People at school keep giving us flack for having really basic diagrams. ‘Sticks and stones’ and stuff.
Some of what we’ve encountered includes…
HERALDRIC (HERALDIC?)
A type of marker that is used by enchanters & other toolmaking practices like dollmakers.
Thick decorated borders, stresses stuff like patterns and colors.
Not really for fancy practice stuff where you want to have a lot of moving parts. Instead they ‘set the table’ for other work. (Mrs. Graubard’s words)
To do something more complex you’d want to have a bunch of diagrams that each act like workstations or power tools. Ex. One to shape, one to temper, one to refine, one to infuse, and one to seal. A lot of the time, effort goes into making these diagrams really fancy. Cut stone with a rim of gold, marble, all fit together with zero gaps.
Obviously, lots of effort to make, not portable, hard to draw on the fly if, like, a guy is trying to eat you.
I asked what happens if you do leave a gap or the diagram fails. Apparently, the thick, usually inwardly-ponted (see the ‘Nebuly’ border in the thing I clipped out ^) or at least neutral border (like the ‘Potency’ border in the Temperting diagram (see next page) usually restrains the damage. Only the object breaks or whatever. Usually
Because they don’t have a lot of moving parts and use a bit of power to channel important forces, we can draw them & they won’t come to life on the page.
Benefit is they are really good at focusing on a central subject, manipulating lots of power, and changing or changing the properties of things that don’t usually change that much. (Like stone, wood, metal).
Tempering Diagram
From Tess Hager’s ‘Forged Hearts’. Burn out the extra crap, reinforce whatever isn’t burned away. Beginner stuff.
Color associations are really important. Mrs. Graubard didn’t really dive into that. She asked me to go with my gut when I tempered my scissors, and I chose lavender and grey. She said that was fine. That purple tends to mean stuff is important (‘royal’) or special. I see myself as weird and maybe a very light purple-pink is that minor kind of ‘special’ that fits.
Bold colors are apparently better for tables and things an enchanter wants to use long-term. Tomato red, persian blue, gold, yadda yadda. Some families have colors and symbols they prefer, and spirits learn to recognize them by these things.
When ‘setting the table’ for enchantment work or other object manipulation, where you set the table can matter. Red means something different if the diagram is indoors vs. outdoors.
I asked about connecting the diagram to other kinds. Like surrounding it in something elemental. Graubard said its hard because the border is think. Might have to do a )-( link.
Embattled Border
Firm, bold border or reinforing element. A common feature of enchantment diagrams, and while Mrs. Graubard didn’t really say so, I got the impression it’s the default, when another enchantment element isn’t more appropriate. A ‘firm’, ‘push back’ type thing.
Raguly Line
Hazard or danger. Can be used to protect a place or a designate a circle or area as hostile or troubled. Used for cursed items, possessed items, and vessels holding a lot of power. Means ‘chopped off’ and is meant to evoke a sense of those spears that get lashed to a log, to ward off cavalry and charges. Hurts or hurts power levels to push hard against this. I’m doing these notes to distract myself while waiting for Edith and Matthew, and wondering if this would be useful against curses and stuff.
Palissade Line
Emphasizes the parts of Herald(r)ic diagrams that are really good at breaking into stuff, changing really hard materials, and penetrating protections. This gives any efforts ‘teeth’. Can be considerend an emphasis of the embattled line but sacrifices holding power for that penetrating power.
These are pretty flexible as ‘tools’.
‘Potentcy’ Lines as inner structure, for guiding drawn-out potential.
Embattled field as the focus of a diagram
Heraldry Symbols
Heraldic diagrams like to feature one symbol, a repeating pattern, or they use lines and fields. A lot of the time, the person doing the ritual decides the power source, there’s an item or whatever lying in the diagram, and the relationship between those things is what determines the focus, instead of the diagrams we’ve been doing, where the big triangle or whatever determines that stuff.
Side note: Heraldric diagrams are sometimes imbalanced, ‘facing’ the user. I think this ties back to the earlier bit, where the person doing the ritual manages the power source and is kind of part of the diagram? I wonder if this makes it really important to wear the right clothes and like, sit upright and stuff.
Mrs. Graubard showed us a bunch of pictures of complex diagrams and setups. I couldn’t get any pictures tho. It looks like a nice set of heraldic diagram stuff is as hard to put together as the impressive ritual you’d be using it for.
