Sigilmancy

Origin
Sigilmancy is considered science, magic, and art all in one; there are rules governing it, and everything must be written just so in order for it to work, but there are still factors of it that remain unexplained, or quirks that seem... mystical, to some. Still others find sigilmancy beautiful to look at and create, a semi-grotesque ritual that their society has based itself on.

Regardless of its beginnings, sigilmancy remains a potent tool in the right hands, capable of mind-boggling feats

What is it?
At its core, sigilmancy is used to bring out the best in something. That is, it increases the durability of steel, or makes it so that a blade's edge takes longer to wear down.

In order to perform these feats, the sigilmancer must take the item they desire to alter and carve a specific pattern or design into it, overlay it with blood, and then power it.

That... seems magical, but it is not seen as such. Magic can create something from nothing. Sigilmancy cannot. One of the first things all budding apprentices learn is that you cannot give an item properties it does not posses or cannot obtain. In that regard, sigilmancy could also be considered a shortcut from point A to point D -- it's all a matter of perspective.

Starting Out
All citizens will have their blood tested for sigilmancy compatibility when they enter school. If by chance they are homeschooled, the government will provide a means to test the affected children.

This test merely measures how well one is already compatible with sigilmancy, as some have a higher base affinity than others due to some trick of genetics. On average, children descended from domestic breeds will have a higher chance of scoring a greater affinity than those with wilder blood, but this is not an ironclad rule. With practice, too, one can train to attain a higher affinity through practice -- perhaps even outstripping those with natural aptitude.

The test itself is quite simple. A small amount of blood is drawn, and the tester will draw a simple well on a piece of paper and see how long it holds a "charge." Three seconds is considered average, and five or more is considered extraordinary.

While those with abnormally high sigilmancy affinity may be encouraged to follow that career path, it is not strictly required, and those with little to no affinity are not barred from the course. It simply means they must practice harder until their blood "learns" the affinity the long way.

Designing the Sigilgraph

 * 1) How it looks depends on its purpose.
 * 2) Puppeteers/Animators/Artisans sigilraphs generally look like circuitry
 * 3) Shaman/Soothsayer/Arcanist sigilgraphs tend to be very small, densely lined, and look the most "organic," with more curved lines and vein-like pathways.
 * 4) Operator/Shadow/Emissary graphs also tend toward designs of this style.
 * 5) Enchanter/Charmer/Alchemist sigilgraphs may hybridize the previous two styles, but more often their graphs will be the most visually "simple" / efficient in that they use the least amount of lines needed to achieve their purpose.
 * 6) From this point forward, the article will be using Artisan, Arcanist, Alchemist, and Emissary in general text to refer to their appropriate classes.
 * 7) The three most basic parts of a sigilgraph are the wells, pathways, and nodes.
 * 8) Wells are where the power is stored in a sigilgraph -- comparable to a battery.
 * 9) The well count of a sigilgraph is a semi-reliable way to gauge how experienced the sigilmancer that created it is. More wells = more experience, though it does vary from profession to profession.
 * 10) Arcanists (and Emissaries) do not often require more than two wells. Artisans rarely dip below three. Alchemists will use however many they are comfortable with or however many the graph requires.
 * 11) Well count can be a good way to determine how powerful or complex the sigilmancy itself is.
 * 12) Somewhat unreliable at lower skill brackets due to lower-ranked sigilmancers making their graphs more convoluted than needed, either because they think it makes them look better than they are or they genuinely do not know the proper shorthand.
 * 13) Pathways are skin to wiring in the machine. Their patterns are what skew reality when the graph is active. Pathways do not work unless they are connected to a well.
 * 14) Pathways connected to another pathway that is connected to a well will work. Power flows. The further away from a well a pathway is, the weaker the flow, hence why larger sigilgraphs require multiple well.s
 * 15) They do not have to connect to nodes. Arrangement of pathways is important to the function of a sigilgraph. Sigilmancy is almost as much art as it is science in some regards.
 * 16) Pathways serve two purposes: To act as a conduit for power flow from location A to location B, and to tell the power what to do when it reaches its location.
 * 17) Nodes are where the power is expressed, like an outlet. Wells cannot feed directly into a node without at least one set of pathways between them, as it just results in power spilling out uselessly without function or form.
 * 18) A sigilgraph often has at least as many nodes as wells, and it is not unusual for a graph to have more nodes than wells.
 * 19) Multiple nodes may feed into the same location. This is especially important for Artisans, as each node will usually tell a particular part to "do" something different, and certain parts of a marionette may have multiple uses or need several properties reinforced.
 * 20) Accept that it will take a lot of trial and error to complete a graph.
 * 21) Sigilmancers are arguably the single highest consumer of paper in all of the capital due to how often they draft, discard, and redraw their graphs until they're perfect -- or at least functional. Something that would otherwise be viewed as wasteful is allowed because of the valuable services provided; both governments would rather sigilmancers use an excess of paper than be the source of the majority of accidents and/or casualties because they weren't able to perfect faulty drafts.
 * 22) Due to the drafting phase, most sigilmancers will form a network with their peers and have others proof-read their works to make sure all the odds and ends fit together correctly. Failing that -- or if the graph itself demands a certain amount of secrecy -- then some entities will resort to other means for checking their work.
 * 23) The sigilmancer will draw their draft out in blood on paper and test to see how well it holds a charge. If the graph immediately fizzles out or cannot take a charge to begin with, then the graph is flawed and must be corrected. To be considered viable, a graph must hold the power charge for longer than ten seconds. High quality graphs can hold them for up to thirty.
 * 24) The danger this method presents is that non-viable drafts are just as likely to make the paper in question burst into flames or become similarly salvageable as they are to "fizzle out." It also uses a certain quantity of blood (which is always in demand), and in many cases renders the paper used for the test non-recyclable. Resources are in short supply -- do not waste what you are given.
 * 25) Sigilmancers have the option of adding a sort of signature to their graph once it is finalized, most frequently seen as a cluster of unconnected pathways etched into some sort of design or word. It's akin to an artist signing or watermarking their piece. Culturally, it is seen as a bit pretentious unless the sigilmancer in question has already gained a modicum of fame/renown for the quality of their work.

