Closed [Gug Andjak]A True Staff part II: The "Staff" Step[Marin]

[Clyde Sullins]

55 Winter 513 The first phase of his Magecrafting was done. Clyde had done his prep work, made his Glyphs, and done the first step of durability enhancement over the last three days. Now was on to the next step, the one he could not do alone. He needed a second wizard, a personal wizard like he was, to do the second step to make it a true Magic Staff. While not the most important step, it was important to Clyde, because for him this step was the reason for the entire project. He wanted his petching staff that he had been working for years to acquire, and he would settle for nothing less than the utmost in terms of quality and craftsmanship. And he aimed to get what he wanted. The notice of wizard Marin's being needed on this day had been given to her a few days back, and so she would know to be here in this lab on this day. Clyde had not even left the room in days, having been sleeping next to his work on a bedroll, and eating meager rations. But he could not risk leaving his work and having it moved, as that would ruin all of his work, possibly making it go crazy and explode due to the half integrated djed... Or it might just not work. Either way, it was not what he wanted. For now he would just wait, wait until the wizard came at this early bell, not long after the sun had risen.

[Annalisa Marin]

Anna was returning from her meeting with Master Vick, rubbing her eyes from the soreness still remaining in them as she adjusted to normal vision once more. Her visit had been... eventful and had nearly caused her to forget where she needed to be early today, Clyde Sullins and his Magecrafting. Currently she was walking through the halls of the Gug Andjak, her grey eyes possessing a bit of redness around them from the change she had experienced. She was looking for the section of the Common Labs Clyde had taken for his own, her mind slowly refocusing on him.

His name had still bothered her to a high degree, though Anna had figured out exactly where she knew it from. Her grandfather, a man she had recalled seeing a few times had been named Clyde. It was probably just a happy coincidence, however considering how frequently people from her past and family were popping up as of late she had analyzed it. Today she intended to make few inquiries regarding his past, nothing too probing but enough to confirm or deny his relation to the name.

It was a tad silly really, there were probably a number of people in the world named Clyde, however Anna knew her extended family had not been native solely to Zeltiva. The tall woman pushed these thoughts from her mind as she strode into the section of the labs that Clyde had claimed. She noted a bedroll had been placed off to the side with a raised eyebrow, clearly Clyde was devoted to his craft if nothing else.

Her gaze fell upon the other mage, her trademark arrogant smirk curling onto her face. Being that she had not possessed much time to change Anna was still dressed the same as she had been when visiting Master Vick, her black silk robes trimmed in purple with a purple sash wrapping around her waist to bind it together. Leather sandals adorned her feet and her Wizard ring was displayed prominently and openly. Long dark hair was pulled up into a high ponytail, bangs framing her face. The very picture of the powerful Sorceress, though appearance was not as important as skill.

"Well met, Mr. Sullins, I trust the day finds you well? You'll have to excuse my appearance, I was meeting with a... colleague a little earlier. In any event I trust you are prepared to explain this 'Magic Staff' we shall be making?" Anna said, nodding to the pedestal but refraining from approaching.

After her experience with her newest... acquisition she was rather wary about touching anything without first knowing its function. Her change had not been fun whatsoever, who knew what might happen if she touched a powerful Magecrafted product? Certainly nothing good, that much was almost assured. Best to wait for whatever instructions Clyde would have towards the matter.

She did have to wonder how very in depth and demanding that Magecraft was, considering Clyde was sleeping right next to it. Anna wondered if he had even left this space since starting his crafting, then again she had been much the same in the days leading up to her examination. Devoted to her Glyphs and refusing to leave her quarters during her single-minded struggle for perfection regarding the Glyphs.

