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As an Arcanologist myself-a̶l̶t̶h̶o̶u̶g̶h̶ ̶I̶ ̶h̶a̶v̶e̶ ̶c̶o̶m̶e̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶b̶e̶l̶i̶e̶v̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶s̶u̶c̶h̶ ̶a̶ ̶t̶e̶r̶m̶ ̶b̶e̶t̶r̶a̶y̶s̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶t̶r̶u̶e̶ ̶p̶o̶e̶t̶r̶y̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶d̶e̶e̶p̶ ̶m̶e̶d̶i̶t̶a̶t̶i̶o̶n̶s̶ ̶o̶n̶ ̶Glamour1 ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶c̶o̶n̶s̶t̶i̶t̶u̶t̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶f̶i̶e̶l̶d̶,̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶m̶o̶s̶t̶ ̶l̶i̶k̶e̶l̶y̶ ̶a̶n̶ ̶U̶l̶l̶o̶r̶ ̶C̶o̶u̶r̶t̶ ̶a̶f̶f̶e̶c̶t̶a̶t̶i̶o̶n̶--I find it proper to give a short history of the field that will accurately convey its true essence and economic impact.
-1500: The Founding of "Arcanology"
The Why
Nearly 3000 years ago, on the cusp of Gallowtide2 the Briarheart Circle declared a state of emergency in expectation of the historically disastrous return of new magic to the land. Given that magic systems inevitably change or are remade wholesale after the slate-clearing effects of Hallowtide3, the population of erstwhile magical practitioners had regularly dropped by over 50% as previously innocent incantations such as lighting one's cigarette with a small thumb-flame could result in summoning a greater demon. With the exception of certain (̶s̶o̶m̶e̶ ̶s̶a̶y̶ ̶p̶a̶r̶a̶n̶o̶i̶d̶,̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶a̶u̶t̶h̶o̶r̶ ̶w̶o̶u̶l̶d̶:̶ ̶s̶a̶y̶ ̶r̶e̶a̶s̶o̶n̶a̶b̶l̶y̶ ̶p̶r̶e̶p̶a̶r̶e̶d̶)̶ magicians who may have happened to inscribe hexagrammic wards on each cigarette filter merely as a preemptory measure, many magicians perished in spectacularly gory and unpleasent ways.
Formation
In an effort to avoid such drastic fluctuations in the magical population, and the accompanying logistical nightmare of producing supply/demand curve stabilization charms on a national scale, The Briarheart Council convened a new branch of The Academy4 whose primary task was to catalogue and identify new strains of magic as they emerged, cross-reference them with previous magical systems, and provide up-to-date risk analysis models in a timely manner to any magician who wished to emply prior magical systems.
Within the first decade of its inception, the field of Arcanology contributed to a significant decrease in accidental magical deaths(averaging ~40%), a figure that was previously unheard of within the first 300 years of a new Gallowtide and the previous process of supernatural selection that eventually resulted in a stable practitioner base.
Beyond the mere loss of life averted, however, the contributions to the stability of the magical commodities market resulted in significant financial gain.
Elmadin Shadowspinner, Keeper of the Forgotten, Probationary member of the Board of Arcanology.
1. Glamour
2. Gallowtide
3. Hallowtide
4. The Academy
The esteemed Aret Bollhagen is a diabologian specializing in the intersection of arcanology, grammar, and applied theophysics. His interest in the arcane arts began when introduced to the myriad of religions throughout this fine land and the theopolitical tensions between them and the Circle. His paper, "On the emphasis of syllables in religious words," caused ripples not only in the Academy, but also inspired two books of theoretical arcanology, the creation of seven spells, a tear in reality, and no less than five duels from vengeful theologians. He currently resides as chair of Diabology at the Academy and spends most of his time avoiding students and making his papers as difficult to read as possible.
