The Arcane Sciences

The study and commitment to a life focused on the exploration of the arcane is impossible for most people on Kir, and excruciating for the small population able to do so. The Arcane Sciences, even after centuries of study, are a constantly evolving field, as is the culture around them that occasionally celebrates but also often maligns their practitioners.

Scientific disciplines were developed to allow adepts a way to focus their study and enhance their skills as they toil to understand and harness the invisible energies of the world. The Arcane Sciences are divided into eight major disciplines, four Primary Disciplines (kuo, hunqi, diqqu, and zhue) and four Elevated Disciplines (li sheng, kojue, emoyan, xifa), each one focused on understanding the complexity of a certain aspect of these energies. As these disciplines were discovered and perfected during the First Kingdom of Zhidao and are formally referred to in the ancient language of Zhidao: Shey Lowan.

Luoti Shi the "Arcane Mandala"

Developed by the earliest scholars of the Arcane Sciences, the Luoti Shi is the representation of the interplay of the mystical forces at play in Kir, with the “elevated disciplines” on the edges, comprised of pairings of the “primary disciplines”, which surround the deep, unknowable truth that is simply known as Ahn (or Darkness).

Primary Disciplines

The Primary disciplines are elemental, natural, and innate. It is believed by their practitioners, and many arcane scholars, that all beings have the ability to control and master one of these disciplines, though most are not aware or believe they possess this inner strength.

Elevated Disciplines

The Elevated Disciplines were discovered by the Dasholin Scholars of the Eternal Library through centuries of exploration and experimentation of the four original Primary Disciplines. They discovered that by combining forms of magic, they were able to create new, more powerful forms. For example, Xifa magic, the Arcane Science of exploring, communicating, and conjuring spirits and beings outside of the world of Kir is manifested by the combination of Zhue and Diqqu forms.

Arcane Cult Overview
During the later half of the Primal Age, groups began to gather that focused on the study and promotion of the arcane studies. Each of these groups tended to be found in small, private communities with one another, away from society, so as not to be bothered. And while their numbers remain small throughout history, their impact on history is significant.

Originally stemming from the land of Zhidao, considered the land of the arcane, these groups spread out and across the Northern World. By the end of the Primal Age, Arcane Cults can be found in most parts of the world, of arcane discipline and has its own structure or hierarchy.

In general, most cults have a central headquarters, with smaller sects in cities around the world, consisting of a few members. The size of these sects vary depending on the popularity of the cult in the region and their overalls strength.

For example, during the Arcane Wars, The Children of the Flame (or Hazi Kuo)had sects throughout the Versushan Empire and Zhidao ranging from smaller sects of twenty or so in smaller cities and having a community of over 1,000 in the capital city of Verughar. Their headquarters, the Burned Citadel in the Kifu Shu Mountains in Zhidao, is a sprawling complex housing thousands of aspiring “Firestarters”.

Arcane Cults

Knowledge of arcane energies exists within most cultures throughout recorded time, but during the second half of the Primal Age, groups began to gather that focused on the study and promotion of the Arcane Sciences. These groups tended to be small, private communities, living with each other away from society, in order to protect themselves from the stigma often associated with their work. And while their numbers remained small throughout history, their impact is significant.

By the end of the Primal Age, arcane cults could be found in most parts of the world, each with their own arcane focus, structure, and hierarchy. Typically, an arcane cult will have a central headquarters with smaller congregations spread out in cities around the world. The number of members varies according to each group’s popularity in the region and its overall cultural, political, and social strength.

During the Arcane Wars, the Children of the Flame had congregations throughout the Verushan Empire and Zhidao, ranging from groups of merely twenty members in smaller cities, to a thriving community of thousands in Verughar. The headquarters of the Children of the Flame, known as the Burned Citadel, was a sprawling complex housing over a thousand aspiring arcanists that spread out and created an entire local economy. Because of their benevolent principles, there are few places in the world who do not welcome the life-affirming cult from Erikenyea known as Dal Dugana, (or “The Leaves of Life”).

Arcane Stones

In the year p1081 it was discovered that certain stones found naturally occurring in the world have unique abilities to conduct and amplify an individual’s ability to manipulate arcane energies. These stones are rare and highly sought after by the practitioners and masters of the arcane. When caches of the precious Arcane Stones are found in the world, it is only in the rarest of occasions an arcane practitioner will have the ability to collect more than one.

For more information about the arcane cults of Kir, head over to our patreon page, where we will be releasing more detailed information about them and their history.