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Wisdom Tree
'Another leaf on the Tree of Wisdoms.'


Wisdoms, also known as the Great Arts, are nine branches of occult knowledge and study. The Wisdoms are each associated with three of the Principles of the Secret Histories, and practitioners of these arts often share a certain perspective and approach to the invisible world. A number of subjects fall into the domain of multiple Wisdoms, which may interpret and apply such knowledge if different ways and with different goals.

Each of the Libraries of the Watchman's Tree are believed to be associated with a primary and secondary Wisdom in which they specialize.

The Great Arts are subdivided into three categories:

  • Bright Arts are generally associated with the forces of light, reason, and order, and are often presented as more “appealing” than the other Wisdoms. This does not make them any safer however, as they are known to induce unhealthy fascination with the occult.[1] The Bright Arts include Illumination, Ithastry, and Horomachistry.
  • Night Arts delve deeper into more forbidden and foreboding forms of secret knowledge, which can inspire dread in those who explore them.[2] Hushery, Nyctodromy, and Skolekosophy are the three Night Arts.
  • The Arts Unregarded are often looked down upon by practitioners of the other Great Arts for various reasons, being less formal and “scholarly” in many respects.[3] Bosk, Preservation, and Birdsong are all considered Arts Unregarded.

Illumination[]

Illumination
'A general says: when I make the right choice, I win. An Illuminate says: when I win, I determine which choice was the right one.'
'Invincible Audacity'


Considered the “brightest” of the Bright Arts, Illumination is the study of light, mirrors, and the Glory and its influences. Illuminate practices seek to "purify the self and its surroundings", with the apparent goal of achieving a state of enlightenment and oneness with all things.[4] Its Principles are Lantern, Forge, and Edge. Those who train at the Labyrinth of Lions are particularly well-versed in matters of Illumination.

Notable Illuminates include the following:

  • Natalia Brulleau: Fifth Librarian of Hush House, duelist, mystic, and traveler whose writings and works seem tied to matters of Illumination, particularly regarding the principle of Edge.[5]
  • Dr. Brian Levinsen: A painter and doctor who served as the ninth Librarian of Hush House and was known to paint "prefigures", duplicates of famous future paintings he saw through mirror-dreams.[6] It is implied he foresaw his own death in the Great War, and yet still volunteered as a medic on the Western Front.[7]
  • Omar the Blaze: Omar spent time studying Illumination as an initiate at the Labyrinth of Lions, and wrote a number of works regarding lightsmithing, glasswork, and the Watchman.[8]
  • Arthur Thomas Moore: A former officer of the British Empire, taken in as a student of Illumination at the Labyrinth of Lions after an encounter during the Battle of Khushab.[9][10]


Ithastry[]

Ithastry
'Stories written in fire end all the sooner... but are remembered all the longer. The Ithastry wisdom teaches us the certainty of change.'
'A Red Blossom'


Sometimes called “the Art that Alters”, Ithastry includes various practical fields such as alchemy, metallurgy, pyrotechnics, and more. The name appears to be a reference to Prometheus, the Titan of Forethought who gifted fire to mankind, who was sometimes called Ithax.[11] Its Principles are Forge, Knock, and Winter. In terms of Powers, it is also significantly associated with Sky. The Monastery of The Fifth Cup is believed to specialize in Ithastry.

The teachings of Ithastry include connections to the legendary city of Caer Ys, its Bells as well as the possible future gods-from-steel and their creation in the Second Dawn.[12][13]

Some notable authors and practioners of Ithastry include the following:

  • Everett Vinzant: A metallurgist and "sky-smith" who wrote several works connecting alloys and instruments of certain materials to particular Hours.[14]
  • Ambrose Westcott: Though identified as a nyctodromist, the eccentric first Librarian of Hush House is also acknowledged as an alchemist and pyrographer, and a number of his written works seem focused on various forms of Ithastry.[15]

Horomachistry[]

Horomachistry
'All the Hours are defined by their opposition to other Hours... just as we are defined by the battles we choose. This is a matter of the Horomachistry Wisdom.'
'Conflict Creates Gods'


Horomachistry is the study of the hierarchy and nature of the Hours themselves, as well as their servants, struggles, and laws. It is said to be “what makes us what we are.” Its Principles are Forge, Secret Histories, and Edge. In terms of Powers, it is also associated with Sky. Horomachistry is the focus of the Invisible Serapeum.

