The term ‘Tuyasha’ dates back a thousand generations to the thayan people on Otherworld. It originally comes from a Silvashar thayan word for “one who learns”. During those ancient times, it was a rank for students in a monk order devoted to the Etherwave Arcana. Since Crossing’s Fall, it has grown to encompass students of the Arcana around the globe.
Becoming a Tuyasha
A Tuyasha is often considered ‘just a student’ or ‘just an apprentice’, like for any other craft like shipbuilding or glass blowing. But they are actually so much more. The path of the Tuyasha is a portrait of dedication and perseverance. Requiring discipline to withstand challenges of both the mind, body, and their moral compass.
All too often, a Tuyasha’s discipline slips. The Etherwave Arcana overwhelms as a result. There are many stories told about Tuyasha becoming engulfed by the uncontrolled magic of the Arcana. Some lose an eye or limb. Others are burned. Still more are consumed whole in a flash of light, never to be seen again.
That is why, above all, Archbinders remind any prospective Tuyasha that this path isn’t for the feint of heat. These skills must be wielded with responsibility and wisdom.
Intense Study and Practice
The Arcana doesn’t give its secrets easily. A Tuyasha needs to learn they’ll have to walk through fire and shadow to earn them. It’s an endless challenge, with each step a lesson in humility.
- Archbinder Soren Leyvinder
The road from Tuyasha to Wavebinder is long and painful. It spans long hours of study under an Archbinder, a master Wavebinder. Historically, Tuyasha have been thayan, grimling, or morasu. But since Crossing’s Fall, humans have swelled the Tuyasha ranks. Many fail, but humans have shown a remarkable resilience to the Arcana’s risks.
Those long months to years of apprenticeship are not just academic, but involve practical application and physical conditioning. A precise regime for the Tuyasha that helps them learn to channel the Etherwave Arcana without being consumed by it. A training that’s similar, at times, to ancient Earth warrior monk traditions.
This intense and grueling training also includes a lesson in ethics. An understanding that channeling spells into reality can lead to far-reaching, or dire, consequences.
Many Tuyasha often fall to the temptation of cheating the Arcana to avoid paying the personal cost of channeling the power. Most try using a living victim, such a small animal or similar. The Etherwave Arcana is unforgiving, and any Tuyasha trying it is scarred with the Dark Mark. A curse that also means they fail the test.
But most Tuyasha are allowed to try again in a year. The only exception are those students who get a taste for the dark arts. The dire side of the Etherwave Arcana that takes a Tuyasha down a corrupt road of living victims to fuel spells and worse. Those are handed over to local authorities, unless they run.
A Bond Beyond the Books
The relationship between a Tuyasha and their mentor often goes far beyond the academic. An Archbinder imparts knowledge, but they also guide the Tuyasha learner in their personal growth. Helping them navigate the deadly complexity of channeling the Arcana and wielding such potent force. It forms a bond like a found family or siblings as the teaching shapes not only their skills but also the student’s character.
But if this bond breaks, it’s often traumatic for both. It has happened before, with stories that tell cautionary tales of a Tuyasha taking up the Dark Path of the Arcana. In the end, leaving both deadly enemies instead of allies.
In the Service of Balance
A Tuyasha’s training is not just about skills or depth of character. It’s also about understanding the Etherwave Arcana’s place in the world. Most Archbinders teach that Wavebinders should respect the Etherwave Arcana as a natural force. No different from storms, the ocean, or other natural powers. Connected, yet different in its own way.
Archbinders teach their Tuyasha that when they channel the Arcana, they must maintain the balance. That the Arcana exacts a price. An equivalent exchange of power from the Wavebinder, and in return, it grants power to shape into a spell. The exchange maintains the balance and harmony between the Etherwave Arcana and the natural world.
Beginning of A Journey’s End
Once a Tuyasha nears the end of their training, they undergo a trial. A test where they must show their skills at manipulating the Etherwave Arcana. Most Tuyasha call this test, ‘riding the lightning’, as many wind up struck by mystical lightning on their first few attempts.
The trial isn’t a single exam, but tests of survival. A dangerous obstacle course designed to push a Tuyasha learner to their limit. Challenging the student’s mind, body, and ethics where the only tools they have are themselves and their skill in the Etherwave Arcana.
But, once they succeed, the Tuyasha graduates from being a learner to a fully trained Wavebinder.
In the heart of every Tuyasha, there beats the rhythm of the Etherwave Arcana. Their journey is more than learning to channel the power. It’s about weaving themselves into the very fiber of the universe.
- Archbinder Thaddeus Thalios
What an amazing apprenticeship to mastery you wrote. I love that this is not an easy path and you did a great examples of how difficult this path is to earn and be on cool article
Thanks! I really wanted to show how tough it was on the students, given how dangerous it is once they graduate. :D