Solo [The Quill's Rest] The Basics and Foundations of Auristics

[Castor Riley]

Day 35, Spring of 513 AV Castor settled in to his little corner at the Quill’s Rest, all his notes gathered carefully and laid out in order as he would require them. When the waiter approached, Castor simply said ’I’d like the usual, Kelp tea, please’ then left the 2 Silver Mizas on the table as the waiter went to get his drink. He had come in here every night for the past week, working on his first project for his mysterious employer, Mr Syreus Ehm Sol. The week before that, he had used all the time not spent in lectures at the University or working at the Library, researching the subject his aforementioned employer had tasked him with. It had been a gruelling process. Thankfully, it had not taken him too long to figure out an efficient way to keep track of his research that also took advantage of his ability to memorize things easily. As he read through each book he was researching, he quickly noted the following things: He noted all the general reference information He identified useful quotations He copied said quotations into his notes, under the general reference information He noted the page number next to each quotation Finally, he double-checked that all the information was accurate By writing down each quotation he also managed to memorize them, as they became deeper ingrained into his mind. And for any that he did not remember as well, he had an easily accessible notebook with all the necessary information included; he didn’t even need to return to the library to check the book itself! His tea arrived and the waiter took the Mizas. Castor felt rather pleased with his research method, which was what allowed him now to be drinking Kelp Tea at the Quill’s Rest while still having full access to all the resources he needed. He wondered abstractly at how the same ingredient could make beer taste so awful, yet make tea even more soothing. Not really caring that much though, he relished in the pleasant numbness the heat sent through his body. He focused back on his work; he had actually finished most of it, but wanted to put some finishing touches on it before sending it off with the following day’s mail. He opened the small journal he had written the research paper in. He checked his spelling, his grammar, his references – checking his notebook to ensure their accuracy once more. He remembered how daunting the task had seemed at first. How he had written until his wrist had become quite sore, going through a full vial of ink for his note-taking. It had actually only taken another half in order to actually write the paper. He had feared he had taken on too much; being a student of two subjects, Scribe to the Library and Researcher for Mr Sol was a lot to handle. He could only hope that he would be able to last at this pace. He felt relieved however that he would soon have some respite from at least one of his roles; as Mr Sol was situated along the Kabrin Road, it would take at least two weeks from tomorrow before he would be engaged in another project. Maybe I’ll finally get some rest. Or rather I’ll finally catch up on my neglected studies he thought to himself, bemused. Still, he couldn’t say his project was not interesting. He had actually never come into contact with magic before, so reading about it to such an extent had really sparked his curiosity; a curiosity tempered by his research into overgiving. He did enjoy the potential of it all, though. Thinking about things that had sparked his curiosity led him back to something that had perplexed him about his employer. When Castor looked up the list of books he was pointed towards researching – “off the top of his head” as Syreus had claimed – he had encountered one source that was decidedly not like the rest. Namely, ‘The Lyceum Experience’ written by a Zeltiva University student named Eridanus for the newsletter. What distinguished this text from the rest were many things: where the others were general introductory texts by established academics or institutions, this was the very specific experience of a student, appearing otherwise unremarkable. He had pondered at what made this particular testimonial, though well-written and a now poignant reminder of lost Denval, deserving of such special mention and “off-the-top-of-one’s-head” recollection. He had resolved to look into other books the library might have on Master Redrux, the master Aurist of the piece, as he seemed the most likely to have caught the interest of his curious employer. He shook himself out of his reverie, and took another gulp of his tea, now lukewarm. He skimmed through the pages of his project examining the introductory pages in detail (he'd always felt that a good introduction could make or break any argument, whether orally or on paper), casting all other thoughts out of mind.

[Castor Riley]

The Basics and Foundations of Auristics By Castor Riley Introduction In this journal you will find all the necessary information for a basic understanding of the magical discipline of Auristics. In order to aid the reader in locating the information they find necessary, I shall be briefly outlining the contents of this journal in this introductory chapter. Firstly, this book has been separated into 4 chapters: Auristics and Djed A Brief History of Auristics Use of Auristics Dangers of Auristics In the first chapter, ‘Auristics and Djed’, I shall be talking about the way in which the Aurist utilizes his or her own Djed for the achievement of magical effects. As the reader should know, each magical discipline has its own method of utilizing the djed within everyone and everything. This chapter shall investigate what that particular method is for the personal magic of Auristics, clearing up some prevalent misconceptions among novices in the discipline. In ‘A Brief History of Auristics’, I shall detail a short summary of the history of research in the discipline; starting with scholars’ initial belief in the involvement of the goddess Avalis and ending with the present theory of its completely non-divine origin. In the following chapter, ‘Use of Auristics’, I shall swiftly detail the ways in which Auristics has been used by various established Aurists. For a discipline that seems so inherently simple, it shall be shown that its uses can be very diverse. Finally, in ‘Dangers of Auristics’ the reader shall be informed of the very real danger of overgiving from the use of Auristics and what that would entail, as well as methods of avoiding the more serious consequences. At the end of this journal, a complete list of references shall be available.

