Biothaumaturgy and other matters
Jul. 21st, 2023 09:17 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rynlingI'm editing the first major flashback chapter in The Demon King. These flashbacks are about Ananth's life in 2020 before the apocalypse happened. The chapter is only four thousand words long (and it's probably going to be much shorter by the time I'm done with it), but it's long enough for me to realize that I need to create a standard set of terms. So I did.
thaumic
The scientific term for “magical.”
thaumaturgist
Someone whose career involves the use of magic. Most thaumaturgists are white-collar professionals with advanced degrees.
biothaumaturgist
A specialist in medical science. Unlike doctors in general practice, biothaumaturgists tend to be more involved with medical research. Ananth’s father is a biothaumaturgist at a university hospital.
mage
An official title granted through advanced study at an accredited magic academy. The training necessary to become a mage is arduous to an extreme. Mages participate in secular civil society, but they’re also tasked with maintaining and enforcing magical law.
magic academy
A magical university with deep roots in ancient traditions. Prestigious elemental magic academies train and employ mages, while local academies exist primarily to host “summer magic academies,” voluntary but almost universally attended camps for school-age children.
keystone
A physical object imbued with magical energy. Every magic academy has one. The potency of these objects is variable, but their use and creation are highly regulated by mages. A thaumic researcher named Josie at Worldtree Labs studies keystones with the aim of producing a safer alternative for everyday use.
Worldtree Labs
The research firm that employs Ananth as the head of its IT department. Gungnir has set up Worldtree Labs in Midtown Manhattan as a way to attract young and talented thaumic researchers.
Gungnir
A tech research and investment firm located in Palo Alto. Gungnir is the parent company of Worldtree Labs.
thaumic
The scientific term for “magical.”
thaumaturgist
Someone whose career involves the use of magic. Most thaumaturgists are white-collar professionals with advanced degrees.
biothaumaturgist
A specialist in medical science. Unlike doctors in general practice, biothaumaturgists tend to be more involved with medical research. Ananth’s father is a biothaumaturgist at a university hospital.
mage
An official title granted through advanced study at an accredited magic academy. The training necessary to become a mage is arduous to an extreme. Mages participate in secular civil society, but they’re also tasked with maintaining and enforcing magical law.
magic academy
A magical university with deep roots in ancient traditions. Prestigious elemental magic academies train and employ mages, while local academies exist primarily to host “summer magic academies,” voluntary but almost universally attended camps for school-age children.
keystone
A physical object imbued with magical energy. Every magic academy has one. The potency of these objects is variable, but their use and creation are highly regulated by mages. A thaumic researcher named Josie at Worldtree Labs studies keystones with the aim of producing a safer alternative for everyday use.
Worldtree Labs
The research firm that employs Ananth as the head of its IT department. Gungnir has set up Worldtree Labs in Midtown Manhattan as a way to attract young and talented thaumic researchers.
Gungnir
A tech research and investment firm located in Palo Alto. Gungnir is the parent company of Worldtree Labs.
