Weaving is the act of manipulating threads of magical energy in a specific way to produce a spell effect. There are two different kinds of weaving; slow weaving, and fast weaving, also known as magiturgy.
As the name suggests, slow weaving takes more time, and it is generally a more calculating and methodical way to cast a spell. Anybody can slow weave, regardless of their education or skill level. All it takes is access to a book with a method written out in detail. In relative safety, even a complete novice can cast a spell this way, though it may take hours for even a simple weave.
In contrast, magiturgy is quick, taking mere seconds. It is also extremely dangerous in any but the most practiced hands. Making a mistake while fast weaving can be deadly, as a single slip can cause the energy to spiral out of control. Only a trained magiturge can fast weave without worrying about explosive side effects. In theory, anybody can fast weave, but it is highly discouraged.
Magiturges define their talents through patterns, which are broad categories in which they are able to perform magiturgy. These patterns are things like different types of living things, elements, or inanimate objects.
There are other kinds of weaving, though they are very specialized and not widely practiced. The other weaving methods are animism and reclamation.
Animism is a magical craft that allows an animist to mimic the abilities of other weavers, or even monsters, without having to weave the effect themself. The theory behind this technique is barely understood, even by animists. The way they describe it, they use magic by instinct and observation. Notably, even experienced magiturges cannot recreate an animist’s mimicry.
Reclamation is the ability to unravel the magic in a magical object, then use that energy to weave an effect into another item. While not quite as mysterious as animism, reclamation is difficult to describe practically. It differs from engineering because a reclaimer doesn’t have to follow a schematic. Its practitioners often describe their methods by explaining, “I just do it”, which is frustrating for magiturgical scholars and engineers alike.
There are undoubtedly other methods of weaving in the world, though they are rare and often spoken of in the same breath as myths and legends.
Spirits also weave, though they are not constrained by the concepts of fast or slow weaving, as human weavers are. It is widely accepted that spirits were the first weavers, and the earliest humans learned how to cast spells from them. Spirit magic can be mimicked by animists, or called upon by spiritualists, though the latter do not weave themselves.
Spiritualism is the act of summoning and communing with spirits. In the broadest sense, anybody can perform a summoning ritual by giving an offering and asking a favor from a specific spirit. However, a spiritualist is somebody who can see spirits at will and call out to them with ease. Spirits are contacted and petitioned, not conquered or commanded. A spiritualist works with spirits, not against them.
It is unknown if spiritualism is a form of weaving, though the tasks that spiritualists ask are often spell effects. Weaving is the natural way through which spirits interact with the world. Even moving and speaking are, in a way, forms of weaving when done by a spirit, as it is a being of pure magical energy. While spiritualists do not perform magiturgy, they can learn to slow weave to supplement their skills, and this can aid their interaction with the spirits.
There is a perverse form of spiritualism called subjugation that does not rely on cooperation, but domination. As the name suggests, subjugation is the act of bending a spirit to the will of the subjugator, forcing them into service rather than petitioning them for favors.
The act of subjugation taints both the subjugator and the spirit. Practitioners are marked by the act, and their practice is obvious to any spirit that sees them. Spirits are impacted so deeply that they are more likely to lose their sense of meaning and become wayward. A wayward spirit is a danger to everyone and everything, material or spiritual. As such, subjugation is strictly forbidden in every region of the Heartland, though its practice is a hotly debated subject in the Provinces.
Technically, all technology is powered by magic, usually in the form of a Magiturgical Element Cell, or MEC. Magiturges like to say “it’s weaving all the way down”, but engineers like to point out that magiturges can’t create MECs.
Engineers, then, are the bread and butter of the technological world. The magiturges are technically correct; when an engineer creates a MEC, they are using their tools to perform a very delicate and specific form of weaving. However, the practice differs greatly from standard weaving and magiturgy.
Engineers use their schematics, parts, and tools to create a MEC which is attached to an object and allows it to perform a specific effect. The lights of a city street, the engine of a vehicle, and the blast of a gun barrel are all examples of technology powered by MECs, commonly referred to as “MECtech”.
Since technology and engineering are more narrow fields, there aren’t as many outlying practices as there are with weaving. However, there are some individuals that work with MECs that don’t follow the normal rules.
Namely, interceptors. Somewhere between reclamation and engineering, interception involves using small and delicate tools to physically manipulate the parts within a MEC to disable it, control it, or change its functionality. Unlike those other practices, an interceptor does not create their own effect. Rather, they hijack an effect that already exists.
Interception is relatively new to the world. Its practice was only practical once technology was widespread, and the precision necessary makes it rare. This makes it almost as mysterious as animism, even though it is technically just a very specialized form of engineering. Even interceptors themselves would say as much, if they would explain anything about their clandestine skill.
MECs are initially powered by an engineer’s own magic, though once created they are able to draw ambient magic to perform their function. Any single engineer can only have a certain amount of MECs in use, though, which is why the world isn’t filled with flying vehicles and flamethrowers. In order to create independently functioning MECs, many engineers can work together on one schematic, giving such a small amount of their own actual magic that the creation is no longer tied to an individual’s power.
This is also how more complicated, multi-function MECs are created, such as the Multipurpose Autonomous Robotic Assistant, or MARA. These are common in the Provinces, though they can occasionally be seen in the Heartland. They are often made of metal, usually vaguely humanoid, and given limited functionality and autonomy to perform a preprogrammed series of tasks, such as mining, fishing, or transporting.
Though it is very rare, there have been rumors of magical surges awakening a MARA’s spirit, causing the MARA to gain sapience and genuine individuality. These stories often end poorly for the MARA, especially in the Provinces, as the sapience is “mistaken” for a defect, and the MARA is destroyed.
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