Iconoclast Shroud
Divinities scarred our world, divinities tore apart our societies, divinities to this day interfere with matters beyond their control - why should we stand for it?Iconoclast shrouding is an extremely rare phenomenon-turned-ability that can hide an individual from the vision of any deific power and any form of divine magic. When paired with more standard abjuration wards to shield individuals from scrying, it can prevent all magical means of detecting a creature's location save for those powered by an avatar's direct will.
Even those benefitting from iconoclast shrouding often are not aware of its presence. Shrouds do not need agreement from any individual to activate, though if aware of them, it is possible to deactivate them.
Using divine magic or directly calling upon deities whilst benefitting from iconoclast shrouding causes the shroud to immediately dissipate. Other forms of magic, including the twisted divine magic Shards utilise, does not pierce the shroud.
Knowledge of iconoclast shrouding is restricted to precious few. Most deities and avatars themselves remain ignorant to the existence of iconoclast shrouds, and even those with knowledge of them have yet to determine a way through them.
They are more phenomenon than boon at the minute, and those few deities that are aware of the technology have no desire to see knowledge of it become well-known.
Functionality
To hide from the gods, who are forbidden from touching us and responsible for knowing us, they who protect us and guide us - why would anyone seek such a thing but the shameful and the sinners?Iconoclast shrouds are intrinsically linked to ley magic in a manner currently beyond understanding, but likely in the same fashion that avatars are granted their sentience and being from a planet's natural magic. Deities cannot interfere with ley magic directly; divine magic conflicts badly with ley magic in unpredictable ways.
Presumably, by stretching a thin layer of ley magic over an area - the essential basis of how an iconoclast shroud is formed - this then forms an area that divine magic cannot interfere with.
It simply detects the ley magic present, and avoids the collision of two incompatible magics - thus avoiding any detection efforts in that area.
It is not possible to reverse this and detect every area that divine magic cannot sense, because ley magic is the magic of the world itself, and exists in some form across the entire planet, all its people, and indeed all of space: attempting to 'invert' detection would simply reveal thousands of areas where divine magic has not left current traces.
This is entirely conjecture. Magic is, by definition, not an exact science; it defies logical explanation at many turns, and exists as it wishes. Ley magic, quadruply so.
Imitation Technologies
Your fucking gods want to take my damn potatoes! I ain't letting them touch my damn taters! Spy on this!Hiding from the gods has ever been something mortals have wished for, especially during the First and Second Divine Wars. Whilst iconoclast shrouds have never really been known of by mortals, magics and technologies attempting to duplicate their success have been created unknowingly in their imitation.
The most ancient magical technique to try to replicate a god-blocking effect follows surprisingly similar principles to these shrouds, and functions by way of concentrating extreme divine power around oneself in imitation of a deity's own might.
Whilst any deity can tell that an event of extreme power is occurring, it is thought that the sheer power of the shield will overwhelm any attempt to see what is happening beyond it. This functions reasonably well on demigods, but cannot defy an interested true god.
That principle was adapted into mass events of power to mask smaller events within during the gods' attempt to extinguish arcane magic, with the thought process being that if enough plentiful arcane magic was performed, especially if interspersed with other forms of magic, the gods would be likely to miss smaller happenings in the chaos.
While effective, this did draw great attention in general, and overall contributed to the genocide of a number of arcane mortals prior to the signing of the Arcane Compromise.
Parent Technologies
Areas of Natural Shrouding
Natural iconoclast shrouds form near powerful leylines and areas of dense ley magic. Avatars themselves are also commonly veiled from deific sight with their own iconoclast shrouds, though this often dissipates if they interact with a mortal as a measure of peace between planet and gods. Most notably, leyline confluences (also known as ley nexus) develop iconoclast shrouds that expand and contract with the movement of the leylines that connect to form them. In extreme surges of ley magic, this can briefly interfere with divine magic sensors in nearby areas; fortunately, most significant ley confluences (or nexus) prone to this, such as the one beneath the Heartforge of Iskaldhal, are reasonably far from mortal civilisations. Otherwise, confluence/nexus shrouds function much like standard shrouds, as the confluence beneath Takawaoku's Sea of Souls demonstrated with the shattering of its shroud during the Lost Ones' fight against the Earth-Mother's Gift to end Gaia's Lament.Not even avatars are aware of the shroud they occasionally wear upon them. We understand the magic innate to our being as far as it interacts with us and those around us; what need would we have to hold unnecessary knowledge that might shape us?
The tin hat, hahahaaha. I love this mysterious fancy magic/technology, and I love that it is generally unknown that it exists. So fun.
ehehehe there's always one Thank you! This was probably my fastest SC article in terms of writing time because I've had this idea banging around for *so* long. Here's a fun thought: what happens if a deity gets shrouded?
welcome to my signature! check out istralar!