Divine Path

Don’t ask what you can do for them, or what they can do for you. Wonder what they really want out of you…

— From the chapter on Dire Warnings in the 'Book of Divine Hustle, and Moon Rituals'

This Path has the least use of wildstones and even the Astral itself, other than as a means to an end. Mages of the Divine Path concern themselves more with the spirits, mystical beings, and the divinity. The Astral is just the medium through which they contact those gods. This is because, at its heart, the Divine Path is about the art of bargains, contracts, hustle, and negotiation.

A mage who studies the Divine Path doesn’t channel their magic from the Astral. Their magic comes from gods, spirits, and similar beings. What is called the mage’s ‘patron’. But for the mage to get that magic, they first must bargain with one of those powerful beings for a sliver of that power. A contract where the god grants a small portion of their power to the mage, and in return, the mage owes the god a favor.

Those favors can take make forms. Perhaps the god wants a devout worshipper or priest to spread their dogma. It could also be a powerful spirit that needs the mage to recover a specific item the spirit cannot get themselves. None of these favors are simple, many are often deadly and have a deadline attached. Even to where the favor required by one god may be to ruin the plans of a rival deity.

Components, Tools, and Methods

A crystal, often a wildstone, to focus on while meditating. Later, after the god contract, a magical brand of the god.

Art of the Celestial Hustle

The mage begins by meditating or calling out to the spirit in a temple or other place favored by the divinity. If the mage is holding a wildstone, the process is easier as it attracts the deity or spirit’s attention that much faster. This is especially helpful if the mage wants to contact one of those beings but can’t locate a temple. But, typically, a wildstone is not required to contact the divinity.

Once the god, spirit, or mystical being replies, that’s when negotiations begin.

It's like a bargain for your life... because it is...

— Dr. Igon Swinecheese, Master of the Mystic Arts

It isn’t uncommon for a divinity to open the bargain by offering a ‘boon’ to the mage. An offer of a spell as a ‘divine gift’ that the mage can cast that won’t tax their endurance or mental points. These specific spells or powers are the way a god ‘sweetens the deal’ for a contract between themselves and the mage.

But these mystical beings don’t make such offers for just anyone. Granting a diving gift is an important personal investment of power for the god or goddess. They only offer a boon if they have a deep, personal stake in that mage or a task the god wants accomplished.

Once the bargain’s made, the spirit or god marks the mage with a tattoo. This is the Bargain’s Seal and a symbol of contract. This tattoo is the connection through which the mage draws upon the god’s power for casting spells of the Divine Path each day. It’s also a mystical tether to the mage that allows the god to find and communicate with them day or night.

This bargain is a binding contract tied to the mage’s life. If they satisfy the god’s favor, the deity will renew the contract, always with a new task or favor. But if the mage cannot do what the god wants or by the deadline the god sets, the contract is broken. Once broken, the god rips the magic away and half the mage’s health as a ‘processing fee’.

Peril of the Power

Divine spells are not primal elemental or will-channeled Arcane energy, but the powerful essence of a god or spirit. This magic is tied to the magic of creation itself. A spellcaster who uses spells from the Divine Path will find they can only channel so much of a divinity a day. Beyond that, the power of the god will change them against their will.

Exhausted spellcasters who traffic in one too many Diviner spells suffer unusual, obvious side effects. These side effects are associated with the spirit or god that made the bargain. If the spellcaster’s deal is with a spirit of light, they might find they glow and get sick during the night when it grows dark. But if the deal is with a god of fire, the mage might spontaneously ignite like a torch when a spell fails.

Failing to cast a spell, often from fatigue, comes with additional drawbacks. These spells come from the spirit or the god that the mage bargained with. That divinity will notice and might pay closer attention to the spellcaster because they’re unhappy their power is being misused. This causes additional side effects or even a conversation with the divinity which blocks the spellcaster from casting for that moment.

Worst of all, if a spellcaster fails too often, the god may break the bargain, taking half the life of the spellcaster as a ‘penalty fee’.