The Five Names of Salvi
Salvian magic, like most magic around the world, relies on four separate elements. The Speech allows them to commune with animals, and to a degree with one another. The Song lets them understand the nature of the world, and (for the strongest) to make changes as they need to. The last two derive from the same basic principle: that all magical objects—and thinking beings—have a Secret Name, which when called upon can act as a means of controlling them. Doing this with Objects of Power gives the Salvians their reverence for the natural world, but there are a blessed, chosen few who become these Objects, by drawing on five of the twenty Names which are found across the globe.
Five names—each of which has an essential place in Salvian society, and the avatars of which have become the founders of some of Salvi's greatest sorcerors.
Baalha (The Skies)
Baalha, the spirit called the Journey across the world, is found in the deep blue sky stretching from edge to edge of the world, in the breath of the wind that soars from kingdom to kingdom, in the high mountains that form the centre of the world, and in the north, where the air is colder but sight crisper. Sight, in fact, is the essence of Baalha—the ability to see faraway places, be they in the past, the future, the imagined, the impossible, the unaccessible, and perhaps even to cross over to them. Those who chose to follow the Journey are often those defined by joy, or who otherwise seek an end to confusion in their lives—or those who simply have a love of life and the cosmos, and seek to be closer to it. In exchange for their services, they may gain any number of skills. Some become great seers, looking deep into history for answers or shining a light down the tunnel of years for clues as to the future. Others gain great speed, projecting their presence to elsewhere in the world and then…pulling themselves along. Still others, blessed with vision into the planes beyond, become psychopomps and mediums, guiding restless spirits and ghosts to where they must be. Archers seek Baalha for victory, as do rulers for guidance. And all draw their power from Vistha, the Celestial Plane, where many of their souls linger after death before passing on to the next life.
When Baalha finds an avatar—through those deities bound to it, such as Roona the sun-god, Kasana the deity of the midnight sun, Chirala and Soki the goddesses of the moon, and Surahu the bird-god—they gain unfettered access to the Name, and can summon what they will of sight. They are not invulnerable, or particularly strong—but they are wise beyond their years, and have great skill in the casting of visions and reading of portents.
Thauka (The Earth)
Thaukha, the Identity, is found in the grasslands and valleys where humans have made their homes, in the hum and buzz beneath the ground, in the rich dampness of soil crumbled between one’s fingers, and in the central lands at the heart of all. It is built on touch, both physical and mental—those who would know what something truly is must touch it themselves, understand from the wear and tear what other things have touched it and left their mark upon it. Better yet, they can project the past—the presence of any of the senses, and the emotions so conveyed—into the present, gaining perfect recollection and recognition. Those who choose to follow the Journey are often gentle yet stubborn, those who would seek to let go of anger and hate, and those who enjoy the gentle cycles of the world for what they are and add to them in turn. Some are artists, building composite dreams that they can share with a wide audience. Others turn detective, archaeologist, therapist, or even zookeeper, studying events in the past to better understand the present. Others still use this Name in espionage, passing memories from person to person—or extracting them if needed. The most powerful use the Name to remind the land itself of what has happened, creating bounty or blight in accordance with chthonic memory. Mahouts and falconers, those who command the hathis and birds-of-prey in battle, use this Name, and so do peasants to pray for good harvests. And when they die, those who have followed Identity faithfully may find themselves in Goosa, the chthonic plane, enjoying the peace for as long as they wish before being reborn.
Deities like Chajbanu the ever-dying god of maize, or Churata the great psychopomp, allow for avatars of the Identity to be born. They have a great power over memories, not even needing to touch an object to understand it or to spread their dreams—and they are intimately tied into the cycles of life and death, able to kill and resurrect almost on a whim.
