Mathematicians may claim the field of topology as their own, but the truth is that twisting shapes into other shapes is a prehistoric skill, and one with a magical tradition just as deep.

The ability to twist, spin and knot natural fibers into thread, string and rope is arguably right up there with the domestication of fire and the invention of the wheel; from that beginning we have fishing nets, woven cloth, lace and ship’s hawsers. But even before thread and string, we were still joining one thing to another with strips of leather and grass, and knots. Knots tie it all together.

Consequently, Merinthomancy is a very, very old, even primordial, school of magick, though not a powerful one, due to the inherently weak symbolic tension of an object working against itself to accomplish its task. Even as a minor school, its techniques have been practiced since antiquity in Babylonian, Egyptian, Greek, Norse, Finnish and Celtic occult traditions. Of course, these are just pale shadows of the true power of knots. Today, Merinthomancers might be dismissed as granola-huffing knitting enthusiasts, but look beyond the crocheted earth-tone waistcoats and macramé owls and you’ll find surprising power bound up in simple knots.

Ω: 1

Domain: Merinthomancy is concerned with binding and releasing, entanglements, safety, problems and complexity.

Minor Charge: Spend three hours continually making knots, such as knitting, crocheting, lacemaking, knotting a net, etc. The process must be your sole activity, so knitting while watching TV won’t get you a charge, and you must be making knots of some kind, so weaving where threads are simply interlaced doesn’t qualify. You also get a charge when you learn a completely new knot and practice it for an hour, though you can only gain up to 3 charges per day this way.

Taboo: You cannot untie, destroy or discard any knot, unless it is in the specific context of a spell. This includes natural tangles and snarls; after all, the universe tied that knot, so who knows what’s being bound up in it. Modern day conveniences like sewn seams, twist ties and bows on gifts can present problems, and woe betide your smartphone charging cable gets tangled. This includes stuff like your shoelaces and hair, so you may want to wear slip-ons and keep your hair short, unless you like the rat’s nest look. You can cut knots out of your hair, though, as long as you don’t damage the knot and carefully preserve it after.

Starting Charges: 8 Minor

If you wish, you may cast a Merinthomancy spell into a knot you are currently tying. The spell remains bound up with the knot until it is undone (by you or someone else), at which time the spell takes effect. You do not taboo if you undo a knot in this way.

Bight
Cost: 1 minor
Tie a knot into your clothing or hair to gain a Hunch. You may instead cast the spell into any knot and then later untie it to gain the Hunch; if someone else unties the ensorcelled knot you get the Hunch about them instead.

No Loose Ends
Cost: 1 minor
This simple spell ensures that a knot cannot be untied, by fusing the both ends of the knot together to create a closed loop. Neither can the knot be slackened or loosened; the only way to overcome the knot is to destroy it.

Slipknot
Cost: 1 minor
Knots are meant to stay fastened, but sometimes you really need to get past one, and that’s where this spell comes in handy. Cast on a knot within your line of sight, the knot simply slips through whatever it’s binding, while still staying tied. While having many uses, from making an enemy’s bootlaces forsake their footwear to causing mountain climbers to fall to their deaths, the spell can also be used to negate a Splice.

Splice
Cost: 1 minor
Knots are used to hold things together, and this spell cuts right to the heart of that. Loop a ligature around two things and tie a knot while casting this spell; the binding will vanish into the objects, which thereafter are permanently fused together at a molecular level. The spell doesn’t work on living things, but is amazingly effective at keeping doors and other openings closed and making sure things stay where you left them.

Entanglements
Cost: 2 minor
Scientists have only relatively recently confirmed what Merinthomancers, women and exasperated husbands have known for ages: put some long strands of anything – string, necklaces, USB cables, Christmas tree lights – into a confined space and they’ll tie themselves together in knots. You know that the reason this happens is because everything is intrinsically tied together anyway, so it’s just an external expression of that connectedness. You can leverage this principle with this spell. Write a number of facts on long strips of paper or on tags attached to strings, put them in a box or drawer, cast this spell, and leave them alone for an hour, When you open the container, two of the facts will be knotted together, indicating that they’re connected.

