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All things, no matter how disparate, are connected. You change everything with which you come into contact, just as it changes you. Invisible threads of circumstance and similarity connect you to every other thing in the universe. The Sympathetic Mage can see these connections, and exploit them.
Sympathetic Mages emphasize the unity of all things. Because all things are one, because everything is connected, all things can be affected by an action on any one thing.
According to the Sympathetic Mage, each object in the universe is bound to each other object by three ties: the tie of relationship, the tie of similarity, and the tie of experience.
The tie of relationship binds together a whole with its parts, as well as binding the parts to each other. When you join a group, the tie of relationship between you and other members of that group strengthens; you hand and your foot are bound by this tie, for they are both yours.
The tie of similarity binds together things which are similar in form, purpose, provenance, or what-have-you. This tie binds each blade of grass to each other, as well as binding the person to his image in a mirror or a portrait.
The tie of experience is a tie created by the experiences, ideas, and emotions of sentient beings. It binds a person to his lover, a man to his gold, and a family to its living-room. It is the most complex and ill-understood of all the ties, and the one most needed for the more powerful Sympathetic spells.
To affect an object, a Sympathetic Mage finds another, more accessible object, to which it is bound, and then modifies that object in a prescribed way. Every object is bound to every other by the three ties, entwined like a rope. The strength of that rope determines the strength of the magic the Mage can work. A single dry leaf thrown in the fire can set a whole forest ablaze, and a single pin in a doll can hobble a man for life, if the connection, and the Mage, is strong enough.
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