"These 'miracles' that your Human priests believe to be demonstrations of the direct intervention of gods are just spells of another kind. Aethyrically-sensitive priests channel quite unwittingly elements of the Aethyr's Winds through convoluted rituals and great faith, and then shape it with their conscious and subconscious expectations. Just as the gods themselves are created and shaped by mortal endeavours and expectations, so are their blessings."
- —Ascribed to a lecture by Loremaster Teclis himself.[3a]
A priestess of Shallya, the goddess of mercy, healing the wounded through divine invocation.
Divine Magic is the term used by the realms of Men in the Old World that collectively represents the various supernatural miracles, invocations, and blessings that can be invoked by a given god's clergy. It also includes the supernatural works of those chosen by deities to act as their champion in the Known World.
The grinding unpleasantness of life proves that the gods exist, that they are fickle, frequently cruel, and must be placated at all costs. Miracles only further prove their existence -- they are the will of the gods, loaned to their favoured servants. Any priest might intone a blessing, rite, or spell in the hope that the gods will answer, but in practise, only a few please their patron gods enough to be granted their power.
Elves might teach otherwise, but frankly, who among Men would listen to those suspicious, haughty swine anyhow?[1a]
In truth, the wizards of the High Elves, including the High Elf Archmage Teclis who helped to found the Imperial Colleges of Magic, hold that all forms of magic, even the various lores of Divine Magic, are simply spells that manipulate the eight Winds of Magic in the same ways as any other casting. Yet because all magic is ultimately born of the strong emotions and beliefs of mortals that resonate within the extradimensional realm of the Aethyr, those mortals who possess a strong enough belief, consciously or unconsciously, in certain concepts, are able to shape magical energies to produce their desired effects. This is why, according to the Elves, that some priests are "faithful" enough to regularly invoke their god's miracles, and others are not favoured with a whiff of divine power.[3a]
The High Elves go further and teach that even the gods themselves are only entities of magic within the Aethyr born of mortal desires and expectations. Unsurprisingly, these views find little purchase among the faithful of the Old World Pantheon -- or their cults' priests.[3a]
Arcane Language[]
Most priests of the Old World Pantheon speak a cult-specific, ritualised dialect of the arcane language known as Magick, which they use to grant blessings and sometimes even to preach. Unlike the lingua praestantia -- the dialect of Magick reputedly created by the High Elf Archmage Teclis for the Imperial Colleges of Magic -- the older cult varieties are sprawling, massively complex languages, the origins of which are not well-understood. However, these ancient dialects share much vocabulary and often have identical grammatical structures, making them, albeit with a little work, mutually intelligible.[1a]
Many cult scholars claim this is because all cult languages are descended from the "Language of the Gods," taught to Humanity by Verena, the goddess of knowledge. Other scholars believe in the "Prime Language Theory," which suggests that the Mother of all Languages was not spoken by the gods, but by immensely powerful yet highly alien ancient mortals called the Old Ones.[1a]
Whatever the truth, any priest who understands their cult's dialect of Magick can understand other cult dialects of Magick with some effort and skill, and may even pick apart the meaning of the Collegiate use of the language with intensive study.[1a]
Perception of Divine Magic[]
Regardless of what the Elves may teach, perceiving Divine Magic with magical senses such as witchsight shows it to be very different from Arcane Magic. When casting spells, wizards draw upon the Winds of Magic and channel them into an effect that alters the physical laws of the mortal world. This can be perceived with witchsight as the flows of magic gathering, siphoning into the desire form of the magic-user's spell, and then being released towards the target.[1a]
Divine Magic, on the other hand, varies massively in its appearance. Sometimes a miracle is blinding for onlookers with witchsight, as the appropriate god or perhaps one of their servants appears to manifest in the local Aethyr; other times, the effects are barely perceptible, with nothing more than a faint, holy light surrounding the chanting priest or cleric.[1a]
