Huderezh, the Magic of Kroashent

The Hud

  In Alvez, all creatures, objects and places possess some degree of Foyson, the quintessential life energy at the core of their being. Foyson is a magical energy, flowing through the world like a constantly moving river, connecting everything it touches. This "river" is known as The Hud.
  The Hud begins in the endless wellsprings of Old Elfriche, the Realm of Dreams, and passes through Bedouar, into the deep cisterns of Dindan, the World Beneath and the endless seas of Magh Mor, the White Plain of the Dead, where it returns to its source to begin again, drawing off and feeding into the Foyson of the things it rushes over and through.
  The flow of the Hud ebbs and flows like a tide, controlled by Ariosto, the Phantom Shepherd.
 

Meineg and Poull

Like a river, the Hud travels along channels and collects in pools. The former, called Meineg or Leylines, are potent paths and connections which foster greater, more powerful flows of the Hud. Lines of movement, such as rivers, air currents and even well-travelled roads can become meineg. Meanwhile Poull, or locus points, are gathering places, where foyson collects and pools, deep wellsprings of magical power. Lakes, crossroads and city plazas can often become such places.
  Also like a river, the Hud can be channeled and directed, creating artificial constructs to funnel and collect its energy. Standing Stones and Maen-Harz are prominent examples of this. An alignment of menhirs can become meineg, while dolmens, tumuli and cromlech become poull. Experiments with clockwork and mechanical mechanisms to artificially create Meineg and Poull have met with early success. Increased flow can strengthen the Hud, while neglect can cause a meineg to wither away.
  The flow of the Hud can also be actively channeled by individuals, an overt manipulation known as Huderezh.
 

Huderezh

Spellcasting in Alvez is generally divided into two overlapping disciplines. The first is subtle, ritualistic hedge magic used in conjuction with natural herbology to aid in the healing arts and the adjustment of fortune. Hedge Magic is carried out by Louzaouer, or bonesetters, falling into roles of seers, fortune bringers and healers, often within a local community. Hedge magic is very common in Alvez, and can be successfully used by any entity with even a small amount of magical aptitude.
  Huderezh, on the other hand is overt and powerful, capable of dramatically altering reality itself with open supernatural manipulation. Those who practice Huderezh are called Similherez and they must possess a great deal of magical aptitude. Bediz with this level of magical potency are referred to as Boermerzh, though their strength and skill varies greatly depending on the individual.
  A casting of Huderezh is called an Ere-Hud (Lit. "Chained-Hud") and requires four conceptual aspects: Druidecht (Power), Fis (Name), Fáistine (Prophecy) and Amainsecht (Eloquence). Each and evry ere-hud requires all four of these, but many similherez place special emphasis on one or more of them over the others. Huderezh is inherently unstable as baseline reality seeks to reimpose itself, so the four aspects must work in tandem to create stable castings.
 

Druidecht

Druidecht is the foundation of all ere-hud, the ability to draw power from the Hud to bring a spell's effect to fruition as reality fights to re-insert itself. Druidechta are typicallystrong, but unfocused spellcasters, wielding vast amounts of power for direct, blunt effects such as raw elemental magiks.
  Foyson can be channeled from both internal and external sources. Commonly, this involves tapping into a specific meineg or poull, calling it forth as a wellspring for the spell. While externally, foyson can be drawn from any source, it is commonly drawn from overt, physical manifestations of the Hud. Feth Fiada, thick banks of faerie-fog, condensed magic drifting in from the Faewyldes of Old Elfriche or Dindan is the most commonly used source of Druidecht, followed by the Gaoithe Sidhe, the 12 Winds.
 

Glamour

  Some similherez can draw not only from external sources, but from a personal well of internal power in the form of glamour. Glamour is a complex and often misunderstood concept, an internal and external manifestation of a magical individual's personal Foyson as the Hud clings to them like a rock in a river. Not every similherez can draw on glamour, and it is usually a sign of Fair nature, most commonly associated with the Sidhe and Korrigan Tuath.
  Among the Bediz, Glamour also commonly refers to dissimulation, an illusory presentation or enhancement of appearance with magic. Among those who possess it, however, it is much more. Glamour is an outward projection of an individual's anoan, their personal and spiritual identity, drive and essence. Glamour often manifests as subtle sparkles, shimmers or auras on or around an individual, with hair and eyes being the most noticeable without external tools or castings. Those with glamour can often feel changes to the Hud around them.
 

Tilsam

  Tilsam, or "Focus Talismans" are objects¹ infused with great quantities of magical power². Creation of these objects can occur either naturally or through artificial means, as well as gradually or in a single massive burst of power. For example, the high branches of oak trees (Dervenn) are struck by lightning, they may channel the ancient powers of the oak as well as the storm that struck them, allowing them to be used as channeling staffs and wands. Likewise a gem formed in a volcanic eruption, or a stone worn smooth by centuries of water rushing over it also become powerful elemental sources and are highly sought after.
  Silverkey Doors, Lightning Sap and Rods of Taranis are all artifiically created Talsim, each with their own process and materials required in their creation.
 

