Thaumaturgy

Thaumaturgy is an occult power able to be channeled by humankind to various effects, perhaps most notably to the purpose of healing wounds and burning away nether. The teachings of Serafina the Torchbearer and the Church of St. Vito (and most of its offshoots, including the Church of Light) state that this is a channeling of humankind's inner light. When channeled, it typically manifests as a warm golden light. One who channels thaumaturgy is typically known as a thaumaturge.

Gameplay Info

A character with access to the skill can begin channeling thaumaturgy via the thaumaturgy command. The character may then use the cast command to perform minor healing to themselves or others, mending scrape wounds and restoring a small amount of energy. (Some abilities can increase the maximum healable wound level.)

If a character lands a melee attack while channeling thaumaturgy, there is a high chance that the attack will be accompanied by a "flare" of thaumaturgic energy which can harm nethrim (beings with bodies and/or souls consisting largely of nether).

Thaumaturgy is only available to Monks and Templar, and is the source of their healing and light-based abilities.

Thaumaturgy cannot be trained without first learning the basics. These basics are taught to Templar with the Halo ability and Monks with the Mend Wounds ability.

Due to the fact that the intricacies of thaumaturgy are so often misunderstood (and so often controversial), Player Characters should not include thaumaturgic ability as a part of their backstory. The character may potentially have an opportunity to learn it in-game.

Lore

Thaumaturgy is perhaps best known for its ability to heal the injured, with accomplished Monks being able to heal even the most grievous of life-threatening wounds. The common theory is that the healing is caused by the thaumaturgic light restoring the physical body to match its underlying spiritual form. The healing must be performed within a reasonable time-frame, however - if a wound is left for too long, it is said that the physical body's spirit will adapt to this altered state and thaumaturgy will thus not be able to restore (heal) it to its previous form. It should also be noted that thaumaturgy is unable to purge a body of poisons or toxins or most diseases.

Thaumaturgy is also known to be able to strengthen the connection of a creature's spirit to its body, making the physical body more resistant to injury for a time.

When interacting with nether, however, thaumaturgy has a destructive effect as the nether becomes burned away by the light. The Templar in particular are known to utilize thaumaturgy in this fashion to combat evil nethrim.

Thaumaturgic ability is said to come most naturally to those who are selfless in their dedication to a good cause, and who genuinely try to cultivate a sincere sense of compassion - not only toward their fellow humankind, but to all beings. However, it cannot be emphasized enough that thaumaturgic ability is not merely a result of exceptional kindness or some human definition of morality. The kindest and most selfless and compassionate individual in the world would not be able to wield thaumaturgy if they didn't also have the mental training and discipline required to channel it, just as other occult channeling abilities require. That is to say: Traits such as compassion and selflessness are important for thaumaturges, but they are not the sole requirements.

The mental discipline followed by thaumaturges includes a form of asceticism, practicing concepts such as:

• Self-denial of luxury and indulgence
• Modesty and humility
• Accepting loss or failure without selfish complaint, instead searching for the opportunity to learn, improve, or explore a new path
• What the Church terms as "reasonable poverty", which might be summarized as the general ability to find contentment with as few and modest physical belongings as possible. This is not to say that tools immediately useful to one's duties are forbidden - Monks might own tools of a trade useful to their Order's goals, and Templar are expected to own weapons and armor, for instance, though they must refrain from excess or luxury in these things. This also includes the concept of a truly modest amount of money, keeping perhaps enough to buy a meal in an emergency and pay for the next repair or replacement of one of one's tools, but little more than that. To accommodate this kind of lifestyle, ascetics are provided some basic food, lodging, apparel, and tools by the Church.

