The Elemental Sects: Xynne
Common Term: Time Complementary Sects: Prestlae, Alindye Counter: Jetraal Indirect Counters: Leshranel, Uthyn Domain: time, speed, memory, dispersion (physical)
Like Prestlae magick, much of Xynne magick is highly regulated, if not outright forbidden, which is part of why I chose to present these at the end of the elemental list.
Xynne weavers are able to comprehend time on a level that most drians and other creatures cannot. In one essay, an Archweaver of the Xynne sect explained that time was not chronological, but more like little squiggly lines that a child had drawn. They crisscross and overlap and loop back over one another. However, most creatures’ progression through time is a linear march, and so that is how we perceive it. Xynne weavers, however, can follow the flow of time as it actually occurs, stepping into the past and future as they wish. However, even if they do such a thing, stepping out of this line anywhere aside from where they entered creates a magickal pulse. This Archweaver, Lord Vrasser Khaoce, told us to think of it as such: here in Order we’ve a set amount of magick. If someone steps through time, then they are taking their part of their element away from their current time and adding it to another, which causes a swell in the leylines, as the world’s natural order attempts to compensate. This creates what is known as a ripple effect. While wildfires, floods, and expedited growth of plants can easily be dispersed or controlled, Xynne ripples are much more difficult, for if they aren’t canceled correctly, they just create more ripples.
It should also be noted that all spells have some sort of backlash. Typically, it is assumed that they simply draw energy from their caster. The stronger the spell, the weaker it leaves their caster after it’s been used. In truth, every spell has some sort of physical backlash beyond its caster. Most Wry spells will leave the room a bit warmer—normally not even a noticeable amount. However, there have been instances of Wry weavers’ clothes catching fire after using a powerful spell or Tyssil weavers leaving gaping cracks in the ground around them after channeling a particularly powerful ward or attack. These are just a few of the examples. Most spells’ aftereffects are such that they do not actually harm the physical world. Unfortunately, Xynne’s aftereffect almost always creates a ripple. It can be as simple as feeling a moment where one is sure that they have done something before, or as drastic as the case of Bethrenal, a small village in what is now northern Achieven, where all of its people are perpetually stuck going through the same day, unaware that the rest of the world has left them far, far behind.
That said, the first sub sect is, as usual, where this element gets its common name: time. In theory, Xynne weavers can travel through time as they please, and can manipulate it as they wish, speeding up a horrible day, slowing down a pleasant one. However, because of the ripple effect, this sect of magick is reduced almost entirely to theory.
The next sub sect is speed. Rather than trying to control an area’s time, this sub sect focuses on an individual. Through very careful spell preparation, Xynne weavers can offer a sacrifice of some of their own magick to negate the ripple from such spells, allowing for increased running speeds or reduced casting times for others. This sort of spell is highly taxing on a Xynne weaver, but as it is one of the few instances where they are actually permitted to use magick, many of them flocked to such studies.
Memory is the third sub sect. Xynne weavers can manipulate what a person remembers or forgets by applying filters to the mind, enabling one to peer back into certain events for key information, or forget traumatic incidents all together.
Lasly, Xynne weavers can physically disperse something. Supposedly they do so by accelerating its time to the point that the item decays or withers away to nothing, though to the naked eye, all one would see is the item slumping into a pile of dust.
As cannot be stressed enough, it requires an incredible understanding of Xynne magick to be able to use any of these sub sects without damaging the world on a drastic scale, and most Xynne magick is simple theory.
Xynne weavers generally have photographic memories. When they get a grudge, they hold it until they day they die. Likewise, they are likely to remain passionately in love, as they will always remember the reasons they fell. They can be hurt when others forget what they perceive as important. They are loyal and reliable.
Xynne weavers make good event planners, managers, secretaries, and archivists.
