Pulse
Proof Of Life
“People think they want answers until they get one that cannot be argued with."
Pulse is one of the simplest and most quietly unsettling divinations still in circulation. It does not conjure images, trace locations, or reveal hidden truths in any dramatic fashion. It answers a single question with absolute clarity. Is the creature still alive, or has it passed beyond the boundary of life. Nothing more is given. Nothing more can be asked of it.
The spell is most often learned by those who have reason to care about the fate of others across distance. Clerics carry it as a matter of duty, particularly those who tend to the sick or travel in the company of the dying. Wizards study it as an exercise in restraint, a reminder that not all magic exists to uncover secrets in full. Rangers and scouts have been known to adopt it as a practical tool, a way to confirm whether a missing companion still draws breath without exposing themselves to danger. In every case, the appeal is the same. Certainty without complication.
There is no spectacle in its casting. The practitioner speaks a name they know, not a title or description but a true identification of a specific individual. That act alone carries weight. In many traditions, to know someone clearly is to hold a thread that connects across distance. The spell takes hold of that thread and follows it to its end. For a brief moment, the caster’s awareness aligns with the state of that creature’s existence. Then the connection closes, leaving behind a single, undeniable answer.
Because of its simplicity, Pulse is often underestimated. It does not locate the target. It does not reveal cause of death, condition, or circumstance. It does not distinguish between a peaceful passing and a violent end. Yet those who rely on it understand that the absence of detail is what gives the spell its strength. There is no interpretation required. No visions to misread. No symbols to decode. Only the truth of whether a life continues or has ended.
In some cultures, the use of Pulse is treated with a degree of caution. Naming someone with clear intent is not considered a trivial act. Among the Arin, where identity and recognition carry deep significance, such a spell would be understood as an extension of the same principles that govern oaths and names. To call upon another in this way is to acknowledge a bond, however distant or informal it may be . For this reason, the spell is rarely cast lightly. It is reserved for moments when the answer matters.
There are also known limitations that reinforce its narrow focus. It does not function across planar boundaries, and it cannot reach a creature displaced outside the normal flow of time. More importantly, it only applies to beings that have lived in the conventional sense. Constructs, undead, and other entities that were never truly alive fall outside its reach entirely. The magic does not fail unpredictably. It simply finds nothing to follow.
Those who have used Pulse regularly speak less about the mechanics and more about the experience. There is no sensation of distance traveled or presence encountered. Instead, there is a brief, quiet recognition. A certainty that settles into the mind without force or emotion. Some describe it as relief. Others as dread. The spell itself carries no feeling. It leaves that entirely to the one who asked the question.
“I have cast it three times in my life. Once I wept, once I laughed, and once I said nothing at all. The magic did the same thing each time. The only difference was me .”
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