A Journey, a Joy, Part I

by **Crylon Stonecraft** on November 10th, 2019, 7:23 pm

12 Summer 496

It had not been long since Crylon had been initiated into magic. Only a few seasons past, since he had begun on the trek that might one day lead to the Silver Tower. Now he was nearing thirty eight years old, young by Isurian standards but not so young as some who began at the tower...

As part of his training his master was taking him on a trip to Lhavit with a few other Isur, a long underground trip through the tunnel networks of the Isur which allowed one to much more easily traverse Kalea than humans and other races crossing over or going around the great mountain range.

For now though they were in the wilds of The Unforgiving, not too far from their destination.

His master looked at him from across a campfire, a fire said master had started with a flick of his wrist and a small spurt of res created via Reimancy. One moment a gas, and then flames burned on the plant life gathered into place.

He let out a sigh before beginning to speak in the tongue of the Isur.

“Crylon, how many times must I tell you. Magic should be as breathing. As second nature, as natural, as a part of you as anything you do. Not labored and worked at like smithing at the forge. You either have the knack, or you do not.”

Crylon tried to keep a stolid face as he worked up his words, not letting anything show as his master once more berated his lack of skills in the magics he had been shown. He had been initiated, he was a mage now, his master always said. So he should be able to use it. Should be able to find something he had a knack for, and progress in it...

But as of yet he had done little more than struggle or fail with the magic he could do.

“But master... I am trying. But it... It just does not seem to want to come. Its like I try to take a breath, and find myself underwater with no air to breath... It just does not work master.”

Letting out another sigh, the elderly Isur inspected Crylon for a few moments as if he was considering something.

“Yes, perhaps... Perhaps I am expecting too much from you too soon. But with myself, I had the knack, why in the time you have been studying the workings of magic I was quite decent at several. And you... You seem to have learned so little in practice.”

Crylon frowned, not liking where his master was going with his train of thought. More like he was giving up on Crylon, or resolving himself to having taken on a student who was a failure.

Trying again, Crylon tried to meet his masters eyes but found the elderly Isur was staring into the fire and pointedly ignoring Crylon.

“Maybe... Maybe another study of theory master? And a practical lesson later? Maybe with more understanding of the theory, the practice will come? I always get the theory master, when you explain it.”

“Yes, I suppose so. A lesson on theory. Well, to start, I suppose the basics. Have I told you of the types of magic you have been shown Crylon? No? Well, you have been shown two types, World Magic and Personal Magic.”

“Are all magics of those types master?”

“Ah, no. And that is a good questions. Yes, there are more than two types of magic. You have World Magic, like Glyphing and Magecrafting you have practiced in action a bit. World Magic works on the inherent magic of the world about you. Personal Magic, like Reimancy and Auristics, works on the Magic within your own person. Your internal being fuels it. And as all Isur, you have a Gnosis. Magic from a God, in your mark by Izurdin. Each is different, works from a different source. Do you understand Crylon?”

“Yes master, I understand. Thank you master. Could you perhaps tell me more of one of those, one I have been shown to use?”

WC: 684

by **Crylon Stonecraft** on November 11th, 2019, 12:19 am

The fire having burned a bit, a small bed of coals from the burnt out bits of wood and plant detritus had begun to form at the bottom of the campfire. Below, and around it, with the bits of still burning and whole logs on top.

Taking a long stick Crylon's master began to scrape about till the end of the stick was coated in ash and blackened coal from the bed under the fire. Then pulling it out he began to draw in the dirt colored by the scratching of the ash colored stick.

“Crylon, you remember Glyphing yes?”

Crylon nodded, eager to show he had been listening and learning. “Yes master. It is a world magic, one where you draw symbols to work its magic.”

With a shrug Crylon's master agreed, but only partly. “Yes, somewhat. It is a magic, which solely works to affect other magic. It does nothing on its own. By its own, a Glyph, a Rune, a Ward, is just a drawing. But its capacity to interact with and affect other magics, that is what it does that is magical.”

Beginning to scrawl in the dirt, he drew a small circle with a slash across it, along with some other smaller symbols which curved around it and looped among itself.

“Done properly, Glyphing could be used to hold, store, magic. Or to move it, choose where it goes, stop it, rebound it, or other affects. But by its nature it is impermanent. Once used up, a Glyph with lose itself. It will fall apart, be marred, will disappear. Do you understand Crylon?”

Crylon nodded, doing his best to think critically and to comment as such on his masters words.

“Yes master. So then, it should be done carefully, in what it is put upon on what it is put upon, yes? For instance... If you carved it onto something, say a statue... You might destroy the statue once its Glyphs were used up, yes?”

“Yes, a good example. Be careful of what you Glyph, and how, for know that eventually they will be marred and destroyed. So always bear that in mind in making and adding them onto something. Now a single symbol, that would be similar to our written language a single Rune. Or a single Glyph. Either term applies. A Sigil however is a complete collection of Glyphs or Runes for one task to be completed. All together as one task. A Sigil could in theory be just one Rune, or a few, or dozens or even hundreds working in concert to one end. Now, do you recall the types of Glyphs?”

WC: 440

by **Crylon Stonecraft** on November 11th, 2019, 12:20 am

Crylon paused, trying to recall what he had been told when his master had first shown him the magic. It had been quick, in passing, just enough to let him see he could do it. Little more. He did remember one though.

“Ah... A Focus, master. It... Holds magic.”

“Yes, a Focus, a common Rune. It as you said holds magic. But by itself it will not usually do much. That is one. But there are five common types of Glyph. Five... Blocks, or small collections, of Glyphs, so to speak. A Focus to Store magic. Barriers to stop the passage of magic across them. Such as to hold magic in a Focus once it has entered. A Path is like a barrier, but it channels the magic along it to somewhere, outside, to a Focus, or somewhere else, rather than stopping it like a barrier. Usually it will be two barriers with an opening, stopping magic from going on either side and forcing it to go within and between. And the others?”

Crylon shook his head, not remembering or not having been told the rest before.

“There is also a trigger, which will either activate or deactivate another Rune or group of runes. Such as letting something pass, and then blocking it to keep it from going back out. Or to allow something to exit, such as from a focus at a certain time. Lastly is a switch, usually differentiated from other Runes, often by color. It will be used to divide one bit of magic into several pieces, several different once combined parts or several lesser chunks of the whole. Or it can do the opposite, add several smaller pieces into one bigger piece or one piece with several effects into one multiple effect.”

Letting out a sigh, Crylon's master turned from his work at scratching in the dirt, finishing by throwing the stick into the fire to burn. He had drawn a somewhat complex Sigil. Looking at it Crylon could reason out what each part did, what block or Rune each was, but it took time to read it.

A focus at the middle. A barrier around it. One side had two barriers, a pathway, running away, with a trigger to allow that to occur. And at the end of the pathway, a switch to split it in half. All five in use.

Using his foot Crylon's master then marred the wards, to stop the effect from being used.

“That is enough for today Crylon. More tomorrow. Think on what we have discussed though.”

Crylon nodded, going to help some of the other Isur with making their meal by fetching and carrying things. All the while he thought on what his master had shown him, hoping he could prove his skill as it seemed his master was beginning to lose hope in his doing.

WC: 477