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World Building: Power System

ACCORD

The Accord is the defining source of power for witches in this world, yet it is not something inherited by blood nor imposed by birthright. 

Unlike raw, uncontrolled magic, the Accord is a conscious alignment, a bond forged between a witch and a greater cosmic force; be it one of the Seven Thrones (the Planets), the Hollow Deep (the Void), or the Ecliptic (the Celestial realm). 

The Accord is not merely a blessing or a tool of brute strength. It is a living agreement, shaped by reverence, understanding, and the ability to navigate the unseen currents that flow beneath the world.

The Accord is mutual; witches are not servants, but partners. They choose who to align with, just as the force may accept or deny them.

To wield the Accord, one must:

Understand the nature of their chosen force.Offer reverence through ritual, devotion, or acts of alignment.Uphold the terms of the pact for every force has its demands, its taboos, its expectations.

Should a witch stray from their chosen path, neglecting their oaths, disrespecting their Patron, or abusing their power, the Accord withers, leaving them powerless… or worse, cursed.

TYPES OF ACCORD

Thronic Accord (Planet-Aligned)

Power drawn from the Thrones, the cosmic seats of the Planets.

 Most common form of the Accord. Witches align with a specific Planet (Throne) and channel its influence.Their abilities reflect both the Planet's domain and its House associations.

Example:

A Venus witch with Thronic Accord weaves beauty, charm, and love manipulation through ritual and manifestation.A Mars witch channels aggression, courage, and protection through their Accord. Ecliptic Accord (Celestial-Aligned)

Accord granted by the Ecliptic Realm, the upper plane of divine order, fate, and cosmic law.

 Rare, prestigious, and often heavily restricted by moral codes.Witches with Ecliptic Accord wield powers of fate weaving, purification, and astral insight. Their alignment is with the great Celestial forces, beyond planetary Thrones.

Example:

A Starborn with Ecliptic Accord can subtly alter fate, cleanse corrupted spaces, or perceive future threads, but they are bound by strict cosmic ethics.

Hollow Accord (Void-Aligned)

A dangerous, forbidden form of the Accord drawn from the Hollow Deep, the bottom of the universe.

 Feared, often persecuted, but immensely potent. Grants access to shadow manipulation, forgotten truths, and reality-bending influence. The price is steep; Hollow witches risk unraveling their own mind or soul.

Example:

A Hollowmarked witch with Hollow Accord can erase memories, manipulate shadows, or alter perception, but they walk the line of madness and corruption.

THE NATURE OF THE PLANETS

In the common tongue, they are called planets; distant celestial bodies orbiting silently in the night sky.

But to witches, scholars, and those who understand the Accord, they are known by their true name: the Thrones.

The Planets are not lifeless stones adrift in space. 

They are sentient, cosmic sovereigns, ancient and immeasurably vast, each embodying a core aspect of mortal existence.

 They do not speak with words. They do not walk the earth. But their presence is undeniable, woven into fate and whispered through omens.

What Are the Planets?

They Are Thrones

The Planets are the seats of cosmic influence, governing domains of life that mortals experience daily: love, conflict, ambition, secrecy, and more.

To form an Accord with a Planet is not to control it; it is to align oneself to its nature, to borrow a fragment of its immeasurable power, and in doing so, to accept the burdens and responsibilities that come with that alignment.

They Are Archetypes

The Planets are more than physical entities; they are the manifestations of fundamental human experiences, distilled into celestial forms. Each Throne governs not just the heavens, but the hidden undercurrents of mortal life.

Their natures are reflected in the Houses they command, shaping how their influence touches the world.

The Known Thrones and Their Natures

Throne (Planet)

True Name

Nature & Domain

Mercury

Velaris

The Messenger. Governs knowledge, speech, deception, travel. Quick-witted, restless, cunning.

Venus

Elarion

The Enchantress. Governs beauty, love, desire, prosperity. Alluring, magnetic, dangerously enticing.

