Familiary

## Learning

Familiary is one of the only magicks that cannot be taught by other Familiary Mages. It can only be learned by developing an intense bond with another creature. At some point during this first bond with the creature, the magical force within the Master and creature will mingle throughout them both. This is the most important point during the relationship, for one of the two will become the dominant being, thus the Master. There is indeed a chance of the being that intended to become master to become the familiar.

Once the roles are decided, they are permanent until one of them dies. After the initial bonding, the Master can initiate more bonds with other creatures, based on his or her level. They do so by purposefully infusing their own energy into the creature they wish to claim as familiar.

Should a different class of mage try and force magic into another being without having developed their first bond naturally, they will often kill the creature and themselves. Mages that practice Familiary are often called Druids.

*Note: Most Familiars are non-sentient animals. They do not suddenly become sentient when they are Bonded to a Druid, though their own intelligence can increase over time as their Druid's power increases.*

## Nature's Ally

Once a druid has created their first Effigy they begin to develop an innate affinity and understanding of the creatures in the world around them. This ability strengthens as they increase through the ranks of being a Druid.

**Detection** First, a Druid will be able to sense animals in the area around them even if they are undetectable by normal means. They will be able to differentiate between sentient and normal animals, and can tell if animals are a Familiar, tame, or wild.

**Speak to Animals** This ability begins with a Druid's Familiar. The unshakable bond between them allows a Druid to communicate with their Familiar in ways that are beyond a normal simple beast. The Druid will also be able to communicate with other animals of their Familiar's same general type. For example, a Druid with a fox familiar will be able to communicate fairly well with other foxes, and to a lesser degree with other canines, but it wont be until Journeyman level that they learn how to communicate with felines or bears. It must be noted that communication with these animals is not like speaking with other people. Most animals are not intelligent and are focused on base needs like mating, eating, and avoiding predators. Conversing with them can be time-consuming and frustrating, and useful information is rarely guaranteed.

**Charm Animals** In addition to being able to talk to animals, a Druid will begin to gain the ability to influence animals to perform tasks. These animals can be wild, tame/domestic, or sentient. The ability to convey the Druid's wishes is magical in nature, but animals can and do often resist. More intelligent animals may be more likely to understand, but are also better able to resist the Druid's charms. Animals that are the Familiar of another Druid are also very resistant to being used. Succeeding in bending an animal to perform a task is more likely if that task is along the same lines as what that animal would do naturally. Asking creatures to put themselves in danger or behave vastly differently from their normal activity is less likely to work, but becomes easier as Druids increase in strength.

## Effigy

Effigies are small statuettes made in an image similar to the familiar you wish to tie to the effigy. Once crafted, the druid then guides the familiar's magic into the effigy, letting it soak in, before coating it with his own. Once the effigy is completed, the druid can then infuse a shot of his own magic into the effigy in order to summon the familiar from anywhere, from any location near or far, and even across dimensions. The effect is instantaneous, and costs very little magic to call the familiar.

There are a few limitations, for the time allotted is part of the cost formula. The further the familiar must travel, the less time they can remain, for they will always return from where they came from. The rule of thumb is that a creature from the same planet can be Called for up to three days, before having to return for the same amount of time. A creature on a different planet but in the same dimension can be Called for two days, and a creature from a different dimension can be called for a single day.

Druids can check the effigy to see if the time limit has passed. A simple infusion of magic along with the mental question of time will return the answer. The effigy can never break, unless the familiar is killed or the bond is somehow broken. It is, in essence, indestructible. An effigy can only be summoned to its own Master. Other druids cannot summon them.

## Marking

Marking is similar to effigies, but instead of transporting the familiar to the druid, the familiar is always present. It is stored in a tattoo like mark upon the druid's body. This is achieved when the druid melds its magic with the familiar's, then absorbs it. There is a light cost for maintaining the familiar in this state, and a heftier cost when bringing it forth. These markings often look just like the creature, look very lifelike, and can often move along the skin, especially when the druid is emotional.

There is no limit for how long the familiar can be stored, or present, unless the druid runs out of magic. Should that occur, the familiar is forcibly expelled, often at the cost of its own magic. Should a druid die while marked, the familiar dies as well.

Marking is only possible on a Familiar that has been attached to an Effigy.

## Swap

A Druid can expend a large amount of magic in order to instantly swap locations with his familiar. The Druid simply focuses on the signature magic of the creature, one they never forget from the moment they Bond. They then focus on the exchange, but not the mixing, of their signatures. The effect is instantaneous, and can be done through a local familiar, or through an effigy, doesn't matter. However, because this expends so much magic, the druid can't do this more than once a day.

## Breeding

Druids can breed any familiar with any other, regardless of breed and gender. They do this by storing both Parents as Marks. Once stored, the Druid begins feeding them more energy than is required to maintain them in their Marked state. If fed equally, the Offspring will be roughly equal parts of both parents. If one is fed more than the other, the Offspring will have more traits from the more fed Parent. All Offspring produced this way are sterile in the normal sense of reproduction. They can, however, still breed through the method in which they were created.

Once the Parents have been sufficiently fed, which can take many, many days, depending on the size and species, an Egg will appear somewhere on the Druid's body as a Mark. The druid must then feed the Egg, roughly over the same amount of days it took to produce it. Once fed, the Egg will hatch, and the Offspring will appear on the Druid's body as a Mark. The Offspring can now be called forth as a Marked Familiar normally would, and will grow to adulthood based on how much magic it is fed.

If during the initial feeding stage, either of the Parents are called forth, the entire process is reset and the magic fed to them is lost. If the Egg goes unfed, it will eventually wither away and disappear. Once born, the familiar won't wither away, and only needs to be maintained as usual.

## Nurturing

All familiars can grow stronger by being fed more magic. This will not grant them new powers, but rather enhance their already existing abilities. There is no limit to how much they can consume, but rather with how much the Druid can give. It can take many tendays of feeding to notice a change.

## Dangers and Side Effects

As with all Magicks, Familiary has varying, negative side effects and dangers. All magic is addictive, and can often lead mages to using far too much magic. Doing so can cause anything from overexertion, to passing out, to loss of magic temporarily or permanently, to death.

In the initial Bonding, there is the risk that the Druid can become the familiar, or die in the process. The most ever present danger isn't necessarily magic in nature, but that new creatures can be quite dangerous. Most of the magical aspects of Familiary will just result in failed actions should the druid's magic deplete.

## Progression and Summary

Novice - Novice Druids can create effigies and maintain a single Marked familiar at a time. There is no hard limit to how many effigies can be made. They are unable to Swap, Breed, or Nurture. They can Detect, but not Speak or Charm.

Journeyman - Journeyman Druids can create effigies and maintain two Marked familiars at a time. They are able to Breed, but unable to Swap or Nurture. They are able to Detect, but can Speak only to their Familiar's same type, and can not Charm.

Artisan - Artisan Druids can create effigies, and maintain three Marked familiars at a time. They are able to Breed, Swap, and Nurture. They can Detect and Speak and Charm only animals if they have Journeyman rank in Animal Husbandry.

Master - Master Druids can create effigies, and maintain four Marked familiars at a time. They are able to Breed, Swap and Nurture. They can Detect, Speak, and Charm.

Grand Master - Grand Master druids can create effigies, and maintain eight Marked familiars at a time. They are able to Breed, Swap, and Nurture. They can Detect, Speak, and Charm.