[Clyde Sullins]

Clyde's wandering attention on his graft was broken as he heard someone call his name and begin to speak to him. "Well met, Mr. Sullins, I trust the day finds you well? You'll have to excuse my appearance, I was meeting with a... colleague a little earlier. In any event I trust you are prepared to explain this 'Magic Staff' we shall be making?" Turning to her, he gave her a cursory glance, not really noticing much about her clothes and such, before making a motion back at the pedestal where the "main event" was taking place. That of the actual staff to be enchanted, heavily ensconced in layers of Glyphing. "Fine, yes. Or as fine to be expected. Magecrafting is a rather intensive process, and I can't leave it unwatched until I am done. Before I say anything else, I must make one thing very clear. VERY CLEAR. Do not remove the object from the pedestal. Never. I will remove it when I am totally done, but removing it before then could interrupt the enchantment, or cause other ill effects. And ill effects in Magecrafting can range from a item not working, to leaving a smoldering hole in the ground where the object and the lab once was. So for your own safety, leave it be." Clyde paused for a bit for dramatic effect, and to let his words sink in, before continuing onward. "Now, as I had said, the step in the Magecrafting process I plan to take today is that of making it a TRUE magic staff. Its not just a hunk of wood made more durable by an enchantment, its a true wizards weapon. When it is done correctly, the staff becomes a extension of the wizard using it, like an extra length of arm or such." "Well... Once you learn how to use that particular staff it becomes as such. You can't just pick one up and be able to use it right away. But once you learn how to use said specified staff... You can then use it in conjunction with any of your personal magics, in the same way as if it was one of your limbs. Exude res from it, create a void opening over it like it was your outstretched hand, and so forth." A small smile came over Clyde's face, and he for the first time during his speech turned his vision away from the pedestal, and actually looked at Annalisa. She seemed to have some odd red blotchy marks around her eyes. Perhaps she had not been getting enough sleep? "So... Why don't you inspect my protective Glyphs and see what you think of them, and then I can show you what we must do." After saying this, Clyde would head off in the lab to grab something, and come back with a roll of wire in one hand, and a pair of odd clamps in the other. OOC: I described my Glyphing in the first 3 posts of my last thread.

[Annalisa Marin]

Anna listened to Clyde rather stern warning, making a note that Magecraft was a rather hazardous discipline though it was hardly a surprise as Glyphing could be much the same. Even still Anna glanced warily at the staff on the pedestal, wondering just which it would be if moved an explosion or fizzling out. It looked no real different than just being an elegantly carved and crafted staff, not real differences stood out to her. Perhaps that was just because it was unfinished, or rather maybe the effects were not visible upon the item.

It was the exacts of what a Magic Staff was that gained Anna's interest, causing her to place a finger over her lip as she considered those implications. If it augmented personal magic in such ways it was an incredibly powerful thing, certainly an artifact worth pursuing all things considered. Idly Anna pondered how much it might cost to have one made for herself, pushing the thought away for the time being. Considering the amount of money Clyde had poured into this staff Anna doubted she would be able to commission one so easily. Besides, this little lesson might prove useful in figuring out the process of Magecrafting herself.

One part of Clyde's explanation caught her notice, his mentioning of the Void and creating a portal using the staff. Anna wondered if he himself had dabbled in the art, perhaps a question for much later considering the other questions she had for the man. The sorceress herself had experienced an evolution in her abilities regarding the Void, her portals becoming much more manageable and larger. She was easily the equal of her sister, though she still felt like there was more to learn.

"Its certainly a powerful item if it can so augment personal magic, no doubt it requires some skill in the actual making of it. What of the staff itself? What is it made from?" Anna asked.

Clyde invited her to inspect his Glyphing layout and she immediately did so as he moved off to carry out some task on his own. Once more she was very impressed by the sheer artistry of the Glyphs, how smoothly and seamlessly they blended into one another. They were certainly beautiful to behold, no doubt many Apprentices could learn something regarding their construction and shape. Anna was more able to admire them like a fellow expert of the craft, her appraising eye searching for flaws in the sigil.

Wards were a rather interesting group of Sigil to make, mostly because they depended upon the style of the user to how they would look. As well as what exactly they would be warding against and from what direction. Clyde's Wards possessed a pair of different functions just based on a cursory glance over, containment and protection. The Glyphs for either purpose were rather easy to note, as well as their actual crafting. Anna herself could probably have achieved the same result given enough time and ink. Even still Anna was suitably impressed by this display, it certainly reinforced that Clyde was a respectably powerful mage.

