Bondsmage

A bondsmage is a user of ethereal essence, the energy of connection. Ethereal energy is dangerous in that simply touching it will bond you directly to anything else you are touching at the time. It works rapidly and powerfully. A bondsmage is less interested in wielding the power than wielding it responsibly.

Sources

In order to use ethereal energy, a bondsmage must find a source of it, which is rare. The largest supply is underground in the City Under the Stairs, but pockets of it are found in caves, mines, and other subterranean pockets around Shem, and occasionally in above-ground areas. For unclear reasons, feathers glow blue near ethereal energy, so those who seek it usually wear a feather headdress.

Bonding

In order to wield ethereal energy, a bondsmage will take a whip of woven feathers and dip it in the energy pool. Once this is done, anything the bondsmage entangles in the whip will bond to the wielder. If the entangled target is inanimate, a bond is immediate, giving the bondsmage various qualities of the target. A skilled bondsmage will be able to control what qualities are taken. An amateur will usually end up dead. If the target is alive, then a contest of wills occurs.

Mutual Connection

The best, most potent bond is one in which both parties agree to it and share through the bond. If the target is a non-intelligent living being, mutual connection is harder to accomplish unless the wielder has a means to communicate with the creature. If the target is intelligent, simple agreement will work, and both parties will be able to send characteristics, skills, information, powers, and more through the bond at will. If one wishes to take something via such a bond, one must get permission, but this is often done passively. At any time, either party may revoke consent and sever the bond. If this is contested, it becomes a struggle of wills. A failure in the contest of wills will result in breaking of the bond. A special failure will result in harm to the bondsmage. An exceptional failure will result in a reversal of the bond.

Dominant Connection

The next best bond is one in which the bondsmage dominates the target. A bond with an inanimate object is automatically a dominant connection, and it is almost always this way with non-intelligent beings. In these connections, the bondsmage must constantly engage in a contest of wills with the living target, intelligent or not. (There is no contest with an inanimate object of will against will, but there is sometimes a difficulty in taking more esoteric or abstract properties.) A failure in the contest of wills will result in breaking of the bond. A special failure will result in harm to the bondsmage. An exceptional failure will result in a reversal of the bond.

Reversed Connection

A reversed connection means the bondsmage has lost control of the connection and the target has taken control.

Multiple Connections

Bondsmages can connect with multiple targets, but the more they bond with, the more complicated and difficult it gets to maintain control. Most bondsmages can handle no more than three living connections and no more than six inanimate ones.

Transitory Connections

A bondsmage can transfer their bonds to another by bonding with them and sending the bond through. In this way, they can transfer bonds of properties between inanimate objects in order to give them different, give others powers and abilities from non-intelligent creatures (or vice versa), or spread skills between multiple people, for instance.

Bonding Nexus

If a bondsmage bonds with another bondsmage, they form a nexus of their bonds, allowing every bonded figure to trade characteristics among them. No more than 11 people can be involved in such a network without their minds being greatly affected, however.

Transferrence

When bonds are formed, the bondsmage may draw upon the qualities of the target. They may only draw one quality at any given time, but they can change them. Changing the quality requires a new roll of bonding, however, and can therefore be risky. Most bondsmagi know what quality they want when they engage in bonding.

Qualities

Qualities can be property, skill, ability, or other characteristic of the bonded target. A bond with a rock may given the bondsmage stoneskin, a hardness of heart, or stability, for example. A bond with a dragon may give the bondsmage a breath weapon, scales, longevity, or claws. More abstract qualities are more difficult to transfer, and transfering non-abstract qualities and applying them to more abstract qualities (a stoneheart to protect from emotional interference, for example) is very difficult.

Backlash

If a bond breaks or if the bond fails somehow, there is often a backlash that causes harm to the bondsmage. This usually reflects the qualities transferred. For instance, if a bondsmage were borrowing strength from their target, the backlash would cause permanent loss of strength, proportional to the level of failure of the bond.

