The Chromatic Chord

Dominion Magic

The compound school of Verba with Imago and Lux, on the brutal premise that language, image, and pressure can define behaviour. See The Schools of Magic.

Philosophy

Dominion Magic is built on a brutal premise: if language can define reality, then language, image, and fear can also define behaviour. Dominion mages study authority, compliance, fear, the breaking of a self, and the ways a mind comes to take a command for its own.

Some societies teach limited dominion arts openly for battlefield control, order in a lord's hall, guarding captives, or breaking up a crowd. Others ban most of it as a direct attack on personhood. Even where tolerated, the school rarely escapes suspicion. Its cleanest techniques are still coercive by design.

Example Places of Study

  • The Brass Hall: A royal academy that trains a king's captains, gaolers, and questioners in tightly watched command workings.
  • The Mirror Colleges: Elite schools where rhetoric, symbolic authority, and morale control are taught as one discipline.
  • The Pale Choir Houses: Secretive houses devoted to obedience cults, enthrallment liturgies, and emotional seizure; more than one has burned with its converts' kin outside holding the torches.
  • Wardens' barracks: Practical military schools focused on panic control, prisoner handling, and crowd-command magic.
  • The Quiet Halls: Barely tolerated chambers where nobles and spymasters hire will-breaking specialists.

Common Spells

Snapped Order · Silence of Dissent · Kneeling Pulse · Borrowed Courage · Puppet Step · Loyal Mask · Crowd Sway · Sleep of Compliance · Confession Pressure · The Unseen Hour · Chain of Office · Voice of the Throne · Severed Refusal · Gilded Devotion · Turned Blade · Public Shame · Consent Theft · Mob Fever · Idol Gaze · Skimming Gaze · Command of Stillness · Quelling Voice · Usurped Will

Snapped Order

Purpose/How It Works
Snapped Order delivers one concise instruction with a burst of binding force that drives the target to obey before reflection catches up.
Notable Exceptions
Simple actions work best. Strong-willed targets, strong wards, and commands against core self-preservation resist it.
Example Use
A caravan's guard mage snaps "Drop it" and the bandit lets the knife fall into the mud.
Typical Cost/Power Source
Usually fed by vocal authority, clear language, positional dominance, and the caster's reserves.
Casting Methods
A spoken imperative, a breath; a few heartbeats with a sealed authority token.
Range/Duration
Earshot. One immediate action.

Silence of Dissent

Purpose/How It Works
Silence of Dissent suppresses interruption, shouting, and competing speech in a bounded area by turning the mood of the place against open contradiction.
Notable Exceptions
It does not remove all resistance; it mainly makes vocal opposition difficult and costly.
Example Use
A tyrant's herald silences the square before reading the new tax decree.
Typical Cost/Power Source
Usually fed by prepared space, spoken authority, the crowd's mood, and the caster's reserves.
Casting Methods
A public decree cast over a few heartbeats; a hall-seal rite takes a short ritual.
Range/Duration
A room to a plaza. A short while.

Kneeling Pulse

Purpose/How It Works
Kneeling Pulse sends a body-level obedience shock through nearby targets, making them buckle or lose aggressive posture for a moment.
Notable Exceptions
It works better on massed groups than on duel-level elites prepared for it.
Example Use
Palace wardens drop a charging crowd to one knee before the gates.
Typical Cost/Power Source
Usually fed by positional authority, floor contact, and the caster's reserves.
Casting Methods
A stamped pulse over a few heartbeats; a threshold ward released over a little longer.
Range/Duration
A few paces to a room. A few heartbeats.

Borrowed Courage

Purpose/How It Works
Borrowed Courage seizes panic from one group and redistributes steadiness or aggression into another, usually the caster's allies.
Notable Exceptions
Borrowed morale decays quickly and can leave the drained targets emotionally hollow or unstable afterwards.
Example Use
A commander robs the mob's nerve and steadies the exhausted shield wall.
Typical Cost/Power Source
Usually fed by crowd emotion, symbolic command, and the caster's reserves.
Casting Methods
A banner cast over several heartbeats; a battle-standard rite takes a minute's chant or more.
Range/Duration
A handful of people to a crowd. A short while.

Puppet Step

Purpose/How It Works
Puppet Step briefly hijacks a target's motor sequence, forcing one movement such as a stumble, turn, kneel, or dropped strike.
Notable Exceptions
It is strongest on immediate actions, not long choreographies. Pain, discipline, and anti-compulsion training can interrupt it.
Example Use
An assassin's wrist is turned aside at the last heartbeat before the blade lands.
Typical Cost/Power Source
Usually fed by line of sight, body-reading, and the caster's reserves.
Casting Methods
A gesture lock over a few heartbeats; longer through a marionette focus.
Range/Duration
Within sight, at short to middling distance. One forced action.

Loyal Mask

Purpose/How It Works
Loyal Mask overlays a target's public self with signs of assent, devotion, or confidence regardless of inward feeling.
Notable Exceptions
It manipulates performance more easily than private conviction. Skilled observers can still notice strain underneath.
Example Use
A frightened hostage appears calm and willing while negotiations continue.
Typical Cost/Power Source
Usually fed by an imposed image, social expectation, and the caster's reserves.
Casting Methods
A touch to the face over several heartbeats; a cosmetic rite takes a little longer.
Range/Duration
Touch, or close by. A short while to most of a day.

