[Flashback] The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Waste

[Raiha]

Closed. Private.

Time Stamp: 42nd Day of Summer, 508 AV

It was a day for celebration. A day to toast the work and crafts of others. A day for togetherness. And Raiha was missing it all. Explain to me why we’re doing this again? Kanikra asked Raiha dryly. You want to go look at books on a wonderful day, and for what? So you can start learning some cheap trick or two? Your time would be better spent working with a suvai or with your fists. The Akontak was making her way to the Medical Library of Mura. She knew where it was – she had come to the Opal Temple often as a child, to be checked over by Rak’keli’s healers and sometimes to do a bit of studying of her own. Even better, considering that the Timandre family was so successful in their magic, Raiha well assumed that there would be some texts in there about the topics she was interested in.

It’s called expanding your mind, Raiha replied amicably. She wasn’t interested in arguing with Kanikra today. I want to look into it because a punch can only do so much... and the knowledge could be valuable. There must be some advantage to it; why else would others want to learn it? That was her logic, pure and simple. She passed through the white wrought iron gate, starting up the pathway that led to the tower, and the library. Her long gait ate up the ground quickly, and the contents of her backpack thumped consolingly against her back as she made her way up.

Unlike magic, a punch generally won’t let you down at a crucial moment, her twin commented. If you can’t rely on your own hands, you can’t rely on anything, Kanikra warned. Do you think that being able to throw fire or whatever it is you want to do will help you when someone is sticking you in the ribs with a rapier? That was a fair point. But everything had its chances of going wrong. Suppose she was injured too much to physically fight, or her weapons broken. Then what?

I do plan to keep training in that, she was mild. So just sit back, relax, and let me learn. Raiha knew very little about magic in general… only that it was feared and distrusted by many. Her goal was to learn about it. Besides, even if we decide not to study any of it, well, at least we know about it, in case we ever come across it… Knowledge was power, after all.

And knowing how to use it would be even better. But I suppose you may have a point… that, at least, was grudgingly admitted. Very well. Get busy and start learning about it, then, the tone was almost imperious, like Kanikra was deigning to allow her some peace and quiet, the luxury of an afternoon in which Kanikra might not criticize and comment and scoff at everything, and try to encourage her into certain actions. Raiha shook her head to herself as she opened the door and stepped inside into the world of books and plants and learning.

[Raiha]

She nodded at the intern… probably a student who had drawn the short straw… staffing the reception desk, though she didn’t stop to inquire about where the texts she was interested in would be. For one thing, Raiha was in many ways an intensely private person. Sure, she sometimes said too much to someone when she let her guard down around them eventually, but for the most part, she didn’t want to be near others. Oh, she liked animals, but people were an entirely different matter altogether. She was pretty certain that the isolationist approach she adopted was dysfunctional and counterproductive, but for now, it worked. The Akalak didn’t seem to have this problem, where their other soul was bubbling just beneath the surface, waiting, waiting. Maybe it was the individual pairs. Maybe it was her mother’s empathic Konti blood that sang through her veins. Raiha didn’t know.

She walked along the shelves of books, searching, reading the immaculately cared for spines. At last, the Akontak spotted what she was looking for, and pulled out one book, then a second before clutching them to her chest, the leather covers obscured as she walked a little a further. Another book towards the end of the shelf caught her eye, and she picked it up as well, carrying on until she found a small table with a seat. With all of her long limbs, Raiha knew this was going to be slightly cramped, no matter how she did it. She set the books down, unslinging her backpack and putting it at the second chair. There were enough empty spaces that it wouldn’t inconvenience anyone (the library was practically empty, after all), and it was a quiet way of discouraging any proffered companionship before anyone had a chance to sit down. And they were often – she attracted a great deal of attention, being what she was, and while she didn’t usually mind having to talk to people, she wanted to get her work done today, and with a minimum of distraction. That was why she’d chosen to come on the Day of Bright Colours. Less people would be in here – they’d all be out celebrating and admiring all things bright and beautiful. She’d never understood why they needed a particular day to show their admiration for it when she did it as she went along.

