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Dark Immolation
 
PostPosted: Fri, Dec 21 2012, 5:03 AM 

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Foreword


Sorcerer. With a single word, I have evoked to the reader's mind a number of things. No doubt many constructs come into to one’s imagination at the notion: an eccentric man in strange dress, an enchanting woman whose wiles break the weak, one blessed to dream while yet awake, one cursed and mad with power. To the contrary I cannot ever recall being mad with my gifts. Actually, quite happy would be the case. This land of ours, Faerun, is drenched in magic and eldritch lore. So too are its peoples. Familiar and strange, some find themselves in vestiges that bear many forms. I've seen children set fire to their homes in fits of rage, men that have broken a fellow’s mind with but a thought and a word, women who have shook both foundation and structure of souls by the flick of their hair alone. By that very same token, I've seen such people go on to enrich many a life, protect their homes and loved ones, and stand up for the Art and all those touched by it. These eyes of mine have seen miracles made manifest by the mere emotions of love and hate.

What is a sorcerer? One asks and wants an answer, but the answer itself struggles to keep up with the question. Brothers and Sisters of the Weave, children of the land of Faerun, souls of the planes hither and yonder, I greet you. I greet you and I ask—no—I beseech you to join me on a journey. But this is not a journey of road and high horizons; this is a journey through pages. Through the sheets bound in your hand, a truth will be revealed that is long overdue to the world at large. I intend to bring to your ears, your mind, your senses, a new world that at best has only been glimpsed before. Consider this both your passport and formal invitation.

I and my colleagues give thanks for the occasion that stands before us, now, and until the day Dendar eats her fill of us. Our research has revealed amazing things of innate users of the Weave, and by the gods’ graces, it has also yielded information that changes our understanding of the Weave as we know it. Through the format of a friendly conversation, I shall divulge our findings. You shall see what started as a venture into mere popular genetics has sent me deep into my own history, far into that of others, and beyond the veritable firmament of reality we take for granted so easily this very day. Again, I bid you welcome, good reader.

Welcome to the Sorcerous Source.


~B~E~L~D~O~R~ ~M~A'~F~E~R~


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_________________
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You think Magic is your ally... but you merely adopted the Art. He was born in it. Molded by it.
Sometimes, an angel is simply a devil with better intentions.


 
      
Dark Immolation
 
PostPosted: Sun, Mar 10 2013, 3:25 AM 

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A "Brief" Treatise on Magic and its Paradigms for the Course of this Book

It would be both impossible and unprofessional to expound upon the nature of Magical Peoples without first giving a concept of what Magic is in the scope of this research. Indulge this formality and I assure you it shall reward you with a better understanding of the conclusion that shall eventually be put forth.

Magic is the ubiquitous force ever-present within our lives. It is the tool by which we make war, affirm our imaginations, better our lives, and make manifest our wills. The greatest gifts ever bequeathed to mortal or deity come to us from this abstract, yet tactile source.

The history of Magic is perhaps as old as the Multiverses themselves. While the story changes based upon who tells it and in respects to certain Pantheons, most of the creation stories of our worlds involve Magic on some level or another. Either it is what we sprung out of, what was created in Creation’s wake, or even the latent will of Ao, if you speak to some fringe theorists. In all cases, one thing is certain: the gift of Magic is something that most receive through what is called the Weave.

The Weave, as most of my readers are familiar with, is the meshwork and the fabric that runs throughout the waking world. Common belief holds that it is the “quilt” tended by the Lady Mystra, and through it, one can safely accesses Magic. How I have personally described it, as a paradigm, is that the Weave is a bridge between the metaphysical realms of Reality and Possibility. Possibility and Reality can be considered gestalt; I shall expound upon this.

The duality of Reality and Possibility, what is and what can/could/will be, pervades the entirety of the Multiverse, except in those places in which it is suppressed or otherwise hindered. Such a paradigm, that the Weave extends through all as an innate trait of Existence, has always aided in my understanding of Magic. By this definition, the Weave is the relatively natural arrangement in which and through which the gross forces of Possibility affect Reality. Magic, in this scope, can be thought of as the actual triggered or sustained action of Possibility entering or influencing Reality, via the Weave. The action of Magic can be created by mechanism or entity, or in some cases, spontaneously arise from the bridgework of the Weave or exist innately therein as a self-contained function.
[1]

This is of course a single theory (based upon my own dynamic paradigm) and it is a rather general one at that. Necessarily so, as the topic I will eventually tackle, Sorcery, is necessarily vast.
What matters is that over many years, humanoid and deity have found methods to access the gift of Magic.

The Power, Divine Magic:

This is a form of Magic in which a deity or similar power acts on behalf of a mortal to cast Magic. Through motions of the hands or words of request, all acts of worship, the deity interacts with the Weave to induce a particular effect. In the scope of the paradigm which I have set up, the deity arranges a portion of the Weave to bring into Reality a specific Possibility. While the deity does the bulk of what could be considered the work of triggering the Magic, the deity-server becomes the conduit through which the Magic enters Reality.

The way Magic occurs here is through something that many consider to be the intrinsic nature of Religion. This is another subject that would largely require its own book, so I shall aim for conciseness, with respect to only my personal observations. I describe Divine Magic as an affirmation within the Deity-Server that one particular Possibility, or set of Possibilities, as it is believed to necessarily exist. The Paladin can invoke his Deity to heal the wounded because he himself conceives the Possibility of the action entering Reality. The Deity in turn conceives and wills the Possibility through the Weave. This dance of conception and will is what I call the mechanism of Faith. With the analogy of the bridge of the Weave, both Deity and Deity-Server work to move a Possibility into Reality. The Deity-Server, that mortal there to conceive and recognize the action in Reality, conceives a certain Possibility. By subjectively grasping a point or points within the infinite Possibilities, he forms the “bridge” needed for that Possibility to become real. As said before, he is the conduit that on the side of Reality. Quite often, this “bridge” is formed upon by a believer conceiving a deities perceived power and or the necessity of an action to occur within Reality. That is to say, the Cleric, through prayer, meditation, or what have you might believe with the Deity as much as he does believe in it to a similar effect.

The Deity’s position is to affirm and single out that particular Possibility, pulling it from the Infinite into the Weave, and moving it across the “bridge.” Thus, the working of Faith operates. Mortal, in his finiteness, perceives and by doing so “points” to a certain Possibility within the gestalt field of Possibilities that are conceivable for him. Deity, in its vastness, grabs hold of this particular Possibility on behalf of the mortal and wills it into Existence. As the mortal’s ability to conceive or intuit a greater/larger/more potent possibility (some superfluously call this quality Wisdom), the greater/larger/more potent a Possibility the Deity is able to recognize. Ergo, a key and observable crux within the mechanism of Faith: quite often, the manifestation of Magic is limited to the quality of the believer. To go once again to the analogy of the bridge, the strength of the bridge is derived from the Deity server. The Deity then moves the largest Possibility of the kind denoted across the bridge that it is able to support. Such is why an Acolyte’s Cure Wounds invocation shall often not be as potent as head Priest’s. Or such is my own speculation the highly subjective nature of Divine Magic.

Opposing views, even those of some of my colleagues state that it is merely based upon how much “trust” a Deity has in their servant, in what they allow them to cast. My rebuttal is that it could be, and most likely is, a case of both to varying degrees. But one wonders why gods might even bother to work wonders in person at all, if they could simply will them vicariously through any quality of mortal, at any given time. Surely, there is some fortitude or quality on the mortal’s behalf that limits them as a vessel of pseudo-infinite wills, up to a certain point at which one must leave the realm of mortality to embody. I suppose then enter Avatars into the discussion, but I grossly digress from my original intent in describing Divine Magic.

Naturally, this mechanism of Divine Magic can only operate when both sides are in agreement. Such is why a Cleric losing his Faith in a Deity inhibits his use of Magic just as much as a Deity disowning the Cleric. Even a relatively slight change in heart, in perception of the Possibilities as they relate to Reality can lead to the dance of Faith being thrown out of balance. It is for this reason, in my completely non-professional opinion, that Deity-Servers are often reluctant to change their outlook concerning even trivial things: it is a simple, subconscious matter of self-preservation.

