Sigilic Pyromancy

Introduction

Central to the threat posed to the Dranoch by the Black Remedy is Sigilic Pyromancy, an ancient Sil'Norai magic that many often mistake for common elemental magic upon first glace. That is not to say that there are no commonalities between the art and other elemental abilities, both being inherently classified as Rune Magics and both drawing (arguably) from the soul as a primary source of power. Unlike elemental Pyrokinesis, Sigilic Pyromancy does not manipulate raw and mundane flame (detailed in 'Properties'), resulting in highly divergent abilities and limitations. As another distinction from the more common magic, the process towards this art has no drawn-out trappings, operating on individual sources that spread through a kindling.

This 'spread', often called the 'Baptism' is easily survived; the Black Sigil is woven into the soul of the Pyromancer and then lit aflame, a brazier of sorts searing through the mundane interior of the Ebon Knight's essence until the soul itself is permanently lit. The change that comes is a life-long attunement to the fire, becoming a core aspect of their being and a beacon from which this art may manifest. The kindled will feel a warmth that cannot be smothered, thawing the cold that touches their skin and protecting them from the discomfort of heat, even extreme. Sigilic Pyromancy is not the ability to harness flame at one's will, solely to be cast upon others and forgotten... rather, it is a process of becoming one with the force that sears and cinders all.

Origins

Due to the events of the Sundering, the vast majority of Sil'norai historical documents were eradicated, with those remaining documents being seized by the Court of Dusk in order to erase the history of what life was like before their cruel dictatorship. As a result, within Sil-Elaine there are almost none who know of the origins of Sigilic Pyromancy, with Aldrin and the Courtiers themselves perhaps the few exceptions. In Lorien, however, one can find documents regarding the Sil'norai before they were Sil'norai at all; the Ald’norai or Ashen Elves, who used this power to subjugate many of the realms of men as well as their own. Writings depict the Black Sigil as a conduit of sorts, from which multiple powers can be tapped into and channeled through. Looking at Aldrin who has managed to manipulate fire as well as souls with the same black sign, it is clear that this is so.

And so the greater question of the Origins of Sil'norai Pyromancy is - what are the origins of the Black Sigil itself?

It is said in the Northerner's Diaries, a series of journals written by an ancient man who lived among the Ald’norai for a time, that the Black Sigil began to manifest upon the Ashen Elves almost at random at first. The Sigil would form upon one's skin and lead to a horrifying fate, exposing the Elf to the vulnerability of aging. The Ald’norai, who were seemingly immortal at that time, were strangers to such things; they prospered with inhuman vitality that led many lesser races to label them as God-like beings. Most withered rapidly and died shortly after the sign appeared, and as a result of its crudeness it was labeled a weapon of war, a magical plague. It was 'quarantined' to no avail, and no magics could even act to reduce its effects. And so, while the sign continued to defy conventional arcane markers, the Ald’norai began to notice a trend: that the eldest among them were the ones to receive it, with the young almost immune. It appeared to be a curse meant to hold the Ashen Elves liable to death, despite what mysticism they had used to infinitely extend their lifetimes, even to the point of altering their young.

Yet even as their lifespans crawled back and future generations found themselves aging and dying younger and younger, the Sigil continued to appear, often upon mages who sought to deny this seemingly divine command of death. They of course discovered the source before long: Malek, and with seeming permissiveness by the Grimlord they sought to understand and harness the Sigil. More than a curse of death, it was discovered to be a source of great power, a beacon for magic not beholden to the same Runic archetype. It was discovered that the Black Sigil was a method of harnessing one's soul, whether to empower or degrade it, and it could even be used to craft new abilities.

Sigilic Pyromancy, then, became a result of hundreds of years of evolution within the Black Sigil; altering the framework of the emblem that had almost become synonymous with the Ald’norai. Eventually, it became something much more than a force binding their race to death. And even over a thousand years later, it remains a method of both empowering and restraining the people once called 'Ashen Elves'.

