Sympathy
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Sympathy is a system of energy manipulation (effectively indistinguishable from magic ) in the Chronicle that requires extreme skill and concentration. Sympathy requires a user to create a sympathetic link between two objects. What is done to one object will affect the other. For example, if a sympathist creates a sympathetic link between two coins, he may move both coins equal distances by exerting force on only one. The coin that is not directly acted on by the sympathist will move with the same force and direction as the coin acted on by the sympathist. With such a sympathetic link, however, moving one of the coins will weigh as much as moving both of the coins. However, sympathy is not perfect, and some energy is always lost. Therefore, to move both coins, the symphathist will have to use more force then it would usally take to move two coins.The transfer of energy between sympathetically bound objects is not limited only to motion, however. For instance, by creating a doll of a person and making a sympathetic link between the doll and that person, a sympathist can affect the person's temperature by putting the doll near a source of heat.
The energy for these actions can either be taken from the sympathist's body or from a nearby energy source (usually a fire). The sympathetic link between two objects can either be strong or weak, depending on the similarity between the two objects. The weaker the link, the more energy goes to waste in performing any action. The strength of the sympathetic link depends upon similarities in shape, size and material. For living objects, strength can be increased by using a portion of the body (e.g., hair, blood).
Sympathy is viewed with extreme superstition by the populace and is associated with demons and dark powers. Reckless use of sympathy is responsible for most of the aggressive actions taken against arcanists throughout the Four Corners .
Laws, Terms, and Maxims of Sympathy
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- The Doctrine of Corrrespondence: Similarity enhances sympathy
- The Principle of Consanguinity: A piece of a thing can represent the whole of a thing
- The Law of Conservation: Energy cannot be destroyed nor created
- The Heart of Stone: A frame of mind in which a sympathist is able to shut out the distraction of emotions and focus rational thought to the utmost
- Alar: "The riding-crop belief" is a faith controlled by personal will that is forceful enough to impose its energy upon reality. For example, a sympathist must have a firm Alar in order to maintain a belief that the wick of a candle will burst into flame. A common trick for training one's Alar is to split one's mind into separate parts and believe two conflicting things at once.