Dr. Naomi Imoan is a dryad currently residing in the Claggy Grove on the Heather Cliffs. Best known for her participation in the Fomorian Court Excavation and her book Ancient Contracts and Implicit Magic: Is Everyone Always Already Cursed?, her work is among the hottest up-and-coming archaeological research in the field of Ancient Contracts, Rites, and Ghost Law. When she is not teaching 6 classes a semester at the Uullorian College of the Moorlands, and performing 5 excavations a year, she enjoys sleeping, looking pensively over the landscape, whiskey-tasting, and gardening. She also welcomes questions from the public; just give her your name and she'll be in touch!
Logotherapist of the Ann Arbor Holistic Center for Brain Transplantation and Wellness. Dr. Ithloday is an expert in ancient and modern Galenic medicine and is certified in the 3rd Viennese school of psychotherapy founded by Viktor Frankl. He has helped thousands of patients to find inner peace and harmony by discovering and achieving their true goals in life. Author of numerous scholarly and popular works, he is perhaps best known for his groundbreaking studies: “Brain, Heart and Liver: the Neglected seats of the Psyche” and “Wine: Medicine of the Gods; Beer: Elixir of the Fae”.
Elmadin Shadowspinner. Keeper of the Forgotten. Member of the Sibid Court, dealer in forgotten childhood memories. Elmadin trades in the colour of the first bird seen by a baby in the Spring, the names of imaginary friends long abandoned, and young lovers’ second kisses.
These rare pieces of glamour he hoards, spending hours wrapped in the embrace of flickering tallow-light, tracing the threads of moonlight that tie the forgotten to each other and working tirelessly to find a way to stem the perpetual self-emptying of the World-dream.
A renowned figure among thaumohistorical researchers, Dr. Lewin Vernelle heads the Magical Anthropology department at Regardful Creek University. Dr. Vernelle studies the historical effects of Gallowtide on the rise and fall of different paradigms of magic, with special focus on the decline of shamanism. He is widely known for authoring the popular Beru Thunderbough novels, as well as the acclaimed nonfiction book Botany and the Science of Revolution. When not at work, he may be found at a local park or attending ecoanarchist meet-ups. He lives in Elderbeam with his wife Susanna and their two rambunctious children.
A young tree spirit rooted within the ancient forest of the Red Ravine, Tam Everal is considered a promising scholar who is best known for his studies of transient supernatural phenomena, most of which were conducted in the first few centuries of his life. More recently, however, in a time where older spirits have began to wither away, Everal has focused on preserving the priceless and sometimes cryptic knowledge of his elders.
Everal observes many of the Ravine's practices, including, to the dismay of outside academics, concealing the community's arcane knowledge. Almost all of Everal's publications are superficial warnings of imminent crises. Only during the last century, with Gallowtide approaching, did Everal began revealing some of his deeper and more startling discoveries.
Ansoni is the long-standing Red Ravine External Secretary, administering political and academic exchanges between the Ravine and the outside world. While her exact nature and origin is unknown, it is theorized that, because Ansoni's position requires her to interact extensively with non-Ravine individuals, the Red Ravine had carefully removed specific memories and magical abilities from Ansoni to prevent her from revealing any secret knowledge.
Still, Ansoni retained her intellect and political prowess, and she remains loyal to the Ravine. Yet, she often shares the curiosity of outside observers, personally advocating for a more open Ravine society. It is this unique position that recently convinced the Briarheart Circle to assign Ansoni the task of translating and communicating the works of Everal for the emergency council.
Meir 1
Taz Meir
Dr. Scorn
Beginning English Literature
14 Moon, 1277
College Essay Draft 1
Its' an important time at Sunlight High. Because, the class of 1278 is making decisions that will impact the rest of their lives such as the choice of what college to go to, I chose Unseelie University because of the strong academics, impactful scholastic, and strong history of success.
A little about me I have 2 sisters who are twins Erena and Selena who are you probably could of guessed moonlight naiads who are already attending UU. Me and my mom and dad are really proud of them for all their many and copious accomplishments.