She pulled out her leather-covered book from her bag and along with it a quill and a vial of ink before she opened the book. Its pages were empty, just waiting for her to fill them up. She set her notebook aside, then, and pulled the first book towards her, and began to read, resting her chin on her propped-up arm, her long white hair pulled back loosely with a black ribbon so that it was well out of her way. Gold eyes devoured the words on the page as she read about what magic was, and what exactly magic wasn’t. She picked up her quill, dipping it in the ink and upon getting rid of the excess, began to write in the top of the page.

What Is Magic?

• Magic is a system of harnessing, transforming, and using Djed (ancient: backbone) to produce unnatural (‘magical’) effects.
• Divided into three types:
  
  1. Personal (which uses the user’s own Djed).
  2. Divine (which uses the Djed of a God – a.k.a. Gnosis).
  3.World (which uses the natural Djed found in the environment).

What is Overgiving?

• Overgiving is the name given to what happens when you have exhausted yourself, Djed-wise, and begin to take more than the Djed reserves you have set aside for further spell workings.
• The symptoms of overgiving depend on the discipline use and the severity to which the Djed has been depleted.
• Sweet Whispers: A term for the temptation to use more and more magic, despite how much has already been cast.

[Raiha]

That led to the next question, she felt, as she read on, putting the quill back down to allow her hand a bit of a break from writing. She was doing her best to be neat, after all, and not to waste ink or paper by being sloppy. She would want these notes to review later, and who knew? If she did it right, they’d last her a long time. She may one day want to come back to them. She turned the page of the library book, then, and exhaled. After reading a few more pages, she turned the page of her notebook, now that the ink was dry, and picked up the quill again, beginning on the new, fresh page.

What is Djed?

• Djed means ‘backbone’ in the ancient tongue.
• Djed comprises the primary energies of Mizahar.
• It is responsible for and defines basic properties of everything, including:
  
  1. Identity.
  2. Substance.
  3. Sentience.
• Ex.: triangle. Triangle’s Djed makes the triangle. Djed makes its identity (‘this’), and its nature in the universe (its ‘triangleness’).
• Djed exists in everything.
• Changes to Djed can be sensed, but it takes an Aurist (practitioner of Auristics) to read those changes accurately.
• Djed can be acquired by consuming the Djed of other things.
• Souls are the purest source of Djed.
• Djed is used in some way, shape, or form in all known magic.
• Djed itself is not magic.

Raiha stared at the books again, pursing her lips as she reread what she wrote, checking it against the example in the book. It was a… well, a strange concept to put her mind to, but if she wasn’t going to be open to learning new things, there was no point to it. Djed was responsible the basic properties of everything, so a triangle’s Djed was what made its identity and its nature. That was all there was to it. She picked up her quill again.

The Laws of Djed

1. Djed cannot be created or destroyed – it is only transformed.
   Ex.: triangle: can turn the triangle into two triangles, transforming the first triangle’s Djed into the Djed of the other two.
2. Some forms of Djed are purer than others.
   Soul’s Djed is purer than the triangle’s – because it can be transformed without external pressure.
3. Some transformations of Djed are irreversible.
   Ex.: burning a stick. The stick’s Djed is transformed to ash or charcoal.

[Raiha]

Raiha let the words she had just written down dry, and pulled the library book towards her again. This was about personal magic, magic that used ones own Djed. She was content to let the ink dry naturally on its own without blowing on it – she had learned early as a child that her attempts to blow on ink in her attempts to dry it that if one was not very, very careful, they splattered it and smeared it everywhere. She kept reading. Personal magic, apparently, used the wizard’s own soul as its power, and it was used in countless disciplines… some of which were more common than others. But apparently, they all had common elements. She turned the page, and applied the quill to the paper, beginning to write once more.

Personal Magic: Common Elements

• Personal magic uses the wizard’s Djed. Once those reserves are burned through, it uses the soul’s Djed. This can lead to overgiving.
• Initiation: Usually, each of these disciplines has a beginning rite that enables wizard to practice the discipline, such as Auristics and Leeching.
• Execution: In order to execute a successful spell, concentration is necessary. Novices can benefit from the use of additional focusers (chants and gestures) to help draw their attention. Meditation is useful.
• Strain: The more stressful (and difficult) a spell, the harder it is to control. These following factors are crucial in determining the strain it will take to cast (and maintain) the spell:
  
  1. Execution time.
  2. Desired power.
  3. Desired control.
  4. Fatigue.
  5. Ability to concentrate.
• Overgiving: Putting too much of yourself into your spell can have disastrous consequences, including death.
• Progress: You can only really progress in magic through trial and error, gaining experience from your experiments and attempts. The best way to progress is to come as close to the limit of overgiving as you can without crossing it.

