Biomancy

**Biomancy** is a scientific practice that combines concepts of medicine, alchemy, radiobiology, and other strange procedures that steampriests refer to as the vile art of 'bio-engineering' for a variety of ends ranging from something as innocuous as medicine to the heresy of altering the biological essence of living creatures. Those who practice biomancy are referred to as **biomancers**. Despite what their individual intentions may be, biomancers are shunned in most places in Evarencia for their practices with many cultures and places referring to it as a forbidden art. Perhaps one of their greatest claims to infamy are harpies and hunter killers.

## Basic Information

### Goals

* progress the field of medicine
* create impossible creatures
* 'evolution'
* abiogenesis

## Membership

### Notable Members

* Dr. Heinrich Branson
* Dr. Nora Lynn
* Dr. Viktor Belmont (aka the Good Doctor)
* Juan Muertos (agent)

## Relationships

### Enemies

* the Star-touched
* Kovithian Inquisition

Biomancy was featured in great depth in the *SteamSpell* campaign with biomancer (Dr. Branson) and his enclave serving as the primary antagonists of the series.

In *WovenRealm,* biomancy does not initially appear to play a major role in the campaign's narrative, but in Season 3, its role and influence on the story become clearer, especially in regards to Constance and her backstory.

## Description

Biomancy is a strange science that most consider to be taboo at best and heretical at worst. Biomancy is a multi-disciplinary study requiring a deep understanding of biology, medical science, alchemy, green aether radioactivity, and, quite often, different magic sciences. Many of its practitioners bear the title 'Doctor' as many biomancers were physicians prior to being seduced by the potential of biomancy with most associating with biomancers not bearing the title being their agents instead of actual biomancers. Biomancy has many uses and studies. During its inception, most of biomancy was primarily utilized for medical practices and to improve the field of medicine, but as biomancers discovered that the science can be used to 'bio-engineer,' biomancy's focus shifted toward this goal. Biomancy can still be used for medical purposes with the Good Doctor of Kirkgaard allegedly being able to cure vampirism without magic.

A major discipline of biomancy is 'bio-engineering' which places a focus on crafting new creatures or 'improving' on creatures by applying the organic essence of various beasts and beings. This process relies the most on green aether as well as the blood of lycanthropic creatures. According to research notes of Dr. Branson, a lycano-blood transfusion makes the subject more receptive to the transformative nature of biomancy. Another major discipline is what the biomancers refer to as 'pharmaceuticals,' which is the creation and application of various medicines for a wide variety of effects. It often involves the use of syringes, needles, and injections. A poorly understood discipline of biomancy referred to as 'psychomancy' has left those who have had the displeasure of researching it and those who practice deeply disturbed.

Biomancy takes a great interest in those with a 'special heritage,' which means anyone with divine, fiendish, draconic, fey, or any other heritage connecting the individual to a higher power of some kind. Biomancers are often on quests to obtain strange, new reagents to use as components in their experiments, as was evidenced in *SteamSpell* when Dr. Branson used blood from Blackheart's heart in his *Project Blood Angel* experiments on Corvus Altera. This is all done in the biomancer's quest for their magnum opus; purity of form and essence.

Some biomancer leaders coopt the Alfenheim tradition of naming themselves 'godhand.'

## History

The understanding of the foundation of biomancy has a variety of interpretations owing to the secrecy amongst its practicing doctors as well as its relative newness, historically speaking. Many of its practicing doctors will claim to have founded the science (the older ones at least) or studied under one of its alleged creators, but most scholars agree that biomancy's origin was within one of Kovith's territories. Alchemy and medicine have always intermingled in each others spaces, and many believe that biomancy's roots are found in the synthesis of these two sciences, and despite green aether's rarity, it does occur naturally. The proto-biomancers are credited with some of the earliest scholarship on the effects of green aether and the effects of banefire and radiation on life, but as the science developed further, it became for more nefarious than perhaps its creators had intended. It is likely the science was first practiced in 2S 1789-1808.

In 2S 1831, Dr. Heinrich Branson, former physician turned biomancer, unlocked biomancy's potential for truly altering the essence of living things when he discovered lycano-blood transfusions to subjects provided greater success in the results of the chimerical creatures the science claimed being able to create. He created the first harpies with his discovery, and soon, he found himself in charge of perhaps one of the largest and most influential biomancer organizations in Maywikt. In order to fund his research, Branson found a connection to a friend of his colleague, Dr. Nora Lynn; James Prospero, head of the Prospero Bank. Soon, the biomancers found themselves seeking more than advancing medicine or glory, but also power. The biomancer's enclave caught the eye of the physician considered an urban legend in Duskwind Vale known only as the Good Doctor, who was legendary for creating a medical cure for vampirism.

It was during this time heading east that the biomancers realized that they needed a special force of agents to recover any lost assets, provide security for the enclave, or killing their foes. It was the Good Doctor who put the biomancers into contact with the infamous Black Coat deserter turned bounty hunter, Juan Muertos. Muertos was hired as the chief biomancer agent, and he certainly proved effective in this role. The biomancers quickly grew, creating pharmaceutical companies to serve as laundering fronts and establishing relationships with criminal enterprises and business magnates to obtain the green aether necessary for their practice. Unable to prey on Kovithian's, who are always so proud to adopt others, the biomancer's enclave turned east into Kovith's territories of Higardi and Selusian folks who placed a greater emphasis on their bloodlines to establish legitimacy.

