The following extract is from the Encyclopaedia Edimoria volume 10, 29th edition by Alberfungus Betswish Stunk. It is about the College of Chronomancy.
"The college of Chronomancy is perhaps one of the most bizarre magical orders to exist in Edimor. They are a niche group of magic users who try to manipulate time to their advantage. As the old saying goes “Time changes everything” and as such it is their belief that if you can control time then you will have the power to change anything that exists. They believe that there is the potential for almost god like powers. However, despite their best efforts, they have yet to manage this to any reliable degree. Time itself is very complicated, and Edimorian beings, whether animal, plant, or mineral, experience it in different ways. A couple of fast energised minutes for an electrified astral fox may seem like a long dreary year for a common rock. With so many different ways of experiencing time, with some being purely situational while others being down to the individual and the differences in species, it has so far proven incredibly difficult to harness these powers with any reliability. If they are to control and manipulate time they must track it in all its various forms - the problem is there are just too many to count. What they are hoping to discover is some ultimate form of time that overrides everything – the great interdimensional master clock. Despite some dalliances with the Dramatimancers and their theories of dramatic effect, they have yet to get anywhere at all. It is immensely frustrating but they do not linger on these feelings, for it may make them late to their next meeting with a colleague or a particularly interesting garden stone. There is of course another saying, that “Time heals everything” which has led to another weird phenomenon. Namely their practice of treating wounds by shoving as many pocket watches that they can into/around the affected area. Whether this has ever worked is still hotly debated. Though some independent magic users have offered to put it through proper testing the Chronomancers have rejected them, stating that they simply don’t have the time.
Now the usual Chronomancer is very recognisable. They are nervous skittish sorts, all covered with time pieces and pocket watches. They tend to look untidy having little time for such things, as they dash around with great purpose muttering to themselves under their breath, counting almost every second that passes, while inspecting their devices. Now it may seem like they are late, perhaps for some kind of meeting, however this is not the case. Indeed they known to be the most punctual of all magic users, sometimes arriving years or even decades early for events. No, rather the fact that they study time has made them realise that they are in fact late for events that they hadn’t known to exist before. As such it is not surprising that they are a stressful bunch, constantly worrying about something, and counting every increment of time as they pass as if their very lives depended on it. Younger Chronomancers, particularly students look quite calm in comparison, possessing only a modicum of stress and the smallest nervous twitches. However as they grow older their understanding of time grows, and the number of devices strapped to them increases, they get dramatically worse. It is not surprising that many die relatively young due to stress. They of course say this is purely because they have run out of time. Despite offers, no tests have been successfully carried out to confirm or deny this, due to the usual objections of the Chronomancers.
This group possess only a few colleges across the galaxy. Those that do exist are complicated and precise buildings, with a myriad of ticking mechanisms inside that were probably put together by the smartest clock makers. The Goldensmorg campus is no different, and it is a huge tower, shaped like a grandfather clock, with a massive pendulum and a clock face at the top with hundreds of different hands that tick away all day and night. At first the mechanisms within the school made a constant noise that drove individuals mad and stopped almost everyone on Goldensmorg from sleeping. Luckily emergency decrees by the Court of Eldersmargs were pushed through with surprising speed, and stopped this. The huge clock and all its mechanisms could continue but they must remain silent. As such a squad of maintenance Chronomancers are always on duty, enchanting it with sound dampeners. They are not happy with this, and complain profusely when they can. However they realise if they stopped and put up some actual resistance to the matter it would ultimately end up as a complete waste of time – the worst thing they could ever do. The huge pendulum continues to swing however, just in front of the main entrance, injuring and maiming around a dozen students on an almost yearly basis.
Beyond the schools most Edimorians are unaware that there is also an infamous offshoot within the Chronomancer orders who allegedly specialise in time travel. Very few know who is involved or the name of their group. To even try and understand their work, and the millions of paradoxes, and, according to the Dramatimancers, the lazy story telling crimes that they would inflict on Edimor, would likely turn even the strongest mind utterly insane. It is not known if this secretive group even exists, some believe that they have been successful in their experiments and are continuing to tinker with our reality. There would be no way of us really knowing. It is the hope of many contented souls that they have simply got lost in time, or made themselves, and the world around them, so confusing that they have been entirely erased from existence. The only real tangible clues of their work that can be found are little blue boxes, the occasional tiny gold hour glass amulet, and plaques with the number 1985 on them. To tackle this potential threat the Alpharian Confederate authorities have so far [XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX redacted by the Alpharian Peace, Information, and Censorship Corps XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX]."
With that it's bye for now. I'll be back soon.
Jon
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