Technology and Magic

[TheUdjat]

Venusian Skies is a blend of magic and technology. The former is very stylized, depending on the culture, but will predominantly be defined by the rules and structures applied to it by the various Arcane Orders throughout Aphrodite (the self-proclaimed Scholars of Magic). Shaman and more tribal practitioners exist, but their magic is less structured - it comes from tradition and ritual, not from the formulae and careful incantations of the Orders.

Technology is less varied. In many respects, it is seen as another form of magic, but machinists don't often see it that way. Technology generally revolves around machines and chemistry, using steam power and the like - electronics are certainly not for this era. Firearms have been mastered, to an extent, but not automatic weapons. Airships are the talk of the empire these days, but primitive planes are not impossible - just, in the opinion of the Empire, less efficient.

In general, technology tends to be about big machines and bulky gadgets - not sleek instruments or things like that. This is, after all, steampunk.

Magic - more detail
In some of my independent research, I've found the original 'schools' of magic to be... unsuitable. They don't retain the right Victorian feels, and they don't mesh with a lot of the texts I'm using as inspiration for this magic system. So instead, magic is divided into 4 basic realms:

Divination - Using magic to find things out. This actually retains more or less the same meaning it did before, though I plan to produce wider uses for it.
Transmutation - Changing something through magic. This could either be 'Enchantment', the unseen enhancing of something (or someone), or a very literal Transmutation, in terms of physical presentation. Transmutation is a fairly flexible field of study, but the important thing to remember is that it CHANGES something.
Conjuration - Divided into the two fields of 'Invocation' and 'Evocation', Conjuration ultimately concerns the summoning of something. This could be a spirit, demon, ghost, monster, or whatever. 'Evocation' is the conjuring of something, generally inside a Summon Circle, to bind it to your will and make it do something - or, alternatively, to make a deal with it, or get information from it, etc. 'Invocation' involves summoning a spirit (or an aspect of something) into oneself, gaining the properties of that thing for a time being. This can be used to improve one's own abilities, strengthen them, etc. In theory, it can also be used to channel dead spirits.
Abjuration - Abjuration is defensive and counter-magic, in the sense that it can be used to undo previous enchantments, banished spirits or otherworldly entities, and even block Divination. The user is literally 'Abjuring' magical effects.

There is also a Fifth 'school', though most of the Order don't consider it an actual realm of magic in its own right, but rather a specific use for the other realms. Necromancy concerns the pursuit of life - and unlife. An attempt to understand why things die, and how to, perhaps, bring them back. It also focuses on life energies, and how they ebb and flow. It is not specifically evil, per se, though it is often seen that way (powerful practitioners tend to go a little mad with trying to pursue their ends). It can involve elements on Conjuring (summoning ghosts and spirits), Transmutation (altering life and death energies), and to a lesser extent Divination and Abjuration. Mechanically, I will probably consider Necromancy to be a Sub-school.

I don't know exactly how these definitions will fit together. I may decide that nobody can truly 'generalize' in magic, and must pick something to study (either a school or sub-school). Perhaps. Since they're pretty wide categories, it may not be a problem. I do know that magic in general will be significantly lower in level than in D&D - using D20 Modern's system, spell will go as high as 9, and then there will be... Incantations, do they call them? I don't remember. But extended rituals to accomplish truly powerful things. I think that really fits the flavor of what I'm trying to do here.

Thoughts?

[TheUdjat]

Updated

[TheUdjat]

The Sciences of Aphrodite:

As previously mentioned, Aphrodite's Scholars see themselves as the prominent experts on all things technical and magical. Indeed, Aphrodite scholars don't establish a definite difference between magic and technology, or science and mysticism. Like real-life Alchemists of old, they combine the two elements in many cases. Accordingly, Aphrodite scholars have establishes 'Seven Sciences' which form the basis of their universities and higher education. Most scholars are schooled in the rudimentary basics of all seven sciences, but most choose one to master.

These Sciences don't reflect our current real-life sciences, especially due to their decidedly non-scientific nature. They are outlined below:

1. Mathematics - Actually, this is mostly unchanged. Aphrodite scholars use math as a basis for most of their other calculations, from astronomy to alchemy to magic, and it is therefore considered a quintessential study. It is very rare that an Aphrodite scholar actually specializes in mathematics, but all of them have a solid foundation in it. This category covers basic arithmetic, alegebra, and other more advanced forms of mathematics.

2. Alchemy - Chemistry as such isn't practiced on Venus, but Aphrodite's scholars rigorously pursue the science of Alchemy, which certainly includes elements of chemistry. However, they also focus on the mystical properties of fluids and substances, and often dabble in trying to convert them and change them (which mixes Alchemy with a bit of Transmutation; more on that later). To some extent, this also includes elements of geology and earth-sciences. Potion-making, poison-making, and even explosives are covered here; indeed, many of the pioneers of Airship and train-development where alchemists.

3. Thaumaturgy - Literally 'miracle-work'. This is the direct study of magic. It involves complex formulae, rituals, rotes, arcane scrolls, and all sorts of other related pursuits. It is extremely frequent for thaumaturgists to focus on other Sciences as well, to better support their magic (Transmuters often learn heavy amount of Alchemy, and Necromancers frequently pursue Biology, for instance). As mentioned above, Thaumaturgy is frequently sub-divided into Conjuration, Transmutation, Divination, and Abjuration - the Four Forms of Magic (in reality there are dozens of 'schools' for magical theory and practice, but these are the commonly accepts forms).

4. Astrology - This is actually a combination of astrology and astronomy, though the latter term is never used. Aphrodite scholars examine the positions of celestial bodies to better understand their own world, frequently with the Macrocosm-Microcosm theory. This is a relatively new and tricky Science, since it is only fairly recent that Aphrodite's scholars found ways to reliably look beyond the thick clouds of Venus (Venusian skies are almost always overcast, and though the moon and starts occasionally appear as ghostly images behind the clouds, it is difficult to do any concerted study of them. Recent breakthroughs with telescopes and airships have allowed scholars to better study the mysterious Venusian skies).

5. Philosophy - This is the Aphrodesian study of the mind. The terms 'anthropology', 'psychology', and 'sociology' are entirely foreign to Venusians. However, so-called 'Philosophy' covers all those aspects, and more. It is the study of human and animal behavior, emotions, dementias, etc. Most of this is very archaic by our modern-day standards, but it is tough to be entirely scientific when the experts still frequently believe in demonic possession and the agents of Kamadeva (and oftentimes they aren't totally wrong).

6. Physics - As might be guessed, this is the study of physical laws. Gravity, some earth sciences, laws of motion, etc. This isn't very advanced by our standards, but is another of those 'necessary basics' for most Aphrodite scholars. 'Physicians' also often study Etherspace and other abstract principles.

7. Biology - The study of life. This is a broad study, encompassing corporeal humans, animals, and plant-life. No attempt is made to study the brain, as it is commonly accepted as a vessel of the spirit and soul - 'brain waves' or chemical reactions within the mind are seen as the evidence rather than the cause of thoughts and ideas, and as such left to the study of Philosophy. Biology has many sub-divisions, from proper medical science to botany. But of course, this is often blended with magic and ritual (especially since it's far more effective for curing troubling illnesses).

Astute readers will notice that many of these sciences intersect - form all Aphrodite's rigid and structured divisions, the Sciences themselves are broad and mutable. They bleed into one another, and true Scholars tend to study several of them at once. Readers may also notice the importance of the number 7 appearing again. This is just another example of myth and mysticism blending with science. There are seven vital celestial bodies, seven goddesses, seven towers, seven great civilizations, and seven sciences. This will be a recurring theme on Venus.