Sigil Theory

[Miro]

60th day of Spring, 514 AV

Miro worked at his desk scribbling at papers. He had been running theoretical experiments through his head all day. There was something coming to him, he just could not get it sorted out. A frantic pen scribbled at papers in attempts to draw out some diagram to chart his thoughts. All over the page were small notes.

There was a lot that the Glypher had learned about the way of creating runes. A bit of inspiration had come to him when he had thought to combine runes and his staff. This sparked ideas about Ender and the staff as well. That lead to ideas of Ender and runes.

It was a mess to sort out, but such curious ideas ran through his mind. The wizard had assisted a Voider with a Glyphed activation, but never attempted it himself. As well there was the cause to enhance Morphing as well. Perhaps with the help of a powerful sigil he could actually manage to Morph his skin.

The undead continued to chart down ideas and theories, a few sigil layouts and sort his mind. It was all coming together. He knew just how to start, what combination of runes would do what he needed. All of his past experiments hinted at success in these endeavors.

There would be a lot that was still unproven, and quite possibly unpredictable. Some of what he hoped to prove seemed crazy. His Familiar Ender just watched silently. It was apparent he was eager to take part in the work to be done. Though the wizard could sense that his partner was disturbed by the Familiar Glyphing.

The last thing that Miro drew was a design for his staff. It was a sigil meant to enhance its control over cast magic. A few earlier models had to be crossed out before he found a proper layout. His logic had to be solid, or he could damage his staff. Finally this design seemed to work.

Miro had a crude design drawn out. In the center of the staff was a large focus stabilized by a few small barriers. Below the focus at the bottom of the staff was a strong set of barriers to guide Djed upwards. A set of paths guides the Djed through a switch to assist in transmutation and the spell is released from a focus at the end.

It seemed like it would work, but it could possibly affect his casting in some severe ways. The Chained One was eager to try it out. He pushed away his papers and set out the supplies of his Glyphing bag on his desk. Paints and brushes, his staff beside him, he was ready to begin.

The Glypher lifted his staff and placed it between his legs with the butt of it in the air. He did not want to smear the paint, though it would likely be absorbed easily into the wood. This would be the end to be made into a barrier. He began right away with his design. A sprawling of intricate twisting lines sprouted from the base of the staff.

The stemming lines extended up a third of the way of the staff before the rune was tapered off. It took some time to make his way down the staff. He constantly had to turn the staff by rolling it between his legs as he painted. Every little line that extended out eventually curling to a close.

With the barrier completed, next he would have to work on the focus. It would need a frame to stabilize and guide it though. The staff was adjusted to stand taller and allow him to work on the center portion. He began drawing columns of runic symbols to stabilize and guide the Djed flown into the staff.

Now it was time to create the focus. It was a design drawn all around and through the runic symbols. A geometric pattern of crossed diamonds that wrapped around the length of the staff. The diamonds were drawn around the four columns of barriers. The runic symbols in the center of each of the shapes.

Miro drew in a deep breath and blew it into the paint to dry it. He tested the first painted rune and found it was dry and capable of being touched. Ionu's Light was turned over for the final portion to be finished. Once again positioned between his legs, the brush was dipped in the paint and the Glyphing began.

First a pathway would need to be made, much like with the focus, but more applied. These barriers would be for much more than stability, but to restrain and concentrate Djed. The wizard drew three tracks and began to decorate the inside of them with a chain of circles and ovals linked together. The insides of each shape as well as the blank outer portions were drawn in with detailed pattern lines.

Now there were three pathways, the area where the switch would go. Miro drew these runes in a different style, in tasked calligraphic phrases. In the three slots he wrote the words, "The Djed of the soul concentrated. Magic shaped by the mind. Transmutation guided by Will." The words drawn with such great detail that nearly all of the staff was covered in paint.

This left only the final focus, the most simple of the runes drawn so far. Only the very tip of Ionu's light remained bare. This final rune would release the magic flown through the staff and complete the sigil. To nearly be done, the Glypher was excited to see the results.

The undead worked with great focus to finish his work. He began to draw several rings around the staff's base. At first very small and closely placed, but slowly increased in spacing and thickness. Finally the end of the staff was painted the symbol of the Black Sun, mostly black at the tip with a white silhouette.

It was done, for the most part, only a bit of drying left. He gave it some time while he thought of how best to test his work. He was curious to see the inner workings as well. It was likely best to perform some Reimancy, as it's results were easily perceivable.

But Miro also wished to perceive that which the eye could not. When finally he was ready the staff was taken in hand and poised focus end outward. He focused on his connection with Ionu's Light and began to focus his Djed to sense the staff and its aura. It put a burden on his mind, but he was able to feel the staff's aura.

The Aurist's eyes could see the wisps of colored light dance from it lightly and feel the object vibrate with a resonance of Djed. It seemed to whisper words to him as he focused on it, and a deeper understanding of the item came of it. He began to sense the staff on a deeper level.

