Magic is a fluid thing and resists being confined into rigid practices like spells. True magic, we Weavers know, requires an understanding of and intersection with the universe and the universal truths. Such things cannot truly be encapsulated—imprisoned—in spells.
Weavers take magical concepts deeply imbued into the world and weave them together to produce effects. Perhaps not surprisingly, we refer to these concepts as threads, and we consider each a fundamental aspect of creation.
We use creativity rather than simply dry knowledge to wield magic. We take various qualities, which we call aggregates or—as previously stated—threads, and weave them together to get a desired effect. A Weaver might have access to the aggregates of Freedom and Moonlight and weave them together to create an effect that allows us to move with uncanny grace after the sun has set. If we also pull a thread of Hate, we could turn it into a spell of vengeance that comes in the night. We conceive our magic as we go, and thus we are always unpredictable. We are the artistes of the vislae.
We Weavers can also learn a few premade spells to give ourselves something to fall back on, the way a fantastic fencing master might carry a pistol at his side. Just in case.
The Order of Weavers is a collection of almost unrelated cells. Each cell has its own hierarchy, its own rules, and its own outlook. Each is quite independent, but rarely hostile to the others. These autonomous cells are led by the highest-degree member involved—not every cell has a 6th-degree individual involved. There is some amount of secrecy among these cells, but most of the time, it is not secrecy from each other. In other words, an isolated community far from nowhere might not even know they have a Weaver cell among them, but should another Weaver come along, they might welcome the newcomer as a friend or even a prospective member. We maintain a level of respect for anyone who understands the universal truths as the rest of us do.
This lack of grander organization makes it very difficult to even guess how many Weavers exist. Some claim that this order is the smallest of the four, but a few speculate that it might be far larger than anyone guesses.
One commonality among all Weavers is the Spider’s Game. This game is played on a complex set of at least four and as many as nine boards at once, with a wide variety of specific pieces representing different moves and combinations, depending on the piece and the board it currently occupies. The Spider’s Game, which can take many hours to complete, is intricate in the extreme, and showcases each player’s creativity and deep thinking. Those who excel at the game think many, many moves ahead and remain aware of a wide variety of possibilities. Although non-Weavers can play the game, most do not. However, all Weavers own a copy of the game and play with other Weavers as often as they can.
Philosophy and Outlook: Magic is art, not science. While knowledge is good, insight and talent are just as important, if not more so. Plan ahead, but at the same time, be ready to improvise. Look at all the factors. Don’t rely only on what you’ve studied—adapt to the current situation. Determine the various possible consequences of your actions before you act, but do so quickly. We Weavers see a beauty in magic that others seem to miss. There’s an artistry in what we do that you won’t find in complex formulae.
Relationships: Vances and Goetics have a tendency to dismiss us as undisciplined or mistrust us for being difficult to understand. Makers understand us better, for we both work with something to create something new. Apostates often feel a kinship with us, considering us to be the least ordered of the orders.
Other Names: None.
Path to Joy: The following actions give us Joy.
✦✦ Spending one month instructing a Weaver of a lower rank.
✦✦Winning a match of the Spider’s Game against a Weaver of a higher degree.
✦✦ Finding and recruiting a new member to our cell.
Path to Despair: The following actions give us Despair.
✦✦ A woven effect taking on an entirely unexpected nature.
✦✦ Using a woven effect to accidentally destroy or harm something we love.
Weaver characters start at the 1st degree with the following abilities.
Ephemera Use: We can safely possess three ephemera at any given time.
Special Skill: We have 1 level of skill with anything having to do with understanding, quantifying, or identifying magic that lies outside of codified magical practices like spells, rituals, invocations, and the like. This might include natural magical effects, magic produced by creatures, and so on.
Threads: We take two different categories of power, called aggregates, and combine them to create a magical effect. Each aggregate has a number of qualities that can be drawn upon to produce the effect—for example, an aggregate with the light quality could be used to illuminate a dark area. Each aggregate also has at least one absence. An absence is something that the power of the aggregate can never be used for, no matter what it is combined with. The level of the effect is determined by consulting the Effects by Level table. We must expend Sorcery bene equal to the level of the effect.
At 1st degree, we have access to two aggregates and can weave them.
A Weaver can attain the 2nd degree only if we have studied with a Weaver of a higher rank for at least a full month, learning the more experienced Weaver’s techniques. At the end of that month, the higher-ranking Weaver has a private, informal ceremony involving all the members of the cell. As part of our training and initiation into the ranks of this new degree, we learn the following:
Threads: We have access to three aggregates and can weave two of them at a time.
