Solo [The Kabrin Road] Questions Answered

[Katelyn Marks]

1st, Spring, 515 AV

Katelyn followed several horse lengths behind her new patron, lost in thought and a little dazed. It still seemed like a dream, her transfer to Syliras and re-assignment as Mage-Squire. She wasn't quite sure yet if the dream was good or bad, but so far things were completely normal. Ser Moore didn't really act any different than any other normal person. He didn't have an air of mystery, and wasn't cryptic. The squire never would have guessed he was a competent arcanist.

She watched him curiously from her position, trying to find something different about him. Something magical. All he'd done so far since getting on the road was smile to himself and whistle quietly. The knight hadn't said much since this morning when they left the Outpost, and it was already midday. They would be stopping soon, and she wasn't sure she was ready to face him again. Here at the rear, busy with the task of riding, she could try to ignore the elephant in the room.

"What do you think of stopping here by the next bend?" Ser Moore suddenly accounted, half-turning in the saddle.

The startle it gave her sent a shudder down into Garrison, and he spooked violently at her sudden jerk. Sebastian, who was tethered behind the stallion, skittered out of the way while she calmed her horse. When he stood once more, albeit a little restless, she released a sigh and tried to smile.

"Sounds fine to me," was all she could finally muster.

When they dismounted and tied their horses up to browse, Katelyn found herself sitting across from her patron by the side of the road enjoying a small meal of crusty bread and cold ham. He didn't seem daunted by the silence, and ate with a small smile on his face. Kate on the other hand couldn't stop fidgeting, and she felt restless every time he looked at her.

"How about your first lesson?"

This question caught her off guard even more than the first, but for different reasons. She paled and quickly swallowed her mouthful of food, then took a shaky drink from her bloated waterskin.

"You mean with magic?" she asked tremulously after it was all washed down.

"Not exactly," her patron said slowly. "An informative introduction on the subject, let's say." He smiled at her reassuringly. "You need to know a lot before I can even think of teaching you real applications."

She relaxed visibly, and he noticed the change in her tense posture. The curiosity in her expression was enough for him.

"Let me start at the beginning. The first you need to understand is Djed. Djed is essentially the makeup of everything. The trees you see, the grass you sit on, the horses, everyone person on the face of Mizahar. It's the building blocks of existence, and there are three important laws that you must understand. Djed cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed. Secondly, some Djed is purer than other forms. Compare yourself to a tree, for example. A tree has Djed just like you, but it cannot manipulate it. You on the other hand can harness yours and use it as a tool. Thirdly, some transformations are irreversible. If start a fire, the Djed of the wood doesn't disappear. It changes as the flames eat it, and it will never be that piece of wood again."

[Katelyn Marks]

Katelyn was in enraptured silence. This was exactly the sort of thing she'd been seeking that Ser Whitevine hadn't been able to provide. Answers to her increasing pile of questions. Even with her fears and uncertainty about this whole situation, she found herself stunned into an intent quiet.

"Now, Djed is clearly important to all magic, of which there are three distinct types. Personal magic is magic that uses a wizard's own Djed. This means they manipulate their body's sources as a tool for whatever task they're wishing to accomplish. Do you understand?"

The squire was frowning now, and she nodded uncertainly.

"I think so. But what kind of magic would that create? Are there a lot of different kinds?" Kate asked, and Ser Moore continued with an answer.

"There are many different types of known magic. Personal magic is one of the most common styles practiced. Let me give you the list, but don't worry about memorizing all of them."

Katelyn was sure as hell going to try.

"There's Reimancy, which is the control and expulsion of the elements. Auristics, the magic of reading and interacting with auras. Flux is the manipulation of Djed streams in your body to enhance attributes such as strength and speed for a time. Hypnotism focuses on the manipulation of others. Projection, which allows a wizard to detach his astral body from the physical to interact with the world in different ways. Shielding allows one to create a barrier or wall of Djed and task it with protecting anything you need from various threats--normally other unwanted Djed. Morphing is the ability to reshape and transform your body into new things, like other people or animals. Voiding allows wizards to open portals to a place we call the Void, and is used mostly to store anything we need it to."