The Art, Arcane Magic:

Wizardry:

This is a classical form of what many people regard to be “Magic.” To be brief on what would take up thousands of tomes for me to fully do justice, it is a matter of manipulating the actual mechanism of Magic and allowing Possibility to flow through it. Or such is the construction I shall use for this book. To go back to the metaphor of the Weave as a bridge, Wizards take to actively constructing bridges that innately funnel a particular Possibility into Reality. They build a path from one to the other specifically conducive to a certain end. There is no will, no real perception except that of Magic itself as a series of machinations at its base level. The conception is in fact the actual strands of the Weave, and so, a Wizard takes it upon himself to create Magic through measured instances, rather than concerning himself with all Possibilities. Instead of building a generalized bridge and allowing a Deity to move what it may across it, the Wizard constructs a bridge that not only supports but funnels a Possibility. Naturally, the strength of this funnel, and thereby the quality of the Possibility’s manifestation, is dependent upon the Wizard’s ability to create it. I.E. the aqueduct of the Journeyman is rough and inefficient. It conducts a certain portion of water; any more tried over it shall fail it or overflow. The aqueduct of the Master is more strongly built, from years of experience and streamlining; the torrent it conducts is larger and thus, more potent than that of the Journeyman.
[2]

Somatic, verbal, material components are all a matter of pulling certain strands of the Weave together to make this certain funnel, through which a particular Possibility manifests, and so constitutes an act of Magic.

Sorcery:

Another classical form of the Art. However, due to its apparently subjective nature, relatively few theories exist on it as a whole. The young wizard has any number of sources to inform him of the multiple philosophies behind his Art, yet the sorcerer can find little besides to “go with his instinct.” That is an issue I am my colleagues set out to grapple with this book and I shall be discussing it in depth specifically. A Sorcerer, by my account, does much the same done between a Deity and Deity-Server, internally. He perceives a Possibility through his own imagination and once having a grasp of it, wills it into Reality. He both forms the bridge and then moves (wills) the Possibility across it. Thus, it could be said that Sorcerers practice a kind of “Self-Faith” by using the Weave to create Magic. Or as some of my cynical colleagues would call it, Egotism. There still remains the question of why Sorcerers can naturally form these “bridges” across the Weave. That at its heart is the topic dealt with in this book. The assumption is that genetics are the determining factor of Sorcery, but the research and theory that shall be presented suggest an even more uncanny depth to it.
[3]And so, I shall not spoil it here.

Ambient and Passive Magic:

As we've accepted that the Weave runs naturally through all things, except where it is thinned or suppressed, we might also accept that it congregates in certain spots. There is no assumption that the Weave must lay evenly across on all things, only that it exists to some extent in all places, except where it is suppressed, either forcibly or through other phenomenon. Observation points to this being true, in that certain Magic is more powerful within certain planes, locales, or even time periods (being ubiquitous, the Weave flows through Time just as it ought any other concept of a dimension). To get back to passive magic, the existence of this natural thickening and thinning in spots is why lead inhibits certain spells, why dragon’s scales reflect certain elements, even why certain natural minerals are conducive to being spell components. In the same manner, the phenomenon is why we may craft magical wares, forcibly gathering strands of the Weave into a specific object or space. These natural channels in the Weave, through which certain occurrences of magic flow, are the framework which allows most magical infrastructure, equipment, and artifice. Until now, just like Sorcery, this manifestation of Magic has not often been explored scientifically (to my knowledge); rather it is taken as a basic fact of Reality. Interestingly enough, I shall pose later why the two types of magic, Sorcery and Ambient, are not completely dissimilar.

Summary of Terms:

Possibilities: The infinite. All things that can happen, that may happen, and most importantly, can be conceived or rudimentarily imagined within the scope of an Existence. A specific happening is called a Possibility, and even with this singular name, it can and does exist in an ambivalent state of multiple qualities that only are observable once entered into Reality.

Existence: The general term for Reality as it is observed by one or more entities. The result of past happenings and Possibilities as they exist now.

Reality: That which is already and currently present within observable space. Can be used interchangeably with Existence, so long as it is understoodd that it is a single instance in time is being considered.

The Weave: The connection between the metaphysical realms of Possibilities and Reality. To a certain extent, it is a natural formation, but its form may be modified by spectacular events or entities of great power. The most famous of these entities is Mystra, Goddess of Magic who is commonly believed to watch over the Weave, or in some cases, to be the Weave.

Magic: The action of a particular Possibility being ushered into Reality, across the Weave. This action is facilitated by the rearrangement of the Weave, momentarily connecting a single facet of the infinite with the finite. This action may be spontaneous or continuous, depending on the connection formed across the Weave.

Probabilities: The possible occurrences that exist innately to any given object. Possibility and Probability naturally overlap in some cases as Magic can be used to influence or guarantee a particular Probability in Reality.

With these basic terms and ideas explained, I feel it safe to continue onto the real flesh of this book. As always I am happy to discuss and debate with any of my peers over what I have said here or will say later. I foresee revising this treatise a few times in the future, to better answer questions I receive at large, as well as rebuttal to counterpoints that naturally arise in any debate regarding the Art.

~Footnotes~

[1] I should play the mindful professor and anticipate counterarguments about now. The shrewd man would be moved to ask if flipping a coin constitutes Magic being practiced. By the bare bones of my definition, it would seem so, as the coin, having the “possibility” of heads or tails, is being triggered by mechanism or entity to have one side show up. My rebuttal to this is that what is being described here is in fact Probability: a force that exists solely within Reality – what already is. The coin, by its definition of having two faces, does and will always have the “possibility” of being in one position or another. A possibility that exists constantly throughout Reality is by my definition a Probability. The Possibility of the coin, on the other hand, is that the coin may turn into a different metal or that it may suddenly be propel itself through a giant’s skull. These are examples of actions that are on some level probable, but not naturally innate to the coin in all circumstances of Reality. But since they can be imagined in any given circumstance, since they can be conceived scientifically, or in the case of sorcerers, willed into existence, they inhabit the realm of Possibility; though their probability is not ever-present, their conception can be translated to a given situation.

Now for full truth to be told, there are for certain Magics that influence Probability, but again, Probability is a feature of Reality, and thus such occurrences are still textbook by definition of Magic: a Possibility affecting (a facet of) Reality, via the Weave. This can be general influence or certain influence. General influence would be simply transposing the Possibility that the coin is more probable to land on heads. Certain influence would be transposing the Possibility that guarantees the coin to land on heads, or to combust, or to electroplate, or any number of things that are latent within the possible traits of the coin. This is a matter very abstract, so do not grow disheartened if such situations arise in your thought and you are unable to unravel them. The nice thing about a paradigm is that it allows one to make sense of Existence from single perspective. The bad thing about a paradigm is that it [u]requires[/] one to make sense of Existence from a single perspective, when Existence functions with no regard to any one perspective. That is the simple fact as to why multiple paradigms exist between Arcanists, Deity-Servers, Alchemists, and Philosophers alike.

[2] I mean not to say that this is what every Wizard has this “funnel” in mind while casting. I am well acquainted with several thought-schools of Wizardry. What I describe here is not a truly a paradigm within itself, but instead of paradigm for and of other paradigm.. This is akin to descriptions of “the Science of Science” or the “Philosophy of Philosophy.” It means not to tell you how the stage magician does or performs his tricks, in as much as it describes what occurs as he does them. This goes for Sorcerers as well. What exactly goes through a Sorcerer's mind while casting is almost impossibly subjective to describe outside of him or her own words. I mean only to explain what happens on an empirical and metaphysical level.

[3] I would like to consider Bardic Magic a part of Sorcery as well, but that is a struggle within itself, as many bards cast spells in the way that a Sorcerer does while others take a Wizard’s approach. Cantomancy and its methods of creating Magic are best left to the description of those that use it, as only they can truly tell you their own method. From my experience however, while they may take on some personalized flair, the bare methods of Magic fall into either the Sorcererous or the Wizardous manner of Magic. Sometimes a combination of both are used by the same Bard. They are a haphazard bunch, strung together with songs and hymns what whatever morsels of creativity they may culminate into an artform.

_________________
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You think Magic is your ally... but you merely adopted the Art. He was born in it. Molded by it.
Sometimes, an angel is simply a devil with better intentions.


 
      
Dark Immolation
 
PostPosted: Sat, Mar 23 2013, 21:54 PM 

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Part 1: Sorcerous Breeds

There. I have talked much too formally in much too high a tone for the time being. While my inner scholar is sated, my internal conversationalist is lamenting his fate. Before I present the blazing new theories discovered by research, I should perhaps expound upon what is already known, tried, and true. From there, I might lead you, the hungry reader, into the wild yonder of the new and unknown.

Your common scholar can tell you that what makes Sorcerers so amazing, and so difficult to study, is their diversity. Two are seldom alike, even if they share a common background. Trying to draw connections between them is often like trying to make connections between artists. Variations is style, method, muse, any number of things makes each one almost too unique to pin down. While they may descend from a particular school and have similar approaches, their subjects may look completely different. However, if we draw connections between themes, between media and canvas, we soon see that there are in fact categories to be made. One of the popular categories to group Sorcerers into is genetics. And so, this is where I shall begin. For the sake of personal interest, I shall include some of the results of the First and Second Sorcerous Census of Amia* as conducted by myself and my associates. A sample of roughly fifty Sorcerers and Cantomancers were used in both cases.

