The Path of the Chorister

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Scattered in ancient books and writings, hidden in the darkest recesses of libraries and ruins, lie stories of a forbidden magic. These writings tell of a magic that challenged the power of the gods, and which brought with them divine punishment if used. Those who used this magic were destroyed with their own hubris, and it was thought that this path of magic was lost forever. At the turn of the last century, a group named the Reclaimers unlocked the final secrets of this path, piecing together the lost fragments and rebuilding the path slowly and surely. What they had was not perfect, but was enough that they were able to refine the path and eventually turn it to their own goals. To their dismay, they discovered the dark secrets of the path as well, and disaster fell upon them. It has only been a few decades since the path has existed, and the secret of this strange magic has slowly spread through Kith Kanaan. The path has slowly been refined, wrest from the hands of the Reclaimers by fate. There are not many who would practice this dangerous and cursed path, but it has begun to find acceptance with the Church of Joshua, who has slowly adopted the path as their own.

The Church of Joshua has taken great pains to study and refine the path, and their careful research has granted them a deeper understanding of this sorcery than any practitioners save those lost by time. The Joshuites’ scholars have learned that the Tapestry holds a musical counterpart, called the aria, and that this path codifies this sound into a symphony, filled with complex notes and harmonies which can, in theory, be mimicked by mortal voices. Only recently, these scholars have discovered a method from the books taken from the Reclaimers which allows the subject to hear this aria, opening the subject’s senses to the pattern and rhythm of the Tapestry. This ritual, called the aria of genesis, is taught to an apprentice, note by single note. Once the apprentice has the notes memorized, they are instructed sing the harmony. If the harmony is sung correctly, the newly-made acolyte falls into a trance as they are connected to the aria itself, their mind seized by the perfection they hear. If the apprentice fails, they fall into madness and are regretfully locked into an asylum for the rest of their lives. Upon awakening from their trance, the acolyte is welcomed into the community and trained further. The aria is theirs to hear, but to use it requires concentration and dedication. The Joshuite’s teachers take great care to teach that the magic granted to the acolyte is a gift granted by Adonai, and that to use it in a way that He does not approve of will result in tragedy.

Outside of the Church of Joshua, the aria of genesis has not been unlocked. There are various cults who attempt to use the path without hearing the harmonies of the Tapestry, and the results of this mis-use of the path leads often to destruction and madness. The Church has attempted to find these people, not because the Joshuites feel the path is rightfully theirs, but because these sorcerers are entirely too dangerous to leave to their own devices.

Titles:

   Acolyte
   Chorister
   A group who works together is known as a Choir.