Well, she set the quill down and massaged her temples slowly. That’s going to go well. You tire me out when I fight with you and you disrupt my concentration endlessly. I hope you’re paying attention to this. This is not a game we can play with here. This is something that's going to be a joint effort for both of us.

Oh no, the horror. For once, you'll have to consult with me on a course of action... Of course I’m paying attention, Kanikra scoffed. Just because I’m quiet doesn’t mean I’m not absorbing what you are not. Now, shut up and get back to it. The faster we’re done here, the faster we can leave.

The Disciplines of Personal Magic:
Auristics

Auristics allows the wizard to view auras of things and objects through each of the senses. Everything has an aura, living and dead. It enables the wizard to read patterns in Djed, and therefore into the identity and substance of the object itself, including the following properties (when applicable): physical facts, internal structure, feelings, magical activity (ex.: Djed transformations), residual activity, and intent (!!!). Would help with sensing things in the dark that have no heat. Possibly the safest discipline.

Familiary

Familiary is about binding a summoned being from another world (“Fyrden”) to act as a companion (a familiar). This discipline ties in with Summoning. Familiars can have a variety of types (species) and shapes (forms). Benefits include telepathy, empathy, shared skills and senses. The bond is permanent, breakable only upon death: if one should die, so will the other one of the partnership.

Flux

Flux allows for the manipulation of one’s own Djed within the body to enhance abilities to unnatural levels. Uses Djed ‘pathways’ (like veins and nerves, maybe?) in body, pushing Djed around (remember Djed laws here – you cannot increase or decrease, only transform). More advanced, more control. It’s great for increasing physical prowess, but very dangerous because it’s very, very, easy to overgive while using the Flux.

Hypnotism

Hypnotism is useful for controlling and manipulating others. Hypnotism cannot make someone do what they do not want. Must make them do what the user wants by making the target align beliefs with theirs. Can take a long time, depending on degree of conditioning attempting to reach (ex.: suggestion to obsession). This one seems to coincide with the highest chances of going insane from overgiving and overuse.

Leeching

Leeching absorbs Djed from any one source and transfers it to the wizard. Doing so damages user and target… stolen Djed is poisonous to the receiver. The amount and type of Djed leeched depends on the source. Users of this discipline are usually easy to discover, as there are many physical side effects to it; so it doesn’t take an Aurist to see it.

Morphing

Morphing is changing one’s body into another shape, partially or fully. Consider the Kelvic ability of shapeshifting. Overuse of Morphing can mean potentially losing your identity and natural shape. Ex.: bowstring: too much stress and wear and tear will snap it It requires no particular initiation. The Morpher must have come in contact with that which you want to copy. Cannot change own auras… making them easier for an Aurist to spot.

Projection

Projection uses Djed to extend and shape the astral body (soul?) from the confines of the body to outside of it. Projection can be used to attack others without their seeing the attack coming, unless wizard is so stressed they can’t keep it hidden. Aurists, however, can see the astral body. Overgiving and misuse can cause nerve damage, permanent loss of control over the detached body, as well as permanently severing (!!) parts of the body off. You could get stuck outside of your body.

Reimancy

Reimancy allows the wizard to take Djed from their body (once outside, it becomes a substance called Res) and transform it into an element (air/fire/earth/water). With experience and skill, wizard can gradually combine the different core elements to create ‘paraelements’. Once the Res is transformed, the wizards are not immune to the effects of own Res. It is a very taxing discipline: the user is essentially throwing parts of their self away with each spell.

Shielding

Shielding creates Djed ‘armor’ around a particular range to block and defend against physical and supernatural attacks. Mastering it is like putting up fortress-style walls of Djed around. Wears down eventually, and can lead to overgiving.

