Matias’s Practical Ritualism [Windermere]
Date: 2025-10-09 20:02
(Matias’s Practical Ritualism [Windermere])
[Thu Oct 9 2025]
A Musty Basement Seminar Room
The Plymouth Seminar Room occupies a windowless corner of the basement, its
low ceiling supported by exposed pipes that occasionally emit soft clicking
sounds as they expand and contract. Fluorescent lights cast an uneven glow
across rows of wooden chairs with attached writing tablets, their surfaces
marked by decades of student use. The walls, painted institutional beige,
display water stains near the corners where moisture has seeped through the
foundation. A heavy wooden table sits at the front of the room, its dark
surface reflecting the overhead lights in distorted patterns. The air carries
a persistent mustiness despite the ventilation grates set into the walls, and
the temperature remains several degrees cooler than the floors above. Cork
boards line one wall, their surfaces dotted with faded announcements and
peculiar symbols drawn in chalk that seem to shift slightly in peripheral
vision. The door, reinforced with a small wire-glass window, closes with a
weight that suggests its age and the settling of the building around it.
It is about 50F(10C) degrees. The mist is heaviest At Hawthorn and Oakwood
Kaelyn tucks her hands into her lap, looking forward as Matias starts to begins to speak offering a small, “Mercy is on her way,” in explanation.
Matias nods to Kaelyn and waits with a look down at his wrist watch and a comment to the rest of the room, “This is why we live in dorms students. Cheap. Across the quad. You all get to socialize. We have the new student union bookstore just across the street.”
Nemi nods softly in agreement with Matias. “I find the cheap part to be quite the benefit in all honesty.” She states with a soft smile.
Kaelyn chews her lip, looking back to the door with a small frown.
Alhambra nods in agreement with Nemi’s comment and says, “Cheap is definately nice. Especially on a student’s salary.”
Kaelyn says “Plymouth house. Down.“
Matias says “South Miss Matlock.“
Mercy says “Oh. “
Kaelyn rejoins the seat, “Apologies, sir.”
Mercy clears her throat loudly, only struggling a little to catch her breath, and wanders for the nearest available seat.
The percussive ‘THUNK’ of Celestine’s cane heralds her arrival far before she manages to shamble into the room… each forward press of the shaft into the flooring beneath dragging her forward with the inevitability of an oncoming plague. Her leftmost leg seems to shudder as she walks… locking in place only as she settles all of her weight upon it… its metallic creaking filling the room with a sound reminiscent of aching bones. Pausing by the door… wide, owlish eyes gaze upon the room like twin full moons… basking the gathered group in the intensity of their silvery glow. “Hello.” Celestine offers in her melodic, soft-spoken voice, before wandering over to pull a chair away from the rows of seats, and drag it loudly off to a far corner of the room. Seating herself and turning to examine the class in silence.
Mercy seems a bit perplexed by Celestine’s presence but offers the woman a quick wave before digging out her notebook, something she seems exceptionally pleased with herself for having remembered to bring. It’s enthusiastically slammed down against a knee, other hand lifting a pen and eyes on Matias while her thumb pushes the end out with an audible *click*.
Mercy says “Ayeah, now shhh.“
Matias has already written on the board PRACTICAL RITUALISM & The Basics, “So as I was saying. Dorms. Campus. I know you all want to live in big houses with your older boyfriends, girlfriend, and special someone but it is cheap and you do not have to drive.” he informs them before picking up the chalk. “So remedial ritual basics and magic… Before we get to the practical part.” he begins to write POWER > INTENT > EFFECT. “Humanity discovered the first form of magic, ritual magic, a long time ago pre-written history. These were often sacrifice based blood rites and religious in nature. The efficiency and method of ritualism has advanced significantly but the underlying formula has not. Power… Life essence, blood, death, strong emotions, vitality they all tap into the life force of yourself or other things. These power the ritual magic. Intent is what you want to happen. I want to find where someone is. Expressing my intent is the tradition or method of ritual magic. That means am I drawing a circle with a bell, candle, and key like Wiccan Witches or do I use runes or formulas or a focus item. Finally Effect this is when the power of the ritual and the intent are made clear and the effect happens. I find someone by gaining a vision of their location from their point of voice.” he looks around the room as he rattles off ‘the basics’. “Questions?”
