9.5.3.11 Weaving

The art of Weaving is a crude but powerful technique, allowing the Bard to create and shape light, often into physical form. Whether it is used to conjure items on demand to debilitate a target, or create facsimiles of objects to use as props, it is a versatile skill well-suited to both theatrics and assassination.

Its ancient roots have a long, storied history in Djeirani culture, having existed since the first days of the underground race itself. Legend states that the Djeirani people were once spiders of Azdun - remnants of the Dark Empire - before being changed by the Lady Chakrasul, and the first hints of Weaving came from that ancestral form. As the spiders spun their large webs within the vast underground, they would imbue light along their strands, creating a luminous trap to enthrall and ensnare their prey. Though the Djeirani lost the ability to produce and spin silk in their modern forms, the art of drawing upon this light remained.

Today, there exist many forms of Weaving within the Undercity. Some are used to create the orbs of light that illuminate the vast cavern, while others might be familiar to adventurers in mention of Zaili and the net of revelation. The Bards have adapted the art of Weaving to their own needs, creating something distinct from these other forms. Some scholars have drawn links between Weaving and the skill of Enchantment, suspecting the two to have related histories, though this theory has yet to be proven.

Weaving can be identified by the trailing light following the caster's free hand during the spellcasting process, as they draw upon the ambient spirit around them. This is then spun into illusory objects, strands of illuminated thread taking simple forms that can be controlled freely by the Bard.

Experts in the craft are capable of creating far more complex objects, such as blades or collars. However, this masterwork is extremely taxing, requiring significantly more sources of conjured light to enact while causing the caster severe magical fatigue. The most elaborate Weaving spectacles often require multiple stages to complete, necessitating bigger sources to be created in preparation for a final, grand conjuration.

This magical fatigue or "dithering" can be mitigated through the use of onyx. Weavers commonly choose to wear bracelets and jewellery with gems of that black stone in order to gird themselves against exhaustion and carry out their works for more prolonged periods. In mythology, the Black Rose of Djeir is a powerful artifact of onyx, gifted to the city by Chakrasul at its founding. Said to be only useable by the bloodline of the Empress, the Black Rose allows her to spin powerful feats in order to protect her underground empire.