Netherwielding
Netherwielding, also sometime incorrectly called nethermancy by the uneducated, and also sometimes just called anti-magic, was not a true arcane path but rather a form of harnessing the radiation of Ugrite to fuel a set of preternatural abilities that were centered around nullifying the flow of archons and by extension, stopping magic from functioning at all. Practitioners were called netherwielders.
Netherwielding was an extremely dangerous practice, since it could wreak havoc with the natural order of Legere. The mutant wildlife of the Dawn Wastelands were a testament to what an unshackled netherwielder could do. Of all the things the Arcane Hand and Bureau of Classified Arcana disagreed on, they always shared the consensus that netherwielding wasn't something to be tolerated.
Powers #
Netherwielders had the insidious ability to rob a magic user's strength. Typically, a netherwielder had to physically touch a mage to deliver a dosage of Netherpower, but more powerful netherwielders could project anti-magical radiation or even create a lingering netherpowered fallout.
Becoming a Netherwielder #
Like the other darker magics of Legere[^1], obtaining the power of netherwielding was a dangerous process that usually led to the death or horrific disfigurement of the attempting individual.
The mortal frame of Legerians were not designed by the Creator to support or use anti-magical Netherpower. In fact, so intertwined with magic were mortals that long-term exposure to netherpower could lead to cancer or stranger detriments. Therefore, a forced adaptation to netherpower was required to birth a netherwielder. Such an adaptation was introduced by completely isolating an individual from magic for a very long period of time, essentially silencing the "song" that archons sung. The conditions of such an environment were a challenge to maintain without a hefty amount of netherpower.
While isolated from archons, shards of the purist Ugrite would be pierced into the body of the individual. The spine, forehead, and heart were key locations. When pierced through, the ugrite would begin to dissolve into the individual's bloodstream, suffusing their circulatory system and spreading all throughout their body. In a successful case, the individual's body would undergo a dramatic shift to accommodate netherpower as a new arcane force to tap into. In an unsuccessful situation (potentially caused by the imperfect isolation of the individual from Legere's magic), the individual would waste away, develop degenerative disease or cancer, and typically have their skin slough off.
History #
Netherwielding was discovered, accidentally, in part by the Corgathian government during the Spellcraft Crisis, and Vacare. After being taken prisoner by the Altum Archive for using magic without the right licenses, Vacare was used in inhumane tests where he was penetrated with Ugrite as part of the nation's secretive experiments with using the netherpowered material as a way to put shackles on unsanctioned magical individuals. Even Sandar under Lord Bern was not inventive enough to perform such atrocities during the Mundane War.
During his prolonged torture, Vacare's body fundamentally shifted and eventually adapted to ugrite, allowing him to utilize netherpower as if it were any ordinary arcane path. Vacare would later escape and travel to The Nether Fountain in search of more netherpowered material to strengthen his newfound abilities, as well as create and train more netherwielders.
Footnotes #
[^1]: "Darker magics" in the sense of this phrase refer to a specific group of arcane paths that weren't inherently evil, but had strong ties to evildoers. A non-exhaustive list of so-called "dark magic": - Somatomancy - Umbramancy - Venomancy