Mentalism

The Origins

Kyrikain made dis

Concepts

The Neurocrux: When a Weaver is first initiated, their Rune crafts an ethereal network within and around their brain, lining it with arcane patterns that are visible if ever a Weaver's brain is extracted from their corpse. These patterns glow, albeit somewhat faintly, and this glow results in a faint iridescent hue glimmering through the eyes of the mage. The point of the Neurocrux is not one that is aesthetic, however. It instead serves as the major distinction of the magic, separating a Mind Mage from any other man or mage in what they can accomplish with their brain. The Neurocrux allows the Mind Mage to do a few things: to alter the Mural of others, to invade others' brains, to process others' thoughts and emotions alongside one's own in an effective manner, and to amplify and project one's own consciousness through Obelisks. It also allows one to create 'the Weave', turning their own conscious will into physical force and reality. The Neurocrux is the base that allows the rest of the magic to function and exist, as no mage would otherwise be able to perform the arduous cognitive tasks embedded into the Rune.

The Mural: The Mural is the cognitive and psychological landscape of all mortals. It was given this name by scholars of magical theory, though it is even referred to as such by the Gods. It is called this for what it initially appears as to a Mind Mage: a complex work of art, somewhat like fragmented, stained glass shards placed upon a circular facet. The Mural, when visibly viewed, appears almost like a chaotic emblem of images immortalized in crystalline form.

The Mural first becomes visible when a Mind Mage manages to enter the brain of another through tethers. Once these tethers have reached the mind, they feed back images to the mage's Neurocrux. If willing, the mage can then close their eyes and focus on the nuances of the mental shape, which often coils, unfurls, twists or reorganizes itself based on the change in emotions demonstrated by the observed mind. Otherwise it is largely represented by colors. The Mural often appears to be shaped strongly by the individual's perceived image of their position in the world.

Vaguely, one can see shapes and concepts revolving around the person's identity; they are often the centerpiece as well, though ideological minds may view things on a more grand scale. An example of a Mural may be a beggar woman's image of herself; downtrodden, pressed against the cobbled floor with others looking down upon her. Her own shape is colored blue with sorrow, while others are gilded gold, or various shades of grey, depicting a sort of ambivalence. Perhaps if one gives generously to her, her Mural will appear differently in the immediate aftermath; suddenly the shapes of others will be kneeling to help her from the ground, offering her alms, wearing friendly faces. In many ways, the Mural offers an ever-changing simplicity to the complex thoughts of mortals. It also allows the Mind Mage a reasonable way of learning of others minds, and seeing the consequences of the changes they inflict upon them. The emotions forced or inferred by a Mind Mage can directly impact, twist and reshape the Mural of others. A gloomily colored beggar woman's blue shape may instead become red with rage, the word clouding around her as she sees nothing but her own blind fury.

Tethers: Tethers are created within the Neurocrux, the mage enriching their own ether and crafting purple lines of energy that they can then release through their body, typically their hands. These lines appear somewhat holographic, appearing as if glitched as they partly fade in and out, their shape twitching while they move. These lines are what are used to actually influence the Mural of others, entering their body often through the spinal cord or directly through the cranium into their brain. Tethers are capable of moving freely through organic mass, acting as a worm through which one can view and subvert the emotions of others through their Neurocrux.

It should be noted that Tethers always act as a connection: they come from the mage's Neurocrux and bleed out through their hands, but so long as the mage is connected to the other, the Tether will be visible. This certainly acts as a weakness for mind manipulation, as it is always obvious when a Weaver is manipulating the thoughts of another, due to the very obvious ethereal lines between them. More tethers are often necessary to subdue more willful minds, particularly of those with more experience (magical or worldly). Additionally, more tethers allow for more radical swings in emotion. Each requires ether to craft, and the more profound a change, the more ether must be channeled within the link. Interestingly, beginning at Journeyman a Mentalist learns how to make others unable to see Tethers that are currently connected to them, often making them unaware of the influence upon them.

The Weave: Mentalism is a two-fold magic, in that there are two important sides to it. While the Neurocrux enables a mage to alter and view the emotions of others, it also allows them to manipulate physical reality by projecting the will of their powerful mind onto physical matter. The way this is done is by creating a 'Weave', producing a physical space through ether that can be manipulated in a variety of different ways. The Weave is manually moved by the mind of the mage, often directed by their hands. It is a space that appears much like crystalline, transparent-purple shifts in reality, dividing images between fragments and frames and contorting their shape. The Weave can be pushed, pulled, suspended, crushed or entirely edited, and the possible proportions of it and numerical structures are expanded upon as a Mind Mage presses towards mastery. While some call Weaving the manipulation of kinetic force, many others more accurately describe it as the manipulation of physical reality, though to a limited degree.

Initiation

A Journeyman Weaver must first draw the Rune onto the initiate using their ether. Immediately afterwards, the initiate is overcome with strong emotional fatigue, or as some describe, numbness. The sensation is cold and lonely. There’s no feeling, no desire, just a vast emptiness that aches to be made whole again. In this vulnerable state, the five Reveries try to tempt the initiate into indulging into each of their emotional arrays. The initiate must sample each of the five, but they must not give into the temptation of anything deeper than a surface level emotion, while resisting a great pull to the extreme.

