Calligraphy (sage study)

Calligraphy is a sage study in the field of the Way of the Spirit, a discipline that transcends mere writing to become a form of meditation, influence, and manifestation. Through the precise and intentional inscription of characters, a practitioner shapes behaviour, perception, and even the course of events, guiding the world through the silent force of the brush. Each stroke of the brush is an extension of the monk’s spirit, a means of focusing the will and expressing the deeper truths that words alone cannot convey. The act of writing is not merely communication—it is an act of cultivation, harmony, and self-discipline, aligning the body, breath, and mind with the principles of the cosmos. The placement of each line, the pressure of each stroke, and the rhythm of movement are as vital as the meaning behind the words themselves.

Beyond its influence, calligraphy serves as a signature of the soul, revealing the nature of its creator. The style, energy, and balance within the script reflect the monk’s temperament, state of mind, and spiritual progress. A hurried, unbalanced hand speaks of inner turmoil; a controlled and fluid inscription speaks of clarity and mastery. For those who can read its nuances, a piece of calligraphy can reveal more about a warrior than their deeds ever could.

A calligrapher’s work carries both presence and consequence. Inscribed upon banners, scrolls, or even the simplest pieces of parchment, the written word carries an unseen weight, influencing those who behold it. Whether posted at a monastery’s entrance, displayed in a ruler’s court, or left upon the walls of a mountain pass, a single inscription may warn, inspire, or challenge, altering the thoughts and actions of all who encounter it.

Sage Abilities

The sage abilities below are those acquired by a character through the study, according to status.

Amateur Status

• Characters of Beneficence: enables five written sigils that, when placed with care, can be used to improve fortune in commerce, deterring would-be thieves and ensuring that the marketplace thrives with honest dealings. Their presence helps to prevent accidents, reinforcing the stability of a structure or space, reducing the likelihood of damage through misfortune. In times of tempests, they offer a small resistance to the elements, softening the bite of a storm's fury. For those who wander, they provide guidance, subtly leading the lost toward familiar paths and ensuring that travelers find their way home.

• Practiced Discipline: enables the character to maintain composure and efficiency of motion when under duress. If wounded in combat, they fight as though they were one level higher, with regards to THAC0 and number of attacks, but only these things. This condition remains until the character is able to retreat safely away, with any real harm ceasing to threaten. The benefit does not enhance damage, spells or other abilities — only the precision and rhythm of their strikes, refined by necessity.

Authority Status

• Character of Speech: allows the calligrapher to inscribe a message that, when read, can only be heard by a single designated person. Though the letters may be seen clearly, all others present will perceive only meaningless figures; only the chosen recipient can understand them. The intended recipient, however, hears the message in full, as if spoken directly to them.

• Character of Warning: inscribes a single character upon a door, gate, or entryway, declaring that any who enter unwanted or act with ill intent beyond that point will suffer misfortune. All the following day, all rolls made by the affected individual must be accompanied by a 6-sided die; if this die results in a "1," the d20 roll automatically fails, regardless of the result shown. The inscription does not physically prevent entry but instills a lingering sense of unease.

• Characters of Propriety: allows the inscription of four sacred characters, each reinforcing the fundamental virtues of tradition and order. Their presence within a household, shrine, or hall serves as a constant reminder of duty and reverence, shaping the behavior of those who dwell there. One character preserves the family, strengthening bonds and fostering unity. Another reminds of the dead, ensuring that ancestors are honored and their wisdom not forgotten. A third ensures loyalty, reinforcing commitments between kin, retainers, and sworn allies. The final character maintains right thinking, discouraging wayward thoughts and guiding those who read it toward clarity and discipline. These have a mystical power that will influence others within the character's sphere.

Expert Status

• Character of Alarm: inscribes a symbol that, when improper entry occurs, will sound an alarm that is soundless, yet causes every person able to defend the home to wake, comprehend the danger at once, and send them into action. The effect is immediate, ensuring that defenders rise without confusion, their minds clear and their bodies prepared, as though stirred by an unseen force that grants full awareness of the threat.

• Character of Duplication: enables the character to duplicate the writing of an existing scroll, regardless of the type of scroll, so that a second copy can also be used. This copy is perfect in function, retaining all the properties of the original — but this duplication can only be performed once per original scroll.

• Character of Revenge: inscribes a character that, when drawn upon parchment or silk, and then burned, invokes divine judgment against a wicked and malevolent individual who holds power illegitimately; the inscription is supernatural, calling the gods to ensure that fate conspires against the target, exposing their corruption, unraveling their influence, and bringing about their undoing.

Sage Status

• Script of the Darkness: inscribes a symbol that allows the character to communicate through calligraphy with a past ancestor, who serves as a mediary between the character and divine beings. Once the inscription is complete, the ancestor's presence lingers through the writing, offering guidance, interpreting omens, or carrying the character's words beyond mortal reach. The response is as immediate as conversation, though at the speed of writing.

• Character of Protection: inscribes a symbol that, when placed upon a building under attack or siege, empowers the structure itself to repel invaders. Doors will slam shut and bar themselves against enemies while allowing allies to pass freely. Loose stones, tiles, and objects — such as implements, lamps, utensils and so on — will hurl themselves from the walls at those attempting to breach its defenses. Furniture and barriers will shift across floors to block entry, and unseen forces will work against those who seek to bring harm to those inside. The effect lasts until the immediate threat is ended, after which the building comes to rest. The size of the structure may be as large as a castle.

• Character of Upheaval: inscribes a symbol that, when drawn upon parchment, burned, and the ashes released from a high place, at least a thousand feet above a valley or plain, calls forth an army that gathers and marches against a realm that deserves to fall. The force that answers is neither mercenary nor bound by loyalty, but one driven by fate itself, rising in rebellion to bring ruin to those whose rule is unjust. Once summoned, the army cannot be swayed, its purpose sealed by the inscription.

See Monk Sage Abilities