RESTRICTED ACCESS DOCUMENT
Fallen Powers: A Study of Lost Abilities
Recovered, Translated, and Annotated by the Academy's Department of Historical Magic
[Archivist's Note]: The following text has been assembled from multiple sources, including ancient scrolls, field researcher notes, and forbidden texts. Some sections remain partially translated or damaged. Theoretical reconstructions are marked with †. Reader discretion advised.
CLEARANCE LEVEL: MYSTAGOGUE OR HIGHER REQUIRED
INTRODUCTION FROM THE CHIEF ARCHIVIST
The study of lost powers represents our greatest failure and our most important warning. What follows is not merely a catalog of forgotten abilities but a ████████ to the hubris of those who wielded sphaeram too great for mortal understanding. Over the centuries, the allure of ultimate power has tempted many, leading them down paths that have threatened not only themselves but the very fabric of reality.
This compilation is the result of decades of perilous research, clandestine expeditions, and the sacrifices of many who sought to uncover the truths buried by time and deliberate obfuscation. It serves both as a historical record and a dire warning to future generations. The powers detailed herein were once real, their effects felt across continents and centuries.
I write this in my final days as Chief Archivist, my mind still haunted by the whispers of powers that should remain forgotten. To those who follow: learn from our past, but do not seek to recreate these abilities. Some doors are better left closed.
– Helena Vale, Chief Archivist
Date: [REDACTED]
TABLE OF CONTENTS
* SECTION I: The Fundamental Lost Arts
* Void Manipulation
* Timestream Weaving
* Essence Theft
* Pure Energy Manifestation
* SECTION II: The Elemental Extremes
* Necromancy Beyond the Veil
* Absolute Zero Cryomancy
* SECTION III: The Mental Masteries
* Total Mind Control
* Dream Weaving
* Concluding Notes
SECTION I: THE FUNDAMENTAL LOST ARTS
VOID MANIPULATION
[Recovery Status]: 89% Complete | [Danger Level]: MAXIMUM | [Last Known Practitioner]: Marcus Shadowvoid, 1543
PRIMARY SOURCE TEXT:
> In the spaces between reality, where light fears to tread and matter holds no meaning, the Rift Wielders once walked as gods. Their power stemmed not from what exists, but from that which has never been and never shall be. To command the void is to hold dominion over non-existence itself.
HISTORICAL CONTEXT:
Void Manipulation traces back to ancient civilizations that predate recorded history. Legends speak of the ████████ a sect that dedicated their lives to understanding the nothingness that exists beyond our reality. They believed that by embracing the rift, they could achieve ultimate enlightenment and power. Their practices were shrouded in secrecy, with rituals conducted in ████████████████.
Marcus Shadowvoid, the last known practitioner, sought to harness the void to erase suffering from the world. His intentions, though noble, led to catastrophic consequences. In 1543, the city of Eldergate vanished overnight, leaving behind only a barren wasteland. No trace of its inhabitants or structures was ever found. Eyewitness accounts from neighboring settlements describe a soundless night, followed by a profound emptiness where the city once stood.
FIELD RESEARCHER NOTES:
* Day 47: The ruins still pulse with residual rift sphaeram. Three of my instruments have imploded. The walls themselves seem to breathe. Shadows move of their own accord, and the silence is deafening. It's as if the area rejects the presence of reality itself.
* Day 48: Found another victim of attempted void manipulation. The body is... wrong. As if reality itself rejected its existence. Limbs twisted, features blurred, the individual appears to flicker in and out of perception. The sight is both fascinating and horrifying.
* Day 52: The whispers are getting louder. I understand now why the art was forbidden. It tempts the mind, promising answers to questions best left unasked. I fear I may not return from this expedition. The rift calls to me, and resisting it grows harder each day.
KNOWN CAPABILITIES:
* Reality Deletion: The ability to erase objects, beings, or even entire locations from existence without a trace.
* Existence Negation: Nullifying magical spells and energies by absorbing them into the void.
* Matter-Void Conversion: Transforming physical matter into void energy, effectively disintegrating the target.
