un: uncrowned - Who wants to talk about MAGIC~?! (Yaaaaay~!)

[class_struggle]

Hail and well met, all. My name is Alex Faris, you may have seen me around.

I was a student at a school for Adventurers, the Heroes Academy of Allroads, which you are absolutely free to ask me about since I gather that's unusual. Among other things, that is where I started my study of magic - or what we call magic.

Having spoken to some of you, and witnessed Incendia with my own eyes, I understand that this is a magical world, and likewise a world under magical threat. I should very much like to pool our knowledge on the subject. My own studies focused heavily on elementalism - there's an aspect of intuition and personal affinity in what we do, and the son of a blacksmith has an understanding with fire - but I also know a scattering about my world's Five Powers, and how we work it here.

I'm not the best teacher, but I can help you study and practice, if it comes down to it.

Comments

cosmicgirl

[thecompletionofthings]

What I do isn't magic, but I'm really interested in attending any public discussions and picking up info about it, in case it helps me understand my own powers (or others'). I'd be happy to offer what insight and perception I can, as well.

Re: cosmicgirl

[class_struggle]

It's hard for me to think of it as anything else, but ser Akechi can articulate the differences between what he calls his psychic powers and those he considers magical.

There's... significant overlap with what I'd call Mysticism, the Azure Power Behind thought and emotion, but the mechanics of how he calls on psychic power are different enough for me to believe him.

Re: cosmicgirl

[thecompletionofthings]

There are mages and psychics at home, and the spicy ones can sense what I do, but I have it on good authority that what I do isn't either of what they do. Nor is it like what your clerics do, though sometimes I talk about it that way as an oversimplification. It's closer to a kind of science, or rather engineering, that doesn't use any physical equipment.

luciferskylight

[burninglight]

you're liable to run into heavily conflicting information; i don't think magic works exactly the same in any two given worlds, you know? however, i'd not be surprised if some vague principles carried over or held some slight influence.

[class_struggle]

Thus we boil away everything unneeded until all that's left is sublime truth. Yes.

I'm certain my Five Powers are a metaphor even in my own world, but the distinctions are as useful as they are artificial to me. Speaking of Elemental, Cthonic, Numinous, Wyld and Mystic influences are a crutch; but a crutch is necessary for those who cannot otherwise stand.

[burninglight]

i'm going to be quite honest, i am utterly unfamiliar with most of the terminology you just said.

un: loveandpeace

[ax_iom]

There's a lot I'm not comfortable sharing for my own. But I would like to hear about yours.

tldr, his world runs partially on MtG theming

[class_struggle]

We speak of the Five Powers.

The golden power above, the Numinous, magic that makes us better than we are. Magic of authority, self-rule and enchantment.

The dark power below, the Cthonic, that reaches back to who we are or were. Necromancy, sometimes, but also separation and thus sensing, and swallowing malign magic.

The crimson power without, the Elemental, that blasts and scours with energy and light; my forte. Alone, it tends to want to become fire - hence my affinity. In combination with the others, it can be as lightning, or shaping the earth, the waters, the light and the darkness into weapons.

The verdant power within, the Wyld, of things living. The easiest way to learn healing but the trickiest. It can be subtle as the strength to hold on for another instant or as blatant as becoming an owlbear in the light of a full moon.

The azure power behind, the Mystic, of thought and memory and emotion. It can make the imagined or the hallucinated seem real, or banish illusion; it can read minds and hearts like books, and [here is some "Uncrowned is typing," as Alex struggles with the words] edit those tomes. I understand it the least, and yet more than I care to.

Everyone's personality and training gives them a blend of natural affinities - you'll note I don't mention bloodlines. People think so, but everything they attribute to blood or talent I can see attributed to practice and circumstance. I am sure that line of Auricshield are powerful Numinous caster not because Auricshield gave them the blood for it, but because he left behind his notes and taught his children.

[ax_iom]

[meanwhile, lily's text to speech program is... trying to handle all of this. her eyes are basically spinning.]

I think I got the gist of it. That sounds incredibly complicated.

[thecompletionofthings]

Neat!

text; improvisefate

[bloodyashes]

Disclaimer: Fonic artes are not considered magic on Auldrant. But no one from other worlds has yet cared much about the distinction so I'm not going to bother with the technicalities.

The basic concept is that all matter is composed of two kinds of particles - physical ones called atoms (not important right now) and energy particles called fonons. Fonons come in seven varieties, largely elemental, and each has a distinct frequency at which it resonates naturally. Because of the mix of fonons in things, that means that every object or living creature has its own frequency, distinct as a fingerprint.

(Usually, and I am not getting into the exception here.)

The first six fonons are straightforward - they behave in similar ways and have round numbers for natural frequencies. In order, they're darkness, earth, wind, water, fire, and light. They're referred to by number as commonly as by element, eg 'the fifth fonon.'

And then there is the Seventh Fonon, which is formed when the others are mixed together and pressurized in a specific way. It has the quality of sound, but also of memory, and though its natural frequency is between that of the third and fourth, it can mimic other frequencies in certain applications. Only about ten percent of the population can use it to a meaningful extent, but in most cases it follows similar rules for artes as the rest.

[Please don't ask him about the edge cases.]

It's primarily used for healing artes and the reading of the prophecy called the Score, which I hate and am not going to talk about.

Generally, fonic techniques are channelled either through the user's own body, or through glyphs - either actually carved as a part of something or memorized and re-created during the casting. The former are 'strike artes' and the latter are 'fonic artes.' There's also fontech, which is machinery using fonons as a power source for various effects.