I also show leadership at band where I play the tuba. Shout out to my man Angry Pete on the trombone. I hope to foster leadership at Double U because my dream is to join the Feyknights.
The Venerable Vexis Reagh is an itinerant lecturer recognized as an expert on the history of ideas. His most well-known research projects are archaeological investigations of the traditions of the Land, the preservation of which he claims is the most important calling a scholar can have. Despite the abundance of lecture invitations he accepts, it is difficult to hear him speak in person, as due to his abnormally bad luck he is usually waylaid by some disaster on the way to the event. Outside of his academic work, he is a fervent supporter of lycanthropic rights.
Cascade Illness, vernacularly known as "shattering", is a supernatural medical condition in which a spirit entity is gradually divided into semi-dependent, dysfunctional fragments over the course of a few decades. Although only common among elderly spirits (>10,000 years old), disruptions on the astral plane could significantly increase the frequency of the illness. Most famously, at the Siege of Cornaperal1, the weaponry used is believed to have induced the illness in thousands.
Symptoms
The illness begins with the spirit's aura pulsing at a steadily increasing rate and magnitude. The alignment and integrity of the spirit becomes unstable, until the spirit splits at the peak of one of the pulses. The process then repeats for the new entities, creating a "cascade" of disorderly dividing.
Each split divides the spirit's mental and magical components into separate fragments in a seemingly random manner. For example, a fragment may retain an ability to decipher written language, while the other fragments struggle to understand basic grammar. Memories and magical abilities are often split in a similar fashion.
Initially, the fragments are able to communicate via a shared stream of consciousness, but as the number of fragments grows, the increased complexity of coordination critically degrades the spirit's flow of thought. Eventually, the mind is dissolved into noise, and the aura is dissipated into the astral plane.
Causes
Studies conducted across ancient communities found a correlation between Cascade Illness and exposure to "background noise" on the astral plane - hence, older spirits are affected the most. In particular, the studies suggest that the illness is caused by interference from specific astral frequencies, amplified by mystic crises such as the Great Rupture2 and Gallowtide3 events.
Treatments
Attempts to prevent, mitigate, or cure the illness have been unsuccessful. The long-standing effects of the Great Rupture are practically unavoidable, and any magical countermeasure usually worsens the illness with its own astral frequencies.
However, there have been three recently recorded cases where the illness stopped without external influence. The partial cascading leaves the spirits in a confused limbo between stability and insanity. Recent efforts to find treatments have focused on reproducing these cases.
Tam Everal (edited by Ansoni)
1. Siege of Cornaperal
2. Great Rupture
3. Gallowtide
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As any schoolchild knows, religions in the Land are numerous as they are antagonistic, giving no quarter in their debates nor sacred duels. While one could go on (and indeed, many diabologians and theologians have) about the various arguments for superiority of deities each religion gives, or of the various gods, demigods, and semidemigods that have contested with each other for followers, it is important to take a step back and investigate two distinct and important issues.
1) Why are these religions so numerous, and why can they not get along?
2) What, if anything, constitutes an antithesis to the many religions?
It is in these two questions that diabology is most interested. However, one must note it is of considerable difficulty to study such lofty questions when the Academy1 is continually in a state of civil war between theologians, diabologians, arcanologists2, and staff members attempting to justify their existence. Alas, such is the cost of the forward progress of academia.
Aret Bollhagen, Current Chair of Diabology
1. The Academy
2. Arcanology
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Excerpts from "On the Gods of the Great Rupture and the Subsequent Formation of the Religions of the Land"
The resources diabology provides scholars with are vast, but even they are stretched thin when studying the far reaching implications of the greatest metaphysical disaster the Land has ever known. In this paper I will forego any attempts to describe what exactly caused it (exempting a preliminary discussion on the use of an accented e in the word Blessed and how that began this whole sad state of affairs), and instead focus on the religious aspects, which are as numerous as they are conflicting.
...
