Threadmancy
Threadmancy is the magical school of thread manipulation to alter key traits of a fabric or thread. Materials affected by threadmancy could be organic or inorganic, although inorganic threadmancy requires the material be crafted into threads first. Manipulation of inorganic threads requires more skill and Imperium than manipulation of organic materials.
Utility
Threadmancy is used to position and strengthen thread materials. These threads could be any materials, from wools and hairs to plant fibers to thin threads of Tyrellium, although the use of threadmancy on inorganic materials requires a greater expertise.
Air Weaving
Threadmancy can be used to manipulate the positioning of strands as individuals or as a collective with no tools required. Weaving and braiding are popular uses of the skill, although using threadmancy to untangle threads is also possible. Air weaving cannot be used to weave or position threads in ways that could not be done without magic, but it can speed up processes until they are almost instantaneous, or allow the threadmancer to create particularly intricate weaves and weaving patterns with relative ease. As an added bonus, someone skilled in locational manipulative threadmancy will likely never have a bad hair day.Threadspelling
Threadspelling allows the threadmancer to create their own threads from organic threadlike materials. While this requires the material to be amenable to the basics of spinning a skilled threadmancer is not required to use traditional spinning materials and can instead utilize items that are typically not durable or malleable enough to create thread. Short fur, spider webs, leaf veins, or even animal veins on rare occasions can be hand spin into thread by a threadmancer skilled in threadspelling. It is important to note that this skill requires handspinning using direct touch contact with the material to be spun. Threadspelling also cannot change one material into another, so straw cannot be spun into gold nor wool into steel. While legends of this nature abound in recent tales all similar events have been disproven as a clever application of Illusion Magic.Thread Reinforcement
The most skilled threadmancers can reinforce their threads to develop materials and fabrics stronger than what would otherwise be possible. This involves the magical alterations of the threads' traits themselves to add strength without changing any other quality, as well as causing tighter bonding between thread strands as well as thread ends. When done properly reinforment-treated fabrics are just as pliable and with the same texture and feel as they would have been if left untreated, just with added strength as well as resistance to fraying or unknotting. This is the most coveted ability of threadmancy due to its abilities to improve the starting qualities of a material without any requirements for further materials or processing (aside from the casting mage's Imperium), and with no sacrifices on other material characteristics. The most legendary threadmancers could make impenetrable armor our of the softest silk, although this level of skill is particularly rare and taxing.Chromatic Threadmancy
Threadmancy can also be used in conjunction with Chromamancy to dye threads different colors. This requires the use of the desired dye to color the threads, but the use of threadmancy with chromamancy allows for brighter colors as well as more intricate dyeing patterns. A tapestry crafted in part with a chromatic threadmancy-enhanced dyeing processes by a skilled mage will always be top quality. Thread dyeing chromatic threadmancy techniques can also be used effectively with other non-dye thread treatments. Waterproofing is another popular application of this skill, and does not require any knowledge of chromamancy skills.
Parent Technologies
Children Technologies
Access & Availability
While mastery of the more difficult threadmancy abilities typically requires years of training and practice the simplest of threadmancy abilities are frequently intuitive to those gifted with a natural understanding of this class of magic. Individuals with a natural threadmancy gift will typically have perfect hair as a child, or never drop a stitch when knitting, or pick up any thread-related skills quickly after exposure to the skill and frequently also at a rather young age.
Those without a natural talent can still be trained quite effectively, and may even achieve the highest levels of skill in threadmancy. They will simply require more training to learn each skill and more concentration and Imperium to cast them.
Complexity
Threadmancy in itself is fairly simple, relying more on the mind of the caster and their intentions than on any complicated processes or rituals. Those using threadmancy are free to determine their own hand motions for each casting, if they even wish to utilize their hands to help focus their concentration, and as a result the uninitiated frequently cannot see whether or not an individual is casting threadmancy spells when utilizing thread. Their steady movements of knitting needles or spinning looms may be all that is required to use threadmancy if the caster is well-versed in its usage.
Related Items
As a fiber-arts fanatic, I'd love to learn this threadmancy!
Given your fiver arts experience, are there any applications I am missing that could be enhanced with some threadmancy?
Necromancy is a Wholesome Science.
I'm just trying to think through historic textiles. Some like rya rugs were made for warmth and to replace skin rugs (where the hide would decay on a wet ship). You have durability essentially covered - but warmth? My next thought ties in with durability - but what about making sure threads stay secure once in fabric? (I'm thinking knitting here - if a thread breaks in knitting you get hole quickly because the fabric unravels.) then what about decorative aspects beyond color? (thinking lace, tapestry weaving, testures in knitting, etc.) Are there any aspects to threadmancy that have to do with the raising/growing of the plant or animal that the thread will come from? (making a hearty sheep with long locks but very soft wool?) That's what I can think of off the top of my head. Use them or don't as you see fit for your world. ;)
Ooh, good thoughts! For warmth that would fall under elemental magic. Magic is readily available in this world and individuals are not silo'ed into a single classification so someone making blankets could very easily know how to add runes to generate warmth. (Since warm is a variable state a user would need to use runes or cast the spell when they wished to be warm). I wove some comments about anto-fraying into the strength portion and some explicit mentions of intricate patterns into the bit about manipulation (which I renamed to sound cooler). I had been thinking of the patterns when I wrote that but but never actually said it so thanks for that! Regarding altering the plant or animal fibers Threadspelling would allow someone to alter the properties of the fibers as they wove them into threads but for plants or animals that will yield that quality for anyone I will make that a different class. Already had something in mind for the plants, but I didn't think of animal wools as well so thank you, will add (and figure out what else that group can do). Thank you so much!
Necromancy is a Wholesome Science.