THYR & MAJIK
A Primer on Otherness, Power, and Intent
Most people in the world will never see Thyr.
They will hear rumors of strange crystals pulled from deep rock, of monsters that bleed light when they die, of witches who bend the impossible and pay for it dearly. They will call it superstition, or madness, or exaggeration.
They are wrong.
WHAT THYR IS
Thyr (sometimes called Aethyr) is not magic.
It is not energy.
It is not evil.
It is not alive.
Thyr is condensed Otherness.
It is the residue left behind when Monstru, the Otherside, presses into Erth. Where the rules of one world intrude upon another, something remains. That remainder is Thyr.
It can be understood in many ways:
The pressure difference between worlds
Scar tissue where reality rubs against something that does not belong
A substance that should never be solid, but is forced to be
Thyr does not originate on Earth.
It cannot be created by human industry or invention.
It arrives attached.
Where monsters cross over, Thyr clings to them. Where Monstru touches Erth, Thyr accumulates. Where the world cannot fully reject the intrusion, Thyr crystallizes.
This is not an act of malice. It is a consequence.
Canon Truths
These facts are universally accepted by those who truly study the phenomenon:
Monstru leaks Thyr
Monsters accumulate Thyr
Majik is what happens when Thyr is metabolized
Crystallized Thyr is reality failing to dissolve the intrusion
Thyr does nothing on its own.
It waits.
THYR AS A REACTANT
Thyr is best understood as a reactant, not a warping force.
On its own, Thyr is inert. Dangerous, yes, but passive. It does not twist reality by mere proximity, nor does it corrupt minds simply by existing. It requires interaction.
Thyr reacts when combined with:
Biological processes
Ritual frameworks
Emotional intensity
Electrical, thermal, or kinetic energy
Intent
Without intent, Thyr is residue.
With intent, it becomes Majik.
This distinction matters.
Thyr does not impose change.
It enables change when something acts upon it.
MONSTERS & THYR
Monsters carry Thyr the way living creatures carry blood, fat, or marrow.
It is part of them.
Some monsters require Thyr to survive
Older and stronger monsters are heavily saturated
Ancient monsters leak Thyr into the land itself
When a monster is wounded or killed, Thyr is released, much like heat escaping a broken body. This is why Thyr is found near lairs, grave-sites, and long-abandoned battlefields.
Monsters do not need intent to use Thyr.
Their instincts suffice.
Where a monster feeds, reality bends slightly. Where it sleeps, perception grows thin. Where it dies, Thyr spills free.
This is why Monsterology hunts monsters.
This is why ancient monster sites are dangerous.
This is why some places never fully recover.
MAJIK & THYR
Majik is not spellcasting.
Majik is the digestion of Thyr.
Sometimes this digestion is deliberate.
Sometimes it is accidental.
Sometimes it destroys the person attempting it.
Those who engage with Thyr fall into rough categories:
Witches are those who learned to process Thyr carefully
Sorcerers are those who force it through will and structure
Madmen are those whose minds could not survive the process
The Dust Kings are those who processed too much, too deeply
Majik is powerful because Thyr allows reality to be negotiated.
Majik is dangerous because Thyr is not meant for humans.
It does not forgive mistakes.
PERCEPTION, NODDS, AND SEEING
Thyr affects not only what exists, but how reality is perceived.
High-Thyr environments destabilize shared perception. Monsters bleed distortion simply by existing. To most people, the mind attempts to protect itself.
A kelpie becomes an old nag.
An owlbear becomes a fire.
A rampaging beast becomes a collective hallucination.
Those who cannot perceive monsters are known as Nodds. This is not stupidity or weakness. It is an unconscious rejection of Thyr’s influence.
Those who can see are different.
Some are born perceptive.
Others are changed by trauma, injury, or exposure.
A few survive lightning strikes, near-death events, or direct Thyr contact.
They are often feared.
They are often isolated.
They are never untouched.
Seeing monsters is not a gift.
It is a burden.
COFFIN CANYON AND THE WIDOWFLOW
Coffin Canyon is not merely a place of riches.
It is a wound.
The Widowflow carved downward for centuries, thinning the barrier between Erth and Monstru. Where the land grew weak, Thyr seeped upward. Where Thyr gathered, monsters followed.
Coffin Canyon functions as a Thyr chimney:
Thyr crystallizes naturally
Monsters slip through more easily
Ancient powers linger beneath the stone
This is why the Dust Kings came.
This is why Monsterology will never leave.
This is why the canyon refuses to quiet.
Coffin Canyon is alive.
Not because Thyr warps it indiscriminately, but because so many wills act upon it at once.
And Thyr, patient as it is, reacts.