Crowd Sway

Purpose/How It Works
Crowd Sway tilts a gathered population towards fear, calm, anger, devotion, or obedience by amplifying the most available emotional current.
Notable Exceptions
It cannot sustain a mood totally alien to the crowd's existing state without massive cost.
Example Use
A demagogue turns a tense food line into a chanting march within three sentences.
Typical Cost/Power Source
Usually fed by crowd density, rhetoric, symbolism, and the caster's reserves.
Casting Methods
A speech cast of a few sentences; a platform rite takes a short ritual.
Range/Duration
A hall to a public square. From a short while to the length of a long assembly.

Sleep of Compliance

Purpose/How It Works
Sleep of Compliance pushes a target into a soft, receptive state in which commands and suggestions meet less resistance.
Notable Exceptions
It works best on already exhausted or overwhelmed minds. Violent mental resistance can turn it into a seizure risk.
Example Use
Captors lull a prisoner before the real questioning begins.
Typical Cost/Power Source
Usually fed by exhaustion, rhythmic voice, and the caster's reserves.
Casting Methods
A low-voiced lull over many heartbeats; an incense-assisted rite takes a short ritual.
Range/Duration
One or several targets close by. A short while to most of a day.

Confession Pressure

Purpose/How It Works
Confession Pressure increases the psychological cost of concealment until a target feels physically compelled to speak or break under the strain.
Notable Exceptions
It pressures disclosure; it does not guarantee truth unless paired with other disciplines.
Example Use
A lord's questioner forces a captured raider to name the steward who opened the postern, before his nose and ears begin to bleed from resistance.
Typical Cost/Power Source
Usually fed by a pointed accusation, careful wording, and the caster's reserves.
Casting Methods
A spoken examination of a few questions; an interrogation rite in a lord's hall is a long rite.
Range/Duration
Earshot, or a closed chamber. A short while.

The Unseen Hour

Purpose/How It Works
The Unseen Hour prevents onlookers from recognizing the significance of an event even while they physically see it.
Notable Exceptions
It blunts interpretation, not raw sight. Repeated exposure creates suspicion and fragmented recall.
Example Use
Thieves lift a relic from the altar in front of a dozen worshippers who later swear nothing happened.
Typical Cost/Power Source
Usually fed by inattention, a cast image, and the caster's reserves.
Casting Methods
A passing glamour-cast over several heartbeats; a hall concealment rite takes a short ritual.
Range/Duration
A small group to a room. A short while.

Chain of Office

Purpose/How It Works
Chain of Office binds obedience more strongly to recognized rank, regalia, title, or sworn role.
Notable Exceptions
It is powerful in sworn hierarchies and much weaker among outlaws, loose raiding bands, and peoples who bow to no one.
Example Use
A general's command voice suddenly becomes impossible for conscripts to ignore while the chain is active.
Typical Cost/Power Source
Usually fed by genuine office, recognized symbols, and the caster's reserves.
Casting Methods
Regalia woken over many heartbeats; a throne or hall rite takes a short ritual.
Range/Duration
A unit, a chamber, or an audience bound by the same oath or banner. A short while to several days.

Voice of the Throne

Purpose/How It Works
Voice of the Throne magnifies a ruler's presence so that commands arrive with ritual inevitability and overwhelming weight.
Notable Exceptions
It fails spectacularly if the ruler's legitimacy is already broken beyond repair.
Example Use
A queen stops the beginning of a coup by speaking one sentence across the throne hall and making every sword arm hesitate.
Typical Cost/Power Source
Usually fed by enthroned authority, crown or seal symbols, and substantial caster or crown-backed reserves.
Casting Methods
A spoken decree over several heartbeats; a throne-room amplification rite is a long rite.
Range/Duration
A hall to a palace complex. A few heartbeats to a short while.

Severed Refusal

Purpose/How It Works
Severed Refusal temporarily cuts a target off from the inner impulse to say no, making negotiation, command, or seduction vastly more dangerous.
Notable Exceptions
It does not erase judgement entirely, but it strips the target's ability to halt the exchange at the normal moment. Many lords hang those caught using it.
Example Use
A cult recruiter uses the spell to turn one conversation into a binding initiation.
Typical Cost/Power Source
Usually fed by close proximity, invasive focus, and the caster's reserves.
Casting Methods
An intimate touch cast over several heartbeats; a chamber rite takes a short ritual.
Range/Duration
Touch, or close conversation. A short while.

Gilded Devotion

Purpose/How It Works
Gilded Devotion wraps obedience in admiration, reverence, or romanticized awe so domination feels meaningful rather than forced.
Notable Exceptions
It often collapses into hatred once broken. Strong preexisting contempt resists it.
Example Use
A charismatic ruler builds a bodyguard order that truly believes bondage to him is honour.
Typical Cost/Power Source
Usually fed by symbols of beauty, status, repeated exposure, and the caster's reserves.
Casting Methods
Gaze and speech over a sentence or two; a cultic devotion rite is a long ritual.
Range/Duration
One target or a gathered audience. From a day to months, with reinforcement.

