Three Great Schools

The Three Great Schools of Magic

For hundreds of years, the Three Schools trained magic users of various classes to fight against the Great Dark. But the Schools became corrupt and began warring against each other, allowing the Great Dark to gain a stronger foothold within the world.

The Three Schools are:

The Verum (militant arm: Trinity)

The Sefirot (militant arm: Kedushah)

The Ishraqi (militant arm: Namurai)

The Verum

The largest of the Three Great Schools of Magic. Operates in secret under the cover of a front company, Disciple. The Verum believe magic comes in three currents that are one—a river that sweeps through all of creation. The Magic of Saints, Magic of Angels, and Magic of God—three currents—united.

However, according to their beliefs, magic is granted to humans by the long-dead Saints only. The Verum have countless ceremonies and prayers to worship the Saints.

Symbols and colors: The emblem of the Verum is an ornate sword against a V-shaped symbol, with the cross guard at the lower point of the V. The symbol is typically white against a field of dark blue.

Verum Glossary:

Inquisitors: The “black ops” agents of the Verum’s militant arm.

Paladins: Soldiers of the Verum’s militant arm. Grunts, foot soldiers.

Templars: The Verum's Relic hunters.

Trinity: The militant arm of the Verum. Its symbol is a sword-shaped cross, sometimes drawn with three interlocking rings—Borromean Rings—at the center of the cross guard.

The Sefirot

Arguably the oldest of the Three Great Schools of Magic.

With no central organizational structure, the Sefirot is broken up into different Houses. Each House has a leader called a Sage and a spiritual advisor called a Tzadik. A single House, the Kedushah, serves as the militant arm of all the Sefirot.

The Sefirot believe they are magic’s chosen practitioners. According to their texts, magic is channeled into our world through the Ten Emanations. These emanations form the core construct of our reality, as well as the core construct of the human soul. Magic is continually flowing into our world, creating it, moment by moment, as the energy within our souls returns that flow. This belief is problematic now that the mortal world is cut off from the source of all magic (see “Veiling, the”). The “flow” to and from the Ten Emanations is blocked and/or severed.

The Sefirot of old: Before the Veiling, most Sefirot practitioners used alchemical magic. To understand the flow of magic was to understand the flow of the universe, which opened the door to alchemy, the art of manipulating, altering, deconstructing, and/or reconstructing matter. Alchemy allowed the Sefirot to work toward gaining a greater understanding of magic and its relationship with the mortal world.

The Sefirot now: With no flow of magic into the world, the flow of the universe is broken, and the Sefirot cannot practice alchemy. The militant arm of the Sefirot, the Kedushah, possess Relics that weave alchemical spells, but these spells pale in comparison to the true form of alchemy, lost after the Veiling.

Symbols and colors: The symbol of the Sefirot is a ten-point-star polygon, representing the Ten Emanations, typically gold against a field of purple. Sefirot imagery also includes the Kabbalah Tree of Life, alchemy symbols, and the Seal of Solomon.

Sefirot Glossary:

Alchemy: The art of transmuting matter, practiced by the Sefirot. Alchemy involves the flow of magic and energy throughout the universe. With the earth cut off from the Magical Source—the flow of magic (see “Veiling, the”)—no one can practice the true art of alchemy anymore. Some Relics allow alchemical spells, but nowhere near as powerful as the alchemy of old.

Golems: Creatures used by the Sefirot, one of the Three Great Schools of Magic. Constructs of clay given life by scrolls—Relics—stuffed into their mouths. Equipped with various abilities depending on the secondary Relics stuffed into their bodies.

Kedushah: Militant arm of the Sefirot. Its symbol is a circle around two interlocking triangles that form a six-pointed star, a variant of the Seal of Solomon. Before the earth was cut off from the Magical Source (see “Veiling, the”), the center of each star had a different symbol to denote the type of magic used by its wearer. Now that no one can channel magic directly anymore, the center of each emblem is left empty.

Sage: Title for the leader of a Sefirot House.

Sicae: Assassins of the Sefirot.

Tzadik: Title for the spiritual advisor of a Sefirot House.

