A Theory of Planar Instability caused by Lunar Magic

The following article contains player-created lore or theories. It is not necessarily an accurate reflection of official game lore.

A Theory of Planar Instability caused by Lunar Magic

As was mentioned at prior small gatherings here, some of us feel that the Arbiter is an active, present threat against this plane. The purpose of meeting today is to discuss how our spells come into contact with the Plane of Probability. Likely all spells. This is important to discuss because the Arbiter feels that every contact we make is a sign of aggression.

The very fact that the Arbiter made a deal with the traders is demonstrative of how every contact we make with probability angers him. The traders agreed not to touch the plane of probability in exchange for a being granted use of a magic similar to—but not the same as—our own.

I first would like to note that this conflict has been going on since at least the time of Nera and likely long before. This fact has been accepted for some time as part of our guild history and can be verified by taking a wizened bard into the Astral Plane. And while we would like to simply blame group predictions, astral travel, and teleologic sorcery, our conflict likely came before we even conceived of these ideas.

Certainly all of these may negatively impact our relation with our enemies, but I am not going to feel guilty or place blame on myself or my guild for being who we are. We have a connection to the Plane of Probability. I doubt many of us are willing to give up that connection.

On a side note, even the gods do not get too upset with us for using Teleologic Sorcery or even try to make you guilty for using it. Yet we all know that they do get upset with other types of sorcery. But I digress…

Tonight, I posit that we regularly tap into the Plane of Probability in ways that we do not often consider. I would not be surprised that, if one day, our guildhalls would teach that *all* of our magic does. I know I believe this to be so.

According to the book, A Beginner’s Guide to Astrology, a “mage may be able to determine how many degrees above the horizon a moon is by perceiving it and using the Taisgath obelisk as our point of reference”.

This seems to imply that our prophetic sense is connected to the Taisgath obelisk. In the book, An Interpretation of the Mirror Wraith Prophecy, we are reminded that this is true. Taramaine attempted to destroy our gift of prophecy by destroying the obelisk. This means that our very foresight and ability to perceive is integrally linked and touches upon the Plane of Probability.

But let us turn to our spells.

It is generally accepted that Teleportation Magic is possible because it uses references to the Plane of Probability. This means that teleport, moongate, whole displacement, and riftal summons fall would touch upon the Plane of Probability. And shift moonbeam likely does. I would wager that any spell that makes time and space inconsequential would fall into this category as well, which could mean that seer’s sense, thoughtcast, locate, and piercing gaze might also touch upon the Plane of Probability.

But my words alone will likely be insufficient for some here who may harbor doubts. Instead, let us turn and examine the words of our moon mage guild leaders when asked to describe our spells.

Our guild leaders tell us that Partial Displacement launches “unstable teleportational energy at the target”.

The shadows spell “diverts light away from the subject”. But is it too much of a leap to think that the shadows as coming from the Plane of Probability – the Plane of Shadows – a realm of shadow and starlight. After all, according to Profiles in Magic, Volume 12, “early versions of Shadows had a tendency to swallow the caster and propel them into other dimensions or planes.” Was this due to some connection to the Plane of Shadows? If so, perhaps this implies that the Dinazen Olkar spell also touches upon the Plane of Shadows as it “creates an edged rope of shadows”.

They say that Shadow Servant “summons a great hulking brute of a spirit creature” and Shadowling summons a ‘shadow creature’, which we know comes from the Plane of Probability. And while we think of these as benevolent creatures, when a person’s shadowling is present, it is not uncommon to feel “as if a predator is watching you from the shadows”.

But more importantly, the very fact that we can invoke a shadowling shows we draw from the plane of probability every time. We bind shadows to this plane when we invoke them. With a mere gesture, we adjust “the pattern that binds the shadowling to this plane. Invisible forces rapidly disperse the creature’s corporeal form as [we] merge its component shadows into [our] own.

The guild leaders tell us that the Aura Sense spell “strengthens a seer’s tie to the Plane of Probability”. Braun’s Conjecture “adjusts the balance of the caster’s conscious mind and their innate planar link”. Clear vision “affects all the senses … to some degree.” As a moon mage, I include my prophetic sense as a sense. Destiny Cipher “enhances a moon mage’s prophetic talents.

Seer’s sense lets one “sense the general distance and state of being of a target regardless of their distance from him.” On a side note, I always speculated that seer’s sense works by giving us an intuitive sense of what is going to happen a mere second before it happens.

Perhaps most importantly, we are told that Tenebrous Sense is a “simple spell that translates the subtle shifting of shadow and mass into a tactile sense.” And as many of us may know or intuitively feel, it enhances our sense of the Plane of Probability to the degree that it makes one think that our two Planes must be much closer than we think.

I have commonly seen shadows cast at the wrong angle, swaths of darkness behind me that change in texture, graphs and sigils impressed upon my vision, floating globs of substantial shadow and countless hordes of tiny skittering, multi-limbed...things, and a shadowy elf that resembles myself.

So to summarize, the purpose of this meeting was to show that we Mages connect to the Plane of Probability in more ways than we regularly consider. Divination, teleportation, predictions, teleologic sorcery, spells, and our simple perceptions touch upon the Plane of Probability
As such, in using our magical talent to expand our own minds, we regularly place ourselves in opposition to the Arbiter. Although there are some, even here, who may wish to debate the level of danger we face, I think we can all agree that he is not our friend.

Some of you will criticize me for what I say next. I’ve said before that we must learn how to fight against the Arbiter, if need be. In a few weeks, I hope to capture a hostile creature of shadow so that we may study it, converse with it if possible, and learn more about our adversaries.

But that won’t occur for a little while yet. Small steps must be taken first. When next we meet, I hope that we can gather together to study and share what we have learned.

I’ve said too much. Thank you for listening.

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