Alhambra listens quietly as Matias starts off the class, starting to write down notes, on occasion.
Mercy snorts a little at that first bit, not remotely applicable to her, but otherwise listens attentively and only takes her eyes off Matias to flick quick downward glances as she scribbles into her tattered old notebook.
Occupying the edges of the room like a shadow, both hands reach forward to settle upon the clutch of her cane as the lesson begins in earnest. Celestine sways softly in her seat, eyes growing distant and glassy, eyes drifting about the gathered students as though seeking out specifics amongst a crowd she cannot see.
Jasper slowly nods his head as he watches Matias with silence. Moving one hand, he reaches into his bag and pulls out a piece of paper and a pencil, with the former set before him on the desk for him to start writing on.
With no forthcoming questions Matias writes on the board TRADITION / METHOD , “The tradition or method you use for your ritualism normally defines your ‘school’ of magic. So you can use a CHATGPT generated technobabble thing that expresses your intent through binary code into a circle that is the Wifi frequency. Alternatively you can use…” he pulls out what appears to be a saint minted coin, holds it up for the class between to fingers. “The simple circular shape. When I am traveling and do not have time to draw full circles. I will use a circular object. The metaphysics is what matters here. Now when I am using something this small instead of a full body circle that contains my entire person I am using more power and possibly taking more time. Everything in ritualism is a balance of POWER then EFFICIENCY. The more unique and less time honoured your methodology the more likely it is not as energy efficient or time efficient but you may have uses for it anyway like my ability to cast while holding a coin outside New Haven in public places.”
Mercy holds a near perpetual furrow of intense concentration in her brow as she writes things out, bottom lip coming to be trapped between her teeth. She’s trying.
Nemi nods softly as she starts rapid firing taking notes, quite silently though with a ballpoint pen, as the professor speaks as she hums softly.
Kaelyn tilts her head at something, but seems determined to ignore it in favor of looking straight ahead at the board and Professor Matias. She tilts her head with a little hum absorbing it for a few moments before nodding. “So, all three must come together? If at an intent gets muddled then the effect, too may go astray?” Another tilt and she nods at the second part of that.
Matias turns back to the board and begins to write: Dark (Necromatic) Magic, Natural (Harmonic) Magic, Illusion Magic, Elemental Magic. As he is writing Kaelyn asks a question and he does not turn to answer but instead speaks while chalk continues to write out on the board. “If your power is insufficient such as you are wounded or have been fed on repeatedly or you have cast to many rites and are low on your own life vitality, than the effect will fail to manifest. If the intent in unclear such as I want to find ‘Bob’ , well Bob who there are a lot of Bob’s. If I fail to visualize or express my intent accurately as to which Bob, then the effect will fail to manifest. You also have limitations. Let us suppose I want to find Miss Teagan Lawson who was kidnapped by a monster this past week. Well monsters come from offworld such as the Wilds, the Other, Godrealms, or Hell. Ritual magic does not cross planes of existence. I would need to be on the same ‘world’ as Miss Lawson to try and scry her location. So sometimes the intent is not achievable and will fail to manifest.” and now turning around he points at the list. “These are the ‘schools’ of magic. If you are a werewolf than Dark is the most nauseating to you, followed by Illusions, followed by Elemental, ending in Natural which generally if there are werewolf arcanists they are almost always Natural or Druid arcanists. Questions?”
Mercy skims a glance over Jasper after he moves in the corner of her vision, then back to the board to see a whole new section of things for her to hurriedly write down.
Mercy lifts her hand a little. “Uh- jus’, like, if you were gonna dabble in somethin’ ‘easy’, what’s considered the easier stuff to practice that ain’ gonna blow up in yer face or what ever?”
Kaelyn raises a hand, “If a ritual has already been cast. Say something like…” She pauses searching for the word as her hand lowers, “Haunting. If a person were to move into one of the other realms would the spell break or simply be disrupted for that time?”
Nemi hums softly, shaking her head as she continues to write notes on the ‘lecture’ so far with a smile before her attention turns when Kaelyn asks the question, and her head turns to Matias to await the answer.