The inner layer of Glyphs held the most interest to her, it appeared that containment was a much larger focus for Clyde than protection from outside Djed. This only further reinforced the idea that Magecrafting could be a very dangerous art, no doubt the Djed used in its crafting was hazardous to the extreme and could become unstable. Still, Anna was curious as to how the process actually worked, no doubt Clyde would explain it soon enough.

Her inspection completed Anna nodded in satisfaction, having learned a thing or two about both Glyphing wards and Magecrafting from the look over. She turned her attention back to Clyde, who had returned with some strange looking wire and a pair of clamps. The sorceress raised an eyebrow, wondering if those particular items were common tools for a magesmith. They certainly looked odd to her, however she was not a magesmith by any means.

"Impressive, it takes quite a bit of time to create Wards like these as well as a fair deal of skill. I did notice you are focused mostly on containment, I would assume this is indicative of the hazards of Magecrafting in general? That what you are already working with is more dangerous than most outside stimuli?" Anna said, stepping away from the Glyphs.

"Also, what are those tools if you don't mind my asking? Are they normally used in Magecraft?" The sorceress inquired.

[Clyde Sullins]

"Its certainly a powerful item if it can so augment personal magic, no doubt it requires some skill in the actual making of it. What of the staff itself? What is it made from?" Clyde paused for a moment, looking over at the pedestal and the staff, and then back at Anna. "Yes, it does require a reasonably skilled Magesmith. Its certainly too complex for someone without a good bit of training too do on their own, or to fully understand. I doubt you'll fully comprehend what your seeing here today. Ah, lets see... Its a staff... Made of Vian Wood, from Mura." After that Annalisa spent some time inspecting his Glyphs, looking at the various bits and bobs. It was certainly a complex creation, doing more than one would think at first look. But then, it was a specialized series of Glyphs, a heavy warding, made specifically for the purpose of Magecrafting. "Impressive, it takes quite a bit of time to create Wards like these as well as a fair deal of skill. I did notice you are focused mostly on containment, I would assume this is indicative of the hazards of Magecrafting in general? That what you are already working with is more dangerous than most outside stimuli?" "Also, what are those tools if you don't mind my asking? Are they normally used in Magecraft?" Clyde paused for a moment once more, thinking over what she said. "Well, yes and no. And then some more no. While containment is a issue, in case things go wrong, the larger issue is interference. See these outer bits, they keep out unwanted djed from getting inside, that's what the main barrier's for. These barriers allow me to control the stream of djed so that only what I want gets in, and no random outside djed interferes, such as say... From other experiments going on nearby. With the open and general usage of these labs interference is a key concern." "However these inner swirly whirl-ey bits, they are a fallback option, in case the first layer fails, allowing the djed to be absorbed and guided. That's why its repeated on the innermost layer, so that any excess djed from the reactions I am doing, any that is not properly used as intended, these suck up that djed so that it does not remain floating about and such, and only the specific djed I am trying to insert is being used." "So this allows for me to both keep out unwanted external djed, but to also keep internal djed that is not properly integrated from integrating in unwanted ways, after my attempt at insertion is done." Clyde paused for a moment, looking over the Glyphs, and then back at Annalisa, a few thoughts occuring to him. "Hmmm... So that's why I did it like that... Honestly until I just voiced it, I did not fully realize why I did that particular set of warding. Sometimes I do things before I even fully realize the full extent of what they will do. I guess now that I say it out loud, it is a perfect ward to use in conjunction with Magecrafting." "Ah, but my description, probably a bit confusing for one that does not know how Magecrafting works. Yes, I should probably back track and explain how Magecrafting itself works, so that you can fully understand those things I just said in explaining my Glyphing." "So... What do you know of souls?"

[Annalisa Marin]

Anna listened to Clyde's response regarding the wards and their actual use and purpose, some of it sticking and other things sailing over her head. Magecrafting was certainly not a field she was very well familiar with, her experiences in were limited to less in time consuming ventures. She knew exactly zero about the discipline, other than its ability to make very powerful magical items. So for her part she opted to remain silent and ponder his explanation, after all the more he talked the more she learned regarding this particular discipline.

She quirked her eyebrow and favored him with a slight smirk as he mentioned occasionally doing things without knowing exactly the full extent or purpose of why he did. The tall sorceress nodded slightly, she often was guilty of the same thing in regards to both Glyphing and Reimancy. She suppose it was indicative of the skill of the wizard that such things could occur. That they could create marvels and master crafted things without fully understanding the implications themselves.

