Negation

Where there has been magic, there have always been those opposed to its misuse. In the early days of mortal history there was very little to stand in the way of exceptionally powerful mages save for being a powerful mage oneself. As a result, Negation was created. This discipline of rune magic is among the few that have been created by mortals as opposed to being gifted to them by the gods. With it mages are able to craft subtle wards and powerful shields. These barriers can be placed over people, objects or even entire buildings or areas.

Origins

During the early days of Ransera, when mortals wielded magic heedless of its consequences either through ignorance or ambition, there was very little to stand in their way. A group of monks devoted to Keela, Dragon Goddess of Wisdom, spent many years in contemplation on the nature of Cardinal Runes and their powers. The culmination of their work resulted in the creation of the Rune of Negation. It is said that on the day of its creation, a great wave of power billowed out from the monastery where they lived. On that day all magic in the world came to a grinding halt and lasted for several days. When the monastery was found all of the monks were gone and resting at the center of the courtyard where they conducted their ritual was the very first Rune of Negation. The monastery has since been lost to time but it is said that it is a place where only the Great Gods retain their power.

Initiation

As with all disciplines of rune magic, an aspiring warden must find a mage who is willing and able to inscribe the Rune of Negation upon their flesh. Threshold sickness for ward mages is among the most curious of them all. It is a highly psychological sickness with most mages citing they experience an overwhelming numbness, crippling depression, or a complete aversion to social interaction with a desire to go into intense reflection. Some go into a comatose state, some have even experienced the complete loss of sensation or even use of limbs. Most successfully recover from the sickness brought on by the Rune of Negation, it is among the Primal Runes with the least likelihood of fatality.

Overstepping

In terms of use, Negation is among the safest disciplines of rune magic. Overstepping with it is exceedingly infrequent as the very nature of the magic prevents most of its effects from occurring. Of course, even with its relative safety it is not completely without its dangers. In the event that overstepping does occur with the Rune of Negation the effects can be quite dramatic and are more often psychological than physical. Historically this has involved mages whose sanity has been shattered due to continued abuse. This often leads to delusions of complete invulnerability that further leads to excessively reckless actions culminating in their deaths. A hastily constructed ward that has become distorted can act erratically.

How It Works

All magic is a manifestation of aether that has been manipulated to bring about a shift in the reality that mortals experience. Whether it is an act of divine intervention or the machinations of a clever wizard, aether is the foundation of all normal and paranormal activity across the universe. The difference between the two is merely that anything paranormal is an act that is contrary to the Laws of the Mundane according to the gods designs. The Laws of the Mundane themselves are impossible to completely define but are easy to understand from a broad perspective. The Laws are simply what can be considered a process or occurrence that happens absent of external aetheric manipulation. On a fundamental level, what Negation mages have the ability to do is reinforce the Laws of the Mundane and prevent a paranormal event from taking place. This in turn stops the redirection of aether that occurs when mages exert their will upon the world by negating their manipulation of the aether in a given space. Beyond that, what Negation mages can do is physically project their own aether into the world and solidify it into hard barriers programmed to guard against whatever it is they are tasked with blocking. This can be as simple as being a hard shield meant to block an incoming physical blow or as abstract as a shield that interrupts the continuity of an illusion whenever it comes into contact with illusory magic.

From these concepts have sprung up two disciplines with regard to the use of Negation; Guards and Wards. Generally speaking, a Guard is meant to be movable as it protects a moving person or target whereas a Ward is usually stationary and intended to encompass an entire area as opposed to a specific target.

Guards

Techniques with predetermined effects and limits. They have very little deviation from their codified purpose. Guards offer protection that is short-lived but fast acting. These protections are very rarely, if ever, made to last more than a few minutes at best but what they lack in longevity they make up for in practicality. The de facto choice for any seasoned battlemage learned in Negation, Guards can mean the difference between life and death in the heat of the moment.

Wards

Perhaps what Negation is best known for are Wards. A Ward is comprised of layered aether that forms a barrier over a designated area anchored to either a single point or multiple points. They are much sturdier and have more longevity, the simplest of them often lasting for hours as compared to seconds or minutes as is the case with a Guard. The caveat to this is that Wards are time consuming to make, often requiring lengthy concentration as well as in-depth awareness of what is intended to be blocked by the barrier. Wards also require much greater exertion on the part of the mage to both construct and sustain.

Tasking

Tasking is the most fundamental ability in the arsenal of a Negation mage. Tasking is exactly what it implies. It is the assigning of a function to the shield that one is building. This can be as simple as blocking sound or as detailed as blocking a specific person, their bloodline or specific types of aetheric manipulation. The more detailed the task, the more time consuming it is to implement. All shields, whether a Guard or a Ward, must be tasked. Guards typically have very broad tasks whereas Wards are generally more detailed and complex. It should be noted that the broader the task given to a shield, the more rapidly that shield consumes the aether used to create it. Being specific about what triggers the activation of a shield preserves it, whereas generality often means the shield is in a constant state of activation.