Imprinting the Graph

 * 1) The sigilmancer must somehow etch, carve, or otherwise embed the design into the material in a way that permanently alters it, and then go back over it in blood.
 * 2) Examples of methods used to embed a diagram:
 * 3) * Chisel + hammer for stone
 * 4) * Embroidery for cloth or thin leather
 * 5) * Thicker cloth / leather may also be strategically seared with a hot poker-like device.
 * 6) Statistically speaking, most mistakes will happen here. Sigilmancers will copy their notes imperfectly or create small flaw and ruin days or weeks of hard work when they move to the next step. It is especially obnoxious as the fault, at this stage, is seldom fixable or able to be mitigated -- the sigilmancer must often acquire an entirely new piece and restart the imprinting process once the blunder is discovered.
 * 7) Once the design is marked in, the sigilmancer may finally begin to coat their sigilgraph with blood.
 * 8) Blood is an expensive resource, and sigilmancers are not the only persons who demand a lot of it. As such, sigilmancers are given a bimonthly "allowance" of blood depending on their star rank. If they wish to exceed that limit, they they either tap themselves directly or use their own savings to purchase more from the banks.
 * 9) Technically speaking, it is possible to ask volunteers or ask for blood as a favor. It's also frowned upon and may result in revoked or docked privileges if one is discovered, especially as non-fighters already donate blood whenver possible and fellow soldiers need to be able to function at peak condition.
 * 10) Civilized sigilmancers own a contraption that is a hybrid between a frosting piper and an airbrush -- essentially, it is a bag filled with blood with an airbrush at one end.
 * 11) The inner surfaces of the device are treated with mildly hydrophobic materials in order to aid cleaning and reduce blood waste.
 * 12) Traditionally, the solution each sigilmancer uses to coat their diagrams is at least partly composed of their own blood. The percentage may vary with the amount of blood necessary for the diagram, but almost never dips below 5%. This is mostly done to ensure that the blood solution has enough of a sigilmancer's blood to ensure that it holds the power charge.
 * 13) Blood, long before it it is shipped out to sigilmancers, is treated with an anticoagulant to prevent unfortunate occurences.