[Castor Riley]

OOCI have permission from Eridanus to use the text from I Can See Again!, aka The Lyceum Experience, as though it were a journal, so no plagiarism lynch mob please!

Auristics and Djed In order to understand Auristics, as well as any other magical discipline, one must first understand djed. So what is djed? The popular method of explanation of the nature of djed is included in Dr Wynne Leocole’s seminal work, Auristics and Djed (500). Her explanation is so concise and illuminating that I feel it would be best to read it in her own words: ”In order to truly understand the nature of Djed one need only think of a shape, any shape. Take, for example a square. If one were to take a quill and draw a square on a piece of parchment, one would have ‘square’ djed. However, the square drawn would differ from all others of its kind, for it would also have djed that is unique to ‘this square’. Therefore, one understands that djed indicates both nature and identity. When handling djed, one must remember that there are three laws that govern it; Djed cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed Some forms of Djed are purer than others and, Some transformations are irreversible.” How then does this knowledge of djed aid us towards an understanding of its application in Auristics? I would argue that, perhaps more so than in any other discipline, it is in Auristics that such understanding is most essential. Observe Dr Leocole’s explanation of Auristics: ”In essence, Auristics is the art of ‘perceiving’ djed. By using it one can identify the qualities of and changes induced in an object or being simply by interpreting the information its djed gives off.” The greater, therefore, his understanding of djed and how it is processed in the mind, the more able becomes the Aurist to match auras to their sources. Now that an understanding of the key terms has been achieved, we can move on to how the two are used in conjunction in order to produce the desired magical effects. In this endeavour, I shall be aided by yet another quotation, this time from Eridanus’ ‘The Lyceum Experience’ (505): ” You bring up the djed within your body, but instead of redirecting the entire flow somewhere else, you imagine yourself consuming a tiny bit of that djed by redirecting a little bit to your eyes, or whatever physical sense you feel comfortable with.” The reader should note, as this is a mistake made by many self-taught Aurists, how Master Redrux, the speaker in Eridanus’ text, emphasizes that any sense can be used for the practice of Auristics, and not simply sight. Combining all five during a reading is actually the way to produce the fullest understanding of the information gleaned through the practice of this magic.

[Castor Riley]

A Brief History of Auristics Having understood the basic terminology and use of it, let us now turn to the history of Auristics. The first uses of the magic are largely thought to be responsible for folk tales involving the ‘Babbling Loon’ archetype. The temptation for over-use of the power, after all, leads many impatient novices into delirium. Initial scholarly thought revolved around the possible involvement of Avalis, the goddess of Visions, in the appearance of the discipline. However, over many years of debate the consensus was reached that it was simply not in the goddess’ nature or style. As described in the University of Zeltiva Press’ essential companion to Auristics Introduction to Auristics (492): ’Eventually, the scholarly community came to realize that Avalis simply could not have been involved; for one, her gifts see into the future, while Auristics is very much based in the present and recent past. For another, she doesn’t go around just handing visions out; there is very much of a vetting process to be undergone. It’s only logical, therefore, that this is simply an ability evolved from the conjunction of sentience and djed.’ (Farrane) Joy Farrane quite adequately represents the now commonly-held belief that Auristics was not divinely gifted unto man, but was discovered by lone mages experimenting with their own Djed. One may query the logic of pumping Djed without direction into one’s sensory organs, however, as a disciple of any magical discipline surely understands, no power comes without risk.

[Castor Riley]

Use of Auristics The next question that comes to mind is how have Aurists used the ability in the past? To what can the aspiring student of Auristics look forward to? The uses of Auristics can be identified in many areas. As described once more in the Introduction to Auristics, the magical discipline’s expertise lies mainly in the following ones: Physical Properties Internal Structure Feelings Magical Activity Residual Activity, and Intent As Robert Cole, another contributor to the book describes: ”There have been many Aurists who have used their ability in creative ways, each one expanding the range of what all Aurists can do. Like for example, the Syliran Knight, who realized that he could smell blood on murderers; Or the martial artist, who got a sensation of burning wherever his opponent intended to strike next. These individuals broadened the horizons of Auristics and spawned legends repeated from master to student in the discipline.” From its inception, Auristics has been a gateway to a new perception of the world. It has also helped identify and understand the work of other mages, whether in an academic setting, or in a more hostile one. However, one of its more overlooked applications is that in art and literature. In Jolen Firguse’s First Glances into New Sights and Sounds (504) she covers this very real oversight: ”It is a crying shame that there are not more Aurist artists and writers. As a reader of such niche poetry and appreciator of such underappreciated art, I can safely describe it as sublime. The synaesthetic perception of these artists is clearly expressed by their lush interconnection of senses (Hazy multicolored people, Cherries that taste like purple and orange). I firmly believe we could attain higher levels of understanding if we sat down and analyzed such works more thoroughly.” As can be seen, Auristics has many useful applications in a broad spectrum of subjects. Truly, any mage should know at least the basics of Auristics, for it offers so much to gain, with the least risk among the disciplines.

