The Archivists of Aetolia

Established by Sneak, the Numerologist amidst the chaos of the Crystalline Void on the 1st of Lanosian, year 464 MA, the Archivists stand tall as a eclectic cadre of fellows in cautious pursuit and collection of forbidden knowledge.

The Archivium is nestled within a fortified cliff face overlooking the Republic of Spinesreach, safeguarding old relics while extorting their power to further their research into the arts of Geometrics, Numerology, and Bioessence.

This esoteric mastery over complex biology, algorithms, and mathematics are the trademark tools of an Archivist, gathering hands and minds under one Collective in their reach towards eventual ascendancy.

Science abides by no boundaries, morals, or comforts; nothing will be allowed to stand against the pursuit of knowledge and progress. It is the duty of the Archivists to chase after utter comprehension of the universe. Walking the precarious line between brilliance and lunacy, they battle ignorance and cynicism to emerge strong, enlightened, and free.

Archivist Skills

Geometrics Numerology Bioessence

Geometrics

Geometrics is an art arising from the meditations and moods of the historic Cabal, an outgrowth of their fascination with numbers and rituals. It explores the same properties of shapes and symbols upon which Crystalism and other symbolic arts are reliant, first advanced by would-be reformers and later accepted as a part of the mainstream Cabalist tradition. In framing symbols within wood and within the mind, the practitioner directs and controls psychic force within the symbols' confines, employing it against others as well as to influence their surroundings.

Abilities in Geometrics

Codex	Bind together a codex.
Incite	Incite a shape.
Token	Craft a token to hold a shape.
Impress	Impress your token with a shape.
Afterimage	Burn a shape into their mind.
Invert	Make your token untouchable.
Trace	Trace a connection.
Conjoin	Obfuscate a shape with another.
Pattern	Reveal an unseen world.
Sealing	Seal the effects of a shape.
Matrix	Multiple shapes at once.

The basic shapes

Crux	Clashing logic.
Fork	Routed action.
Triangle	Burning desire.
Square	Shrinking boundries.
Circle	Altered rationality.

The complex shapes

Swirl	Sinking feeling.
Arrow	Forced choice.
Lens	Focal point.
Wave	Extraneous thought.
Bloom	Eruption from within.
Rod	The proud.
Crescent	Of one half.
Hex	Spiteful influence.
Star	Bright and distracting.
Lemniscate	Infinite action.

Numerology

"In spreading my knowledge of the Numerological arts, I have unleashed the potential for something disastrous. I will no longer join in that march toward doom." -Eocik, founder of the Cabal

Numerology is the historic art of the Cabalists, stretching back at least to the Second Epoch if not earlier. Its ancient roots lie within mathematics and numbers of power, used as means to grasp the world and understand its deepest mysteries. Skilled practitioners are capable of altering select aspects of existence, to devastating and fearsome effect. In the modern era, the art is taught and advanced by the Archivists.

Abilities in Numerology

Forget	Stop contemplating a number.
Primality	Contemplate a single number.
Duality	Divide your focus upon two numbers.
Triunity	Balance the power of three numbers.
Spheres	Tap into the music of the spheres.
Empower	Empower a sphere of influence.

You can elicit the following effects:

Fix	Fix your position solidly to the ground.
Settle	Settle the stirred air around you.
Position	Find the path to another.
Collapse	Erase an object from the physical plane.
Oneness	Discover what ails you.
Retrieve	Pull another to your location.
Glimpse	Take a glimpse into your victim's location.
Absorb	Absorb afflictions from another.
Ascent	Lift yourself into the skies.
Veil	Hide your location from prying eyes.
Changeheart	Change someone's feelings about you.
Bloodwork	Spread your blood.
Sublimation	Steel your mind against psychic attack.
Weakness	Exploit a weakness in your foe.
Formation	Terraform the environment.
Stream	Form a bond between you and them.
Affliction	Throw an affliction onto your foe.
Dilation	Magnify the influence of the stars.
Symphony	Call upon the symphonic nature of the heavens.
Syncopate	Interfere with their internal rhythm.
Link	Link your health and mana.
Return	Bind another to always return.
Madness	Fill another mind with a terrible madness.
Unravel	Weak in mind, weak in body.
Direcall	Make a direcall to the whims of fate.
Recollection	Restore your body and mind.

Bioessence

Bioessence is the culmination of centuries of research and striving by the now-defunct Cabal to seek a replacement - indeed, a natural conclusion to - the art of Necromancy. As a northern successor, Bioessence combines the Spirean ideals of progress with a working knowledge of anatomy and biology. In addition to its scientific applications, wielders of the art employ it with a clinical ruthlessness to destroy their enemies, using a combined agent of shadow essence and elemental material known as the 'mutagen.'