Layering

All barriers created by a Negation mage possess the ability to be divided into layers. The more layers that a barrier is intended to have, the more time consuming it is to construct. The most dazzling and complex shields are often comprised of numerous layers that all feed into each other and possess triggers that determine when they are activated. Such barriers are seldom the work of a single mage but are a collaboration of multiple mages.

Sustaining a Shield

No matter how simple or complex, shields created by a Negation mage deteriorate over time. The strongest barriers can last for years on their own and have methods woven into their design to prolong their existence. The most straightforward and rudimentary shields are often very short-lived due to the very broad nature of their tasking leading to a constant state of activation and rapid deterioration. Barriers that are more precise and observe very specific triggers, while much more time consuming to build, are equally more long-lasting due to the fact that they do not burn through the aether used in their construction as quickly. Any mage bearing the Rune of Negation can empower a shield they encounter however only the creator of a barrier can dismiss it at will. Negation mages are often careful about adding to a shield they encounter in the wilds as it may turn out to be much stronger than they could hope to overcome when fully powered.

Powers and Abilities

Mandate - Acquired at Novice. A Mandate is a specific trigger woven into a barrier codifying what will activate the shield. Mandates can be as broad or as specific as the mage requires but the more specific the Mandate, the more time-consuming it is to implement. The more familiar the mage is with the subject of the Mandate, the easier it will be to weave into the aether of their shield. Absent of a Mandate, a shield will be continually active whereas imposing a Mandate upon a shield will mean it is only active when that specific trigger causes it to activate.

Buckler - Acquired at Novice. Guard. The mage creates a concentrated plate of aether typically no wider than the length of their forearm. Woven into the buckler is a simple task which is to block, getting no more specific than that. Due to the broadness of the task, the Buckler is well suited as a quick defensive measure during hostile encounters. A Buckler tends to deteriorate rapidly due to the lack of specificity in its tasking and thus burns through its aether quickly unless actively sustained.

Shelter - Acquired at Novice. Ward. A shelter is a simple barrier that has been erected over a small area, typically no larger than a small encampment of five or less people. Incapable of incorporating highly detailed tasking, Shelters are comprised of only a select few layers and generally only sustain basic directives such as blocking sound, light, or smell and other such simple instructions.

Riposte - Acquired at Novice. Guard. A rapidly constructed single-use shield, the Riposte is invoked in the heat of the moment where imminent danger is clear. Requiring the mage visibly see the danger coming their way, the Negation mage weaves together a simple shield made of thinly spun aether with but a single task, which is to defend against the oncoming assault. As soon as the assault is absorbed by the shield, it immediately shatters, having performed its function.

Cage - Acquired at Apprentice. Ward. A defensive trap requiring at least a single Mandate to activate. A Cage is a barrier that is woven into a given area intended to entrap those who trigger it in the given space as opposed to keeping them out of it.

Bulwark - Acquired at Apprentice. Guard. Weaving together a shield comprised of tightly spun aether, the Bulwark is an evolution of the Buckler capable of covering the entirety of the mage’s body. Requiring active sustainment, the Bulwark provides greater coverage while still allowing for maneuverability.

Static - Acquired at Journeyman. Guard. Negation is built upon the concept of reinforcing the Laws of the Mundane, wherein it prevents the shift in aether that allows a paranormal event to take place. The power of Static is a concentrated reinforcement of that concept in a focalized area, distributed in short bursts. This creates a series of pulses sent out from the mage wherein the aether targeted by them is essentially frozen into an unmoving state for a short period of time, thus disrupting its flow and grinding any aetheric movement to a halt. This in turn prevents any magical effects from occurring in the area where the mage’s focus is directed.

Sanctum - Acquired at Journeyman. Ward. Capable of encompassing most small buildings, a Sanctum is a barrier comprised of multiple layers that incorporates more moderate levels of tasking such as being able to block a specific person (but not their relatives) or to allow all sound but the occupants of the Sanctum’s voices to pass outside its boundaries.

Aegis - Acquired at Expert. Ward. A powerful barrier that is capable of encompassing a very large area including up to several buildings. An Aegis is comprised of multiple layers and usually several Mandates while also being able to sustain advanced levels of very specific tasking.

Web - Acquired at Expert. Guard. Intended to be used in the face of hostile magic. A single-use advanced technique wherein the Negation mage creates a type of netting out of their aether. The strands of the Web remain flexible enough to bend in the face of hostile magic only for the Negation mage to pull them taught resulting in a rebound effect wherein the magic directed at the Web is either deflected in another direction or is reflected back at the caster. The Web then crumbles after its function unless actively sustained or recreated by the mage.

