voidtreckernet | [Nebula 3, morning] Nothing ventured...

[Normally Zelgadis keeps the camera off when using the ICP. Today he's not doing so.]

Since missions seem to come around every month, I wanted to get this out of the way before we end up on some strange new place, but after the train picked up new passengers.

I want to talk magic. And I don't mean everyone's weird powers, but the sort where you learn and cast spells. Because it occurs to me that it might be possible for one person to replicate another world's spells using their own magical framework. Well, not impossible. Worth testing.

If that's interesting to you, I'll be in the library for most of today, but I can hear the ICP. Might help to hash out the theory before we experiment.

[Zelgadis looks like he's about to end the message, and hesitates a moment.]

Also, it might be worth discussing what limits there are on magic. I know what sorcerers in my world consider difficult problems, but not if those are universal.

[another hesitation]

I have a particular interest in magic used to transform. It's not something I've had much luck with in my own world.

[This time he does end the message posting. He doesn't want to publicly ask straight out. Well, not yet. He's not feeling desperate yet. But he has to know, and if this also turns out something everyone finds useful, so much the better.]

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Transformation magic happens to be my specialty. I can meet you in the library, if you'd like?

Yes. Thank you.

[Zelgadis is sitting in the library's lower floor, mostly skimming the random selection of books without really reading any of them, but he does see Caleb approach.]

What falls under transformation magic? In terms of what you can cast it on.

[It's not exactly hard to find Zelgadis, given how visually distinct he is, and Caleb walks over.]

Transmuting one substance to another and transmuting people into other things. Anything that involves changing the physical properties of something tends to fall under that school. There are other spells that are more... edge cases, but traditionally that is the core of a transmutation wizard's arsenal.

I might be interested. I can use magic that is cast so if you need someone who you need to learn from, I can try. Might not be a good teacher at all, but I am curious if it's possible to.

[She doesn't know what will happen but if she can help in anyway she was going to help.]

I am a sorcerer, so I can cast spells of my own, so I'd be happy to trade. What sorts of spells do you know?

While transmutative magics are not my specialty, I am well versed in them as well as a number of other magics. I am always open to speaking of and learning the differences in similar but respectively unique magical arts.

Perhaps even testing the possibility of exchanging spells.

Mostly elemental and some healing. If you want which exact elements it's Water, Thunder, Wind and Fire.

'Sup. How's the magic learning going?

[ Hi, Zelgadis, look who's appeared: the water-tricks troublemaker. He's a friendly smile as he approaches where the guy is in the library. ]

People?

[That caught Zelgadis's interest clearly, as he's now giving Caleb a very intent look. The sort a starving man gives to a farmer.]

What kinds of things? Other... other species?

Sounds like what my world calls white magic and shamanism. I mostly practice the latter, so we overlap.

I'd be interested in exchanging spells. What is your specialty, if you don't mind me asking? Mine is what we call shamanism. Magic using the five elements.

It turns out what I think of as typical magic is a lot more limited than other people.

[which seems to be a good thing]

Oh yeah? So what's your kind? Do you draw in energy, tell something or other to do a thing...?

What my world calls shamanism. We use the power in the five elements to manipulate them. I know a bit of the other sorts as well. Most sorcerers have to specialize a bit.

Ohh. [ ...hmm, so-? ] So... fire's one of them, right? And if someone lit a fire, you could use it?

Fire is easy enough to call up on its own. Heat is everywhere. Air is the same way, and so is electricity. Water and earth are trickier, but there's usually enough water vapor in the air for most water and ice spells. And some ice spells just work by cooling what exists, rather than creating ice.

Ohhh, [ for the second time, ] I get it! I think a guy here used something like that. He told me he dried his clothes by using what's in the air.

... Uh. Something like that. [ It sounds weird repeating it, and not he's not so sure he understood Casper right. But it sounds the same? ]

Where I learned magic, they use the energy already around and turn that into the spell. Doesn't matter what it is. But the woman who helped teach me, Lulu, she knew how to use elements in magic. They call it 'black' magic.

[Zelgadis frowns] That's not what we call black magic. Black magic is something different.

What's it for you?

Calling on the forces of destruction from our world, whether it is a specific being or just in general. It's not evil, per se, but you can't do much with it except destroy things.

Uhhh... yeah, we don't have anything like that. [ ...well. ] I mean, there's summoners, but they just summon. And the one I knew learned healing, protection magic with it. White magic.

[ So, the 'in general' wasn't under the same umbrella. ]

Summoning is its own thing. Most black magic is just drawing some of the power of a being into a spell without bringing the being itself to you. Energy without intent or personality is dangerous enough.

[Given Zelgadis has seen both the Dark Lord Shabranigdo and the spell that calls on his power, he can make a comparison.]

But white magic sounds like it's the same as what we call white magic.

Hmm... it doesn't sound the same, but when they summon in Spira, you're not bringing anyone to you. It's kinda... they had these people in stone, and they prayed to them, and they'd lend them their strength, in the forms of beings called 'aeons'.

[ He's gestured a little, motioning to the side at the speak of 'people in stone', as if gesturing to one there. ]

They're not emotionless, but that sounds kinda like what black magic summoning is for you guys?

[Zelgadis shakes his head] I

t's not even that clear. More like, borrowing a bucket of their power for a spell. It's not my area of specialty, so I couldn't tell you why one spell might call on Chaos Dragon Gaav and a different one calls on Dynast Grausherra, but to a non-spellcaster, it doesn't look that much different than casting a Fireball.

Ja. I can turn myself into a giant owl for instance, in order to ferry people from one place to another. It wears off in an hour, but there is a more... specialized and costly version I have developed that is more permanent.

If that is the sort of thing you were asking about, at least.

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[Nebula 3, morning] Nothing ventured...

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Why didn't you tell me about this, DW?

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DW is a butt sometimes.