Disclaimer: The following document fragment is presented from an in-character perspective, it should not be taken as the truth of the setting.
Context: For today’s postings, I’ve selected a number of lore texts that all share a common function: they answer questions asked to me by people on Discord, at one point or another. For this first one we delve into the issue of arcane academia, and specifically the breadth of different magical practices existing in the world.
An essential step for a young practitioner of the arts is deciding between the many different practices they wish to pursue. Most mages pick up several fields of interest over the years, but everything has to start somewhere after finishing with the fundamentals.
For someone descending from a gifted family, it is common to follow in the footsteps of one of their parents. But that is not a privilege all mages share. Some enter the world of the arcane without the guidance of an elder, often forced to decide upon their future blindly.
Especially for such wild mages, it is imperative to gain at least a cursory understanding of the many paths open before them. However, even for those born into the oldest lineages, an overview understanding of the scope and breadth of modern magic might at least be a topic of interest.
In modern times, as of 2003, the University of Arcane Arts (Academiae Arcanorum Artium) recognises thirty-three schools of magic. The University also grants Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral Degrees in these arcane disciplines, with worldwide recognition:
Alveromancy – one of the schools of Illusion, focusing on the production of paracusia.
Anthropomancy – a branch of High Magic preoccupied with understanding the exact nature of the human condition.
Archeomancy – a practice often seen as a branch of Xenomancy, concerned with the understanding of Other technology.
Aspidomancy – the study of Sigils, their function, construction and practical application.
Astromancy – a form of High Magic concerned with the broad topic of the Cosmos and humanity’s place within it.
Auramancy – a branch of Oculomancy focused on the analysis of auras.
Biomancy – an archaic practice concerned with the creation and alteration of life.
Chresmomancy – a practice employing glossolalia as a tool to investigate collective unconsciousness.
Cledonomancy – sometimes seen as a branch of High Magic, the art of manipulating causality.
Cryptomancy – a multi-disciplinary practice concerned with the obfuscation of information by praeternatural means.
Crystallomancy – although it refers specifically to the usage of a crystal ball, it is the catch-all name for all forms of scrying using a physical focus.
Cybermancy – also known as Technomancy, is the application of magic to the design, alteration or manipulation of mundane technology.
Demonomancy – a branch of Oneiromancy concerned primarily with manifestations of ontological entities within the material world.
Fractomancy – a specialised branch of Xenomancy that deals exclusively with the fractal structure of space and time.
Genomancy – inspired by the Elben practice of the same name, a form of magic concerned with long-term alterations of living organisms.
Hematomancy – or Dririmancy, is the final surviving branch of Alchemy, focused on chemical augmentation of the human body and mind.
Hypnomancy – or Narcomancy, is a specialised form of Oneiromancy employing autohypnosis to alter the state of a mind between wakefulness and sleep.
Idolomancy – a branch of Oneiromancy focused on ontological divinities, their study and even creation.
Logomancy – an interdisciplinary approach to the manipulation of language using praeternatural methods.
Lunamancy – the crucial study of the Lunar Sigil.
Macharomancy – the largely antiquated art of fencing employing elements of Xenomancy and Illusion.
Metamancy – or Metagnomy, a form of High Magic, the study of the nature and potential manipulation of magic itself.
Necromancy – a practice focused on studying and manipulating lingering ontological imprints, known colloquially as ghosts.
Oculomancy – a practice of mental manipulation facilitated by shared experiences, primarily eye contact.
Oneiromancy – the essential art of manipulating the fabric of the dreamlands by force of will.
Oryctomancy – nominally a branch of Xenomancy, it is the study of rare or exotic matter, a.k.a. paraxenomatter.
Phobomancy – one of the schools of Illusion, specialised in the production of phobic responses.
Photomancy – one of the schools of Illusion, specialised in the production of optical illusions.
Rhabdomancy – the art of crafting magical tools, including the theory and study of the process.
Umbromancy – or Sciomancy, is one of the schools of Illusion, focusing on the production of pareidolia.
Theriomancy – a practice focused on the application of magic, in particular, Oculomancy and Illusion to animals.
Thumomancy – a branch of Oneiromancy focused on the study of what was once called the soul, or the root of consciousness in modern terms.
Xenomancy – the broad domain of practices related to the Other and interacting with them, as well as the manipulation of fractal space.
Within the borders of Europe and Northern America, institutions of learning, regardless of size, will offer at least some of the above practices to their students. But, of course, limitations may apply, depending on the availability of experts in the area. And in many places, more unusual and niche practices are also taught alongside these staple fields of study.
Meanwhile, in the lands with prominent Mofu influence, though many parallels exist between the more prominent paths, the disciplines of magic officially recognised are classified and named very differently. In such places, much more emphasis rests on fundamental education before a mage selects their first path of specialisation.
Esoteric Musings... 