scar their bodies temporarily, permanently, or even lead to their deaths. However, if this awareness is achieved, great feats of thaumaturgy can occur. The two forms of the immaterial æther are naturally found inside the body of any living being, and they flow through the aun, a spiritual equivalent to blood, accumulating at the forces’ foci. Aun can be manipulated with enough knowledge and self-awareness.

Effects of cisthaumaturgy

Cisthaumaturgy is taxing on the body, especially on those with low talent. There are various conditions that may befall upon the user.

Effects of cisthaumaturgy

Force	Focus	Resource	Effect	Excess
Soil	Bones	Minerals	Weakness of the limbs	Fractures
Air	Lungs	Breath	Shortness of breath	Collapsed lungs
Fire	Bowels	Digested material	Constipation, indigestion	Ulcers
Water	Sinuses	Body moisture	Heavy lacrimation	Dehydration
Thunder	Heart	Blood	Tachycardia	Fibrillation, infarction
Ice	Brain	Electric impulse	Headaches	Paralysis

Transthaumaturgy

Transthaumaturgy doesn't require the user to have talent. Instead, they utilise the resources around them to perform miraculous acts. This often implies making use of plants, animals and bacteria. Transthaumaturges usually carry with themselves vials and bags of herbs, yeasts, or objects made to invoke forces. All of these are called catalysts, and are vital to the practice of transthaumaturgy. There exist various kinds of catalysts, and some may be more potent than others. Catalysts are graded based on their quality and potency.

Catalyst grades

Grade	Potency	Examples
I	Poor potency	Poor quality plants and meat, usually of small animals.
II	Standard potency	Average quality plants and meat.
III	High potency	High quality plants and meat.
IV	Exceptional potency	Soma from a drake's ashat.
V	Exclusive to soma made from fluids released from the Tower.

Earthen materials

Some earthen materials and minerals are commonly used in transthaumaturgy. These are usually mixed into concoctions to impart specific attributes.

Common materials

Material	Description
Salt	Potentiates the effect of a catalyst.
Saltpeter	Gives a concoction a negative charge. Commonly used for branding.

Medicine

Medicinal thaumaturgy is a highly specialised skill that involves both cisthaumaturgical and transthaumaturgical techniques. The skill as a whole is based on the fact that forces affect different parts of the body. By exposing a person to certain forces, issues associated with their foci can be treated.

Healing effects of forces

Force	Aids in treating…
Soil	Fractures, arthritis, brittle bones, skin lesions, lacerations, anxiety...
Air	Respiratory issues, hypoxia, insomnia...
Fire	Gastric issues, indigestion, anger...
Water	Dehydration, depression, hearing and balance issues...
Thunder	Cardiac arrest, blood circulation issues, autoimmune diseases, fear...
Ice	Nervous system issues, brain damage, general pain, lethargy...

Cisthaumaturgical healing

Cisthaumaturgical healing can be taxing, but effective, although it's usually paired with transthaumaturgical healing for better effect. It implies redirecting the aun of the afflicted, which can be achieved through physical touch and great concentration.

Transthaumaturgical healing

Transthaumaturgical healing requires the use of meticulous techniques. The most widespread and classic example of transthaumaturgical healing is edible medicine. This may be done through ingestibles like pills and candies, foods, infusions, and vapours made with herbs and yeasts associated with specific forces matching the ailments of the patient.

Brands

A brand is a thaumaturgically-induced ailment that doesn't directly kill a person, but hinders them in some noticeable way, and may slowly weaken a person to their demise. Cisthaumaturgical brands require a force's associated vice to be present while performing them, while transthaumaturgical ones require the concoction of materials made with catalysts infused with saltpeter, a negatively charged earthen material.

Which force is being used changes the scope of the brand. A fire-based brand may make a person irritable, or remove their ability to taste or even eat food, while a water-based brand may make them suicidal, or deafen them. Effects may be mixed and largely depend on the intent of the person inflicting the brand.

Because saltpeter is a major element in transthaumaturgical branding, the availability of it in the market is largely restricted. However, although it is a very regulated substance, it cannot entirely be eliminated from the market as it is also useful in creating gunpowder.