Mars

Kaelus

The Warrior. Governs war, courage, blood, strength, survival. Fiery, aggressive, protective.

Jupiter

Zevaris

The King. Governs fortune, expansion, faith, wisdom. Grand, benevolent, but prideful.

Saturn

Vireon

The Judge. Governs time, discipline, boundaries, consequence. Stern, patient, inescapable.

Uranus

Solivar

The Rebel. Governs change, upheaval, freedom, invention. Wild, unpredictable, catalytic.

Neptune

Neris

The Veil. Governs dreams, illusions, intuition, mysteries. Deep, elusive, enchanting.

Pluto

Obrion

The Gatekeeper. Governs death, rebirth, power, taboo. Shadowed, transformative, feared.

HOW ACCORD IS GAINED

The path to the Accord begins not at birth, but with choice, often following moments of upheaval, like pivotal, life-altering events that fracture the ordinary and reveal the hidden layers of reality.

These may be:

A near-death experience.A heartbreak so deep it leaves one hollow.A betrayal that shatters faith.A brush with something unknowable: a dream, an omen, a voice from beyond.

The Accord is mutual, witches are not servants, but partners. They choose who to align with, just as the force may accept or deny them.

THE NATURE OF THE ACCORD

Unlike crude displays of magical might, the Accord works through subtle manipulations:

A whispered word that tilts a conversation.A charm that turns the wind in your favor.A sigil that shifts a lover's heart.A ritual that delays decay, alters probability, clouds the mind.

The greatest witches are rarely loud, they are those who understand that to bend reality, one must first understand it, respect it, and align with the forces that shape it.

IN SIMPLE TERMS

No one is born a witch.Fate offers the opportunity; people choose to become witches.Power comes through the Accord, not brute force.The Accord is maintained through respect, ritual, and living in alignment with one's chosen force.To break the Accord is to break oneself.

SOURCE OF THE ACCORD

The Accord is not an abstract force that floats freely through the world, it originates from the entities that shape the very fabric of existence. 

Among these, the most common and most accessible to mortals are the Planets, though to call them mere celestial bodies would be to misunderstand their true nature entirely.

In this world, the planets are not distant, lifeless spheres; they are the Seven Thrones, ancient seats of power upon which cosmic forces reside.

 Each Throne governs a specific domain of mortal life: love, conflict, fortune, death, and more.

To the common folk, they are points of light in the sky.

To witches, they are sovereign entities: aware, influential, and capable of granting power through the Accord.

The Planets as Thrones

Each planet in the solar system embodies both a physical presence and a metaphysical authority. Their movements, alignments, and influence extend beyond the stars and subtly shape the world below.

Witches who wish to wield power through the Accord often align themselves with one of these Thrones, forging a pact and drawing upon the planet's domain to guide and fuel their Craft.

THE TWELVE HOUSES

The Planets are not isolated entities; they rule over Thrones, and those Thrones are woven through the Twelve Houses, the fundamental divisions of mortal existence.

A witch who forms an Accord with a planetary Throne does not merely draw raw power, they embody influence over the specific realms of life governed by the House that the Throne commands.

The Houses are not physical places, but domains of existence, aspects of life through which the Thrones' power flows. When a witch aligns with a planet, the particular House or Houses associated with that Throne shape the form of their Accord.

Planet (Throne)

Primary House Influence

Domains of the Accord

Velaris (Mercury)

3rd House (Communication) & 6th House (Skill, Work)

Speechcraft, deception, learning, adaptability

Elarion (Venus)

2nd House (Value) & 7th House (Love, Partnerships)

Love charms, beauty, attraction, binding contracts

Kaelus (Mars)

1st House (Self) & 8th House (Power, Death)

Aggression, vitality, blood magic, protection, transformation

Zevaris (Jupiter)

9th House (Philosophy, Belief) & 12th House (Secrets, Faith)

