Rules

Some of the Giovanni’s most proficient Necromancers attempt to learn Thaumaturgy at some point in their studies. Many of these would-be thaumaturges seek out the arts of Spirit Manipulation (pp. 142-145) to complement their prowess with Necromancy. The scholars and researchers of the Clan have focused their attention on trying to find any evidence of other Paths of Thaumaturgy that the Giovanni could benefit from possessing. Some years ago, following a resurgence of paganism in Lithuania, word trickled back to the Giovanni that some Tremere in the area were attempting to rediscover (or resurrect) a lost Path of Thaumaturgy.

Sielanic Thaumaturgy was a practice taught among the Telyavelic Tremere that never spread very far beyond their ranks. The Giovanni believe the Telyavelic Tremere and their arts have passed into history (see pp. 35-36 for a

different perspective). However, sketchy and incomplete records of Sielanic Thaumaturgy still exist, and through significant investment, the Giovanni researchers now possess some of them.

From what they have learned, Sielanic Thaumaturgy, or at least one Path of it (the Path of the Shadow World) concerned itself with the dead and the Shadowlands, using the thaumaturge’s own body as a conduit with the world of the dead. This philosophy immediately intrigued the Giovanni as it resonates with the foundations upon which the Ash Path is built.

While the Warlocks concerned themselves with rediscovering the intricate mechanics of the Hermetic practice, the Necromancers wanted to know exactly what the Path of the Shadow World did and not how it did it. With their goal in sight, they could begin to attempt to recreate its effects with Necromancy rituals.

Some of the evidence of effects they uncovered mirrored existing capabilities of the Sepulchre and Ash Paths. One power though, referred to by the Telyavelic Tremere as the “Army of Souls,” was not an effect the Giovanni could yet perform. Thus, the Necromancers set about trying to replicate this effect. They succeeded, somewhat.

It is unknown whether or not the Giovanni have discovered all the information that remains of the Path of the Shadow World. In the hope that more secrets await them, the research continues.