“Slightly outside of scope but…” Matias puts a | line to the right of what he had written and then at the top TIERS OF MAGIC and begins with RITUALISM and below that COMBAT MAGIC and below that SUMMONING and finally SORCERY. “Ritualism is actually the simplest form of Magic because natural humans discovered it and can do it, just not as effectively as supernatural or gifted humans can. After that combat magic or mancing is the next tier. This is hand magic, word magic, things like causing gusts of wind, lightning strikes, manipulating peoples perceptions, stopping their heart, creating partial wards against harm. After mancing comes summoning, this is imbuing a spirit into a physical object. These are commonly called minions or familiars. Finally the highest form of magic -normally- is sorcery this is the ability to manifest magical energies directly from your hand. After that we enter fleshforming, fate crafting, and forms of high magic not commonly achieved by supernaturals of our era.” and then to Kaelyn, “If you are being haunted and go offworld the haunting will end. The familiar or spirit can no longer follow you.”
“Any questions before I go onto practical uses of rituals?” Matias looks over the room.
Mercy bobs her head as Matias goes into more detail, scribbling away and having to flip the page a couple times already. “Ritualism.. mancin’..” she mumbles quietly, trying to commit it all to paper and memory alike.
Kaelyn rubs her thumb over her lip, “And without reapplying the ritual it won’t be able to find you again?”
“One of the simplest rituals to perform, Mademoiselle Mercy–” Celestine interjects with a slight, apologetic nod to Matias. “Is scrying. It is among the least demanding of miracles a ritualist can perform, and it is rather definitive as to whether you have succeeded or failed. It is still best, I imagine, for new ritualists to perform their first ‘miracles’ under oversight. Just in case, say, you are to pass out.” Celestine’s soft-spoken soprano spills over her lips like a melody yet unsung… lingering upon the wind like poetry. Her oddly-syncopated speech makes her words, at times, difficult to follow. But Celestine seems no less attentive for it. Flipping open her pocketbook, and jotting something brief within.
Mercy glances back up to peer over at Celestine, head tilted to one side. “Makes sense, sure. Seems like you ain’ need a remedial class, miss Cel.” she quips lightly, the jab meant in humor.
Snickering quietly to herself, the peculiar Celestine glances up to favor Mercy with a jittering, playful motion which seems to resemble a wink. “…Alas, I am held back by eight years. Curse this masterful curriculum.” It is a joke. Obviously a joke… right?
Mercy can never tell with Celestine so she just scrunches up her brow again, wears her best attempt at a sympathetic tone, and says, “Oh. Well shit, that sucks.”
Nemi chuckles a small bit as she smiles warmly and continues with a bit more note taking.
“No once the haunting is broken it is broken. The ritualist would need to cease maintaining it or simply re-cast.” Matias confirms to Kaelyn and then reviews the before before clapping his hands together. “Okay practical ritualism. So it takes me minutes to cast a rite. I can also do several back to back. What is practical for me and for a beginner are wildly different.” he begins in that brazilian accented english. “We are going to assume a beginner competency with ritualism and cover powerful rituals that take half an hour or more.” he begins to write on the board SCRY , HAUNT , IMPRINT , BODY COMPULSIONS , WARDING , DECAY. “Alright this is not exhaustive but these are different rituals which can be used in singular instances and provide value. We will begin with two that are useful for helping people caught in the missed or kidnapped with no phone either because they shapeshift or because their kidnapper has removed the phone. “Scrying only works if your target is conscious and can see in the place they are being kept. However it is very useful. I find Haunting to be more useful. This allows you to see the target and manifest illusions around them that only they can see. I will often use this when seeking shapeshifters lost in the mists because traces cannot be run and I find it is more successful than a direct scry. Normally I will have a spirit familiar communicate with them and see if they can tell where they are, if I cannot than another person might shift and fly around where we think they are until they indicate they can see them and thus we can zero in on their location.”
