Lithomancy Manifesto

Never ask a woman her weight, a man his salary, and a Lithomancer the state of their kidney.

— - Marius Remus Nautilus

There are two main methods of Lithomancy (and other magics):

Heiruistic Method - More powerful and diverse, but much more unwieldy

Humanist Method - More consistent and explored, the standardized method

This is a general catch-all article for Lithomancy in the Matter of Larch universe. It takes inspiration from medieval alchemy and the various scientific revolutions of the last millennium.

The below checklist was found on /r/Worldbuilding , full credit to the OP for creating and sharing it.

What Is Your Magic Called?

Lithomancy, Stone Magic, Magic of the Mineral Kingdom

Level of Magic System?

Medium-high

Learned, Inherent, or Inherent-Learned?

Learned, though some religious position require Inherent ability.

What Actuates the Effect?

Certain Immortal Beings are thought to have domain over the elements and their many uses, and there is positive evidence to support that Lithomancers who can call down a God are significantly more powerful than those who cannot. Thus, many magic guilds also have a clergy, who are in charge of the organization's doctrine and judiciary needs. The most popular and widespread being the Holy Union of the Cross-vein Ore, who promote the magiferous and technological benefits of Flint and worship the Lightning God Belh.

To be able to use Lithomancy, one simply has to train and survive having copious amounts of the substance in their blood stream. Once the element has become part of the body's cycle, an initiation ceremony is performed to sync the user's heartbeat with the Earth's carbon and nitrogen cycles. As a practitioner improves, their body may need more metal in the system to do more elaborate magic. Their abilities are linked to percentage of the substance in the user's blood.

The magic feedstock (mana) comes from the lichens which grow from the elements once they are in the bloodstream. This is like energy, and when all the lichen has been chemo-synthesized, the user must wait for it to regenerate. This also means that the user must constantly keep the amount of lichen growing in their body at a balance, as inactivity will cause the lichen to suffocate them from the inside.

When the lichen is being chemo-synthesized, the user's skin will change colour subtly due to the dye in many lichens. There is theories that the visual manifestation of lichen's colours can determine the health of the magician, but a lot of it is anecdotal and culture-specific.

There are several deities who are associated with certain magiferous elements in the Mineral Kingdom:

Flint: Belh, Meld, and Leuci who are seen as lightning deities and light-bringers. Some tribes worship them as facets of one entity, such as the Gannwyll Gwydd who see Belh as their supreme deity, with Meld and Leuci being aspects or reflexes of his power.

Brimstone: Wingmother, a sky goddess who travelled to earth. She is thought to have come from Theia, the proto-planet that collided with Earth during its formation. She is in charge of the Catuboduoi, semi-divine warriors who collect the dead from the battlefield.

Brine: Kingfisher, a sea and hunting deity linked to the Firmament. He commands the Sea Peoples, a band of divine ancestors who control the seas and have the power to bring down whole civilizations. Some prefer to worship the Dredgeress, also a sea and hunting deity, though more closely linked to the Moon. They are also sometimes worshipped as a divine sibling pair, and as the children of Wingmother and Danno.

Citron: Citron users much like Heavy Metal users, typically worship the divine-earth pairing of Khelekeras, "She of the Horned Jaw", and a primordial underworld giant Goermagog. Citron users typically honour Khelekeras as the supreme mother, with Goermagog as her consort.

Heavy Metal: Heavy Metal users also honour Khelekeras but more often as a consort to Goermagog, who is considered the trickster twin brother of the their supreme underworld deity Danno.

Limited or Universal?

Advanced practitioners have room to be creative and innovate with Lithomancy, but are ultimately bound by the technological and scientific advancements of their time, as well as the hard limit of their physical stamina.

If Limited, What are the Effect(s)?

Lithomancy is currently categorized into five elements - Flint, Brimstone, Brine, Citron, and Heavy Metal. These are classifications based on common properties across the Lithosphere.

Flint comprises all quartz and silica based materials at standard conditions, are the easiest to work with. They are a major proponent in the creation of Double Walkers. Its use is highly regulated and has become a status symbol due to its perceived scarcity. It is often associated with the civilized and educated.