She didn't know what to say. The sheer amount of this sudden gold mine of information has struck dumb. Her mouth was open as if to speak, but nothing would come out.

"No questions?" he asked, but Kate still struggled a few moments to find her voice.

"What will you teach me?"

"Some of those, at least. If you would like, one of the safest and simplest forms of magic to learn is Auristics. If you're interested, I had hoped to introduce you to it first while you familiarize yourself with your Djed," he said.

Holy shyke, this is really happening. The thought echoed in her head, overwhelming her again for a moment before she could think of another question.

"Is there bad magic? Things that aren't allowed, like how the Order has specific enemies it doesn't allow in the city. Are there any forms of magic that are forbidden?"

"Yes," Ser Moore answered instantly and with a more serious tone. "I was going to come to that. There are a few forms that we won't allow, but let me first tell you about the two other forms of magic. There is one called world magic, and third known as divine magic, or Gnosis."

"I've heard of Gnosis. I know what that one is. At least, I've seen one and have a little bit of an understanding," she interrupted, a little excited.

When she realized she'd cut him off she blushed and tried to offer a horrified apology, but he was smiling and waved her attempt away.

"No, that's good. I'm glad. Just for the sake of being thorough, I'll give you a more concrete definition. It's rather simple. A Gnosis is a kind of magic granted by a God or Goddess, and gives the marked certain powers. These powers vary greatly, and cannot be learned, but are affected by the Djed of the world and therefore tend to be less hazardous to the wizard's health, though not necessarily to those around them. Lastly we have world magic, and like the other two there are several different kinds."

He took a breath between his speech before continuing, and Katelyn found herself hanging on every word.

"I'll start with Alchemy, which is essential the manipulation of an object and turning into and entirely new object, like coal into silver for example. There's Animation which can create life in lifeless objects, or the appearance of life. Glyphing is rather simple. It's a supplementary tool to help enhance the strength and potency of other magics through the use of runes. Spiritism allows interaction with the dead, like ghosts. Magecrafting is a powerful tool the Order takes advantage of, and often considered one of the ultimate forms of magic. It's essentially the creation of powerful, magical items and tools using whatever means the Magecrafter has available. We have our own personal Magecraft up in Syliras." he explained.

"As for the other forms of magic that we forbid in Syliras, there are only a few--some personal forms, and others than fall into the world category. Malediction and Summoning are both world magics, and can be extremely dangerous to dabble in. Malediction is similar to Magecrafting, but involves the use of pieces of living and dead creatures alike, and can cause some serious issues. Summoning can be considered something like Voiding, but is one the most dangerous things a wizard can lean in my own opinion. It allows one to open doorways to other worlds, and essential allow just about anything to cross over. As you can probably guess, not everything that steps through is pleasant."

"There are a few disciplines of personal magic we do not allow as well. A certain practice called Familiary involved a wizard joining souls with a creature from another world. To even bond with one of these creatures you must summon them through a doorway, which alone is dangerous enough. It becomes something of a symbiotic relationship of sorts from what I've learned, and it's irreversible. Really, I consider it parasitic. The the other personal magic we won't allow is called Leeching, and is simply the draining of Djed from outside sources--including other people--to the point of harming the user. The Djed in which they absorb essentially poisons and can kill them in some cases."

[Katelyn Marks]

Katelyn had grown rather pale at this point, and she wasn't feeling very sure of herself again. It was no wonder so many people feared magic and the people who wielded it. Even the Knights, who were respected and looked up to were frequently avoided if they were even suspected of being a mage.

"I don't know if I'm up for this," the squire said, sounding uncertain as the desire to turn back grew.

