Closed [Wright Memorial Library] Extra Tutelage (Ingvar)

[Malvora]

Timestamp: 24th of Summer AV 513; late evening

Malvora was frustrated.

No, that was understating it. Malvora was to the rip your hair out by it's roots and throw things around the room point of frustration. Which, considering the fact that she was half-Zith and prone to fits of rage and destruction, was probably not the best point for her to be. In fact, that was far from the point of safety.

Perhaps she should quit.

She glared at the perfectly scribed rune on the page of her book, pulled out another piece of parchment and began to delicately copy it. Within moments, she had another smudged scribbe of nothing on her paper. This was not the rune of Focus, this was a poor attempt at drawing it. She sucked in a deep breath and tried to calm herself. Perhaps she should take up meditation. Or perhaps she should go throw herself off a cliff. Either way, she would feel better than she did now.

"Petching rune," she swore under her breath, an oddity for the composed mixed blood. She rarely allowed swearing or fits of rage to mar her otherwise fairly calm demeanor. She was aware of her curse, the raging Zith that lurked beneath the surface, but she usually managed to keep that under control in the guise of being a harmless young girl with a few odd features. If she allowed her other side out she was likely to be hunted until she was killed. So she took a deep breath, forced clarity into her mind and began again.

[Ingvar Dalanos]

Ingvar moved through the second floor of the Wright Memorial Library with an ease born of an entire year spent within its walls, studying and taking liberal amounts of notes for his field of study at the University. Today, however, would involve a new discipline Ingvar had the good fortune to chance upon weeks ago.

Raising his hand towards one of the shelves, he removed a bundle of parchment bound together by surprisingly durable string.

Ah. Yes, the recommended book. Alchemy and Peanuts by one Frederick Destmortus. Strange title.

He moved swiftly towards the nearest unoccupied table - or rather, the least crowded table, for many a student was busy familiarizing themselves with their new subjects. Scanning the tables in front of him, Ingvar was about to claim a seat before he noticed a student referring to a book with a rune printed on it.

A focus glyph. This could be one of my new sstudents - thankfully, my position as aassistant was aapproved by Professor Stonemiller a few days after the new academic term began. Perhaps I should help her.

Ingvar hesitated for a few moments, looking at the parchment in his hands, the frustrated student and back again, before deciding that he would still have time to peruse the pamphlet later. He walked over to the struggling student, waiting until she noticed him walking towards her so as to avoid startling her, before giving a smile and speaking.

"Good evening, miss. I am Ingvar, assistant to Professor Marin. You look like you're in a bit of a problem - do your need help?"

[Malvora]

It took Malvora very little time to take note of the man who was coming toward her. She could hear his footsteps, though they were light, as well as every intake and exhale of breath. She looked up, acknowledging his presence and waited for him to state his purpose. No doubt, she looked half mad and her Zith blood was apparent in the rage and frustration that was the result of hours of studying and failure.

"Good evening," she responded, forcing herself to calm down. This man had disturbed her yes, but he offered his assistance and that was kind of him. Kind, she reminded herself, he meant her no harm. She was finding that her grip on her good demeanor was becoming less and less capable as she delved more into the world of magics. She had read of the risks of these magics, the insanity, often a loss in control, and while it worried her, she reassured herself that if she could control her baser instincts she could also control her magical inclinations and the insanity that would inevitably follow.

"I thank you for your kind offer, I do indeed need some assistance. I'm a new student of Professor Marin's and it seems that I have some catch up to do. I'm hoping to be able to draw a Focus rune before her next class, but as you can see," and here she gestured to her discarded paper scraps and poorly drawn runes, "I'm having quite the time of it. Do sit," she invited the man.

She examined him as she waited for him to take a seat. He was older than her, though perhaps not by much, and it seemed that he was nothing more than human, at least from what her senses told her. He was clearly not Akalak, and for this she was grateful as she knew from her mother that Akalak were not fond of those with any Zith blood. Of course, neither were many of the people that encountered them.

[Ingvar Dalanos]

"Ah, that's an easy one. Let me see that book.."

