Theory of Arcane Development in Emerging Societies

This document, while not signed or labeled by the author has been determined to be Antral Hane, a halfling who lived most of her life in the various citadels of the Cold Spine. She is generally accepted as the foremost historian and philosopher on arcane development and advancement theory. This is considered her first writing on the topic, where she outlines a theory which has been generally accepted as reflecting the historical accounts of various cultures concerning their understanding and use of the arcane. - Anasi Beligil

It can be written, in this document, or in others, that there are distinct differences between races, ancestries, and cultures of the world which we call Illumire. It is in these difference that many observe a sort of stratification, a separation of peoples based on certain strata, measurements by which morality and achievement might be placed. The terms of morality and perhaps a feeling of superiority is neither fitting of civilized people but should be considered a preposterous proposition made by uneducated fools. There is no discernable hierarchy of culture or state. Whether it is by their social development and their understanding of “natural law”, their religion or creed, or their technological establishment it can be understood that the differences seen between people are in fact simply differences and not criteria in which to determine superiority. With these stipulations established the hope of this account is to establish a clear and distinct timeline of arcane development within emerging cultures and societies. Once again, this does not establish a hierarchy, as I will soon point out, the development of the arcane does not place a greater importance or power upon the Wizards of Eldor or in the Shamans of Oteria, each is equal in their own right and fascinatingly shows how all cultures, races, and nations emerge into varying but similar technological and arcane ages.

First, the presence of arcane power must be defined and outlined. The arcane is a term used to describe powers which come from outerplanar bodies and outerplanar sources. The arcane can be utilized and manipulated in a variety of ways and is generally accessible to those who know how to harness it or by those who have the innate ability to use it based on their connections to certain outerplanar sources. This thesis will differ greatly in its definition of the arcane because I will be defining any outerplanar source of energy as an arcane and will not be designating between powers based on their perceived planar origin as is common in other well-educated bodies. Arcane energies manifest themselves on the material plane in a myriad of different ways and it has been observed that certain individuals tend to have more innate abilities to pull from the energy and utilize it in their own ways. The presence of the arcane is the foundation by which Wizardry as a utilitarian practice has been utilized by many peoples throughout history.

This theory utilizes an understanding that civilizations, whether populated by elves or orcs, all progress (at varying speeds) towards a more sophisticated form of organization. This is termed sociocultural development, the process by which cultures become increasingly complex. With these ideas laid out as a foundation one can address the issue proposed in the introduction of this thesis. That the development of the arcane in cultures also follows the pattern of sociocultural development. This socioarcane development is one which emerges partially through the social complexities of a developing culture but also through a perpetual need for the use of the arcane to become more precise. Indeed, this precision is what drives the development and is what has led to each society in Illumire developing their own pace and techniques of utilizing the arcane.

With these ideas established the function of the socioarcane can be fully addressed. A series of steps which lead to the development of the arcane precision within societies is utilized here to understand how this development occurs. The first step was, through historical reference, understood by the “barbarians”. This step in development has been termed Druidry, although this term is socially specific to the Eldorian continent. Instead, a term which more accurately fits this stage of development is arcane-naturalism. Within this category fits a myriad of practitioners who are still active to this day. First and foremost, as mentioned once already, druids are uniquely situated as a precursor to many arcane schools. Druids draw their arcane power from the primal powers of creation, life, and the deities of those elements. While not necessarily religious, the druidic orders (or what they are termed thus in Eldorian common) are only loosely associated with each other and tend to perform nonspecific rituals. These rituals, though ranging wildly in somatic and verbal elements, are simply calls upon the primal forces of nature. This connection with the land is understood to be innate, and whether bestowed upon one by a higher power or simply adopting the power from ancestry, druids draw their power from their own ability to call upon the forces of nature.

Similar to the druid in its ability to have the innate and inherent ability is what is commonly known as a sorcerer. Although the term sorcerer is fairly diverse and is occasionally used as a synonym with other arcanists, sorcerers and sorceresses are generally understood to be individuals with arcane or outerplanar bloodlines which allow them to utilize the arcane through themselves. Bloodlines have not yet been rigorously categorized or researched, however it has been observed that the arcane abilities of a sorcerer are entirely dependent upon its connection with a specific source of power whether that be the ancestral blood of a dragon or the exposure to Ki-kira (Dwarven for the plane of shadows). Sorcerers are the subcategory which encompasses those who have innate ability tied to a specific power source or bloodline of abilities. The last subcategory within the arcane-naturalists are what I have termed oracles, a designation from priests and clerics which I will speak on further in later passages. Oracles, while possessing arcane powers, differ from the others mentioned in that their abilities are granted to them by some being. Oracle’s powers are inherent upon the deity or powerful outerplanar which grant them their abilities. This differs from the abilities of Druidry due to its source of power being drawn from outerplanar origins and simply harnessed by the oracle.

An interjection should be made here to add that during this time what is now known as occultism or occult-arcanism was not yet understood. This being said, later scholars have added Kineticists, those who have innate connections with elements, and Psychics who have arcane abilities related to the mind.