Additionally, thaumaturges adhere to the tenets outlined in the Edict of St. Vito, such as:

• Compassion and charity toward others
• Treating all creatures (including oneself) with respect and dignity (Not to be confused with being detrimentally over-accommodating or a doormat)
• Having a sense of healthy but humble self-worth, while avoiding pridefulness or arrogance, and helping others to find their own sense of self-worth
• Striving for a degree of general self-reliance and helping others achieve the same (Not to be confused with a refusal to rely on anyone else for anything)
• Honesty and trustworthiness
• Sobriety (refraining from activities that would result in diminishing one's mental acuity or capability, such as strong drinks or mind-altering substances)
• Respect for all life and the natural world
• Avoiding violence and combat (Templar less so due to their duties as defenders of the people, though they should still consider each situation carefully and avoid needless or excessive force)
• Avoiding products that are the direct result of the death of a sentient creature. This includes avoiding the consumption of meat or utilizing leather goods, which should be done only when no other option is available.

In the Lost Lands

It could be said that thaumaturges are needed more in the Lost Lands than anywhere else, where danger and injury are extremely common, nether and nethrim run rampant, and the surviving remnants of humanity are in particular need of kindness and compassion in the cruel and dangerous world they find themselves in. While Monks and Templar outside the Quarantine are typically raised rather than recruited, with many long years of ascetic disciplined upbringing to prepare them, the dire situation in the Lost Lands has led to a more desperate means of recruitment.

Potential Monks and Templar in the Lost Lands are typically recruited by an individual who is capable of initially lending the recruit some of their own thaumaturgic ability, as well as, it is said, calling down some from Serafina herself. Provided they can get through some initial mental training necessary to the technique of channeling, an individual so imbued will experience a more or less immediate ability to draw on thaumaturgic power. This lending is not without cost: The individual(s) doing the lending will find their own abilities severely diminished for the duration of the lending.

The results have been mixed and even somewhat controversial: Some such recruits have gone on to awaken their own inherent thaumaturgic abilities after enough time and experience, and no longer require any such lending. On the other hand, it has not been uncommon for some of these shortcut-recruited individuals to discover that they are less suited to the thaumaturgic way of life than they initially believed, and such individuals have lost or given up their ability to utilize thaumaturgy. This has unfortunately led to some such individuals becoming rather embittered with the discipline of thaumaturgy, and often the Church as well. As a result of this and the fact that this process temporarily takes the lending thaumaturge out of the field so to speak, this recruitment method tends to be used very carefully and sparingly, with potential recruits being observed and vetted for a significant period before being given their chance.

Common Misconceptions

• Thaumaturgic ability (or lack thereof) is not an indication of an individual's level of "goodness." Goodness, morality, and ethics are all subjective, after all.
• Thaumaturgy is not a power solely granted by or channeled through Serafina the Torchbearer, though she has been known to lend some of her own power to others on occasion.
• Thaumaturgy is not granted to people merely based on their level of kindness or compassion. It requires a dedication to a particular lifestyle and mental discipline along with a more mundane mental training in the thaumaturgic form of channeling to tap into the power.
• Thaumaturges do not believe that their lifestyle is the only or best lifestyle for all humankind, but rather understand that it is fairly niche and narrow in its attractiveness or applicability. Those who find the lifestyle to be unattractive or unsatisfying should not strive to live it out of some misguided perception that it is the peak form of goodness or enlightenment.
• Thaumaturges are not solely concerned with humanity. They respect and show compassion to animal life and the natural world as well and seek to care for them too, though acknowledge that it is not generally their specific area of expertise.
• Thaumaturgic healing does not affect poisons or most diseases.
• Thaumaturges are not forbidden from intimate relationships or marriage, with the exception of some rare offshoots of the Church of St. Vito. (The Church of Light is not one such offshoot.)
• Thaumaturges can eat meat, but should refrain when other options are available.
• Not all members of the Church of Light are, nor strive to be, thaumaturges. In fact, the vast majority of Church members are non-thaumaturges who just want to follow the general spirit of the teachings of St. Vito and Serafina in an effort to serve their fellow humankind and overall make the world a better place.