Horomachistry's teachings align with Calyptra and see forbidden knowledge and its power as something most mortals are unworthy of.[16][17] It also places belief in the New King's light shining bright enough to unify the gods-from-Light into the new Sun-in-Splendour.[18]


Hushery[]

Hushery
'Unwise words are dangerous. Mourn them, remember them, speak them not. This is Hushery.'
'Safety in Silence'


Aesthetics, necromancy, and silence all fall under Hushery. Those who study Hushery often contemplate the nature of endings, recall matters of the distance past, and reflect on what has been lost. Its Principles are Winter, Lantern, and Edge. As the name suggests, Hush House specialized in Hushery, though the Librarian in Book of Hours is able to study and explore any of the nine Wisdoms with the texts present in the House.

Hushery's most notable quality is its view of silence as metaphysical perfection. At the dawn of the world the Mansus was unwounded and at peace, until the advent of speech horrifically wounded Vak, allowing humans to enter the Mansus and for the dissemination of forbidden knowledge. Hushery holds that this damage to existence can be mitigated through silence and absence, in which no further error is possible.[19][20][21][22][23]

Among those who are silent include the following:

  • Solomon Husher: The third Librarian of Hush House, who wrote on the nature of endings and silence before vanishing mysteriously during a snowstorm.[24][25]
  • Julian Coseley: A Winter-Long who long opposes the reign of the Hours and champions freedom, and who frequently disagreed with Husher's own conclusions.[26] His Magnum Opus, "Towards a Fundamental Aesthetic", appears to focus on elements of Hushery in applications to disrupt the order of the Mansus.[27] He was later convinced by his late friend Nina Lagasse's work, quite begrudgingly, to reconsider Husher's opinions on the subject. He subsequently revised his masterwork as "Towards a Fundamental Aesthetic: Second Edition" which proposes a paradox that resolves the conflict between perfection and freedom.[28]
  • Reckoner Mobs: The collection of occult criminal organisations dealing in Stolen Years from the Madrugad's Cindered Tally through techniques tied to Hushery. Most Reckoners avoid the attention of the Hours. A notable member is Duffore, the Reckoner Lord, blood of the earth and father to the Exile and possibly Teresa Galmier.


Nyctodromy[]

Nyctodromy
'But ‘nyctodromist’ means I’ve sharpened up my fet, know my way around the house in the wood, how to catch seventy-seven winks, how to cut corners through the world without getting in trouble.'
'Limassol, Easter, 1925'


Literally “Travelling at Night”, Nyctodromy is used to navigate the Mansus and its ways, explore the nature of dreams, and in general facilitate travel through the transmundane. Its Principles are Knock, Lantern, and Moth – notably the three Principles often used by those first venturing into the Wood through dream. In terms of Powers, it is also associated with Rose. The Tomb of Lies, under the hands of the Hooded Princes, is particularly well-versed in Nyctodromy.

Notable Nyctodromists include the following:

  • Daymare


Skolekosophy[]

Skolekosophy
'All days are death, all lives are sunset. For a time, light persists, but we should not fear the scorch of a Second Dawn. This is Skolekosophy at its most merciful.'
'In Ashes'


Often considered the most dangerous of the Great Arts, Skolekosophy is “the study of things that should not be studied”, including the forces of Nowhere and the faults and perversions in the order of existence. The name comes from the greek word "skolex", meaning "worm".[29] Its Principles are Winter, Grail, and Knock. In terms of Powers, it is also significantly associated with Scale and Moon. The Hausitorium, a repository of cursed and forbidden knowledge, is the foremost center of Skolekosophy.