The gods and demigods* that came from this disaster fought each other zealously for their very existence, as it is clear that reality can only contain so much divinity. When reality was shattered, the Land became the most hotly contested of all nine planes of reality1.** Scholars have hotly debated why the Land has been so fiercely fought over, but it is obvious that it is the intersection of the strong presence of arcanology, giving them followers not only willing to give them due oblation, but also warriors capable of dealing actual harm to their celestial rivals.
...
Needless to say quite a few deities found their champions in superior mortals (we all have experience the horrors of The Lady Disastrous2, who attempted to bring the Briarhart Circle under her dread grasp and was indeed only repelled by our knowledge of even fouler magicks3*** than hers).
*Semidemigods did not spawn until at least 101 lunar cycles after the Great Rupture, some scholars argue for longer, on the order of 500, though none convincingly.
**Ohio being the only plane of reality over which none of the divine beings, not even the semidemigods, wished to contest, for obvious reasons.
***Indeed, fellow scholars, lycanthropes, students, and others, we will pay dearly for our crimes against reality.
Aret Bollhagen, Current Chair of Diabology
1. Planes of Reality
2. The Lady Disastrous
3. Necronomicon Ex Mortis
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The easiest way to tell if a freshman is scoring above a C in my Magic Through the Ages course1 is whether they hold the popular misconception that deities stand in opposition to magic. It is true that the two forces are incompatible, but it is not an opposition. Rather, both are subject to ontological "seasons," if you will, that cause their influence on our reality to wax and wane. At the tipping point where magical forces of various natures win out over the power of the gods, there is a periodic event known as Gallowtide2. At the other end of the pendulum, where magic dwindles and the gods rise once more, we celebrate Hallowtide.
The rites and customs surrounding Hallowtide could easily fill their own Lexicon, but a few common threads tie them together. The most obvious of these threads is the pervasive air of festivity, as a decline in magical power means the Courts will cause much less collateral damage in their conflict. At the same time, the festival carries a slight twinge of guilt, as the arrival of Hallowtide means that the gods can once again smite us for impiety. The Land loses many of its bolder comedians around this time.
Each polity retains its own, idiomatic practices concerning Hallowtide. That said, it is common for families to engage in gift-giving when the day arrives. It is theorized by anthropologists that this is descended from an older practice whereby magicians would trade around their now-worthless magical artifacts in hopes of finding something that would still function in the mana drought that accompanies Hallowtide, if not prove useful when magic returned to the Land. The practice has died out ever since magicians discovered that the magic systems that return at Gallowtide are usually different than the ones that left at Hallowtide, rendering their artifacts — in all probability — completely useless.
Lewin Vernelle, historian of magic
1. MHST 210: Magic Through the Ages
2. Gallowtide
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The Lady Disastrous is one of three beings to take on the status of a cataclysm in her own person. In this she is second to the Lord of Rivers' Wrath1, and of the other we do not speak. Unlike her peers, however, scholarly consensus holds the damage attributed to the Lady Disastrous was largely accidental. It bears acknowledging that her Ladyship is a title of convenience: neither Court has ever bestowed lordship of disastrousness. Indeed, the Lady Disastrous holds the historical distinction of claiming neither Court as a patron, as their simultaneous plotting to get her enrolled with the other Court left her completely adrift.
The Lady Disastrous was born Emile Vanislav in a mid-Hallows period. Inducted into the Order of St. Charity at a young age, she swiftly rose through the ranks due to an unnatural series of accidents befalling those around her. In many similar cases, such accidents would seem to be the result of malicious design, but young Vanislav was apparently both earnest and unable to control many of the damning factors that doomed her schemes. For example, her elevation to Abbot was preceded by a deadly fire caused by a phlogiston muffin bake sale inside an Abbey made of lesser darkwood—although the reaction is known to us now, researchers would not discover it for another hundred moons after her time.
