PDA

View Full Version : About Negromancy, Necromancy, and a few suggestions


Digital Apex
08-01-2003, 02:52 PM
I thought I would put this discussion here where it seems to belong.

Hi again,

Forgive me Abzu, you are right that Necromancy is VERY over used, but there has to be a better name for it. No offense and do not be angry with me, but I mentioned Nigromancy to one of my editors to see what he thought. His words were "...Unfortunately, I don't think Nigromancy will go over very well in todays social climate... ...maybe in 20 or 30 years we could seriously look at Nigromancy as a functional word in some parts of society... ...right now if I were to put that into print it would provoke images of conjuring large groups of African-Americans...". Don't get me wrong, I REALLY like everything I have seen in the Burning Wheel, but the name should really speak for what it is and not be tied down to social stigmata.

Lets say I were to use "Fag" in a near future story set in England. People in England would not care and they would "get it" right away. On the reverse, if I were to present it in the US, the very first thing people would think of is the slang term meaning homosexual. I am not saying most poeple could look past the juvenile meaning of the word. It would just make immersing the readers in my story that much more difficult. Now that's just going on the idea of a story, what if I were to put "Fag" in a gaming book? If it is referenced to quite frequently, people would have a hard time taking it seriously. That is my point about the words Nigromancy or Nigromantic, yes they are quite appropriate but a great many people will not take it like you intend.

Now I don't like providing problems without a solution so I thought I would do some research. I was looking through my thesauruses and I came up with a few suggestions.


In English I found only 2, adumbral or Umbral

In Latin I found quite a few, their definitions follow the :

acerbus: bitter, gloomy, dark.
aquilus: dark colored, swarthy.
atrer, atra, and atrum: dark, gloomy.
caliga : darkness, gloom, mist.
caligo : to becloud, darken.
creperum : darkness.
infectus : discolored, darkened, corrupted.
infusco: to make dark, blacken.
obscurum : darkness.
praeumbro : to cast in the shadow, overshadow, obscure, darken

Going away from darkness into destruction we have.

sepelio : to ruin, destroy/ inter, bury.
subruo, subruti, and subrutum : to undermine, overhtrow, destroy.
subvertio : to destroy, overthrow.
aboleo : to destroy, abolish, annul, do away with, obliterate, efface.
accido : destroy.
annullo : to obliterate, destroy, annihilate.
attero : destroy, waste, weaken, impair.
casso : to bring to naught, destroy, annul, make void.
concido : to be ruined, fail/ cut up, cut down, destroy.
confundo : to bring into disorder, confounding, destroy.
consumo : to spend, employ, use up, finish, waste away, destroy.
corrumpo : to break up, destroy, annihilate/ spoil, weaken.
deleo : blot out, erase/ annihilate, destroy.
deleo : (deletum ) to destroy, wipe out, erase.
destruo : tear down, raze, destroy, dismantle, ruin.
diruo : to demolish, destroy, ruin.
disperdo : to destroy.
effligo, efflixi, and efflectum : to wipe out, obliterate, destroy.
eradico : to root out, destroy, obliterate, get rid of.
eversor : a destroyer.
everto : to destroy, ruin, demolish, raise, overthrow.
obruo : to overwhelm, destroy.
perdo : to lose, destroy.
pereo : to pass away, be destroyed, perish.
perimo, peremi, peremptum : to destroy.
pessum ire : to sink, be ruined, destroyed, be put to an end.
sepelio : to ruin, destroy/ inter, bury.
subruo subruti subrutum : to undermine, overhtrow, destroy.
subvertio : to destroy, overthrow.
subverto : to overturn, destroy. .

In Welsh Tywyll means Dark and Anrheithio means Destroy

So far I am providing several real world alternatives that I think run along the same lines. I know that Infuscomancy or Infuscomantic does not have a good ring to it. On the other hand Atramancy and Atramantic does. :o BUT any way you look at it, with a little work something better could be figured out quick enough. :) So let me know what you think! :D

I hope this is taken as constructive criticism and not as an attack.

eruditus
08-04-2003, 05:17 AM
but the name should really speak for what it is and not be tied down to social stigmata.


As a sociologist I think your comments are right on target DigitalApex...

although last I checked Nigromancy has has no real tie to the vatican or any other source of religious iconography manifest in the common man...

oh, wait, you meant 'social stigma'... my bad :wink:

eruditus
08-04-2003, 05:26 AM
So let me know what you think! :D

I hope this is taken as constructive criticism and not as an attack.

Great post! As i mentioned I think your right on target. I did separate out some of these concepts for my game and made several Wises to stem from Sorcery (such as Death-wise for the group Necromancer).

as for this being construed as an attack, all I can say is its a good thing you live in Kansas City cause it reduces the possibility that Luke will come after you. ew, you didn't give him your home address to send the books, did you? Ah well, I am certain you'll be okay... do folk lock their doors at night in Kansas City?

...And since I live much closer and I will be sleeping on Luke's couch next weekend I would like to add that all this is said in jest and Luke has taken all contructive criticism with grace and poise... all hail the Burning Wheel :shock:

Digital Apex
08-04-2003, 12:59 PM
Well Luke has not even responded to this post yet... :( And I am getting a complex because of it. :cry:


:wink:

I hope though that he does take this as CONSTRUCTIVE as it is intended

luke
08-04-2003, 01:50 PM
sheesh.

i studied latin for 4 years, i researched a little medieval magic, and that's the name i came up with.

nothing to get flustered about. i don't really care what you call it, it's just a name. you could call it "bad freaking magic" or "Obscenely Bad Juju" " for all i care.


however, the rules aren't even published yet, so I see it as largely moot.

Digital Apex
08-04-2003, 02:08 PM
however, the rules aren't even published yet, so I see it as largely moot.

I just want to see BW be the next big RPG and so I want to do everything to help it reach its fullest potential. I completely understand "Nigromancys" Latin roots, but the people you are targeting are some of the cruelest people in the world. :twisted: And if you give them something to make fun of, then they will, mercilessly. That's the only reason I was concerned with it, I don't want anyone to laugh at BW, it's too good of a game for that.

Okies I am done now. :)