Source

Like other Rune Magics, Sigilic Pyromancy draws from a Rune: the Black Sigil itself. Acting as a conduit to harness the power of the soul, called the 'Beacon', the Sigil also acts as the basis for the magic and its distinguishing properties from common pyrokinesis. Interestingly, the vast majority do not believe Sigilic Pyromancy to be a Rune Magic, as they could not conceive of the Sigil as a Rune. Most see it as a gift bestowed upon Aldrin, and shared with others.

Properties

Though most Ebon Knights refer to flame crafted by Sigilic Pyromancy plainly as 'fire', it was distinguished by the Ashen Elves to be known as 'Shrivenflame' for its seeming hunger for life, its strange affinity for the spectral and its enhanced mortality towards all things which seek to defy death. Shrivenflame does not extinguish easily; it can rage for days fueled by seemingly nothing, yet ironically does not appear to spread wildly via flammable materials as other fire does. It can envelop a section of a tree and remain there, burning for days or longer, yet will never without direction move to envelop the remainder of that tree.

It burns hot - incredibly so. It can easily melt men through their armor; it can smelt weapons unintentionally, and turn sand slowly into glass. Shrivenflame, rather than common flame, appears to be born through intention and it similarly dies through neglect. Until enough time passes however, almost nothing can snuff it out.

Shrivenflame appears to inflict greater damage upon the undead, the spectral and ghostly and other beings made undying by divine or magical means (such as the Dranoch). And, though not immediately, it appears to allow one to see death around them and to witness spectral visitors who cling still to the world - to be elaborated upon in the Abilities section.

Mutations

Mutations for Sigilic Pyromancy tend to borrow from one of a few themes: weaponmastery (such as with Enkindled weapons), fire, ghosts or the undead, draconian features such as acquiring the ability to breathe Shrivenflame with aether, and occasionally things that affect the soul. Any variation of these themes is applicable.

Threshold Sickness

Overstepping with Sigilic Pyromancy effectively begins to burn the mage from within, emanating from their Beacon before expanding out to cinder and weaken their muscles. Lines and patches of what appear like ash and blackened coal will appear across the Pyromancer's form at around moderate overstepping, and the penalties from this sickness will become severe. Burning red lines like embers will appear to trail their veins, and at severe overstepping these veins will burst and begin to bleed out a molten-like blood that will severely harm the mage as it runs across their form. This effects will recede over time, but if one continues to worsen their overstepping they will only become more prominent. As one goes deep into severe overstepping, they will find their organs, bones and muscles beginning to be encompassed by molten heat, before charring to ash and ensuring their death.

Abilities

Emblem

Enkindle: Able to be learned at Novice, Enkindle acts as a foundational ability to Sigilic Pyromancy. Cinders of flame are drawn from the Beacon to infuse a weapon with fire, which then acts as the instrument from which the Black Sigil channels flame, gathering the fire around the Enkindled weapon before it is shaped and released. This ability enables all others and while it is a passive infusion to any weapon enkindled, a Pyromancer is limited in how many weapons they may infuse and cannot remove an infusion without contact with the object. This fundamentally means that novice Pyromancers can be left vulnerable without a tool through which they might harness their abilities, and so it is incredibly important not to surrender one's weapon or be disarmed. An Enkindled weapon is naturally much more difficult to fracture, damage or break, and simmers with small fires and sparks of flame while drawn. Enkindled weapons are incredibly hot and can therefore cut through many objects with greater ease. Additionally, they seem to be immune to the negative effects of fire, and do not melt or corrode due to being used as a conduit for it.

Flamelance: Acquired at Novice, Flamelance is the formation of a fiery javelin that can be launched at an enemy as a high velocity projectile. It is formed in the Pyromancer's free hand, holding the Lance behind their shoulder with their arms raised before throwing it with great force. Its range and accuracy are based upon skill in Sigilic Pyromancy rather than Thrown Weapons, and the same goes for the Lance's speed and size. At Novice it is fairly meager at around four feet long and generally losing precision after around thirty feet of distance. At Apprentice this extends to six feet and seventy five feet of distance; Journeyman eight and a hundred twenty, Expert no longer increases length but the range increases dramatically to two hundred and fifty feet, and Master can precisely throw as far as the eye can see, with the lance even capable of shifting its trajectory during flight. Flamelance gains more and more explosive properties as the Pyromancer's skill develops, starting with a small explosive impact at Journeyman and extending to a forceful wide-radius explosion of around ten meters at mastery. The width of the Lance increases marginally with each rank of mastery.