The historical record tells us of a career marked by increasingly ambitious attempts to do good marked by disproportionate backlashes. These catastrophic attempts at charity often involved large-scale divine blessings gone unimaingably awry: one recalls, for example, that the Targeld region attained its contemporary status after a blessing to calm the native wildlife instead converted the populace into the first recorded lycanthropes. And it hardly bears mentioning that, to this very day, worshippers must contend with the fallout2 of the time she blessed the Necronomicon Ex Mortis3.
The Order of St. Charity collapsed after the Lady Disastrous attempted to do their accounting pro bono. Penniless and in disgrace, the Lady Disastrous died in 732 AFC attempting to give herself a haircut.
Lewin Vernelle, historian of magic
1. Gwahair Sibeld
2. Tentacle-Induced Prayer Disruption
3. Necronomicon Ex Mortis
Overview
Law-Poet Dirk Biodag (-50–314 After Fomorian Conflict) was an aes sidhe law-poet who practiced under the Uullor court. Famous for his negotiation of “infinite circle magic” cases, Dirk Biodag’s best-known work centers on the simultaneous ambiguity and implicit contractuality of communication. In one case, Gwyllion Guise vs. The Uullor Court, Biodag successfully established the immateriality of intentionality in implicit magic; in particular, in banishing via knife.
Early Life
We know Biodag was born to a pair of ironsmiths, who died in their dangerous line of work when Biodag was 8. The next reference places Biodag’s arrival at the Uullor Court in 2 AFC, as the complainants’ lawyer in the case The Descendents of Teg Tyl-Wyth v. Teg Tyl-Wyth, notable for establishing the citizenship rights of changelings. He rose to minor celebrity status after serving as lawyer for both plaintiff and defendant in the case Alderson v. Alderson. He served primarily as a civil-suits lawyer for 100 years before being appointed Court Drafter by King Finvara.
Later Career
As Court Drafter, Biodag was responsible for drafting and editing all legislation issued from the Uullor Court, magical or otherwise. His first action was to immediately and decisively issue the “Standards, Styles, Spell Structures, and Most Definitive Hermeneutic Guidelines for All Legislation Hereby Issued by the Uullor Court”1, a document still used today (as of 1277 AFC). It is also worth considering that he considered the controversial Good Neighbors Law2 his greatest achievement.
Death
Biodag died at the old age of 364 in a freak accident while visiting the still-active iron foundry his parents perished in. His tomb is inscribed with a quote from The Guide, “There is no magic but language; no language but life; no life but magic.”
Dr. Naomi Imoan, Assistant Professor of Archaeology at the Uullorian College of the Moorlands
1. The Guide
2. The Good Neighbors Law
Worksheet for HIST 2002
(1)Which king promoted Biodag to Court Drafter in 102 AFC?
(2)What are two legal cases Biodag worked on?
(3)What was Biodag’s first act as Court Drafter?
Extra Credit: Please write one thing you remember from last week. Please. Anything.
Dr. Naomi Imoan, Assistant Professor of Archaeology at the Uullorian College of the Moorlands
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Overview
Moorland is a bog characterized by low ph value, thick layers of peat, and dense concentrations of long-burning magic. Although their exact ecological origin is still unknown, theories range from ancient civilizations to environmental factors and local fauna[1]. Moorland is particularly affected by the shifts in season between Gallowtide1 and Hallowtide2, frequently being crusaded during seasons of the latter (but almost as quickly abandoned).[2]
Ecosystem
The moorland is subject to unique ecosystems, not only to account for the density of magic and acid, but also the corresponding lack of divine presence. Heather, a well-known magic fixator, thrives in these area. Adders and short-eared owls, creatures many speculate to be diabological3, feed on water-rats and toads, either of which may attempt to defend themselves with simple spells.
