[open] december will be magic again

[kingsroads]

Who: everyone!
When: the evening of D15
Where: A small meeting hall on the moon, close to the portal to the carnival
What: a whole bunch of show-offs meet up to show off their magic, people interested in magic come to learn about said magic, and other people show up to see if something inevitably gets set on fire. (aka mage club)
Warnings: none so far, will edit if needed.

The meeting hall is a large open space, with hardwood floors and a rustic decor. A few chairs and tables are scattered around, though there aren't enough for the amount of people who'll hopefully show up. Some food has been set out: mostly finger foods (tiny sandwiches, fruit, veggies & dip) though there are some savory options and plenty of home-baked cookies, courtesy of Rin. Drink wise, there's water, hot chocolate, hot tea, and a few bottles of wine because tipsy magic sounds like an awesome idea and this is what happens when the alcoholic makes the dinner menu. Aside from the food table and the few tables, there's not much of anything in the room: plenty of open space for showing off or getting out of the way of someone who wants to show off.

One of the doors of the meeting hall leads to the outside. There's a wider, 'backyard' sort of area with plenty of room for people to cast magic as large and impressive as they want. A fire pit stands outside also for warming your hands and other fire-based magic. Please don't set the building on fire.

This is all very informal. If pressed for details, Strange would have told anyone to just come whenever, stay as long as you like, and so on and so forth. The emphasis is on learning about each other's magic, displaying one's skills and talents, and helping anyone who wished to learn magic decide on a path for them to take.

Showing off is just a given.

( ooc: This is an open mingle log! Feel free to make your own top-levels & tag around! )

Comments

[anti_nonsense]

All right, here goes. The energy conversion formula is an Aspian secret, but to put it generally... I'll draw power from spirits of earth and fire... and the rest of the process is much the same.

[She takes a spellcasting stance, and like before, she begins a chant.]

O countless particles that wander the heavens, rain down and glorify the land... Meteor Storm!

[A magic circle appears at her feet, like before. There would seem to be little difference... only the jewel on her neck shows no glint of magic activity, and the power she gathers may seem dense compared to what she used previously.]

[The spell activates, and burning rocks rain from the sky, crashing into the ground and leaving smoking craters in their wake.]

[lonesomewanderer]

[ Young she might be, but the way she speaks says she has had a great deal of learning in the field. Drawing on the power of spirits is a familiar concept for him, he does it often particularly when healing to strengthen it, and watches intently.

He notes that her blastia does appear inactive and his lips curve in the faintest of amused smiles as he watches the controlled meteor shower before them. ]

Do all your spells require incantations? [ Or was that part of the show? ]

[anti_nonsense]

Generally, yes. The stronger the spell, the longer it takes to cast. [The two spells she displayed here were both on the stronger side, though neither incantation exceeded ten seconds.] There are ways to shorten the incantation and the casting time, though. In combat, every second counts.

[lonesomewanderer]

Yes, which is why I asked. With the stance and incantation required, you draw unneeded attention to your spell casting. [ What with the vocal component and the glowing circle that seemed to appear beneath her feet. ] Would it not be easy to interrupt in combat?

[anti_nonsense]

Unfortunately, yes. [There's no mincing words about it: that's the one drawback to relying on magic for combat. The good news is that because it's such a common problem, she has a number of ways to deal with it.]

That's why I usually stick to quick and easy fireballs when my enemies are already close enough to strike. To pull off spells like these, I'd need a good amount of distance, or some allies keeping the enemy occupied while I cast... or I can use levitation to stay out of danger for a while.

[lonesomewanderer]

[ Ah, reasonable. It was refreshing to speak with someone with reasonable expectations for their magic. Don't mind him as he walks through some potential situations-- ]

Levitation? Does that form the casting circle on the ground beneath you still? I could see that being a risk for those wishing to interrupt you if disturbing that would threaten your casting.

[anti_nonsense]

[Fortunately, Rita doesn't mind elaborating, even if this is a discussion of her weaknesses. In a way, she doesn't consider it her weakness, when it's an issue that all mages in her world face, and she tends to be better-equipped to deal with it than most.] Levitation itself doesn't form a circle. If I cast while levitating, the circle appears around my feet, not on the ground. As for disrupting the spell... the circle's only a visual manifestation of the formula. The formula itself still works if the circle's disturbed.

The only ways to disrupt a spell are to attack me directly, or to disrupt the energy I'm channeling.

[lonesomewanderer]

[ He nods, understanding. ] Yours operate similarly to ours then. We do not have the same visual cues, however.

[ No formulas that appeared at their feet though some casters did prefer to be flashy with their casting. Needlessly so, in his opinion. ]

How high are you able to levitate?

[anti_nonsense]

[There's a slight change in her expression, a hint of mild discomfort at the question.]

Well... I haven't really tested the limits of it, but I usually stick to about three meters.

The technique can also provide a safety cushion while flying. [She glances briefly over her shoulders, and her wings give a slight twitch.]

[lonesomewanderer]

[ He notices the twitch when he follows her gaze. That was something she had gained here, if he recalled correctly. ]

It sounds as if there is a story to tell.