"Katelyn," Ser Moore tried to soothe gently, as if calming a cornered animal, "Magic is a terrible responsibility, and wielded by those in the Order it can be a burden. We aren't often trusted, and we keep to ourselves. Ser Whitevine and I would never have offered you this chance if we didn't think you were capable of the task. I can assure you that under my care you would be in a safe environment and move at the pace you yourself set. This isn't an opportunity we just hand out to anyone. I don't mean to add more weight to the situation, but after everything Daniel told me about you I felt confident enough to agree to be your patron."

"Now, despite knowing you little yet on a personal level, I surmise you are a very smart young woman, and I understand that you have the kind of curiosity I find every good witch and wizard requires. Ser Whitevine says you're dedicated, focused, and of sound mind. These are all things I look for."

"I just don't know," she said, sounding a little miserable. "It just sounds so dangerous."

"Because it is dangerous, Katelyn. I would never lead anyone into this without establishing that very real fact. Magic can and will kill you if you're not careful. Overgiving and general accidents are a everyday threat for any wizard," he said, refusing to sugar coat it for her.

In a way she was glad that he was so blunt. He really wasn't going to leave her with any mysteries. Katelyn had to admit she liked that, but this entire subject was just so new and foreign and terrifying.

"What's Overgiving?" the squire had to ask, sounding a little curious again.

"Overgiving is a consequence of putting too much strain on one's self through the practice of personal magic. Sometimes all it takes is some rest and simple medical attention to recovery from its effects. Other times it can transform you permanently, sometimes in terrible ways that leave you unrecognizable to anyone who knew you before. It can cripple and distort you physically, mentally, spiritually. You can lose yourself. Or, you could end up with just a temporary migraine."

He tried to end it on a lighter note and even shrug, but Kate was horrified. As her face fell, he tried to reassure her.

"That's what I'm here for though. As your teacher I would guide you and help you learn to avoid those situations, and slowly build up your skills to the point of being able to control your level of exertion. It's very easy to keep oneself from Overgiving to any sort of extreme extent with overcautious behavior."

She wasn't sure if that made her feel any better, but it didn't necessarily make her feel worse. Katelyn fell into silence, and so did her new patron. He watched her think, and saw the emotions playing across her face as she absorbed all of this information and tried to make something of it. Most of her being was screaming to be afraid and run, but that other part of her that had been so curious wanted her to keep going. She didn't know which voice to listen to.

[Orin Fenix]

Grades are Served

 

Katelyn Marks

Skill	XP
Observation	1
Socialization	3
Horsemanship	1
Horseback Riding	1
Interrogation	1

Lores

• Ser Moore: New Patron Knight
• Ser Moore: Doesn't Seem Like a Mage
• Djed: It's In Everything
• Djed: Can Only be Transformed
• Djed: It's How the Magic Happens
• Personal Magic: Uses a Wizard's Own Djed
• Reimancy: Elemental Mastery
• Flux: Strengthening the Body Through Magic
• Hypnotism: Manipulating Others
• Projection: Using an Astral Body
• Shielding: Exactly What it Says on the Tin
• Morphing: Shifting Shapes
• Voiding: Opening Portals
• Gnosis: Divine Magic
• World Magic: Third Magical Branch
• Alchemy: Transforms Objects
• Animation: Bringing Objects to Life
• Glyphing: Supplementing Other Magics With Runes
• Spiritism: Interacting With the Dead
• Magecrafting: Creating Magical Artifacts
• Syliras has a Magecrafter
• Familiary, Summoning, and Malediction are banned in Syliras
• Malediction: Using Body Parts to Make Artifacts
• Summoning: Opening Pathways to Other Worlds
• Admitting fear
• Leeching: Draining Other's Djed
• Overgiving: Cost of Magic
• Overgiving: It's Deadly if Magic is Misused

Shield Points

2	Training
1	Patron Present

Extras :

Well. It was definitely an excellent read and a fantastic foundation to magic. Hopefully I covered all the lore, let me know if I missed something!

Don't forget to edit or delete your grade request in the grade request thread.

If you have any questions or concerns about your grade please feel free to send me a message.