The Library of Babel

What if there was a library that contained every book possible? Well, conjecture no further. Inspired by the text "T'he Library of Babel" by Jorge Luis Borges, we made an infinate library. In contains:

Everything will be in its blind volumes. Everything: the minute history of the future, The Egyptians of Aeschylus, the precise number of times the waters of the Ganges have reflected the flight of a falcon, the secret and true name of Rome, the encyclopedia Novalis would have constructed, my dreams and daydreams in the dawn of the 14th of August in 1934, the demonstration of Pierre Fermat’s theory, the unwritten chapters of Edwin Drood, those same chapters translated into the language of the Garamantes, the paradoxes Berkeley cerebrated concerning time and never published, Urizen’s books of iron, the premature epiphanies of Stephen Daedelus which before a cycle of 1000 years will signify nothing, the gnostic gospel of Basilides, the song the sirens sang, the translation of every book into every language, in interpolations of every book into all books, the true story of every person's death, the faithful catalogue of the Library, the demonstration of the fallacy of that catalogue. Everything, but for a rational line or just notion there will be millions of nonsensical cacophonies, of verbal farragoes and babblings. Everything, but the generations of men can pass without finding among the vertiginous shelves - the shelves that obliterate the day and in which the chaos dwells - a single tolerable page.

Don't believe us? Check it out: https://libraryofbabel.info/

Ars Spirituum

The Art of Spirits is used to connect between other realms and denizens therein.Before attempting to study this sphere, one must, and I emphasize must, become familiar with cosmology, as well as having a simple understanding of spirits, their lore, legends, myths, and facts. Once you have achieved the appropriate knowledge you may then start working to truly perceive the other realms. After perception lies the ability to call or summon certain entities as well as reach out into the void.

I caution any mage to not summon or deal with any creatures that they cannot handle, some entities may be summoned more easily than can be banished while others may bring unwanted results for having been conjured against their own desires. Be warned.Disciple level of understanding can allow one to awaken inanimate objects to strengthen their composition and interact with the umbral reflections. Further understanding allows the barriers between realms be to be distorted and manipulated. I do not recommend performing such effects so lightly.

Ars Potentiae

The Art of Power deals with a Mage’s true potential beyond the fabric of reality granting one the power and essence of creation. The limits to this sphere are innumerable and go beyond comprehension of this realm. The essence of creation may be studied at an Apprentice level of understanding but fueling creation requires an Initiate level of understanding. Drawing and draining energy requires Disciple training but even still the true strength of this sphere is not grasped until you achieve Adept or Master understanding. However, even masters are limited in their uses of this sphere and this must be explored further so that Archmastery may be achieved and the true strength of this sphere may be exploited.

Important things to note, Charms may be created with Disciple prime. Charms are one use items that are often consumed by either the effect or paradox. The process of creating a charm is often time consuming but also enhances your own abilities allowing charms to be made to perform effects at one level higher than your own understanding. However, charms are limited to only be able to hold one sphere. If a mage attempts to force more effects into a single object, one or both effects might backlash upon the mage. Creating charms requires quintessence to forge and to activate so be prepared.

Ars Mentis

The Art of the Mind is very similar to correspondence. It begins with understanding ones’ self before expanding outward. Empowering and defending ones’ own mind is an important step than should not be overlooked. An apprentice can strengthen his own mind and sense other minds. Strengthening a mind may take the form of enhancing general capacity, empowering basic functions such as speed reading, processing some complex information, or simply reinforcing the existing processes. Initiates are able to sublimate emotional changes by sending impulses and perceiving emotions. Strong emotional energies often manifest as resonance and may be observed and manipulated with this level of understanding. Resonance may also be shielded against, but is a bit more complex and is rarely lasting and is more of a ‘cloaking’ effect to conceal certain resonance.

Disciples can connect to others’ conscious minds allowing for telepathic connections and minor manipulations of the senses. I have heard that becoming invisible by simply going unnoticed is possible at this level, though I have yet to see this evidence. Adepts may take more direct control over minds allowing one to overpower another’s mind and possess them. The mage may also dig deep into others’ minds and manipulate memories. Be wary of those with capability.

