Divination

Divination magic centers around the quest for knowledge, be it of the future, the unknown, or a simple verification of a truth. The results of these spells are heavily influenced by the thoughts and emotions of caster themselves, directly proportional to the complexity of the spell and the intended results. It is therefore important to consider the source of each Divination.

Utility

Divination is used to obtain and verify information about the past, present, and possible futures. The accuracy of these spells are influenced by the self-confidence, emotional state, and current priorities of the caster.

Truth Verification

Truth Verification remains one of the simplest and most accurate schools of divination. While false negatives are possible if the caster begins to doubt their skills in the spells, positive results are conclusive proof that the statements in question are the truth, at least from the perspective of the speaker or author.
The individual responsible for the statement must have at least some knowledge of the subject at hand or the spell will always fail, as Truth cannot be conjured from nothing.

Memory Recall

Memory Recall is sometimes considered a subset of Truth Verification, since it essentially verifies and elaborates on the caster's own memories and beliefs of memories, verifying information and filling in forgotten pieces of the event. A much more advanced version of these spells can be used to assist others in recalling memories, but it is most commonly and easily used by the caster themselves to recall information. In either case the individual must meditate upon the events they wish to remember, in addition to fulfilling the ritual requirements for the spell.
This class of divination is also particularly vulnerable to corruption from Vitriol Magic. In these cases an individual can choose to cause their target to forget certain memories, although the caster must also have a memory of the event or information in question, so they can meditate on the information they wish the target to forget. The caster also runs the risk of forgetting their own memories of the event in addition to or instead of the memories of the target.

Investigative Divination

Investigative Divination does not provide answers so much as point towards a method of obtaining those answers. This class of magic is best known for its use in criminal investigations, although it is also popular in academia. Most libraries employ at least one Catalog Divinator to assist patrons in navigating the stacks.

Astral Projection

Astral Projection allows an individual to temporarily separate their soul from their body. The soul is then free to explore the surrounding area, safe from physical threats and invisible to the average person. While in this state the individual's body will be unable to respond to local stimuli, while their spirit will be unaware of events around their body unless still in the area, so it is recommended to identify a keeper to watch over the comatose body during projections.
Dream Walking is a variation of Astral Projection. In these cases the dreamer can interact with the dream walker via the people and environment of the dream, whereas normal Astral Projection is devoid of interaction with the world itself. Dream walking is also safer, as the walker will simply wake up if the spell is interrupted in any way, making Dream Walking a perfect introduction to the more advanced spells.
Astral Projection should not be confused with Necromantic Plane Phasing, where the individual physically shifts to a higher plane.

Prophesy

The most famous and temperamental skill in Divination, Prophesy provides glimpses into the past, partial Truths of the present, and hints from potential futures. These spells are easily influenced by the thoughts and emotional state of the caster and therefore must be recognized as fallible and imperfect.
The most accurate prophesies center around small and specific questions, such as requesting the direct impact on something if a specific event occurs, or the past actions of an individual at a set date and time. Grandiose prophesies are therefore viewed largely as riddles to be puzzled over for clues at possible interactions between events, followed up by attempts to Prophesy the exact interactions between paired actions.

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Divination Spells

Astral Projection

Distripate

Dream Walking

Access & Availability

Most divination spells are simple to cast and often taught as an introduction to magic. With the exception of astral projections, which carry the risk of separating the caster's soul from their body if cast incorrectly, divination spells are physically harmless if cast incorrectly as they merely provide incorrect answers.
As a result the spells are also a common component of meditation and relaxation techniques for mages of all skill levels. Prior to performing more intricate spells requiring concentration a mage will cast a quick divination spell to answer a question with a known and fixed answer. If the spell's results align with the anticipated outcome the caster knows they are in the correct frame of mind to safely proceed with their intended task.

Complexity

Success in Divination requires self-confidence and an emotional anchor, in addition to the usual requirements when casting Divine Magic. The Magical Fields channeled when casting Divination spells are highly susceptible to strong emotions from the caster, particularly feelings that cast doubt upon the results of the spell while casting. As a result many prophetic visions are colored by the personal life experiences of the mage responsible for the prediction. Likewise, attempts to verify the accuracy of a statement may provide a false negative, with the spell channeling the caster's doubts into the final results.
Without an emotional anchor astral projections may stray from revealing things as they are and instead veer into past histories or potential future events. Sometimes this is a preferred result, in which case the caster will select an anchor that will influence their thoughts towards the past or future. These anchors can be an object, a person, or even a memory, but they must have a soothing effect for the caster, and they must be something of personal significance to the caster or the target of their projection.

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