They may sample enough of the Minstrel’s power to smile, but must not be tempted to laugh or cheer. The Provocateur may be allowed to stir a sliver of irritation in the initiate, but they must not allow the feeling to build to a blinding rage. Once the initiate has faced all five Reveries, if they’re successful, they will regain all their emotions and desires and face the world as a novice weaver.

The initiate must show emotional control and discipline to earn the Rune, it’s only by ignoring the call of a powerful and bright flare of feeling that they can make it through with their mindscapes intact.

Husks: Should the initiate fail to save against the tests, their murals will permanently shatter, and they will be left empty husks for the rest of their very short lives. The husk does not want or feel. They cannot be made to feel with tethering, either, as the mural is naught but broken glass. There’s no drive to talk, move, eat or drink. In some cases, husks simply stop breathing and quickly asphyxiate. Husks have also been known to allow others to harm and mutilate them freely without protest or complaint. There’s no response to even the most heart-breaking news, they sit in burning buildings and wait for the flames to engulf them without care.

While husks don’t actively seek out their demise, they lack the capacity to preserve their own empty lives. They feel no fear, sadness, joy, anger, nor love. Even on the verge of death, a husk will fail to act at all to save their own life, they can’t even show their gratitude toward the one who put them to death or allowed them to die.

Threshold Sickness

The drawbacks listed below do not always come in pairs, and certainly not simultaneously. Some may come and others may not.

Lesser: Nausea, fatigue, headaches, muscle spasms, dehydration

Moderate: Bleeding through the nose, eyes and ears, intense cramps, seizure-like shocks and spasms, internal bleeding, vomiting and weakness

Severe:

Abilities

Compel: This ability is acquired at Novice. By surrounding an object or person with the Weave, the Mentalist may pull that thing toward them by pulling in the Weave itself. This usually appears as if a section of space is being interrupted by purple, crystal-like glitches in reality, as the object is compelled towards the Mentalist. At Expert, all objects within the Weave will be pulled, though they can be filtered out at-will. As is the case for many abilities within Mentalism, the limitations and restrictions can be found in the Progression Tiers (Novice-Master).

Impel: This ability is acquired at Novice. Impel works the same as Compel initially, but rather than simply guiding an object surrounded by the Weave, the Weave catches that object within its tangible grasp before throwing it in the desired direction. This is typically used to push objects away, but in fact, it can be used to push objects towards the mage as well.

Minstrel: This ability is acquired at Apprentice. Minstrel is the first of the 'Five Reveries', or the 'Reveries', named after the realm from which they emerge. Like with all Reveries, Minstrel requires a look into the mind of its victim: insight into their Mural. From there, the Weaver can influence the Mural with their ether, their Neurocrux channeling ether into that specific Reverie. The longer this contact is held, the more overbearing the emotional impulse becomes. The enforcement of a Reverie is almost like that of an emotional meld, the two minds tethered with wild intensity as the Mentalist unloads the link with the desired emotion. In response, the Mural begins to shift more and more, until the victim becomes almost drunk on the singular influence of that emotion upon their mind. The Minstrel is the emotion of joy; some would say passivity. It is typically used to elate others, or to draw away their ire.

Tragedian: This ability is acquired at Apprentice. The second of the Five Reveries, Tragedian is the Reverie of sadness and sorrow. Operating much like Minstrel, it is typically used to overwhelm one with sadness in order to subdue them, or make them vulnerable.

Obelisk: This ability is acquired at Journeyman. mind control pylons

Constrain: This ability is acquired at Journeyman. suspend

Nailing: This ability is acquired at Journeyman. pin something down

Provocateur: This ability is acquired at Expert. Provocateur is the Third Reverie of Rage. Overloading the mind with anger, Provocateur can be used to make someone aggressive, volatile or susceptible to manipulation. It is often used by Weavers to manipulate rage that already exists, bolstering it to their ends.

Overbear: This ability is acquired at Expert. crush

Paramour: This ability is acquired at Expert. The Fourth Reverie, Paramour is an emotion of desire; it is the Reverie channeled for seduction, attraction, and in some cases even love. Paramour works much better if it is empowering a sliver of what already exists, but a strong enough Mentalist can make anyone desire them, particularly if the emotion is sustained for a longer period of time.

Marshal: This ability is acquired at Expert. use telekinesis on self (other abilities)

Scarecrow: This ability is acquired at Expert. The Fifth Reverie, and final one, Scarecrow is the Reverie of Fear. It can invoke primal terror in those afflicted by it, and works incredibly well on already feeble minds, young ones, or those unexposed to danger or fear. Scarecrow has been used to create hysteria in the past, and as fear is a powerful motivator, it can be used for near-infinite ends.

Fashion: This ability is acquired at Master. warp, twist, bend within a space

Apprehend: This ability is acquired at Master. intensive mind reading

Unravel: This ability is acquired at Master. suppress memories, etc

Invite: This ability is acquired at Master. invite someone else into a mindscape; link them via your neurocrux

Aberration Abilities

True Subversion: mind control

Tower: major pylons

Ascension: The Aberration

crown of small, black, arched pylons. 3 on each side. purple glowing eyes, trail of aethereal tether-like energy following the mage. wip.