Loss of Self

A truly terrible fate awaits a bondsmage who fails a dominant bond or is betrayed in a mutual bond, for they will lose their sense of self and become a slave to the target. If their target were an unintelligent living thing, they will believe themself to be that thing - i.e., a tree, a cat, a mushroom.

Inventory

Bondsmagi have two major tools: their feather whip and their headdress.

Feather Whip

The feather whips used by bondsmages is usually made with pheasant feathers, though any kind of feather will work, just not as well. A bondsmage must be skilled with the whip in order to wrap it around the target without harming it, or to use the whip to weaken the target physically if their intent is domination. Even in the case of a mutual connection, the bondsmage must wield the whip, as part of the process of connection is the strike.

Headdress

Bondsmages wear large feather headdresses in order to sense ethereal energy. Once they have a source, however, they continue to wear the headdress as a status symbol. Some are bonded in order to give it powers of protection.

Variations

Some have slightly different styles they use in bonding:

• Aganakti: a healer who uses bonding to send healing energies into their targets. This is very dangerous and often requires personal physical sacrifice.
• Bondsblade: a warrior who bonds with their weapon via bondsmagic. This is very dangerous and sometimes facilitated by a bondsmage rather than done by them to themselves. This bond creates a major bonus to prowess for the warrior, as they can sense their weapon better and react quicker.
• Bondsrider: a rider who bonds to their mount, forming a powerful connection that makes them a much better rider.
• Chainshot: a warrior who bonds to their projectile weaponry in the way a bondsblade bonds to their melee weaponry. They often also bond their projectiles together to create a series of successive, successful strikes.
• Pradarsakudu: an artist who uses feathers in their work to connect to their audiences.
• Raimwan sai: a sex worker who bonds via feathered accoutrements during sexual congress.
• Rannaire: a Lyrillan poet who uses bondsmagic to connect to their audiences.
• Tanga: a silly wandering clown who uses feathered props to form bonds during their performances, in northeastern Dabusen.
• Tus ua las voos: a dancer who uses a feathered ribbon the way a bondsmage uses a feather-whip, in northeastern Dabusen (hmong).
• Zboruvacz: a Ranic communications worker who bonds via telephonic equipment made of feathers.

Many bondsmagi specialize what kinds of bonds they focus on:

• Balbal: a witch who uses bondsmagic to bond with other women to form a very powerful coven.
• Bondsmaster: a bondsmage who uses only dominant bonds to enslave others.
• Feather mage: one who focuses on bonding with birds only.
• Green bondsmage: one who focuses on bonding with plants.
• Heavy bondsmage: one who focuses on bonding with inanimate objects.
• Ochre bondsmage: one who focuses on bonding with animals.
• Violet bondsmage: one who focuses on bonding with fungi.
• Ziziguru: a bondsmage who bonds with owls via bondsmagic and zoanthropy, thus being able to take owl form. Often a warrior of some kind.

Similar Occupations

Other users of ethereal essence:

• Pontem Factorum: a bridge-builder who works ethereal essence into their work so that the bridges connect distant places, creating portals.
• Riverman: a ranger of the rivers and bridges who is often a guard of river-crossings.
• Sakrah: a journalist who uses bonds to investigate stories.
• Willakuq: a storyteller and oral historian of eastern Palhur who uses ethereal essence to bond with their stories.

Societal Role

Access to ethereal essence is so heavily controlled that few bondsmagi exist outside of official structures. They are usually forced into certain roles where they must serve powerful people. Those few outside such roles are usually academics and experimenters with the magic.

Skills

Some common skills include

• Esoteric lore
• Symbolism
• Zoology
• Botany
• Mycology
• Anatomy
• Medical lore
• Legends
• History

Stats

The typical bondsmage will have the following variations from the base stats of their nation/species:

PRO +1
ATH +1
STR -1
AWA +3
WIL +6
ROG /

Though most bondsmagi will have further bonuses from their bonds.