Powering the Graph

 * 1) How a sigilmancer will power a particular graph varies based on what they wish to achieve with that specific piece.
 * 2) The charge process will work best and the design will hold energy the longest if the power used to charge it at least somewhat matches the purpose of the sigilwork. For example, a sigilmancer that wants to encourage heat resistance in leather armor will want to let the graph sit near a live fire or some other great source of heat.
 * 3) Sources of energy include (but are not limited to):
 * 4) * Sunlight. Very popular as it is inexpensive and requires the least effort; one must simply let the graph sit outside on a bright day and let the sun do the work. It may take a while to fully charge, however, and sunlight rarely has any particular strong compatibility with sigilwork purposes.
 * 5) * Kinetic energy. Another go-to source. Commonly used for graphs that make materials more resistant to bullets or other blunt-force strikes. May be input into the sigilgraph by repeatedly hitting the graph's wells with an object, or even throwing it at the ground over and over.
 * 6) * Electricity. The most common source of energy for an Artisan. Those who use it frequently enough will often apply for a bimonthly allowance similar to their blood allowance to cut down on monetary costs.
 * 7) * Running water. While it is possible to achieve the desired affect with running faucet water, it is far more economical to immerse the diagram in a river or creek. Leaving it out during a storm also works.
 * 8) * Wind. Another low-maintenance energy source. To protect sigilmancy works from the public and enemy Emissaries, the military provides several semi-open areas on top of buildings where a sigilmancer may register their piece to be charged.
 * 9) Both sigilmancers and non-sigilmancers are able to recognize on sight if a graph is fully charged, though sigilmancers have a slight advantage.
 * 10) There is both a visual and alternate-sense indicator. Fully charged graphs will begin to glow a bright red as well as let off a sort of "hum." Said hum is only heard by those with sigilmancy expertise.
 * 11) Confusingly, the "hum" is sometimes not even described as a hum by other sigilmancers; it may be a prickle on the back of their neck, or a sharp smell that burns when you inhale, or something as ambiguous as "a knowing." However it registers, it is generally distinctive to the sigilmancer that feels it.
 * 12) The glow/hum also serves as a method to gauge how full the diagram is. As the energy inside is used, the glow dims and the humming becomes less pronounced, until both go away entirely once the diagram is depleted. The glow/hum does not appear again unless the graph is fully recharged.
 * 13) Sigilgraphs can generally be recharged indefinitely as long as the graph itself remains undamaged.

Apprentices

 * 1) Due to being beginners, Apprentice sigils and sigilgraphs tend to be very... crude. Few apprentices grasp the idea of changing more than a single property of an item in one sigilgraph, and while they know the theory of animating a marionette, or how to work with organic matter, they are only just starting to get the hang of it. These beginning sigils are rarely completely battle-ready until they are ready to advance their class.
 * 2) While Apprentices can imprint sigilgraphs onto items and use them in combat, such graphs are rarely more complicated than "make sharp thing sharper" or "make tough thing tougher."

Enchanter / Charmer / Alchemist

 * 1) A "pure" sigilmancer, they stick to the core aspect of sigilmancy -- to enhance an aspect or multiple aspects of an item. Sometimes thought to be the easiest sigilmancy class, as some do not consider their work to be as specialized or niche as the other two classes. They are incorrect.
 * 2) Clever and experienced Alchemists can actually fuse objects together using sigilmancy in order to achieve a desired property: the closest thing to granting items new properties that sigilmancy will allow, as the fused items can take on each other's properties.
 * 3) Generally considered the most unpredictable type of sigilmancer in a fight, as unlike Artisans or Arcanists, nearly every aspect of what they use is impossible to predict.
 * 4) The most self-sufficient of the three main sigilmancy branches. Does not need to consult any other specialists to ensure that their sigilmancy remains in working order, and the other two branches often consult them for higher-level sigilmancy modifications.
 * 5) Alchemists that wish to remain noncombatants while providing their sigilmancy enhancement services must work a minimum of forty (40) hours a week on commissions. Said commissions are subject to both random and scheduled inspections to ensure that a certain level of quality is being maintained. They must also reapply for their noncombatant status every six (6) months. Failure to do so means they are placed on active war rotations and must wait until the next semi-annual review to reapply.
 * 6) Applications can be denied.