Voiding

Opening blackholes into emptiness, a.k.a. the Void. Can get rid of things there, even store and retrieve at a later time. Use of linking several portals (!?!?!) to provide quick, short-distance transportation. Good way to cancel spells (by sending them into the void). Can get pulled into the Void, or release things that were banished there, or lose control and start opening portals everywhere.

Well, Raiha slumped back in her chair, putting down the quill and flexing her long fingers, that was interesting. I like Auristics… since the goal is to be more aware… well, Auristics lets you know what you’re watching if you’re watching…

What with there being two of us, you’d think that there would be double the amount of Djed, Kanikra mused. What about Hypnotism and Morphing?

Oh, right. I can just see you with Hypnotism... she sighed. You’d misuse it so badly we’d go insane quite quickly.

Such wasted potential. Want, take, have, Raiha, want, take, have!

And if I don’t want it?

Then you’re stupider than you look. Someone will always be stronger than you. Someone will always be able to do more. Someone will take advantage of you first… always beat them to the punch.

[Raiha]

After a break that involved water and some thick, heavy, dense buns, the Akontak turned the page of the book. She brightened a little bit as she recognized this chapter. Finally, something she knew something about: Gnoses. She had been born with one, after all, from Rak’keli. They had been surprised to see it, with her being an Akontak, but surely, Rak’keli had her reasons. Besides, Raiha liked to help people when she could. Her life had been saved many times over by healers when she was a child, and now, well, she could do her part to pass Rak’keli’s gift on to others. Rak’keli wanted her Gnosis shared with others – those who had it, Raiha knew, including herself, had a need, a compulsion, to use it when someone was hurt. Her own skills were to meager to do much… of course, they’d been useful for scrapes and such when she was running around, but with no formal medical training – too many opportunities for Kanikra, that would have been, being in such close contact with others – and Raiha’s own wishes to be left alone, for the most part… she didn’t mind being shut off from society.

Divine Magic: Gifts from the Gods

• Gnosis magic is a divine gift from a god/dess to an individual that allows for certain powers. They cannot be learned, but are acquired from the god/dess directly.
• Some skills can mimic the effects of a Gnosis, but they are not a perfect substitute. (Ex.: fortune-telling and divination, or medicine and healing.)
• Gnosis marks are given for different reasons, depending on the receiver and the deity.
• There are both good and bad marks issued by the gods.
• There are four ranks for ‘gift’ marks, so logically there are four ranks for ‘negative’ marks. These are reward and curse marks, respectively.
• A Gnosis mark allows for a specific bond to the God that gave it. The marked generally has an idea when their God is close by. It also permits them to know who else has been marked by them (at least in the general vicinity).
• While they do involve the use of Djed, depending on the Gnosis involved, most do not involve or even allow for overgiving.
• There are many different gods, known and unknown to mortals.
  Gods can be born mortal and ascend to divinity, or simply have been Gods to start with.
• Ex.: Avalis and Rak’keli were once mortal, but Laviku made them Goddesses.
• Gods have a ‘ranking’ system, depending on how powerful they and their domain of influence are.
• Most Gnosis marks are from the middle-ranking gods.
• Not everything is known about the Gnoses granted by the gods, or even what some of their gifts are.
• Some examples are:
  
  Avalis – Divination
  Rak’keli – Healing

We really should go to Riverfall, Kanikra mused.And go see where Night-Mother Akajia and Wysar rule. You’ve been neglecting them here. You might like it better. We’d be amongst our own.

We’ll get there, she sat back to let the ink dry. There was a lot to this… not that she hadn’t expected it. Magic was an incredibly risky undertaking. We’ll get there.

[Raiha]

She left the comforting chapters about Gnosis to turn to something new. Raiha wasn’t a scholar, not by any means, but she was so used to being distracted by her twin that she was used to working under stress, to tune out as much as she could just to focus on the matter at hand. So without Kanikra harassing and dogging her every thought and move, Raiha was shocked at just how intensely focused she was, and how much she was covering. It was going well, all things considered, and she felt confident with what she had absorbed over the last several bells, and the notes she had made on them. They’d allow her to make a pretty good decision, but so far, she was leaning towards Auristics and maybe Shielding. But Auristics would give her a chance to get a step ahead of other wizards. There was always something else, though, and now, it was time to read about world magic.

