Thaumaturgy

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Thaumaturgy is the godly variant of sorcery in contrast to Mystic Arts and Runecasting within Azura. After the release of the pantheon and their presence within the lives of mortals, their divinity became a method in which worshippers could harness their vitor. In lieu of becoming attuned to a spectrum of elemental mancy, practitioners of Thaumaturgy invoke their vitor through channeling miracles unique to their sphere of a God.

Thaumaturges are imbued with the ability to cast custom miracles - custom rites/spells - at Prophet level, where upon approval their invocation will be added to the sphere for additional public use.

For information regarding how vitor is conjured in thaumaturgy, check The Conjuring and Channeling of Magic.

## Attunement/Vitae

Attunement - also known as Vitae - is the process in which, through rigorous spiritual and fervent worship, a person is able to begin to ‘tune’ themselves to reality, importantly the Heavens for Thaumaturges, and beseech their God to enact their will through them. It is the fundamental process for a non-thaumaturge to become a thaumaturgy; it does not happen immediately. Due to its nature, it cannot be done by anyone under the age of 18, as they do not yet require the maturity and spiritual composure to become a thaumaturgy .

People looking to become a Thaumaturge often will have an easier time gaining their Sphere when performing duties or actions desired by their god, an example being rites of burial by Ankouan, forge-work for Vulcan, etc. After attuning to the Heavens, you are permanently a practitioner of that type of thaumaturgy and that type only. However, one thing to note is that if you do not practice your thaumaturgy enough, or exert enough vitor, you will begin to lose control of your mancy until you eventually lose it all together.

## Vitor

Vitor is the resource that all Thaumaturges pull on to cast their invocations. Although there is no corporeal form of vitor, it is the energy and power that you use in order to exert the Pantheon's miracles onto reality. As a Thaumaturge learns to exert their will better, and empowers themselves further through worship and dedication to their god, their vitor pool will grow exponentially until the point of becoming a Prophet. The total vitor pool of the Thaumaturge is determined by their solely and only fealty to their god, and their diligence to maintain their principles.

Using Thaumaturgy, unlike the Mystic Arts, conduits power from the Heavens, not muscle or fat and thus not deteriorating physical ability. Constant diligence to pray and worship your god is mandatory so as to not diminish your pool of vitor. It is of note that Thaumaturges, while not reliant on materialistic means to sustain their outpour of vitor, cannot exercise their invocations in excess in a close span of time.

Another comment of note, is that any sort plating restricts the flow of Thaumaturgy vitor. Chainmail and under does not restrict this, although multiple layers of armor cannot be used to bypass this restriction.

## Channeling

Invocations are the method in which Thaumaturges harness their vitor, and while a spiritual drain than physical, requires holy items to conduit the miracles of gods through. This can entail reading gospel and rites from a tome of your god, a reliquary containing hallowed objects associated to your god, or other alternative baubles to invoke vitor though. This is mandatory and must serve a purpose within your channeling; Thaumaturges cannot employ their invocations without use of a holy symbol.

Passive invocations do not require channeling to invoke.

## Thaumaturgy Progression

There are five echelons of progression for Thaumaturges and a specific sum of Invocations that they may invest an amount of points within. Disciples may utilize three invocations. Heralds can take one additional Disciple ability and one Herald ability, Prophets can take one additional Herald ability and their chosen Prophet ability (or one Herald ability).

**Devotees**

* Devotees are the initial echelon in which a Thaumaturge begins their godly journey. While their connection to the Heavens is limited and usage of Invocations is not present, through worship and prayer and the spread of their God’s presence can their ability be heightened, and eventually entice the notice of their idealized God.

**Acolytes**

* Acolytes are the enhanced variant of Devotees; on the precipice of notice from their revered deity, although a cusp away still. Their spiritual affinity, so too their zeal in their worship, begins to ascend onto a disciple level.

--------------------------------Approval per ranking------------------------------

**Disciples**

* The beginning of a Thaumaturge's exalted endeavor in the eye of their God. Possessing a potent pool of vitor in contrast to their lower counterparts, Disciples are bequeathed with a sum of Invocations granted by their god. What could be regarded as a street-side urchin speaking of the Pantheon now becomes a venerable practitioner of worship.

**Heralds**

* Once unnoticed by their god, Heralds now become intensively involved within the innerworkings of their deity's desires and their necessities on the mortal plane. Their pool of vitor is greatly expanded and considered a pinnacle of their worship, only surpassed by the supreme divinity of a Prophet.

**Prophet**

* The most fantastical level of Thaumaturgy and the pinnacle of a god's praise. Prophets, while sparse in numbers and documentation, are the most ascended level of divinity and near agents of their God's will. They stand on par to Archmancers and are gossiped to be the agents of gods upon this reality in the most dire hours. Only two Prophets for an individual sphere may exist.

## Divine Spheres

In Azura, the powers of Thaumaturgy are divided into multiple spheres. Most deities adhere to one specific sphere, but religious interpretation can allow one to understand the more nuanced sides of a deity. Selvas, for example, grants his Thaumaturges either the Salus or Natura sphere’s abilities, but never both.

A Thaumaturge can never attain a sphere outside their chosen god's influence, as spheres are divisions of the Aether each god inhabits and controls. Each sphere corresponds to the aspects of creation they control, thus a Thaumaturge can never cross spheres for whatever reason, as it completely impossible for their god to cross into a sphere they have no power over.

-Sphere of Salus

-Sphere of Lumen

-Sphere of Ritus

-Sphere of Opus

-Sphere of Fargram

-Sphere of Natura

-Sphere of Tempesta

-Sphere of Aroum

-Sphere of Voula

-Sphere of Decaus

-Sphere of Vitium

-Sphere of Fierent