Authority

When two magi of otherwise equal standing are locked in a contest of willpower, the one whose indwelling Authority is higher will always prevail.

The concept of Authority is that the powers and gifts that are bestowed onto the races by the Gods and Goddesses are ranked in divine strength. The gifts that a respective deity doles out are fractions of that deity's power and dominion within a given domain - the more that is given, the closer the user or bloodline is to the deity's control of that dominion. Authority can be viewed as the permission given by the deities for the lesser races to invoke their power and to warp the ethereal to their will.
Most of Vinesia's nobility and royalty is strictly based on the level of the Authority that they possess.
With respect to ethereal expression, Authority defines the ultimate ranking of the expression and how it will fare against any expressions that seek to counter its propagation in the ether. Authority stands apart from a practitioner's Parisian rank, as it it a quantification of the divinity of a working, instead of a measure of magnitude; high-ranking Authorities can be seen in a practitioner's Chesarian rank (Rook, Queen, or King).

Practitioners with Known Authority

Royal Lineages

The measure of a True Royal is the presence of divinity within their bloodline, or the direct perpetuation of a blessing throughout their family line. As such, a True Royal possesses high levels of Authority, as they are in essence a mortal near-perfect facsimile of their patron deity.

House/Family	Gift & Emanation(s)	Patron Deity
House Bellamy of Pehamber	House Bellamy's Authority revolves about written words, and the destruction of the bonds of the world through words. As a new bloodline, the divinity of Anais has yet to settle, so relatively few Bellamy scions properly manifest the bloodline's Authority. Known Emanations include: The Emanation of the Library (Alice) The Emanation of the Scribe (Asher)	AnaisA
The Mitfield Family of Mithambe	The Mitfield family's Authority rests in the domains of creation, and in its propagation. The gift of the Mitfield centers about creation and animation, fauna and flora, and manifestations of nature's fury. As a new bloodline, the divinity of Amarise has yet to settle, so relatively few Mitfield scions properly manifest the bloodline's Authority. The scions of the Mitfield family who do manifest their Authority will also be Croxwie by default. Known Emanations include: The Emanation of the Forest (Jacob) The Emanation of the Garden (Clarisse)	AmariseB
The Mithrilrod Family of Blitzen	The First Family of the dwarves, the Mithrilrod family's Authority is derived from the manipulation of metal and the flame. The gift of the Mithrilrod revolves about metallurgy and metalwork, the manipulation of the flames for the working of tools, and up to and including golemancy.	DrogniA
House Strixel of Saini	The Crown House of the elven race, House Strixel's Authority deals with the pure manipulation of the ethereal. The gift of the Strixel revolves about conjurations, abjurations, and the modification and brute force manipulation of the ether and mana within living creatures.	InaraA
The Juzu Dynasty of Wakazi	The Juzu Dynasty's Authority is derived from pure offensive power and martial ability. Specialized in the art of war, the gift of the Juzu involves physical bolstering of the body, offensive workings including conjuring of elements for assault, and to see and shift the tides of battle. The gifts of the Juzu dynasty rely heavily on blood.	HachaA
The Stillingfleet Matriarchy of Cleolinia	House Stillingfleet's Authority is closely intertwined with Tiõ - the Domain of Time. The gift of the Stillingfleet revolve around temporal manipulation, including prophesy, the acceleration or deceleration of time, and the divination of time's passage. Known Emanations include: The Emanation of the Dials (Isana) The Emanation of the Stars' Path (Irelia)	TiõB
The Malbur Dynasty of Sherland	House Malbur's Authority rests within the domains of nullification - the cancellation and pruning of other active workings and invocations. By this, the entire Malbur bloodline is incapable of utilizing any expression or ethereal device - nor can any device, working, or invocation be utilized on them. There is only one Emanation that persists across House Malbur's lineage - the Emanation of the Blank Slate. With it, all workings (including Emanations) with a lesser Authority are immediately cancelled and smothered, and any Emanations of equal Authority will cost double to maintain.	ZinafA

Table 1: List of Royal Lineages and Associated Authorities

Noble Lineages

Many of Vinesia's noble lineages derive their nobility from fractions of Authority that have been handed down from the royalty or the deity themselves. Noble Authorities fall under two major categories:

• Sealed nobles are those whose Authority is derived from a major deity and is subservient to those with a higher Authority under that deity. The majority of sealed nobles will reside within the confines of their patron's zone of influence;
• Unsealed nobles are those whose Authority is derived from a minor deity, or who possess no Authority. They may be the strongest within that deity's following, but are no match for even a weak practitioner with Authority from a major deity. Unsealed nobles will either float through towns and settlements within a kingdom's boundary, or will maintain their own fiefdoms in the wildlands.