Skolekosophy references groups such as Worms and the Ligeians for their nature outside of the Hours' domain.[30][31] It also teaches a pessimistic outlook towards the Second Dawn, noting that the Wolf’s union with the other Solar Hours is impossible, and would herald the “Last Days”. It also describes the Second Dawn as a scorching end that should not be feared.[32][33]

Certain Hours such as the Chandler and the Crowned Growth are connected to the Wisdom in some way; a Name of the latter even influencing the creation of a Skolekosophy department at a university in Italy.[34][35]


Bosk[]

Bosk
'Lambig' and 'alembic' arise from the same root. As do 'alchemy', and 'khemia', which is the land of the black earth. When you plant an apple-seed, speak these sounds to the soil.'
'Lambig Broceliande'


The Bosk is the lore of the primeval Wood, as well as the wild and untamed elements of nature. It is said to be “rarely written, often felt”, which likely contributes to its status as an Art Unregarded. Its Principles are Grail, Heart, and Moth. In terms of Powers, it is also significantly associated with Nectar. It is the primary Wisdom of the Grove of Green Immortals.

Notable Boskers include the following:

  • Thirza Blake: The seventh Librarian of Hush House, known for her inordinate spending which led to acquisition of a part of the building by the Nocturnal Branch, her knowledge of Wood-lore and her disappearance in 1896.[36]
  • Mek


Preservation[]

Preservation
'A deft enough binding might heal anything: flesh; spirit; song; stone. That would be Preservation.'
'To Heal'


The arts of healing and restoration, Preservation also details techniques for containment and protection from the supernatural. It is considered an “unglamorous” Wisdom, though its study ensures that the world endures, and includes many rites of the Sisterhood of the Knot. Its Principles are Heart, Grail, and Secret Histories. In terms of Powers, it is also associated with Nectar and Moon. Yeshiva Tigris is an academy which teaches the practices of Preservation in various forms.

Notable Preservationists include the following:

  • Moishe Farouk
  • Black Ellie


Birdsong[]

Birdsong
'In which four enigmatic figures tell the stories they've heard over the years at the Roost, the secret location where the aviform Hours congregate.'
'Inaam, Kapigiginlupir, Garkie, Cryppys'


Birdsong is named after the gossip of the Aviform Hours in their Roosts, and is often used as a miscellaneous category for occult knowledge, including music and riddles. In many ways it is the least regarded of the Arts Unregarded. Its Principles include Secret Histories, Heart, and Moth. In terms of Powers, it is also associated with Rose, Moon, and Scale. Crossrow is presented as a center for Birdsong.


Other Notes[]

  • Daymare notes that while scholars debate what is considered an Invisible Art, none argue about what is a Great Art, though they are counted among the Invisible Arts.[3]
  • The Wisdom Tree presented in Book of Hours is notable for having the marking for Secret Histories as a Principle censored by the Suppression Bureau. The reasons for this are never elaborated upon.


Sources[]

  1. [The Secret Histories Rulebook]: Bright Arts: knowledge of light, wisdom, dreams, higher states of being and illumination of the soul. Too much makes one see too clearly and forget the real world.
  2. [The Secret Histories Rulebook]: Night Arts: knowledge of things in the world that should not be, and things beyond the world that should never, ever enter it. Too much oppresses the mind and haunts the soul, leaving only existential horror.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Limassol, Easter, 1925
  4. Illumination
  5. Seven Shards
  6. Love in a Quiet Place
  7. Valentine's Memorial
  8. The Lion and the Glass
  9. On the Absent Friend
  10. Tabriz, January 1866: My dear nephew
  11. Prometheus
  12. Amber
  13. From Steel
  14. Vinzant Minglings
  15. Ambrosial!
  16. When Is Is Permitted
  17. The Weapon
  18. A Light Above
  19. A Wound in Dreams
  20. The First Error
  21. The Wound
  22. Safety in Silence
  23. The End
  24. On the White
  25. Solomon's Preparations
  26. Julian Coseley
  27. Towards a Fundamental Aesthetic
  28. Towards a Fundamental Aesthetic: Second Edition
  29. σκώληξ
  30. The Crooked
  31. A Temple
  32. The Wolf's Beginning
  33. In Ashes
  34. The Chandler's Kindling, The Chandler's Path
  35. To Superintendent Wynford, of Nocturnal Branch
  36. Thirza's Bust, The Curia's End, Curia Period
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