Koulza (Coal-zuh)
The lifeblood of the Earth
Koulza (Imperial Wythian: lit. "Power-shrouded/unseen") is the primary form of magic harnessed by the Sevnóni people, particularly amongst the followers of Myrnovera and the mages of Vyssíjórgen Academy. Derived from the Proto-Sevnóni BLANK... BLANK. It is wholly synonymous with the belief of Myrvûs as a higher power; one cannot exist without the other. This is largely due to the Myrnovi belief that as Myrvûs molded the Earth into existence, he inadvertently imbued his creation with a minute fragment of his own Daša (Wythian: Soul). This sliver of divine power, concentrated in Sevnónicha but disseminated throughout the Earth, formed the foundation of what would eventually come to be understood by the Sevnóni as Koulza. The above cosmological concept concerning spiritual imbuement of the physical closely aligns itself with the Sevnóni beliefs surrounding creation, specifically the creation of magical objects or artifacts (See "The Role of Artifice" below). Regardless, it is accepted among the Sevnóni that Koulza is irrevocably merged with the Earth itself, and only through a deep spiritual connection to Myrvûs and his creation can Koulza be harnessed by mortal men. For more information on Sevnóni cosmology, see here.
Unlike their Wythian counterparts or the Druids of Briar Glen, Sevnóni magicians do not distinguish between divine, arcane, and primal magic; all forms of Koulza are believed to share the same heavenly origin, therefore no distinction is necessary. As a result, practitioners of foreign magic that claim their abilities to be wholly dissociated from the divine are treated with extreme distrust, as any occult power that somehow developed without the influence of a diety is, by its very nature, blasphemous and malevolent.
History
The earliest examples of Koulza being wielded by men can be traced to Sevnónicha's mythic past, when a number of Proto-Sevnóni peoples inhabited the area. One of these groups, the Prvyrzí (From whom the modern Sevnóni language is largely derived), are said to have harnessed the elements as part of their elaborate rainmaking rituals, although the details of these ceremonies have unfortunately been lost to history. Certain Orcish records, recovered from abandoned settlements in the Ulnosti mountains and dated to the time of the Glorious Crusade, attest to similar powers being used against them by the Pre-Sevnóni:
The small-folk came upon our village near dawn, stalking across the hills like wolves. They were few in number: no more than eight, and they bore with them no weapons. Thinking them naught but helpless scouts, we made to sally forth and claim them as slaves. How foolish we were. We had not ran fifty paces when the small-folk began to chant and lift their arms to the sky, calling down great streaks of thunder-light. We withdrew to the village, but we found no sanctuary there: our homes were burned, our fields were razed, and I alone escaped their wrath.1
While the veracity of non-mannish sources such as these can obviously not be verified, it is safe to assume that the Prvyrzí and other Pre-Sevnóni peoples maintained a profound connection to the world around them, allowing them to wield Koulza to at least a moderate extent.
As touched on above, the origins of the Sevnóni's use of Koulza is somewhat uncertain, clouded by the fog of time. Over the centuries following the Glorious Crusade, the various Pre-Sevnóni cultures (alongside the mysterious Dręvinzyk) gradually coalesced into the race of men known today as the Sevnóni people. It is in this era that the use of Koulza sees its first major developments beyond the basal methods employed by the Sevnóni's progenitors. At some point prior to the conclusion of the Dwarven-Draconic War, the Sevnóni folk hero Vyssíj led a band of Myrnovi monks and holy men into the Rorzh'i Vrokyshyy mountains, seeking to establish a monastic order of holy warriors distinct from the nascent Church of Myrvûs. The resultant monastery, which would eventually transform into the famed Vyssíjórgen Academy, strove to unlock a deeper understanding of Koulza in order to achieve a closer connection to Myrvûs and his creation....
Zrovaljo
The teachings of Myrnovera have long held that certain locales, both in Sevnónicha and abroad, are saturated with Koulza to such an extent that they stand out from the surrounding landscape. These sacred spaces, known to the Sevnóni as Zrovaljo ("Holy Sites"), allow for a near-effortless connection to the natural world, making them ideal sites for training novice magicians or performing prolonged arcane rituals. They are loosely comparable to the Valic concept of Wellsprings, which, excluding the emphasis of dreams in the Valic tradition, are understood by the Sevnóni to be the most accurate interpretation of Zrovaljo outside of Sevnónicha itself. The glacial valley which now holds Vyssíjórgen Academy was primarily selected by Vyssíj due to, in addition to its highly-defensible position, the powerful emotions that overtook him upon passing into the area. This valley, originally thought to have been purely mundane, is now known to be one of the most potent Zrovaljo in Eastern Sevnónicha. Vyssíj's reaction to these feelings are chronicled in the Old Sevnóni manuscript known as the Tome of Song2 (Old Sevnóni: Ksiega Pesuun):
Ah, like shining stars do fall the snow,
Yet here I notice them not,
For now, oh Lord, now I do know,
The haven which grief has forgot.
Zrovaljo can be found all across the Earth, ranging in size from a modest grove of trees or a small collection of standing stones to the whole of an inland sea or a mountain in its entirety. Despite their differences, most Zrovaljo are believed to be the remnants of conflict between Myrnovera's rival deities, places where the Earth was struck by Myrvûs's holy lightning in the pursuit of Sorník. In rare cases, it is said that Zrovaljo may form in response to an outpouring of religious fervour, such as a celebration of the solstice or the conclusion of a marriage ceremony.
Expression & Execution
The Role of Artifice
1 This quote is a small excerpt from a much larger historical document known as the Rûch Tablets, recovered from an abandoned Orcish monastery in the mountains west of Du Vin Academie. Fully translated in 299 AU by Imperial linguist Lorencz de Arnsberg, it is believed to be the oldest piece of orcish literature known to man.
2 As Vyssíj is such a legendary figure in Sevnóni folklore, there are innumerous accounts, songs, and quotations attributed to him that are most likely false. While this verse of poetry cannot be said to belong to Vyssíj with absolute certainty, the language is consistent with other writings by the first Grandmaester that have been kept safe in Vyssíjorgen's library.