The Language of Spells

The craft of spellwork--or simply, the craft is derived from the Primordial Geometries, the intersection of all things, weaving together to bind all existence together. Alchemy serves as a jumping off point for those seeking foundational knowledge about these interworkings, and while it is helpful in beginning one's study of magic, it is not enough. One must also learn the language of spells. This is the pursuit of Arcanolexicologist, those who work backwards through time to divine; what were the first words spoken by primordial beings that set the world in motion?

The Work of the Arcanolexicologist

The analysis of letter frequencies, which is an analysis of the number of times letters of the alphabet appear on average in the written language of spells, is pivotal to the work of an Arcanolexicologist; this helps the reduce the number of wrong guesses a person might have in establishing a new word; it also helps to identify patterns within words to see what sounds--which letters--are likely to come next; this is referred to as a letter blend. As such, the work is often grueling as scribes pour over text and make guesses when deciphering texts. Worse yet, anything written in the Language of Spells has a nasty habit of coming to life or creating the effect written on the page. Too often do amateur scribes leave their work unfinished, leaving the living spell to come to life, looking to fill and complete itself by any means necessary.

True Words

The words discovered are referred to as true words and represent the names given to all things--living, dead, and non-living. These names help to call upon phenomenon and righteously command them. This is why revealing one's True Name--the name of their frithling soul is so dangerous, as it enables another person's control over them. Even so, true words are a great help to spellcasters who can speak the exact word for something and be understood in their intention. Thus, this greatly impacts the effectiveness of sympathetic magics.

Forbidden Words

There are some words that are too powerful for mortal kind to handle; this is not in the trite sense where "man was never meant to know"; no, these are words that cannot be translated into reality, even when spoken. The world undoes itself in some small but significant way.

The story goes: One there was a mage who wanted to live forever. They found and spoke the words of immortality, and made themself live forever, indeed. But as they finished the spell, the world halted around them: Nothing moved, silence screamed, and light halted so that the immortal mage could only see when they moved. So they walked endlessly, and they reached an ocean, where all the waves had frozen in time stretching, twisting, and curling long his miserable loneliness into this end of time. For those who watched the person do this, they simply vanished. But a few months later, the immortal mage's mangled body was discovered at the bottom of a tower, far from where they had cast the spell.

Practical Usage in Magic

Most apprentice magicians are satisfied in what words they find in textbooks, copying the words of others: how they pronounce them, their sympathetic rituals, and what have you. This is the mark of an amateur mage; when they grow wiser and identify the gaps in their spellbook--when they see words that could exist and are taken with the idea of discovery, this is when a mage truly begins to come into their own.

Any magician can copy, but a true mage discovers and creates; they give back to the craft and expand our knowledge. It's not a feat for the faint of heart. Many have vanished and expired in the pursuit, their mad scrawls all we have by which to remember them. But perhaps you will see something we haven't, the shadows between the folds of reality, waiting to be pulled open by your hand; waiting to have its name spoken.

While not many mages end up discovering their new words, flair is a cultural phenomenon, the individual spin on each spell, allowing the connection between the self and the spell. Such is the merry pursuit of the craft.

Type

Metaphysical, Divine