Ingvar observed the Focus glyph drawn on the book Malvora was referring to, comparing it to her earlier attempts in drawing it.

You look like you're forcing yourself to draw that. That's not really what you should be doing - glyphs drawn by different mages can differ from each other. Perhaps the reason why you're struggling with this one is because it doesn't really fit your idea of what a Focus glyph should be like. Let me get you a few more examples."

Ingvar took a few books from the shelves nearby, placing them on the table they shared, flipping the pages to diagrams of the Focus glyph - each one showed a drastically different glyph.

"These should give you some help. Think of what the concept of a Focus glyph is to you, and try to visualise it. From my experience, magic is all about intent, so knowing what you think a Focus glyph is will help. It will be slow-going at first, but you'll get it eventually."

Taking a piece of paper, Ingvar began drawing his own version of a Focus Glyph.

[Malvora]

She handed the book over without complaint. If he was willing to teach her, and it seemed that he was, she would accept his help. She gave him a once over again, praying that this man would not prove a danger to her. Suspicion arose with almost every new person she met, but she often cloaked it well. This man said he was the assistant of Professor Marin, and he appeared to be what he said, she should trust him. However, wrapping her mind around the idea was not so easy.

"So what you're saying is...runes are often unique?" she asked as she watched him draw a rune, "in general, so long as I incorporate the correct aspects of the rune, I should be able to successfully draw it?" The concept was difficult to wrap her mind around as his rune took shape. She examined the books he had laid out before her and patiently waited for him to be finished. If what he said was true, she should be able to draw her first rune without too much difficulty. Even if the rune was clumsily drawn, it would at least have some promise of being correct.

"A focus glyph is for focusing and directing magic, right? So if I envision the intent behind the rune, directing my magic toward a certain thing then I can draw it better?" She was shooting blind here, perhaps drawing assumptions that were not altogether correct. Still, it seemed to her that the concept was fairly simple. This was the important part, she reminded herself, figuring out the theory and then the application.

[Ingvar Dalanos]

"Most of the time, yes. A sigil drawn by a wizard is personalised, and the glyphs are representations of concepts from the perspective of the wizard who drew them. You can draw the glyphs of another wizard and use them - like I said, magic relies strongly on intent. However, drawing the glyphs will be harder when you're as inexperienced as you are right now. I can do so, but it usually takes me quite some time before I understand and can utilise a sigil."

Placing aside his finished Focus glyph, having taken roughly a chime to draw, Ingvar took another sheet of paper, using the quill to make a precise circle.

"I could use this as a focus glyph and it would work - but not very well. I have the intent, but this doesn't quite represent Focus to me. Whether a glyph functions or not has nothing to do with its design's simplicity: the most troublesome part of graphing is that your sigils have to be perfect. Every line, every curve must be defined. Small deviations have negligible effects, but a stray line or mark may ruin the glyph."

"Aspects being metaphorical in nature, not literal. As for directing your magic... Again, not literal. I suppose you could try that, but it's best not to experiment with most disciplines here.

That's what I believe glyphing to be. There exist many theories," Ingvar jabbed a finger at one of the books he had taken, pointing to another as he spoke, "Materus believes in a standard system of glyphs, while Pateri here uses an extensive list of runes with many levels of meanings. Most of them work, but your personal glyphs will be best, judging from my experience."

Ingvar paused, allowing Malvora to take in all he had just said.

"Sorry if it's confusing. I'm just trying to express what I believe glyphing is. I've told you examples of different ideas about glyphing to give you some inspiration while you try to draw the Focus glyph. The important thing is to ensure that the glyph you draw has a meaning to you."

[Malvora]

She considered what she was saying and her brow began to furrow. It was extremely confusing, the concepts behind Glyphing were not so straight forward as she had hoped. As he gestured between the two books and the different theories they contained she began to feel a headache set in. She rubbed her temples slowly as she listened to what he had to say. He was clearly knowledgeable as far as magic went, but the explanations were hard to follow. Still, she was grateful for his tutelage.