Practiced Weave: Upon attaining 2nd degree, we choose an effect that we have created in the past, and now if we recreate it, it costs 1 less bene from our Sorcery pool (minimum 1).
Weaver can attain the 3rd degree only if we have spent at least a full month training Weavers of a lesser rank in our own personal discoveries. The cell has another informal ceremony to induct a member in the 3rd degree. As part of our training and initiation into the ranks of this new degree, we learn the following:
Incantation Use: One of our ephemera can be a conation incantation.
Threads: We have access to four aggregates and can weave up to three of them at a time. Weaving in a third aggregate might simply expand the breadth of an effect, but it might also magnify it. If two aggregates of the three have similar or identical qualities, the level of the effect is increased by +1 (without increasing the cost), depending on the circumstance. For example, a level 3 effect that weaves Fire, Freedom, and Moonlight could use the movement quality from both Fire and Freedom and the quiet quality from Moonlight to make a stealthy movement effect that operates as level 4 but still costs only 3 Sorcery.
Enhanced Weave: Upon attaining 3rd degree, we select one of the qualities of an aggregate that we have access to, and if we use that quality in a weave, it costs 1 less bene from our Sorcery pool (minimum 1).
Practiced Weave: Upon attaining 3rd degree, we choose another effect that we have created in the past, and now if we recreate it, it costs 1 less bene from our Sorcery pool (minimum 1).
Authority and Responsibilities: A 3rd-degree Weaver is expected to work with lower-ranking Weavers in their cell and instruct them in the methods and practices of good weaving.
A Weaver can attain the 4th degree only if they have created an entirely new way to combine two aggregates and presented it to a Weaver of a higher rank, who (hopefully) accepts it as a part of a fairly formal ceremony. As part of our training and initiation into the ranks of this new degree, we learn the following:
Ephemera Mastery: We can safely possess four ephemera at any given time.
Threads: We have access to five aggregates and can weave up to three of them at a time.
Enhanced Weave: Upon attaining 4th degree, we select another of the qualities of an aggregate that we have access to, and if we use that quality in a weave, it costs 1 less bene from our Sorcery pool (minimum 1).
Practiced Weave: Upon attaining 4th degree, we choose another effect that we have created in the past, and now if we recreate it, it costs 1 less bene from our Sorcery pool (minimum 1).
Authority and Responsibilities: A 4th-degree Weaver is expected to work with lower-ranking Weavers in their cell and instruct them in the methods and practices of good weaving. Within the cell, the Master of the Weft is expected to lead certain ceremonies and come up with new weaves and share them with the others.
A Weaver can attain the 5th degree only if they have written and published a treatise on an entirely new way to combine two aggregates. There is no ceremony to induct a 5th-degree Weaver; it is a station claimed by the individual. As part of our training and initiation into the ranks of this new degree, we learn the following:
Incantation Mastery: Two of our ephemera can be conation incantations.
Threads: We have access to six aggregates and can weave up to four of them at a time. If three aggregates of the four have similar or identical qualities, the level of the effect is increased by +2, depending on the circumstance.
Enhanced Weave: Upon attaining 5th degree, we select an aggregate that we have access to, and if we use that aggregate in a weave, it costs 1 less bene from our Sorcery pool (minimum 1).
Practiced Weave: Upon attaining 5th degree, we choose another effect that we have created in the past, and now if we recreate it, it costs 1 less bene from our Sorcery pool (minimum 1).
Authority and Responsibilities: A 5th-degree Weaver often leads a cell. They help those of lower rank and are expected to write and record their findings and accomplishments (and those of the rest of the cell as well).
A Weaver can attain the 6th degree only if they defeat a 6th-degree Weaver at the Spider’s Game. There is no ceremony beyond that. As part of our training and initiation into the ranks of this new degree, we learn the following:
Greater Ephemera Mastery: We can safely possess five ephemera at any given time.
Threads: We have access to seven aggregates and can weave up to four of them at a time.
Enhanced Weave: Upon attaining 6th degree, we select another aggregate that we have access to, and if we use that aggregate in a weave, it costs 1 less bene from our Sorcery pool (minimum 1).
Practiced Weave: Upon attaining 6th degree, we choose another effect that we have created in the past, and now if we recreate it, it costs 1 less bene from our Sorcery pool (minimum 1).
Authority and Responsibilities: A 6th-degree Weaver is expected to start their own cell and lead it.