Record Magic

Philosophy

Record Magic rests on the idea that nothing stable can be repaired, judged, or inherited without memory. Its mages concern themselves with patterns that endure: names, forms, histories, procedures, and traces of what something was before damage or forgetting altered it.

They tend to be archivists, restorers, teachers, judges, and careful witnesses. Even their battle magic often works by restoring an earlier state, preserving a crucial pattern, or exposing a hidden record.

Example Places of Study

Common Spells

Recall Thread

Purpose/How It Works: Recall Thread strengthens a fading short-term memory by holding it in a clearer sequence before it slips. Notable Exceptions: It cannot recover what was never noticed. Example Use: A witness recalls the killer’s ring before shock wipes the detail away. Typical Cost/Power Source: Usually fed by existing memory traces, records, patterns, and the caster’s concentration; damaged or conflicting records force heavier use of personal reserves. Casting Methods: Brow-touch cast, 3 to 6 seconds. Mnemonic cord focus, 10 to 20 seconds. Range/Duration: Touch. Minutes to hours.

Archive Mark

Purpose/How It Works: Archive Mark tags an object so it stands out to the caster’s later memory or linked search magic. Notable Exceptions: Weak if too many items are marked at once. Example Use: A scholar marks the one manuscript crate worth recovering in a fire. Typical Cost/Power Source: Usually fed by existing memory traces, records, patterns, and the caster’s concentration; damaged or conflicting records force heavier use of personal reserves. Casting Methods: Touch mark, 2 to 4 seconds. Ink sigil, 10 to 20 seconds. Range/Duration: Touch. Days to months.

Page Seal

Purpose/How It Works: Page Seal preserves text against moisture, fading, insects, and casual time damage. Notable Exceptions: It cannot save pages already ash or pulp. Example Use: Couriers protect a treaty while crossing wet mountain passes. Typical Cost/Power Source: Usually fed by existing memory traces, records, patterns, and the caster’s concentration; damaged or conflicting records force heavier use of personal reserves. Casting Methods: Hand sweep over pages, 5 to 10 seconds. Reading-desk rite, 1 to 3 minutes. Range/Duration: One document or stack. Weeks to years.

Pattern Glimpse

Purpose/How It Works: Pattern Glimpse shows the recent prior state of an object, surface, or arrangement. Notable Exceptions: Frequent changes blur the image into uncertainty. Example Use: Investigators see that a drawer was opened after midnight and resealed. Typical Cost/Power Source: Usually fed by existing memory traces, records, patterns, and the caster’s concentration; damaged or conflicting records force heavier use of personal reserves. Casting Methods: Touched reading, 5 to 10 seconds. Lens focus, 20 to 40 seconds. Range/Duration: Touch. One brief reconstruction.

Mnemonic Knot

Purpose/How It Works: Mnemonic Knot ties a fact to a repeated sensory cue so recall becomes easier and more reliable. Notable Exceptions: Overloaded mnemonic systems can interfere with each other. Example Use: Apprentices bind emergency procedures to the smell of lamp oil and copper. Typical Cost/Power Source: Usually fed by existing memory traces, records, patterns, and the caster’s concentration; damaged or conflicting records force heavier use of personal reserves. Casting Methods: Spoken anchor with touch, 5 to 10 seconds. Cord or ribbon knotting, 20 to 40 seconds. Range/Duration: Self or touched learner. Days to years.

Witness Ink

Purpose/How It Works: Witness Ink fixes testimony to the act of speaking so later alteration becomes harder without leaving signs. Notable Exceptions: It preserves what was said, not whether it was true. Example Use: Court clerks record sworn depositions that later tampering cannot hide. Typical Cost/Power Source: Usually fed by existing memory traces, records, patterns, and the caster’s concentration; damaged or conflicting records force heavier use of personal reserves. Casting Methods: Ink-and-speech cast, 10 to 20 seconds. Formal deposition rite, 2 to 5 minutes. Range/Duration: One testimony session. Lasting record.

Restore Script

Purpose/How It Works: Restore Script recovers damaged writing from fragments, faded impressions, or partial loss. Notable Exceptions: Burned-away meaning cannot always be inferred from ash alone. Example Use: Archivists recover half-erased marginal notes crucial to interpreting a law. Typical Cost/Power Source: Usually fed by existing memory traces, records, patterns, and the caster’s concentration; damaged or conflicting records force heavier use of personal reserves. Casting Methods: Page-touch reconstruction, 10 to 20 seconds. Lamp-and-lens rite, 1 to 5 minutes. Range/Duration: Touch. Instant restoration if successful.

Echo Reading

Purpose/How It Works: Echo Reading pulls residual impressions from used tools, rooms, desks, and objects that have held repeated action. Notable Exceptions: Busy sites produce overlapping noise. Example Use: A scribe-mage confirms that a murder blade was sharpened shortly before the crime. Typical Cost/Power Source: Usually fed by existing memory traces, records, patterns, and the caster’s concentration; damaged or conflicting records force heavier use of personal reserves. Casting Methods: Touched object reading, 5 to 15 seconds. Ash or dust tracing, 20 to 60 seconds. Range/Duration: Touch. Brief read while concentration holds.