Master level allows control over consciousness. This level is also essential to reach realms of thought beyond typical reaches.

Mind has the potential to be the most useful and most dangerous of spheres if one were to invade or interfere with others’ minds, the results could be less than desirable. Doubting your thoughts, memories, and sanity may drive a Mage into quiet, a state where insanity takes a vicious form of reality on its own.

Ars Virium

The Art of Force is the most essential sphere for any Mage who wishes to exert their will upon the universe. Forces is by far the most diverse sphere in my opinion. Creating shields, weapons, barriers, illusions, distractions, stealth, empowerment, disempowerment, and other potent effects – Especially when used in conjunction with others. The Apprentice learns to understand and perceive forces that are typically beyond their senses. Seeing or hearing outside their typical spectrum is no longer outside of capabilities. Initiates are given the ability to influence minor energy flows. Small manipulations allow for fantastic feats of elatrical disruptions, manipulating technology in a modern age has become much easier. Shielding is also a possibility. Sounds, lights, kinetic energy, gravitational pull, radiation, and many other forms of energy. Forces may be directed as forms of defense, offense, or neutralizing – simply one of the most versatile of the ‘basic’ spheres.

Disciples may freely transmute energies, further empowering ones’ ability to manipulate the world around them. Such feats of telekinesis and other such effects that bend the laws of physical reality are possible. Turning light into a kinetic pulse can make a flashlight a deadly weapon or a potent distraction. Unfortunately these manipulations are almost entirely vulgar, and paradox reacts more viciously to such blatant mutations.Adepts are able to control the same forces but on a much a larger scale and with more efficiency.

Masters can transmute large scales of energy similar to the disciple levels.

Ars Conligationis

The Art of Correspondence is based on connections between any and all things. These connections can be seen and interpreted through various methods depending on the Focus.  First the Apprentice Mage must understand his place in the tapestry. After achieving Initiate rank, through a combination of meditation and study the mage might be able to expand his/her understanding beyond ones’ self in the form of remote viewing, scrying, or as some incorrectly label this as ‘astral projection’. These abilities allow the mage to explore the world in a new light and can often lead to a unique shift in world view. At this stage of comprehension he is also capable of protecting himself from being remotely viewed by slightly distorting local special locations, effectively warding the area. A mage at this point may be potentially dangerous if they were to remotely weave, reweave, or unweave mystical effects. However, an uneducated mage may not be concerned with local reality if he were hiding in a sanctum, but such practices may induce paradox on either the effect or the mage.

Once the Mage reaches Disciple level, the mage is now able to manipulate special connections and relations. The mage may focus on unique similarities between objects and if need be, create them. If the mage is aware of such connection he may target them remotely. Such a connection is known as an Arcane connection allowing magick to flow more freely and across vast distances as if the two were the same unit. This level also allows more potent special distortions. As a Ward protects the space around a location the mage may reach or jump across nearby distances. Another more potent distortion of space hardens the tapestry preventing a space to be entered or left. Such effect is called a Ban, though the Order has specific Warding methods that relate to more potent Bans or Wards. Similar to the scrying abilities, the Mage may quickly scan through multiple locations, though I do not recommend splitting perceptions as it may lead to rather complicated outcomes without mental fortifications.

The Adept is no longer limited to space existing in the tapestry. The mage may utilize and access space between the threads in the tapestry, The tapestry will resist this effect and eject such violation on such targets (These “Bubbles of Reality” often pop). In addition to using space between fabric of the tapestry, the mage may make minor adjustments or copies in the tapestry, this is a more difficult topic to explain, but it may be simplified to polyappearance. The mage may also freely open portals to places that the Mage has an Arcane connection to. Often Mages will use this to pull people into their sanctums or places where they have an advantage.

A master’s abilities in correspondence are nearly unlimited and even more complex to fit into such a narrow explanation here.