The Ottoman religious hierarchy
governs the teaching of magic, the freedoms of its citizens to perform magic,
and the judgment of those practicing dark magic. While uninterrupted control by
religious authorities kept ancient traditions and rites alive, few magicians
exist able to perform such fantastic feats using the impotent magic of the
modern age. Ottoman magic reached its full blossom in the 1500s and advanced
little further.
Thaumaturgy
The current generation of magicians serving the
Sultan stands firmly in the past. Few alive are able to perform the simplest
hermetic operations from the 10th-century grimoire Ghāyat al-Ḥakīm, yet the
unchanged original text remains a core in their studies. Fewer still dare to
alter the ancient operations with modern techniques to allow for quicker, safer performances.
Aware of their magicians' degrading abilities, past
Sultans tried to introduce new methods and innovations, but the religious and
military structures did not tolerate blasphemies and correction. In1853, the
Russian navy destroyed a squadron of Ottoman ships in the disastrous Battle of
Sinop. Reports of Ottoman ships ablaze with strange magical fire, and of the
Russian magicians biding the fire to burn and destroy, gave Abdulmejid paved
the way his administration’s reforms.
The Grand Mufti approved new statutes allowing all
citizens of the Ottoman Empire to study Thaumaturgy, for secular universities
to teach Thaumaturgy, and that the practices may be taught by secular teachers
and not just clergy. The Sultan invited
highly respected members of the Guild to consult on a modern curriculum and to
teach the next generation of Ottoman magicians. Only time will tell if they
make a difference in the Crimea, or even be ready in time to serve before
the war ends.
Magnetism
Magnetistic abilities in the Ottoman Empire can be a
blessing or a curse. Spared the classifications used by the Guild, the Turks consider
all abilities as “miracles”. Magnetism is the most revered magical practice of
the Nithamiyeen. They consider magnetists to be blessed by the Heavenly Host
for their purity and devotion.
They also consider magnetists of other faiths to be
full of infernal power leading those around them to damnation. While no magnetists suffered government
sentenced punishments in the last fifty years, the stigma of dark magic spreads
out from any “infidels” performing miracles. These rumors often lead to mob violence
and vigilante “justice”.
Most Turkish magnetists join the dervish orders
(Nithamiyeen mystics devoted to acetic holiness) housed in the monasteries of
Constantinople. There, under the strict discipline of their order, they learn
to use their miracles for the glory of the Heavenly Host, and the destruction of
any magician practicing Sihr (dark magic).
Sigils
Traditional Ottoman magic truly shines in the
scribing of Sigils. Every Nithamiyeen considers writing down any portion of
their holy scriptures as blasphemy, so adherents dutifully memorized its
entirety. Over time scribes and the clergy developed a system using Arabic
letters representing essential passages. Calligraphers created beautiful works
of art consisting solely of painstakingly intricate letters perfectly
suggesting and representing their holy meanings. Turkish Sigil Scribes use
these letters to create powerful talismans, amulets, and seals, often in stone
and silver.
Constantinople is the center for Sigil Scribing in
Eastern Asia and Western Europe. Sigils are everywhere, carved into walls,
etched onto containers, even woven into clothing. Unlike most magical
practices, the Ottoman government does not restrict the selling and creation of
Sigils. The Jewish and the Aluminat communities of Constantinople add
their skill and will to the craft, free from restrictions, although sigils
representing religious figures shared by the three faiths cause a great deal of
argument.
Scribes sell their services on every market and
street, but travelers should take care to find an authentic scribe. Just as many fake Sigils with no magical
properties and faulty Sigils with dangerously lax craftsmanship sell in the
market as real.
Petty Conjuring
As in Europe, the practitioners of Petty Conjuring
get little respect, but at least they can’t be publicly beheaded anymore. Very
few Turks perform enchantments, even fewer worship the Turkic deities
replaced by the Nithamiyeen faith. Most conjurors descend from the Greek,
Eastern European, North African, and Romani communities of the Ottoman Empire,
mostly taught by their elders, as they were taught by their elders.
Shortly after taking the throne Sultan Abdulmejid
legalized Petty Conjuring, however, the stigma of witchcraft and sorcery stick
with the Turkish populations. In the ethnic quarters, conjurors open shops and
openly display ready-made foci ready to be used. In the purely Turkish
neighborhoods of Constantinople, conjurors furtively watch their step, lest a
traditionalist take the law into his hands.
Despite the taboo, Old superstitions still draw people of all
backgrounds to purchase the strange red and blue beads (called Nazars) from conjurors. Horses, dogs, and people wear the charms around their necks believeing the beads protect from the “Evil Eye”, a curse
causing bad luck.
Sihr (the Maleficium)
The Severn Pillars of the Nithamiyeen, strictly
forbid the practice of Sihr, dark magic. While any magic could be perverted
to evil uses (even the miracles of magnetism), Sihr currently describes the
inherently corrupting practices of Necromancy and Demonology, but the name previously extended over other forms of magic. Petty Conjuration, and the crafting of
Sigils outside the Nithamiyeen alphabet or Sigils of two letters or longer were
legally considered Sihr about 100 years ago.
Although the libraries of clergy and mosques often
hold books detailing the intricacies of dark magic, the Ottoman clergy consider
the study of Sihr too corrupting a force to allow a select few magicians practice
in the hope of combating its evils. The Ottoman Empire does not allow licensed
demonologists or theoretical necromantic studies. Any citizen of the Ottoman
Empire caught practicing a form of Sihr magic receives the death penalty. The
authorities turn any foreign citizen caught to their country's consul, provided
they are captured alive.
The Guild in Constantinople
All European Embassies and Consulates keep a Guild
magician on their staff, to handle magical crises far from home. These
magicians often casually meet to discuss magical theory and share a quiet meal.
Dubbing themselves the Macarius Society, they welcome visiting academics, and
other magically minded travelers to gather together in fellowship. As the only
Guild presence in Constantinople, the members of the Macarius Society are also known
to help fellow Europeans in supernatural distress. They have no authority,
aside from their diplomatic status, and any strings they can get their Consuls
to pull.