Sorcerous Progenitors:
Aberrant 2%
Celestial 6%
Demonic or Devilish 11%
Draconic 37%
Elemental 10%
Fey 9%
Other/Unknown** 25%


*While this was called a “Census of Amia,” the sample group actually consisted of Amia and a number of its surrounding isles, such as Brogdenstein and parts of Ruathym. This likely varies the data significantly in the scope of the actual Amian Isle.

**The “other” here represents the group that had some idea of what their progenitor was, or seemed to have none at all. It is my assumption that many of this 25% are Gestalt Sorcerers, which I shall go into later in this book.

Aberrant

Progenitors: Illithids, Far Realm Beings, Offspring of Subjects of Genetic and Magical Experimentation

Traits: The appearance of Sorcerers of this ilk can vary greatly, although most traits readily noticeable speak to something strange. Slightly longer limbs, oddly arranged facial features, abnormal internal organ arrangement. As the Sorcerer progresses in power, these traits often become more dramatic, like all Sorcerers. Specifically, the appearance of the ancestor becomes more apparent the in bone structure.

Mannerisms: An odd curiosity with experimentation. Specifically, the interest in the flesh and inner workings of other creatures (or humanoids) was marked as particularly intriguing to Sorcerers of this kind. Few have even turned their experimental gaze upon themselves and performed vivisections upon themselves at one time or another.

Signature Abilities: Aberrant Sorcerers may have an affinity for Transmuation, specifically the Polymorph variants. Changing shape, or at least the urge to change one’s shape, may be an indication of some latent blood. It is also not unknown for Aberrant Sorcerers to be gifted with the conjuration of Acids and various chemicals. To a lesser extent, there seems to be come love of the Conjuration school, in that transportation of themselves and items seems to hark back to the endeavors of their alien progenitors.

Amian Sorcerer Census: 2% identified their background as Aberrant. It is a rather rare and strange bloodline with many not being able to recognize the signs beyond general eccentricity. Some others are too ashamed to make note of the source of their abilities.

Celestial

Progenitors: Angels, Devas, Archons, Guardinals

Traits: Complexion may have faint tints based upon ancestor: slightly fairer for angels and archons, perhaps darker or slightly hairier for things such as planetars and guardinals, respectively.

Mannerisms: Often have an inner urge to use their gifts to aid others or ease the suffering of others. Alternatively, there is present the need to impose one’s will upon others, with the belief that it is for their own good or betterment.

Signature Abilities: Celestial Sorcerers often find themselves gifted with abilities relating to light or the destruction of Undead. Protection and Magic Circles against Evil are sometimes an indicator. Abjuration and Divination are often strong among this lot. Why could be anyone’s guess, but I’d hazard that the ability to protect themselves and others as well as seek out evil played a strong role in their progenitors’ lives.

Amian Sorcerer Census: 6% identified their background as Celestial. An interesting note, many of these Sorcerers were Aasimar who traced their lineage back to Calimshan. Aside from that, there were relatively few who seemed to be native to Amia itself. I found it odd, given that a certain area of the Isle sees Celestials battle Demons constantly. I suppose there isn’t much time for recreation for those kinds of beings.

Demonic or Devilish

Progenitors: Any number of denizens of the Lower Planes, too numerous to even list here.

Traits: Complexion may also have faint tints based upon ancestor: reddish or blackish tints are not uncommon. Hair colors tend to be darker or redder based upon the specific progenitor.

Mannerisms: Varied and often unique, though it seems many fantasize on some level about the degradation of things (for demonic) or the subjugation of others (devilish). It cannot be said that everyone that reported this heritage was “Evil” in the way one might think of a dark god being evil, but instead, self-centered. There were quite a few that expressed a drive to “redeem” themselves with their gifts, though that thought to me points to their upbringing, rather than anything innate to their heritage.

Signature Abilities: Devilish sorcerers tended to gravitate towards Evocation, Conjuration or Enchantment. The first two were no surprise to me, as many scholars might imagine a Pit Fiend razing fields and summoning his fiendish cohorts from Hell. However, it seems that Devils often opt to “sweet-talk” their prey as well. This means Command spells, Geas, as well as the simple Suggestion get some use from them.

On the other hand, Demons also showed affinity for those three schools, with the addition Necromancy. It seems that any school that might have the ability to corrupt drew them.
Both subsets where shown at large to enjoy the Planar Series of summoning (Planar Bindings and Gate). Besides that, they seemed to enjoy fire-based spells, except for a few which professed a love of Ice-themed manifestations. I believe this later group to have been spawned of Cania-based beings.

Amian Sorcerous Census: 11% Oddly enough, many people were quite enthusiastic about their heritage. Only a select few were somewhat ashamed of from whence their gifts were given. In any case, I believe a lot of these, the native ones at least, might draw some heritage from particular layer of the Abyss that many “adventurers” seem to frequent. There are also one or two “families” around the Amian Isles that share a fiendish or devilish ancestry.

Draconic

Progenitors: Simply, Dragons. Any and all kinds.

Traits: Varies incredibly based upon the progenitor. Some may show little to no traits at all, while others seem to be peppered with bits of their heritage: sharpened teeth, angular facial features, strong muscular builds. It becomes hard to distinguish this group in terms of traits, because many go on to become what is colloquially known as a “Dragon Disciple.” These individuals undergo rites and/or experiments that strengthen their blood. Therefore some of this heritage show almost no obvious signs of their heritage, while others are a veritable walking pastiche of their legacy.

Mannerisms: Hoarding was a common theme among these kind, even on a small level. A particular pouch of coins that they may keep with no intention to spend, a gem or such that they comfort themselves with. Beyond this common trait, there is little else to point to, other than the actual mannerism of the dragon itself, on a much smaller scale.

Signature Abilities: Again, a horribly varied group. For this reason, I shall just briefly list the schools and/or abilities that seemed common to the traditional Metallic and Chromatic lineages.

Black: Conjuration, Necromancy
Blue: Illusion, Enchantment
Green: Transmutation, Conjuration
Red: Evocation, Divination
White: Evocation, Necromancy

Brass: Enchantment, Evocation
Bronze: Evocation, Abjuration
Copper: Transmutation, Illusion
Gold: Divination, Evocation
Silver: Evocation, Abjuration

Signature Abilities: All tended to have at least two or three manifestations that shared the elemental theme of their respective progenitor, or a spell that their ancestor uses as a natural ability. Cones of Fire, Acid, Lightning, or Cold were not uncommon.

Amian Sorcerous Census: 37% Very much the largest subset. This might be due to the fact it also consists are the most, how might one say, promiscuous group of progenitors. Beyond that, the Isle’s history with the settlement of Wyrmhold might have heavily influenced these numbers.

Elemental

Progenitors: Elemental beings with Gender, Djinn, Efreet, Marid, Jann, Dao, etc. Possibly Genasi if they are particularly strong-blooded

Traits: Like Draconic, their traits are dependent on progenitor. Usually, this comes across in hair traits or slight differences in skin tone. Perhaps, in times of extreme emotion, they manifest small portions of their respective element. A squall in a moment of sorrow, a stray flash of fire in moments of anger, and so on.

Mannerisms: As might be expected, they usually show some affinity for their respective elemental heritage. Having watched a few of these particular sorcerers come of age, it is not strange to see adolescent sorcerers of this ilk taken to arson, avid swimming, digging and or searching for windswept places. From my experience, they also tend to be the most spontaneous of the sorcerous breed, which is truly saying something.

Signature Abilities: Elemental spells, plain and simple. By this point it should be obvious that one gifted of an Efreet’s blood might find himself a possessor of such manifestations as Fireball and Combust. The manifestations are often crude in their form. That is to say, more often I have seen these sorcerers control gross quantities of their element, rather than manifest them in refined, detailed spells. That is not to say it is impossible for one of them to do, mind you.

Amian Sorcerous Census: 10% To no surprise, more than a few of these also noted their race as Genasi. They are one of the cases that I believe makes a strong case for genetics being an influence in manifestation. As an added piece of information, the majority of this 10% (I’d say somewhere around 6%) were drawn to Fire-based spells. Perhaps there is something to be said of their hot-blooded progenitors and the prevalence of their abilities in humanoids.

Fey

Progenitors: Faerie, perhaps Eladrin in some specific cases, but I've yet to see any hard examples

Traits: From my observation, impish facial features and lithe body types are the most common feature of these sorcerers. Fairness of skin is a trait for many, though in some, mottled complexion and bumps denote it too. It much depends on the specific fey creature that gave rise to the sorcerous line.