“No once the haunting is broken it is broken. The ritualist would need to cease maintaining it or simply re-cast.” Matias confirms to Kaelyn and then reviews the before before clapping his hands together. “Okay practical ritualism. So it takes me minutes to cast a rite. I can also do several back to back. What is practical for me and for a beginner are wildly different.” he begins in that brazilian accented english. “We are going to assume a beginner competency with ritualism and cover powerful rituals that take half an hour or more.” he begins to write on the board SCRY , HAUNT , IMPRINT , BODY COMPULSIONS , WARDING , DECAY. “Alright this is not exhaustive but these are different rituals which can be used in singular instances and provide value. We will begin with two that are useful for helping people caught in the missed or kidnapped with no phone either because they shapeshift or because their kidnapper has removed the phone.” and then he just keeps talking and talking in a never ending lecture it is truly impressive how much air he can get with each breath “Scrying only works if your target is conscious and can see in the place they are being kept. However it is very useful. I find Haunting to be more useful. This allows you to see the target and manifest illusions around them that only they can see. I will often use this when seeking shapeshifters lost in the mists because traces cannot be run and I find it is more successful than a direct scry. Normally I will have a spirit familiar communicate with them and see if they can tell where they are, if I cannot than another person might shift and fly around where we think they are until they indicate they can see them and thus we can zero in on their location.”
Mercy seems to find this information of particular interest, shooting Celestine a quick glance before she’s absorbed in her note-taking again, broader sweeps suggesting she’s even trying to add relevant doodles.
The porcelain smile etched upon Celestine’s lips betrays little more than amusement, but she offers the slightest of affirming nods in the direction of the auburn-haired woman at her questioning glance. Celestine reaches up to adjust the lenses of her sunglasses, before sighing, and rolling back her sleeves. Wiping her arm along the open canvas of her pocketbook.
Letting out a low hum, Jasper looks up for a moment before he scribbles something on his notes.
Kaelyn folds one leg underneath her, a little too familiar with the last method mentioned. Pulling out her phone she types a few things in it with a little hum, her eyes darting between it and the board. “So, scrying you don’t really interact with the target? Just observe?” Tilting her head to the side, “I remember when you cast the haunt on me if felt like something was watching me. Would the scrying have that same effect or more subtle?”
Mercy had moved to raise her hand, only for Kaelyn to ask the question she had queued up.
Matias underlines IMPRINT and BODY COMPULSION. “These are powerful tools but you need to understand how they vary. Firstly a ritual imprint is almost impossible to resist the effect of -but- it is not a command that must be followed. It is a very insistent suggestion which the targets psyche may desire or want to follow but not need or have to follow. It can also be traced back to the ritualist although in my experience imprints rarely have enough outward disruptive effects to prompt that kind of investigation. Ritual Tracing shows the last Arcanist to affect someone directly.” and then he circles BODY COMPULSION. “This like ritual imprints is not ever resisted -but- unlike psychological and mind manipulation body compulsions are obvious. Your target will -know- they have this compulsion because their body operates separate from their intent.” a look around the room. “Now why do I bring this up? Well let us suppose… Miss Ivorstead over here claims that a faculty member kidnapped her and tortured her on campus and gobbled up her leg!” the latino professor walks away from the board and towards where Nemi is seated. “She is furious but it is her word against… Mine! I would never be so mean nor sloppy.” a flash of a grin to the room. “Well Miss Ivorstead has had enough of my lies. She informs Professor Kane that she has ritual me with a body compulsion. Whenever I lie, I do a big thumbs down motion. She times it so the ritual takes effect right before a disciplinary meeting and suddenly oh dear… I am completely incapabale of lying outright about my dastardly deeds.”
“Now for the body compulsion you want to keep it near when you want the affect to be observed by others if that is your goal because as I stated people are aware when their body starts moving on its own or feeling sensations on its own.” Matias explains to the room and then to Kaelyn, “Correct scrying is like a snapshot, haunting is like remote viewing.”
Mercy looks between Matias and Nemi after that proposed scenario and example, muttering a quiet but audible ‘Ooouuu..’ while writing. “An’ how long do imprints an’ compulsions tend to last?”
Nemi fains surprise as her leg is there, though acts as if it isnt, dying inside then gets this mischievous grin to act along for a moment, before chuckling as she entertained the idea a small bit. She looks between the professor and the others, but nods as she quickly writes down in her notes about the body compulsions. She hums, but nods softly. “It makes sense…. Though would someone possibly pair a body compulsion ritual with mind control to possibly cause you to ignore the compulsion?”