* Dimensional Puncturing: Creating portals to the rift, which can act as gateways or traps.
* Void Infusion: Temporarily imbuing oneself or objects with rift-like properties, rendering them intangible or undetectable.
Warning: All attempts to recreate void manipulation have resulted in catastrophic failures, including loss of life and severe reality distortions. Research prohibited by International Magical Decree of 1544.
THEORETICAL RECONSTRUCTION†:
It is theorized that the void exists as an antithesis to reality, a plane where the laws of physics and magick do not apply. Manipulating the rift may involve altering one's own essence to resonate with this nothingness, a process that could unravel the practitioner's existence. The temptation lies in the unparalleled power it offers, but at the cost of one's humanity and connection to reality.
TIMESTREAM WEAVING
[Recovery Status]: 62% Complete | [Danger Level]: SEVERE | [Last Known Practitioner]: The Chronologist Collective, 1692
RECOVERED JOURNAL ENTRY:
> The threads of time are not linear but woven together like a dossal. We learned to pluck these threads, to reweave the fabric of reality itself. But time has teeth, and it bites back with cruel precision. Our alterations ripple outward, unseen consequences manifesting in ways we could not predict.
HISTORICAL CONTEXT:
The Chronologist Collective emerged in the late 17th century, a group of Tearings obsessed with mastering time ████████. They believed that by controlling the timestream, they could perfect humanity's future. Their experiments initially led to remarkable advancements, including the temporary reversal of aging and the prediction of natural disasters.
However, their manipulations began to fracture reality. Time anomalies appeared worldwide: people vanishing, historical events altering, and paradoxes manifesting physically. The collective disbanded after a failed attempt to prevent a great plague resulted in an even deadlier pandemic. Records suggest that their final act was an attempt to reverse their own existence, erasing all traces of their meddling, but remnants of their actions persist.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE:
Site 23-B contains temporal anomalies consistent with timestream weaving. Carbon dating shows the same object existing at multiple points in history simultaneously. Artifacts unearthed include tools and writings from future eras, suggesting breaches in the temporal continuum. Several research assistants have aged decades or reverted to infancy upon exposure, requiring immediate medical intervention. Time dilation fields have been detected, where time moves faster or slower than the surrounding environment.
DOCUMENTED ABILITIES:
* Temporal Multiplication: Existing in multiple timelines simultaneously, allowing for parallel actions and knowledge acquisition.
* Causality Manipulation: Altering cause-and-effect relationships to influence outcomes.
* Time Stream Divergence: Creating alternate realities through significant temporal alterations.
* Paradox Engineering: Crafting paradoxes to achieve desired effects, though with unpredictable consequences.
* Temporal Stasis: Freezing objects or individuals in time, rendering them unchanging and impervious to external influences.
Theoretical Applications: [SECTION EXPUNGED BY ORDER OF THE COUNCIL]
THEORETICAL RECONSTRUCTION†:
Timestream Weaving likely involves accessing the temporal plane, a dimension where time is fluid and malleable. Practitioners may have used specialized artifacts or rituals to anchor themselves while manipulating temporal threads. The risks include temporal displacement, erasure from the timeline, and unintended alterations to reality. Ethical concerns arise from the potential to alter history, affecting countless lives without consent.
ESSENCE THEFT
[Recovery Status]: 75% Complete | [Danger Level]: EXTREME | [Last Known Practitioner]: The Nameless One, 1789
RECOVERED TEXT FRAGMENT:
> To steal not merely power, but the very essence of what makes one unique... This was our greatest achievement and our ultimate sin. The ability to take not just what one has, but what one is. Identity becomes fluid, ████████████████████████████████.
HISTORICAL CONTEXT:
Essence Theft emerged during the late 18th century, a dark art practiced by those seeking immortality and ultimate knowledge. The Nameless One, whose true identity remains unknown, mastered this ability, leaving a trail of soulless victims. Reports from the era describe sudden changes in behavior and abilities among individuals, suggesting they were vessels for the Nameless One's fragmented consciousness.
