Yantra

Yantras, called Instruments by the Free Council and Chains by the Exarchs,^[1] are foci that mages utilize to aid in spellcasting. They need not be objects — yantras may also be places, a set of actions, or a kind of environment.^[2]

By their nature, yantras lack actual power. Their importance is in their symbolism: They represent something to the willworker, with whom the power resides, and ease his casting.^[1]

The use of yantras is an ancient practice, going back to the time of the Neolithic Vinča, whose ritual pottery, being marked with High Speech, was capable of being used as such by their Wise.^[3]

There are many kinds of yantras - their use is only limited by the user's imagination, beliefs and personal aesthetics.

Mantras

The use of High Speech as a yantra^[4] is one of the most common yantras, usually taught to fledgling mages by an Order. High speech cannot be whispered, it must always be loudly intoned, which makes its use in the presence of Sleepers impractical.

Mudras

Another yantra favoured by the Order's, they typically embody a particular philosophy^[5] associated with the Order, and usually take the form of physical mnemonics. Hand gestures, dance, combat, even kissing are used as mudras.

Tools

The most common types of yantras used - these are props that are symbolically aligned with the magic being performed^[5]. A healer might use a stethoscope as a yantra in a healing spell, and a necromancer might use a gravedigger's shovel as a yantra to raise the dead. There are five known Path Tools that are universally symbolic:

• Coins or other symbols of material wealth, which represent construction, repair, and inanimate or intangible things that last beyond mere human lifespans. It is the Tool closest to the Fallen World, and so is often used to manipulate it directly, for money or other resources.
• Cups or other drinking vessels can invoke healing, intuition, perceptual magic, and gathering together. Drinking from a shared cup is a common way to spread a spell among a group. It’s often seen as a symbol of female sexuality, though what that means depends on the mage.
• Mirrors may be actual mirrors, polished plates, or reflecting pools held in containers of the appropriate material. They represent sight, soul, and the self, and are the Magical Tool most commonly used when the mage would work a spell upon herself.
• Rods, wands, or staves are symbols of control — the ability to point and have a thing happen. Pointing a rod is a way of singling out a specific victim, while holding one is a symbol of rulership and command. It’s also used as a symbol of male sexuality.
• Weapons, most normally knives, are symbols of thought made action — any spell that takes direct, decisive action on the world (or a person) can benefit from a weapon. While often used to harm, weapons also represent the mastery of intellect and will over the world.

Places

Places can be used as yantras for appropriate spells. A volcano could be used as yantra in fire magic, and a bank vault could be used as a yantra to transmute lead into gold. Demesnes are especially potent Yantras, providing +2 to spells cast from the soul stone's primary arcana. Realms such as the Astral, the Shadow and the Underworld similarly can be potent Yantras for Mind, Spirit and Death magic respectively

Sacraments

The act of destroying something valuable can be a powerful yantra. The more valuable or difficult the item is to obtain, the more powerful the yantra. Tearing a sketch of an enemy to empower an attack spell is one thing, but creating a life-size sculpture of them out of marble and destroying it with a hammer would be more effective. A type of sacrament yantra is the breaking of an oath. Mages can derive mana by swearing and abiding by oaths - and the breaking thereof will drain their mana completely, in exchange for providing a mighty yantra bonus to spellcasting.

Sympathetic Yantra

Most commonly used to cast Sympathetic Magic, these yantras represent the subject of a spell. They can take the form of photographs or drawings, a vial of blood or a lock of hair, or even simply their sympathetic name.

Persona

Some mages invest in their cabals and in their Shadow Names, coming up with whole new personas as willworkers, independent — or at least, significantly divergent — from who they were as Sleepers. A persona binds a mage’s magical style, her personal mysteries, and her Shadow Name into an identity that, over time, leaves its mark on the Fallen World. By playing to this fictional persona, she can tap in to a level of Supernal sympathy. Her actions must play in to her personal story, however — a fortune-teller or faith healer can’t use her persona as a Yantra to harm another. By contrast, the faith healer could use his persona not just for healing, but to bolster his reputation and give his words greater gravitas, making people more likely to believe him.

References