Forbidden Magick¶
by Finley Vorden & Kæthren Bathúri
Necromancy¶
Necromancy, typically, begins innocently enough... as most dark paths do. I witnessed a researcher from the Vrogallan sands attempt what she called a “scholarly communion with historical figures” using modified divination techniques. The first warning sign appeared when her dead subjects began lingering after questioning. The second, more alarming indicator came when her cat died and mysteriously returned the following morning. By the time local authorities intervened, she had established what she termed a “research community” of reanimated corpses in her basement.
When I interviewed her in prison several moontides later, she complained bitterly about her inability to heal a simple paper cut. The gods, universally protective of gentle Ōphīa, collectively block access to restorative magick once you’ve tampered with death. Some practitioners claim this severance is temporary, remedied through elaborate atonement rituals to Ōphīa. Others insist the separation is permanent, a divine quarantine against those who’ve violated natural boundaries.
Blood Magick¶
Where most Sjōvnevan practitioners beseech the divine powers, blood spellweavers tap directly into the body's raw energy, bypassing divine intermediaries entirely; converting life force into magickal energy.
A spellweaver I met during a brief stay in the dungeons of Elesdift discovered blood magick after being bound and gagged by enemies. In absolute desperation, chafing his wrists raw against iron shackles, he instinctively channeled his pain toward a spell. The resulting explosion collapsed half the dungeon; and liberated us from the misunderstanding.
What truly sets blood practitioners apart (and makes them particularly dangerous) is their ability to cast without utterance. By the time you see the telltale knife or bleeding palm, you're already caught in their working. I've observed battlefield spellweavers wielding the blood of fallen soldiers, each death fueling increasingly devastating spells, on and on in a bloody cycle.
Above is an account of Hemoturgey by Finley, and while he tends to be in depth, this is a poor oversimplification of this art. As a vampire of House Doctrina, I am very adept with the theoretical and practical applications of Hemoturgey, the following is a brief introduction into the subject.
Hemoturgey, more crudely know as Blood Magick, is an application of Sjōvneva which, rather then drawing power from the Divine, draws power on the energies found within the life force of a living thing. The term Blood Magick is innately misleading as the practice of Hemoturgey actually commands the energies within the skin, bones, and meat. It is about channeling this energy into the practical applications of Sjōvneva, what some would call spells.
Most beginner Hemoturges draw on the power within themselves, and while this is a completely functional method, prolonged and consistent use over years can lead to a Hemoturge practically starving themselves. From the few specimens I have recovered, they exhibited weaker bones, near atrophied muscles, and reduced brain size. There are two primary ways to avoid this, become a vampire like yours truly, or learn to harvest the life energies from other living beings.
Vampires appear to be immune to the effects of prolonged Hemoturgey. This is likely due to the fact that they drink the blood and life energies from other living beings.
The latter method, harvesting power from others, is actually quite simple to perform once you are aware of it. This simply requires a shift in thinking and pulling life energy inward rather then projecting it outwards. This is where the misconception of Hemoturgey being "evil" comes from, as the idea of pulling on the life energies tends to scare the uneducated. The effects of this on others is ultimately negligible unless they undergo regular and prolonged exposure.
Additionally there are rituals (referred to as "Arts") a Hemoturge can preform to increase the potency of their practice. As Hemoturgey is an instinctual practice, these Arts will look wildly different from Hemoturge to Hemoturge.
Blood Arts¶
Blood Arts require a sacrifice of Life Points to perform (these can either be your own, or taken from others by sacrifice), each art has the requirement listed:
Blood Consecration¶
Ritual Materials: Virgin Blade, Spell Casting Focus, 2 Life Points
The Hemoturge takes a virgin blade and draws their own blood and drips it upon a spell casting implement. This "consecrates" the implement allowing for its use in Hemoturgey.
Anointment¶
Ritual Materials: Edged Weapon (typically a dagger), Consecrated Focus, 1 Candle made from Animal (or mortal) Fat. Life Points equal to the Hemoturge’s Power Trait
The Hemoturge burns the candle over their focus. Once the consecrated focus has been anointed with fat, the Hemoturge must create a channel for the Life essences to flow, which is done by creating an open wound and connecting it to the focus.
When using the focus to perform Hemoturgey, they may increase the dice pool by ½ their power(rounded down) for their spells once per round. All effects revert after 8 hours have passed.
Blood into Water¶
Ritual Materials: 1L of Pure Water
The Hemoturge pours a cup of purified water through the fingers of their outstretched hand. They then roll Power. If successful, the ritual draws all the life essences in a radius Far from the caster (per success on the roll), converting it into water. Blood in containers and in living things will not be affected, only spilled blood. As water evaporates, this cleans up messes left behind by the practice of Hemoturgey(body disposal is another matter)
Blood Price¶
Ritual Materials: 1d6 Life Points
The Hemoturge performs a Hemoturgic spell, they may choose to sacrifice 1d6 Life Points. For each Life Point paid, increase the Power roll by the same amount. For example, if you roll a 3 you lose 3 LP and Gain 3 dice on the Power Roll.
Feast of Plenty¶
Ritual Materials: 10 Life Points (not from the caster) per Ritual Participant
This cannibalistic feast is a 13 hour long event. As the ritual is conducted, participants will consume the body and blood of the victim(s). The result of this is the participants gaining half of the remaining lifespan of the victim(s) added to their own. This is divided equally between the participants.
Purify Blood¶
Ritual Materials: 1 Life Point
Used to prepare blood and other materials for arts. This is done by cleansing diseases from flesh & blood, effectively sterilizing it and making it ready and usable for Alchemy and consumption. This can not cure someone of a disease but it prevents further spread and makes working with these materials safer.
Artwork by Julia Metzger