This time, we’re talking about magic.
Not the fluffy ’sprites and butterflies’ sort of magic, but rather the ‘raw focusing of Blood through a specific medium of Dye, such as to take an elemental or ethereal form’ sort of magic. As you have probably guessed by now, the magic system is tied into the preexisting concepts of Blood and Dye; no wonder it is the name of the game…
The magic system is referred to as the ‘Arts of Nidus,’ and whose meaning I shall not translate for you. The Arts are of Jhinn origin, and before I explain what they are and how they work, I shall explain how the Jhinn acquire the ability to use them.
As you all know, the Jhinn form collectives of four to six individuals who are telepathically bound to one another. This bond exists even through death. This bond is, in fact, so strong that when an individual dies in a normal fashion ( stabbed, thrown off a cliff, excessive vomiting, etc) the remnants of his soul are bound to the rest of his Frythyn. Which means that when a member of a collective dies, he or she ‘remains’ in the subconscious of those who have survived. If they die normally.
If their death isn’t normal, torture or self-sacrifice comes to mind, and it is all but one of them who dies, things happen differently. The severed souls are pushed beyond whatever veil that exists, but the strength of their bond causes them to try and push back. This everlasting effort, combined with the nature of the emotions present at their death, creates the first part of the link, for the Arts of Nidus.
The second part, must come from the other side. For this effort, this striving alone cannot cause The Arts to manifest. For sure, the sole surviving Frythyn will feel the effects, the brush of the lost minds, and some small nature of their form to be. It is enough for the Jhinn to know what to do. For if he wishes it, he can find a scribe willing to create the second half of the link – through wicked looking Dye-tattoos – such that he can feel the presence of his Frythyn again. But the price is steep. For while the Jhinn can experience the presence of his Frythyn once again, he must deal with the fact that they have been changed by their journey through the veil. Remnants of them remain, of course, but in the whole his mind has been filled with the presence of damaged, alien beings. Who have brought with them something no mind can comprehend.
Nidus. Focal point of infection. The Arts of Nidus come about when a Jhinn is placed in the mental presence of souls who have been through the veil in a violent way, bringing with them the energy and power which once animated their bodies. The different forms that the power can take are called Nidi, and they vary depending on the manner of death. It may be an everburning fire, grasping frost, strangling smog, or one of many manifestations. The more it is used, the more powerful it becomes, and the damage it does to its practitioner increases.
The Arts are powerful, have no doubt, and one with the ability to use them is both dangerous and damaged. Most of the time, the simple use of the energy is enough, but not always. For once a practitioner of The Arts has become close enough to the souls who inhabit him, he gains the ability to become empowered by The Will of Nidi. The Will of Nidi is when the practitioner becomes possessed by the souls who inhabit him for a period of time, increasing both his power, and the damage done to him body and soul, many fold. Each time The Will is used, the mind of the practitioner is changed into something closer to the souls who inhabit him. In the end, through overuse, there is nothing to distinguish them.