Heritage Sense

Purpose/How It Works: Heritage Sense identifies lineage marks, inherited craft habits, or family-linked pattern signatures in objects and bodies. Notable Exceptions: Adoption, forgery, and mixed traditions can confuse the read. Example Use: A conservator recognizes that a sword belongs to the third branch of a noble forge-line. Typical Cost/Power Source: Usually fed by existing memory traces, records, patterns, and the caster’s concentration; damaged or conflicting records force heavier use of personal reserves. Casting Methods: Touch and observe, 5 to 10 seconds. Seal or bloodline focus, 20 to 40 seconds. Range/Duration: Touch or close line of sight. Brief reading.

Memory Vault

Purpose/How It Works: Memory Vault stores a memory outside the active mind for later retrieval, protecting it from fatigue or intrusion. Notable Exceptions: Poor storage can distort emotional tone and sequence. Example Use: A courier locks a royal message in a mental vault until safe delivery. Typical Cost/Power Source: Usually fed by existing memory traces, records, patterns, and the caster’s concentration; damaged or conflicting records force heavier use of personal reserves. Casting Methods: Self-sealing concentration, 10 to 20 seconds. Reliquary or token vaulting, 1 to 3 minutes. Range/Duration: Self or linked vessel. Hours to years.

Lesson Imprint

Purpose/How It Works: Lesson Imprint reinforces recently learned knowledge so it settles more securely and can be recalled under stress. Notable Exceptions: It does not replace understanding; it only strengthens retention. Example Use: Medics fix a new triage sequence into apprentice memory before battle. Typical Cost/Power Source: Usually fed by existing memory traces, records, patterns, and the caster’s concentration; damaged or conflicting records force heavier use of personal reserves. Casting Methods: Teacher-to-student touch, 5 to 10 seconds. Classroom recitation rite, 2 to 5 minutes. Range/Duration: Touch or small class. Days to months.

Name Retrieval

Purpose/How It Works: Name Retrieval recovers a forgotten proper name from the edge of memory by following its remaining pattern-trace. Notable Exceptions: It struggles with names never learned well in the first place. Example Use: A diplomat recovers the dead king’s forgotten title in time for correct address. Typical Cost/Power Source: Usually fed by existing memory traces, records, patterns, and the caster’s concentration; damaged or conflicting records force heavier use of personal reserves. Casting Methods: Self-focus cast, 3 to 8 seconds. Linked token or portrait focus, 10 to 20 seconds. Range/Duration: Self-perception. Instant if successful.

Record Stitch

Purpose/How It Works: Record Stitch reassembles a broken sequence of events from scattered notes, witnesses, or traces. Notable Exceptions: Contradictory or false records can produce several competing stitches. Example Use: Investigators reconstruct how an archive break-in unfolded over four rooms. Typical Cost/Power Source: Usually fed by existing memory traces, records, patterns, and the caster’s concentration; damaged or conflicting records force heavier use of personal reserves. Casting Methods: Evidence-circle cast, 1 to 3 minutes. Full record table rite, 5 to 15 minutes. Range/Duration: One event chain. Lasts until reinterpreted.

Preserve Form

Purpose/How It Works: Preserve Form slows degradation of a body, text, relic, or sample by holding its present pattern against time and environment. Notable Exceptions: It delays decay; it does not reverse existing ruin. Example Use: A corpse is kept intact until proper examination can occur. Typical Cost/Power Source: Usually fed by existing memory traces, records, patterns, and the caster’s concentration; damaged or conflicting records force heavier use of personal reserves. Casting Methods: Touched preservation cast, 10 to 20 seconds. Chest, case, or vault rite, 2 to 10 minutes. Range/Duration: One object, body, or document set. Hours to months.

Truth Residue

Purpose/How It Works: Truth Residue detects where a lie, forgery, or false account has overwritten an earlier known pattern. Notable Exceptions: It reveals disturbance, not always the full original truth. Example Use: A magistrate spots the altered clause in an inheritance ledger. Typical Cost/Power Source: Usually fed by existing memory traces, records, patterns, and the caster’s concentration; damaged or conflicting records force heavier use of personal reserves. Casting Methods: Finger-trace read, 5 to 10 seconds. Ink and lamp focus, 20 to 40 seconds. Range/Duration: Touch. Brief investigative use.

Pattern Restore

Purpose/How It Works: Pattern Restore returns damaged material to a recent intact arrangement by calling it back toward a remembered state. Notable Exceptions: Missing matter still limits the restoration. Example Use: A shattered ceramic seal is restored well enough to read its mark. Typical Cost/Power Source: Usually fed by existing memory traces, records, patterns, and the caster’s concentration; damaged or conflicting records force heavier use of personal reserves. Casting Methods: Touch and recall cast, 10 to 20 seconds. Diagram-assisted rite, 2 to 5 minutes. Range/Duration: Touch. Usually permanent if the restored object holds.