Witchsight can be used by those blessed with the capability to wield Divine Magic to see the workings of those who use Arcane or Divine Magic, even when they are not casting spells or chanting prayers. How this is perceived, again, varies depending on the subjective psychology of the observer. Where a Sigmarite may see a Jade Magister as a creature surrounded by faint tendrils of what they believe to be corruption, a Taalite may see the wizard as an ivy-wreathed man with a diffuse, green aura.[1a]
Equally, when viewing other magic-using priests, what is perceived is changeable. A Manann worshipper may suddenly appear like the god of the sea himself, bearing a trident in his hand and a crown upon his brow. He may drip with aethyric, briny waters, and leave wet footprints wherever he walks, or he may just have a faint halo of water about his head. The results are rarely consistent, although the beliefs of the cult of the viewer seem to influence what he sees.[1a]
Ritual Magic[]
Ritual is an important part of cult life; however, surprisingly few of the cult rituals actually do anything miraculous.[1b]
It is believed by some magisterial commentators that all the rituals practised by the cults once held great power, but repeated errors in transcription of holy texts have weakened most to the point of being useless. The cults disagree, and believe their rituals hold power and importance far beyond simple pageantry, and that observers like the Magisters of the Imperial Colleges of Magic simply do not understand their older traditions.[1b]
Whatever the truth, variations of the following two rituals are known by all the cults of the Old World, and many more than these still exist in long-forgotten religious tomes across the Empire.[1b]
Call Divine Servant[]
This ritual calls a servant of a priest's deity from their god's realm. No two divine servants react the same, but very few would contemplate killing a priest of their god (although some may be particularly terrifying, such as Ulric's White Wolves). The summoning priest has absolutely no control over the divine servant, so they had better have a very good reason to be summoning it, or it is likely to bring down the wrath of their god or, if particularly annoyed, the vengeance of their god.[1b]
Divine servants that can be called with this ritual include creatures holy to the priest's god (Portal Ravens for Morr, or the Horned Stag for Taal), other cultists of especial importance (Caccino for Verena, or Pergunda for Shallya), mythical entities tied to the god (Triton for Manann, or Periphata for Myrmidia), or something a bit more odd (a twin-tailed comet descending from the sky for Sigmar, or a small cat's paw for Ranald)).[1b]
Each variation of this ritual summons a specific divine servant, and is normally recorded in a single holy tome carefully guarded by the cult. Few priests ever attempt these rituals, as they are seen as an imposition upon their god, and those who do try either fail or are never seen again. Indeed, some cultists do not even believe such rituals work, thinking the existence of such otherworldly entities to be nothing more than fanciful myth.[1b]
Consecrate[]
This is the most commonly known of all divine rituals, and is used by all cults of the Old World Pantheon whenever a new holy site, either temple or shrine, is established for their deity. If successful, priests of the god gain a greater chance of success on all their attempts to invoke other rituals, blessings or miracles when within the holy site. Furthermore, such holy ground can prove to be painful or even damaging to tread for Daemonic or Undead beings.[1b]
Unfortunately, many of the temples of the Old World were originally consecrated by priests without a proper understanding of divine lore. As a consequence, they are not properly consecrated. However, over time, even a botched consecration can eventually be corrected by the trudging feet and ambient faith of the faithful. As the years turn to decades, almost all cult sites gain a measure of holiness.[1b]
Wrath and Vengeance of the Gods[]
As well as granting blessings to the deserving, the gods may also inflict punishments on those who fail to show them respect or plot to harm their worshippers. A devout person who fails to keep to the deity's strictures, or otherwise brings the faith into disrepute, will also be punished, as will those who steal from the deity's temples or harm the deity's faithful.[2a][2b]
From those to whom much is given, much is expected. The gods apply this rule to their priests, and particularly to those whom they bless with the ability to invoke miracles. The gods expect exemplary service, and exemplary penance for any lapses; if they do not receive it, they may visit their wrath on the sinners. Those who work miracles may suffer this wrath in retribution for sins only a god could notice.