"I am much the same way, Mr. Sullins. Once I collected a number of rocks and placed sigils upon them on a whim, not fully realizing I had created a form of Glyphed projectile. Sometimes we as wizards will do things simply because the seem right at the time, and then make interesting discoveries after the fact. Its why we research after all, its why we are constantly improving and learning new things even once we think we have learned all there is." The tall woman offered, shrugging slightly.

His next question regarding the soul surprised her, did the soul enter into the art of Magecraft in someway? The sorceress pondered the question for a little while, wracking her mind for a good explanation based on what she knew as a Wizard. Magic theory and a discussion with and animator recently had taught her a great deal regarding the soul, about what it means and what it was. Djed itself was not the soul, rather the soul was Djed or at least that was the theory. That everything was made up a Djed, that everything was bound in that single way.

"I know that the soul is split into several key layers. The innermost is known as a Soul Core and is often used in Animation, it is the deepest point of the soul and holds the sense of self. Next you have persona, which is the sum of what that being is in terms of emotions and memories. Then you have the Astral Body, responsible for interactions with the world. These three layers make up the soul itself as it is known I believe, if I am remembering my theory and discussions correctly." Anna said, drifting slightly as she pondered something else.

"I do wonder though, are ghosts possessed of the same layers of the soul? They possess soul mist to interact with the physical world, do you suppose this is a replacement for the Astral? Or simply what it would be like if one possessed the ability to manipulate it?" Anna said, her mind wandering to her adoptive daughter and her abilities.

"Ah, my apologies again, Mr. Sullins just a bit of theory I occasionally get rattling around my head. I believe you had a point to the inquiry beyond my aimless musings?" Anna asked, shaking her head slightly to dispel the theory for now.

[Clyde Sullins]

"I am much the same way, Mr. Sullins. Once I collected a number of rocks and placed sigils upon them on a whim, not fully realizing I had created a form of Glyphed projectile. Sometimes we as wizards will do things simply because the seem right at the time, and then make interesting discoveries after the fact. Its why we research after all, its why we are constantly improving and learning new things even once we think we have learned all there is." Clyde nodded as Annalisa spoke, her words being straightforward enough. Glyphing rocks to be tossed at things was also not so odd. Of course when dealing with such a size using a actual trigger was more or less ruled out, he doubted any but the most skilled of engravers could cut small enough letters to work one on such a small object. But then that was assuming one used a trigger at all... As Annalisa went onward, he was interested to hear she knew more of the soul. For one it was quite clear she was either a animator, or had been instructed by one. Clyde himself knew similar information from his own time being initiated into Animation. The layers of a soul, of the artificial ones created and placed into a animated construct. It was good to know she had some base knowledge, but when dealing with Magecrafting he would need to direct her into a different direction. "I know that the soul is split into several key layers. The innermost is known as a Soul Core and is often used in Animation, it is the deepest point of the soul and holds the sense of self. Next you have persona, which is the sum of what that being is in terms of emotions and memories. Then you have the Astral Body, responsible for interactions with the world. These three layers make up the soul itself as it is known I believe, if I am remembering my theory and discussions correctly." "I do wonder though, are ghosts possessed of the same layers of the soul? They possess soul mist to interact with the physical world, do you suppose this is a replacement for the Astral? Or simply what it would be like if one possessed the ability to manipulate it?" "Ah, my apologies again, Mr. Sullins just a bit of theory I occasionally get rattling around my head. I believe you had a point to the inquiry beyond my aimless musings?" "It's fine, I do it myself, getting lost in theory. As for ghosts, well... I would think none of the above. I mean your astral body is what lets you move your physical body. But a ghost is a soul without a body. Surely that in and of itself is going to differentiate a "naked soul" from a soul inside of a body." "So perhaps its not so much that they have gained the ability to manipulate their soulmist, so much as... It becomes more limber and malleable not being stuffed into rigid form as it is when in a body. But then that's just me thinking out loud, as the idea occurs to me. Honestly I've never really thought to much on it before." Clyde of course did not know of projection, did not know that their was a magic totally centered upon the ability to make ones astral body exit ones body, and thus interacting with the physical world indirectly similar to how a ghost did. So for that in some ways his idea was correct, but in other ways it was just as mislead as the idea Annalisa had. "One small note though, all of those mentioned layers, not just the soul core, but all of them are used in animation. Animation is about artificially creating a fake soul to inhabit a body, the soul of a living thing, and placing it into said construct. Magecrafting however... Its very different." Pausing for a moment, Clyde tried to think how best to approach this explanation. "Well... Honestly, if you knew of Auristics, this explanation would be far easier, but I suppose I can try and make due without. Anyways, think of everything as being a piece of writing. A blade of grass is pretty simple, perhaps its a line of text. A person on the other hand is far more complex, in that example it would be more like a heavy tome with page after page filled." "A object like that staff on the other hand... Its somewhere in the middle. It would certainly be a few pages of text, but not a book. Magecrafting however lets you "add" more text to an object. And since that text is what defines both what the object is, and how it interacts with the world around it, changing that text changes the object and its rules. That's how Magecrafting works. Sort of..."