Ishraqi

One of the Three Great Schools of Magic. Divided into Orders, also called Tariqas.

Each Order operates as an independent cell with an imam as its leader. However, a council called the Rashidun oversees all Orders. The Rashidun fall under the control of the shah, the “king” of the Ishraqi.

Symbols and Colors: A diamond-shaped starburst with a crescent moon at the center, typically white against a field of crimson.

Principle Belief (historic): The Ishraqi believe that the Light of Magic is the one true reality and that the material world is nothing but a veil. The Light flows through everyone and everything, and everyone has the Light inside them—although that Light creates a shadow . . . light and dark in every soul.

Belief of today: The Ishraqi of today venerate the Light. But they believe they must draw their power from the Light’s shadows. The world has been severed from the Heavenly Realms—the Magical Source, the Light of Lights—meaning the Light of Magic no longer flows into our realm. But surely, according to the Ishraqi, the Light must still exist, because the world still exists, and the Light is the one true existence. The Ishraqi seek the Light by entering the darkness.

Practices:

An Ishraqi imam will guide his people through a mental and spiritual process of self-destruction. The people of the Ishraqi seek to annihilate themselves, separate themselves from the material world, and enter into the void of nothingness. Within that void, that darkness, they search for the Light. And once they find it, they “revive” with a new sense of self and new understanding of the Light’s divinity.

o Historic: The process of annihilation and revival involved chants, songs, vigils, and dance. Music, in particular, was key to the Ishraqi, as sound itself had a magical, transcendent quality that helped to elevate the Ishraqi people. The Ishraqi preferred tambourines, bells, and flutes as their instruments for musical ceremonies.

o Current: The Ishraqi use tactics and practices often associated with cults. They still chant, sing, dance, and gather at vigils, and their imam still lead them on a path of self-destruction and reawakening. But they embrace darkness, for only through the darkest of dark can they find the lightest of light. Violence, cruelty, sexual abuse—all tools to enter the darkness to find the light, to strip away the self and touch the brilliance of magic.

Multiple Ishraqi ceremonies involve death and necromancy. Death is viewed as the ultimate darkness, the blackest of black, where the Light can shine the brightest.

Ishraqi Glossary:

Assassins (Hashashin): The Assassins serve as the covert soldiers of the Ishraqi. They operate in secret and strike from the shadows, having first formed back in 1000 CE. The modern term assassin gets its origins from this group. In modern days, Assassins carry out covert missions to eliminate highly valuable targets, typically leaders within the Verum and Sefirot. They prefer to use enchanted daggers, darts, and potions as weapons.

Imam: The title for the leader of an Ishraqi Order. An imam is referred to as mawlana by his followers.

Judges: Also called Qadi. Ishraqi soldiers that enforce justice within individual Orders. The Judges report to an Order’s Qadir (see “Qadir, the”).

Keeper, the: Also called the Sajjan; oversees the day-to-day operations of an Ishraqi Order. The Keeper makes sure the Order runs smoothly and also acts as a sort of guard to keep the Order’s members contained.

Magi: Priests of the Ishraqi. They use Relics to conduct magical rituals and ceremonies.

Namurai: Militant arm of the Ishraqi. The Namurai honor feline predators such as panthers, tigers, and leopards. The organization operates within secret strongholds around the world, lending resources to individual Orders as needed. The leader of the Namurai is called the Emir.

Necromancers: Specialize in using Relics that manipulate the dead. Commonly aligned with Ishraqi Orders. With the right Relics, necromancers can reanimate corpses and control them like puppets, summon and control spirits of the dead, and perform spells sometimes referred to as death magic. Called “bone conjurers” by the Sefirot; the Sefirot despise necromancers and have a mandate to kill anyone who takes control of the spirits or bodies of the dead.

Qadir, the: Leader of the Judges within an Ishraqi Order (see “Judges”).

Rashidun: A mysterious council that oversees all Ishraqi Orders around the world. Controlled by the shah, the “king” of the Ishraqi.

Tariqas (Orders): The Ishraqi organize into different Orders, also called Tariqas. Each Order is its own cultlike community, with its own leader, called an imam.

Ulama: A title given to Ishraqi scientists and researchers.