Flash: Flash is performed by swinging an Enkindled weapon forward, bringing forth a wave of fire to barricade the Ebon Knight from harm. This acts as a quick blocking maneuver to either separate the Ebon Knight from a foe or repel a powerful attack, creating a dome-like frontal wall at Apprentice. To do so at Apprentice can be quite tiresome to the Pyromancer, but will become easier as one progresses in the discipline. As the Pyromancer progresses the Flash can become larger and by master, circular swings can result in a dome of fire completely surrounding the Pyromancer with a powerful fiery ward.

Trail: Trail is the result of smashing an Enkindled weapon against the ground, whether slashing into the floor with a blade or stabbing a spearhead into concrete. The action will result in a violent trail of fire that seeks out and chases after its intended foe, with Trail's size and range largely dependent on the Pyromancer's rank of mastery. At Apprentice the trail may reach around three feet off the ground and will be around two feet wide, and will chase foes as far as thirty feet. At Journeyman these values increase to five feet off the ground and three and a half feet wide, chasing foes as far as sixty feet. At Expert the height reaches up to eight feet and the width five, with the range doubling. A Master can create a massive, blazing trail of around twelve feet high with eight feet of range, reaching up to two hundred feet. Thus, a Master's Trail is very difficult to invade and highly lethal.

Flare: Flare is a one-time enhancement to a weapon or physical strike of any kind, imbuing an explosive burst of fire into an impact that can easily become lethal if properly placed. It will most often be crafted in the Pyromancer's off-hand as an orb of fire, that will then touch the intended weapon and coat it with a cindering flame. The next strike with this weapon will then be imbued with Flare's effects, or conversely the orb may be ignited within the Pyromancer's grip to repel nearby foes. There are some drawbacks and limitations to Flare, however; for one, defensive usage of Flare dramatically reduces the explosive impact of the fire, more likely to result in burn wounds than the same sort of burst from physical impact. Secondly, a weapon augmented by Flare will temporarily move more slowly as if heavily weighted, just like Emblem. Flare is an extremely low-cost ability to perform and at Expert can be woven in-between attacks seamlessly. It may be learned at the rank of Apprentice.

Emblem: Emblem is a permanent enhancement to Enkindle, but one that can be activated or deactivated at will by the Pyromancer. It dramatically augments the fire infusion of the Enkindled object, causing for what was once sparks and simmering to instead become a violent eruption proceeding each attack. A weapon's movements, whenever that weapon moves to offend, will be followed rapidly by violent jets of flame that mimic the movement of the weapon; a horizontal slash will be followed by a horizontal arc of flame, large and violent before the swordsman. A lunge from a rapier will be followed by a rapid, monstrous needle of fire thrust forward. These attacks are highly lethal and will be projected up to several feet around the Pyromancer, and can therefore quickly overwhelm foes.

As a drawback of this enhancement, a weapon enhanced by Emblem appears to be more weighted and therefore attacks from that weapon will come more slowly. With high strength this can be largely mitigated, but the effect will always be felt and therefore should be considered. The exception is at Master where this drawback recedes, the Sigil propelling the fire inherently without the need for added weight or force. Some truly agile Ebon Knights do not utilize Emblem until Mastery for this reason. Emblem can be learned at the rank of Journeyman.

Emblem appears to cost no aether, and as a result acts as one of the greatest tools of Sigilic Pyromancy.

Infernal: Infernal is simple and remains similar at all ranks, with the only notable difference the efficiency in which one can use it before tiring. Learned at Journeyman, Infernal allows the Ebon Knight to craft highly temporary dragon-like wings of fire at their back that will allow them to leap heights of up to a hundred feet (at first), before safely landing at a high velocity. This can also be used mid-fall to prevent one from facing damage upon landing, and will project and enhance all momentum and kinetic force acquired amidst the fall into an explosive, fiery release of kinetic energy upon landing.