Fis

Fis (Name Magik) gives the power drawn by Druidecht direction and precision, expanding and limiting the effect of an ere-hud to a defined scope. An entity, be it an individual, an object or a place, is known by many names to many people, each with its own emotional and cultural context, all of which make up parts of the whole. These names give power over the entity, limiting them in some small way by defining them, reducing infinite possibility to finite meaning. It is due to Fis that many of the the Fair Folk and associated cultures shun written language and recorded names, utilizing complex systems of nicknames, innuendo and other obfuscating tactics, preferring the vague, but limitless potential to directed, but finite effect.
  The manipulation of Fis often entails adding or removing these minor aspects to a directed entity within the ere-hud. The Fis of a plank can be magically reinforced to become stronger or more brittle, a fire can be made to dwindle or rage, or even greater changes.
  The complexity of a thing's Fis depends on its names. A river, for example, stretches from source to delta, across varied landscapes, crossing towns and passing beneath bridges. It is a source of food, of purpose, of relaxation and of danger. The same river that sustains a village and protects it from invaders may snatch away another's children or flood its fields. Each of these make up part of the Fis. On the other hand, a small pond, found entirely within a remote hamlet is far easier to control and manipulate.
  While Fis is usually expressed as "a name", it encompasses a larger concept that spoken words or written language. For example, the Fis of the 12 Winds may be expressed in a whistled sound or even in the motions of a dance, for example. In the Duchy of Letha, it is considered ill-fortune to count bee hives or standing stones, less one weaken their powers and protections by limiting them to a finite amount. Some consider the unique scents, glamours and other inherent traits to be part of Fis.
  Feasa direct their focus on the names, drawing closer to the true essence of a thing. Feasa are scholars skilled in scrying, finding lost items and hidden secrets. It is the subtlest of the aspects, but is often considered the most powerful. Feasa are, as a result, the rarest specialists. The fearsome Agrippa is a living grimoire built around the recording of fis.
 

Anoan

  In many Bediz theological constructs, especially among the Faithful, the Fis and Foyson of a sapient creature are combined into the concept of an anoan, or "soul", containng the identity, memories and personality of the bearer. Conservative interpretations qualify that only the Bediz possess anoan, while reformists argue that all sapient creatures possess one. The Path of the Forest on the other hand, does not limit the concept to the sapient Tuath, but rather all living creatures.
 

Fáistine

The Hud, like a flowing river, travels and pools in wide channels and narrow rivulets, generally traveling in somewhat predictable pathways and patterns. Fáistine (Prophecy) represents a knowledge of the paths of the Hud allowing a user to redirect those paths, subverting baseline reality to create a magical, supernatural effect. Fáisteanach are able to channel the Hud into new, unexpected paths, changing baseline reality by taking advantage of a fissue left over from the Tear.
  Dedicated Louzaouer generally fall into two extremes. Some are prophets, seers, and subtle manipulators of fortune. Most Louzaouer are functionally low-impact Fáisteanach, subtly nudging the Hud for slightly favourable outcomes in healing, agriculture, love and fortune.
  Others strive to pushing reality to the breaking point with outrageous overt castings. These Similherez thrive on chaos, creating situations ripe for wild and unpredicatable effects. Chaos weavers use their magic to push for unlikely realities, which in turn allows for more possibilities. They use probabilities, logical fallacies, dream logic and belief to exploit instability to allow for more dramatic spellcastings. As a result, they often focus on dramatic, but short-lived and unstable Ere-Hud.
 

Amainsecht

The final aspect of an Huderezh is Amainsecht (Eloquence), the ability to weave together the final casting of Ere-Hud twisting its blessings and curses into the underlying reality. After the spell draws its raw power (Druidecht), establishes it target (Fis) and its effect (Faistine), it is this last step that completes the casting. Amainsecht needs not be spoken, and other means of expression have proven able to cast spells including dance, instrumental music and in rare cases, visual art for creation of artificial Talsim.
  With every Ere-Hud, reality seeks to restablish itself over the alteration of the Hud, but a well cast Amainsecht "tricks" it into allowing a spell to complete, its effect taking place for the duration of the spell. The greater the skill of the Similherez, the more lasting and impactful the spell. The most powerful Amainsechta are often bards, satirists, and storytellers, those with a knack for wordplay, poetry and expression.
  Ere-Hud typically include an "outlet", allowing the energy of the Hud to flow through the altered reality, minimizing distortions and stabilizing a spell's effect. Even if elaborate or seemingly "impossible", the existence of this ending condition is essential to a casting, allowing a dramatic effect to last longer than a simple flash-in-the-pan raw use of Druidecht.
 