Symbols seem to be really, really simple ones we have ideas for. Skull, heart, diamond, sword, owl. There’s not a lot of argument over what these are about. For more complex symbols, we get into what Lucy said Ray said was…
Argumentative Diagrams
Didn’t get a class in these (yet) but can make guesses. Big, specific symbols are like passcodes to get places, or phone numbers to dial into a specific greater power. We saw this with the Forest Ribbon Trail, and Jessica’s diagram. I’m guessing it’s what a practitioner who works with the divine powers might use.
[Drawn Picture] ‘Rains’ entrance. My best attempt.
Argumentative Diagrams, Continued
While I’m guessing & thinking, I saw something similar in the reel of Mrs. Graubards “if you get good you can use stuff like these huge rituals.”
Probably the distinction here is that the elementary stuff we’ve been doing for diagrams is super basic instructions. Then the heraldry stuff is setting things up for how the practitioner can work with the item, with protections, focusing power, and giving the big fat brush strokes on what the power you’re putting in is meant to do. Scour, reshape, lock in your work, whatever.
Elementary: Draw it up, it does its own thing.
It works until it has power tho sometimes with conditions. The Practitioner is free to leave. It may be less impactful to have fancy clothes, gear, equipment. (But witches hats are still peak style IMO)
Herald: draw it up, place whatever you’re working with in the center, and it’s like you’ve got a workstations. Can add props like we did with the doll, to dress up or set up that workstation.
Argumentative: My best guess: the diagram becomes your ‘pitch’ to try to convince or access the greater power.
Celestial Diagrams: No blinking idea. Maybe fancier elementary ones?
I agree, Verona. Herald(r)ic is kind of a confusing word.
Your doodles are on point, WB. I adore the little witch talking to her tentacle friend with their tentacle diagram ❤ I’ve a question if that’s okay. Do you have sketchbooks full of diagrams as you figure out the rules and lore of Pactverse, or do you figure it out as the situation arises?
I love how you can figure out who wrote what just from writing style. I started reading and almost immediately realized “This is totally Verona, isn’t it?”
Pale 
Unofficial Transcript:
People at school keep giving us flack for having really basic diagrams. ‘Sticks and stones’ and stuff.
Some of what we’ve encountered includes…
HERALDRIC (HERALDIC?)
A type of marker that is used by enchanters & other toolmaking practices like dollmakers.
Thick decorated borders, stresses stuff like patterns and colors.
Not really for fancy practice stuff where you want to have a lot of moving parts. Instead they ‘set the table’ for other work. (Mrs. Graubard’s words)
To do something more complex you’d want to have a bunch of diagrams that each act like workstations or power tools. Ex. One to shape, one to temper, one to refine, one to infuse, and one to seal. A lot of the time, effort goes into making these diagrams really fancy. Cut stone with a rim of gold, marble, all fit together with zero gaps.
Obviously, lots of effort to make, not portable, hard to draw on the fly if, like, a guy is trying to eat you.
I asked what happens if you do leave a gap or the diagram fails. Apparently, the thick, usually inwardly-ponted (see the ‘Nebuly’ border in the thing I clipped out ^) or at least neutral border (like the ‘Potency’ border in the Temperting diagram (see next page) usually restrains the damage. Only the object breaks or whatever. Usually
Because they don’t have a lot of moving parts and use a bit of power to channel important forces, we can draw them & they won’t come to life on the page.
Benefit is they are really good at focusing on a central subject, manipulating lots of power, and changing or changing the properties of things that don’t usually change that much. (Like stone, wood, metal).
Tempering Diagram
From Tess Hager’s ‘Forged Hearts’. Burn out the extra crap, reinforce whatever isn’t burned away. Beginner stuff.
Color associations are really important. Mrs. Graubard didn’t really dive into that. She asked me to go with my gut when I tempered my scissors, and I chose lavender and grey. She said that was fine. That purple tends to mean stuff is important (‘royal’) or special. I see myself as weird and maybe a very light purple-pink is that minor kind of ‘special’ that fits.
Bold colors are apparently better for tables and things an enchanter wants to use long-term. Tomato red, persian blue, gold, yadda yadda. Some families have colors and symbols they prefer, and spirits learn to recognize them by these things.
When ‘setting the table’ for enchantment work or other object manipulation, where you set the table can matter. Red means something different if the diagram is indoors vs. outdoors.
I asked about connecting the diagram to other kinds. Like surrounding it in something elemental. Graubard said its hard because the border is think. Might have to do a )-( link.