[Annalisa Marin]

Anna pondered on Clyde's words regarding ghosts for a little bit, chewing them over in regards to her own theory. There was still much she did not know regarding Ghosts and that really ate at her, especially when her adoptive daughter was a ghost. She knew what they could do, but she didn't know how they could do it and that irked her to now end. As a wizard, Anna liked to be able to reliably say 'Z happens, and its because X and Y are present that it can happen'. Some form of logic needed to be able to be applied when talking about why the world was as it was. It was a paradox really, chaos needed no reason right? It just happened. Or did it...

Could it be that order was in fact intrinsic to chaos and visa versa? Could it be that one happened due to the other's existence, that they in fact could not exist without the other? Was there logic to be found in chaos and a bit of madness in order? It was an interesting thing to contemplate all things considered.

Anna returned her attention to Clyde's explanation, catching the tidbit that all of the layers of the soul were used in Animation and not just the Soul Core. The sorceress kept this in mind for when the time came for her to try her hand at the art of giving life to things that were not normally living. One could never have enough knowledge regarding things of arcane nature, Clyde seemed to appreciate that fact from what she could gain. He was likely either an Animator himself or had received instruction from one much like she had.

The mage made mention to Auristics, a discipline of magic Anna was only vaguely familiar with. She had gleaned some theory in her research in Zeltiva, but had never actually attempted to initiate herself into it as there simply had not been the time. Her research regarding the Void had taken precedence over both it and shielding. However his description sounded rather like he was trying to explain Djed to her, a principle any wizard worth the name should be able to know.

From what she was able to gather, Magecraft dealt in the changing of an object's Djed. It added to it and made it more thick and full, making the tapestry more complete if one where to use such terms. It sounded rather interesting in theory, but Anna herself was more interested in how it could actually carry out that change. Most magic dealt in changing, adding, or subtracting Djed and what differentiated the disciplines was the method involved.

"So you are telling me that one uses Magecraft to alter or add to an item's Djed? So in crafting this Magic Staff you are actually simply taking what already exists and refining it, to simplify it. Like if you wanted to make this staff shoot fire on command or something similar you could do that?" Anna asked, crossing her arms and pondering over this.

"Unlike say with reimancy, where one is taking their own Djed and warping it to become something else Magecraft keeps the basics the same. That is what you are saying yes? But then, where does the ability to actually add to these pages come from and how does what makes that staff a staff remain in place?" The sorceress inquired.

[Clyde Sullins]

