A Study Of Magic
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Thoth 4th (cont’d)
I met an entire tribe of Minotaur today. They were much like any tribal society, though they had much more structure, as they were following the ancient Dwarves in many aspects. They had an impressive library, for a race that most ‘civilized peoples’ sees as barbaric and backward. It fit in with how I had seen Xerx’ses, our travel companion, and my brother in faith. He has a keen intellect, and a quick wit (though it has gotten us into trouble before), and knows proper etiquette. When I showed interest in the Dwarven knowledge hidden in the tomes, the librarian questioned it! The old racism is alive, it seems! I explained that to true scholars like us, there is no race or barrier for true knowledge. The bovine was definitely satisfied with that, as he seemed to show me a measure of colleague courtesy after that.
The little Minotaur librarian… well I say little because of how he compares to other Minotaur, he definitely had me by head and shoulders… he handed two books for me to study. I looked at the covers of the aged tomes, and I understood that one had to do with Cancelling Magic, and the other was about Invisibility, but mainly in the context of enchanting weapons and armor with the spells! My proverbial mouth began to water. It wasn’t quite “A study of Talismans:: Enchanting mundane items with ethereal properties” but, it was magic, it was knowledge, and more importantly, it was there for ME to learn. I had forgotten the hunger for knowledge that was lying dormant within me! Truly, it fueled the research I conducted on my own for the Power Leech circle, but it was hidden by my urgency for the circle.
I thanked the librarian profusely, and bid adieu to my companions. I am going to study, as there are things that are going to take a good portion of days ahead of CrIsis, the band of merry men. They won’t miss me for a few days, now, will they?
Thoth 5th
I was asked to speak to the Elders, and they asked me a few questions, though I don’t remember what was said. I am too used to courtly behaviours and etiquette and deference to let my absent-mindedness or impatience show, but I had no need for the elders. I trusted Cava and Xerx’ses to put forth the plight before them – I have much too much to do! I need to master the energies, flows, mysteries, and majesties of the secret dwarven magicks hidden in these books! I know that I am the first of the Guild to have even touched tomes this ancient! Well maybe not, but Dwarven Tomes this ancient, definitely! Magic said to have been lost forever in the purges following the War.
All magic is power, and so is knowledge. You never kill knowledge, you kill its recordings, when you destroy magical tomes, and you kill its conduits when you slaughter scholars. But there will always be someone that rediscovers the knowledge, either through research of obscure tomes such as these, or through simple inspiration, experimentation, and invention. I have found these recordings, though, which will keep me from resorting to hashing through it, blundering like a blind man studying fireworks with a torch.
Tomorrow I have an uninterrupted day of study planned. Perfect!
Thoth 6th
(The journal didn’t have much of an entry on this date, mainly just complex notes on potential, kinetic, and mechanical energies, and whatever “polarized plane wave is incident upon an ideal spherical object or field…” means, with drawings and illustrations. Continues for the 7th and 8th, but stops abruptly on the 8th)
(Thoth 9th and 10th were completely blank, without any entry, which hasn’t happened before in Azariel’s Journal.)
Thoth 11th
Augh! I am so frustrated! I had a butter knife on the table, and had cast a simple charm on it, to stick fast. I used all of my theoretical knowledge and put it into practice. I created the lathe out of magic that the book spoke of, and tried to slice the magical energies keeping the charm active. As it was my own charm, it should have been a simple matter for me, theoretically. The second that the magic touched, there was a blinding flash of light. I felt a pang of hunger, and decided to go outside to grab something to eat, and found I had lost TWO ENTIRE DAYS due to the magic! It teleported me forward exactly two days.
Two days, WASTED!!! I think I will go exercise a bit, and then come back to study Invisibility. I will come back to Cancelling Magical Energies offensively after I master that.
Thoth 12th – 20th
(Complicated notes about invisibility, drawings and sketches, some annotated with ancient dwarven runes, some in Dragonese. They become more and more strained, as the days pass, though the focus does not seem to waver.)
Thoth 21st
I prayed to Thoth today, to kick off the Festival of Thoth, and offered my thanks to him in the pursuit of knowledge. That’s when it hit me! This is Thoth’s Month, and I have been Studying, and I haven’t asked Thoth for help or guidance! I couldn’t believe my stupidity! I offered a day of prayer while I studied, and I feel I truly made a breakthrough on the magical folding of particle wavelengths and the improbable shadow vector solution.
Halfway through the day, the Minotaur started a very raucous party, and didn’t let up till late afternoon. It almost sounded like a battle, but that would be impossible. There were too many pleased sounds coming from the rooms around me. It was highly distracting!