Mute - Acquired at Expert. Ward. Requiring that the Negation mage extend their own aether into the surrounding area, they overlap their aether across that of their surroundings and create a facsimile of it. As a result, any resulting external manipulation of aether in the area must first pass through the layer created by the mage allowing the Negation mage to actively reject or allow said manipulation to occur.

Fortress - Acquired at Master. Ward. A Fortress is a multilayered, complex barrier typically with numerous Mandates moderating its activity and activation. This shield is large, capable of encompassing entire city blocks if necessary but it quite time consuming to construct due to the many factors necessary to implement it seamlessly. A Fortress is capable of incorporating very advanced tasking.

Injunction - Acquired at Master. Guard. An evolution of the Mandate, rather than imposing it on their own barriers and shields, the Negation mage inserts their directive into an existing aether flow completely disrupting it or restructuring it. This in turn can cause the complete collapse of a magical activity or an interruption of it while not requiring the Negation mage to construct an entire barrier to counteract it.

Monolith - Acquired at Master. Guard and Ward. The Negation mage creates a field of immovable aether centered on themselves wherein no external manipulation of aether can occur. Furthermore, they are able to project a physical barrier around themselves or in the immediate surroundings giving it any number of Mandates, layers, and tasks. This in turn can create a type of invulnerability for the period of time that the Monolith is maintained. While utterly demanding to maintain, encountering a Monolith is to encounter a person capable of defending against most anything with a mere flick of their thoughts. Invoking the Monolith will always induce levels of Overstepping simply because of how demanding actively maintaining such a widely adaptive shield requires.

Tier Progression

Novice (0-24)

The Novice Negation mage is just learning the basics of how to implement tasking, layering and applying Mandates to their shields. Guards, while easy to rapidly construct, are draining to maintain. Wards take roughly ten minutes to put in place with a Novice only able to apply up to (3) layers to a given shield with perhaps only (2) Mandates able to regulate it. Their Shelters typically only last up to an hour without active maintenance. They can cover an area up to 25 ft. in diameter. The Riposte, while highly useful in a pinch, is equally taxing to conjure in such a rapid fashion. Their most reliable power is that of the Buckler which remains relatively easy to conjure due to its straightforward nature.

Apprentice (25-49)

With a firm grasp on the fundamentals of Negation, the Apprentice mage is able to implement the Cage. They are only able to project their shields up to an area encompassing roughly 60 ft. in diameter. They can produce a maximum of (5) layers to a given shield with up to (3) Mandates regulating it. Wards can stay in place for up to two hours without active maintenance and can typically be put in place after just five minutes of preparation. Having gained the use of the Bulwark, the Negation mage is able to better protect the whole of their own body or others while still able to maneuver.

Journeyman (50-74)

Coming into their own as a Negation practitioner, the Journeyman Negation mage is able to comfortably produce up to (8) layers to a given shield and (5) Mandates to regulate it. Their Wards are able to extend to cover most small buildings, such as a one-story cottage or a shop with a single floor. They usually only take a few minutes to construct and can stay in place for up to twelve hours without active maintenance. Most potent in the Journeyman’s arsenal is the ability to create Static which enables them to interrupt other mage’s ability to exert their will upon the aether in the world around them.

Expert (75-99)

The bane of most magical practitioners across the world, the Expert Negation mage is practiced in defending against matters both mundane and magical. The Expert is able to comfortably product up to (10) layers to a given shield with (8) Mandates to regulate it. Their Wards are able to cover very large areas such as an entire mansion, multiple floors of a single building, or across a handful of buildings in a given area. They take only a few minutes to construct and can stay in place for up to twenty-four hours without active maintenance. With an advanced understanding of how to creatively apply their powers, the Expert can utilize the Web, effectively deflecting or reflecting as they see fit. They also gain the ability to Mute other magic, becoming an active moderator of paranormal effects in their immediate vicinity up to an area of 120 ft. in diameter.

Master (100)

A living embodiment of the concepts of Negation, the Master mage is able to comfortably utilize any of the techniques in their arsenal without much difficulty. They can create barriers and shields with any number of layers with as many Mandates as they require to a level of specificity as detailed as they desire. Having gained the ability to create a Fortress, it takes only a mere flick of the Master’s thoughts to erect just the first few layers of any shield they create with time being the Master’s ally as it allows them to produce ever more complex and powerful barriers. Their range effectively becomes whatever is in their field of view or awareness. With the ability to introduce an Injunction, the Master can effectively disrupt, supress or dispel most any undesired magic they encounter. Upon invoking the power of the Monolith, they become invulernable of sorts, able to project defensive magic capable of guarding against whatever they require with but a flick of their thoughts.