[Castor Riley]

Dangers of Auristics Finally, as with all personal magic, Auristics, too, carries the danger of overgiving. However, as previously expressed, these dangers are minimal in comparison to the overall benefits. On top of that, it is fairly simple to avoid the worst side effects by keeping with safe djed-handling practices. At this junction I feel compelled to quote for you the safety guidelines outlined in the Scholar Asylum’s safety booklet Warning of Overgiving (495): ”When engaging in any discipline of magic you are implored to implement these simple safety measures, for the protection of yourself and others. As a student of magic: Do NOT engage in magical acts without the approval and supervision of your mentor If cleared for self-study, try to arrange study with fellow students If you begin to experience ANY of the symptoms of overgiving (Please consult list below) STOP immediately and do NOT attempt magic for at least a 24-bell period Please remember that no matter how easy a magical effect may appear to you, or how simple it may seem ALL magic has potential side-effects.” The symptoms of overgiving in the case of Auristics, as outlined in the aforementioned booklet are: Fatigue Dilated pupils Incoherent Speech Paranoia Temporary Loss of Physical Senses Delirium Permanent Loss of Physical Senses While the most common means of overgiving in Auristics are described as: Excessive focus on a Single Aura Focus on Multiple Auras Simultaneously Focus on the Aura of a Divine Being The reader of this journal is implored to take to heart these warnings and to practice Auristics responsibly.

[Castor Riley]

References Anon. 495. Warning of Overgiving. Zeltiva: University of Zeltiva Press. Cole, Robert. 492. 'How Some Aurists have Affected Auristics'. In Introduction to Auristics. Samuel Jerrale (Ed.). Zeltiva: University of Zeltiva Press, pp. 15-36. Eridanus. 505. 'The Lyceum Experience'. East Wing Student Newsletter. Zeltiva: University of Zeltiva Press, pp.13-17. Farrane, Joy. 492. 'About Avalis and Auristics'. In Introduction to Auristics. Samuel Jerrale (Ed.). Zeltiva: University of Zeltiva Press, pp. 6-14. Firguse, Jorel. 504. First Glances into New Sights and Sounds. Zeltiva: University of Zeltiva Press. Leocole, Wynne. 500. Auristics and Djed. Zeltiva: University of Zeltiva Press.

[Castor Riley]

Having placed one final full-stop he had missed at the end of his final reference, Castor stretched back over his chair, rubbing his eyes and felt the pleasure of cracking a stiff back. He emptied the neglected half-a-cup of kelp tea down his throat in a few quick gulps smarting at its cold and peculiar taste. He smiled at his work, satisfied, carefully blowing over the ink to help it dry faster, yet not so hard as to smudge the letters. It had been a couple of bells since he'd sat down, poring over the excerpts, trying to find ways to better induct the reader into his subjects. He had done the best he could and he knew it, and that was enough for him. He ripped a blank page from the completed journal, carefully so that it would separate cleanly from the rest and then penned the letter he would be posting to Mr Sol along with the completed book the following day: Dear Mr Sol, I hope this letter finds you well. I have completed the deliverable you requested and you should find it attached along with this letter. Please ensure that it meets your standards of quality and respond to me if you would desire a continuation of our current arrangement. Yours Sincerely, Castor Riley Castor waited around awhile, looking out to Matthew's Bay, allowing his mind to whirr down. No thinking. Just watching and listening to the waves. Suddenly he stood up, gathered all his things, wished a good night to the staff and went off into the streets to return to his accommodation and a well-deserved rest.

[Paragon]

Castor Riley

Experience

Skill	XP Earned
Organisation	3
Memorisation	2
Research	2
Writing	3

Lores

•	Lore Earned
•	5-Point Study Method
•	The Lyceum Experience
•	Introduction to Auristics
•	Understanding Overgiving
•	New Sights and Sounds
•	Djed Applied to Auristics
•	Broad Utility of Auristics

Legend Becomes Reality

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