Roma (The Conflagration)
Roma, the Radiant, is found in the dry deserts of the northwest, on any dangerous path, in the flicker of flame—any flame, from the crack of lightning to the warmth of the hearth—and in the east, where the dawn burns brightest. The sense of heat is vital to understanding the Radiant, and the key power associated with this Name is the control of temperature, but there are other abilities as well…including the ability to bring the power of the spirit world into the physical plane. Those who follow the Radiant are counted among the truly brave, or at least those who would let go of fear. Light and heat are their sword and shield. Wielders of fire and ice alike are among their number, and those who bend light itself into useable shapes—holographic projections, one might call them, patterns of light that can be walked on and touched and made to bear weight. The asnuh, the astras, are born here also, great weapons passed from guru to student with destructive capabilities beyond anything the other Names can provide. Battle-mages call on Roma for strength, as do warriors of all castes. Gumanya, the dream-world, is their home and source of power, and the dwelling-place of many souls enjoying the light without shadow for as long as they desire before returning to the dark world.
Various deities—Adhri goddess of pleasure (for passion is a form of both heat and courage), Ganava the fire-deity, Jaghi the snake-goddess, even Dhimahu the volcano-god—are linked to this power. Their avatars can instil bravery or terror as they see fit, and create enormous illusions—like the Shrine of Luktha, everything from its floors to its fountains a perfect dream, and yet one that has become true reality through the spells created.
Maayagha (The Heartbeat)
Maayagha, the Secret, is found in the forests and jungles all across Salvi—indeed, in any tree or plant—in places where patience abounds, and in the western lands where a great sea of grass stretches from the Puldu Valley all the way to the Brush, far beyond Salvi. In the Salvian mind, understanding the Secret means understanding taste and smell, interacting with the world by savouring the complexity of textures therein. But the key power of the Secret is not in taste, but in protection—the creation of safe and comfortable locales for other living things to flourish without fear of harm. Those who follow the Secret are among the most gentle of their kind, or those who know impatience but would seek to temper it. Life itself becomes their rejuvenation, the hum and buzz of animated organisms seeking to prolong their existence. And to followers of the Secret are given powers to protect that life, make it endure all the longer, and to increase and control the growth of plants on which everyone, even the followers of others, depends. Priests and common infantry call on the Secret for an increase in energy, that they might live longer and more fully to do their work—and when their work is done, here they will remain, in Ajaamaha, the physical world, communing with their descendants in sacred groves for as long as the their grove endures.
To the Secret are bound deities of nature like Gudhani mistress of jungles and Chaiti mother of tiger-monkeys, but also Baaraha, creator of the universe. Their avatars frequently have powers over beast or foliage, and can grant things living or still with long endurance. But to avatars of Baaraha is given the power of genesis—the swift regeneration of life where life was lost, not regained but new, in burnt forests calmed and frozen mountains thawed. To all, too, is given the gift of fertility, in plant, animal, and human alike.
Hariha (The Waters)
Hariha, the Inviolate, is the last of the great powers from whom the Salvian world is born. It is found at seashores and riverbanks, in the great ocean to the south, in times and lands of mourning, and in the sacred cenotes that link humanity to Rijna, the underworld where the dead are tried and sorted. Some remain there; as Hariha’s power comes through hearing, so too can they connect the living and the dead. But it is this vital essence, the breath, which is most important—for breath, be it as air or as blood, brings healing, the restoration of life to the living and dead. Those who follow the Inviolate know great grief and seek others to understand it, or to lessen the anxieties of life. They let the breath of the world into the body, let their deep love of creation share their health with those who need it, heal them of ills. Merchants, especially traders in spices and herbs, call to the Inviolate, and so too do sailors who depend upon the breath and blood of the world—the winds and waters—for different reasons. And when healing fails...Rijna still awaits.
To the Inviolate are bound deities like Mashlaha, god of the sea, and Chata, ruler of Rijna and general psychopomp. Their avatars have hearing far beyond the ordinary, gaining knowledge of all sounds in their domains. They can heal people instantly with a touch, a meal, a kiss, though they cannot restore the dead. Many can command the winds and waves, even tides. Some are mediums for the recently-departed. And a precious few can breathe in water as they would air, or swim through the sky as they would a lake, borne aloft by a total lack of fear. Occasionally, in other words, they forget to be worried about the ground.