• Closed • The Nature of Magic

[Doran]

“Can you tell when another mage has been flaying?” the Mortalborn wanted to know, momentarily furrowing his brow as he realized that, no matter how much he studied the arcane, there would always be another thing that he didn’t know and another question that needed to be answered. He had known about flaying, of course, but not about some of the side effects and how addictive flaying could be. Could mages really not resist the temptation?

“How …?” he asked before he elaborated, “How do you connect to the spark? How do you channel ether?” he wanted to know, silently wondering if it was similar to how he used his own, divine abilities. Was it an innate knowledge that you acquired the moment the spark merged with your soul or was it something that you actually had to learn?

The way that Balthazar talked about the elements was strange, he decided – he almost talked about them as if they were living beings rather than an aspect of nature - although he didn’t let other man see that he was puzzled and, maybe, a hint confused of course. The expression on his face remained fairly calm and neutral as he listened to him.

As Balthazar conjured the flame, the Mortalborn narrowed his eyes fractionally and watched it closely before he abruptly spun around in order to retrieve one of his notebooks. It would be prudent if he wrote those things down, he decided so that he would be able to go over them again once Balthazar had left. The mortal had turned out to be a veritable fount of information.

“When you speak of dancing”, he spoke. “Do you mean actually dancing? Do you need to move in order to commune with the elements effectively?”

As he waited for the mortal’s answer, he pushed one of the tables away and removed some of his equipment before he positioned himself behind the man and slightly to the side, arms crossed over his chest. He didn’t attempt to cover his ears, despite the warning that it would be loud, but simply waited for him to do … whatever he planned on doing.

The only sign that the sound might have been a bit louder and more unpleasant than he had expected it to be, was a light furrowing of his brow and a miniscule narrowing of his eyes. A moment later, he moved closer to the portals and inspected them before he nodded curtly, a sign that Balthazar could dispel them again.

“Thank you”, he spoke and inclined his head. “This was quite enlightening.”

[Balthazar Black]

17 Vhalar 719

With a swift motion, Balthazar slashed his hand through the rim of his portal, causing it to collapse a little more quietly than it would have if he'd done it the conventional way. He didn't explain that behavior to Doran as it had become almost second nature for him to close his portals by physically breaking their edges. Once the portals had collapsed all strain seemed to wash off Balthazar who stood a little straighter. His head swiveled slightly to Doran when the man began his next line of questions.

"If you've been around long enough, there are certainly signs but in my experience it isn't always clear if someone has flayed recently." Balthazar admit. While there was something to be said of how the elements acted around a Defier who had flayed, it did not strike Balthazar as pressing enough to mention to Doran. The behavior of the elements could often be misinterpreted. As Doran's questions continued rolling out, Balthazar took a moment to consider the most accurate answers for his studious college. Balthazar crossed his arms and his brow furrowed for the slightest moment before his face seemed to relax.

"It's hard to explain. Once you've initiated into a domain, or at least either of the ones I know, you always feel connected to your spark. My Rupture spark is always rattling around in my eyes and head. It keeps me aware of distance, my surroundings, and it keeps my eyes from harm. My Defiance spark similarly seems to be connected to my body at all times though that one feels more as if it rests within my muscles. They provide the outward extension for by body to interact with the elements around it. Yet at my core," Balthazar gestured to his heart "I can feel both sparks and I can summon ether from them through will- but then the ether spreads through me and out into whatever... 'spell' as you call it, that I cast. Sometimes you ask too much of the spark and it comes with a price."

Then the topic of dancing arose and Balthazar nodded for a moment before seeming to change his mind and shake his head. "Yes and no." Balthazar began before elaborating "Dancing is a practice within the Domain that allows Defiers like myself to encourage the elements to act in an abnormal way. Typically it involves movement however there are plenty of other practices which require next to no motion. For example I can cover weapons I hold in the elements without having to dance to shape them. If you had a dagger or metal rod I could show you?"

[Doran]

The Mortalborn found it hard to imagine what it was like to always feel connected to the spark, to something that was so closely tied to one’s soul. Was it a metaphysical state of being, or was it more like having some sort of parasite that afforded you certain abilities inside of you? And by Syroa, what exactly did Balthazar mean when he said that his Rupture spark was always rattling around in his eyes and head? It sounded slightly unpleasant, like some sort of bizarre eye condition rather than actual magic.

The conversation turned to the matter of the price though, and the Mortalborn stopped pondering the state of Balthazar’s eyes, and his rather interesting way of wording things, and looked at him thoughtfully before he asked, in a calm tone, “You are speaking of Overstepping, aren’t you, Mister Black? Tell me, did you ever overstep and what were the consequences? You don’t have to tell me if you’d rather not talk about it”, he added, realizing that such might be a rather delicate topic. Talking about it might put Balthazar in a bad mood, and he wanted to keep the conversation going a little longer, at least until he had learned more about the man’s other magic.

