Next class starts in one hour, so please be in your seats and be ready to begin! Today, we cover the Clerical Disciplines!

I'm here early this time!

Due to the amazing abilities of myself to be involved in social events that I am not aware of I'm going to miss this lesson too.

Sorry everyone.

1322325

I'm here and ready.
Though I may need to leave early near the end.

Very well then. Can anyone here tell me why Mental Magic is so poorly regarded, especially in the Evening Kingdom?

1322526
The potential to destroy a pony in the worst ways possible is incredibly high, especially if the practitioner isn't one hundred percent sure of what they are doing.

1322526
It's not as well understood as other magic?

1322536
Yes. This is why such care and dedication is afforded to the training of Mental Magic practitioners. The potential for abuse is high, and practitioners regularly enter the minds of one another to ensure that their motives remain pure. Clerics in particular are afforded an unusual degree of trust, and for good reason. I have met many Clerics, and I can tell you without a doubt that they accomplish real good. They are almost...pure. Like a benevolent mother or father figure to everyone they meet.

1322557
This is another reason. Empathetic Magic defies quantification. It relies solely on emotion, not logic or clear reasoning. Clerics and Mentalists both rely on hunches, gut feelings, that sort of thing. Many ponies, Mages especially, hate that.

1322575
That seems really... idealistic.

1322586
Sounds like mentalists would make good detectives.

1322575
Could that feeling of a father or mother figure be a constant effect of mental magic being exerted?

1322586
And that seems... annoying.

1322596
They have their flaws, just like the rest of us, but for the most part, they are without peer when it comes to the content of their character. The aspiring Cleric is essentially raised in one of the best environments available, developing character and ethical bastions, holding themselves to the highest standard they can imagine.

1322608
It's possible, but in the case of Clerics, the very first rule learned by young acolytes is that the sanctity of the mind is something to be approached with great caution, and the mental defenses of another should only be breached with their permission and the greatest care. You literally hold the personality of another in your grasp, so treat it gently. Now, some Disciplines do tend to stray from the path of pure, benevolent motives on occasion, but they maintain the spirit of their teachings most of the time.

1322627
Alright, that's more of the answer I was looking for.

What are some of the major convents of Clerics that we should be aware of?

Now, who here can tell me which Avatar the Cleric is usually associated with?

1322668
Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, I should say.

1322668
Cadence?

1322668
Princess Cadence?

1322670
1322673
Correct. Princess Mi Amore di Cadenza is considered the patron of Clerics. She holds court in the Valley of the North Wind, north of Canterlot, and her Court in particular is known as the Manor of the Gentle Heart. The northern mountains are an excellent place for the clerics to train, in addition to the still forests of the Evening Kingdom and the lonely deserts south of Equestria. Are we ready to see the Major Disciplines of the Clerics?

1322689
Yeah!

1322689
Alright.

The Clerical Disciplines are broken down into groups, much as the Paladins are. While Paladins focus on using Binding Magic of a physical nature, Clerics use Binding Magic internally. The applications of this include Thought Constructs, Emotional Centering, Mind Reading, and more. While not as rigidly formal as the Paladins, the Clerics do still have several distinct groups, which are outlined here. As usual, only the Major Schools are mentioned.

The first School, which is known as Resonation, is practiced by those Clerics who specialize in Empathic links, known as Strummers. Strummers have the unique ability to read the emotional states of others, and the more experienced among them can go so far as to reasonably guess the cause of these emotions. While interesting enough, this is not where their true talent lies. Strummers are then able to link the emotional state of their subject to their own, thereby affecting the way they feel. For example, an angry individual, when approached by a Strummer who was able to exude great calm, would find their condition gentled. There is a natural trade-off, in that the Strummer's emotional state can be affected by the subject. This effect is exacerbated when the other party is aware of the emotional tie they share and attempts to fight back. In the end, it all comes down to a battle of wills between the two individuals. The one with the more flexible will and greater determination will almost always succeed.

Strummers are beloved of the Princess of the Dawn, and she can often be found with at least three highly-experienced Strummers in her entourage. Outside of the obvious combat applications, Strummers make very effective grief counselors and confidants. Several sects of Strummers have opened up businesses catering to those who wish to feel a certain emotion, whether through curiosity or some other reason. Among these are the Joy Bringers, the House of Peace, and the Sunrays. As of late, several scandals have been brought to light involving those with these abilities acting as courtesans in several prominent Houses. Such acts, while morally reprehensible, are considered to be within the jurisdiction of the Laws.

1322702
I don't know why, but the first thing I thought was Strummers vs. The Incredible Hulk.

1322702
So could one strummer influence another strummer to form like a chain that would spread negative emotions around to lessen the effect of dealing with a particularly nasty emotion?

1322729
Heh. I know that there have to be males, but every single one of the Disciplines for Clerics I write is one I imagine to be full of females.

1322729
Sounds like the battle of the century.

1322734
Yes! This is called Harmonization, and it can be very effective in crowd control, or when facing a severely hostile individual.

1322742
Curse you inescapable societal gender stereotyping.

1322702
Alright, so we have glorified psychiatrists. What about the other schools?

1322764
You mean psychologists.

1322764
The next group of Clerics are known as Soothers, and they do tend to have a kinship with Strummers. Soothers are those with a gift for encouraging peace and emotional neutrality in others, lying in counterpoint to their Strummer cousins, who encourage others to feel. It is important to note that while they are said to make others feel calm, Soothers instead encourage others not to feel, allowing calm to develop on its own. This practice is known as Emotional Centering, and it is highly sought after in places of learning and debate. The only order of Soothers, the Grey Sisters, have their headquarters in the famously neutral town of Ponyville, and routinely send representatives to political summits and other such important functions.