After arcane-naturalism, it has been observed that societies tend to narrow their focus upon what is usually considered religiously focused ideologies. The arcane-naturalists period of development highlights a broad and sweeping use of magic to achieve crude and nonspecific goals which usually involve very little precise work or mechanics in order to achieve the desired outcome. Arcane-functionalism describes the next stage of specification in arcane use. These describe individuals who use arcane as a practical tool but do not inherently have the ability to use arcane energies. Primarily this is reflected in the Witch and Shaman schools of casting which utilize non-specific functions of magic that require a fundamental understanding of arcane development and casting. To concisely state the movement to Arcane-functionalism, this form of arcane utilization requires an element of knowledge and requires the users of the power to not have access to that power through innate ability. This accurately describes Witches, who learn their craft on basic understandings of arcane usage but have little ability to manipulate the outcomes of the arcane usage. Similarly, Shamans have the same usage of arcane powers. In the cases of shamans, mediums, spiritualists, and witches, the knowledge that is used to harness the arcane is one of collective cultural knowledge or ancestral knowledge passed down through generations.

Arcane-cultivism or the cultivation of arcane knowledge is the next step in a societies emergence of arcane understanding. This stage requires a culture to begin to standardizes the progress of the arcane teaching. This differs from the previous categories in its focus on the passage of information and the specificity in which the arcane powers are used. Those who follow creeds or those who are required to be educated about the craft usually fall into this category as long as they have not yet developed many methods to change or modify how those arcane mechanisms work. For instance, we can reference the Paladin. Paladins are educated and taught how to utilize their deific powers, their powers seem innate to them based on their training but actually require extensive training and knowledge in order to utilize. Monks and other orders similarly follow these guidelines and require a certain amount of training that is not passed down through ancestral ties or through the general cultural establishment. Instead, there are trade and craft specific establishments such as orders that control and regulate the education of the casters.

Priests and cleric usually fall into this category as they abide by certain strict guidelines and regulations upon their form of education. While their abilities and understandings hinge on their devotion and the response of an outerplanar being, the priest and cleric both must study and understand the uses of their powers and the abilities that have been granted to them in order for those abilities to be utilized, which differs from the aforementioned oracles whom utilize the powers of deities without specific knowledge.

Occultists easily fall into this category and display a unique ability that may perhaps fall outside of the terms described here by Hane. Occultists have both an innate and an education connection to their powers. By nature, most occultists are born with their powers yet it is only through understanding and study that Occultists become aware of their abilities in full. While Occultists seem to fall slightly out of the basic outline provided here it should display that as Hane would say in the later thesis “any attempt to categorize will fall short of one's expectations”

Lastly, Arcane-experimentalism shows the emergence of the Wizard and those who follow in the extensive study of the arcane. This category should be determined in the differentiation of its use of the arcane not specifically in the length of time spent studying the powers. Wizards, Summoners, Mesmerists, and Magus all fall easily into this category since it describes a use of the arcane which can be readily modified and customized to any given situation. Wizards spells, though usually dependent upon their schools of learning, are readily modified and customized due to their requirement of somatic, material, and verbal elements. These elements, combined together, serve as a catalyst by which arcane energies can be harnessed to greater control and precision. Most importantly this category must display that the caster has the ability to harness “spells” which can craft a specified use of the energies available.

While this outline is crude and is likely missing some vital understandings of the arcane, from a sociological perspective of the development of cultures these categories are able to accurately describe the effect of the arcane upon the individuals within societies. A society which is in the state of arcane-naturalism utilizes its casters in an attempt for basic survival and is usually found in hunt-gatherer societies or in societies which have developed basic animal husbandry. Agrarian cultures tend to have a society which is more focused on arcane-functionalism which requires little formal education on the part of the casters but provides useful abilities and functions within a society that have the ability to increase crop yields and prevent the movement of disease. Next comes the standardization of education and writing systems which are vital to organizing larger communities and eventually states and nations. It is likely that the standardization of the arcane during this period occurs alongside the emerge of standardization of other systems within a society including social code and even religion. Lastly, it is during a period of invention and liberalism where arcane-experimentalism can take form. Arcane-experimentalism requires that the basic function of life is established and that individuals are no longer requiring arcane powers to establish basic functions. With the ability to spend time studying and modifying the standardized system of spells the arcane-experimentalists achieve the ability to use the arcane in whatever manner is necessary but lack the primal knowledge of using the arcane in the broad and unorganized terms utilized by the arcane-naturalists.

In conclusion, this text should function to describe a single theory that attempts to categorize an immensely complex topic. The development of societies are incredibly complex and the ability to observe the process of the world changing is no longer possible. So it is from examples of societies which have moved at a less eager pace that one must draw their conclusions. Although likely incomplete it is hoped that this description of arcane development within societies might help those who wish to understand the ever-broadening differences between people and the way in which they harness arcane powers.