Mysticism

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It is a mastery familiar only to a very small circle of people. Those on the outside know little more about it than it involves the secrets of the Mythic Age, and this little morsel of information is more than enough for them not to inquire any further.
It is a wide-spread opinion that pursuing the dark lore of that era does nothing but puts one's life to jeopardy as those things are not meant for the human race. How many eventually succumb to the unmeasurable weight of their new- found knowledge or power is enough of a testimony to this belief.
While in almost all of the city-states, the practitioners of this art are shunned, and often times persecuted as well, in the outside world, they are much rather regarded with reverence and high esteem as holy men or wise men.

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Mysticism is nothing but well-detailed knowledge of the widely unknown, things that were forgotten, or willingly abandoned with the end of the Mythic Age but were never gone in the slightest bit. One needs nerves of steel to fully comprehend the hidden truths of the world and not go mad in the process.
Only about ten out of a thousand can muster the courage to actually begin studying, with half of them falling out soon after, due to failures of various nature, or turning back on their own, haunted by the little that they have discovered.

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Obviously, the biggest obstacle on the path to seek this knowledge lies within, but it is just as troublesome that chances to learn are quite limited. Written material on the subject is so rare it is almost non-existent, and are mostly journals written by the masters.
As for these masters, not many are willing to share their wisdom out of safety or greed and those who do have high expectations of their would-be students. A series of harsh mental tests must be passed before they would accept anybody and regardless of how frightening these tests are, they are necessary and are for the candidate's own good. They should rather not get in than to be completely crushed later by some horrible discovery.

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It is a common misconception of outsiders that learning Mysticism leads straight to the practice of Sorcery, even though they are not quite sure whether or not Sorcery actually exists. They rarely experience it firsthand if ever, but that never stops them from attributing all unexplainable malice to be the work of vile magic.
The two are related, but in reality, Sorcery is simply an optional use of mystical knowledge. Only a few are brave enough to branch out in this direction. Getting this far was a lethal enough of a journey for the students and at this point the insight they have gained usually warns them beforehand of the potential risks of delving even deeper into the unknown. And what could be deeper than to tap into a world beyond?
Fundamentally, the purpose of sorcery is to harness the power of a spirit in some manner in order to usher or bring about certain events in the Surface world. As weird as it may sound it is not too different than making a fire to warm a house, or to use the wind or a stream to operate a mill, albeit a lot more dangerous.

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What a sorcerer must do is to study and find a spirit that is able to help him in his goals, then proceed to bargain with it. Spirits won't do anything for free either, for one favour they always ask for another although it is always something unpredictable and surprising. If they come to an agreement, then the sorcerer offers his body to become the conduit between the two worlds and channels the power of the spirit to the Surface World. This act is called differently in almost every culture, and the method itself also tends to be different.
The most important rule is to avoid being negligent, as it may cost them more than they could ever imagine. While there are master sorcerers jut as master mystics, they act more like trainers than tutors, they instruct their students how to protect themselves to the possible fullest before, during, and after the process of casting a spell.
The aspiring sorcerers are being reminded countless times to pay attention to the smallest details while bargaining with the spirits and go over meditational practices that help them to remain focused or to quickly regain their composure. The secrets that Mysticism reveals may potentially damage one's sanity, but sorcery that goes out of hand has a multitude of unpredictable backlashes. Possession, injuries, taint, counter effects, or even death in the worst case.

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What is even more dangerous is the long-term effect of Sorcery, which is a two-way addiction. Casting a spell has a taste of pure power like none other, as during the act the sorcerer and the spirits merge for the moment and they are both riddled with such vivid experience that is both blissful and frightening.
The sorcerer's ego connects to the Spirit World, he sheds his mortal boundaries and thereby become one with everything. At the same time, the spirit is attacked by all sensation of the mortal flesh, things that are incomprehensible to them. With every new spell, the compelling becomes stronger, both the spirit and de sorcerer will desire more of it which might eventually lead to a power-crazed sorcerer and a spirit running amok in the Surface World.

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