Soothers are known for their reclusive nature, preferring to spend time away from the polarizing masses. To be an effective Soother, one must engage in heavy meditation almost daily, shedding emotional baggage and returning to a state of calm and neutrality. Soothers can often find employ in prisons and places of detainment in order to keep prisoners in line while they are being rehabilitated, and a Soother-Strummer combo is something to be feared, if their target can in fact feel fear at that point. Experienced Soothers can even project an aura of "null emotion" around themselves, which generates an intense apathy and calm in those who get too close, effectively nullifying melee attackers.

1322769
Right, thanks I really mixed those two things up. Know the difference it could actually save your life.

1322779
Yeah, 'trists give drugs and 'gists don't.

1322774
Wouldn't a soother nullify a strummer?

1322802
It's tricky. In the end, it would come down to experience and a contest of wills. There is quite a bit of debate as to which is the more effective tool to use in defending oneself. But working in tandem, which is what I believe you were asking about, can be done with great effect. The Soother will often nullify the target's emotions first, at which point the Strummer will link emotions with the subject and imprint their emotional state on to them.

1322815
Using these powers for combative means almost seems unethical. It seems, to me, like it is one thing to blow somepony up with a fireball and another thing entirely to destroy who they are.

1322836
Clerics are expected to have the strength of character to avoid taking that final step. They defend and neutralize without causing permanent damage to the affected parties. When all is said and done, the attacker will often be released into the custody of local authorities none the worse for the wear.

It is important to note that the previous two Schools cannot in fact read minds or anticipate actions unless there is an emotional reaction to be manipulated. Mind Reading falls under the purview of Seekers, who can, with time and a (usually) willing subject, read the minds and sift through the memories of an individual. The process is described as similar to reading a picture book, where the words are spoken aloud at the same time as pictures are shown. The experience is disorienting and debilitating for beginners, and even the most experienced Seekers have difficulty using their powers while doing anything else. While the subject in question is usually willing, the trained Seeker usually has little difficulty accessing the thoughts of the unwilling. In fact, some of the most powerful practitioners of this School must undergo meditative rituals to keep themselves from reading the minds of others without conscious effort.

Seekers can get work in a number of places where absolute truth is required, such as border crossings, political groups, and numerous other jobs. In particular, their services are highly prized in the Courts of the Avatars, where they are able to ferret out truth from supplicants with little effort, and so help their mistresses to make the proper decisions. To become a recognized Seeker, much training is required, past even what the original teachers of the hopeful students can offer. Many make pilgrimages to the great Seekers, who after a term of service, retire into the wild, there to instruct all they deem worthy of following in their footsteps.

Can anyone explain to me the difference between a Seeker, who reads minds, and the Mentalist Disciplines? A hint, it has to do with the first rule Clerics learn.

1322888
They consciously target subjects rather than having an ambient knowledge of the surrounding minds?

1322888
Clerics ask permission first.

1322899
Close. It has to do with consent. Seekers are inherently non-intrusive. If done well, they can read your thoughts without your realizing they were there. It is very difficult for them to read minds without causing damage, especially when a subject is resisting them. This is why they tend to work in the company of others, in order to focus all of themselves on the task at hand. It is easy to rip memories from a subject's mind, or shred their psyche beyond repair. It is much more difficult to touch the mind of another with the care reserved for a newborn child.

This next one holds a lot of appeal to new students, so I should warn you that it is not nearly as glamorous as it sounds.

Unique in their ability to work with minds of a different caliber, the Naturalists practice the art of Primal Empathy, which allows for the manipulation of plant and animal life. As these creatures are not capable of conscious thought, the services of a Naturalist are required to handle them. Creatures such as Manticores, Selkies, and Timberwolves do not operate with conscious thought. They are creatures of emotion and instinct, which is where Naturalists tend to come into play.

Naturalists do not have a set order, and in fact many choose not to associate with the general populace at all. They often have familiars of their own, sometimes even more than one. The most famous Naturalist in recent times, Rosethorn of The Vale, had three, a hawk, a stag, and a red squirrel. They seem to know where they are needed, whether it is to help herd packs of wolves away from villages and back into the woods, to assist in the annual migration of birds, or simply dealing with a pesky infestation of termites.

1322945
Sorry, another out of character moment

1322955
My sides just entered low Earth orbit.

Last in the Clerical Disciplines are the most rare and powerful of them all, the Menders. These powerful spellcasters can use the mind of a subject in a beneficial way, driving out illness, healing serious wounds, and in some cases, healing defects they were born with. The process of Mending Magic is a slow and laborious one. The mind must be directed in a certain fashion, using the resources of a subject’s own body to drive out sickness and bad health, and using the magical reserves of the Mender’s own reservoir of power to speed things along. In some rare cases, the subject can be placed in something called an “earth bath”, essentially a tub of warm mud that contains all the necessary nutrients to heal them.

The process of creating an earth bath is a closely kept secret, but it often requires the work of a master Alchemist and Mender to create, and the materials are horrendously expensive. The primary order of Menders, the Fellowship of Mercy, are given free rein to go where they will, and can in some cases call upon the services of soldiers of both the Evening Kingdom and the Celestial Empire to ensure they arrive at their destinations. Menders are given great power, and with it numerous responsibilities. They swear an oath to heal the sick, nurture the weak, and never turn away one in need of their help unless someone else’s need is greater.

1322987
Clerics are funny and terrifying and they make me think of funny things to avoid the terrifying things.