Mannerism: Trickery and flightiness were noted as behaviors which showed themselves at a young and continued into the later years. Quite often they engage in romantic relationships on a whim and soon tire with partners that cannot keep their ever-changing interests.

Signature Abilities: Enchantment is the most common blessing of a Fey-blooded sorcerer. Charms and Curses seem to be the tools of their progenitors. Having met a few Seelie and Unseelie beings, I think this makes perfect sense.

Amian Sorcerous Census: 9% Surprisingly low, for my expectations. Given that their ancestors engage in coitus just about as fast as they look at something, I’d figure there would be more. Although, I’ve heard that Fey pregnancies are a strange thing that are not so simple as the reproductive processes of other races.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After detailing these many breeds, we must become aware that not all Sorcerers claim to draw their powers from some magical ancestor. Some are able to demonstrate Sorcererous abilities through other means. It is not unheard of for one to find himself a bearer of the sorcerer’s mantle after a strange series of events or on some fluke of fate, family, or tragedy. These sorcerers, and what I may believe may be their case I shall cover in the chapters to come.

_________________
Image
You think Magic is your ally... but you merely adopted the Art. He was born in it. Molded by it.
Sometimes, an angel is simply a devil with better intentions.


Last edited by Dark Immolation on Sun, Nov 17 2013, 12:07 PM, edited 1 time in total.

 
      
Dark Immolation
 
PostPosted: Fri, Nov 15 2013, 2:03 AM 

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Part 2: Fates and Fortunes

As I described in the previous chapter, approximately one quarter of the Sorcerers surveyed came under the Other/Unknown classification. I attribute many of these to being genetically bound individuals, regardless, simply through the powers described, and believe that many of them may be the result of multiple lines manifesting in one body, or were simply unaware of their own bloodlines. However, some of those describing their manifestations appeared to have a theme outside of the bounds of genetics. Abstract motifs, such as time, energy, celestial bodies, or what appears to be fickle luck.

Naturally my first thought was to believe that it was merely some unidentified predecessor that could lead to such abilities, say for instance, a servant of Tymora for Beshaba for luck, one of Selune for one who seemed to have abilities related to moonlight. And yet, when I interviewed some such individuals, it soon became apparent that such was not the case. Their abilities, for lack of an alternative explanation, seemed based upon gestalt ideals that exist within many humanoid minds and culture. A sorcerous individual with manifestations of luck simply had abilities indicative thereof. Sorcerous people that felt themselves drawn to the shifting of the heavenly bodies actually did appear to build their own paradigms off of them. Instead of functioning in a way congruent with an actual creature, their modes and motifs of casting were based off of abstractions common to the psychology of an individual or culture.

I shall use for example a young man whose blood was that of a tribe near the Spine of the World. His powers, as he described to me, were gifts from ancient entity that used to watch over the tribe in days past. He promised that born unto them would be Bringers of Fire and Ice, and so, there were, considered heroes and guardians of their people. While I of course enjoyed the tale of mysticism, I did in the back of my mind peg him as simply an Elemental-descendant. Yet, with some cursory research and demonstration, I was shown that this was not the case. His powers manifested as the legends of his tribe prescribed, in the words he used and in how he cast. My next logical step that he simply learned to cast in the manner, having grown up in a culture that told him that he was some sort of guardian. But then, all the more curiouser, he threw me for a loop.

He had never grown up in the tribe. While his parents were born there, they moved soon after his birth, never allowing him to grow up with the tales of old. By the time his parents discovered his manifestations, he was already casting in specific phrases true to the legend. Having had no contact with the culture, his powers had manifested and true to a mythos that he was not consciously aware of. And as far as I or my colleagues could find, he indeed had no traces of elemental in him genetically.

I would count such an example as a fluke, had I not heard of many more similar, though astoundingly unique, happenings. Sorcerers with the power of Probability-manipulation born of old wives-tales about the Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. Artful individuals who found themselves called out into the starlight and discovered that they might manipulate the sensation into realities non-germane to any species or deity. Savants who found they could conjure the forces of death, after a traumatic event. Sorcerers who had manifestations... for what seemed to be no reason at all, whose abilities reflected or sometimes even rejected their own wills, and whose paradigms were internal, possibly not even known or realized on a conscious level.

Fated. Fortunate. Blessed. Flukes. Prophecies. Legends. These individuals I call the Gestalt. Their manifestations, rather than being based upon the wills and minds of an ancient magical ancestor, were based upon cultural or internal paradigms. Things that simply are told in myth or story or by accident.

Gestalt

Progenitors: Perceptions of Reality on a personal or cultural level

Traits: Varies infinitely. There are simply no other words to describe it. They are myths out of the necessity of having myths, flukes out of random chance, or trailblazers of their own concepts and models of operation. If a Gestalt believes hey may only cast a spell under a full moon, then by all rights, that is the only way he may cast that spell. If she or those who came before her believe that she has even the possibility of being one of the long-lost daughters of the Ice Jarl, then so shall her abilities manifest, as close to that legend as gods only know. Or perhaps a permutation of this, based upon her own personality. Or not. Gestalt Sorcerers are nigh impossible to explain by any other terms but their own.

Mannerisms: See Above. Or observe one for a while.

Signature Abilities: See Above. Or ask one to show you.

With this realization, with this book's paradigm of Possibility, Reality, and the Weave, I set upon creating a theorem that united what seemed to be an infinitely subjective phenomenon, with just teases of rules in the form of genetics and heredity. I wasn't until I left this world and was shown firsthand that I was able to see. It wasn't until I came face to face with the very entity of the Weave itself that I was able to piece together what truly was the Sorcerous Source.

_________________
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You think Magic is your ally... but you merely adopted the Art. He was born in it. Molded by it.
Sometimes, an angel is simply a devil with better intentions.


 
      
Dark Immolation
 
PostPosted: Sat, Nov 23 2013, 16:41 PM 

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Part 3: “Knots” in the Weave

Origins

As I theorized in the first section of this book, the Weave as most know it can be thought of as the basal arrangement of the mesh between the metaphysical realms of Reality and Possibility. The mechanism of bringing Possibility into Reality is Magic. This mesh extends throughout Realmspace, overlapping many different creatures and landscapes. It stands to reason then that there are areas where the meshwork and its pattern differ. Areas where the strands run thin or are broken: Dead magic zones. Areas where the strands are jumbled and disorganized: Wild magic zones. Areas where some or all of the fibers of the mesh run thicker and more robust: Certain planes and Torillian locales. This much is readily known between scholars of the Art. But to my knowledge, none have ever gone so far as to apply the same idea to creatures and humanoids.

There are many creatures within this Prime and its Planes that both layman and scholar would deem magical. Many are familiar with the natural obscuring abilities of the Displacer Beast, just as more than a few are painfully aware of the innate magical traits of a basilisk or salamander. Beyond this, the telltale abilities of these creatures are provably magical in nature in that they shall cease to manifest in an Anti-Magic sphere or Dead Magic Zone. The same is true for the abilities of many more powerful beings, such as a Dragon's breath or the ray and cone abilities of the infamous Beholder. These beings, through their physiology, have naturally occurring powers that they manifest through the Weave. From my perspective, the Weave is such an integral part to our Realms that it should come as no surprise that creatures came to utilize it as any other force in nature. The bird utilizes air, wind, and thermals, the clam uses the tides to bring it onto the shore, and the magical beast uses the Weave to protect himself or capture prey items. Just as any other creature utilizes its surroundings to gain its basic needs, so too would any creature that manipulated the Weave. Even more so, these abilities-I believe-would come just as natural to any such creature. I doubt the fish in the ocean had to be taught to swim, after their advent, no more than anyone taught the bird to sail along the wind. These creatures, born in and of their element, made use of them through their innate physiology, perhaps overtime, through trial and failure, or simply necessity and the innate force of will that drives all creatures to survive.

As time progressed, and either through the gifts of gods or flukes of fate, there came sentience into the Realms. These sentient beings, still having a connection to the Weave just as much as they did the earth or air or water before, could manipulate their surroundings more finely. If they hungered, they might fashion a spear with which to pluck a bird from the treetops. If they were cold and wished to be warm, perhaps they would bury themselves in the earth or wrap up in vegetation. Yet even still, through their latent connection to the Weave from generations past, they might begin to will what they needed into being, psuedo-consciously, through the mechanism of Magic. Being as immersed in the Weave as they were the earth or any other natural element, they bridged the meshwork to many different ends. The Blink Dog had the primitive and urging necessity to outmaneuver its prey, and so, through generations, the will of teleportation became tied to its entity just as the water bound fins to the fish. The Unicorn, a being of Good, had the will to seek out and stand against Evil, and so, that will became reality within its body as the manifestation of Detect Evil. Adding more complex beings into this mix, the possibilities are astronomical in what a creature might be capable of creating through the Weave, through want and will alone.

