What exactly is Cthonic magic?
It's a kind of magic presented in RoP: Infernal - as a something not entirely infernal yet label in that direction because it require you to do things that in terms of the Dominion and eternal damnation are... problematic.
So its not infernal but its skating around the edge of the pit, so to speak?
[Serf's Parma] it is not infernal in the sense of being of the infernal realm, but it is infernal in the sense of being sinful.
What's the difference?
Metaphysical.
Beside how you use it in stories in terms of fluff, there are other more palpable difference. Such as, but not exlcuded to, whether it constitutes diabolism in terms of the Code, how it is affected by Realm interaction and who might detect you as what.
It mainly draws its powers from the pagan underworld(s) and not from demons and devils from the infernal realm. This might influence who could introduct you into and what kind of personalities it might get you involved with.
But when the final curtain falls, depending on the details of your actions, it might damn you to hell as well as having wielded any 'truely' diabolic power.
Oh that mey be exactly what I've been looking for all this time. Huh.
Okay, this might be my stupidest question yet, but, how do you pronounce "cthonic"?
It's Greek. I don't know how to spell it in sounds - but someting like K'tonic
Is making a ravens stone cthonic magic that should simultaneously get her in trouble and doom her to hell?
(a ravens stone can bring a dead person back to life if you can get one fast enough. they come from the mouth of a dead raven chick.)
It is pronounced with a silent "c", like this:
thon-ik
according to my dictionary. So it's not a dumb question; I had to look it up. It means, "dealing with the underworld".
Back on the subject.
(I do tend to wander)
I really would like to hear anyone's opinion or definition of the concept of evil, if it hasn't already been mentioned.
All replies so far have been enlightening.
hehe - my dictionary said that North Americans tend to make it a silent 'c' while Europeans tend to pronounce the 'ch' as 'k' - which is closer to the original Greek (of the first letters at least)...
BellaDonna, concerning Evil I have little else to contribute with at this point. I still think that it is very personal/relative and bound to what stories you'll be telling, and thus hard to quantify.
BellaDonna, concerning Evil I have little else to contribute with at this point. I still think that it is very personal/relative and bound to what stories you'll be telling, and thus hard to quantify.
[/quote]
Okay, I can accept that. I am slowly getting a grasp on it. Thanks!
But it can be an interesting discusion - but in the end it is most applicable within one's specific troupe and its players.
We have barely begun. getting everyone's different opinions before I got going was a really good way of learning how to role play a character.
Of course its evil.
The question isn't "Am I eviil?" its "Am I really evil, or am I just morally compromised at some level, like most people?"
You could, for example, practice on bad people, like bandits. Some would argue that this was not quite so evil, and not evil at all in self-defence. Or, you could just get with the Church's program and accept that all people are sinners, so you are a sinner.
Well, i've studied real world occult Hermeticism to some extent, and own some books, and (and keep in mind that this is just my opinion and doesn't really have much to do with an rpg game) in the grand scheme of how God/The Universe/The Force, whatever you want to call it, Good and Evil doesn't exist the way humans perceive it. There is Positive and Negative, two sides of the coin so that one is given existence through the other. Evil in its basest, most vile, most horrendous forms, if one wants to call it the Devil or Satan or just an anonymous Arch-Fiend, is a driving force, as ordained by God, that pushes a hermetic wizard toward loftier goals, and tries its hardest to drag him down away from spiritual achievements. That's just what they do in the earthly sphere, and isn't so much "evil" as their "job".
But for regular folks just getting by day to day, good and evil seems pretty clear cut much of the time.
In Mythic Europe the Divine is a Fact. So is sin and damnation. And a vast majority of the Order of Hermes acknowledges that. Using magic in mortally sinful ways will earn you a ticket to Hell, or Purgatory if you're lucky... Heck, even the act of using magic might do so.
The question isn't "Am I eviil?" its "Am I really evil, or am I just morally compromised at some level, like most people?"
That is very well put and exactly the question I am asking.
I don't think anyone walks around thinking they are evil. I don't think Hitler woke up every morning and said to him self what sort of evil can I do today?
Why evil has a place in Ars Magica "Evil" is an antiquated hold over of AD&D probably has as much relevance to Ars as alignments does. I would focus on playing your character how ever you want and prepare for the reasonable reprocussions that follow the choices your character makes.