She noted how precisely he drew the circle, and nodded as he explained that he could use it, but that it wouldn't be an effective one. It didn't represent focus. Perhaps that was the key. She needed to draw a rune that represented Focus to her. She stared at her parchment, wondering whether it was possible to will a rune into existence. Carefully, she grasped a quill and began to sketch on her paper. Her lines were not terribly precise, and the end result wound up being a bit blotchy from where she had accidentally smudged the ink before it dried, but it was still the best rune she had crafted. She glanced at the reference books and noted that it seemed to have somewhat followed the basics of the runes.

"How's this?" she asked after a moment, waiting until he had finished speaking before presenting her rune to him, "I know it isn't perfect, but is it a Focus rune...or could it be?" The metaphorical nature as well as the concept that variances were allowed in runes made her head spin. Most magics had a distinct formula for certain things. She wondered if she would truly be able to use Glyphing in combination with her Alchemy. She sighed lightly. This was so much harder than she had ever imagined.

[Ingvar Dalanos]

Ingvar took the proferred glyph, looking it over. Ignoring the blotches (For it was perfectly acceptable - she was quite inexperienced in glyphing, though in several areas it was perfect as far as he could tell), Ingvar continued to stare at it for a few seconds before smiling, handing it back to Malvora.

"It feels like one, alright - it could pass for one, especially if you don't make any mistakes. Take it slowly and don't be impatient. Even experts make mistakes, and minimising them is of utmost importance, especially when you actually start using magic with them. But the important question is: do you think this is a Focus glyph?"

Ingvar paused, waiting for her response before he decided to give more advice.

"I find that the best way to find a glyph that suits you best would be to experiment. Think of symbols you associate with the idea of whatever glyph you're drawing, and draw them out, modifying them if you feel like it. Glyphing for me is almost instinctive - I have to think about what I'm going to draw, but the designs of the glyphs I draw and my ideas of what they represent click together, and there's no time wasted in drawing them, although I still slow down to ensure that I draw them properly."

[Malvora]

"It feels like one?" Malvora asked excitedly, almost missing what he was saying. In that moment, one could get a feel for how young the half blood truly was, "That's what I think focus is," she responded as he finished looking over her glyph, "it just feels right." The statements were made in confidence. When she looked at the glyph, she felt a surge of pride. It wasn't perfect, no far from it. The lines were not exactly precise and the smudging blurred a few of the aspects of it. It would have made a poor rune and might not have been the best choice, but with practice it would become better. She would dedicate much of her time to practicing her Glyphing, she decided. When she wasn't pursuing other aspects of her magic studies (or studies in general) she would focus on Glyphing. Of course, there was so much to learn and only so much of a season to learn it in, but still, the promise was there. She could become competent at magic, she certainly could.

"Experimentation," she nodded, "seems like a common theme in magic." Alchemy, that demanded a lot of experimentation, and of course she was looking at animation too. Magic was hands on, but there was something to be said of studying from books and such. There was something to be said for that indeed. She liked the feel of books, she liked to read, but it was nice to actually be using magic for once. She knew that Glyphing would be fairly useless without another magic, which was why she was seeking a second magic to pair with it. Perhaps she would be able to do amazing things someday with the combinations of all of her magic.

"So what you're saying is," and she paused to gather her thoughts before she spoke, "if I envision and think about what a glyph should represent and then put my quill to paper and draw carefully, I could progress fairly well." The idea that she could become better at Glyphing this way was appealing. She never would have guessed that Glyphing required so much...well, so much effort, really. She had always assumed that there was a specific rune for everything and that if she used that rune she would get the desired result. The idea that this wasn't the case was mind boggling.

[Ingvar Dalanos]

"That's good then." Ingvar nodded, smiling slightly.

"Yes, experimentation is essential to advancement of magic. How many innovations and disciplines would not have existed if not for countless experiments done by fearless wizards aiming to achieve vastness ambitions? Granted, their morality may have been in question countless times, but the knowledge we have as a result is... Well... What we have now."

Ingvar pondered her question for a few seconds before forming the response.

"That might work. You'd end up with random scribbles though, and it'll be your job to decipher them. Recognising patterns may not be as hard though."