The practice involved intricate ████████████████ often requiring personal items or bodily fluids of the target. Essence thieves would absorb not only Tearing class abilities but memories, skills, and personality traits, effectively becoming a composite of their victims. The toll on the practitioner's psyche was immense, leading to identity crises and ████████████████.
WITNESS ACCOUNT (1788):
"I watched as Lady Elizabeth approached her victim. A simple touch, and suddenly he was... empty. Not dead, no. Something far worse. Everything that made him himself—gone. And she? She had become more. Too much more. Her eyes flashed with new understanding, her demeanor shifting as if multiple souls wrestled within her."
DOCUMENTED EFFECTS:
* Complete Power Absorption: Gaining the Tearing abilities of the victim.
* Identity Assimilation: Absorbing memories, skills, and personality traits.
* Memory Transfer: Accessing the victim's experiences and knowledge.
* Sphaeram Amalgamation: Merging multiple sphaerams into one body, leading to psychological instability.
* Physical Transformation: Subtle changes in appearance reflecting absorbed identities.
Warning: All known essence thieves eventually lost their original identity, becoming amalgamations of stolen sphaerams. The practice leads to severe mental degradation and is considered a Class I Forbidden Art.
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
THEORETICAL RECONSTRUCTION†:
Essence Theft likely involves manipulating ████████████████████████████████. By creating a connection between the practitioner's sphaeram and the victim's, the thief can siphon off the ████████. This process may weaken the barriers between ████████, leading to identity confusion and the eventual loss of self. Ethical implications are severe, as it violates the fundamental rights of sentient beings.
PURE ENERGY MANIFESTATION
[Recovery Status]: 91% Complete | [Danger Level]: HIGH | [Last Known Practitioners]: The Luminary Brotherhood, 1823
BROTHERHOOD MANIFESTO:
> We have transcended the need for elemental manipulation. Why control fire when you can command the sphaeram that gives birth to fire itself? Why master water when you can control the force that binds its molecules? We seek purity of power, unfiltered and unrestrained.
HISTORICAL CONTEXT:
The Luminary Brotherhood was a secret society of Tearings dedicated to achieving the pinnacle of Tearing prowess. They believed that by tapping directly into pure sphaeram, they could overcome the limitations of traditional elemental magick. Their experiments led to groundbreaking advancements, including the creation of self-sustaining energy sources and new forms of ████████.
However, the human body was not designed to channel such raw power. The Brotherhood's members began to exhibit signs of physical and mental deterioration. Despite warnings, they pushed forward, driven by ambition and the pursuit of perfection. Their headquarters, once a beacon of innovation, became a site of tragedy as one by one, they succumbed to the very energies they sought to master.
MEDICAL RECORDS:
Pattern observed in all practitioners: cellular degradation accelerating with each use. Bodies literally burning from the inside out. Symptoms included severe insomnia, hallucinations, spontaneous sphaeram discharges, and eventual combustion. Autopsies revealed that their cellular structures had been transformed into unstable energy matrices. Attempts to stabilize the condition through magical or medical means failed.
CAPABILITIES:
* Raw Sphaeram Manipulation: Direct control over fundamental sphaeram without elemental intermediaries.
* Force Field Generation: Creating protective barriers of pure sphaeram.
* Sphaeram-Matter Conversion: Transmuting sphaeram into matter and vice versa.
* Power Amplification: Enhancing sunderglyphed abilities exponentially.
* Sphaeram Projection: Emitting concentrated beams or blasts of sphaeram capable of immense destruction.
Terminal Report: All 23 members of the Luminary Brotherhood spontaneously combusted within one year of achieving pure manifestation. The resulting explosions caused significant collateral damage, leading to the imposition of strict regulations on sphaeram manipulation research.
THEORETICAL RECONSTRUCTION†:
Pure Sphaeram Manifestation may involve tapping directly into the primal energies that constitute the universe. The human body, acting as a conduit, cannot withstand the immense forces without proper safeguards. The Brotherhood likely underestimated the need for containment and sphaeram regulation. Future research, conducted with extreme caution, might explore artificial vessels or barriers to safely channel such energies, though ethical considerations remain.
