안식자

안식자들은 가장 불가해하면서도 가장 눈에 띄는 협회 구성원들이다. 규모가 일정 수준 이상인 도시에는 언제나 마법사 협회 상점이 있고, 안식자들이 이 상점들을 운영한다.

안식자라는 명칭은 사실상 잘못된 명칭이다. 이들이 진정으로 안식을 찾았다고는 할 수 없기 때문이다. 오히려 이들은 말을 할 수 있는 무생물에 가깝다. 이들은 마법 능력을 부여한 주머니칼을 당신에게 팔고자 하는 탁자와 다를 바 없다. 그들의 눈은 공허하고, 목소리는 단조롭다. 물론 이들은 비할 데 없는 장인들이지만, 확실히 보통 사람들을 편안하게 만들어 주는 이들은 아니다.

—제니티비 수사의 저서, 지식을 찾아서: 성가회 학자의 여행기에서 발췌

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수습생들은 이 끔찍한 의식의 본질을 알지 못한다. 하지만 그 결과에 대해서는 익히 알고 있다. 시험에 통과해서 완전한 마법사가 되지 못하면, 두 번 다시 돌아올 수 없다는 것을 말이다. 이런 통과 의례를 두려워하거나 너무 약해 미덥지 못하다고 판단되는 자들에게는, 대신 안식화 의식이 치러진다.

입단 시험과 마찬가지로 의식의 과정은 비밀에 부쳐져 있지만, 그 결과는 잘 알려져 있다. 안식화 의식은 영계와의 연결을 끊어 버린다. 따라서, 안식자는 꿈을 꾸지 않게 된다. 이는 유약하거나 미숙한 마법사들에게 가장 위험한 요소인, 장막 너머의 악마들을 끌어들일 수 있는 잠재적인 위협을 제거하는 행위이다. 그러나 이것은 안식화의 효과 중 빙산의 일각에 불과하다. 꿈을 꾸지 않게 된 자는 마법 능력이 사라지는 데 그치지 않고, 감정까지 같이 잃기 때문이다.

모순적이게도, 안식자들은 완전히 깨어있지도, 잠들어 있지도 않은 상태의 몽유병 환자와 매우 비슷하다. 하지만, 안식자들은 여전히 우리 마법사 협회의 일원이며, 어쩌면 협회의 제일 핵심적인 부분을 담당하는 자들이라고 해도 과언이 아닐 것이다. 안식자의 집중을 다른 데로 돌리는 것은 절대로 불가능하다고 여겨질 만큼 그들의 집중력은 엄청나며, 이 때문에 안식자들은 드워프에 필적할 만한 기술을 가진 장인이 되기도 한다. "포마리"라 불리는 협회의 한 지부는 물건에 마법을 부여하는 작업을 담당하는데, 이 포마리는 오직 안식자들로만 구성되어 있다. 이들이 벌어들이는 재화가 바로 우리의 협회를 유지하는 원천이라고 할 수 있다.

—수석 마도사 조세푸스 저, 안식화와 영계의 인간 사회 내에서의 역할에서 발췌

 

The Tranquil are the least understood but most visible members of the Circle. Every city of respectable size boasts a Circle of Magi shop, and every one of these shops is run by a Tranquil proprietor.

 

The name is a misnomer, for they are not tranquil at all; rather, they are like inanimate objects that speak. If a table wished to sell you an enchanted penknife, it could pass as one of these people. Their eyes are expressionless, their voices monotone. Incomparable craftsmen they might be, but they are hardly the sort of mages to put ordinary folk at ease.

 

—From In Pursuit of Knowledge: The Travels of a Chantry Scholar by Brother Genitivi

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Although apprentices do not know the nature of the Harrowing, all of them understand its consequences: they either pass and become full mages, or they are never seen again. Those who fear to undertake this rite of passage, or those who are deemed too weak or unstable, are given the Rite of Tranquility instead.

 

The actual procedure, like the Harrowing, is secret, but the results are just as well known. The rite severs connection to the Fade. The Tranquil, therefore, do not dream. This removes the greatest danger that threatens a weak or unprepared mage, the potential to attract demons across the Veil. But this is the least of Tranquility's effects. For the absence of dreams brings with it the end of all magical ability, as well as all emotion.

 

The Tranquil, ironically, resemble sleepwalkers, never entirely awake nor asleep. They are still part of our Circle, however, and some might say they are the most critical part. They have incredible powers of concentration, for it is simply impossible to distract a Tranquil mage, and this makes them capable of becoming craftsmen of such skill that they rival even the adeptness of the dwarves. The Formari, the branch of the Circle devoted to item enchantment, is made up exclusively of Tranquil, and is the source of all the wealth that sustains our towers.

 

—From On Tranquility and the Role of the Fade in Human Society by First Enchanter Josephus