“Depends… If you try to ritual Hale, Kane, or myself… We are likely far stronger than you so hours. If we ritual you… Potentially days.” Matias explains as he begins to walk away from Nemi and back to the board. “The length of rituals which are not actively maintained tend to be determined by the degree of arcane power difference between the caster and the target.”
“You cannot ‘ignore’ a compulsion. A body compulsion is your subconscious body. Such as breathing, blinking, blood flow. You can not circumvent it except by being unconscious and unable to perceive the trigger.” Matias clarifies.
Kaelyn chews her lip with a little frown, “But, in that example. If you were made aware of it. So, lying is what caused the compulsion to kick in… could you word it carefully so you were not technically lying and avoid it that way?”
Mercy considers that reality with a hum, noting it down all the same.
“So let us suppose that I hypnotized a student with a mental compulsion. They MUST not raise their right arm. Then let us say I ritual body compelled them. They must raise their right arm when they see someone they have romantic feelings towards. Their arm would go up.” Matias explains and then he underlines BODY. “One is the body and one is the mind. The mind can decide and justify. The body MUST. That is why body compulsions are always known to their targets or at least they -can- be known. Because they are abnormal whereas mental compulsions are always justified and ignored by the targets.”
Mercy gives a quiet, amused snort from her seat and mutters, “Be a lotta raised right arms ’round here..” to herself.
“You could. This is a case where nothing is insurmountable.” Matias says to the class. “Let us suppose everytime I lied I barked like a dog. Well I can simply not answer! I can be like, I refuse to answer questions while treated this way! I am insulted!” he waves his arms dramatically. “I could also say… I did not gobble up Miss Ivorstead’s leg, because in reality I cut it off and fed it to a demon and so I never ‘gobbled’ it. In that instance it is on the questioner who has this knowledge that I am compelled to give a signal to press for adequate questions and answers.”
“These are tools and the tools value is determined by the ritualist and how creative you can get.” Matias adds while looking at the board. “Any other questions before we get to the last few practical rituals for beginners?”
Kaelyn hums rubbing her thumb over lip in thought and then simply shakes her head.
Matias returns to the board and taps WARDING and DECAY. “Warding or property ward is a common full moon ritual. Even the lowliest of arcanists even a human can do it. This creates a mystical ward which repels all forced entry by strength or cunning. It lasts until the following dawn. It expands over the whole property not just the room in which you are in.” he explains to the room. “So let us suppose you are in a borough controlled by the Legion and you find out they are out hunting for residents to torture. You can ward your home. Likewise full moon you can ward your home or any structure you happen to occupy assuming it has locks and walls. This can be countered by an Counter-Ward which also anyone can do.” there is a look around the room. “Then there is decay. This works against reinforced structures. So once upon a time there was a pack called the Howler’s. They were a troublesome group and a message needed to be sent. Now they were not morons they had a very secure home. Three arcanists all casting decay basically turned the walls into paper and the locks jammed open. We had a very productive chat and their very secure home was not very secure.”
Alhambra listens quietly to the class as she continues to write notes at various points in Matias’ lecture.
Mercy kind of sinks into her seat a little and glances away, back to chewing on her bottom lip.
“So what does this teach us?” Matias looks around the room. “Anyone can protect themselves. Anyone else can come for you. It is a matter of wills, effort, and wits. Ritualism is available to everyone. It becomes more powerful when you can do it faster, do more of them, but even someone that takes two hours can ward their home all day, imprint you, try and weaken your walls, or help find people in the mists.”
“Everything is possible, the question is what is -practical-.” Matias adds at the end
Nemi nods softly, humming she takes notes on warding in her notebook under a different section. She sighs softly as she hears that pack name and nods softly once she starts to hear the drama. But she continues to take notes. Writing something down when Practicality and possibility are both mentioned.
Mercy lifts her hand up again. “What branch does uh, stuff like shadowwalkin’ et cetera fall into?”
