Trading Trades Once Again [Clyde Sullins]

[Reaver]

"Good questions, yes. You can animate anything that can move. Examples are like clothes, clocks, puppets... not things like rocks, solid stone statues, and rather likely air, I suspect it must be solid. For the demonstration, I will be animating a tree branch to wiggle, then you will do the same with another branch. Yes, something simple." Reaver looked to be sure the branch was still in the circle, and sat in the other. "Now, should anything disrupt the process, the process ends there, and you are likely to have an incomplete process. The setup before us is the most basic, one source, one destination. You may have more then one source, but not more then one destination as far as my research as yielded. So, don't let your work leave the circle, don't leave the circle yourself, and I'd recommend you don't let things enter your circles. Any questions so far?"

[Clyde Sullins]

Listening, Clyde regularly nodded in response to what Reaver said. For the most part it all seemed mostly straightforward. Though in some ways it reminded him of magecrafting. "I think I am getting it. What about things like say a door, it has hinges? Would it be possible to animate a door, perhaps to open when you tell it to? Would that be possible? And just because they cannot move, would it still be possible to give personalities to things that are immobile? Though I'm not sure how you would communicate with them." "How do works of animation even sense things anyways? Such as seeing and hearing? So what is the next step." To put it mildly, Clyde was inquisitive, but if he thought he saw a opportunity for knowledge, he would always seize it. Though he wondered how knowledgeable his teacher really was.

[Reaver]

Reaver smiled with delight, though his mask hid it. He had a happy tinge to his monolog as he continued his lecture. "You ask very good questions. A door's hinges are a perfect example, yes. A door opening when you tell it to is a prime example. And I have 'animated' things that cannot move, yes. Interacting with them is moot, however, due to them being unable to respond. All points you caught onto quick." "The works of animation can sense things in the ways you teach them too, however there are limits. Seeing requires a rather reflective surface, a gemstone being the best. Hearing is done through thin strips of leather, not so foreign to a human or animal's inner ear. Touch, I have found, can be quite hard to work with. However, sensing when it is moved is quite easy. You can use that to simulate touch, quite well. As far as smell and taste, I doubt it's possible I am no master, however." "The next step, when you are ready for me to continue, is simply activating the circle. After that, is building the object's fake soul, known as a Life Principle. Any more questions? I love answering them."

[Clyde Sullins]

Listening, Clyde took in everything Reaver was saying. He did see Reaver was proficient in his knowledge on dome things, but of course there would be some things only a master would know. "Hm.... I suppose that makes sense. So how do you activate the circle? And what exactly is a life principle? And how do you go about making a 'fake soul?'" Clyde pondered over this new information. He was always amazed by how much there was to know of magic. There was so much to learn, he wondered how people did not go insane with it, wanting to learn so much. Was it even possible to do it all in one lifetime? He did wonder.... Though there were a few magics he did not really care to learn of, they just did not interest him. But many more did, and he always was ready to widen his knowledge.

[Reaver]

Reaver nodded at the questions. "You activate the circle by bonding yourself to it... using your blood as a medium." Reaver will prick his thumb with a needle, and bring it to the circle. The flow of Djed would become apparent to any mage who payed attention, though what it was doing would be a mystery to most. Reaver focused on working on his work as he lectured, as it was too simple for him to require all his focus. "A Life Principle is a fake soul, one that you make for the item. This fake soul will be what moves the object. You said 'personalities' before... The term wouldn't be wrong, but I prefer to think of it as a work of art rather then a work of gods. The next step, is making a shell to hold that fake soul. You make this shell using an existing soul, such as your own. You can use other souls, and multiple souls I hear, with the addition of a few more circles. Again, I'm keeping this simple. This shell is called a Soulcore. A Soulcore is a shell, and as such simple holds the work together. Think of it as an egg, though shaped like a soul. Once you try it, it should be more apparent. Any other questions before the next step?" Reaver paused, the first step done. He took a heavy sigh, the other steps were longer.

[Clyde Sullins]

Clyde watched as Reaver worked, trying to catch everything in, for in a bit he would be doing all of this on his own. Though he would need to make another set of circles. Remembering this, he went a bit away, and got started on a matching pair of circles, while paying attention to what Reaver was saying and doing. He still did not understand how one went about some of the things, but he was trying to grasp it. "Okay, well while i watch you, I will start on the second set of circles, so I can start as soon as you are done." "Now I understand that the blood acts as a link, but I am still confused on a few parts. How do you actually physically make this ''fake soul? You mentioned a shell, and using another soul as a base, and a soulcore..... But I'm not seeing how you actually go about doing these things.... I'm having a bit of trouble, since it is not like physically making something. Most of what I do deals in things you can touch and feel, whereas this is much less physical..."

[Reaver]

Reaver interjected as Clyde mentioned what he was to do. "No need, you can use this circle once I'm done with it. I said these circles don't vanish like your glyphs." As Reaver spoke, he began working on the next step anyway, even though it wasn't being covered in his lecture."You don't 'physically' make a soul, fake or not. You use Djed to do these things. You don't 'see' these things happen, you feel them happen. You will be able to touch and feel what I'm talking about, just not with your eyes and hands, but your Djed. The circles are your table and chair, your work area to make this possible. You Djed will be your eyes, hands, and tools. I'm doing this first, so that I can be sure I don't miss any steps, and so that you can get an idea of what the end result will look like. Think of it as a pre-test checklist. I can't have you fighting bears off in hand to hand combat without teaching you how to throw a punch, dodge a claw, that sort of thing. I'm giving the lecture first. Now, shall I continue?"

[Clyde Sullins]

Having gotten a bit ahead of himself, Clyde stopped work on the next set of circles, since it seemed they were unneeded. He worked what Reaver said through his head, trying to fully grasp what he was saying. Though it seemed like Reaver sure like using metaphors... Some odd ones at that... "So... you do not physically build the soul... You... sort of will it to be created, similar to how you will your djed to do things to make other magics to work? Through thinking it, and feeling it out... Is that it basically?" "I think I am starting to understand. But as I said, this is very different from what I am used to. But I will do my best. Yes go ahead to the next step." Clyde watched carefully what Reaver was saying and doing, as he might soon be doing the same thing.

[Reaver]

"Yes, a nice summery. Once you feel your Soulcore is built, something you could feel, you move on to the next step. The next step is building a Persona for your work. A Persona is the mind of your work, what it uses to know what to do. It follows the Directives you give it, the commands if you will. It will follow the top directive as best it can, and every lower directive that doesn't break an above directive. In order for the object to follow these directives, however, you must teach it how. A nice example, if you want something to close when opened, you must teach it what both closed and opened are. You can feed images, memories, sounds, sights, anything in your mind can be crafted and transmitted into this persona. It will use that knowledge to follow it's directives." Reaver took a moment to relax a touch and sigh. He finished the directive well before the lecture ended. Roll. He started building the Astral Body for the stick as he continued the lesson. He wanted to be done when it was finished. "Anything else you'd like to ask before I explain the next step?"

[Clyde Sullins]

Clyde watched and listened, taking in everything that was said. This was all very interesting, and it seemed like he was slowly grasping it. Animation was one of the few magics he knew little of, even amongst the other magics he did not practice. He was getting a bit excited, and his anticipation grew as he knew he would soon be animating his first thing. "Okay, so the next thing is a directive. What are some common things that might be used, for other things? I believe protecting the owner can be one, but i forget what else." "I think that is about it for now, so what is the next step?"