Hard Magic: Book I of the Grimnoir Chronicles

From the notes of Jake Sullivan, 1932

A

Active—The catch-all term for people with magical abilities.

Specifically those who have strong enough connections to

the Power to utilize their ability at will and with a greater

degree of control than a Passive. Actives vary in the amount

of Power available to them, with some being more naturally

gifted than others. The conventional wisdom has always

been that Actives are only able to use one type of Power.

Actively Magical—Old-fashioned term for Active.

Angel of Death—(see Pale Horse)

B

Burner—(see Torch)

Beastie—Similar to Dolittle, but stronger, with the added ability to

control animals telepathically. Extreme cases can actually

put part of their consciousness into the creature and fully

control it, including broadcasting the Beastie’s speech, etc.

There have been some rumors of Beasties capable of

controlling human beings, but that may be antimagic

propaganda.

Beastman—(see Beastie)

Boomer—Unknown type of Active. The Special Prisoners’ Wing

guards at Rockville mentioned holding one of these in

solitary confinement in a special lead-lined chamber.

Brute—One of the most common of all Magicals. Brutes channel

Power through their bodies, increasing their physical

strength and toughness. They must work up to greater feats

of strength. If too much Power is used too quickly, severe

injuries or death can occur. They have been banned from

professional sports in most countries, but there is always

work available for a Brute.

C

Cog—The second most popular of all Actives. Cogs are able to tap

their Power to fuel their intelligence, and to receive strokes

of magical brilliance. They usually only have one area that

they are gifted in, for example Ferdinand von Zeppelin was

a Cog when it came to airships. If it weren’t for his bursts of

magical ideas, who knows what we would be riding. I do not

know if all Cogs are already intelligent, but I’ve never heard

of a dumb one.

Crackle—Capable of channeling, harnessing, and controlling

electrical current. They are a relatively common type, and

most make their living as electricians or in industry. The

more powerful Cracklers can draw energy from the air

and generate their own lightning.

D

demon—(see Summoned)

E

Edison—(see Crackler) I have been told this is considered the

polite term now.

elder—Member of the Grimnoir Society leadership.

Enemy—Unknown predatory creature that may be pursuing the

Power, according to Chairman Okubo Tokugawa.

F

Fade—Capable of walking through solid objects. Perhaps they do

this through modifying their density so that other matter

fits between their molecules. They are the opposite of the

Massive, yet both on them originate from the same

Density related section of the Power. Fades are universally

loathed for their reputation as thieves, cutthroats,

and peeping toms.

Finder—Related to the Summoner, but dealing more with

disembodied spirits rather than physical beings. Finders are

primarily used as scouts, and their sensitivity varies greatly.

It is possible that Finders and Summoners are using the

same region of the Power, with Summoners simply being

more powerful.

Fixer—(see Cog) Usually a term reserved for lower level Cogs, who

are better at repairing than inventing.

Fortune Teller—Charlatans who pretend to have magic and know

the future to rip off suckers. There is no proof of any

precognitive Active.

G

Gravity Spiker—(see Heavy) The much more dignified term

for an Active Heavy.

Grey Eye—(see Traveler) All known Travelers have strange

grey eyes.

Grim Reaper—(see Pale Horse)

Grimnoir Society—A combination of the French words grimoire,

for book of spells, and noir, for black, because at the time

the origins of magic were shrouded in mystery. The Society

was founded to protect Actives from the Normals and to

protect the Normals from Actives. Their primary operatives

are known as knights, and their leaders are referred to as

elders. They work in secrecy.

H

Head Cas—(see Reader)

Heale—The rarest and most popular of all Actives. They are

capable of accelerating the natural healing process. Even the

weakest Passive Healer is worth a fortune. Strong Healers

can fix most wounds almost instantaneously. I have been led

to understand that even without using their Power, they

can always see a person’s insides. I suppose it’s a good thing

they’re paid so well, because that would make me ill.