Family/House	Gift & Emanation(s)	Patron Deity
House Belfour	House Belfour's Authority centers around water, which is considered a component of Creation. The Belfour gift works around the manipulation of water, utilizing water as a tool and weapon, and altering its physical properties to power arcana. Known Emanations include: The Emanation of the Falls (Adrienne)	Amarise
The Bellsenger Family	The Bellsenger family's Authority falls underneath rhythm, which is a domain under Time. The Bellsenger gift revolves about the creation of devices with a true rhythm, which magnifies their potency when used in correct time. Known Emanations include: The Emanation of the Pendulum (Vias)	Tiõ
The Kurol Collective	The Kurol Collective's Authority is without divine backing, meaning that their patron either: a) cannot be identified by Vinesian scholars and arcana specialists; or b) does not exist, making the Kurol Collective a nobility without Authority. The Kurol gift revolves about spatial manipulation and teleportation.	--
The Rossview Family	The Rossview Family's Authority is based on wards and interdiction, which is underneath nullification. The Rossview gift revolves about area purification, the blunting or stopping of vector-type workings and invocations, and wide area protection from foreign workings.	Zinaf
The Tokaza Family	The Tokaza Family's Authority's core rests within the domains of the arrow, which is a tool utilized in war. The Tokaza gift comprises workings that utilize enhanced vectors, aerodynamic streamlining of projectiles, and projectile prediction and pathing.	Hacha

Table 2: Example List of Noble Lineages and Associated Authorities

Other Lineages and Practitioners

Other family lines and singular practitioners may also possess Authority in their workings, though singular practitioners manifesting Noble Authority is rare, and a singular practitioner possessing Royal Authority is considered impossible by most scholars' opinion. However, it is not unheard of for the deities to throw a deserving person a bone in the form of Authority in their workings.

House -OR- Person	Gift and Emanation(s)	Patron Deity
The Arlenia Family	The Arlenia Family is known for their healing prowess - particularly the healing of ethereal maladies, which requires addressing both the physical and ethereal mechanisms of injury/disease.	Zinaf
Marhas Dasev	Marhas Dasev is considered the First Croxwie and his Authority is based on the combined essences of creation and destruction. His Authority is speculated to be of a Royal rank, based on the perpetuated presence of the Forest of Dasev.	Amarise & Anais
Marian Frait	Marian Frait's Authority was notable in that it was considered a singular Royal Authority, and is considered the prototype of the Authority that would be gifted to the Bellamy lineage. Marian Frait's Authority was also notable in that it was ultimately revoked by his patron deities, which is speculated to have contributed to the Louthian Empire's ultimate decline and destruction.	Anais & Tiõ†
Ernest Mitfield	Ernest Mitfield's Authority - the manipulation of the winds and weather - was bestowed upon him by Amarise following his endeavors in the Louthian War. Furthermore, he would father children with Amarise (under the guise of Maris), and his scions would inherit Amarise's divine blood, granting them default Royal Authority.	Amarise

Table 3: Example List of Other Notable Practitioners/Lineages with Associated Authorities

Political Ramifications

Royal Upheavals

Because the concept of nobility and royalty is so strongly tied into a person/lineage's Authority, any upset to the statuo quo of a region will invariably result in violent upheavals. A new Authority may supersede an established lineage and ruling class, or a Royal lineage may have their Authority decay or even revoked - rearranging the balance of power in a region, and with extant noble lineages battling to become the new Royal lineage.