Cultures
The Moorlander culture is among the most distinctive in all the world. No doubt, this is due to the presence of potent ingredients, such as juniper, cranberry, cottongrass, heather, and rosemary, leading to a thriving trade of textiles and cuisine. Although people of all races live there, dryads, selkies, gwyllion, and aes sidhe are particularly concentrated.[3] Moorlanders also pride themselves in their expansive funeral arrangements, leading to the highest concentration of mummies, banshees, will o' wisps, and ghosts almost anywhere.[4]
Dr. Naomi Imoan, Assistant Professor of Archaeology at the Uullorian College of the Moorlands
[1]"That Found in the Rubble and What Lurks Beneath the Swamp4" by Dr. Aret Bollhagen and Elmadrin Shadowspinner
[2]"No 'Mere' Coincidence: Historical Magical Instability and its Correlation with Bog and Fen Ph. Levels" by Ven. Vexis Reagh
[3]The Vernelle Guide to Anthropology: Volume F: The Outlands, 13th Ed.
[4]"Fathers, a Lack of Sun, and The Wholly Ghostie Men" by Tam Everal, ed. Ansoni
1. Gallowtide
2. Hallowtide
3. Diabology
4. What Lurks Beneath the Swamp
Meir 1
Taz Meir
Dr. Scorn
Beginning English Literature
17 Moon, 1277
Current Events Assignment: Necronomicon Ex Mortis
Necronomicon is ancient greek for, "book of the dead" (Willheart and Agony 120). So the title translates to, "Book of the dead ex mortis". It is named this because the book has death magic in it, which can be used to do evil (Torment 12-21) (Blight 157).
The Necronomicon was found in the Fell Corruption1 where it was discovered by John Tyrant III (Tyrant 14). Who had a name so good they had to use it three times. He wrote, that it was inked in human blood and written on human skins (Tyrant 26). The fell rituals are believed to have generated the fall of the Arcadian Empire2 and how it was swallowed up by the Choked Wood.
Now the Necronomicon resides under the control of the Briarheart Circle, though many rumors which haven't been proven say that it has gone missing (Fetterley 688). As a citizen of the world everyone has a duty to pay attention to said events.
Tazzy
1. Fell Corruption
2. Arcadian Empire
Taz, this is a little short. I have heard you argue during the more disruptive times in class. You have it in you to be an excellent writer. Your work could benefit from just a few minutes of proofreading and grammar checking!
In your next draft please elaborate on the fell rituals of the Necronomicon as we read about in class yesterday, and the reasons why its theft is so important for a World Citizen to understand.
Dr. Scorn
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Taz 1
Taz Meir
Dr. Scorn
Beginning English Literature
Sax and Violins
Sax and Violins is a thrash metal band that's been banned by most good establishments such as this school because they are responsible for everything1 that2 is3 wrong4 in the world5. But lots of people especially teenage boys but not me still listen to them because their lead violinist is smokin hawt.
Members
The band is fronted by Suzi Succubus, vocalist. The lead violinist is Sassy Sclerosis. Krazy Kage is on drums, Yugn'wot'vaaath is saxophone, and HIS NAME IS A KILLING WORD is the bass violin.
All band members are demons6, they met in Hell No. 5.5 of 7. This is why they are responsible for the corruption of our youth. At their last concert7 there was an orgy-murder-suicide which was metal as shit.
Current Projects
Right now their focus according to HIS NAME IS A KILLING WORD is probably bouncing around their fans and worshippers, experimenting with new melodies, and deathfucking their groupies. But we can't be sure because all interviews with HIS NAME kill the interviewer through blood from the ears and also mess with the recording over time.
Tazzy
1. Cascade Illness
2. Fetal magical syndrome
3. The Trash Disaster: Who to Blame
4. Withering Memory
5. Great Rupture
6. Diabology
7. Great Rupture
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St Charity's Orphanage for the Preternaturally Afflicted is an orphanage dedicated by its namesake to the service of children abandoned because of preternatural afflictions, such as lycanthropy or FMS1. Originally run by the Order of St Charity, it is now under the care of the Briarheart Sisters, who took over the orphanage following the extinction of the Order at the hands of the Lady Disastrous2. While the Sisters officially run St Charity's purely as a social service, it is commonly whispered that children raised by the Sisters are briarmarked, as the orphanage boasts a disproportionate representation among those summoned by the Circle. The Circle's call is almost always for the wondrous and the unnatural, so it is no surprise that the Sisters maintain a supply line "in-house", so to speak.