Through espionage efforts, the biomancers learned of noble lines in these eastern Kovithian territories with a divine heritage. House Gedraan proved greatly interesting with the angelic children of Osyrus and Akira. The holy heritage of the Partridge family in Wren's Run also caught the biomancer's interest. Perfect subjects for their experimentations, the biomancers first approached House Gedraan, and for the price of their angelic son, Corvus, they would restore the Duke's bloodline to the purest form so that he could inherit the Yormoth throne. Henry and Olivia Partridge willingly gave up their two children, Katarina and Lillian because they wanted a holy child to purify their bloodine, and in a cruel and ironic twist, Branson had deceived them into believing their aasimar children were merely humans. With these special heritages, the biomancers experimentations entered a new stage. The biomancers delivered on this promise when the Good Doctor successfully Minerva Partridge solely through bio-engineering in his lab, an incredible feat previously considered impossible

Unbeknownst to anyone outside of the organization, internal divisions were forming within the biomancer enclave. Branson had taken credit for Minerva, which led to conflict within their own ranks. The commoners of Wren's Run did the biomancers a mighty favor when they wiped out the Partridge family, and all they wanted was to keep their special, holy daughter safe from the inevitable slaughter, sending Minerva back into the arms of the biomancers. What the biomancers could never have imagined happened in 2S 1841; one of their own subjects proved to be their own downfall after Katarina, taking the name Steele, fled when the blood angel, Corvus escaped.

### *SteamSpell*

Biomancy and the biomancers played a major role in the *SteamSpell* campaign, serving as the primary antagonists of the series. Kat Steele and the adventuring group known as the Star-touched had gone on a warpath against the biomancer enclave that was operating in the shadows of society in central Maywikt. First, they dismantled their aether interests in the mining town of Verdrid, Neutral Frontier, and they allied themselves with another of Branson's former victims, Corvus Altera. Working together, they proved to be a great thorn in the biomancer's side. Even the dangerous and capable Juan Muertos met his end while hunting them. The Star-touched tracked the biomancers to Fenhold, where Dr. Nora Lynn was slain by Muertos' apprentice, Jade. Tracking Branson to Urgovel, the Star-touched faced off against Dr. Branson, who cowardly, chemically altered Corvus' mental state and turned him loose on the Star-touched. During this fight, Dr. Branson was slain by Maus Ponyhosen. Steele Bastion was put to the torch by the dragon Bellerogrim, and Katarina learned that Dr. Nora Lynn, before dying and wracked with guilt, had sent the Inquisition after many major biomancer installations. She was also responsible for aiding the young Lady Steele and Corvus in feeling from Branson.

### Precampaign

After retaking Urgovel, Lady Kat Steele set quickly to hunting down and exterminating any remaining biomancer circles or anyone who dared to practice the science. The only Kovithian law based in religion she kept in place was the declaration of biomancy as heresy and the punishments being death. She worked with her previous foes, specifically, Carnifex von Zeppenstein and the Emperor's Hammer arm of the Inquisition in hunting down the remaining biomancers. The two are said to have wiped out the art of biomancy from Higard and many regions in Kovith, but it always bothered the two that they were never able to divulge the identity of the Good Doctor.

### Campaign

#### Season 1

Constance's backstory suggest an element of biomancy with her having a physician, being provided medicine in S1E15 'Dawn Star.' In campaign 'cutscenes' in Season 1 between the DM and a player piloted NPC, Mother Superior Temperance met with an unnamed physician in Eternal Trust who referred to Constance as 'his life's work.' In a finale 'cutscene' between Carnifex von Zeppenstein meets with Kat Steele, requesting Inquisitor access to investigate allegations of biomancy in Eternal Trust.

#### Season 3

In Episode 5 'Eternal Trust,' the Good Doctor's identity as a biomancer is revealed. Along with this, Constance's 'birth' is the result of biomancy. In S3E12-14, the Emerald Caravan delved into the ruins of Steel Bastion, the last major biomancer facility where they learned in a dreamquake that Constance 'was' at one point Minerva, prior to the Good Doctor's psychomancy. In Episode 2 'flight of the Furies,' Oleander's necromancy is revealed to be indirectly the results of biomancy experimentation on the bloodline of Akira Uriel, an incarnation of St. Orianna.

## Membership

Most who practice biomancy were medical doctors at one point in their life with a few others coming from alchemy backgrounds. Other scientists can potentially become a biomancer as it is a multi-field study.

Agents working for biomancers tend toward being highly skilled or elite mercenaries. After taking on Juan Muertos, a tradition of hiring Black Coat deserters became popular amongst biomancers.

### Notable Members

* Dr. Heinrich Branson
* Dr. Nora Lynn
* Juan Muertos, biomancer agent
* Dr. Viktor Belmont aka 'the Good Doctor'

## Trivia

* Biomancy was originally created to be an industrialized foil to druidic magic.
* Biomancers often fit the 'evil doctor' trope.
* The term or word 'biomancy' is also used in *Warhammer 40k* as well as *Magic the Gathering.*