Linkage

From Mizahar Lore

Current revision as of 19:13, 13 November 2022

"Your people do not share djed and do not transfer djed from one to another. Mine do. We share power back and forth freely for a multitude of reasons. Sometimes we augment each other's strengths, bypass each other's weaknesses, or simply heal damage to djed and djedpools. I can teach you how to do that. Our djed is the same, even if the way we utilize it is different.” - From the Zethas of The Cheenga Ruins

Linkage

Lost discipline
Full name	Linkage
Availability	Falyndar
Learned from	Users, The Mulgon
Key concept	Linking multiple mages together to pool djed resources.
Uses	Augmentation of power, type, scope, and scale.
Risks	Burnout, overload, djed bombs

Linkage discipline personal magic that involves creating a circuit of djed between one or more mages to augment and increase the power, type, scope, and scale of the wielder's djed to perform abilities beyond their normal capacity as mages. Linking currently has originated in Falyndar in the area of Syka when an off-world Mulgon - a humanoid bat-like creature - named Zethas passed his knowledge of djed onto some of the denizens of Syka. The Mulgon, as a race, handle djed vastly differently than the races native to Mizahar. This off-world race claim they can read djed intimately, pulling such things as the physical (genetic) traits and knowledge of the individual’s personality from samples of individual djed. Once pulled from outside djed, Mulgon can replicate the traits found within individual djed at will. For this reason, Arcanology Scholars suspect the Mulgon are the source of Iraso Mages and their legendary Pathfinding with their keen ability to tract individual djed signatures with the intensity of magical bloodhounds. Due to the longevity of the Mulgon race, Linkage mages were known to be common in the research center of Pavena (and thus the modern-day settlement of Syka) before the Valterrian. They were utilized in off-world travel and study of foreign magics. Linkage was thought to have perished during the Valterrian, though at least one Mulgon survived in Falyndar to re-introduce the Lost Discipline back into the world.

Overview and History

Linking currently has originated in Falyndar in the area of Syka when an off-world Mulgon - a humanoid bat-like creature - named Zethas passed his knowledge of djed onto some of the denizens of Syka. The Mulgon, as a race, handle djed vastly differently than the races native to Mizahar. This off-world race claim they can read djed intimately, pulling such things as the physical (genetic) traits and knowledge of the individual’s personality from samples of individual djed. Once pulled from outside djed, Mulgon can replicate the traits found within individual djed at will. For this reason, Arcanology Scholars suspect the Mulgon are the source of Iraso Mages and their legendary Pathfinding with their keen ability to tract individual djed signatures with the intensity of magical bloodhounds.

Due to the longevity of the Mulgon race, Linkage mages were known to be common in the research center of Pavena (and thus the modern-day settlement of Syka) before the Valterrian. They were utilized in off-world travel and study of foreign magics. Linkage was thought to have perished during the Valterrian, though at least one Mulgon survived in Falyndar to re-introduce the Lost Discipline back into the world.

Using Linkage - The Induction

Linkage mages must be inducted by other Linkage mages. This isn't a painful process that's rife with danger like a Reimancy initiation can be. Instead, it is more of a simple procedure. A Linkage Mage's spirit or djed body must demonstrate to another living magic user that their souls aren't confined to just their bodies alone. They must be carefully guided to expand their awareness and become one with another mage - or group of mages - and not be limited to their own body. Linkage mages can do this by linking with the inductee and invading them with their djed body and awareness in a sort of spiritual takeover or possession. They in turn lead the inductee out of their own body and into the linkage mage's main body for a bit of a trip. Then often, the linkage mage will join with their inductee and invade something else entirely such as an animal, plant, or a third person. There is danger in this, however, because once a sou's djed body gets a taste of freedom, they often want to wander or link more than to stay home in their own body. They can fall prey to the seduction of a stronger body, a different race, or something they feel more drawn to than their own birth form.

What Linkage Does

• Makes unknown disciplines available to the leading linkage mage and mages linked.
• No xp gained from utilizing borrowed mage skills while linked.
• Mage skills may be borrowed at half strength if skills are unfamiliar to the borrower.
• Can negate the effects of overgiving by transferring djed back into the depleted mage.
• Djed can be passed back and forth between linked mages, thus overgiving can be countered (healed) or exacerbated.

Who Can Be Linked

First and foremost, only living sentient creatures capable of magic can be taught Linkage and utilize it as part of their magical toolbox. In turn, only mages can be linked to in order to utilize Linkage. And while djed exists in all things and cannot be created nor destroyed, only living magic-using sentient creatures can be linked too or taught linking. It may also be possible to utilize some sentient magical things skirting the line of ‘creature’ (such as an Architectrix) via Linkage. For this reason, Linkage is a very rare discipline which The Mulgon don’t often share the knowledge of with many people. Linkage, and the deaths of linked mages, has been responsible for the loss of entire djedlines of mages throughout Mizahar’s history. This is especially true during times of war where captured mages were often sacrificed to power magical attacks and defenses.

For mages to be able to link to other mages, those mages must be known to those practicing Linkage in a familiar face to face way. This familiarity means that each individual’s djed tends to be familiar as well. Linking can occur easily between mages that have shared djed – such as those who have inducted each other into Reimancy or Leeched off one another – or who have physically handled each other in multiple ways. This handling can include close friendships, sparring partners, lovers, and family. Linkage mages often can utilize students, wards, or even their own children to link with. Prisoners can also be linked with as can slaves and underlings. Unscrupulous Linkage mages have been known to hold hostages which they’ve familiarized themselves with enough to practice Linkage on and drain dry. In the past, djedships were often flown by Linkage Mages powered by slaves that were discarded when their djed was repeatedly used up. Strangers will find it virtually impossible to utilize Linkage with unless they can somehow familiarize themselves with each other’s djed in a short-hurried means.

Risks and Consequences

When used in moderation

Progression

Informative Threads