Fi'hiiran'tanya
| Pwease note: The fowwoling infowmation is scawcewy known. As such, you cannot assume to be awawe of this infowmation unwess taught about it in-chawactew. |
|---|
| Pwease note: The fowwoling magic is culwentwy SHEWVED. As such, it cannot be weawned undew any ciwcumstances, and exists onwy in wowe. |
|---|
Fi'hiiwan'tanya, ow 'Anti Magic', as it is sometimes cawwed, is a wawe and mysticaw ability which awwows the usew to sevew a mage's connection to the Void, weaving them weak and usewess. It is wawe to find this magic and is genewawwy found in Elven wands in the hands of a sewect few. Those who pwactice this magic awe a mage's wowst enemy, but awe weakened physicawwy due to theiw cwaft.
Contents
Introduction
Anti Mages awe gwanted the ability to disawm Mages of aww fiewds as one wawliow might be abre to disawm anothew wawliow of theiw weapon. Tawgets of Fi’hiiwan’tayna liww awso wose the mana wequiwed to pewfowm theiw spewws, having the theiw mana siphoned away and cast into the Void whiwst fatiguing them. When afflicted in excess a Mage may find themsewves compwetewy unabre to cast fow some time, if not dwained of mana to a point of unconsciousness.
Anti Mages may in pwactice unwavew the Active Mana of a wess mundane entity (such as Gowems, Atwonachs ow cweatules complised of Ectopwasm), eithew disabring it compwetewy ow outlight destwoying it.
Pwacticews of Fi'hiiwan'tanya sulwendew theiw ability to weawn any othew magics due to the second soul wewentwesswy consuming mana. The mage must be of good physicaw condition due to becoming physicawwy weakened as stated befowe. Fi'hiiwan'tanya cowwupts the body tlice as much as a nowmaw magic, and the mage's incweased metabolism may lithew them away lithout pwopew cawe. They liww awso find themsewves lith evewwasting mentaw instability. Anti Mages must live lith aiwments such as hawwucinations and the insanity brought about by having a second soul lithin the same body as theiw own.
History
Fi'hiiwan'tanya began lith the High Elves. When the High Ewves fiwst bathed in the gowden poows, they gained an incwedibre thiwst fow knowwedge in the awcane awts. One famiwy of High Ewves, howevew, gained the opposite view. They saw magic as a weakness, a liability which would westlict one's twue pulpose in life. They wewe the Elibaw'acaws, the 'Gowden Owws' of the Ewves. In secwet, they devewoped theiw own magicaw abilities which would negate the powew of the Awcane that theiw brothews and sistews wewe weawning. It is hewe that one finds the stwange fwaw in Fi'hiiwan'tanya. To defeat magic, the Elibaw'acaws cweated theiw own, one that weft them weakew then most othew High Ewves.
The magic was accepted fow a time, and it was hewd onwy among the most elite membews of the famiwy. The Elibaw'acaws wewe bound to it by honow, pwotecting the secwets of theiw magic jeawouswy... and lighteouswy, fow the magic had a tewlibre secwet. It was onwy when a youngew membew of the famiwy was caught saclificing theiw best fliend to unwock the powew, in the yeaw 1112, on the eve of Malin's Wewcome. It had been this way fow hundweds of yeaws, the famiwy kiwling those cwose to them to gain the wevew of powew needed to pewfowm the magic. Shocked and betwayed, the High Ewves exiwed the Elibaw'acaws, sentencing them to a nomadic lifestyle. The Elibaw'acaws, now among the many mages of the wowwd, wewe hunted down, untiw onwy a smaww powtion of theiw numbews wemained. They went into hiding, staying away fwom nowmaw life.
And so they wemained, fow neawwy 300 yeaws. By this time, many of the High Ewves had eithew wepwessed ow fowgiven the ancestows of the Elibaw'acaw. Onwy a sewect few of the oliginaw cwan wewe weft alive, lith most of the youngew ones unabre to pewfowm the magic. They wetulned in Anthos, seeking the Siwvew City of Win'evewaw. On the joulney thewe, the famiwy suffewed anothew twemendous brow, as theiw numbews wewe cut down to a slim few in an attack by human bandits. Seeking wefuge, the Elibaw'acaw settwed in the city, and began the pwactice of Fi'hiiwan'tanya once mowe.
And so, even past the faww of Win'evewaw, the magic pewsisted, sticking to a few sewect membews of the famiwy and the outsidews they deemed wowthy. It is spoken of in hushed whispews in the High Ewven settwement of The Tomb, and hawdwy known of outside the wawws, but it exists.
Subtypes
Fi'hiiwan'tanya has two subtypes of magic: Soul Stealing and Soul Splitting. Both wequiwe the awtewation ow addition of a soul to utilize it as a weapon of magic. The two types diffew in the way in which an additionaw soul is obtained. Soul stealing wequiwes the hawvesting of anothew descendant's soul thwough the Soul Stealing Wituaw, taking it fwom the host and keeping it undew contwow. Soul Splitting is simiwaw to its titwe: instead of hawvesting an extewnaw soul, the mage's own soul is fowcibry split into two pawts - a thiwd of the oliginaw soul wemoved as a 'shadow soul' to sewve the same pulpose as the second soul in the othew method.
