Magic and Religion in the Shattered World

(Magic in the Shattered World is based on the magic rules found in the Torg rulebook).

The Universe is made of Arcane Knowledges.  These Arcane Knowledges are grouped into five groups: Essences, Principles. Mixed Forces, the Seven Kindred and the Elements.

Essences (the First Four) - Death, Life, Time, True Knowledge.
Principles - Darkness, Light, Magic
Mixed Forces - Inanimate Forces, Living Forces
Elements - Air, Earth, Fire, Metal, Plant, Water
Seven Kindred - Aquatic, Avian, Earthly, Elemental, Enchanted, Entity, Folk

Before there was anything there was the Void.  The Void was nothing but it held the potential for everything.  After the Void came everything.  Scholars disagree as to that what came first but many believe that the first child of the Void was Time.  Time allowed things to be separate from each other. With the advent of Time the Universe came into being. After Time came True Knowledge which allowed things to not only exist separately but to be different.   After True Knowledge came Life which allowed things to interact, to grow, to change and reproduce.  After Life came Death which is the necessary partner to Life.   Life had caused the introduction of Light to the Universe while Death brought Darkness.  Magic came about through the interaction of the first four Knowledges.

What came next is very uncertain but some scholars at least believe that there were Inanimate Forces and Living Forces even before there were any living or inanimate beings.  These two were the results of the interplay of the first seven knowledges.  After they appeared it is believed that the six elements appeared.  The physical world is made up of these elements - Air, Earth, Fire, Metal, Plant, Water.

After the physical world appeared the interplay of the various Knowledges brought about the Seven Kindred - Aquatic, Avian, Earthly, Elemental, Enchanted, Entity, Folk.  These are the living creatures of the Universe, except for Entity as it represents the interplay of Death and Living Forces in some fashion and results in such things as undead and automatons like golems.

The world exists through the interplay of these Knowledges. 

Each Knowledge also possess a "realm" where it is supreme, where it does not mix with other Knowledges.   These realms have gates to the Universe which are represented by Stars.   (These realms are varyingly called Houses, Warrens or Influences).  The two exceptions to this are Entity and Folk.  Entity has a realm but it exists somewhere parallel to the Universe and has no one gateway.  This is one reason why Entity is so dangerous.  The Portal to Entity is present during the Entity Hours 6-7 am and pm.   The realm for Folk is the Universe itself.  The Star Gates move in the Sky and which Star is ascendant determines the Magical Knowledge a person is born with.

Influence Table

Month/Knowledge/Season Divination Day
1-18		 Apportation Day
19-27		 Alteration Day
28-30		 Conjuration Day
30
Nuzyael Water Spring 1 1-2 1-2 1-2
Peonu Aquatic Spring 2 3-4 3-4 3-4
Kelen Plant Spring 3 5-6 5-6 5-6
Nolus Fire Summer 4 7-8 7-8 7-8
Larane Enchanted Summer 5 9 9 9
Agrazhar Folk Summer 6 10 10 10
Azura Elemental Fall 7 11 11 11-12
Halane Earthly Fall 8 12 12 13-14
Savor Earth Fall 9 13 13 15-16
Ilvin Avian Winter 10 14 14 17
Navek Air Winter 11 15 15 18
Morgat Metal Winter 12 16 16 19
         
Entity 13 17 17 20
         
Move to next column and roll again. 14-20 18-20 18-20  

See page 22 of the Aysle Sourcebook for the full rules for rolling for influence.

Last updated August 20, 2004