First Lessons [Leila, Castor and Tsaba]

by **Castor Riley** on June 24th, 2013, 4:32 pm

Castor waited with baited breath as professor Marin looked over his latest attempt at the focus glyph. When she nodded her unenthusiastic approval, Castor let his breath out in one go. "I'll keep practicing professor," he assured her, putting the writing implements on her desk and returning to his seat. He added another heading, 'Practical Application', to his notes and began filling in all the information the professor had shared while he'd been drawing the glyphs.

Then, professor Marin began another demonstration using her res. This time, she turned it into a rock, and though Castor became silent and serious when he saw it, he wasn't as deeply affected as the first time around. He dilligently took notes of the effects his glyph had ellicited in her performance of Reimancy.

When the professor moved on to check Tsaba's work, Castor was surprised to hear that it was unsuitable for a scroll. It seemed much better than his own. The professor's words made clear to him that there were stricter levels of accuracy demanded of glyphed scrolls rather than bodies; it also made clear to him that if Tsaba's work was unsuitable, his was probably nearing the dangerous levels in such applications. He resolved to practice as much as possible, the professor's warning of deadly malfunctions ringing in his ears.

He gathered the professor's example focus, tucking it in to his notebook. He'd need to study it harder to familiarise himself with the individual runes and their proper placement. When she asked if there were any questions, Castor felt the need to ask one that had been on his mind almost since the beginning of class, though it had nothing to do with glyphing. "Professor, I'm sorry to interject with a question that is largely unrelated, but it is a question that's been gnawing at me and it would help me gain a clearer insight into the concept of djed. When you use reimancy, you use up a bit of your essence, correct? What happens to this essence then? Is it lost forever?" He knew that it couldn't be the case, but he simply needed to hear her say so for his peace of mind, so he waited eagerly for her response.

by **Annalisa Marin** on June 24th, 2013, 6:58 pm

OOCThis should be my last post for this thread, feel free put your replies below and I'll put it up for grading

Anna noted Castor's question and gave it some serious thought, technically this class was as much magical theory as it was practical Glyphing, so an explanation of some aspects of other magic would be useful to increase understanding. Still, there was not exactly an easy or sure answer to the question, much of the truth of Djed was still very theoretical. Only extensive trial and error experiments and constant research gave her insight into what she already knew. Djed recover was a tricky subject to address.

"Using reimancy is very much like a more advanced form of physical exertion, at least that is what I have discovered. When you use too much you need to rest and recover before you can expend more Djed and res. After extensive casting I also tend to get quite hungry." Anna explained.

"The difference being is that you are also exhausting a piece of yourself to cast the spell. That particular piece is gone, you expended it like you would energy during a long run. However your Djed can recover over time, usually it takes me about two to three days to recover from extensive casting." She nodded at the end slowly.

That was physically recover, she opted to not add the mental recovery as it might cast doubt upon her own state of mind. Anna liked her new students thus far but she was only willing to give out so much information, her paranoia tended to rise when talking to other mages or those who could very well become mages. Her own betrayal had shown her how easy it had been to stab someone in the back when they trusted foolishly, she would not be making the same mistake Velia did.

Anna waited for a moment before scribbling down the names of three rather technical tomes on the nature of Djed itself and two on Glyphing. Idly she wondered if "Magic and I" would be a good choice as well, it was rather informative read for budding wizards. Her own mentor had told her to read it. She nodded and added it to the top of the list. She recorded two lists for both of her students.

-"Magic and I"
-"The Forms of Djed"
-"Mystery of Magic"
-"Soul of the Wizard"
-"Glyphing: A Deconstruction
-"Introduction to Glyphing"

Anna finished the lists and pushed the two pieces of parchment forward on her desk to her students. They seemed like good first choice books for these two.

"Read through these tomes, they should give you a better understanding of Djed and the basics of Glyphing. Be ready with questions and to construct a decent Focus by next class. If there is nothing else you may be dismissed." The young professor said, sitting herself down behind her desk.