By Master, Infernal allows for high velocity leaps of up to five hundred feet. This ability can also be used to leap forward, backward, etc; this allows the Ebon Knight to wade across the field with much more haste, at the cost of ether, as Infernal propels the Pyromancer to a high velocity.

Searing: Searing peels back the black curtain that veils the living from witnessing the dead. It is a tap into what appears to be Malek's power, directly drawing the heat from the edges of the Black Sigil before forming a small fire in one's hand. The flame created from this will allow the Pyromancer to see spectral entities clearly, regardless of any intention they may have to remain unseen. In most cases, this will offer one access to a much more frightening rendition of the world, deathly and filtered with a darkness that clings to the corners of the flame's light. The world they typically see will be lined with abominable beings that evade death; vengeful spirits, wraiths that have remained through hundreds of years of isolation; totemic effigies clung to desperately by withered specters. This allows a Pyromancer to communicate with these entities and ask them for their insight on things that have occurred within their purview, and also to kill them and use their energy to feed the Black Sigil, extending their arcane stamina in small doses. When communicating, they may choose to do so verbally or through a projection of their thoughts, so as to not alert people nearby. Additionally, Searing can be used to keep a view on things that do not wish to be seen, such as Dranoch in their crimson vapor. At Master, Searing can be fed more aether in order to peel back the veil for more than just the caster, showing others a glimpse of the Dead Realm.

This sight can be acquired at the level of Journeyman. Basic interactions with ghosts and the undead can be self-moderated, including their deaths. Please ask for moderator permission before acquiring highly sensitive city-impacting NPC information, and the player of any PC you intend to seek important information on.

Torrent: Torrent, acquired at Journeyman, is a non-complex addition to Sigilic Pyromancy, though what it adds to a Pyromancer's retinue is fairly important: a method of creating a sustained fiery assault over a wide area, especially as one progresses in the magic. Torrent can be performed either by an Enkindled weapon or the Pyromancer's hands or fists, and will release a wide immolating spread of fire that will follow the positioning of the weapon or arm. This ability drains more aether the longer it is sustained, and so it can be used with low expense as a short burst attack, or for more aether as a sustained flamethrower. Torrent increases in size through mastery; by master, an Ebon Knight's torrent becomes a truly large assault and the expansion tends to play out horizontally, with the torrent widening to cover a more expansive area on each side. The velocity and tenacity of the flame also tends to increase as one draws nearer to true mastery of Shrivenflame.

Exigency: Exigency is a unique ability among the Sigilic roster in that it does not create any flame, and also in that it does not primarily aim to harm another. Instead, Exigency is a self-healing ability that draws in a great deal of flame within thirty feet of the Pyromancer, rushing it towards their wounds that will then be seared shut as the flames cleanse their form of harm. This fire, as a demonstration of Shrivenflame's unique properties, will completely phase through any non-living material objects obstructing it from the Pyromancer. Once the fire meets the body of the Pyromancer it will burn all external wounds shut, partially heal internal damage, greatly reduce infection risk and will provide the Pyromancer a burst of energy through which they can ignore the burning pain and push forward in their fight. The magical cost of this ability is dependent on how severe the Pyromancer's wounds were. As a note, when being drawn in the fire can possibly burn through others in its way, though it will always take the fastest route to the body of the Ebon Knight. This ability can be learned at Expert.

Thrash: Precise and non-complex, Thrash can be seen as an expansion to Infernal where large, fiery draconian wings appear at the Pyromancer's back before flapping forward, creating an immense river of flame before the Pyromancer that will quickly consume most objects within fifty feet in front of it, with a narrow width of around ten feet. As a result of its more precise focus on a smaller area, Thrash is not very costly for a skilled Expert or Master Pyromancer and can be easily integrated into combat, even woven between attacks without so much as a gesture. With the sole indicators being the creation, expansion and flap of the wings, it can be difficult to evade in the thick of battle.