Fonons used for fonic artes are drawn from the surrounding environment - thus, it's easier to use water artes in wet places or on rainy days, earth artes below the ground, and so on. Generally speaking, outside of the Seventh, fonists will tend towards an affinity towards either the four central elements or the two at the extremes. Hypothetically, anyone can learn to use artes with the main six fonons, but learning to perceive them in a useful way takes time before you can even begin to create effects, so few people outside the military or academic fields bother with it.

[THAT... should be a starting point...]

[thecompletionofthings]

Also neat! Thanks for sharing!

not technically here

[plentyfriendly]

[Phi doesn't respond, but notes several things from this explanation, which lines up in most respects with the one she got from Sync already but with some more detail.

First is that "usually". Her experience has given her conjecture to what that is, and she sure doesn't like what she's thinking it could be.

Second is that her experience has largely informed her that prophecy is awful and fake, and what this "Score" might really be is the world's largest time paradox (and time paradoxes are also awful, but much to her chagrin not quite so fake).

A distant third in terms of importance is that either mass-energy equivalence doesn't work quite the same way on Auldrant or they just haven't figured it out yet.]

un: ravusnoxfleuret

[giltfoil]

On the world of Eos, there exist two bloodlines for whom magic is inborn: the line of Lucis, and the Oracles of Tenebrae. My experience is with the latter.

It is a power granted by the Hexatheon, to whom the Oracles speak on behalf of humanity. Ideally through certain rites, the Oracle invokes one or another of the Astrals, making the will of humanity known to them and receiving the words of the Six in turn. In her position as interlocutor, the Oracle also contacts the Messengers, the servants of the Astrals, and may receive aid from them with commensurately less effort. Or may not.

In addition, to the Oracle line is granted the power of healing, particularly the power to drive out the affliction known as the Starscourge, which the Astrals despise above all else. For most generations, this is the power most demonstrated among the people.

All the magic of Eos exists at the will of the Astrals, the Oracle's no less than any others. Were one of them here, perhaps she would no longer be subject to their will.

The magic of the Lucii is almost entirely different.

sorry he can't Not

[founderinglight]

Ah, yes, the generous will of the Astrals, which gave us the Starscourge in the first place, and granted the power to heal it to but one person in any generation.

Just enough to keep the baneful infection at bay until the Chosen King could spend his life in their names. And how very strange it is that it is the second healer and their line who received the power to irradicate the infection in truth.

The will of the Astrals can fuck itself on a spike.

un: cosmicgirl

[thecompletionofthings]

OK so I insist that this is not magic but it's enough like Asch's fonic artes that if he's knowledge-dumping about those, I may as well follow suit.

There are arbitrarily many shinma. Each of them defines an aspect of reality by opposing it. I work with seven of them in particular:

• Nirguna doesn't exist. Everything that exists does so by virtue of not being Nirguna.
• Nirakara has no form—that is to say, no localizable presence within the universe. Everything that has form does so by virtue of not being Nirakara.
• Nirvikalpa is unitary and homogeneous. If you can tell something apart from other things, or communicate with it, it's because that thing is not Nirvikalpa.
• That which does not suffer itself to be named has no identity, which is why we don't say its name without some very strenuous precautions. Don't want to piss it off. Anyway, things that can be identified are not part of it.

I should point out that these intersect. Like, Nirguna has an identity, and That which does not suffer itself to be named, exists. Anyway, continuing:

• Dharma is pure, beautiful and incorruptible. Insofar as anything is not perfect in these ways, it is not Dharma.
• Nishkriya is harmless, meek and eternally at rest. Anything that can cause harm or destruction, or act in the world in any lasting way, is not Nishkriya.
• Nirupadhika has no extent or duration. Anything that has a time or place, or takes up space or time, is not Nirupadhika.

It's easy to talk about the shinma as if they were entities, like gods or spirits, but they're not. They're more like fonons, I guess: fields of energy that permeate all universes and that which lies beyond them. Sometimes I talk about "interrogating Dharma" or "listening to Nirvikalpa" but it's maybe more like reading dials or watching lighted displays? Dials and displays that don't exist.

In general, I either interrogate, evoke or abjure a particular shinma to accomplish an effect. I'm particularly good at blowing things up, for instance. I do that by abjuring Nishkriya from something or somewhere. In the absence of Nishkriya, things become violently destructive. Boom.

And so on.

[class_struggle]

...thus, they lack enough personality to even count among the Named. More philosophy than theology.

I think the clerics and the shamans will agree on this one. They are officially neither god or petty spirit.

text | username M.C.

[blackestwitch]

Maddie Curie here. I run a podcast about magic. I'd be more than happy to share some tidbits and information if you agree to be a guest on my podcast.

Re: text | username M.C.

[thecompletionofthings]

Ooh! Mememe!

Re: text | username M.C.

[class_struggle]

Before I agree, what’s a podcast? What am I in for.

[ax_iom]

I've been doing this for longer than anyone else, so... I might as well help.

un: sapphicdistractions

[zweihandler]

I VOLUNTEER ALSO

un: sapphicdistractions

[zweihandler]

oh shit you guys had schools too? that's cool, i thought i was the only one.

uhhh i don't know if we call it magic or anything where i'm from anymore (i think people used to? idk) but i can tell you a little about keys and sync and stuff if you want

Re: un: sapphicdistractions

[thecompletionofthings]

I for one would be really interested.

Re: un: sapphicdistractions

[class_struggle]

I second this. Sing o muse about keys and sync, and the school where you learned of them.