World Magic:

• Kand-djed (all-spine) in ancient tongue.
• Magic that comprises crafts and lore.
• Explores the Djed pathways of the world.
• A web in Cyphrus?
• Less risky than personal magic, as it uses the Djed of the world around the wizard, not their own personal supply of it.
• Often requires a laboratory or similar space, depending on the discipline.
• Still not without its own pitfalls, though they vary depending on the discipline.

The Disciplines of World Magic
Alchemy

Alchemy creates artificial matter by elevating and enhancing natural substances by passing these substances through a 'doorway' made by rings filled with Djed. There are serious health issues that come from practicing it - damage from exposure to elevated Djed rates in the rings. Created the Pycon.
Animation: Allows for the binding of life-like traits to objects, from simple reflexes to actual life. Transfers a "Life Principle" (???) which is copied from something or someone, to 'transfer' the traits desired to the destination. A problem happens when creations could eventually overwhelm the Animator as they are become more powerful and more sentient. It’s a very long and tedious-sounding process.

Glyphing

Glyphing allows for the storage, releasing, channeling, deflecting, or confining spells by drawing symbols, runes, sigils, pictures, and so on on things (paper/skin/other) Glyphing essentially does nothing but amplify and assist with the use of other magic, but it makes for a very beneficial second discipline. It enables non-practitioners to use disciplines they are not skilled in. Glyph = rune. Sigil = collection of glyphs that work to do one task.

Magecraft

Magecraft is about the creation of magical items. Magecraft is one of the most famous and difficult disciplines of world magic. It is extremely expensive to work – the power and ability of item is determined by the power of the reagents that go into them... so theoretically, no limit to strength of item (!!!). Very rare due to cost of crafting new items.

Malediction

This is the 'black magic' version of Magecraft... it actually uses bodies and remains of once-living things. The theory is as follows: Djed cannot be destroyed, so it still exists in a corpse until it is consumed or devoured by something else. One can make charms, talismans, fetishes, idols, and carry over power gained (the legacy!) from the creature they were made of. Called 'zapatl' in ancient ("legacy"). It’s relatively cheap to perform, but also lacks the class of Magecraft.

Summoning

Summoning is summoning other creatures from other worlds through drawn gateways ('circles'?)… without having any particular way to control them besides a Djed-saturated holding area. Not much is known about it. It ties in with Familiary, and while Glyphing is not required, it does seem useful.

Spiritism

This is a truly ancient discipline that deals with ghosts and undead. Makes possible the development of Soulmist (ghostly equivalent of an astral body of the living soul) by the living... and using it. It allows for better interaction with ghosts, and certainly something more than the seemingly one-sided relationship unarmed mortals have with the dead. It can also be useful against the Undead at a higher level.

As much as she searched, she could only find vague mentioning of a ‘web’ in Cyphrus in the book. It frustrated her and her twin soul, a little, because Riverfall was in Cyphrus, and they were going to go there. Did the web extend into Riverfall? What was it, and what was it for? We’ll have to ask around, Kanikra mused. Preferably before we get there… maybe even ask some of those that have been to Cyphrus on their Call. Someone has to know something… and if we can’t find anything, we can always appeal to the Night-Mother. We’re special. She might be able to tell us. But Spiritism is interesting. We already have a disadvantage with the living… can’t allow that with everyone, even the dead. At some point, it may come in handy.

We can always try there, Raiha admitted, getting up from the seat to walk around, up and around her table, prowling it. She didn’t have to worry, though – she hadn’t seen anyone else come in since she had, and she had been watching. But asking around arouses curiosity and suspicion, and how many times have you told me that's not a good thing? Engrossed in her notes though she had been, and as much as Kanikra was actually letting her work with only a few jabs here and there at everything, she couldn’t shake the habit of keeping an eye out for others. But she had been strategic in her choice of a day to come here, and so far, all had been quiet. This was good. It wouldn’t last forever, but it was lasting long enough for her to get things done.

OOCI know I left Webbing extremely vague, but in the spirit of the lore, Raiha wouldn't be able to find much on it anyway due to the secretive nature.

