Seraphic Magic
Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2013 7:45 pm
- users of this School are called Cantors or Bards. They "sing" their words of power and charge them with as much faith as they can
- this involves faith used as a vehicle for via. End results are varied and usually aligned with Good by virtue of coming from angels
Short History
- Seraphic Magic is one of the first displays of arcane power mortals ever saw, shepherded largely by Metatron and the Thrones
- zeal and love of God motivated them and impressed the mortals, who instigated their own cults
- took time, but even mortals found out how to Sing the way angels could
- unsurprisingly, music comes from an observance of faith, is clearly rooted in cultural and folkloric bases
- see war cries for Orcs or battle chants by Celtic bards, military marching bands, etc.
- is one of the more insidiously popular Schools. Hard to teach formally, because plenty of musicians develop this on their own by virtue of loving their craft
- plenty of musically or orally gifted people are Cantors or Bards without being aware of it
How Does it Work?
- faith is an all-encompassing notion. No specific religious affiliations are needed. You can Believe in Science the same way others Believe in a god
- considering how difficult it is to consciously teach, Cantors and Bards tend to emerge after what the practitioners call Epiphanies
- usually involves traumatic events, moments of intense personal hardship. Musically-inclined sorts will sing to try and overcome their pain and, well...
- ... *something* happens. That can be anything.
- one of the more commonly matching concepts is the Celtic idea of the "awen" - basically a state of grace where everything about the Cantor is enhanced
- either that or, say, a wall of force suddenly repels bullets and projectiles. Or your normally lethal wounds heal
- unfortunately, this means first few displays tend to have a bit of a "slot machine" effect to them. It can be long before conscious control is asserted
- takes a lot of work and dedication. Songs and melodies need to be assigned to practically every desired effect. Takes a lot of trial and error
- even if you have a powerful Cantor's songbook or his set of partitions, there's no guarantee you'll be able to do anything with it. Connection with via is personal
- this also explains why it's so hard to formally teach. Standard music teachers don't really know what to do with Cantors
- most are just *floored* by a Cantor's performance. It reaches so deep down as to defeat any ability to objectively criticize the performer
- this is also why few Cantors and Bards become professionals. The sheer beauty of their faith becomes too much to handle on a regular basis
- ...so record sales plummet and people look away because they're eventually burnt out. Emotionally exhausted.
- both types tend to have trouble performing for the sake of performing, or with making "normal" music to balance things out
- this is because putting their soul in their work is the only way they know how to perform
- all you can really do is contact a Summoner to arrange for a meet-up with a powerful angel. Depending on who you contact, he or she might consent to enlighten you
- this involves faith used as a vehicle for via. End results are varied and usually aligned with Good by virtue of coming from angels
Short History
- Seraphic Magic is one of the first displays of arcane power mortals ever saw, shepherded largely by Metatron and the Thrones
- zeal and love of God motivated them and impressed the mortals, who instigated their own cults
- took time, but even mortals found out how to Sing the way angels could
- unsurprisingly, music comes from an observance of faith, is clearly rooted in cultural and folkloric bases
- see war cries for Orcs or battle chants by Celtic bards, military marching bands, etc.
- is one of the more insidiously popular Schools. Hard to teach formally, because plenty of musicians develop this on their own by virtue of loving their craft
- plenty of musically or orally gifted people are Cantors or Bards without being aware of it
How Does it Work?
- faith is an all-encompassing notion. No specific religious affiliations are needed. You can Believe in Science the same way others Believe in a god
- considering how difficult it is to consciously teach, Cantors and Bards tend to emerge after what the practitioners call Epiphanies
- usually involves traumatic events, moments of intense personal hardship. Musically-inclined sorts will sing to try and overcome their pain and, well...
- ... *something* happens. That can be anything.
- one of the more commonly matching concepts is the Celtic idea of the "awen" - basically a state of grace where everything about the Cantor is enhanced
- either that or, say, a wall of force suddenly repels bullets and projectiles. Or your normally lethal wounds heal
- unfortunately, this means first few displays tend to have a bit of a "slot machine" effect to them. It can be long before conscious control is asserted
- takes a lot of work and dedication. Songs and melodies need to be assigned to practically every desired effect. Takes a lot of trial and error
- even if you have a powerful Cantor's songbook or his set of partitions, there's no guarantee you'll be able to do anything with it. Connection with via is personal
- this also explains why it's so hard to formally teach. Standard music teachers don't really know what to do with Cantors
- most are just *floored* by a Cantor's performance. It reaches so deep down as to defeat any ability to objectively criticize the performer
- this is also why few Cantors and Bards become professionals. The sheer beauty of their faith becomes too much to handle on a regular basis
- ...so record sales plummet and people look away because they're eventually burnt out. Emotionally exhausted.
- both types tend to have trouble performing for the sake of performing, or with making "normal" music to balance things out
- this is because putting their soul in their work is the only way they know how to perform
- all you can really do is contact a Summoner to arrange for a meet-up with a powerful angel. Depending on who you contact, he or she might consent to enlighten you