Mages had a tendency to give their abilities and techniques bizarre names; he decided as Balthazar talked more about dancing. Empaths talked about knots and threads; necromancers named nearly everything after music even though there was nothing musical about reanimating dead bodies in his opinion, and then there were Balthazar’s kind. He couldn’t help but wonder where those strange naming conventions came from. Had the first Empath been a tailor, the first necromancer a musician with a strange affinity for corpses and the first Defier a dancer?

“So, you could make a dagger burn?” he asked and raised an eyebrow before he retrieved a simple dagger that he occasionally used to cut some of the materials that he needed for his craft. “There are ways to do so with alchemy that involves coating the weapon in a flammable substance. I’m curious as to how what you do is different”, he admitted and stepped back in order to watch Balthazar’s next demonstration.

[Balthazar Black]

17 Vhalar 719

Balthazar smirked unintentionally when Doran mentioned Overstepping. That was in fact the price he was referring too but he'd rarely been able to discuss magic with another so well versed in the proper terminology so he often tried to adapt how he explained it. He was relieved to be reminded that the man he was speaking with now- arguably more than a man, was of the informed sort. "Yes, I'm referring to Overstepping. " Balthazar thought for a moment about the times he'd overstepped and then continued "I've overstepped a number of times. I'm not sure much progress can be made in any magic without being willing to push your limits. But the consequence seems to vary greatly. I've gotten vertigo and booming cough from overstepping with my Rupture spark. Admittedly I've been nervous to overstep in that magic. However I've encountered numbing, elemental scorn, and even some minor paralysis from overstepping with my Defiance spark. Though in each situation the consequence was far preferable to the alternative."

Balthazar's mind trailed back to when he'd been trapped in Emea for four trials. He'd overstepped to throw himself through the fracture. Then to the hallways where he'd overstepped to murder the mage hunters and lost nearly all the feeling in his arms and legs. Overstepping had always been the last resort for Balthazar, who tried to respect the elements and the magic at his disposal. Then for a trill he realized it was likely that way for most decently moral mages.

When Doran produced a dagger for the second demonstration, Balthazar gratefully took it in hand. He wasn't skilled with any type of blade really but he didn't need to be for this demonstration. Balthazar wrapped his fingers around the handle of the dagger and waved it around a few times to get a feel for the weight. Then he held it out in front of himself so that Doran could see. "Other Defier's refer to this as caressing. We use our ether to convince the elements to encase our weapon." Balthazar looked at the dagger in his hand and called on the ether in his muscles. He felt his ether channeling through his body towards his hand and when it reached the limb, the dagger's blade burst to life- encased in blue flames. "Ignore the color, it's a mutation. The ability works similarly with other weapons. I could caress it with wind to make my swings faster, or stone to make it more of a bludgeon. So long as I have ether to provide, the element will aid the weapon."

[Doran]

The Mortalborn nodded as Balthazar stated that he wasn’t sure if progress could be made in any magic without being willing to push your limits. “It’s the same in alchemy”, he spoke. “In any kind of science, really. If I had erred on the side of caution all the time, I might never have learned Blood Magic or even brewed a single potion. At the same time, you need to make sure that you don’t push your limits too much.”

“It’s important to find some sort of middle ground”, he advised the other man.

“You mentioned that one of the effects of Overstepping was paralysis though”, he continued. “How long did it last, and did medical treatment have any effect on the duration of the paralysis?” He raised an eyebrow questioningly before he turned to his notebook again in order to record Balthazar’s answer. Even though the man was hardly the foremost authority on magical theory, these notes would be invaluable in the future.

All those terms Balthazar had mentioned, first Dancing and now Caressing, made Defiance sound like a comparatively gentle magic, but as far as the Mortalborn was concerned, it was not. There was nothing gentle about setting things on fire, shaping water or making the wind do your bidding in his opinion, no matter how you achieved all those things.

“Remarkable”, he remarked as the dagger started to burn blue, his eyes widening a hint as he took a closer look. He could make a fire burn blue with certain chemicals, but he would never be able to achieve such an effect without them. “I’ve never considered the use of Defiance in combat, at least not in that regard”, he spoke. “How long will the fire burn, and will it have any negative effects on the durability of the blade?”

“Treating a weapon with certain alchemical reagents can eventually damage it”, he explained.

