lostcarnival | [Closed]

Who: Syrlya, Strange, Lavellan
When: Day 36
Where: The training grounds
What: Three mages nerding about magic and also playing with a dangerous magical conduit.
Warnings: Something might get blown up.

With the competitions winding down and the apparent ease of the Olympics, there's some time for Syrlya to spend doing what he really signed on for--testing magic to find a solution for his own world, and he's got the Bloodstone to do it. It's something he knows Strange has wanted to see so, after some personal, careful deliberation he calls him up to invite him along to the open training area one afternoon to see it in action.

And although he didn't tell Lavellan specifically about it before, they did have a lengthy discussion about magic and he thinks she'll appreciate the chance to learn. Also, he'd like to have some assistance because he doesn't completely trust this rock in Strange's hands.

He's using one of the training dummies as a resting pole as he waits, Bloodstone, pen, and paper in hand. ARe the last two just confiscated from Strange's desk? Possibly, but they share a trailer so it's okay.

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That her blade draws the most attention isn't a surprise to her, and she holds it out for both of them to look at. "Within the hilt is a spirit, willingly bound to it. It creates the blade when I will it to." Again with the willpower. It was the hallmark of magic users in her world, after all. Those that couldn't muster the will to handle magic ended up dead or Tranquil, as horrible as it sounded.

"It's the remnants of a technique used by the ancient elves of Thedas, called the dirth'ena enasalin. Spirit warriors, who used magic to increase their physical abilities to fight with weapons rather than simply relying on magic."

Strange can't help it: as soon as she says the word 'bound', something lights up behind his eyes. Willingly bound...he could do something like that. Couldn't he? Not that Syrlya or Lavellan know the specifics (and they certainly WON'T know the specifics, that blood magic quill he got for Solstice is probably something that they'll fuss at him about) but the gears in his head are already turning.

"Dirth'ena enasalin," he murmurs, absolutely mangling the Elvish in the process. And then, in full voice, he asks, "How does one bind a spirit in Thedas? The binding magic I know of is imprecise, something that could easily be broken or could not bind the spirit to something so static."

He's focusing his attention still on the sword hilt, still staring at it as if that will somehow cause the blade to precisely reveal it's inner workings.

Syrlya does lean in to inspect it more closely this time, hold his hand out in silent permission to take the hilt and give it a more thorough review. "Is it inscriptions?"

He's not expert in spirit magic--it's different manipulating an element than trying to work alongside what is s sentient form of energy. But he knows enough that if you wanted to unite a spirit with a physical object... "At least, in Tyria you would use etchings that maintain the spell even without direct involvement, thereby keeping the spirit in place or--whatever else you wished to bind."

He glances aside to Lavellan. "Is it a spirit of a similar nature to Cole, or something else?"

"It depends -- binding something like a spirit against its will is far more involved than asking one to remain in a sword. But yes, there's some sort of enchantment laid down first, depending on what you want with the spirit and what you intend to do." She would never bind one against its will, as should be obvious. At his question, she shakes her head.

How to explain Cole -- "Cole is... different. The spirit bound does not have an attachment to a physical form, and is... diminished, before the binding." It's the best way she can put it, and givs them both a shrug as she hands it over to Syrlya.

Thankfully, Strange knows enough about Cole that he gets what Syrlya and Lavellan are talking about. They haven't talked much (gee, wonder why the spirit with a thing against being bound doesn't like the guy who's aokay with blood contracts) but it's a small carnival, you can't ignore people.

Still, all of this is intensely interesting. Asking one to remain in a sword? Spirits without physical form? This is like catnip to Strange as he takes all the information in. Already, more questions are jumping into his mind.

"What about you?" Strange asks, as he looks over at Syrlya. "My world doesn't have things like Lavellan's spirits—though I assume talking to the trees could be seen as a primitive form of that sort of communication. Does your world have spirits?"

Syrlya turns the hilt slowly as he inspects it much more closely. 'Diminished', he assumes, means it's a weaker or less sapient spirit. Perhaps one closer to an elemental than Cole. Which makes enough sense, given Cole's reverence for her.

"Yes. There are natural spirits, part of the essence of Tyria itself. And then there are the spirits of the dead. Some linger, some are simply powerful enough to be called to or cross over to."

He furrows his brow, turning slightly from the two of them and holding the hilt out in form--wondering if he can beckon the spirit out himself, if it'll respond to his desires to materialize.

"You would bind or communicate with them in a similar manner, and it is easier if they are willing." He tilts his head sideways in confirmation to Lavellan's words.

It does not, but then again it took training before she was able to -- there's no shame in not being able to. She shoots Syrlya an encouraging look to try again before refocusing on the conversation at hand. "There are no spirits of the dead in Thedas. Well --" She frowns, thinking. "Sometimes a spirit might imprint upon someone recently dead and take their shape, but a person crosses over the Veil and into the Fade after death."

That much everyone agrees upon, at least.

"Is it not something relatively common?" It wasn't really in Thedas, either, but it just depended on where one went. Lavellan's curious to know if it's the same.

"Not in my world," Strange explains, with a shake of his head. "I've only encountered one spirit of the dead and that was one I had to directly summon."

Souls could be brought over from the realm of the dead to the living via necromancy but there's no way in hell Strange is bringing that up to Syrlya or Lavellan at the moment. Instead, he stares off into space, obviously lost in thought somewhat.

No spirits of the dead, no spirits like Cole, only a handful of magicians, they haven't figured out the magical flaws yet...Strange knows his world's magic is fairly new: after all, it's only just been restored. But there are moments like this where it's all way too apparent that the magic of Strange's world is new and he feels annoyingly inadequate.

Syrlya isn't too disappointed when it doesn't work. He's definitely not the spirit master, and he's generally had the help of others when he's needed to contact them... or dealt with those with enough sense of self to make their own deals.

But he looks up, because a spirit adopting the identity of the dead is something Tyria doesn't experience. Spirits of nature and ghosts were two very different entities, and he raises a brow.

"Really, not a one ever lingers? Can the realm of your dead be reached at all?"

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in which i make shit up

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