Though his mind was burdened, the Reimancer began to focus a spell through the staff. He flowed his Djed in through the focus and willed it to form Res that would be transmuted upon exit from the staff. He would cast a concentrated jet of water against the wall.

The Djed flown into the staff was exceedingly easy to transmute, and the spell launched from the tip of Ionu's Light and crashed against the wall. The concentrated jet of water looked painful as powerful as it was. If the Reimancer were truly pushing the spell then even water could do some serious damage.

Though his mind was split, most of his focus on reading the aura, observing the magical activity within the staff. Indeed it worked as expected, the Djed guided by the barriers through pathways. The focus easily allowed the magic access and release from the staff, while the switches guided the transmutation.

From what was witnessed, indeed his theory was proven. Miro allowed his Auristic focus to fade. It was an excellent way to enhance his control over personal magic when it was needed. With such an enhancement theoretical magic could more easily be explored.

It lead him to a new thought. Instead of performing Glyphing on the staff, he could use Glyphing to store away the staff. It was truly a burdensome item at times. If it could be stored away, it would be a great boon. It was never good to be too far from his greatest tool.

[Miro]

Miro began right away on his new project. He held Ionu's Light toward the ground and began to flow Res and formed a small plate transmuted to stone. The tablet was only a foot in diameter. His Glyphing supplies were moved to the ground and readied himself for the task at hand. To make a powerful enough focus to risk storing his staff, that was a bold move. It would take a great deal of effort if he was to be successful in this.

The Glypher knew just what kind of sigil would work too. This was a simple design, the most basic design of a scroll. A barrier to contain a focus released by a trigger. What could be more simple? Well, perhaps to store a simple spell, not a magical item. It was something done in the past, for the most part, as long as an item was truly magical. That was something Ionu's Light definitely was.

The start of things could be delayed no longer. First was the barrier to be drawn, simple as it was. Miro created a ring around the outer rim and another smaller ring to make a track. At the top he created two lines to separate out a small section. Then he began to draw the barrier with stylized calligraphic writing that read, "A ring of stability, all Djed contained within."

Next came the focus, the most important part. Miro began to work around the outside and draw in toward the center. He drew several triangles that thinned toward the center and all intersected to form a star in the center. Each of the triangular shapes was detailed with a latticed patterning. Though this did not complete the rune.

In between these triangular shapes were ten spaces. The wizard began to frame and decorate these openings to encase drawn words of power. The ten words drawn around the outer edge of the focus, "Magic, Staff, Focus, Contain, Stabilize, Djed, Hold, Strength, Store, Ionu's Light." The process of finishing all of the details in the focus took some time.

All that was left now was the trigger. The space left between the start and finish of the barrier ring was now filled in. He drew a patterning of stacked triangles in the area and tasked them to activate the focus when the word, "return,"[i] is spoken by Miro while Ionu's Light is stored within the focus. It was a rather specific activation condition.

With the sigil done the experiment could be conducted. Miro took his staff and held it atop the sigil. He was nervous to test this. It would be troublesome if something went wrong. Very slowly he began to lower Ionu's Light into the focus, and indeed the sigil did absorb it. A very steady hand guided the staff all the way down until it lay flat on stone.

The hand was retracted so that the work could be admired. Indeed this could be done too, though a stone plate was no easy to carry item either. The wizard spoke the trigger word, "Return," and the ink glowed brightly as the staff began to slow rise just as it had been guided down. When finally all of it had been released, a swift hand reclaimed it. The stone plate shattered when the magic in the runes exhausted.

This was a great victory, but its application was still limited. An ideal came to mind, the perfect way to store his staff. Miro began to strip himself of his robe and his white cloth shirt. He planned to replicate the sigil used before on his shirt this time. Though the flimsy material threatened to move freely. A few chunks of broken rock were used to anchored it.

Miro drew the same sigil with roughly the same proportions on the shirt. This sigil was slightly bigger however, the outer ring drawn with as much room as the surface of the chest allowed. He drew the inner ring, and separated the trigger area. He remade the barrier with the same phrase. [i]"A ring of stability, all Djed contained within."

Next the focus was replicated. The crossed triangles and details remade as they had before. The framing for the words of power was next, made with ten slots once more. The carefully drawn stylized words, "Magic, Staff, Focus, Contain, Stabilize, Djed, Hold, Strength, Store, Ionu's Light." That only left the trigger.

The sigil was complete with the tasked trigger being drawn. The patterned sections of triangles set together to form a netting of shapes. The trigger's release was tasked to activate the focus when touched by Miro's hand while Ionu's Light is stored within. The Glyphing process seemed to take even longer on this surface, but the quality was not compromised.

The wizard did not store the staff now, but instead clothed himself once more. It would be a useful thing to have available to him at an appropriate time. For now it would remain unused. Another theory proven, he was doing well indeed. Though now his mind drifted to personal magic. Voiding in particular. He wished to amplify his ability to open a portal.