Clotho’s Spindle
Cost: 2 minor
Clasp your hands together while casting this spell, then draw them apart; a length of thread, string, rope, leather throng or other similar material of your choice suitable for tying knots in will spool out from nothingness into your hands, to a maximum length of three times your height. If you don’t tie knots in the created filament within an hour, it crumbles into dust, otherwise it is permanent.

Gordian Dilemma
Cost: 2 minor
Tie a complex knot while targeting someone within line of sight and they immediately start worrying about the various problems in their life, leading to an acute anxiety attack and a Self-4 check.

Knit One, Purl One
Cost: 2 minor
This spell enables you to exchange a knot (and the awesome cosmic power that entails!) with someone else. Tie a knot in your clothing or hair while looking at someone, and a knot somewhere on their person will untie. Your next check is flip-flopped to your advantage, while theirs is flip-flopped for the worse. This only works if the target has a substantial knot somewhere about their person; stitching on clothing isn’t sufficient. You can also create the inverse effect by untying a personal knot, causing something to spontaneously knot on the target’s person, in which case you get the bad flip-flop and they get the good.

Lovers’ Knot
Cost: 2+ minor
This spell causes two people to fall in love (or deeper in love) with each other, at least for a time. Get a hold of something personal belonging to each of the target (hair is traditional, but their shoelaces work just as well), and knot them together while casting the spell. The pair will feel an undeniable romantic attraction to each other for a number of minutes equal to the casting result; you can increase this to hours with an additional charge. The lovers must at least have previously met or be able to see each other, otherwise the spell has no effect. The victims aren’t compelled to act on their attraction, but will otherwise act much like anyone in love, i.e. stupidly. If a victim of the spell is attracted to someone that they (until recently) hate or didn’t consider a suitable love interest, they’re likely to suffer significant angst, along with a Self check. If you include yourself in the spell – causing the other to fall in love with you – you are not exempt from the effect, and may regret your actions as soon as you’re in love.

Ties That Bind
Cost: 2 minor
Cast this spell while making a knot and looking at a target, and when they encounter you they’ll be convinced that they know you from… somewhere? This won’t work if you’re already known to them, but otherwise they’ll be sure that they’re met you before under neutral circumstances, though they won’t be able to recall the details or your name, though it’s on the tip of their tongue… The spell doesn’t compel any behavior on the target’s part, other than that they’ll be cautiously friendly for a number of minutes equal to the casting result, while they try to figure out who you are without embarrassing themselves.

Tighter
Cost: 2 minor
This spell causes an existing knot, that you can see, to optimize itself by winding even tighter. While this makes the knot impossible to unpick, when targeting something like a woven friendship bracelet, kabbala string, knotted scarf, necktie, etc., it can be downright deadly. In those cases the rapid constriction inflicts damage equal to the sum of the casting result, and likely other effects if the knot is in dangerous area. If targeted at a victim’s clothing in general, it causes all the stitching to tighten, distorting and warping the garments to the point that they significantly impede the victim, inflicting -10% on any physical actions. The victim also suffers an Unnatural-3 check and the targeted knots remain tightened for a number of minutes equal to the casting result.

Safety Net
Cost: 3 minor
There are commonalities and societal links that tie humanity together, and this spell enables you to draw upon the strength of those bonds in times of stress. As long as you have a knot about your person when called upon to make a Helplessness or Isolation Stress Check, you may reflexively cast this spell; the rank of the Stress Check is then lowered by 2, and the knot on your person undoes itself.

Ghostlace
Cost: 4 minor
This intricately knotted mesh must be prepared in advance, a process which requires three hours of work while casting the spell. It produces a 3’x3′ knotted net that is able to impede immaterial entities, such as demons and astral parasites, for a number of hours equal to the casting result (after which it disintegrates). Such an entity in the immediate area will be draw to and become entangled in the lace, causing them to suffer a -20% penalty to any aggressive actions.