Heavy—A very common type of Active. Most Heavies are limited

to changing the gravitational pull in a very limited area.

Strong Heavies can change the pull and also the direction

in a larger area. Heavies are one of the few types of Actives

that all tend to fall into the same physical category, most of

them being large of stature. There is an undeserved

stereotype that Heavies are dumb. (see Gravity Spiker)

I

Icebox—Always handy to have around when you want some ice in

your drink, the Icebox is able to lower temperatures.

Stronger Actives can freeze water or even blood and tissue

instantly. There have been stories of Iceboxes who could

produce ice walls or spikes out of thin air, but these may be

the result of a popular radio program, The Adventures of

Captain Johnny Freeze. As a physical benefit, Iceboxes

cannot be harmed by frostbite or extreme cold.

J

Justice—This is a rumored type of Active. Supposedly, they can

always tell truth from lies. Personally, I’ll believe it

when I meet one.

K

kanji—(see Spells) The Japanese term for physical spells. Their

Kanji tends to be more stylized and artistic than the western

European style markings of the Grimnoir, but is very

effective at channeling Power.

knight—An operative of the Grimnoir Society.

L

Lazarus—An Active capable of chaining the spirits of the recently

dead to their bodies, creating tortured undead. They are the

worst of all, sheer magic scum, and the only good Lazarus

is a dead Lazarus.

Lightning Bug—(see Crackler)

Lucky—I had heard about these for years, and thought they

were a fairytale to explain people who cheated at cards.

They use their magical ability to alter probability. The term

used by Dr. Fort to explain this ability to influence chance

was psychokinesis.

M

Machine Head—(see Cog) Usually a Cog who is in tune with

physical machines rather than theory or science.

Magicals—A common term for people with Power, which can

include both Actives and Passives.

Massive—An extremely rare type of Active, capable of increasing

their physical density, until they are almost invulnerable.

I believe they are related to Fades, but in the opposite end

of the spectrum.

Mende—(see Healer)

Mover—The scientific term is telekinetic, which means moving

things with your mind. They are very rare, and very few are

capable of moving more than a small number of small

objects at a time. As a Mover’s Power increases they are

able to lift more weight, lift more individual items at once,

move them to higher velocities, and most difficult of all,

exercise a finer degree of control over the controlled objects.

Mouth—The most hated or most loved Actives, depending on if

they are in charge or not. Mouths are able to influence

anyone listening to their voice. Passive Mouths can alter

moods and emotions, while a powerful Active can directly

control your thoughts and feelings. The smarter you are,

the harder it is for a Mouth to steer you. Mouths tend to

gravitate toward politics.

N

Nixie—Unknown type of Active, cataloged by Dr. Spengler and

referenced by Dr. Einstein’s work relating to particle

physics. There is no official documentation on this type of

Active, and it is possible that this name is referring to some

other known Active type.

Normals—Term used mostly by Actives to describe people without

any magic. Depending on who is using it, it can be a

derogatory term.

O

Opener—(see Lazarus) short for Grave Opener.

P

Pale Horse—The opposite of the Healer, the touch of the Pale

Horse causes disease and sickness. No Active is more hated

than these. Luckily for us, most Normals think that they

are a story used to scare children.

Passive—A Magical who does not have active control over their

Power. They usually have one small trick that they can do,

but are unable for whatever reason to grow their ability.

For example, Passive Heavies are instinctively able to pick

up heavy things. Passive Healers can accelerate the natural

healing process just by their presence but cannot target

specific areas or wounds. Passive Readers can pick up

snatches of other people’s thoughts but often go insane

from being unable to control the input.

Pipes—Unknown type of Active. Intelligence reports during the

Great War showed that the Germans held one of these in

reserve, but it is uncertain if we ever encountered him.

Power—1. The energy that all Magicals possess. As the energy is

used, our reserves are depleted. The rate that it recharges

and the total amount that can be stored depend on the

individual’s natural gifts and practice. It is currently

unknown if a Magical is born connected to the Power, or if

the connection forms at some point during their early life.