Embattled Border
Firm, bold border or reinforing element. A common feature of enchantment diagrams, and while Mrs. Graubard didn’t really say so, I got the impression it’s the default, when another enchantment element isn’t more appropriate. A ‘firm’, ‘push back’ type thing.
Raguly Line
Hazard or danger. Can be used to protect a place or a designate a circle or area as hostile or troubled. Used for cursed items, possessed items, and vessels holding a lot of power. Means ‘chopped off’ and is meant to evoke a sense of those spears that get lashed to a log, to ward off cavalry and charges. Hurts or hurts power levels to push hard against this. I’m doing these notes to distract myself while waiting for Edith and Matthew, and wondering if this would be useful against curses and stuff.
Palissade Line
Emphasizes the parts of Herald(r)ic diagrams that are really good at breaking into stuff, changing really hard materials, and penetrating protections. This gives any efforts ‘teeth’. Can be considerend an emphasis of the embattled line but sacrifices holding power for that penetrating power.
These are pretty flexible as ‘tools’.
‘Potentcy’ Lines as inner structure, for guiding drawn-out potential.
Embattled field as the focus of a diagram
Heraldry Symbols
Heraldic diagrams like to feature one symbol, a repeating pattern, or they use lines and fields. A lot of the time, the person doing the ritual decides the power source, there’s an item or whatever lying in the diagram, and the relationship between those things is what determines the focus, instead of the diagrams we’ve been doing, where the big triangle or whatever determines that stuff.
Side note: Heraldric diagrams are sometimes imbalanced, ‘facing’ the user. I think this ties back to the earlier bit, where the person doing the ritual manages the power source and is kind of part of the diagram? I wonder if this makes it really important to wear the right clothes and like, sit upright and stuff.
Mrs. Graubard showed us a bunch of pictures of complex diagrams and setups. I couldn’t get any pictures tho. It looks like a nice set of heraldic diagram stuff is as hard to put together as the impressive ritual you’d be using it for.
Symbols seem to be really, really simple ones we have ideas for. Skull, heart, diamond, sword, owl. There’s not a lot of argument over what these are about. For more complex symbols, we get into what Lucy said Ray said was…
Argumentative Diagrams
Didn’t get a class in these (yet) but can make guesses. Big, specific symbols are like passcodes to get places, or phone numbers to dial into a specific greater power. We saw this with the Forest Ribbon Trail, and Jessica’s diagram. I’m guessing it’s what a practitioner who works with the divine powers might use.
[Drawn Picture] ‘Rains’ entrance. My best attempt.
Argumentative Diagrams, Continued
While I’m guessing & thinking, I saw something similar in the reel of Mrs. Graubards “if you get good you can use stuff like these huge rituals.”
Probably the distinction here is that the elementary stuff we’ve been doing for diagrams is super basic instructions. Then the heraldry stuff is setting things up for how the practitioner can work with the item, with protections, focusing power, and giving the big fat brush strokes on what the power you’re putting in is meant to do. Scour, reshape, lock in your work, whatever.
Elementary: Draw it up, it does its own thing.
It works until it has power tho sometimes with conditions. The Practitioner is free to leave. It may be less impactful to have fancy clothes, gear, equipment. (But witches hats are still peak style IMO)
Herald: draw it up, place whatever you’re working with in the center, and it’s like you’ve got a workstations. Can add props like we did with the doll, to dress up or set up that workstation.
Argumentative: My best guess: the diagram becomes your ‘pitch’ to try to convince or access the greater power.
Celestial Diagrams: No blinking idea. Maybe fancier elementary ones?
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I agree, Verona. Herald(r)ic is kind of a confusing word.
Your doodles are on point, WB. I adore the little witch talking to her tentacle friend with their tentacle diagram ❤ I’ve a question if that’s okay. Do you have sketchbooks full of diagrams as you figure out the rules and lore of Pactverse, or do you figure it out as the situation arises?
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That was a confusing question. In other words, I am curious if you have all the diagrams figured out way ahead of time.
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Celestial diagrams briefly and some details on diagram line types are described in pact,
And I think more structure is provided in pact dice rules
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i absolutely adore how good these extras are at giving us huge infodumps supported by characterization <333
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I love how you can figure out who wrote what just from writing style. I started reading and almost immediately realized “This is totally Verona, isn’t it?”
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Potential typo-beyond-what-Verona-would-typo:
“and changing or changing. the properties”
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