Dle

  Dle is a concept of balance and debt, prevalent among both the Fae and Similherez, and it has ingrained itself both in magical theory and wider Fae culture. Dle represents the direction of the hud in relation to the entity. Negative Dle puts one in the power of others, weakening them by comparison. Positive Dle puts others in the power of one, weakening the community and the world around them. Neutral Dle keeps both the individual and the world in balance, the strongest magical position. In Fae culture, this has led to a complex approach to debts, thanks and gifts.
  To some Fae, when a gift is given altruistically, a direct expression of gratitude establishes the existence of a debt, poisoning the gift by tying it with the Dle. An exchange given of equal value maintains the balance, but an exchange with thanks disrupts that balance. It means that an exchange was not balanced, and a slight has been made by one or both sides.
  It is vital also, that a payment is equal in personal value. For examples If a two equal fields are tilled, first of a poor man and then a rich man, a payment of a rough hemp shirt may be fitting for the former, but insulting from the latter. Likewise, if a one agrees to take on the threshing of Winterrule in exchange for a cloak and hat, if the payment is made early, they must cease work upon receipt. Do not share a gift. A violation of contract draws heavily on Dle, putting the positive Dle of a community on one who intended a gift for an individual or family.
 

Sovereignty

The Hud is inextricably tied to the land, flowing along the meineg and pooling in poull. The rightful ruler of a given place holds power, both temporal and magical, over that place.
  The origins of Sovereign lines are lost to history, but is replicated in symbolic marriages of rulers in many regions. A representative of the "Spirit of the Land", the Pennaotrouniezh (Genius Loci) is symbolically wed to a representative of the "Spirit of the People", the Genius Populi, and from this union, the line of Sovereignty began and is strengthened. While many depict this union with male and female symbolism, this dichotomy is not required to establish true Sovereignty.
  The Sovereign is tied to the fortune and famine of the land, and vice versa. A good and strong sovereign oversees a healthy and strong sovereignty, with bountiful crops, a healthy populace and peace. A bad ruler brings hardship, war and famine.
  In the modern age, this is largely seen as a purely philosophical exercise, a forgone conclusion that good and bad leadership results in stable and unstable regions respectively, but in reality sovereignty has a dramatic effect on the Hud.
  Nowhere is this more apparent than in Fisher Kingdoms, regions of bleed fully influenced by the state of their Sovereigns to extreme degrees, warping the landscape, climate and even the inhabitants. While normally small, they can span vast areas, such as the Dark Kingdom of Arle, a large kingdom in perpetual twilight beneath he Arch of Stars, fallen into civil war as its maimed king lingers on the edge of death of Ys-Beneath-the-Waves, a sunken city of mermaids beneath the Mor Bras.
 

Hospitality

  Hospitality is one of the most important rituals in Alvez, equally binding both hosts and guests. A sovereign must offer generous hospitality and safe passage as host, while guests must abide by a magically enforced code of conduct, all agreed upon when crossing over a threshold into the sovereign's domain. Violations of magically enforced Hospitality have a similar effect of dramatically imbalanced Dle, bringing misfortune upon the violator.
 

Threshold

A person's home is their castle, and they are the sovereign of the space they can truly call their own. Structures that have come to support personal, daily life for a group or individual l gain a certain amount of magical protection and power within that space. Thresholds become powerful barriers against hostile magic. The concept extends, to a weaker extent, beyond the home to larger settlements, such as those defined by megalithic Maen-Harz. Even kingdoms experience a dramatically diluted effect in the form of natural boundaries, such as mountains and rivers. The more "tight" a sovereignty, the more focused and potent the metaphysical effects.
  Inviting one who has cursed you, willfully or otherwise, across the threshold will dispel or weaken the curse, while forcing oneself across the threshold places an exorbitant amount of negative Dle upon the intruder similar to an overt violation of Hospitality.
 

The History of Huderezh

  During The Tear, the Tuatha de Danaan, led by the hero Nemed, fled through Rupes Nigra to the Fortunate Isles.
  Having lost their access to the Hud as it existed in Old Elfriche, all seemed lost, but the Poet-Kings of Emain Ablach learned they could draw from the Feth Fiada and Gaoithe Sidhe, developing Huderezh into a workable casting system, allowing them to defeat the Fir Bolg and claim the islands.
  Harnessing that great power, the Tuatha de Danaan set out to study and refine their Huderezh, founding the four great cities of Falias, Findias, Gorias and Murias,
  While this initial advantage allowed the Sidhe to dominate the islands, the Korrigan could draw on a deeper well of Druidecht, while the emergence of Boermerzh among the Bediz population ended this monopoly.