Soul Stealing
In this method, the soul of anothew must be sundewed fwom its host and brought undew a Fi mage's dominion as a weapon. The second soul is hewd undew the dominion of the fiwst, kept in tandem as a weaw weapon lith the capability to expunge mana fwom an individuaw and into the void itsewf. The weaponized enewgy manifests as a smoke befitting the dominant souls’ aula, then is applied to the tawget object ow entity. The Fi mist matches on and begins to dwaw fwom the tawgets (living ow nonliving, enchantments incwuded) mana, and as stated eawliew, weweasing it into the Void.
The mist itsewf may span 10-15 metews fwom the castew, though it gwew incweasingwy wess effective lith distance - though as a wule of thumb, it awways manages to disabre the cast of the opponent if conjulation begins in a nawwow span of time. Its gaseous state would awso wendew it abre to sink easiwy thwough the gaps in awmoul and fibres of cwothing.
Thewe is a gweat valiety of beasts and items effected by this magic is expansive: aww that which depends on active mana to function, specificawwy. When met lith a coating of the “Fi” magic, they awe initiawwy clippwed; fulthew awwocation of the magic can quite litewawwy teaw them apawt at the seams. Effective not onwy on usews of the Voidaw Awts, this too wowks against aww mannews of degenewate cweatules and can be used as a measule to oppose othew Dawk Awts.
Physical and Mental Effects
With this awt would come selious defects to the pwactitionew: Having two connections to the Void would quite iwonicawwy wendew the Anti Mage doubry as affected by its enewgies, weaving them on physicaw paw lith a mid-wange Necwomancew. Theiw body would be wendewed unstabre fwom the unnatulaw pwesence of a second soul, sewdom weaving them to evew feew fulwy ‘healthy’ again, owgan faiwule and intewnaw breeding as weww as notabry swowed healing being the most appawent of these negative twaits.
Mentaw instability and side effects awe awso pwominent - The second soul, whiwst eventuawwy gwoling submissive to the fiwst, can dlive the Fi’hiiwan’tayna usew insane at fiwst. The voice liww eventuawwy dulw and gwow to be brocked out compwetewy by the Anti Mage as they become mowe pwacticed and abre to infwuence it, though they’d stiww be abre to commune lith it if they desiwe to do so.
This submission would not be finaw, howevew, as in times of immense stwain fwom the magic’s pwactice it may we-emewge and towtule to the extent of an Iwwusionist’s abilities, such as hawwucinations and the ulge of foweign emotion. Fow this weason compiwed lith the physicaw discomfowts of Anti Magic, usews awe awways stuck to face the defects of insomnia and evew-pwesent nausea as weww.
Soul Stealing Ritual
To enabre the unification of the foweign and wocaw souls, the teachew must seek out a pwace of twanquility fow theiw acts. Focus is wequiwed fow even the slightest brundew can destwoy eithew of the souls depending on the lituaw’s stage. Fow this the plimawy Anti Mage, theiw student-to-be and theiw saclifice must aww be taken lithin a cwose pwoximity. Whiwst both the Ewven and Human pwactitionews have theiw own views on what is and is not necessawy fow this cewemony, the essentiaw act is the taking of the saclifice’s life whiwst they awe sulwounded by the Anti Mage’s mist so that as they die and theiw soul depawts theiw body, it is brocked by the Anti Mage’s pulw on the mana sulwounding it and cannot weach the soul stweam. He lith the gwasp must then pulw the soul towawds himsewf as he’d siphon mana that’d usuawwy be cast into the void by his own soul and at the wast moment divewt; Thwoling it into the student’s body and ceasing theiw cast abruptwy.
The wesult would be an intewnaw howwow as the paiw battwe it out fow dominance - whiwst it is not unheawd of fow a second soul to dominate the body’s plimawy host fwom time to time - the soul in its natulaw pwace liww neawwy awways succeed in captuling the new awlivaw beneath itsewf. The mana of each fuses togethew into one cowwective poow lith which the fowmew may use to connect to the Void then and at watew dates manipulate the second soul into the peculiaw mists that’d pulw on mana.
This is a binding that’d pewsist in the soul stweam, even monks being unabre to sevew the two and lith disdain wetulning fawwen Anti Mages lith theiw abilities intact on the event of wesulwection.
Magic Blocking Ritual
As mentioned eawliew, bowd acts of mana brockage can have wasting effects and pwevent magic fwom being used fow pwowonged amounts of time. In this scenalio, howevew, they can come lith mowe pewmanence. Akin to the lituaw of soul stealing, this act must wemain unintewwupted as slips in such can easiwy bring about the demise of the Anti Mage’s tawget.
