#wizards

The Appearance of the Blaze (燚, Itsu), written by Kaen Homura (火焱 炎) and translated by Matthian Brimm, is a text on pyromancy which, while highly regarded in certain thaumaturgical circles, has largely faded into obscurity in the present day. Eschewing the traditional four-elements-based introduction to the field, The Appearance of the Blaze instead begins by setting out what Kaen calls “the Locus of Exothermic Transference”, and uses this to derive equivalents of the foundational laws and formulae of pyromancy from first principles. The grimoire goes on to apply its unique methodology to elucidate a wide variety of advanced pyromantic spells and rituals, exploring the field through a pedagogical route which often cuts back and forth across commonly-established subdisciplines. In his foreword, Brimm writes: “Kaen’s novel approach casts a new light on the field of pyromancy from an entirely new direction, and there is much to learn from the different ways in which our shadows align.”

The grimoire was held up as groundbreaking by Brimm’s disciples, as well as a few pyromantic luminaries such as Heleth Namien the Gold and Vicator pel Critanis the Blue. However, it ultimately failed to gain much traction in the broader pyromantic community, which largely continues to favor more traditional expositions such as Green’s Fire and its Refinements and Marbel’s Elemental Principles series.

Although there are still copies of The Appearance of the Blaze in circulation, the grimoire has become increasingly difficult to obtain as time goes on. The publication run of Brimm’s translation was quite limited: according to the records of the Nova Astra publishing house, only 200 copies were ever printed. The grimoire’s occasional tendency to spontaneously combust has both exacerbated its rarity, and made it riskier and more challenging to keep shelved outside of major thaumaturgical university libraries with the resources to invest in specialized archival storage.

To Chancellor Alastric Emmannulas Noens pel Colophon the Grey, XVIIth Gryphonhorn Magus, Th.M. M.Ex. O.S. Esq.

In Re: CDLXXIIIrd Disciplinary Council

Chancellor,

Thank you for your letter, and for allowing me the opportunity to share my thoughts in advance of the council proceedings. As you know well, I am usually quite loath to involve myself in administrative matters such as these, and I hope that the length and swiftness of my present appeal may further testify to the depth and urgency of my feelings regarding this case.

You are as aware as I am of the extremely high academic standards to which Aletheia University holds every one of our students. It is with this in mind that I must stress, with no exaggeration whatsoever, that Lilias Calbach is without question the most gifted pyromancer I have ever had the honor of teaching throughout my entire career.

I freely acknowledge that I was skeptical when Professor Yeboah first urged me to admit Miss Calbach to the College of Elemental Magick on a Special Commendation Scholarship. What could a young adult with no prior thaumaturgical study, indeed no clear prior academic background whatsoever, possibly contribute to Aletheia University? And yet, as the Professor described Miss Calbach’s performance in the practical interview she had conducted, I too felt my curiosity piqued. Using only her own intuition, along with a badly-singed copy of Kaen’s The Appearance of the Blaze that had somehow found its way into a city library, this young woman had seemingly taught herself the fundamentals of pyromancy completely independently over the course of a few months, attaining a degree of control on par with a typical incoming elemental-track student, and a level of raw power far beyond one. When Professor Yeboah asked how she had been able to accomplish this, Miss Calbach apparently responded that “you just need to ask the fire how it’s feeling.” Seeing the Professor’s insistence, I decided to trust in her judgment, and granted the scholarship as requested.