Blood weaving is the quintessential human art, which uses the properties of blood to channel magic. It has evolved over the course of human history, being shaped by the many religious and cultural practices that humans of the world have come up with. The purpose of blood weaving is to be used as a weapon against incarnations, which arise from the blood of the dead, but it can serve any other purpose. Those who practice blood weaving are called weavers.

Links

Laws of Weaving

All the laws and basic knowledge of blood weaving is contained in the Grand Almanac, which is taught to students of the Continental Academy among other texts.

Bloodright

Blood is of course the central element of blood weaving and it can be woven in the ways desired by its owner. In the realm of blood weaving, every human has a right to their own blood and everything it passes through, thus their own body as well. This principle is called Jus Sanguinis or more commonly bloodright. A weaver can only make use of what is under their bloodright. Bloodright is lost when blood has dried outside of the owner’s body.

History

Blood weaving began around 20 000 years ago, where some humans developed the ability to control their blood through certain rituals. The practice evolved and was passed down through tradition across many societies and cultures. Even though the practice existed for so long, the first written records of blood weaving date only to 515 BC.

In the beginning, the abilities of blood weaving were very limited, only being capable of producing certain physical conditions. The five simple techniques were developed between 200 BC and 700 AD. While the first compound technique was only made in the 12th century AD. Traditional techniques were always present and progressively became more and more complex and powerful thanks to the weavers who worked on improving and passing them down.

Blood weavers often possessed high status in several human societies, they worked under powerful families who wanted to marry them to their successors and add weavers to their bloodline. Powerful dynasties quickly turned into families of weavers with powerful techniques being passed down through generations. Their traditional techniques, being passed down with their genome, were the most important form of wealth and power these families held. Genome became property so that they could monopolize their techniques and retain their status.

Starting in the 12th century, blood weaving was persecuted across Europe and later in the Americas by the Christian denominations, who considered it magic and thus blasphemous. This continued until the 18th century, and during this period many weavers were hunted down and killed.

Blood weaving regained its status in the 19th century, when the Weaver’s Association was created to eliminate incarnations. The Continental Academy was also created in this period, a few decades after the Association, to instruct weavers, research the practice, and conserve woven objects and impose legislation.