Intermarriage Between Authorities

It is not uncommon for lineages with differing Authorities to marry, in essence combining two Authorities and the child inheriting aspects of both. This can result in battles of succession, particularly if a child possesses the right to rule of two regions, and regional overseers do not wish to amalgamate.
For this reason, most marriages (in particular with Royal lineages) are done within regions under the same deity to avoid issues of conflict between deities and regions. Several royals have intentionally flouted this unspoken rule (Alice Bellamy and Xavier Malbur, Jacob Mitfield and Iris Arlenia), though few are daring enough to directly confront a Royal about their choice in partnership.

Extinction

It is possible for a lineage to go extinct, if all the scions of a lineage are killed, no heir with functional ethereal expression is born, or if an Authority is revoked by its patron deity. Within the royal courts across Vinesia, extinction can spell the end of someone's nobility, and every effort is taken to ensure that a suitable heir is birthed and raised.
Certain families are more extreme in Authority preservation, to the point of favoring a child who demonstrates the most promise and the confirmation of Authority, to outright disowning children who do not demonstrate Authority or ethereal capability. The Belfour house is an example of the former, with Adrienne being granted the attention and inheritance of the family while Rachel was left behind; the Marune family is an example of the latter, with Jason Marune being disowned by his elders at the age of 10 because of his lack of ethereal promise.

--Footnotes--

A - Authority granted through blessing and perpetuation through a family's ethereal lineage
B - Authority granted through birth/blood - confirmation of a demideity through a deity siring/bearing children
† - Authority is indirect (through exposure to artifact or utilization of device)

Bestowal of Authority

To practice the ethereal in Vinesia, no Authority is needed. Authority is instead bestowed by a deity or demi-deity as seen fit. The granting of Authority can be done in one of two ways:

1. Blessing: The most common means of granting Authority is through the blessing of an individual or of an individual's ethereal lineage. With the former - only the individual's soul is affected, and the blessing and conferring of Authority will not propagate beyond that individual. When a lineage is blessed, the Authority will continue in that lineage through reproduction, though it may degrade over time without maintenance;
2. Blood: A rare means of directly influencing a lineage, a deity may choose to sire or carry the child of a person to confer a subtle but permanent Authority that amplifies itself over time. Authorities that are carried via blood do not degrade, and instead strengthen over time, until it may properly mature into a new deity and domain altogether.

Appraisal of Authority

Appraisal of Authority is generally difficult, as Authority is defined by the heirarchy of the patron deity, and is not detectable through the standard Parisian or Chesarian ranking systems that are in use throughout Vinesia. The only surefire appraisal of a lineage or of a practitioner is direct audience with the patron deity.

Authority Ranking

It is difficult to rank the various domains and Authorities that exist through Vinesia, as most scholars and thaumaturgical specialists are unable to measure divinity. However, a generalized fast formula has been established by scholars and researchers for the purpose of theoretically ranking a working's Authority:

W_o = W_i * (1 +A) + E^A

Where Authority (A) is quantified as:

• Royal ranking Authority is 3;
• Noble ranking Authority is 2;
• Non-noble ranking Authority is 1;
• Absence of Authority is 0.

Maintenance of Authority

For those whose Authority is conferred through blessing, "maintenance" usually involves the scions of said Authority having its blessing renewed by the patron deity. Because deities are apt to wander entire swaths of their domain, the maintenance of a blessing is considered a pilgrimage, but one who completes it is automatically considered the "true" scion and successor of the lineage.
Maintenance is also possible via intermarriage with "compatible" lineages to maintain the blessing, meaning that most noble and royal families marry within one another to maintain their lineages. However, marriage between opposing or incompatible lineages can result in destruction of the blessing, or in political issues of succession and domain.

Revocation of Authority

"Not only do I withdraw my blessing, but I will make sure that his lineage ends with him, and that it will end in an undignified and messy demise. Such is the price for taking my gift and throwing it in my face by harming my own."
Anais, regarding the revocation of Marian Frait's Authority and the orchestration of his demise

The revocation of an active Authority is considered a rare event, and is usually performed by a deity or demi-deity in response to a slight or to an attack of that deity's will. When such happens, any Authority maintained through blessing or blood evaporates immediately. Such revocations are permanent, and will spell the end of a lineage.