Abilities in Bioessence

Energy	See how much energy you have.
Jolt	Jolt yourself with a surge of adrenaline.
Diagnose	Check the physical health of a subject.
Infection	Infect another with a mutagen.
Preservation	Preserve a specimen.
Tension	Superior tension within your arms.
Knitting	Knit together wounds over time.
Flare	Flare an infection into life.
Steroid	Tap into the potential of your body.
Probe	Probe the abilities of your subject.
Adaptation	Adapt your body.
Osmosis	Balance or instability.
Stimulant	Quicken the recovery of the mind.
Ethereal	Shed your physical form.
Catabolism	Draw forth the power of your inner core.
Ameliorate	Heal yourself and those around you.
Growth	Form twisted growths within another.
Autonomy	Remove the reliance upon yourself.
Nexus	Shared suffering at your command.

Your mutagen may be modified in the following ways:

Mutagen	Concoct a deadly mutagen.
Depressant	Dark thoughts within the mind.
Acute	Powerful but short lived.
Somnolent	Sluggish response to threat.
Psychoactive	Draw out the depths of depravity.
Virulent	Weak at first, stronger later.
Reactive	Severe allergic reaction.
Narcotic	Addictive reliance upon elixirs.
Chronic	Repetitive and lasting.
Degenerative	Inability to utilise bodily function.
Malignant	Cause the formation of blisters.
Sporatic	Increased speed but random.
Atrophic	Weakened muscles and mind.
Morphic	Let nature take its own path.

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Roleplaying an Archivist

Archivists are scientists at heart, trained in skills that both require acute analysis and precision, as well as daring. Their skills are honed through research, development, and practice.

What are the Spheres?

Numbers are the foundation of an Archivist's craft, wherein the universe and reality are ordered and manipulated through numbers. Orchestrated through a latent use of Kalsu, these numbers, also known as the Spheres, have the potential to build and unravel reality. These mathematics are echoed in all of creation, from the fractals of frost and leaves to the power old Magi found in the faceted shapes of their crystals. The Archivists see what the rest of Sapience overlooks.

Number	Name	Sphere of Influence	Reference examples
1	Yuef	The Individual	a point, a circle; a thing in itself
2	Ef'Tig	Pairs and Relationships	a line between points, intersections, material composition, races, language
3	Rafic	Place and location	a triangle, measurement, position, time
5	Jherza	Physicality	a pentagon, will, a body, melee, impulse
7	Yi	Mystery/Magic	a heptagon, conceptual thought, writing
11	Jhako	Balance	scales, eleven-pointed star, symmetry
13	Lgakt	Chaos and Uncertainty	thirteen-pointed star, gambling, water

An eighth number, called the Immortal Number, is hypothesized, but as yet has eluded contemplation by Numerologists. It is said that the mortals who grasp this eighth and final Sphere will transcend mortality altogether, and become like unto the Gods. All previous attempts by Numerologists to contemplate the Immortal Number have resulted in disastrous and destructive events.

How your skills work:

Manipulating the Spheres through Numerology
Geometrics through the use of your codex, which provides a stabilized foundation for more purposeful expressions of will
Ambient shadow in the environment, and in the body, using it to break through the order of spirit to augment bioessence
Tokens are a malleable, movable reference point, providing another stabilized foundation for expressions of will.

Numerology in itself allows the practitioner to elicit changes and effects depending upon which Sphere they are contemplating. This is expanded in the application of Geometrics, utilizing a codex to hold complex and basic shapes as a focus, which allows the Archivist to manipulate complicated arcane algorithms in a more stable fashion. Bioessence brings further extensions of these concepts into the physical, augmenting and amalgamating the way the elements work within mortal bodies by using ambient shadow to alter the relationship between spirit, fire, water, air, and earth.

Visual style of the class:

Archivists follow precise but fluid movements as they work, drawing power and direction from their codex and materializing effects with their tokens.

Side effects of the class skills:

Numbers could, if wielded with enough reckless mastery and power, unravel all of Sapience. The secrets to this kind of use are tightly kept, but it is enough to caution Archivists to research responsibly - tales abound of Numerologists who unwittingly erased themselves from existence. Bioessence can have irreparable and unexpected consequences if the craft is not minded carefully, given that the nature of shadow is unpredictable.

Roleplaying the class:

Not necessarily all bookworms, but a good number tend to be. Archivists, like their Cabalist predecessors, often have an affinity to one number over the others, which can inform temperament and the types of utility you prefer. Their innate understanding of shape and power allows them to use their shapes in simple and utilitarian ways, such as a symbol of illumination in rooms, which crystallizes a little in the air, temporarily altering the environment of the room they are in, and
so on. They can also enhance and modify themselves through bioessence (altering elemental pieces, using shadow to keep spirit from putting it back in order, and the physical reactions that come with this), and many experiment on others to improve their mastery and understanding of the mortal shell.