Royce/Paradigm

Magick: Ars Magica

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xxxxxAlthough he is a member of the Verbena Tradition, Royce's paradigm is heavily influenced by House Bjornaer's Hermetic origins. For him, magick is an Art. It is the Art--Ars Magica, the Art of Magick. It is the birthright of humanity--to understand the Mysteries of the universe, learn the Names of the Powers, and pronounce the Word that once gave shape and substance to the entire order of created things. Like his Hermetic comrades, Royce has chosen a Word for himself: Might. Representing strength, determination, and above all, power. Focusing his worldview through the Word of Might, he seeks to come into mastery of his Self, and thereby, Ascend. However, like the Verbena to which he belongs, he understands that the path to mastery lies in understanding the Pulse of Life. House Bjornaer's motto is "Potentia super ipso potentia super aliis." Power over self is power over others. By mastering the Art of Magick, by mastering himself, body and soul, Royce hopes to find his way to Ascension.

Quintessence and Paradox: Vis and Perfidia

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xxxxxMagick is not static. It is fluid. It is dynamic. It moves and changes, as mercurial as the oceans. In certain places and at certain times, the essence of magick collects. These places are sacred to all magi. Once, in the Mythic Age, entire wars were fought between Covenants over these sources of power. This Quintessence--or Vis as it is also known--can be incorporated into magickal practice to lend strength and potency to any Working. Through use of Ars Vis, it can be moved and transformed, or encoded into Wonders to give them fantastic powers. However, in opposition to Vis is Perfidia--Falsehood. A Paradox that denies a magus his power and destroys magick. When a Working defies the natural law of the universe, then Perfidia is the result. True becomes false, strength becomes weakness, and the magus is left humbled and powereless. To avoid this, the magus must be subtle in his Workings. By acting in concert with natural law rather than open defiance, he may still effect great change while still proclaiming his mastery over all things.

Avatar: The Gift

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xxxxxFor over a thousand years, the Order of Hermes has recognized that the ability to work the highest Arts is given only to those with the Gift of magick. While anyone may learn to use certain rites and rituals, and even invest those rits with some measure of power, only the Gift--the Awakened Avatar--opens the way to the highest of Mysteries. The Verbena, too, recognize this higher Self, the inner voice that gives power to Workings and allows the performance and creation of true magick. Royce's Dynamic Avatar manifests in his mind's eye as the Emperor, the Tarot card representing masculine power, authority, wisdom, and strength. He is crowned with might, given authority to rule the world. As he progresses along his path towards Ascension, the Emperor poses him riddles and tests to ascertain his worthiness to wear the mantle of kingship. His Avatar also represents Might, the Word that Royce has chosen for himself.

The Spheres: Artes

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xxxxxLike all mages, Royce understands that magick can be divided into nine Arts. Each one a Sphere of influence governing the types of spells a magus may cast. For the Verbena, including those of House Bjornaer, magick begins and ends with the Self. For them, the Pulse of Life represents the source of all power, and it is this Sphere that they have claimed as their own. While there have been countless spells and formulae recorded over the centuries, the only true limit to a magus' Workings is his own imagination.

Ars Conjunctionis All the universe is the dominion of the magus. The three dimensions of physical space are obstacles to be overcome, just like any other. Through use of the spells under Ars Conjunctionis, things may be brought into conjunction with one another, or with other locations. Distance can be rendered meaningless, as the magus wills himself to be other than where he currently is. To focus the Art of Conjunction, Royce will make use of a shewstone, a gazing crystal to help him center his will upon distant places. Ars Fati Chaos and order are two sides of the same thing. To the Sleeping, the vagaries of Fate seem fickle and capricious. But for the magus who studies the Art of the Fates, those vagaries can be brought under firm control. To focus the Art of the Fates, Royce utilizes sand to symbolize the breaking down of solid stone into mere dust. Ars Virium Physical energy is more than merely the motion of photons or exchanges of energetic states. It is the result of a cosmic reverberation, of the Word that was spoken that birthed the universe. That echo of force continues to this day, and the magus who learns the Art of Vigor can harness that echo to his own ends. Since Forces is essential to Hermetic practice, Royce has studied this Art as well. He makes use of a consecrated athame, a blade symbolizing the male principle and power, to cast spells that grant him control over energy.

Ars Vitae All things begin with Life. Without Life, the universe is nothing more than a collection of dead rocks and debris, drifting through nothingness. But here, on Earth, a glorious garden has been planted. It is inhabited by an infinitude of living, breathing things. And although science has attempted to reduce Life to a series of biochemical reactions, the wise magus understands that Life is the most precious miracle ever to be expressed. The Verbena have always understood this, as have the magi of House Bjornaer. To cast the spells of the Art of Living, Royce draws blood, symbolizing the vital force that is the Pulse of Life. While gruesome to some, none can deny that blood is Life, nothing more and nothing less. Ars Materiae Matter is what Life is not. It is the polar opposite, all material things that are not alive. Whether solid, liquid, or gas, the Art of the Material nevertheless has much to offer the magus who studies its Mysteries. For this Art, Royce makes use of water, the element representing transformation, to invoke his authority over material substances and objects. Ars Mentis Thought and Will are one and same. Thought is expression of the Self. It is a record of knowledge, a collection of experience. It is memory, language, and emotion. The human mind is a Mystery unto itself, but nearly every form of higher life-form on Earth experiences some form of Thought. Even insects have means of communication among themselves. To focus upon the Art of Thought, Royce burns a beeswax candle, letting the point of flame draw his mind inward to contemplate and invoke his command over conscious and unconscious thought.

Ars Vis At its most fundamental, the universe is energy. Not light, or heat, or gravity, or any other expression of physical Forces, but subtle and ephemeral metaphysical Power. This Power takes shape into many different forms, according to certain cosmic principals. Through the Art of Power, the magus gains control over this fundamental source. He may move it, direct it, shape it, and transform it. He can use it to lend potency to his own Workings, or place it in opposition to an enemy's, preventing their own Arts from being expressed. To focus upon the Art of Power, Royce uses a blessed pentacle, symbolizing the four material elements and the Fifth Force, Quinte Essentia--magick at its most basic and fundamental. Ars Spirituum There are Powers beyond those known by the Sleeping. Those Powers have Names. To speak those Names is to know them, and to bend them to the Will. Some call them spirits. Some call them angels. Some call them devas, or gods, or any other manner of title. The Art of Spirits gives the magus the ability to call those Names and expect an answer. It gives him the ability to step beyond the boundaries of the material world and walk in the realms of the Powers as an equal. To focus upon this Art, Royce casts Germanic runestones to spell the Names of those Powers. An invocation in Latin can also be effective, but he has better luck utilizing House Bjornaer's Germanic methods. Ars Temporis An unbroken chain of moments forms the history of all that is. The passage of Time is the great cosmic riddle that all men must face. The magus is no different in this regard. Through the Art of Time, he can liberate himself from the chain of history, casting his senses into the past or forward into the future. He can constrain the flow of those events, defining the parameters of Time to his own liking. As one of the more universal constants, meddling with Time carries a great risk of Paradox, but the rewards are often worth taking that risk. Royce makes use of the symbolism contained in the Tarot deck to focus the Art of Time. By arranging the cards into certain patterns, he can use them to deduce past events, foretell the future, and alter the way he experiences Time's flow.