Expansion, blessings, prophecy, hidden knowledge

Vireon (Saturn)

10th House (Status, Discipline) & 11th House (Community, Ambition)

Structure, endurance, karmic justice, long-term influence

Solivar (Uranus)

11th House (Change, Society)

Rebellion, unpredictability, innovation

Neris (Neptune)

12th House (Mysticism, Illusion)

Dreams, intuition, veils of perception

Obrion (Pluto)

8th House (Death, Rebirth)

Taboo knowledge, necromancy, shadow work

The Thrones and the Greater Cosmos

While the Planets are the most common source of the Accord, they are not the only Thrones in existence. Beyond them lie:

The Ecliptic - The Celestial Realm, home to divine Thrones governing fate, light, and the higher order.

The Hollow Deep - The inverse of the Ecliptic, a churning abyss of forgotten truths, shadowed power, and dangerous entities.

Some witches seek their Accord from these more obscure, more dangerous REALMS, but most look to the Thrones that orbit visibly above, familiar and constant in the night sky.

EXPRESSIONS OF THE ACCORD

These expressions are generally classified into Five Pillars of Manifestation, each with its own flavor, limitations, and social perception.

Ritual Craft

The most formal, reliable, and respected use of the Accord.

Witches perform structured ceremonies to create lasting, intentional effects. Rituals often require:

Tools (sigils, herbs, candles, planetary symbols)Time (some rituals take hours, days, or even cycles of the moon)Precise alignment with the witch's Throne and House

Example Rituals:

Binding Ritual - Strengthen or sever relationships (7th House, Venus-aligned)

Fortune Weaving - Subtly shift probability for success (Jupiter-aligned)

Protection Circle - Ward a space against intrusion or ill will (Saturn-aligned)

Death Veil Ceremony - Guide a spirit or manipulate funerary energies (Pluto-aligned)

Manifestation (Wordless Influence)

Subtle, ambient manipulation of reality using intent and alignment; no formal spells, but steady effect.

- Attracting luck, opportunities

- Quietly influencing emotions

- Projecting beauty, charm, or authority

- Weaving one's presence to be noticed or ignored

Example: A Mars witch projects quiet dominance, making others yield during arguments without saying a word.

Sympathetic Magic (Personal Ties)

Using objects, photos, hair, or symbols to channel the Accord toward a specific person or situation.

 Binding spellsCurse or protection charmsInfluence over lovers, enemies, or eventsCreation of talismans

Example: A Hollowborn witch seals a rival's fate by weaving their hair into a cursed sigil.

Divination & Sight

Peering into hidden knowledge, the future, or unseen forces using the Accord.

 Tarot reading (heightened through the Accord) Scrying with mirrors, water, or smoke Dreamwalking & interpreting omensReading planetary alignments for guidance

Example: A Jupiter-aligned witch consults the stars before a critical decision, seeking favorable outcomes.

Environmental Craft (Subtle Space Manipulation)

Imbuing spaces, objects, or locations with energy aligned to the witch's Throne and House.

Protective wardsGlamoured spaces (e.g., a room feels warmer, more inviting, or unsettling)Creating "sanctified" or "cursed" areasAltering the mood or energy of a space

Example: A Saturn witch wards their home so that liars feel uncomfortable upon entering.

Veilwalking (Rare, High-Level)

Manipulating perception or existence at the edges of reality — walking between the seen and unseen.

 Dreamwalking Shadowblending Influencing probability in subtle, impossible waysSlipping through unnoticed (advanced hiding or blending)

Example: A Neptune or Void-aligned witch disappears from notice in a crowd, hidden not physically, but perceptually.

Forbidden Craft

Certain practices, especially Void-aligned or taboo planetary combinations, are considered dangerous or unethical:

 Memory erasureHexcraft aimed at death or mental destruction Soul manipulation Void-induced "unraveling" of reality

These are whispered of, often denied in polite covens, but everyone knows they exist.

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