Cleanse: Like Trail, Cleanse requires the Pyromancer to smash down upon the ground with their weapon, only the immediate result from Cleanse is far more destructive. A sea of flame will wash forward, blazing through any obstructions up to a hundred feet before the Pyromancer and eighty feet in width, though with a triangular radius making those closer to the Pyromancer more easily able to evade. As this is an Expert level ability, it is extremely potent and will almost immediately kill any within its effective range, and can be used with occasional regularity by a skilled Expert or Master Ebon Knight. As Shrivenflame does not tend to extinguish easily, the flames left behind by Cleanse will remain burning across their field for days afterward. As a result, it can be utilized to alter the battlefield to the Pyromancer's benefit.

Glare: Obtained at Master, Glare is a beam of laser-like fire that extends from the Enkindled weapon or from the knuckles of a closed fist in a straight line. The beam extends from the weapon so rapidly that it can exceed nearly a mile in length within seconds, receding even more quickly. The beam is devastating to whatever it touches, ripping through even the most dense metals and strong magical barriers. It is often regarded as a rail that cannot easily be defended against, designed for hunting the highly elusive Dranoch and assassinating them at high speeds. Each burst from the Enkindled weapon is considered a separate cast, but Glare is not a costly ability and can be consistently incorporated into the Master’s style of combat, weaving near instantaneous bursts of rending flame between their strikes. Glare can extend as far as the eye can see, and is named for the blinding light it emits as it is incoming towards a target. It can be used as a long range precision beam or as a short, sustained beam of energy to apply pressure to nearby foes.

Sigilfall: In order to perform Sigilfall, the Pyromancer must raise their Enkindled weapon over their head and draw in all nearby flame. If an insufficient amount is drawn, more will be created, and during this time the Pyromancer must simply evade or fend off any foe who would wish to interrupt the creation of this mass and final flame. Due to its dependence on drawing in fire, Sigilfall can be more powerful and less costly if used near the climax of a battle, where more Shrivenflame is lain among the field for the Pyromancer to draw in. Whatever the case, the end result will largely be similar: this fire swirls terrifyingly above the weapon in a beam that shoots towards the sky, forming a horizontal infernal vortex several hundred feet off of the ground. The vortex will consolidate all of the flame it can before the link from the Pyromancer's weapon is severed and the Firestorm is primed, at which point Sigilfall will be set in motion.

This fiery vortex will churn out a mass of thousands or even tens of thousands of fireballs that will rain down upon the field, incinerating vast portions of the area with explosive touchdowns that will immediately engulf anything ten to fifteen feet around each impact. The Firestorm remains active for several minutes to an hour, relentlessly launching fireballs down upon the field with a bias for the enemies of the Pyromancer. As Ebon Knights tend to be immune to flame, Sigilfall is not nearly as dangerous to them as it may be to the enemy, and so this ability is often a last ditch effort to wreak havoc upon a foe. In its wake, large sections of an entire metropolitan city may be left incinerated, with a flame that will not relent. Sigilfall, however, almost always leads to overstepping - whether due to the fact that it is performed after many Pyromancy abilities already, or due to needing to craft the necessary fire for it to set forth. Even if a great deal of fire exists throughout the battlefield, this ability still costs a notable amount of aether to perform. If one is willing to risk moderate or severe overstepping, or if one is accompanied by another Ebon Knight, Sigilfall may be used to sustain and prime another Sigilfall...

Novice

At Novice, the Pyromancer only just begins to grow familiar with the Black Sigil and its relationship to their soul, the Beacon. Pyromancy at this stage is pitifully weak and the Pyromancer will mostly focus on learning how to properly craft Shrivenflame that will persist for longer than mere moments. A Novice Pyromancer may Enkindle up to two weapons, and they will find themselves more resistant to heat as well as cold, but not yet genuinely resistant to flame.