[Balthazar Black]

17 Vhalar 719

Balthazar nodded in agreement with Doran's assessment that it was important to find a middle ground between risk and safety when seeking to improve in any science. He'd spent almost all of his Defiance training working to create a middle ground for all Defiers that would allow them to learn and improve their relationship with the elements through controlled, safe movements and lessons. Yet he'd done little beyond some small, free lessons in Yaralon to share what he learned. That was part of the reason he'd been so eager to meet with Doran and answer his questions. He wanted to help everyone practice safe magic. When the topic moved to the Overstepping Balthazar had encountered he shook his head slightly.

"The paralysis lasted a few trials at most, and left some numbness after but I couldn't really tell you about the medical treatment. It didn't seem to help me in that one instance but I've been good about not pushing my spark too hard so it's not an area I'm really experienced in. I've had more trouble with the numbness and scorn than paralysis." Balthazar elaborated. He didn't want to admit that he hadn't sought medical help after the incident. Maybe it was pride? Maybe ego? But he didn't want Doran, the somehow ever-alluring man before him, to know that he'd foolishly convinced himself his body would heal on it's own. Granted Balthazar was right, it did heal, but he had no way to know it would at the time.

The flames burning along the dagger in Balthazar's hand slowly died away and the mage held the dagger back out to Doran. "The fire will burn as long as I have ether to feed it and since this is relatively simple to do, it could burn for as long as the blade can hold it. Typically I fight with my hands so I don't know how well the blade will fair, but the flames did char my quarterstaff once. Based on that I'd argue it'll heat up the metal. That could deform it right?"

[Doran]

The Mortalborn nodded as Balthazar told him that the medical treatment hadn’t seemed to help him. It was unfortunate, but then again, he’d already suspected that conventional medical treatment wouldn’t be able to affect Overstepping. He couldn’t help but wonder, if Blood Magic might be of use though since it was so closely tied to magic. Of course, he didn’t share his thoughts with Balthazar. He considered doing such to be irresponsible. He didn’t have more than a vague research question at the moment, after all.

For that reason, he simply continued to watch the flame until it died. When Balthazar handed the dagger back to him, he took it, furrowing his brow slightly as he wondered if it might be warm to the touch now. “Sufficient heat could indeed deform a blade”, he confirmed. “But the flames would probably have to burn for quite some time to have that kind of effect. I was talking more about the blade … disintegrating, for the lack of a better word.” He looked at Balthazar questioningly, waiting for his answer, before he turned to his notebook again in order to record what the mortal had said.

Once Balthazar had told him, he would pose another question and then another one, in between taking notes. When it was finally time for the man to leave, he rose to his feet and shook his hand, thanking him that he’d stayed even after the initial purpose of their meeting – the matter of mutations – had been concluded.

[Pig Boy]

Doran

Experience: 15

Knowledge: Alchemy: 2
Blood Magic: Blood needs to be fresh
Blood Magic: You need to know how exactly magic works
Endurance: 1
Endurance: The sound of a portal opening
Etiquette: 1
Etiquette: Shaking a visitor's hand
Intimidation: 1
Intimidation: A laboratory can be intimidating
Medicine: 1
Medicine: Probably can't affect Overstepping
Research: 8
Research: Empathy: Soothing
Research: Ring of Paradigm
Research: Delroth
Research: Defiance: Defiers have an affinity to certain elements
Research: Defiance: Dancing
Research: Overstepping
Research: Defiance: Overstepping
Research: If you err on the side of caution all the time, you might never learn anything

Renown: none

Skill Usage: Appropriate to level.

Loot/Losses: none

Injuries/Conditions: none

Consequences: none

Comments: A bit of a dry interaction between your characters and interesting conversation about the nature of magic. I'd prefer a more practical exercise of skills than the safety of a library or lab, but to each their own! I hope Doran learned some good information about defiance, and when taking blood from mages, be sure to keep it cool so it doesn't congeal! Enjoy the rewards.

If you have any concerns about this review, please PM me about them.

Balthazar

Experience: 15 These points may be used for rupturing.

Knowledge: Socialization x 3, Research x 4, Rupture x 1 (Maintaining a full portal), Defiance x 1 (Caressing a dagger with fire), Alchemy x 2, and Discipline x 2

Renown: none

Skill Usage: Appropriate to level.

Loot/Losses: none

Injuries/Conditions: none

Consequences: none

Comments: While I feel Balthazar is truly at his best when fighting through hallways full of enemies, and action threads, this was a pretty neat change of pace. There's something to be said for slice of life threads where there isn't too much plot going on but interesting interaction between characters you might not expect meeting each other. The talk of Defiance made me nostalgic for my own defier mage *sigh*.

Enjoy the rewards.

If you have any concerns about this review, please PM me about them.