Ann. Daartlawer Agency of Magi: This text, predating the Sasinthēne prophet Adanōs by over 500 years, details the conventions of demonism as practiced by lodge Magi. It is suitable on an informative basis, though notations have been made where the difference in what was permissible in primitive Onavara is unacceptable in modern Daartlaw and her territories. Moreover, it is the belief of this body that much of demonism may be classed as such except when practice within the strict policy outlined by the Five Guilds. Large (biographical) portions and included diagrams have been excised, and are available by request. Otherwise, all succeeding excerpts are contiguous and presented without redaction. Hairam (Sasinthēne: ē’Onafàrenon Àiramōs) writes:
Long has it been that the Magus has utilized the intercession of ‘dark spirits’ where it suits him and his ends, which our twice-blessed ancestors have so nobly determined to hail from the Gulf of Harwa (Ann. Hairam refers to the small portion of the night sky 10 degrees due northwest of the Ox.) and in fact to ensue from it as birds. The secret employment of these Birds of Harwa is indeed part and parcel to the practice of the Learned Magus. For this reason, permit me to be your guide in the recommended means of intercession, that is, the construction, summoning, and binding of these beings.
Ann. The reader may skip or read…
[My motherland is the isle of Onavara, whereupon I was taken up in the technique of the Magus from my youth. I shall assume, noble reader, that you too have learned well the techniques pertaining to our Art, and are possessed of an upright and Sasinthēne perspective such as that prescribed by our priests. It is well that a Magus bears a sound mind and wise intentions, even when so often we are given to conflict with our fellows, as is the nature of those who strive for great things. Perhaps you, who have so well-reared a view, might wonder why we Magi intercede at all with the Birds of Harwa, when from the mouth of the Demōchipē (Ann. the serpent-crowned hero god of the Sasinths) we know that the Double Lord considers them as enemies unto all mankind. I counter with a maxim he who has been made to exist upon the world ought know well: it is not by forgetting evil in the world that we are made good, it is by ensuring that good masters evil, and never that evil masters good, that righteousness is maintained.
I shall make one further argument as to why intercession with the Birds of Harwa is a wise undertaking for the Magus, should you, wise reader, be not persuaded by the theological argument. It is certain in the work of the Magus that he be confronted by a Bird, regardless of his intent. It is only through understanding their nature that he may undo their dread influence, where it is most dreadful. Indeed, be he versed in the words of the Demōchipē, perhaps he may exorcise their influence, but even the priests of Onavara are given to understanding their enemy, and not to ignore their attributes for fear of enticing their corruption. It is well-known that a Bird may choose to malignantly inhabit a man, and thereby direct their will to ill design; this will be outlined as I discuss what sorts of matter a Bird may be clad in when so called in a further section.
Ann. It is the opinion of this body that possession or ‘inhabitation’ poses a far greater risk than Hairam implies. Negligence resulting in an incident of possession by a licensed Magus on Daartlaw or its territories can be punished least by expulsion.
At last, I claim that the utility of employing the Birds of Harwa far outweighs their risks. Little can the Magus do that he designs only of himself. Intercession with the Birds grants him an ally that he may call upon totally, and one who is not so vulnerable to the designs of his enemy Magus as a magician or even a mere man. Further, our elders have so nobly determined that the use of a spell from legend is no different from calling upon a Bird, except in that the Bird is often possessed of a cunning which rivals or exceeds human intent. Goodly reader, I shall not pretend it is unwise to fear the designs of a Bird of Harwa. I will instead impress that should you be wise in your selection and unsparing in your dealings, you shall make good use of their aid.]
I. Construction
There is no exception for the fact that the Birds of Harwa are discarnate, and arrived when called from the black without form or weight. The Magus is sensitive to their being, however, and may determine through sixth sense their mass. In my earlier manual (Ann. The Manual of Hiram, a text jealously guarded by the House of Ansus. A copy was acquired from the Museum of Iantōs, which this body is preparing for transcription as of this publication, 1115.) I gave without clarification my chosen unit for mass of ‘soul’, that is, the weight of a human soul. Here I expound: a Bird of Harwa weighing precisely that of a human soul is moderate but weak. I describe this as ‘1 weight’. It is at the mark of 10 weights that a Bird becomes formidable, and I recommend to my apprentices that they preference the mark of 5 weights for their initial crafts. Only in the devising of a limited servitor do I suggest the employment of a Bird weighing less than 1 weight.
Ann. The recommendation of this body remains that the use of a demon no more than 1/2 weight is entirely safe. At this weight, little more than a thought is required to abjure it, and a single repetition of the Supper Prayer shall suffice otherwise.