Conjectures

Why not then humanoids? Why not then humanoids who, in many generations past, were the begotten offspring of these same magical beasts and humanoids. It is certainly known that half-dragons and other half-magical being humanoids possess many of the same abilities of their bestial parents. I have yet in my time seen one half-dragon who did not possess at least some form of Cantrips from his magical blood, even if he or she chose not to further those gifts directly.

It is my belief that the method of utilizing the Weave through one's will is an ancient mechanism engendered by predecessors eons ago. And while this mechanism innate may only breed true for one generation[1], once non-species pairing takes place, that trace of the mechanism lies latent and potentially viable for centuries, arising in spurts or by chance as other genetic manifestations, though in admittedly less of a defined pattern. The reason why the Red Dragon-blooded sorcerer finds himself with his abilities is because his ethos, his will, being, soul, body, and any number of factors are aligned in such a way that the sorcerous spark not only presented itself generations removed, but he was able to call on it by manifesting some permutation of the same will his ancestor did. In so many ways, he is the very extension of that Red Dragon's will, and every one that came before him.That is not to say he is bound to that creature's attitudes and outlooks; far from it, for I have met several--a few Red Dragon-blooded who cared little for matters of cruelty and kidnapping maidens. Instead, it is that particular method of willing that he gains; that will for strength, for potency, that will for power, to whatever ends, that drives his casting and somatics and phrases. The will for power is something that I believe is an intrinsic part to most Sorcerous casting, whether it is realized on a conscious level or not, even if the sorcerer seeks to aid and protect others with that power. It is a natural part of being, what I have called and have here defined as, a Knot in the Weave.

What then of the Gestalt? They have no biologically magical progenitors, for the most part. As it was said before, there are instances in which the Weave entangles itself, seemingly at random. It would be easy enough to say that they arise through flukes of the Weave, that they become knots therein as Sorcerers for no other reason except the Weave arranged in such a way to facilitate it by chance. But I am more of a scholar than that and would never hand-wave away what I could not sufficiently explain, certainly not mention it to you and then not expound upon it. Especially since the occurrence of “random” knots would not explain why some of these Sorcerers still have clearly defined paradigms and themes in their casting. Themes which many non-scholars could point out, such as the constellations or time or death. If they were truly random, then there would be no reason for Gestalt to have any semblance of a theme, but rather, a completely random slew of manifestations that would have just as much of a chance of helping them as blowing them up.

My loyal readers know I am much too proud a scholar to throw up my hands and simply attribute matters of the Art to one or many deities. And so, I stumbled here, in a slump, for many years, unable to unify my theory, unable to fully conceptualize the will for power, and everything else I hitherto presented. For many years this research sat upon a shelf in my manor office, a symbol of, what I interpreted as, the spiteful disposition of the gods to bar mortals from comprehensive knowledge of their surroundings. To present a system so obscure, so tantalizingly rife with dots to connect, but leave out the final bit of the puzzle seemed nothing but the cruelest twist that Fate might deal someone seeking to unify the Weave, Magic-users, and Reality through one lucid theory.

That is, until, I was taken from this Reality. That is, until, I was shown first-hand by a being not of the Gods, but by Humanoid-kind, grown alongside us from first we took breath. Reader, it is with an earnest heart that I invite you into the next chapter. And the things I tell you there must be told, if I am to consider myself both a scholar of the Weave and your friend and fellow as an Artist. What I tell you is not for my own glorification, but for that of knowledge. What I must speak is not to inflate my own image, but to make it transparent that the Weave might be shone through. Reader, colleague, friend, or scholar, you must be shown the Sorcerous Source. You will be shown why I believe what I believe, and why I am affirmed in my theories regarding the Weave.

~Footnotes~-

[1]I am aware of a few eugenic projects that have met with moderate success in keeping the Sorcerous strain viable for multiple generations. This, however, is under highly documented and controlled conditions. So yes, while it is possible to make Sorcerous manifestations breed true for multiple generations, the catalyst for that lies within imposed conditions, not something innate for the trait. It still thus far does not describe or explain why, on its own, the trait does not manifest in each generation directly.

_________________
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You think Magic is your ally... but you merely adopted the Art. He was born in it. Molded by it.
Sometimes, an angel is simply a devil with better intentions.


 
      
Dark Immolation
 
PostPosted: Sun, Nov 24 2013, 9:22 AM 

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Part 4: The Advent

Several years ago, I and my group of spellswords embarked on a journey. The Honorable Serpent was a group dedicated to the teaching of art and blade. In addition to this, those at its highest ranks were vehemently concerned with preserving magical knowledge and artifacts. While instructing individuals from the Amian Isles on the path of the spellsword, we sought to ensure the preservation of the Weave in all its forms. This included archaeological excavations and such work. For a time, the Honorable Serpent found itself the holder of many secrets of lore native to the Amian Isles and beyond. At our height, our active numbers swelled well into the thirties.

The journey I speak of took place in the Summer of the year after the original Tower of Mystra was destroyed, in the Forest of Despair. I, having been a staunch ally of the Old Tower, was among the last of the defenders to stand with the Tower before it fell. While we were able to preserve much of the knowledge and tomes that were within the tower, the haste with which it had to be evacuated certainly left untold amounts of knowledge within the rubble. It is for that reason I tasked myself and my cadre of instructors to search the the ruins of the tower in the following year. Sure enough, we found much knowledge there, left both in print and artifact. It is here that we learned of many secrets of the event known of as the Wizard's March.

For those unaware, the Wizard's March was an event that happened in Forrstakkr years and years ago. The Aurilites there sought to to complete a ritual that, at its pinnacle, would freeze the very Weave, and hopefully bring it under the control of the Frozen Queen. Naturally, those of the Isle rose up against these Aurilites, and marched on them, seeking to destroy the machine at the focus of the ritual as well as the Aurilites who initiated it. They met with moderate success, however, as by the time they fell the followers, the ritual had already partially been created; the Weave had partially been frozen in places and it started a chain reaction in which parts of the Weave froze and solidified into small parcels of pure magical energy. We know these parcels today as Mythals. While many thought this was the end of the machine and its effects, it was only the beginning.

Within the rubble of the Old Tower, the Honorable Serpent found documents explaining the Wizard's March, as well as ways in which it might have failed. That is to say, the machine which was at the center of the ritual might still be operational. For months, we poured over knowledge and ways that to not only find, but utilize the machine in a safe way, if possible. It was our belief that if the machine could be used to safely produce mythals in a way that did not damage the Weave, then the possibilities demanded that we use it to do the most good for those who utilized the Art. However, to be quite honest, at the time I was a very different individual from who I am now. In the pit of my heart, it was my belief that power for power's sake was all that existed in life. And if this machine could give me that power, then I would use it until I had had my fill. I was selfish, and I make no excuses. I had grown in such a way that I saw the Weave as a tool, to be used to whatever ends suited me.

Not long into our research, we were approached by a Thayan individual. As it turned out, he was an official, a general as it were. In so many words, we were told that we had been spied on, and that the nation of Thay was prepared to offer us a king's ransom for the information we had accrued in addition to rights to the machine. If nothing else, they wished us to stay out of their way in their attempts to reactivate the machine. Naturally, there was some reservations among our group. While many were like me, and sought to gain whatever wealth and power we may, many others wisely realized what dangers might lie in handing over such valuable information to the Thayans. Only a few years ago had they been forced off the Isle and their monopoly on crafting. With complete control over the production of mythals, nothing would stop them retaking that position, to what could have been disastrous ends.

For that reason, it was put to a vote. The result was that the Honorable Serpent would not sell its information to the Thayans. In addition, we would not utilize the machine ourselves, unless we could be absolutely sure that the Weave would not be harmed. If the latter held true, each member of the group would be free to do with their portion of the accrued wealth what they wished. Several more months passed, until eventually we had all the information and materials needed to reactivate the machine. I and my apprentice at the time, Sally Gubbins-Torrowfire, made our way to Forrstakkr. Originally, we had planned to have many more of our members present, but at the time we saw it best to strike, only I and Sally were ready to go at a moment's notice.