Power—2.The living being that all magical energy originates from.

Its origin is a mystery. I believe it to be a symbiotic parasite.

It grants magical abilities to some humans, and as we

develop those abilities, the magical energy that we carry

grows. When we die, the Power ‘digests’ this energy and

feeds. The process is then repeated. The growth of the being

explains the increase in our numbers over time.

R

Reader—Someone possessing the magical ability to read another’s

mind, sometimes called telepathy. Weak Readers can get

general feelings from their target, while a strong Reader can

crack your head open and watch your memories like a

motion picture. Readers can also broadcast thoughts and

memories. The stronger their target’s will or intelligence,

the more difficult they are to Read, and the more likely

they are to sense the intrusion.

Ringer—An extremely rare type of Active who can change their

appearance and voice to perfectly mimic another. It is

unknown if they actually physically change, or if they just

create the illusion in other people’s minds. I met one once

in Rockville but he escaped within 24 hours of arrival.

Rune Arcanium—A book of spells collected by the

Grimnoir Society.

S

Scales—(see Justice)

Slinger (see Lucky)

Shadow Walker—(see Fade)

Shard—A rare type of Active that can modify their bone structure

at will. I had one start a fight with me in Rockville.

They still squish just like everyone else.

Shifter—(see Ringer) It is believed in some circles that there is a

type of Active that can actually change their physical form,

but my personal belief is that these are just talented Ringers.

Spells—Through creating a representation of one of the coordinate

sections of the Power, specific magical energies can be

channeled into, and connected to, those markings.

Grimnoir-designed spells tend to look like old European

style writing, while Imperium Kanji are more artistic.

Summoned—A being brought into our reality by a Summoner.

The strength of the creature is dependant upon the

Summoner’s skill. Summoned only communicate at a

rudimentary level, though they do have some language.

It is unknown where they originate from and they will

never communicate on that subject except in the vaguest

terms. Summoned remain in this world until destroyed

or dismissed.

Summoner—An Active that can bring in creatures from another

world to serve their bidding. It is unknown where these

beings come from. The personal beliefs of the Summoner

seem to affect what the Summoned looks like. Extremely

powerful Summoners can bring in drastically strong

creatures. The more forceful the creature, the more Power

and attention it takes to keep it under control.

T

Teleporter (see Traveler)—A scientific term that has recently

come into common usage.

Torch—The single most common type of magical ability, Torches

control fire. Passives are usually limited to very small

flames, while a powerful Active can put out a flaming

hydrogen dirigible. Unlike the Icebox who can’t be harmed

by cold, Torches can still be burned just like any other

human.

Trap—(see Mouth) Usually used with a dual meaning, as in

“That politician is a Trap.”

Traveler—One of the only Actives that can be spotted by a

physical trait. All known Travelers have grey eyes. They are

one of the rarest types, but not by birth, but rather because

so few of them live long enough to control their ability.

Travelers are able to move instantly between two places.

The stronger the Traveler, the further they can go, and the

more they can carry.

U

Undead—A being created by a Lazarus. Physical death has

occurred but the body remains animated. Consciousness

and intelligence remains but so does the pain of whatever

killed them. Undead possess no natural healing abilities and

only continue to deteriorate. They cannot be magically

Mended. Very few undead remain sane for any length of

time and they tend to grow increasingly violent and erratic.

They do not truly die until their body is utterly destroyed.

There is a special place in hell for anyone who would curse

someone to being undead.

W

Weatherman—A Magical with the ability to influence the weather.

Strong Actives can actually stop or start storms and change

wind patterns, sometimes even up to hurricane force.

Too harsh use of this skill can cause severe side effects,

such as the Great Dust Bowl of 1927.

Words (see Mouth)

Z

Zombies—(see Undead) The first known Lazarus originated in Haiti. It is believed that is where the term zombie originated from.