“Shadow walking is something anyone can use. I suppose I should cover it.” Matias says with a look at the board and adds SHADOW WALKING. “So shadow walking is a ritual which allows you to mark a spot as an anchor. You may travel to this spot with another person who is ‘helpless’ to your power willingly or otherwise. It does not work in the mists and does not work across worlds. But let us suppose I am in… Brazil and… Miss Ivorstead is again my example. She has been shot! She is bleeding out. I can place my hand on her, touch a shadow and be pulled immediately to a shadow in the place that I sanctified as my anchor. So I can go from brazil to New Haven and then bring her to a hospital.”
“In a less -helpful- example. Let us suppose that I find a Legion Lieutenant and manage to knock them out. I could use shadow walk to immediately yoink them to my evil Professor cave with the self destruct button. Prevents me having to carry them through the streets and help coming for them or someone seeing me moving them.” Matias continues
Mercy says “An’ does it last fer as long as that particular anchor ain’ used or is replaced?“
“It lasts an infinite amount of time to my knowledge until you re-anchor somewhere else.” Matias informs Mercy
Kaelyn chews her bottom lip at the mention of that pack, her gaze falling to the side as she listens. She nods a few times, taking in what was said. Typing out in her phone she takes a few more notes with a quit hum.
With her earring flashing a bright, serene blue… Celestine cocks her head in an almost birdlike manner, as though listening to a buzzing only she can hear. After a few moments… She reaches back for the clutch of her cane, grasping the handle firmly and pushing herself up to her feet. Dipping her head in unspoken deference to Matias. Quietly as her creaking leg allows… Celestine limps out of the room. raising some unspoken gesture of apology as she passes.
Mercy appears even more fascinated now, hurriedly jotting that down. “Hell yeah..”
“You could use it offensively. Let us suppose… Miss Matlock here wanted to rob me! She gets me to invite her over for tea and to discuss a lesson in deeper details. She arranges a distraction for me at the front door. Anchors her shadowwalk in my study… Then later that week gets someone to come with her and shadow walks into my study and steals things!” Matias chuckles quietly.
Mercy glances up again, then away, then back to Matias with an expression vaguely resembling that of a deer in the headlights. “Haha.. ayeah.. but I definitely weren’t ever gonna do that.”
Mercy ahems and goes back to her note taking.
“You probably would not want too. My study is guarded by a demonic spirit.” Matias says absently as he returns to the board. “Any questions?”
Mercy snorts again. “Course it is..”
Kaelyn glances between Matias and Mercy with a small smile and simply shakes her head.
“Alright we have about ten minutes, any final questions and any requests for my next class topic?” Matias wonders to the room.
Mercy says “Be interest in hearin’ more ’bout natural magic an’ stuff, otherwise sure it’ll be interestin’ either way.“
“I have office hours available for specifics like that. Normally the classes need to be a bit more generalized.” Matias explains
Mercy bobs a quick nod. “Ain’ a problem.”
Kaelyn taps her phone a few times in thought and types out something with a little hum.
Mercy finishes up her notes and finally closes the notebook, who’s cover is practically dangling off, with a satisfied exhale.
“Oh just so everyone knows. The Student Council is being re-voted for the end of the year. With Miss Callum stepping away from her studies I need someone willing to be the student lead to organize voting. Any takers?” Matias looks around the room.
Mercy nudges at Kaelyn encouragingly.
Kaelyn shakes her head at Mercy, waving her hands in a no motion. “I can’t do something like that.” She murmurs to the other woman.
Mercy leans in closer to Kaelyn as if to whisper, except she doesn’t. “What you even mean yer like miss social blahblah all the damn time.”
Nemi hums softly, finishing up her notes as well as she nods softly. She looks up as she nods in agreement. “Oh I can’t wait to see how it goes…. I’m considering running for one of the positions but probably not president or anything…. I still need to get in contact with sophie myself about the more… magic related thing…” She states as she looks back down towards her pocket, pulling out her phone and shooting off a text before she silently finishes up her notes.
Nemi says “Oh- Speaking of magic….“
Nemi reaches into her bag, looking for a moment.
“Also if any of you spot Miss Teagan Lawson over the coming days, please do check on her and inform Hale, Kane, Helen, or myself. We would like her not to go the way of Hester.” Matias says as the class comes to an end with the little additional announcements.