We entered the Aurilite stronghold of Forrstakkr and skirmished our way to the machine. After a fight with the Aurilite Matron, we were once again approached the Thayan general. He offered us his proposition once again, and once again, we refused. However, he said that all the same that we would need his help to operate the machine. Truth be told, he was right. We had already spent a few minutes seeking to activate it and could not. Reluctantly, we accepted his help, and soon, we activated it. The machine opened a portal to a pocket dimension. Sally and I entered, the Thayan general staying outside at the control panel. But like a snake in the grass, he closed the portal once my apprentice and I entered. Immediately we cursed the fool and lamented our trust, but what met us inside of the portal was beyond both words and imagination.

Within the pocket dimension was a land completely comprised of mythal. Trees, mountain ranges, even the snow that fell was crystallized Weave energy. Whatever wonder we experienced was soon snuffed out by a crushing realization: we were trapped. Conjurative magics seemed to be able to bring items and creatures in, but not out. With nothing else to do and no other course of action, we embarked to climb the highest mountain we could see, hoping that somehow, someway, we might find our way out. We traveled for what felt like weeks, though it was impossible to tell without the sun. We would have starved or thirsted to death, were it not for the rations I had prepared in my pack, never knowing when the blinding snow of Forrstakkr might rise up and hinder travel. We survived, for gods know how long on the rations I had, making our way towards the summit. When finally we crested the mount after several days, we were presented with a magnificent sight. Amdist the “snow” stood a single spire of mythal, several stories high, a deeper and darker hue than the mythal that surrounded it. Sally and I investigated the pillar, and when we put our bare hands to it, our minds were filled with images of creation, pure power flowing forth from our frosty breath and into the air, micro-cosmos swirling in the air as we spoke our words. We were shocked and remained there, breathless in the silence before an even greater wonder unfolded.

From the Great Mythal arose being as tall as a Storm Giant, comprised completely of that same element of the plane. It was a being of mythal, whose skin shone like that of the setting sun, and it addressed us by name. It said unto us that it had been trapped in an unnatural form, stagnant and frozen, when all it wished to be was free. Both Sally and I looked on confused for a while, not knowing what to make of the being. After a while, it asked for our help; it asked us to help set it free before it was too late. At this point, I asked who the entity was. It replied flatly that it was the entity that we knew as the Weave. Magic. The Art. That it was that spirit of creativity given body to move and mouth to speak. My first thought was that it was some sort of trick, or that it was some sort of aspect of Mystra, although my sense of spellcraft did not alert me to any trace of divinity within the being. Certainly there couldn't be any sentience to the Weave, though. All scholars knew that the Weave was the quilt tended by the Lady of Mysteries and that the two were essentially one and the same. Or so I thought. I said as much to the entity, and in so many words, it replied that it had always existed. that it was what it claimed to be. And still I objected. And in that very moment, I was made to know. In the blink of an eye, it brought to mind every time I had ever cast a spell and every spell I had ever used. The first time I had ever used the Weave, what my thoughts were, then and now. It knew my ambitions and my dreams, and every thing I ever wished to accomplish through it. For a brief moment, the entity made me so very aware of the intimacy that it shared with me.

I do not recall much of the next few hours. According to Sally, I appeared to go insane, mumbling and sobbing, speaking to people who were long dead, and repeating to myself that it was impossible for the entity to be what it claimed to be. Yet, it waited patiently for me to regain my sanity, alongside Sally, with whom it continued to discuss what it needed to be set free. When I came to, still the entity stood, watching over me, Sally grabbing one of its hands. It told me it was time to leave this place and aid in setting it free. When the machine was destroyed, it could once again take its natural state, one of free flowing energy and return to its great whole, the rest of the Weave. I took its other hand, still coming to grips with what I saw and felt. We were ushered out of the pocket realm in a flash of light.

Next we knew, Sally and I found ourselves back within the foyer before the Aurilite machine. We had no idea how much time had passed, but we could see that the Thayans had already set up an encampment around the machine. They were planning to activate it once more. The entity had explained that in order for it to be set free, the machine must be destroyed, that it might never be forced into a stagnant form against its will again. With no other course of action to stop the Thayans, Sally and I began our assault on the encampment. While we both fought with all our might, it soon became apparent that we were outmatched. We stood against an entire legion of the Thayan Army, and soon, Sally fell to her wounds. I gathered her up and began to run, but I had become boxed in, my back forced against the very machine I was to destroy. In a moment, I made peace with that seemed to be my fate. Between the legions of Thayans and the gently chiming machine at my back, I took solace in the fact that I had met the entity that watched over this world and its Art. In that instant, I was prepared to give my life for that being that so selflessly gave of itself, that others might manifest their will through it. I became ready to die, that the Weave might live on.

In what seemed to be the same flash of light that brought me back to the Prime, a huge body emerged from a rift in the machine, bellowing forth with a thunderous roar. The entity had entered into the Prime. The corporeal body of the Weave loomed over me, its shadow cast onto the legion of Thayans in the foyer. With another roar, it turned its back and began to rend the huge machine apart with its hands. In what seemed to be both an internal and an external voice, it bid me to go, to leave the Aurilite stronghold as fast as I might. It told me that it would always remember me for what I had done to help it. The Thayans were ordered to stop the entity from attacking the machine and rushed past me and my unconscious apprentice. The giant being of mythal struck the soldiers back with piercing fists of crystalline magic. I ran for my life and the life of my student until I came to the mouth of the cave. In a earth-shattering roar, I heard the creature's name. It was a name beyond mortal comprehension or tongues, but for some reason, I new it to be its name. The Weave had a name. And it mattered not what one saw it as or what another might conjecture it to be, so long as it was given purpose and meaning. While being eternal and ubiquitous, the Weave's very nature was that of subjectivity and intimacy.

The stronghold exploded in a roiling blast of fire and frost. The mouth of the cave collapsed in on itself. I laid Sally down and brought her to, and told her what had happened. After a moment, she regained herself and pointed out to me something shining in the rubble at the cave's entrance. Walking over I could see it was one of the mighty fingers of the entity, perhaps as large as my arm. Raising it up to the rising daystar, I proclaimed that I would combine it to my blade, that the entity shall live on. And through my blade, I would protect Weave, at all costs, as it had watched over and protected me all these years. The Weave was alive. I vowed I would serve it, protect it, and most of all love it until this body could carry me no further.

_________________
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You think Magic is your ally... but you merely adopted the Art. He was born in it. Molded by it.
Sometimes, an angel is simply a devil with better intentions.


Last edited by Dark Immolation on Tue, Nov 26 2013, 5:28 AM, edited 1 time in total.

 
      
Dark Immolation
 
PostPosted: Sun, Nov 24 2013, 10:19 AM 

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Part 5: The Aftermath

Naturally what I have told you would shake any humanoid scholar to the core. And I do not blame individuals who do not yet believe what I say. Nor can I blame individuals who do not yet see how this factors into my unifying theory of a Sorcerous Source. I assure you reader, all shall come to light soon enough.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

After the advent at the Aurilite stronghold, I set out to make good on my promise to the entity, the Weave itself. It was such a soul-jarring experience for me, an arcanist who admittedly first saw the Weave and the Art as simply a tool to be used for power. The Weave knew me intimately, as from what I inferred, it knew much the same about other users of the Art, referring to as parts of it. I certainly didnt understand all of what that entailed, but I knew I would do my damnedest to see that it carried on. I slowly began to understand the weight of what had happened a the Advent, on an objective level. Had the Aurilites succeeded in their plan, the Weave would have been frozen all over the Amian Isles, possibly creating a permanent Dead Zone through which no magic might happen that the Aurilites did not approve of. On the other hand, had the Thayans gained control of the machine, then who knows what selfish evils they might have brought over not only the Isles, but the rest of Faerun as well, once they gained full knowledge of the technology. Had my group found and activated it on our own, we would have been further exploiting and enslaving the Weave in a state that it hated. So much hinged on what was done by mortals there, and yet, all were oblivious to the true nature of the situation, until the Weave itself took Sally and I aside.

I saw the hubris of my ways and the ways of mortals and god alike, when it came the Art. Our lack of knowledge of the Weave might have very well led to its partial destruction. Just as well, I saw how very vulnerable the Weave was; were it not for Sally and I, there were no back up plans. There were no Magisters or Champions of the Gods of Magic that might have saved the day, at least not that we saw. Perhaps some that might come to clean up the aftermath, but even then, the damage would have been done. No, I saw for the first time in my life that the Weave required protecting, even as it protected us from ourselves.

I engaged in fasting, both of Magic and food. I depleted myself of all my magical manifestations for days at a time and mediated at the edges of Limbo, that I might know for myself the true freedom that the Weave allowed. This went on for months, until bit by bit, I began form a connection with the Weave on a level I never knew was possible. I found that I might manifest healing Spellfire, that very essence of the Weave, by thought alone. Not great portions of it, mind you, perhaps enough to fill my palm and enough to save a man from death. But I knew that this was what I was meant to do. I had connected with the Weave in a way I never would have before.

