[I have found my interest in history waning a bit, and so thought I would begin on tomes of various other sorts. I will return to Merkado and his Golden Horn in the future, as my notes and comments on his work are, obviously, quite extensive.

The following comes from an untitled glossary I found many years ago discussing the history of magic]:

"Thaumatic (also thaumaturge, thaumaturgist, thaumatist): a practitioner whose interest is in the relationship between the various elemental faces, specifically the true face and the mask. Thaumatics strive to unify the true face and the mask using signs, substances, and occasionally magic words. The science of thautaticism builds on the sympathies inherent between the various elemental faces and seeks to blur the lines between them in order to create various effects."

I have seen the words "elemental faces" too often in this book not to inspire curiosity. The following is from Maven's The Art of the Thief:

"The mortal world is made up of seven elements, [or Materials?]. Each of these seven elements have four faces: a true face, a hidden face or mask, a dynamic face or force, and a fundamental face. The true face and the fundamental face are represented by the mortal body and spirit, respectively, while the mask and the force are seen in the physical world. Although the four faces are each part of the same element, they have different attributes, manifestations, and purposes. [The diagram below shows the four faces of each of the seven elements. Generally, the true face is considered the primary representation of an element].

True Face Hidden Face (Mask) Dynamic Face (Force) Fundamental Face
Eye Sun Violation Perception
Sinew Metal Destruction Emotion
Fat Dust Creation Hierarchy
Breath Wind Motion Self
Blood Rain Rest Deception
Bone Wood Protection Connection
Hair Snow Decay Isolation