Thanaturgy

Public/Official Status: Forbidden and Mythtical. Denied and actively suppressed by the Conclave. Most do not know it exists and deny it.

Philosophy: Thanaturgy seeks absolute control over Life Force (Evita​)—the vital essence that sustains all organic matter. It involves drawing, draining, augmenting, and perverting this essence for magical power. Practitioners believe Mana is merely the exhaust fume of the cosmos, whereas Life Force is the engine itself.

Focus:

• Life Draining/Transfer: Siphoning the health, youth, or vigor from one being to empower or restore another.

• Life Manipulation: Forced growth, accelerated decay, tissue mending (faster but more brutal than Abjuration), and control over biological functions (paralysis, mind-control via the nervous system).

• Necromancy: The manipulation of corrupted Evita​ (Void-Mana) to animate or sustain dead tissue.

The Deep History (The Sundering Connection): Known to none, the leaders of the ancient civilization sought to become immortal and control their entire populace through Thanaturgy, leading to horrific genetic and biological experiments powered by mass life siphoning. When the rituals demanded too much, they fractured the world's natural order, causing the Sundering. The practice still utilizes Void-Mana, the toxic magical residue left in the world's deepest corners.

Dangers:

• The Void: Constant exposure to Void-Mana slowly kills the caster’s natural empathy, twisting their appearance and mind.

• Casting Cost: The most powerful spells require a direct, often fatal, input of Evita​.

Signature Spells (Expanded):

• Siphon Vitality: Drains health/youth from a target to feed the caster's Mana or mend their injuries.

• Flesh Knit (Brutal Mending): Accelerates tissue repair unnaturally fast, but leaves severe, pale scarring.

• Biological Puppet: Temporary control over a living creature's motor functions via their nervous system.

• Animate Husk: Uses Void-Mana to raise a controlled zombie or skeleton.