Heavy Metal comprises the metalloids and semimetals, are the hardest to work with long-term and require a brutal amount of energy and stamina to withstand at higher ability levels. The three most popular are arsenic, lead, and mercury. With their incredible abilities comes a subversive reputation. Korrigan are thought to be made up of heavy metals and possibly silica.

Citron comprises the secretions of plants, such as amber, resin, and acids. It is the easiest to apply to folk medicine and magic, as it does not require the ingestion of rocks or metals. It is often used in the occult to create Aliruna and Kelhruna, and thus has an ambivalent reputation. It is much cheaper to produce and sustain than Flint, so it is associated with the working class and rural communities.

Brine comprises alkali metals and bases, with the most prominent containing sodium and fluorite. They are the only element who have schools adept in hydromancy, which gives them power over the weather at higher ranks. They are also the only magicians who are adept at destroying Aliruna, though Aliruna can easily counter-poison them.

Brimstone comprises Sulphur and theoretically, other chalcogens. Little widespread success has been recorded outside of selenium, which typically requires training in Heavy Metal to handle due to its toxicity. Brimstone is the second easiest element to work with and detect, as well as one of the most versatile in terms of use.

Synthesis between these elements is not unheard of, although achieving equal skill between them is thought to be physiologically impossible.

Heavy Metal + Brine have some synthesis within the Guilds of Boron, as it is often farmed in salinated pools alongside elements of Brine. Because of this Brine magicians can develop resistance to the negative effects of boron and Heavy Metal. Conversely, some Heavy Metal users have developed a crude but effective pseudo-hydromancy system of their own.

What is the Source?

The source for Lithomancy users is the lichen which grows in the veins of rock and bark. This lichen is what chemo-synthesizes (or photosynthesizes) into expendable energy.

Does it Require a Reagent?

Lithomancy requires a catalyst to execute. Most large-scale spells require reagents or tools, but not all of them do. There are many spells which users can find catalysts for in their surroundings, such as the energy of nearby plant matter or minerals. Operating without any prepared catalysts requires the Lithomancer to have an intimate knowledge of their area and its resources.

Spontaneous, or Prepared?

The spells in Lithomancy are highly varied in this sense, with some requiring extensive preparation and others being instantaneous.

Spontaneous Spells
Tincal Mist (Heavy Metal - Boron)
The Louse's Clutch (Flint - Quartz)
Hovera Dovera Dock (Flint - Quartz)

Prepared Spells
Valley of the Glooms (Heavy Metal - Arsenic)
Mirror Pathwalking (Heavy Metal - Arsenic)
Blooming Bloody Spider (Heavy Metal - Arsenic)

How Common Is This Magic in Society?

It is common and thought of as a skilled trade or science, rather than a supernatural ability. There are many uses for Lithomancy that are forbidden, particularly creating artificial intelligence. These cases are viewed similarly to how we view pseudoscience or the occult, with some having a much more extreme reaction than others.

Users Tend to Be ...

Users are everyday people due to its widespread use as a technology and science. The more adept, the more status one might achieve in society, and so high ranking Lithomancers may be comparable to popular athletes or celebrities. Most of Lithomancy's common uses however, are for everyday things like farming, mining, and crafting.

Are There Limiting Factors?

There is a concept of equivalent exchange in Lithomancy, since it relies on processes similar to photosynthesis and chemosynthesis to activate. It is a sympathetic system focused on transmuting energy by way of the Earth and the Sun. A user is limited by the amount of lichen present in their body as well as their surroundings. They are also limited by catalysts, weather, and their own physical limitations. Becoming extremely proficient in one element can weaken you to the effects of others, such as the high volatility between Citron and Brine magic.

What are the Social Implications of Your Magic?

The social implications change depending on the time and place. In the wider world, there is a major focus on trying to classify which aspects of Lithomancy are "good for humanity" versus "bad for humanity". This is approached similar to how we modern humans debate the impact and ethics of religion and science.