Apprentice

An Apprentice Pyromancer gains access to Flash as well as Trail and Flare, with Flamelance becoming enhanced for greater size, range and lethality. At this level it becomes possible to create long lasting Shrivenflame, though it is largely still confined to more meager volume and range. Learning at this level generally forces the learner to focus on stoking Shrivenflame, as well as weaving Pyromantic abilities seamlessly into their everyday weapon use. The amount of time it takes to perform each ability is cut down as they are practiced with, the Apprentice seeking to integrate Pyromancy into their style. An Apprentice Pyromancer may Enkindle up to three weapons, and becomes greatly resistant to the negative effects of fire and combustion.

Journeyman

Journeyman is where an Ebon Knight truly begins to prosper within the discipline, gaining access to Emblem - one of the signature abilities of the Black Remedy - as well as Infernal and Searing. Their abilities begin to become larger and more destructive, not relying any longer on pure precision. The Expert will find themselves immune to the effects of their own abilities, capable of withstanding direct explosions they have caused without so much as flinching. Learning at this point generally relies on the mastery of each ability as well as the enhancement of previous skills, such as Flamelance which the Journeyman can now grant explosive properties. A Journeyman Pyromancer may Enkindle up to four weapons.

Expert

Capable of learning Exigency, Thrash and Cleanse, the Expert is now capable of performing truly massive feats of Pyromancy that can shape the battlefield around them. Like before, learning focuses on mastering new abilities as well as revisiting old ones, as Flash, Flamelance and Trail all see considerable enhancements at this level of mastery. The Pyromancer at this level can weave Pyromancies into their attacks on a fairly consistent basis without overstepping, learning to more efficiently perform each ability so as to waste little aether. The Expert Pyromancer seemingly becomes invulnerable to Shrivenflame. They do not become fully immune to heat from external sources, but are resistant to fire and other sources of heat, and are immune to the heat specifically produced by Shrivenflame. At this level the Pyromancer may Enkindle up to six weapons.

Master

The Master Pyromancer gains access to Glare and Sigilfall, combining highly destructive area-altering effects together before capitalizing on them for the discipline's most devastating ability. All Pyromancy abilities become enhanced at this point and performing them becomes easier and more effective, though many of the later abilities - in particular the Expert and Master ones - remain costly to perform. Still, the ruthless and consecutive nature of this discipline's abilities as well as their focus on weaving into one another makes the Master truly deadly to contend with, able to set battlefields ablaze and leave a sea of fire in their wake. A Master Pyromancer may Enkindle as many weapons as desired.

Restrictions

• An Enkindled weapon must be actively held by the Pyromancer in order to channel Sigilic Pyromancy abilities.
• Like other magic, can only be learned via use. XP in this skill must be requested specifically in the grade request, and must be granted.
• Contrary to popular belief, the Black Sigil - and therefore Sigilic Pyromancy - are not solely limited to Sil'norai.
• To acquire Sigilic Pyromancy, one must have received the Black Sigil from a master Sigilic Pyromancer. A Sigilic Pyromancer must learn how to initiate others -- inscribing the Black Sigil upon another requires focus and dedication far beyond other magics, as the power to draw it is derived from the Dead Realm. This means Deathstalkers have a much easier time initiating others. Regular Pyromancers need to reach into the Realm with their souls and find a new Beacon, one that can be infused into another along with the symbol of the Sigil itself. The risk to initiates is also very high; it is likely that the Beacon will burn their souls from within, and their entire body will become charred black before being dismantled.
• You cannot start with Sigilic Pyromancy unless you begin as an Ebon Knight. This rule remains. In most cases, one can only become a Sigilic Pyromancer by joining the Black Remedy faction. Even if a mage intends to initiate another outside of the Remedy, Aldrin will likely intervene and prevent the initiation from succeeding. Made into the 'source' of Sigilic Pyromancy by Malek, Aldrin can sense every initiation and can traverse through the Dead Realm unseen to examine initiates of the magic. Those he deems unworthy or likely to abuse the power, or not use it to benefit the goals of the Remedy, he will refuse to extend his power to and the initiation will fail. In many cases, the initiate will die as the Beacon refuses to bind itself to their soul, searing through their essence like a spreading flame.