Re: Venn Diagram - Magic <> Culture

From: jorganos <joe_at_4nNvDe8EVQgMrWMZtXuYcYJbHFFSD931W1hgUhruNBEQdGMTI1Lepq8e44Et9FRUbKoWo-E8>
Date: Sat, 13 Oct 2012 20:59:29 -0000

David Cake:
> There really isn't much sorcery not tied to religion in the Lunar Empire, but there are both Lunar schools and sorcerers among the Carmanians. In both cases, they form a minority among the population (though a very important minority for the Carmanians). Lunar sorcery may well not be true sorcery in some metaphysical sense, but in rules terms, treat it as sorcery.

I have become more and more convinced that there is plenty of "sorcery" wherever you have crafters performing craft magic. Most of it will be of the "make the job easier" variation, with only exceptional practitioners going to "make a vastly improved product", or even "make a magical product".

I'm not quite sure how much of each of the guild rotes and rites are perceived as magic, and how much as everyday non-magical activity, but I do expect a crafter with guild training to perform differently (and probably more efficient) from a cottage crafter without formal training.

Cults for specific crafts might provide theist solutions or maybe helper spirits for certain tasks, but even in those cases, I expect there to be rotes and rites which have nothing to do with worship or the link to the deity or spirit, but quite a bit with formulaic magic.

Again - is this perceived as magic (and if so, as magic different from ordinary theist/animist magic)? Is this some mystic ability awakened in the crafter?