Shaman / Soothsayer / Arcanist

 * 1) A deadly close-combat class whose main purpose aside from warfare is delivering first aid to their wounded allies. Notable for being a class that does not have to rely on a single weapon or object that they work on over the years to improve; many of their sigilgraphs are single-use and must be recharged after each expenditure.
 * 2) Arcanists design their graphs to activate only after fresh blood is spilled on them and they are in contact with a surface they can apply themselves to. (i.e., flesh or an open wound.)
 * 3) They must be careful in how and where their completed works are stored so that they are not "accidentally" used upon their creator.
 * 4) The first aim of most Arcanists in battle is to open a wound anywhere on their opponent.
 * 5) When performing in their medicinal capacity, obviously this is not their primary concern and they press their sigils to the appropriate site of injury.
 * 6) Due to the nature of most Arcanist sigilmancy, they are dependent on being able to touch or hit their opponent and thus tend to be weak to mid- and long-range attackers.
 * 7) Sigilmancy tends to have an odd relationship with organic matter. This is speculated to be in part caused by the energy within a living creature disrupting the energy contained within a sigilgraph; regardless, this means that the chance of any singular sigilgraph being able to instantly terminate an opponent is slim to none. Arcanists are not one-shot killbots.
 * 8) While this is partly to preserve balance, this is also because not everyone's bodies work and act in exactly the same manner. There are functions that bodies perform in mostly the same way, but there is no one Great Blueprint that everyone follows unerringly.
 * 9) In short, simple, broad actions are best when dealing with organic matter and sigilgraphs. The more specific a command, the more a chance it will fail unless it is customized to fit a specific person that the acting Arcanist is intimately familiar with.
 * 10) Like Alchemists, Arcanists may also supplement their own income by selling "temporary tattoos" with specific purposes -- patching small wounds, giving a temporary burst of skill, etc. However, unlike Alchemists, this service is not in demand enough to warrant giving Arcanists the ability to become noncombatants and do this work full-time.
 * 11) Arcanits are also too valuable as first aid on the battlefield to go and make bandaids all day.
 * 12) Aforementioned "tattoos" are single-use only, and fade after they are activated.
 * 13) They are carved into the skin with a small knife. They are normally powered by sunlight or running water.

Animator / Puppeteer / Artisan

 * 1) Of the three sigilmancy branches, is likely the one that requires the most background support, as most Artisans will need to contact a Technician to ensure their marionette doesn't fall apart as well as an Alchemist willing to work on more complicated physical enhancements.

Size Restrictions for Marionettes:

 * 5☆ Artisans have such broad restrictions on them that almost anything will go. When in doubt, post in the questions channel with your inquiry. The mods will tell you if it's good or not.

Operator / Shadow / Emissary

 * 1) While technically not of the main branches, Emissaries utilize works similar to Arcanist sigils, as they both work with organic matter. The prime difference is that Arcanists are trained to affect a broad range of persons, and Emissaries are trained to affect one.
 * 2) It often takes several weeks to months for an Emissary to be assigned their first mission, as the sigilmancer half of the team but spend time creating and perfecting a sigilgraph that will successfully transform the spy for a satisfactory amount of time. These months are also seen as bonding time between sigilmancer and spy, particularly if the two have little of each other prior to their partnership. Trust is integral to the bond -- a sigilmancer needs to know their spy literally inside and out, and the spy must be able to know that their sigilmancer will do their job correctly, without causing any unnecessary harm. Most importantly, it is useful for them to be able to communicate or anticipate each other's actions in case something goes wrong.
 * 3) As with the temporary tattoos mentioned in the Arcanist segment, the sigilmancer must carve a sigilgraph directly onto the spy. Some use small, precise knives, and others prefer to make a brand of the completed sigilgraph to ensure the process is over faster. Unlike the tattoos, these sigils do not always disappear after use.
 * 4) The sigilmancer must also vivisect the spy. It is an exploratory process that is part of their introductory period and used to learn more about the spy so the sigilmancer may better tailor the masking sigilmancy to them.
 * 5) Anasthetic (both injected and sigilmatic) is option; the spy can choose how much or little they will take.
 * 6) Whether or not the process leaves a scar is up to the partners to decide.
 * 7) Like Arcanists, Emissaries often power their sigilgraphs with sunlight or running water.
 * 8) Emissary sigilgraphs will rarely change someone physically. Even then, the physical change is often minor. The sigilgraph will largely focus on altering scent and other tiny unconscious cues to help the spy blend in better.

Additional Information

 * 1) Animal blood does not work for sigilmancy. It must be from a sentient species.