Divine punishments have varying stages, according to the enormity of the crime and the position of the errant priest. Devout individuals should be stripped of powers (starting with their divine lores for priests) or feel an otherwise oppressive hand from their deity making it clear that they have displeased. Individuals who have callously disregarded a god's will, mocked that god or their work, or who have desecrated a god's holy places may well be smitten with a debilitating disease. The gods are very fond indeed of the bloody flux.[2b]
There are many ways to apologise to the gods if they have been wronged. Their priests administer most of them. The following list describes the more common practices of contrition:[2b]
The Anvil[]
Used almost exclusively by the Cult of Sigmar, this penance requires "the hammer of justice upon the hand of crime." The size of the priest and the literal hammer vary with the level of the offence.[2b]
Bagging[]
For minor offences, the guilty parties often have their heads bound up in sacks. They are then pushed about the bounds of the community. This is supposed to remind them of the death masks placed upon heretics before burning or beheading.[2b]
Blood Tithe[]
Some wrongs have a very definite price. In backwards villages and other poor areas, where fines are not an option, certain offences have a blood tithe. The punished one must give up a certain amount of blood to the God they have wronged. Different sized chalices are used for different wrongs.[2b]
Fast[]
An offender may be asked to offer up part, or all of his meals for a time, in an attempt to placate the God in question. If the punishment is severe, the offender will be forced to spend a month drinking only water—a sure sentence to the flux if ever there was one.[2b]
Fine[]
The most common form of contrition is to pay a fine. This usually takes place upon Levyday, in a public place, such as a market or standing at the temple door. The public frequently jeer or pelt the offender with vegetables until the coins are handed over. The size of the fine depends upon wealth and the nature of the offence.[2b]
Leeching[]
Tricksters and deceivers are disliked by many Cults. Merchants who give short measure, gossips, and con men are often brought to priests for "divine punishment". This usually involves praying over the offender whilst leeches are placed upon the tongue to "suck out" the poisonous lies.[2b]
Whipping[]
Self-flagellation or a public whipping is a favourite of many gods. Some specify certain implements, whilst others merely demand a certain amount of "stripes."[2b]
Cult Specific Punishments[]
- Cult of Manann - The disfavoured individual vomits up salt water, and feels as though they have almost drowned.[1b]
- Cult of Morr All warmth and vigour leach from the disfavoured's body.[1b]
- Cult of Myrmidia - The disfavoured individual automatically fails to dodge or parry a blow during their next combat.[1b]
- Cult of Ranald - The disfavoured individual suffers from an improbable run of extreme bad luck.[1b]
- Cult of Shallya - The disfavoured individual suffers the exact same wound or injury the next time one of their nearby allies is so afflicted.[1b]
- Cult of Sigmar - A painful and bleeding brand in the shape of a twin-tailed comet appears on the disfavoured individual's forehead.[1b]
- Cult of Taal and Rhya - The disfavoured individual's mind becomes that of a beast for a short period of time, unable to speak or reason.[1b]
- Cult of Ulric - The body of the disfavoured individual is suddenly painfully rimed with frost.[1b]
- Cult of Verena - The disfavoured individual is robbed of all their knowledge for a single hour.[1b]
Divine Vengeances[]
Some individuals who commit major sins against the gods are struck by far more dramatic and grievous indications of that deity's disfavour.[1b]
- Behold Your Wickedness! - The afflicted individuals suffer visions of their worst failures, which seem to take an eternity but are over in an instant. The individual is pushed close to the edge of insanity by these visions.[1b]
- Lash the Flesh to Purge the Soul - The individual's physical body is wracked by divinely-incurred wounds.[1b]
- You Shall Not Abuse My Mercy - The afflicted individual loses all access to their magical abilities, which can only be regained slowly as various penances are performed. If the individual lacks magical ability, they suffer from constant bad fortune until similar penances are enacted.[1b]
- Thou Art Accursed and Outcast - The individual is cast out from their god's cult, and this punishment is also marked on their soul. All interactions with priests or laypeople of that cult are extremely hostile, even when servants of the god are not aware of the outcast's status in the cult.[1b]
- Rely Not On These Vanities - All the afflicted individual's personal goods and equipment are stripped from them, leaving them with literally nothing but the tunic on their backs. Some items, but not all, will be returned over time after suitable penance is performed.[1b]
- Called to Account - The individual is directly summoned before their god to face judgement. In some cases this results in death, in others the mortal is eventually returned to the mortal world to seek some form of penance.[1b]
- Daemonic Visitation - The afflicted individual is forced to confront an incursion by a Chaos Daemon that has been allowed by their god as a test and a punishment.[1b]
Divine Lores[]
Notable Petty Blessings[]
The following blessings are known by priests of every cult across the Old World.[1a]
- Blessing of Courage - The priest's inspirational words put fire in the heart of an ally. A single frightened or terrified individual immediately regains their composure and may now act as normal.[1a]
- Blessing of Fortitude - The priest's prayers provide one individual with a sudden increase in their willpower and ability to withstand wounds, injuries and other hardships.[1a]
- Blessing of Healing - The priest's prayers heal an individual's fresh, minor wound or injury.[1a]
- Blessing of Might - The priest's prayers provide one individual with slightly increased physical strength and skill with their weapons.[1a]
- Blessing of Protection - The priest's prayers provide the protection of their deity to one individual. Anyone who tries to attack that person will suddenly discover their will to injure them has dramatically decreased or even evaporated.[1a]
- Blessing of Speed - The priest's prayers provide to themselves or another individual a sudden increase in their physical agility and speed.[1a]
Cult Lores[]
Every major cult of the Old World Pantheon possesses a different divine lore that contains the blessings and miracles offered by their god, which is an expression of that god's specific portfolio of concern and interests. The Divine Lores for each cult are more fully explored on each cult's separate page below.