Thoth 22nd
The group returned today. They didn’t spend any time with me, and that is all for the better! I am on a roll, and I think I know not only how I can cast the spell normally, on any object temporarily, but also how to enchant an object to both BE invisible, like my Xama’sconde, and TURN invisible, like Benji’s Now You See Me. Truly, studying my Mace has expedited this, as well as Thoth’s Boon!
(the rest of the day, as well as the next two are full of experimentations, hypothesis, and results.)
Thoth 24th
Eureka! I solved it! I turned myself invisible! Finally!
And now to bed.
(There is a pool of drool on the other side of the page, so I don’t know what was written there.)
Thoth 25th
I feel like an idiot! Of course there were pleased sounds from the cavernous dwellings around my study, that’s where the insurgents raped the captives! The lovely, peace-loving, slightly naïve Etrinan tribe was set upon by Minotaur that they once called brother! They returned with Rune weapons, and destroyed the elders to a bull! I am so angry at myself!
That blessed Librarian, Aesyl, was able to grab some of the knowledge and relics that the other Minotaur were after, and secret himself in a hidden compartment! Like me, he was protected by the gods’ boon, and was not set upon by the vile wretches.
I might have been protected by the Gods’ own luck, like throwing five straight Carriages, but I should have realized what was happening, and fought! There are countless strategies I could have used, especially those used by a tribal warlord of the ancestors of the Wolfen, named Grrighl’agh. He was renowned for tactics of lightning-fast, precise strikes of a lesser force at a larger force, from several different directions, and immediate retreat before the victims could react. It would disorient the armies, and they would miscalculate the numbers of the warriors by at least two hundred percent. I could have done calculated attacks from the shadows, as the lumbering oafs ransacked the holy ruins! The tactic is referred to by the name of that great Warlord, Grrighl’agh Warfare. Though, what his writings talk about how wolf packs attack larger foes, and the idea was derived from there…
I digress. The point is, I feel I should have helped, but I know I couldn’t have changed the outcome, surprised as we were, and unprepared as the Etrinan were. The Reaper’s bill is rarely paid happily. A single life is too much, among those you respect and love!
The attack hit Xerx’ses harder than I would have expected, but not harder than is warranted. Every soldier handles death differently.
Today, we worked on clearing the caverns, and he moved with silent, urgent purpose.
Thoth 26th
After most of the work was done, I urged Xerx’ses to take his mind off of the pain for a bit, as he has been wallowing in the despair of loss for several days, and I didn’t want to see him lost to the darkness. I took out my Scroll of Osiris: Heart of Defense, and talked to him about ‘Scroll Conversion.’ Honestly, it is a practice that is the most asinine, ridiculous method of acquiring magic, but there was no other way we could get a resurrection spell out here in the desert, and it is a good diversion from within. Plus, it’s rife with luck and random chance, which is what spices life, to be sure! If it weren’t so fun, the expectation leading up to it, anticipating the random outcome, I never would try it for how ineffective it is!
My first two tosses of the dice I had assumed came back for naught on the magic front, but my second roll gave me horns and a tail, of all the luck! ”Caaaavaaaa stop laaaaghing!” I bleated when they opened the door. I had a serious hankering for some greens (which I tried to remedy by trying to eat Overkill’s now-green beard) for about an hour until my tail and horns disappeared. In the meantime, I had some fun trotting around, kicking random stalactites, hearing my bleats echo about the halls, whipping Iana’s tushie with my tail, comparing my horns to Xerx’ses’… you know, normal goat things. Or at least what I can only assume are normal!
I was able to pick up the magic of expelling curses! It makes a twisted sort of sense, being cursed to learn about expelling curses, but either way it resulted in spell knowledge! I love scroll conversion. Back at the guild, the more experienced wizards would take lots and bet on what an apprentice would turn into when converting a scroll to a spell. Luckily, only a handful ever exploded.
Xerx’ses was able to learn the mystic art of healing from his spells. Bad luck for him, he didn’t change shape, size, weight, or anything!! Though, I think his fur might have gotten more blonde… This bears more study…
Power to Osiris, and Glory to Ra.
>>Journal entries from Thoth 4th to 26th in the 22nd Year of Emperor Voelkian Itomas II, from Azariel, Apprentice Alchemist. Acolyte of Osiris and the Lady Luck sent to Sezar, his father. <<
Picture Credit:
Minotaur cave picture from Palladium Books.
Wizard Pic: www. building a library .com
Notes Pic: todo coleccion
Goat Pic: 123 RF