Turned Blade

Purpose/How It Works
Turned Blade redirects hostile intent at the last instant, making a target strike wide, hesitate, or attack the wrong threat.
Notable Exceptions
It is strongest at the moment of decision. Sustained battle control requires repetition or stronger bindings.
Example Use
An honour guard kills the usurper's own champion when the assassin's angle turns half a degree.
Typical Cost/Power Source
Usually fed by target fixation, line of sight, and the caster's reserves.
Casting Methods
A snap-cast, a breath; a marked-target rite takes longer.
Range/Duration
Within sight, at short to middling distance. One attack or one decision point.

Public Shame

Purpose/How It Works
Public Shame weaponizes a crowd's scorn so the target experiences resistance, exposure, and bodily weakness if they persist in the forbidden act.
Notable Exceptions
It is weak where the audience does not share the same norm.
Example Use
A thief cannot bring himself to pocket the idol while the whole temple hall turns its gaze on him.
Typical Cost/Power Source
Usually fed by shared social norms, crowd focus, and the caster's reserves.
Casting Methods
A public accusation over many heartbeats; a judgement rite before the gathered hall takes a short ritual.
Range/Duration
One target before a group. A short while.

Mob Fever

Purpose/How It Works
Mob Fever converts a crowd from passive grievance into coordinated aggression by synchronizing anger and suppressing individual hesitation.
Notable Exceptions
Once released, it is harder to direct than to start. Blowback against the caster is common if the social tide turns.
Example Use
A revolutionary speaker transforms market unrest into a palace march in the space of one short speech.
Typical Cost/Power Source
Usually fed by crowd density, preexisting grievance, and substantial caster output.
Casting Methods
A short rally speech; a bonfire rite is a long rite.
Range/Duration
A public square to a district crowd. A short while to most of a day.

Idol Gaze

Purpose/How It Works
Idol Gaze anchors obedience to an image, statue, seal, or mask so targets continue to feel watched and judged even after the caster leaves.
Notable Exceptions
Breaking or desecrating the anchor weakens the effect. Cynical or iconoclastic subjects resist it better.
Example Use
Occupation forces install a golden mask in the forum that makes every public denial of the regime physically difficult.
Typical Cost/Power Source
Usually fed by a symbolic idol, repeated attention, and ongoing maintenance rites.
Casting Methods
An idol consecration, a short ritual; a festival enthronement takes an hour's ritual.
Range/Duration
One site around the image. Days to months.

Skimming Gaze

Purpose/How It Works
Skimming Gaze reads the surface stir of active thought, emotion, and immediate intent from nearby minds.
Notable Exceptions
It catches surface turbulence best. Deep memories and disciplined silence remain difficult.
Example Use
An interrogator knows exactly which name made the prisoner panic.
Typical Cost/Power Source
Usually fed by line of sight, mental reach, and the caster's reserves.
Casting Methods
A focused read over a few heartbeats; longer through a circlet or mask focus.
Range/Duration
Minds close by, in a room or a tight crowd. A few heartbeats to a short while.

Command of Stillness

Purpose/How It Works
Command of Stillness arrests voluntary movement by forcing the body to obey a command of stillness stronger than its own impulse to move.
Notable Exceptions
It is strongest on people's bodies and weaker against animals, misshapen or unnatural creatures, or overwhelming physical momentum.
Example Use
A fleeing thief locks in place halfway through the window.
Typical Cost/Power Source
Usually fed by line of sight, positional authority, and the caster's reserves.
Casting Methods
A spoken arrest over a few heartbeats; a seal-and-gaze cast takes a little longer.
Range/Duration
One target within sight. A few heartbeats to a short while.

Quelling Voice

Purpose/How It Works
Quelling Voice lowers anger, panic, frenzy, and grief spikes so a crowd or target becomes governable again.
Notable Exceptions
It soothes; it does not resolve the cause of the emotion. Violent re-escalation is common once it ends.
Example Use
A riot pauses long enough for the gates to open and the food wagons to enter.
Typical Cost/Power Source
Usually fed by the crowd's mood, measured voice, and the caster's reserves.
Casting Methods
Spoken pacification over several heartbeats; a bell, incense, or banner rite takes a minute's chant or more.
Range/Duration
A small crowd or a room. A short while.

Usurped Will

Purpose/How It Works
Usurped Will overwrites the target's decision process with the caster's command structure for a sustained span.
Notable Exceptions
It is invasive, unstable, and among the most politically and morally notorious dominion workings.
Example Use
The duke signs the order, seals it, and only later wonders why his hand would not stop.
Typical Cost/Power Source
Usually fed by intense mental force, symbolic dominance, and heavy caster reserves.
Casting Methods
A direct domination cast over many heartbeats; a throne, chair, or chain rite is a long rite.
Range/Duration
One target within sight or held in ritual containment. A short while to most of a day.

In the Writers’ Guide

See Also