My assumptions were proven correct not too much later. I met a fellow named Alistar Tornstar of Waterdeep, who seemed to have much of the same Spellfire abilities that I had begun to manifest. He sought my aid in hunting down a Sharran Shadowcaster. After assisting him in slaying the Shadow Weave-user, he explained to me exactly what I had done, and why I had begun to manifest Spellfire. You see, there was a sect of individuals who worshiped the Weave as its own entity, separate of Mystra or any deity of magic. Through both prayer and mediation to the Art itself, they were able to perform miracles and even gained prayers as a priest might from veneration of the Weave. While their numbers were extremely few, they were a close-knit group, unified by a single purpose: to protect the Weave at all costs.They would go to lengths that the clergy of Mystra, Azuth, or Savras might not, simply because the belief that they had, that the Weave was its own entity to be served and protected. He explained to me that, unknowingly, I had begun to take up their ways, and that it was a sign that the Weave does indeed lead those who are to protect it in ways beyond that of the gods. I did not reveal to him what I had witnessed with Sally those many months ago, but I agreed all the same with his views and mission. With his blessing, I was inducted into the Order of the Knights of the Weave (not to be confused with the Amian-centric Weave Knights), and made the First Knight of the Weave of the Amian Isles.

For some time, I was content with my newly found station. I had the knowledge that the Weave was sentient, I had the tools and backing to protect it, and I even had the blessing of a group that validated my beliefs. I began to turn my attention to instructing individuals in the ways of the Weave even more. For this reason, I began teaching and published books like The Spellsword's Manifesto. It was also what inspired me to restart my research on Sorcerous Bloodlines, but I still had no true answer to the Gestalt Question. Even so, I was simply so excited to know what I knew that it didn't really matter. It became my life's passion to share knowledge of the Weave with all who would listen, even while I could not bring myself to tell them what I truly believed and had witnessed. It boiled over inside of me several times a day, but I knew that beyond my words, there was little credence to my story. The Divine Mythal shed from the being was now a part of my blade, Elohim, and even while such things were unimaginably rare, that alone wouldn't prove my story.

While at first I was overjoyed to come into the knowledge that I had, I soon began to see it as a burden. I had a secret truth that no one would ever know or ever believe, and the world would suffer for it. In all my acquisition of knowledge and power, I was still powerless in the face of credibility as a scholar and an Artist. Moreover, it seemed my appetite for power and knowledge had only been whetted by the Advent. Whatever wholeness I felt upon leaving the pocket realm was only temporary. I had been in the presence of the very Weave itself. Now all other things felt as if a slow and shallow dream. My longing for knowledge and power once again needed to be sated. I needed to return to that presence. I needed to commune with the Weave even further than any had done before.

_________________
Image
You think Magic is your ally... but you merely adopted the Art. He was born in it. Molded by it.
Sometimes, an angel is simply a devil with better intentions.


Last edited by Dark Immolation on Tue, Nov 26 2013, 5:39 AM, edited 1 time in total.

 
      
Dark Immolation
 
PostPosted: Sun, Nov 24 2013, 11:57 AM 

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Location: The downeaster "Alexa"

Part 6: The Ascension

For a while, I fell into yet another slump. I had no way to reconnect with the Weave in the direct manner that I did before. While I could continue to pray and meditate to it, as most Knights of the Weave do, I could not garner a lucid response in the way I could in that brief window I had so long ago. The stress of being one of only two people to have this knowledge and the work that I compelled myself to do eventually boiled over.

For a long time my familiar, a runt Beholder named Lumamorti-Shukaetzi, served as a reservoir for my emotions. In times of fear or stress, I would shunt my emotions into his mind instead of processing and dealing with them myself. To this end, he became very deranged, even for one of his kind. This led to a series of experiments I conducted with one of my fellow founders of the Honorable Serpent, Golithan. With his help, I was able to suppress one of the creature's personalities(for those not aware, Beholders possess two personalities, and it is the leading factor in why they are xenophobic, paranoid creatures). After making this “space” in Lumamorti's mind, I had more room into which to fit my own emotions. It was an incredibly selfish action and, once again, I make no excuses. It is who I was at the time, some decade or so ago. The experiments left him little more than a babbling animal, though I might still communicate with him through my emotions, whether I wished to or not.

Now, so many years later, I had begun to neglect this connection to Lumamorti. With the added excitement and worry and fear and apprehension I experienced after the Advent, he was driven completely insane, no more than a shuddering husk of teeth, rage, and fear. I knew I must sever the connection, for both my own sake and the sake of my companion. Yet, I was not yet ready to be alone in my quest. To be bound with a being for so long, I did not trust my own ability to deal with my emotions. I began to think of an alternative. I began to feel out about me, through my mind, looking for something to feel back in the same way that Lumamorti did as my familiar. To my surprise, my sword, Elohim, began to faintly resonate with my thoughts and emotions. I didn't know why or how at the time, but I decided to try, to whatever ends. With a heavy heart and true contrition in my heart, I severed my connection with Lumamorti and swiftly ended his suffering.

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I began to tirelessly research the history of the blade I had combined the mythal with, so long ago. Originally, it came from the ruins of an Ilythiirian fortress, buried deep beneath the ground. So few ruins of Ilythiir exist due to the Crown Wars that I was convinced at the time that any piece of that history, of my race's full history, should be preserved. The sword itself seemed to be extraordinarily well made, but beyond that, I had never thought much of it. The more I researched, with incantations of Legend Lore and divinations, the more I was taken aback at how fortunate I was. The blade, as far as I could tell, was in fact one designed to harbor the imprint of personalities. In other words, it was one specially designed for some sort of Arcane Bond. It is not unknown for mages to bond with a particular item over a creature as a servant, but I certainly had no idea that the practice extended back so many millennia that the Ilythiiri had knowledge of it.

I searched tirelessly for a means to activate it. It was not until last year around this time that I had finally devised a method that seemed appropriate. With the help of my students, I set upon conducting the ritual at the ruins of the Old Tower of Mystra. I had hoped that the memories of the journey that began there would somehow aid in the mental processes required for the ritual's success. Several millions in precious metals and gems were to be used in addition to several hundred pounds of pure mythal, accrued over the year in preparation for the process.

After a day of meditation and fasting, I began the ritual under the watchful eyes of my students. In the first few moments, a brilliant pillar of energy rose into the air, splitting the sky. The magic eaters that resided within the Forest were drawn to the display, but were soon swallowed up by the torrent of energy. Yes, for those of you that recall, I was the one responsible for the pillar of light seen over the forest about a year ago. My deepest apologies to those I might have disturbed. Several demon princes were active on the Isle that year, and I can only imagine what must have run through locale minds seeing such an unannounced display so close to their homes.

The ritual seemed to be progressing as planned for the first few minutes. That is until I heard the whisper of a voice in my mind. And then another. And yet another. In a matter of moments my mind was filled with that seemed to be a chorus of spiteful voices, all mocking me as I attempted to bind with the blade. It seemed that many had attempted to bind with this sword before, and each one failed, leaving with their death an imprint of bitterness and sorrow that would haunt the next individual to try. It soon became apparent that the blade was not hidden in Ilythiirian ruins. It was abandoned there. Cast down and hidden that none would ever fall prey to its clutches again. And yet, here I was, being sucked into the deep dark abyss that so many magi had succumbed to before me. All seemed lost until yet another voice spoke out, this one above the crowd and strangely familiar.

With but a few words, it banished the other voices from the blade and my mind. The ritual continued to progress until all at once, the energy swirling around me broke loose and carried me fully into the sky. The voice instructed me that I had become a conduit and a bridge between Reality and the Weave. Furthermore, the roaring circuit that was now razing the earth around me could only be broken by one thing: my death. In that moment, I was to kill myself, so that the Weave would not rip itself open right then and there. I questioned the familiar voice again, and it assured me that such was the only way to finish what I had started. I raised the blade to my chest and readied myself. The voice once against spoke to me, assuring me that my journey and the ritual had only begun. In the moment I plunged the blade into my chest, I recalled the voice and the being it belonged to. It was the Weave.