A Bird without body is only as formidable as it can influence man to its tendency; it is seldom useful for the Magus to employ a Bird without also employing a form for it to inhabit. For you, noble reader, I include diagrams for the constructions, as well as my recommendations, on the following: It has been my favored practice to construct a body of river clay and ash made of Heathen bone, as it is not inhibited by twice-blessing. For each shovel of river clay, inmix a small handful of ash. Wet it with water or blood, if there is supply. Ten of these shall suit a single weight of soul, once fired by kiln.
It has been done to find or construct of pieces a body which had once been occupied by a man. This shall work without difficulty of construction, though two obstacles face a Magus so inclined: the first is that the flesh must be livened by considerable transfusion. The second is that even the blessings of Heathen rites are resilient to the occupancy of flesh by a Bird. Though the priests are possessed of prayers which exorcise the influence of such rites, the Double Lord abhors this practice even for the astray. The Magus is wise to fear the bearing of such sin. Finally, allow me to detail briefly a practice I discourage: It has on occasion been the practice of a Magus to utilize his captive enemies as vessels for the Birds of Harwa. I am certain, noble reader, that naught produces so much disgust in your mind as the submission of the mortal to the arts of the Magus in this manner. However, there is reason further that this be avoided: when inhabiting a living body in its whole, the Bird dominates not merely the body, but the soul, and can thus obtain a facsimile of life which is destructive to the inhabited body. The most natural result is a deeply unnatural hunger, only sated by hideous consumption, and resulting invariably in the final damnation of the captive.
Ann. The only acceptable use of flesh as a housing for demons in the eyes of this body is the Homunculus Art, that is, the use of living but separated flesh from the Magus’s own body. It goes without saying that Hairam suggests a practice wholly inimical to Daartlawer morality. This body shall also herein note that the determined intentional submission of a living human for possession can be punished least by execution.
II. Summoning
Ann. The following section has been deemed unfit for publication. The interested party may request permission from the Agency of Magi to view, given suitable licensure by the Five Guilds.
III. Binding
I shall presuppose, noble reader, that you have not preceded your reading of this chapter with the summoning of a Bird of Harwa, or that if you have, you have executed the summoning of a Bird of minor weight and swiftly thereafter banished it. It shall be necessary twofold for you to bind a Bird of Harwa after calling it: first, you must ensure that the Bird is not only coaxed into your prepared vessel, and locked therein, but also that the Bird is not able to influence you unduly. Good reader, you shall not believe falsely that due to your talent as a Magus, that you are immune to their power. Rather, a Magus is moreso affected by the depredations of the Bird of Harwa when he believes he cannot be, and thereafter he is most formidable indeed, because he has not prepared for such a circumstance. Then, I shall advise the methods of binding which are most potent against the Birds of Harwa, which occur in two stages, once summoned, but not embodied, and once embodied.
Once summoned, the Bird of Harwa may be enclosed by means of ritual or symbol. Because the un-embodied Bird is discarnate and lives solely within the domain of the spirit, it can be entrapped by means of mere suggestion in the living world. I do not feel the need to duplicate here an explanation of the treatises which putatively exist and detail sigils and rites for the entrapping of Birds of Harwa. Those prescribed as evil eyes by priests of Onavara shall suffice as well as those drawn in chalk or blood. The blessed oil of the Double Lord shall be suitable when one is faced with a Bird exceeding 25 weights, or otherwise relic ash of a saint, though one must be certain to collect it afterwards.
Ann. Despite himself, Hairam proceeds to detail several rites he finds suitable for binding various weights of demon. Needless to say, these exact materials are preferenced for magicians within this body. However, if you believe they may be relevant for a project, do not hesitate to request access.
Once embodied, binding is a far easier enterprise. The sigils you have undoubtedly prepared on the body shall suffice, but in fact, the Bird is now on an island apart, and cannot so easily influence the world beyond, as carnation mutes and limits the expansion of the soul to be so dense as to mirror the body. To this, noble reader, I shall level my most stringent warning: once bound, the Magus should be so wise to prevent the Bird of Harwa, given wing, from contact with the common man, he who lacks the practice of our Art. Given body, the Bird of Harwa is capable of our Art in its primitivity. Moreover, the Bird remains capable of influencing men, and having so done, may possess them without the bidding of the Magus. Even with active suppression on the part of the Magus, a Bird exceeding 10 weights is cunning and capable of malignant design. It must be kept apart from the common man by employment of binding sigils as described earlier in this section, and should not be used where men abound to be swayed by its power.