The Mysterious Lever: Introducing: The Animancer

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Introducing: The Animancer

Below is my first draft description for Animancers in Hostargo. Basically a sorcerer of sorts, Animancers bend the power of memory to their will. Please check it out, and let me know your initial thoughts! 

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Animancers have the ability to see “memory” as it flows about the world.  Memory can be thought of as spiritual energy that is released from all living things.  It slowly leaks out of us, consistently and steadily (though slightly faster while one is sleeping). This appears to Animancers as a dull, purplish light, almost like an aura of wispy fog around someone’s head. 

When one dies, their memory is released into the world as one whole, humanoid entity, and depending upon how peaceful the memory is, this form may or may not appear sentient in nature. These memories, when powered by the emotions and willpower of their previous host, form what common folk refer to as “ghosts” or “spirits”.

Animancers know the full and true power of memory. Memory, in forms such as a ghost, can interact with the physical world; lifting objects, creating noise, lights, or heat, and even speaking to those still living (albet with only a reflection of true intelligence). But only an Animancer can see it all happening; see the purplish energy manipulating the physical world around them.

And they’ve studied this energy. Through intense research and dangerous experimentation, Animancers have learned to control the memory they see; reading it, shaping it, and eventually bending it to their will.  They record their work in books, scrolls, and often large grimoires - finding that writing is in itself a form of memory - allowing them to keep their secret, complex concoctions close at hand.

Often mistaken with simple street magicians or religious fanatics, Animancers have taken to the words “spell” and “ritual” to describe their art.  Animancers are able to cast spells at will, shaping memory and using it to a variety of relatively simple effects.  Rituals, on the other hand, require in-depth planning and preparation, often leading to hours or even days of stressful concentration; the payoff for which is normally on a grand scale.

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Some follow up questions:

What kinds of spells would you want to see from a memory-mancer?
What would you expect this character to be capable of?
What is your favorite part about this idea?
What is your least favorite part about this idea?

Thank you as always!

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