SECTION II: THE ELEMENTAL EXTREMES
NECROMANCY BEYOND THE RIFT
[Recovery Status]: 80% Complete | [Danger Level]: CRITICAL | [Last Known Practitioner]: Lord Mortus Graves, 1601
ANCIENT SCROLL EXCERPT:
> Beyond the rift lies the realm of ████████, where the souls of the ████████████████. To command them is to wield the power over life and death itself. But beware, for the dead do not take kindly to the chains of the living.
HISTORICAL CONTEXT:
Necromancy has long been a controversial practice, but Necromancy Beyond the Rift delves deeper than mere reanimation. Practitioners sought to fully control and bind the souls of the deceased, using them for knowledge, power, or as eternal servants. Lord Mortus Graves was infamous for his army of specters, which he used to wage wars and amass wealth.
INCIDENT REPORT (1601):
The village of Dark Hollow reported an outbreak of ghostly apparitions causing havoc. Investigations revealed that Lord Graves had overextended his control, leading to a spectral rebellion. The souls he bound broke free, resulting in a catastrophic event known as the "Wailing Night," where hundreds lost their lives to vengeful spirits.
DOCUMENTED ABILITIES:
* Soul Binding: Capturing and controlling the souls of the deceased.
* Spectral Communication: Interacting with spirits for knowledge or guidance.
* Phantom Summoning: Calling forth spirits to perform tasks or fight.
* Death Sense: Perceiving the presence of death and impending mortality.
* Spirit Transference: Moving a soul from one body to another, potentially achieving immortality.
Warning: The boundary between life and death is not meant to be crossed. Disturbing the dead can have dire consequences, including spiritual corruption and eternal torment.
THEORETICAL RECONSTRUCTION†:
Necromancy Beyond the Veil likely involves rituals that pierce the spiritual plane, requiring ████████ texts and ████████. The practice may create rifts between realms, allowing malevolent entities to enter our world. Ethical considerations are paramount, as the autonomy and peace of the deceased are violated.
ABSOLUTE ZERO CRYOMANCY
[Recovery Status]: 70% Complete | [Danger Level]: HIGH | [Last Known Practitioner]: Frost Queen Isolde, 1482
EXCERPT FROM FROST QUEEN'S DIARY:
> The cold is pure. In its embrace, all motion ceases, and time stands still. To reach absolute zero is to touch the very edge of existence, where atoms freeze and life surrenders.
HISTORICAL CONTEXT:
Absolute Zero Cryomancy is the art of manipulating temperatures to the point where molecular motion nearly stops. Frost Queen Isolde ruled over the Northern Wastes, her domain a frozen landscape where nothing thrived. Her obsession with cold led her to push the limits of cryomancy, resulting in a permanent winter that consumed her kingdom.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT:
The region formerly known as Isolde's Realm remains uninhabitable. Temperatures hover near absolute zero, and conventional ████████ fails to function. Wildlife is nonexistent, and expeditions report equipment failure and severe frostbite within minutes. The area is a stark reminder of the destructive potential of unchecked elemental manipulation.
DOCUMENTED ABILITIES:
* Temperature Manipulation: Lowering temperatures to extreme levels.
* Ice Creation: Generating ice structures and weapons.
* Heat Absorption: Drawing heat from the environment or targets.
* Stasis Induction: Freezing objects or beings in time.
* Cold Immunity: Complete resistance to freezing temperatures.
Warning: Prolonged exposure to absolute zero temperatures can disrupt molecular structures, leading to disintegration. The environmental damage is often irreversible.
THEORETICAL RECONSTRUCTION†:
Achieving absolute zero may involve siphoning thermal energy on a massive scale. The practitioner's body must adapt to withstand the cold, possibly through transformation or protective enchantments. The surrounding environment cannot compensate for the sudden loss of heat, resulting in widespread devastation.