It is worthwhile to note why it is that an institution like dear old St Charity's must exist. The truly supernatural is discontinuous, but the preternatural is highly tradition-bound. Even curses, when transmittable, are handed down in the context of a predecessor and successor, the one traditioning it to the other along with knowledge of its nature and behavior. Preternaturally-afflicted children usually lack this, and many parents abandon them when they cannot quickly find someone with the same affliction to take the child under their wing. Afflicted children without this tradition often face discrimination.
Because of the transmission vector of lycanthropy, lycanthropes are especially vulnerable to this. Even yours truly is sometimes held up from his appointments by roving Sibid ruffians looking for trouble! Even so, great strides are being made for the cause of justice. Personally, I am quite pleased that the Circle has seen fit this time to summon a council, against all odds, composed entirely of lycanthropes.
Vexis Reagh
Lecturer in Theory
1. Fetal magical syndrome
2. The Lady Disastrous
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Dr. Uriel Ithloday, freely and under no compulsion, admits to criminal negligence, lack of foresight and medically necessitated inebriation that prevented him from noticing that his patients were about to bury the known world under 3 meters of toxically enchanted trash. The warning signs were present in the very first file involving Mr. Baker who has since been vindicated of responsibility for his actions:
Subject: Cliff Baker
Occupation: Garbage Collector
Reason for Transplant: Severe Head Trauma due to auto accident
Donor: Dr. Felding, Historian at the University, Member of the Grove of the
Shining Lake and the Druidic Assembly of the Oak and Boar.
Cause of donation: Congestive Heart Failure.
Notes:
Mr. Baker complains that his new brain keeps spouting random facts about History
which is a subject that he never liked. Worse, it turns out that Dr. Felding1
was a secret fan of Ohio State football, which sits ill upon Mr. Baker’s heart and
liver. It keeps going on and on about how “that land” (Toledo Ohio) came into this
state , besides bringing in odd observations about Alsace Lorraine and how France
ultimately won because of the fays which makes Mr. Baker feel rather uncomfortable
since he does not believe in fairies and wishes he would stop seeing them during his
rounds.
Suggested Treatment: Since Mr. Baker’s post operation humoral disposition has
become cold and moist: 2 glasses of a dry and heating wine such as Cabernet
Sauvignon per diem and 1 session of cognitive football therapy2 per week.
This disastrous prescription (Mr. Baker weighed 120 lb’s and took his wine first thing in the morning) led to a vicious spiral of auto-accidents, delayed trash pickup, riots in the stadium, increased head-injuries and hence transplants, larger numbers of patients for Dr. Ithloday, more bungled prescriptions and so on, leading to the situation we have now.
Dr. Uriel Ithloday M.D.
1. Dr. Felding
2. Cognitive football therapy
To understand the Unweaving, one must first understand the Weave. Mortals dwell on the Earth (or, as the Sibid call it, the Earth) and fae dwell in the Land. In the course of their eternal Dance, they often touch. Parts of the Land become interwoven with parts of the Earth, creating a liminal space through which one may pass from one world to another. The ludic tempo of the Dance ensures that the fae are never lacking for Weave regions through which to pass in and out of the mortal realm.
The Unweaving is a feared collapse of this play between Land and Earth. Whispers of the end of the Dance began circulating among Circle-adjacent scholars after the Jack of Binding1 entered a Weave region and bound Land and Earth together. After eight days of strain, the Land tore2. Some parts of the Weave region merged wholly with the Earth, others disintegrated into unintelligibility, and the rest of the Land broke away to continue the Dance. It is feared that this wound may fester, unraveling the Land until all of it has either collapsed into the categories of mortal existence or spun off from the Dance into oblivion. The Weave would end, and with it the Dance.