These two were quite competent so hopefully they would advance quickly. Only time would tell.

by **Tsaba** on June 24th, 2013, 7:32 pm

Tsaba carefully read the list and put it away in her scrollcase. She could manage six books in eleven days, but she didn't know if Castor could, with his need for food and sleep. But it must be possible, or their teacher wouldn't have assigned it. She was glad the class was so small that book availability wouldn't become a problem.

"Should we add Glyphing to our study group, or just stick with Auristics?" she asked Castor as she gathered her things. "This class looks like it might be quite a workload otherwise."

by **Castor Riley** on June 25th, 2013, 1:18 am

When the professor had answered his question, Castor went said a "Thanks," before going into silent contemplation of the implications of this fact. Though she seemed very relaxed about the whole thing, Castor wondered about deeper, more subtle effects. After all, you lost a specific part of you forever, even if you later patched over the gap. How would a person be affected when they were more filler and patches than who they originally were? Castor shuddered at the thought.

Castor took the proffered list, giving a quick look-over the titles of the suggested tomes. It might be a bit of a challenge to get all of them read by the next class, but he'd definitely give it his bets shop. He definitely had no intention of creating glyphs that could fail catastrophically. "Yes, professor Marin," he said distractedly, noting the latest information, before gathering up his notes. He gave them a quick glance as he did so:

GLYPHING

Uses
Furthers understanding of Magic.
Expands potential of Personal Magic users.
Manipulates/Contains hazardous Magic.
Bending the hard rules of Magic.

Dangers
Incorrect handling of glyphed scroll can release contained Magic.
After a Glyph has released its Magic, the item that it has been inscribed upon or carved in may break, or dissolve.
Flawed Glyphs can lead to deadly malfunctions.

Key Terms
Glyphing: Reading and writing for wizards. Possible form of Nader Canoch (Ancient Tongue).
Djed: Makes magic possible. It is the force that makes everything work and function, energy of sorts. When using magic, one uses up Djed. Using Djed you put out pieces of yourself. Using too much Djed can cause one to flicker out and die. Djed that has been expended can never be regained, though it can be replenished.
Res: The primary weapon of a Reimancer. Physical manifestation of Djed.
Reimancy: The manipulation of ~~fire~~ the elements through use of Res. It can be tied to emotions. Using Reimancy is like an advanced form of physical exertion.
Overgiving: The excessive use of Djed.
Focus Glyph: Makes casting more efficient, smoother, safer, faster and easier. Used as the center of all magic scrolls. The most basic Glyph. Can be used to eliminate need to focus on where Res is to be exuded from.
Rune: Parts of a Glyph.
Glyph: Parts of a Sigil. Composed of Runes.
Sigil: A series of Glyphs.

History
Came into being as long as there has been magic?
Recent discovery?
From Qalaya?
Developed over time? <- Dr. Marin considers this most likely

Practical Application
Overall shape of a Glyph is relatively meaningless.
Ensure that spacing of runes is correct, as well as that none have been skipped over.
Glyphs can be used with any material and with any method of recording them.
Scrolls are generally used for ease of transportation.
The shape of the individual runes is also relatively meaningless in comparison to their placement.
Glyphs used in scrolls need to be more exact than those used to augment existing magic.

Castor looked up from his reading, stuffing the notes in his backpack as Tsaba asked her question. "Yeah, I think that would be for the best. My mind is buzzing trying to wrap itself around all these Glyphing concepts." Not to mention the revelation about djed expenditure. "I think our intellectual one-two will be really helpful.," he ended with a smile, miming punching the air. He turned back to the Professor "Thank you, Professor. Have a good evening!" He called back, before walking out the door of his first glyphing class.

by **Cloud** on September 5th, 2013, 8:40 pm

From the sky falls your reward!

Anna :

Tsaba :

Castor :

Get ready!

Misc:OMG :

This was a thread rich with lore for the students, Anna does make for a great Unniversity teacher in her classes.

Thanks for being ever so patient you three, this thread was a big one to handle.

Question marks to be made? Exclamations to declare? Feel free to send me a pm and we can tend to any concerns you have.

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