[Raiha]

Spiritism, Raiha had to be honest with her, was right up there with Auristics for magic that caught her eye. A big part of it, she had to admit, was that it dealt with ghosts and the Undead. Kanikra had had some good points – one needed to be able to defend themselves from that sort of thing – just because some ghosts were benevolent didn’t mean they all would be, and there was bound to be some that would absolutely want to make life miserable for the living simply because they were no longer amongst that number. Always anticipate the worst, Kanikra reminded her. That way, you won’t be disappointed, only maybe pleasantly surprised.

Either way, Raiha put away the books she had been using on magic, making sure to have carried her own things with her. It wouldn’t do to just leave them out and around, now, would it? Of course not, not after she’d gone to all the trouble to keep what notes she was making private. Sure, someone would probably find out sooner or later what she was looking at, but she didn’t really want them to or need them to. Still, though, after a fair bit of searching in the library, she found what she wanted – a small book with information on ghosts. If she was potentially interested in Spiritism… then she had better figure out just what all about. She returned to her table, her legs feeling better – she noted that it was almost sunset; she had to wrap this up. Her notebook and ink were back out, her quill at the ready as she began to read.

What Are Ghosts?

• Ghosts are souls that choose not to move on in Lhex’s cycle for whatever reason.
• They are naturally occurring phenomena that have always existed.
• Ghosts generally have a miserable half-existence.
• Usually, once they have fulfilled the reason why they have not reincarnated, they finally choose to do so.
• Some indication that ghosts have an ability to travel distances quite quickly, almost instantaneously.
• Ghosts have Soulmist instead of an astral body.
• Ghosts have an incredibly varied reputation, obviously depending on the different ghosts and their attitudes and actions were they have interacted with the living.
• In some places, they are treated normally, like they were still alive; in others, they are hunted down to be removed.
• They can be banished by Spiritism, or even by Voiding (?!).

What Can Ghosts Do?

• Ghosts have their own abilities.
• Without possessing someone, they cannot access personal magic on their own, nor work on the skills they once had in life. They cannot access Gnosis marks.
• There is some record of their using world magic, because it does not require personal Djed.
• Ghosts, however, have three unique abilities: possession, materialization, and Soulmist projection.
• Possession: Ghosts have an ability to slide into a body and take over control for a period of time. How long and how absolute the control is depends on the experience and skill of the ghost in question and the attempted host. They are capable of expanding the skills they had in life through possession, and also have access to personal magic.
• Materialization: In order to physically interact with the world around them, ghosts need to materialize. It allows a ghost to look and feel solid, but they do not actually gain any weight… materializing only creates a realistic shell. While they can cause physical harm to the living in this state, they are also vulnerable to physical attacks.
• Soulmist Projection: Ghosts are capable of a version of projection, called Soulmist projection. Like the discipline, they are able to use their astral body (now called Soulmist) to accomplish what the living do with projection… presumably with the same risks, though Soulmist can be regenerated (??).

You definitely should look up more on Spiritism, Kanikra told her as Raiha closed both books, and packed her own writing supplies away. This can only be more useful. Think about it - being able to exploit and defend against ghosts? Her stomach was growling loudly, threateningly – time to go eat. Her head felt light, and was fairly swimming from all the information she had absorbed and written down today, as well as a lack of food… Djed… ingested.

We'll see. It's a lot to think about... and like I said before... we have to make an agreed-upon decision to do it. I'll think about it. It was funny - Raiha was hesitant, even though Kanikra was certainly interested, after learning about it, which was almost a reversal from their beginning stances. But she definitely felt like she could start making a more informed choice on magic. When she emerged from the Medicinal Library, the moon was high in the sky, an all the honey buns on Mura wouldn’t satiate her. She was definitely going to have to go get something more substantial…

[Gossamer]

. Character: Raiha Experience: 5 XP Writing, 5 XP Research Lore: Lore of Definition of Magic, Overgiving, What is Djed, The Laws of Djed, What Personal Magic Is, All The Types of Disciplines in Personal Magic (Ie. What Auristics is..), Lore of the Definition of Gnosis, What World Magic Is, The Types of Disciplines in World Magic, Lore of Ghosts (What they are and what they can do) Additional Note: Interesting thread. I wish I’d thought to do this with my PC. It makes them so much more informed. .