Speculation blames the Jack of Accounting, whose thorough inventory of the Weave region prevented the Land from weaving out. We fae are, after all, liminal things in our own way, creatures of the known unknown, like ice that melts under the direct light of observation. To be cataloged, to be fit into a theory, dissected—is this not to cease to be fae? This, then, is the paradox of the Unweaving: that precisely in becoming known, we will be forgotten3.
The threat of the Unweaving has led to some fae attempting increasingly ludicrous stunts to bamboozle the mortal world, including, but not limited to, covering the Earth in magic garbage4. Though interference of this level is normally forbidden, in light of circumstances, the criminal penalties have been suspended.
Vexis Reagh
Lecturer in Theory
1. Jacks of All Trades
2. Great Rupture
3. Withering Memory
4. The Trash Disaster: Who to Blame
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According to several scholars in the Sibid Court, at the last full-moon many recieved a vision of a spiderweb suspended between two dreams. One was of rage, the other nameless loss.
This sign certainly indicates the evidence of what many have feared: that The Land is being forgotten.
A certain scholar, having laboured this past week between the rising and the setting of the moon, conversing on occasion with the others of the Sibid Court~though they dwell in the hollows of the night, and Ullor Court rules the day, they are not as some suggest, "creatures of darkness," but even so love the beauty of the evening sky~discovered that the startling rouge of a small child's first glimpse of sunset, which he had been intending to dissect, had vanished.
It had been placed in a container of starlight, as is done, but upon the next evening, the starlight held nothing but a salt rime like dried tears.
Given the well-known preservative nature of woven starlight, this event has produced tremors in the Sibid Court and one must assume, despite their deep-seated omphaloskepsis,the Ullor Court as well, indicating an essential instability in the very fabric of The Land. Certain other signs, an arrangement of false stars in the shape of an empty cup, the Great Yew being late to flower, and other such occurrences have given rise to a certainty in the minds of many that the Unweaving1, long feared, often ridiculed, may now be coming about.
Although it many consider it unthinkable and indeed anathema, it is the opinion of some that the only solution left may be to breach the First Contract2.
It seems possible that the world of Man has ceased to remember the People, whether by story, or by heart, and with it, the People themselves may fade. It is imperative that all scholars, be they of either Court, take action by further study.
Elmadin Shadowspinner, Keeper of the Forgotten
1. Unweaving
2. First Contract
While Vexis Reagh maintains that there is absolutely no reason to fear contracting lycanthropy through the transplantation of brains or other internal organs, Sibid ruffians1 have made it pretty much impossible to run the out-patient clinic of the Ann Arbor Holistic Center for Brain Transplantation and Wellness near the Briarwood Mall, except during the day, since they assume that even a little kidney would turn its new owner into a hairy monster that eats all Teg Tyl-Wyth at night.
The truth, as always, lies somewhere in between the extremists. While it is true that techniques that screen for lycanthropic origin of organs have improved greatly since donation became universally mandatory, they are still far from perfect. That being said, the dangers of such organs are greatly exaggerated. Double blind clinical trials led by a team under Dr. Ithloday of the A2HCBTW and Dr. McGill of the Fomorian Brain and Ophthalmic Research Lab2 have shown that recipients of an L-brain merely have wolfish dreams at the time of the full moon which intensify to waking hallucinations or wane completely depending on the tides3. Those with an L-liver have an insatiable hunger for raw meat on the same cycle and those with a were-wolf’s heart feel a mystical calling to run around and howl at the moon, nothing more. In patients with all three lycanthropic organs, some additional growth of hair, teeth and nails was observable at these times although they can be largely prevented by a diet rich in cucumbers. (Funding was insufficient to test other organs or combinations thereof.) Therefore some care is urged in the case of repeat replacement.
As with all else in life, it is necessary to weigh the risks and rewards of a new heart, brain or liver.
Dr. Uriel Ithloday M.D.
1. Sibid ruffians
2. Fomorian Brain and Ophthalmic Research Lab
3. Hallowtide