SECTION III: THE MENTAL MASTERIES
TOTAL MIND CONTROL
[Recovery Status]: 85% Complete | [Danger Level]: EXTREME | [Last Known Practitioner]: Emperor Xander the Puppetmaster, 1304
EXCERPT FROM SECRET MEMOIRS:
> To control a mind is to control a soul. Thoughts, desires, fears—all laid bare and pliable to my will. Nations bow not because they choose to, but because I command it.
HISTORICAL CONTEXT:
Emperor Xander, known as the Puppetmaster, ruled with an iron fist and an unseen hand. His ability to control the minds of others allowed him to amass an empire without opposition. Records indicate entire councils and armies fell under his sway, executing his will without question.
PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT STUDY:
Survivors freed from Xander's control exhibited severe psychological trauma. Symptoms included memory loss, identity confusion, and in extreme cases, catatonia. The long-term effects on society were ████████, leading to ████████████████████████ paranoia that lasted generations.
DOCUMENTED ABILITIES:
* Thought Insertion: Planting ideas or commands into a target's mind.
* Emotion Manipulation: Altering feelings to influence behavior.
* Memory Erasure: Removing or altering memories.
* Telepathic Control: Directly controlling actions through mental links.
* Mass Influence: Affecting large groups simultaneously.
Warning: Total Mind Control violates fundamental ethical principles and free will. Practitioners risk losing their own sense of self and facing severe repercussions from protective entities.
THEORETICAL RECONSTRUCTION†:
Achieving total control may involve amplifying telepathic abilities through ████████████████████████. The practitioner's mind must overpower the ████████, a process that could erode barriers between consciousnesses. Long-term use might lead to identity dilution ████████████████ and mental collapse.
DREAM WEAVING
[Recovery Status]: 60% Complete | [Danger Level]: MODERATE | [Last Known Practitioner]: The Dreamer, 1901
FRAGMENTED RECORDINGS:
> In the realm of dreams, I am the architect. I shape realities, craft desires, and weave nightmares. The sleeping mind is a canvas, and I, its painter.
HISTORICAL CONTEXT:
Dream Weaving involves entering and manipulating the dreams of others. The Dreamer, an ██████████████ figure, was said to influence political decisions and social movements by altering the subconscious minds of key individuals. While less overtly destructive than other lost arts, the ethical implications are ████████████████████.
CASE STUDY:
Subjects exposed to Dream Weaving reported ████████ dreams that influenced their waking decisions. One politician reversed his stance on a critical policy after a series of prophetic dreams. Psychological evaluations showed increased suggestibility and altered moral judgments.
DOCUMENTED ABILITIES:
* Dream Entry: Entering and observing another's dreams.
* Dream Manipulation: Altering dream content to influence thoughts.
* Shared Dreaming: Connecting multiple individuals within the same dream.
* Nightmare Induction: Causing distressing dreams to weaken mental fortitude.
* Lucid Control: Full control over one's own dreams for extended periods.
Warning: Overuse can blur the lines between dreams and reality, leading to disorientation and mental instability.
THEORETICAL RECONSTRUCTION†:
Dream Weaving may involve astral projection and deep telepathic connections. The dream realm is less structured than reality, allowing for greater creativity but also unpredictability. Practitioners must navigate the subconscious landscapes carefully to avoid becoming trapped or causing unintended harm.
CONCLUDING NOTES
The study of lost abilities remains our most dangerous and vital field of research. Understanding what was lost helps us prevent its return. These abilities, though fascinating, serve as reminders of the perils that accompany the pursuit of absolute power. The consequences of their use have ██████████ through time, leaving scars on the world ████████████████████████ tales for those who might follow in their footsteps.
As guardians of knowledge, it is our duty to preserve these histories, not to resurrect the practices. The allure of these powers is strong, but the cost is invariably too high. We must learn from the mistakes of the past to safeguard our future.
Final Warning: If you recognize any of these abilities manifesting, do not attempt to control them. Contact the Council immediately. Some doors, once opened, cannot be closed. The preservation of our world and the safety of all depend on our [REDACTED].
[END OF DOCUMENT]
Note: This document self-updates based on new discoveries and containment breaches. Last updated: [DATE REDACTED]