The Choir of Thought

Mental healing

They rushed from the wagon, filled with a new found resolve. Dauson stepped out casually, observing the battlefield and keeping a close watch on his flock.
"Don't stray," he screamed, "stay close." They obeyed, never moving far as Dauson raised a steel flail. Geary stared at the weapon, having never seen anything like it before. The chain fixed to the rod held a steel ball, spikes scattered about the surface. Geary noted the small pin holes in the metal, indicating a hollow core at the center of the thick steel. Dauson raised the ball up, manigested a tiny flame that hovered over his thumb and let the flame dance over one of the tiny holes. A spark flashed, and smoke billowed out from the ball. The smoke danced around them, a pleasant smelling vapor that cause each of the soldiers around him to loosen their muscles and steady their breathing. Geary noticed the focus in his vision, every minute detail from weaknesses in the armor of incoming enemies to the grading on the ground underfoot. It all grew clear as day.

The Choir of Thought is one of three branches in Arcana Renovatio. It focuses on the healing and protection of the Mind. Psychological torment is just as common in Expedition Demeter as it is in the real world. Even the most stoic of war heroes suffer nightmares and shellshock from the battles they have fought. Nightmares of the pain and hardships of war assail most men and women who choose to learn the sword.
Exposure to that which mortal beings are not supposed to know can deteriorate the mind just as much. The world is filled with dangers that target the mind, and Arcanists of The Choir of Though seek to repair the damage they cause.

To Ease The Mind

There are many in the world who fail to understand just how vital the mind is, it fell in equal measure on working to protect it. The mind is where everything else begins. The body does not move without the mind allowing it. The soul cannot vacate the body while the mind is active. Members of this choir old a single truth as their guiding star: preserve the mind and everything else will follow.
Abilities in this branch tend to focus on building up protection against psionic attack, repairing damages to the mind from a variety of different sources through spells and various forms of therapy, and bolstering the resolve of their allies so the mind does not become yet another enemy working against them.
Those in the choir of Mind tend to be remarkably calm and easy going no matter what position they find themselves in. It is a major factor in the success of their spells. Keeping a calm mind allows them to be able to perform their spells more effectively. It helps them protect themselves from the wear and tear of their own minds as they become a magnetic force holding together any group they find themselves in.

Therapy

It's important to know that therapy does not carry the same connotations in Expedition Demeter as it does real world. For those who practice this branch, therapy is a form of spell that is sustained over a period of time. Different therapies have different effects and come in different forms as well. Some therapists make little use of actual arcane power.

These particular therapies are quite similar to what we would refer to as aromatherapy. By heating or burning incense and oils specifically crafted with a variety of ingredients, mages in this branch can cause effects without casting a single spell.

Skill Tree

Ideas for the abilities that can be purchased from this branch.

Special Trait - Arcane Therapist:
Upon taking the branch, the practitioner gains the therapist trait, allowing them to use therapy spells. Therapy spells can be recast to stack their effects, but unlike other sustained abilities, this also refreshes the time until the effects disappear if the spell is no longer sustained, meaning one could cast and then cease to sustain each round provided they have the appropriate amount of resources.

Special weapon modification: therapeutic burners:
Practitioners can learn how to modify weapons in such a way that the therapeutic convictions can be easily used without taking additional actions.


Aura of Calm- Therapy
The practitioners indifference to surrounding dangers radiates to allies around them. Those in a 40ft radius gain a +1 on every mind roll. This can be used outside of combat.



Thought Picking:
If outside of combat, the practitioner can focus on ailing parts if the mind, repairing mental trauma if the patient makes a successful mind roll. (TR:14)