[ And his tone is an open invitation for her to share it. ]

[anti_nonsense]

[Immediately, a defensiveness surfaces that wasn't there before.]

N, no, not really.

I'm just saying... generally speaking, it's useful, say, if someone attacks me while I'm in the air, or if something throws off my balance.

[Not like that exact thing happened recently, or anything.]

[And it's certainly not like she's always been kind of scared of heights, or anything. That would be absurd, especially for a girl with wings.]

[lonesomewanderer]

[ Uh huh, he's not buying it Rita. But he will play along, somewhat. ]

Speaking generally, would this have happened in a fight during one of the carnival's visits to another world? Or among those at the carnival?

[ He's heard of some of the difficulties the carnival has faced in fighting other fae. Tied with the suspicion that there may be those working here he should watch out for, he's curious as to who made Rita test this part of her magic out. ]

[anti_nonsense]

I-it doesn't matter, does it? Just forget it.

[Rita might be glaring a bit. She's a little sore about it.]

Anyway, I've said plenty about my abilities. Isn't it about time you told me about yours?

[lonesomewanderer]

[ The glare is meant with a faint, amused smile. ]

Fair enough, [ he replies. ] I specialize in restoration and ice magic. My knowledge is centered around the spirits of our world. A topic I believe you expressed interest in before.

[ In her quest to unleash spirits unto her own world. It was a goal he could get behind. ]

[anti_nonsense]

That's right. [Rita folds her arms, the tension in her expression easing as the subject shifts to Solas.]

How do you use that power? Can you show me?

[lonesomewanderer]

I draw on the energies around me, [ he explains for that is easiest when he is in a place with no Fade. Thankfully magic was in abundance.

His casting stance is simple and there's a brief, faint glow to his eyes as he causes snow to flurry around them. Simple, but fitting. ] A full blizzard would be ill-placed here.

[anti_nonsense]

[Rita watches intently, her gaze following not just his stance and the spell's visible effects, but the less perceptible ways the magic manifests and moves. With her heightened magic perception, she can see, to some extent, how the energy used differs from the other systems of magic she's familiar with... and how it's similar, in some ways.]

Hmm... So you're not just all talk. [Rude as that is, she sounds pleased as she watches the snow dance and fall in the air.] So once you draw that energy, you channel it directly through your body... is that right?

[lonesomewanderer]

[ He holds out his palm to let a small, magically-crafted flurry deposit snow there before blowing it gently off. This was an element he held a close fondness to and he enjoyed watching it move. ]

That is correct, [ he answers with a slight nod. ] Others prefer flashier styles of channeling, but I find it more useful to make myself less of a target while casting.

[anti_nonsense]

[A frown crosses Rita's face as she wonders if his talk of being less of a target might be an indirect diss on her casting style... but she lets it slide for now.]

There's more than one way to do it, then. Interesting... Blastia magic isn't that flexible. [And they've yet to determine how versatile spirit magic may be... Seems she can expect some interesting discoveries to surface as research advances and their understanding deepens.]

Is your restoration magic used in a similar way?

[lonesomewanderer]

[ Only slightly, she cannot help how her magic operates, after all. Or so he assumes from what she has told him. It's more a jab at others from his world that he's seen preferring 'style' over function. ]

There are various casting styles Mages of Thedas are typically taught in controlled areas. Their techniques vary by nation and culture of their educators. [ Something he thought was limiting and constraining. ]

It does, yes. I would offer to demonstrate, but I imagine there will be chances for that in the future. I have been assigned to duties as a healer.

[anti_nonsense]

[Cultural differences in magic... interesting. In Rita's world, Aspio has a near-monopoly on magic research, and as useful as it is to pool resources like that, she has to wonder if the practice of magic would be similarly varied had it developed simultaneously in different locations.]

[But putting that thought aside from now...]

A healer? Good. The pipsqueak's had a lot on his plate lately, especially after our latest disaster.

[By 'the pipsqueak', she means Steven.]

[lonesomewanderer]

I am still meeting those here. [ Including his fellow healers, wherever they might be on the moon. ] Of those I have, none have squeaked.

[ And those final words are said with some amusement and a raised brow, welcoming Rita to share more. He has not heard much of the others who will be working medical emergencies nor all the details regarding the disasters to befall the carnival. ]

[anti_nonsense]

Uh... [Was that a joke? Rita looks unsure.]

[Well, she might as well clarify.] I'm talking about Steven, the runt who works at the medical tent. Up until recently, he was about the only one around here with healing powers.

[lonesomewanderer]

They were having a child act as the primary healer for the entire carnival? [ he asks, brow raised.

He's not saying this is an awful decision, but... It's an awful decision. Particularly if they wander into such dangerous places as Cole implied. ]

[anti_nonsense]

Well... there was also some kind of... talking horse? For a while?

[She just gives a big shrug. It doesn't make much sense to her, either.] At any rate, without any other healers employed here, Steven's abilities were all we had to rely on... which isn't the worst, to be honest. He's more talented than he looks. [It's a backhanded compliment, but a compliment nonetheless.]