"So you are telling me that one uses Magecraft to alter or add to an item's Djed? So in crafting this Magic Staff you are actually simply taking what already exists and refining it, to simplify it. Like if you wanted to make this staff shoot fire on command or something similar you could do that?" Clyde shrugged once more, a bit noncommittally, and began to head over to the pedestal and the staff as he spoke. "Yes and no. Adding magic to a staff, for instance giving it the ability to shoot Reimantic fireballs, is inherently a bit more complicated. You could for instance for one step give it the ability to do Reimancy, but would likely need at least another step or two to teach it how to do a specified effect, or to react in a certain way to activate it." "But in general yes, when Magecrafting that is what you are doing, adding and refining the soul of the item itself, but permanently making this change to it." "Unlike say with reimancy, where one is taking their own Djed and warping it to become something else Magecraft keeps the basics the same. That is what you are saying yes? But then, where does the ability to actually add to these pages come from and how does what makes that staff a staff remain in place?" As Annalisa spoke Clyde set down the clamps, and then took out a length of the d-wire, wire made specially through Glyphing, and began to wind it around the length of the staff. He continued to wind it around the staff as he talked. "Similar, but different. With Reimancy, one is creating mundane matter, albeit of a magical source. But in its inherent nature, it is still the same as the mundane variety. Magecrafting however does much more than that." "The object itself usually physically stays the same, in the same way as a golem is the body for Animation, the object becomes the body on which the enchantment is laid. The enchantment is attached and laid upon that specified body." "The way it is done is by inserting djed into the objects soul, and altering its intrinsic nature, using special tools. Most common is a charging hammer. Anyways, while its basic body stays the same, other qualities of it can be altered and refined. Such as what I did with my earlier steps, making the staff more durable than normal." "But if you add in the djed improperly, or focus to much in one spot, it can over-strain the very fabric of its soul and its body, and cause it to rupture or explode. That's why stopping interference from occurring is so important, to make sure only the specified djed you want is allowed in."

[Annalisa Marin]

Anna leaned back as she took in Clyde’s explanation, grey eyes pondering as she considered the implications of this magic and its nearly limitless applications. If what the mage was saying was indeed true then Magecraft was far more powerful than she had previously believed, then again before this conversation she had known next to nothing on the subject. The ability to make something permanently more powerful and strong, to change it forever and alter its Djed to become something so much more, it was mind boggling. This staff they were crafting was to be a rather powerful artifact all things considered, Anna possessing a heavy grounding in personal magic allowed her to appreciate its abilities.

So that was the what of Magecraft, but what about the how? Anna now had a basic grasp on the theory surrounding it, but how exactly did one go about the task of crafting a Magecrafted product? The tools of the trade were no doubt readily available in the Common Labs; however it might be a good idea to know exactly what she was doing before blowing herself up. When dealing in a dangerous magic such as this one, a person could never be overly cautious. Since blowing herself up was something of a risk she definitely spared another glance over Clyde’s Glyphs.

She pursed her lips as the mage continued, watching as he began winding a wire around the staff carefully in preparation for something no doubt. The tall woman caught something about actually inserting Djed into the object, though she had no idea how one would do that. Perhaps the item he called a charging hammer was responsible, though that was pure speculation at this point. Did it require some form of supplies then? She certainly hadn’t just spent over four thousand gold rimmed Miza’s on odds and ends, and he had already mentioned needing reagents that the Common Labs had to a limited degree.

“ I see, so it would naturally go without saying that considering the hazards of crafting one would need to establish a balance of sorts during the actual crafting. What of the actual supplies? You mentioned a charging hammer, and this pedestal looks rather ornate, and you have reagents to place in the item itself. Are those all one needs then in the actual process of crafting an item?” Anna inquired.

“ Judging from the bedroll over there would it be safe to assume that this process is rather time consuming? You also mentioned having made the staff for durable in the process of your previous crafting, so what you are saying is that compared to a normal staff made the same way from the same material it would then be markedly stronger? Say if one tried to smash it with a warhammer, would it simply deflect the blow easily?” Anna continued, moving away from her spot and moving a bit closer to inspect Clyde’s task of winding the wire around it.

The item looked odd to her eyes, but then again world magic was hardly her field of expertise all things considered. She dabbled here and there and was very proficient in regards to the art of Glyphing, but the actual craftsman oriented magics were mostly just little dabbling. Perhaps she might learn a little more later on her own time, but currently she was very limited in regards to magics like Magecraft or Animation. Still, the tradeoff for that was her heavy comfort in the magics of the self, personal magics like Voiding and Reimancy.

“So tell me Mr. Sullins, what exactly shall we be doing today? I do believe you offered to allow me to try my hand at this craft, if I recall our arrangement correctly.” Anna said, opting to cut right to the heart of the matter.