About the Shek-Pvar
In Hârn, sorcery is practiced by members of a loosely knit group
of secret societies. These bodies refer to themselves as the Ancient
and Esoteric Orders of the Shek-Pvar. Their magic is based
on a set of philosophical teachings known as Pvarism.
Pvarism holds that the material universe is made up of six elements: earth, metal, fire, air, spirit, and water. It also maintains that the metaphysical universe comprises six basic principles (abstract forces and concepts) that are fundamentally interconnected to the six material elements.
The connection between element and principle is a critical feature of Pvaric philosophy. When a Shek-Pvar mage speaks of ‘earth,’ she is referring not only to the material substance (the element), but also the abstract principles with which earth is associated— most notably the cylical processes of life and death, growth and decay.
Shek-Pvar mages refer to their areas of magical practice using Pvaric philosophical terminology. This magical jargon conveys the complex interconnection between elements and principles in a way that everyday language does not. Pvarists use the formal terms Fyvria, Jmorvi, Peleahn, Lyahvi, Savorya, and Odivshe which convey the complex associations betwen the elements and their principles. A Shek-Pvar mage, for example, is likely to refer to water, cold, dark, and stillness all as various manifestations of the Odivshe principle.
The Pvaric Convocations
The
mages of the Shek-Pvar are organized into six distinct orders, or convocations.
The mages of each convocation devote themselves to the mastery of sorcery involving
just one of the six Pvaric elements/principles. These convocations are shown
on the following table:
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Apprentices are taught to work the magic of one convocation only. More experienced mages may learn something of the others. Very few wizards ever come to master all six convocations.
The Pvaric Wheel
Shek-Pvar mages represent the six convocations in the form of a six-spoked wheel, with each convocation conforming to a spoke.
The
Wheel symbolizes the relations among the convocations.
For instance, Peleahn (the convocation of fire and heat) borders the convocations
of Lyahvi (the magic of light and the intangible) and Jmorvi (the magic
of metal and craft). It is on the opposite site of the wheel from
Odivshe (the convocation of water, cold, and darkness).
At the hub of the wheel stands “Gray Magic," a strange and difficult “meta-magic” that holds the wheel together. Few Shek-Pvar ever master Gray Magic.