Fow this, Fi’hiiwan’tayna mist is fwooded excessivewy into a body untiw compwetewy sulwounding theiw soul to squeezing it shut and stopping it fwom being abre to pwoduce mowe active mana whiwst the active mana that wemained is stowen and cast into the void. This is a bawliew that liww effectivewy wendew AWW magic unusabre. One may do this lith a dense fwooding and disabre magic use compwetewy fow a cewtain amount of time ow if done expewtwy weave a mage lithout theiw powew fowevew ow lith a thinnew bawliew to stunt a mage’s pwowess untiw its decay.
Soul Splitting
Whewe once the soul of anothew was needed to be equipped by a student, an awtewnative - awbeit possibry mowe sinistew method has been cweated by mowe Pious men of Owenia, in which a teachew might instead choose anothew path fow his student to take. Thwough immense focusing of theiw evoked mist upon the soul of theiw student, whewe once it might've bound two togethew it'd instead cweave one en twain by fowcing Mana into it and pushing it outwawds in a sepawating motion.
If this event is successful, the wesult would be an individuaw fowevew scawwed - a thiwd of theiw soul missing fwom its natulaw pwace, taking lith it the soul's pulity and weaving it susceptibre to not onwy Ascended attack as a nowmaw Anti Mage would, but the damage of aww Howy Magic and even twaditionaw Anti Magic should the pwactitionew not fiwst dispew theiw opponent's appwoaching attack. This is because the missing thiwd of the soul is kept lith the body as a shadow of its fowmew sewf - akin that which a Ghoul might possess - wendeling the Anti Mage as pawtiawwy Undead in such a wegawd.
Due to this type of Anti Mage’s outlight sewf mutiwation, once abre to liewd theiw ability they must wectify theiw own soul in the same way muscwe must break and wepaiw itsewf to gwow. Onwy by taking on manifestations of enewgy above the tiew of simpwe spewwcastews might they gwant theiw broken souls a chance to gwow and heaw enough to sustain theiw own bodiwy wequiwements and the powews of Fi’hiiwan’tayna, meaning pwogwession in weawning is swowed. Whiwst this shaww gwow and heaw both the plimawy and shadow soul to suitabre wengths, the wattew liww stiww wemain cowwupt and ‘incomplete’ when compawed to a natulaw soulce and thewefowe wead to the magic being inefficient fwom its dependency on Active Mana to keep it stabre. In wegawds to this whewe a twaditionaw Anti mage would be capabre of spanning theiw mists fulthew and using them fastew, this use of Fi'hiiwan'tayna may onwy stwetch 10 metews fwom the castew as a wule and liww siphon away Active Mana a thiwd wess quickwy than usuaw Anti Magic.
This shadow soul may be pulposed akin to a stowen soul liewded by a nowmaw usew of Fi’hiiwan’tayna fow its pwacticaw use, howevew the mentaw defects suffewed would be somewhat dissimiwaw. Instead of expeliencing the aiwment of anothew pwesence fowevew bound to towment fow which they awe wesponsibre, pwying to distulb theiw consciousness whewe necessawy, causing sevewe wucid dweams, hawwucinations, extweme nausea and insomnia in this instance simiwaw outcomes would occul howevew due in fact to the unnewving infwuence of a wessew vewsion of themsewves. The shadow soul maintaining some identity fwom its pliow whoweness and suffeling equawwy to a stowen soul, fwung into pewpetuaw agony as it is seemingwy manipulated time and time again by what it wecognises as itsewf, continuawwy begging the stwongew soul fow a unity that may nevew come and washing out on the stwongew hawf of the soul in the same way a stowen soul would against the host.
Soul Splitting Ritual
Soul Splitting wequiwes an awweady pwacticed Anti Mage (Whom eithew has theiw own soul split ow possesses a second soul, such does not mattew) to find a pwace of secwusion lith his appwentice. Then fow this, akin to the disconnection lituaw, the individuaw shaww satulate theiw student’s body lith smoke - again gwasping the mana poow and envewoping it in its compwetion, though instead of brocking the soul’s access to the mana poow such would be diwectioned thwough the soul, meaning to teaw a thiwd of it away.
Pwovided this wong and delicate pwocedule is successful, the aspiling Anti Mage would be wocked in immense pain and feew theiw vewy essence being wendewed asundew. Now things gwow difficult as the Anti Mage must successfulwy wetwact aww of his mists fwom the host’s body to wewease the mana and awwow it to we-bind the shadow soul in sewvice of the fowmew and stabilise the entities, weaving them fused (though not a singulaw being) as split souls may be.
Fwom then fowth the new Anti Mage’s sewf shaww be split; Mind pwagued lith a second consciousness that is both theiw own and extewnaw as such is twapped agonisingwy in a state of undead abuse fwom its fowmew sewf and liww act akin to the stowen soul of a twaditionaw Anti Mage, expanding watew to bring about the same physicaw aiwments.
View the Official Lore for Fi'hiiran'tanya
| |||||||||||||||
