[UA] Post-Modern Greek and Latin

[James Palmer]

On Wed, 3 Feb 1999, Ian Young wrote:

> James Palmer writes regarding the etymology of his delightful
> Urbanomancy...

:-)  I am complimented.

> 
> > I was thinking of renaming it Polisomancy, to keep with the Gk 
> > names of the other schools. But then I thought, sod it, it sounds > stupid and too much like cop-magick (same etymology, actually, 
> > now I think about it). So it remains urbanomancy. 
> 
> You know, last night I was flip-flopping in my mind over the issue of
> Polimancy v. Demomancy, as Tim had suggested -- the former indicating an
> obsession with the "political machine" of a city, while the latter
> suggests a tie to the land and the people of a city.  Wow, I thought,
> maybe there are these weird competing camps trying to exert different
> influences upon a given city! But then I thought, this is just semantic
> quibbling.  Sure a city-obsessed magician may be likely to specialise in
> either politics or engineering, but I don't think these necessarily
> dictate idealogical divisions.  Well, no more so than individual
> magicians of a given school are *already* divided idealogically.
> 

Agreed; I don't think urbanomancers would really make that division.
They'd see the politics and the landscape as two halves of the same coin,
following the same dreams.  

> I think the whole post-modern concept of magick bears out James'
> decision to settle on Urbanomancy -- any fast-dealing magician worth his
> salt really wouldn't give a hang *what* you call your magick, just as
> long as it actually works.  A rose by any other name...
> 

Hmmm.  Thought for a new school of magick.  Magicians who work on the
power given by names - but not the old concept of names representing True
Forms or Power or whatever a la Ars Magica or Earthsea.  Instead they'd
work on the manipulation of names, the changes, the discrepancies between
languages, etymology.  Cool.  Expect sometime in the next couple of days.
Greek for name or word, anyone?  My copy of the OED's broken.  Nomo? 

> 
> Now, with regard to Urbanomancy itself, I think it's the bee's knees. 
> I'm particularly pleased with the subtle conflict that's likely to erupt
> between Urbanomancers and Cliomancers over significant historical sites
> -- there's already been enough competition jockeying for the charges
> from urban landmarks, and now we have another element spoiling for
> squatting rights.  

Add in Fisher Kings, and it's even more fun.  I can see an entire campaign
based around urban magickal squabbling.

> 
> As for taking damage when the Urbanomancer is away from "his" city, I
> think that may be a bit harsh.  Certainly, he'd lose his ability to work
> magick when travelling abroad, which may be penalty enough, but I think
> I'd add the twist that it's more like a chain-smoker trying to go
> without a butt for a while.  At first it's just unsettling.  Then it
> get's uncomfortable.  Eventually it get's downright unbearable -- he
> *needs* his city!  Force of habit and "addictive" sensation get the
> better of the Urbanomancer, and he becomes an outright basket case. 
> Skill shifts of -10% or -20% might be appropriate, depending on how long
> he's been away from his city, and perhaps a Helplessness check might
> eventually be in order.

I like this a lot.  Consider it in.  Probably Isolation checks as well,
though.  Hell, I feel like that sometimes, being a city boy stuck in a
small town.

James.