Ancestral Murmur

Purpose/How It Works: Ancestral Murmur draws faint stored memory or emotional residue from heirlooms, bones, or long-kept family objects. Notable Exceptions: The impressions are fragmentary and colored by reverence or trauma. Example Use: A family blade whispers enough history to confirm a disputed succession. Typical Cost/Power Source: Usually fed by existing memory traces, records, patterns, and the caster’s concentration; damaged or conflicting records force heavier use of personal reserves. Casting Methods: Quiet listening touch, 10 to 20 seconds. Shrine or relic rite, 2 to 6 minutes. Range/Duration: Touch. Brief murmur while sustained.

Proofline

Purpose/How It Works: Proofline reveals the chain of custody of an object through retained pattern transfer from hand to hand. Notable Exceptions: Frequent trade or deliberate laundering muddies the line. Example Use: A stolen reliquary is traced from market broker back to tomb robbers. Typical Cost/Power Source: Usually fed by existing memory traces, records, patterns, and the caster’s concentration; damaged or conflicting records force heavier use of personal reserves. Casting Methods: Touched chain read, 10 to 20 seconds. Ledger-linked investigation, 2 to 5 minutes. Range/Duration: Touch. One investigative reading.

Forget Gate

Purpose/How It Works: Forget Gate shields chosen memories from casual intrusion or accidental recall by placing them behind a controlled retrieval threshold. Notable Exceptions: Severe shock, deep magic, or self-inflicted confusion can weaken it. Example Use: An agent hides the safehouse address even from ordinary torture. Typical Cost/Power Source: Usually fed by existing memory traces, records, patterns, and the caster’s concentration; damaged or conflicting records force heavier use of personal reserves. Casting Methods: Self-gating cast, 10 to 20 seconds. Word-and-token lock, 1 to 3 minutes. Range/Duration: Self. Days to years.

Burden Shelf

Purpose/How It Works: Burden Shelf offloads traumatic recall into a ritual container so a person can function without being overwhelmed by constant re-experiencing. Notable Exceptions: It is not healing by itself and may delay necessary grief work. Example Use: A survivor stores the worst of a massacre memory long enough to testify coherently. Typical Cost/Power Source: Usually fed by existing memory traces, records, patterns, and the caster’s concentration; damaged or conflicting records force heavier use of personal reserves. Casting Methods: Guided transfer, 1 to 3 minutes. Vessel-shelf rite, 5 to 15 minutes. Range/Duration: Touch and linked container. Days to months.

Reconstruction Circle

Purpose/How It Works: Reconstruction Circle rebuilds a scene from several memory traces, witness fragments, and object residues. Notable Exceptions: False witnesses contaminate the reconstruction. Example Use: Magistrates replay the shape of a ritual murder inside the original chamber. Typical Cost/Power Source: Usually fed by existing memory traces, records, patterns, and the caster’s concentration; damaged or conflicting records force heavier use of personal reserves. Casting Methods: Evidence circle rite, 5 to 15 minutes. Full forensic reconstruction, 20 to 60 minutes. Range/Duration: One scene. Lasts while the circle is maintained.

Legacy Binding

Purpose/How It Works: Legacy Binding preserves a technique, sequence, or craft process so it can be relearned accurately generations later. Notable Exceptions: It captures form better than genius; improvisational artistry still fades. Example Use: A dying master encodes the blade-tempering order of a lost school. Typical Cost/Power Source: Usually fed by existing memory traces, records, patterns, and the caster’s concentration; damaged or conflicting records force heavier use of personal reserves. Casting Methods: Teacher-led transfer, 2 to 5 minutes. Archive reliquary rite, 10 to 30 minutes. Range/Duration: Student, text, or vessel. Years to generations.

Continuity Ward

Purpose/How It Works: Continuity Ward keeps a fragile process from drifting off pattern, preserving sequence and consistency in medicine, ritual, or craft. Notable Exceptions: It cannot save a process already founded on bad assumptions. Example Use: Apothecaries hold a complex distillation at exact repeatable stages. Typical Cost/Power Source: Usually fed by existing memory traces, records, patterns, and the caster’s concentration; damaged or conflicting records force heavier use of personal reserves. Casting Methods: Bench or station cast, 20 to 40 seconds. Workshop ward, 3 to 8 minutes. Range/Duration: One process or workspace. Minutes to hours.

Last Witness

Purpose/How It Works: Last Witness retains the final memory of a dying person briefly for testimony, farewell, or evidentiary use. Notable Exceptions: It captures only what survives clearly into the end. Example Use: A murder victim’s final sight is preserved long enough to identify the killer. Typical Cost/Power Source: Usually fed by existing memory traces, records, patterns, and the caster’s concentration; damaged or conflicting records force heavier use of personal reserves. Casting Methods: Deathbed touch, 5 to 15 seconds. Vessel capture rite, 1 to 3 minutes. Range/Duration: Touch at the brink of death. Stored for minutes to days depending on medium.