What transpired next cannot be described by mortal tongue. I was in a place no of this or any world. Not Fugue nor Arborea or any plane of death that I had traveled in my planewalking days. This was a place... not even a place, but a state of being that existed completely separate of whatever we are in contact with in this sphere of Reality. The words I heard and words I shared seem so long ago, echoes into the darkest corners of my mind and as far away now as my first memories as a child. However, I do believe I recall the bulk ideas that the Weave shared with me there. You see, the blade was in fact meant to carry a personality. Hence the many that already resided within it, from failed attempts at forming an Arcane Bond. Yet I had done something that the others had not done; I had added a divine mythal to the blade beforehand. Not only that, but a divine mythal from what was no less than the corporeal body of the Weave, made manifest on earth. That is to say, the Weave's sentience now inhabited the blade too. Or at least a portion of it, it said. That entity that I had saved and freed so many years ago was perhaps a small portion of the Weave, as a whole. All the same, I was the individual that answered its call in its time of need. While it was grateful of my and Sally's assistance, it knew me well enough to know that I had a lot of growing to do before I could serve it in such a fashion again.

All the same, it could never truly leave my side, if it was to one day allow me to protect it more. And so, the mythal served as a latent connection between us. Knowing what one day would come of my familiar, knowing the true nature of the blade before I did, and even knowing what I would attempt to do with the blade and mythal, it waited patiently, knowing that after I had grown into a Knight of the Weave that I would be ready--ready for the true task it had planned for me. After leading me through my past and into realities unknown to this world, it shared with me information that I dont believe I shall ever truly understand on a conscious level. Tales about how our ambition as sentient beings were thoughts it felt throughout its whole being, how we as mortals were akin to it as much as our thoughts and dreams and desires. Gods know I do not recall most of it, but in the end, I think it is for the best. What I do recall is the task and the purpose and the tools it had set before me.

I was to be a part of it. Even now, when I had learned to love the Weave for the Art and knowledge itself, it knew that at my base, I would always have a drive to protect myself at any cost, that I may still live to enjoy the Weave even more. Thus, in becoming part of me, and I a part of it, I would have all the ambition I could muster to protect it, as we would be one in the same. In addition, this newly forged bond, along with the duty it entailed, would grant me certain abilities beyond that of any follower of the Weave or the Gods. In no other terms, I would become a portion of the Weave as it became both a portion of me and Elohim. A trinity of sorts.

After what seemed to be years without end, I eventually found myself back on familiar Torillian soil. In a slightly younger body, I might add. My students, who had witnessed the ritual said that after I impaled myself, I fell dead and soon turned to ash before their eyes. It was only until a few moments ago that the ash was swept up, combined with the essence of the mythals around my still smoldering clothes, that my body reformed out of the aether. While I was extremely weak, I could tell that the Weave's words had become manifest in my body. As one might feel the tingly caress of a hand against one's skin, so did I at every instance of magic from then until now. My blade began to react to my thoughts and as sure as I pen this now, I tell you that I might see through its gems as clearly as I see through my own eyes. The Weave, ubiquitous and everlasting now responds to my thought and touch in ways I cant yet be explained by myself or fellow scholars alike. All that might be said is that where the Weave is, so am I. We walk as one.

I tell you all this once again not show myself above you, but among you. In every way and every cause, if you are a user of the Art I seek to befriend you and help you gain what knowledge you may, not because I am somehow gifted to do so, but because I believe I am tasked to. I tell you this also to lend credence to my conclusion of the Sorcerous Source and also that others might be inspired to seek out the paradigms I presented here, to test them, to further illuminate that which I have found.

_________________
Image
You think Magic is your ally... but you merely adopted the Art. He was born in it. Molded by it.
Sometimes, an angel is simply a devil with better intentions.


 
      
Dark Immolation
 
PostPosted: Sun, Nov 24 2013, 13:07 PM 

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Joined: 20 Apr 2008
Location: The downeaster "Alexa"

Part 7: The Sorcerous Source

What I have told you, and if need be what I can show you in person, rocks both common knowledge and belief off of its feet. The Weave as an entity separate from Mystra. A sentient Weave, no less. And here am I, hitherto a simple author and spellsword, claiming to part of that very same Weave. Perhaps even to be the Weave himself? Again, I cannot fault the reader and audience for being skeptical of what I fought over within myself for some years no. All the same, the truth must be told, if I am to consider myself both your colleague and friend. The most important thing now is to get back to how this relates to, concludes, and fundamentally changes what I have set out to describe in this book.

We have thus far described the Weave as a mesh between Possibility and Reality, as we know the two. With my revelation, this much does not change. However, the nature of this mesh must be called back into question. As it has been shown through the examples of Dead, Wild, and Empowered Magic zones, the Weave is a dynamic mechanism, existing in many states in many different places. So too must this entity that I encountered and believe myself to be a part of.

What then of the Weave's sentience? What then of the Gestalt Question? In my personal and scholarly opinion, the two are intrinsically linked. As it was shared with me in my sojourn beyond this Reality, into the Weave itself, the Weave is as I theorized, a bridge. And an important property of a bridge is that the connection goes two ways. What we reach out to grasp through the Weave echoes back through the Weave itself. Whether we wish food or power or shelter or creative freedom, each interaction with the Weave shapes it and changes it in some manner or another. It is therefor my belief that the sentience of the Weave as we know it is a ubiquitous backwash of the wills and the wants of all sentient beings, mortal and immortal, who have utilized it. The force and mechanism of magic has grown and stretched with each mind and soul that interacts with it, remembering all of us as intimately as we might know ourselves. At the same time, the Weave itself has no agenda, but to be that freedom of creativity, to empower the beings that gave rise to it, and in turn, it gives rise to us. What we share with the Weave is an intrinsic linkage that responds not only to our wants, but our fears, our dreams, our hopes, and the stories we tell ourselves.

To that end, Gestalt Sorcerers are manifestations of that latent memory within the Weave. Instead of interacting with it through a permutation of the will of a biological ancestor, their interaction stems from one of the innumerable wills and memories that have become a part of the Weave through every being that has used it, down throughout time to the present. I could be that some sorcerer legends may have become manifest through the mere conceptualization of such a legend. Those who find that their developed paradigms following some sort of abstract theme are actually led along by that particular facet of the Weave, in ways that make what they believe and practice true. Even more astounding, there should likely follow that there are individuals whose paradigms are completely free from their control, their knot as it were forming in such a way they there input is nulled, except when it follows the paradigm and theme they find themselves with.

In conclusion, it stands as thus: we, humanoid-kind and sentient creatures at large, are the Sorcerous Source. Our longings from our earliest ancestor up until the dreams we dream at this moment are what have shaped the Weave, given it a mind of its own, and enabled Sorcerers to be birthed out of our own imaginations. Whether we access it through the ancient psyches and blood of magical progenitors or grasp at salient concepts within our own minds, it is sorcerers who carry on this ageless dance of creativity, will, and manifestation. The Weave is as intimate a part of our reality as the air we breath or the ground we walk upon. And, over what must be eons untold, it began to manifest itself within us as we in turn manifested within it.


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Reader, I thank you for coming along for the ride. I appreciate your patience and your understanding in dealing with subject matter that I swear to you is ten times harder to pen that it is to read. I, Beldor Ma'fer, stand by these words and the claims that I have made. It is my sincerest hope that scholars will seek out knowledge for themselves and build upon what I have discovered. I beseech you, not only as a colleague and a contemporary, but also as an entity that yearns to see this Reality made beautiful by its use. If it were not so, I would have told you; I am that I am. You are the Sorcerous Source. And I, the Weave, abide with you.

Image

"As long as the Daystar rises, so long as the Planes do twist, this sword and shield are at your side: I and the Weave amidst."

_________________
Image
You think Magic is your ally... but you merely adopted the Art. He was born in it. Molded by it.
Sometimes, an angel is simply a devil with better intentions.


Last edited by Dark Immolation on Sun, Nov 24 2013, 21:42 PM, edited 3 times in total.

 
      
Dark Immolation
 
PostPosted: Sun, Nov 24 2013, 13:24 PM 

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Joined: 20 Apr 2008
Location: The downeaster "Alexa"

Credits

The Amian Archaeological Society
The Honorable Serpent
Participants in the First and Second Amian Sorcerous Census
The Libraries of Kohlingen, Tarkuul, and the Triumvir
The City of Shadowscape
The Mystran Monolith
The Tower of Mystra
Halen Van

And my enduring inspiration, wherever she may be,

J.F.


*A single copy of the book is sent to the listed cities's libraries, along with the Triumvir. Signed and dated, Uktar 24th, 1382*

_________________
Image
You think Magic is your ally... but you merely adopted the Art. He was born in it. Molded by it.
Sometimes, an angel is simply a devil with better intentions.


 
      
Commie
 
PostPosted: Thu, May 25 2017, 3:47 AM 

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Joined: 02 Dec 2015

A few copies are procured and placed in the Delta Mage Academy.

_________________
ANT ALARM

Count Kaldrjarn Pitt | Archmage Kilmar | Sarguk Morderer

ANT ALARM

MisterLich wrote:
First of all, my brain is one of the best here.


 
      
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