A Thesis on magic -by Oswald Manfred

My king, no my friend Charles. I have read your request, and feel a strange mix of pride and digust because of it. I know you are hurt most of all by what occured when the kingdom fell. That you took the body of that pathetic puppet, and escaped the king of monsters. Even as I write this, I feel a deep rage bubbling like an endless spring. We cannot let our rage blind us my friend. We have more and more people coming every day. We need to secure our walls, and build the empire like the queen would have wanted. You know how she always wanted to see the light. Make her dreams real Charles! If we give into our anger and let her people die, then we will have killed her countless times over.

She was a woman of ideals, and endless desire. Every night I pour over your request, wondering if I should run from the monsters, or if I should die fighting. They used to be our neighbors Charles! To think that such a terrible talent would be used in such a way. It curdles my stomach, and makes me grind my teeth. I am not comparing my anger and pain to yours, I know you are still hurting far more than me. I know you burned the great weave. I know you did it, because it would mean our queen was defiled further; if that piece of shit king even got a fraction of what she had.

With my feelings put on this damned sheet of paper, I will do as you asked. The great weave our queen built was far too grand. Its ciphers and strands filled with more information and theories than the libraries of my homeland. By writing this, I am forming a contract with you Charles. I Oswald Manfred, will never betray you. I will give you all the knowledge I can, and will aid you however I can. I swear on my life. In exchange, you may never betray me or the people under you. Not unless they have betrayed you first, or have intended harm on this kingdom we shall forge. You will guide everyone as best you can to deliver a kingdom our queen would be proud of. You cannot read the rest of this paper unless you agree to this contract. End of contract.

I knew you would accept my terms, my friend. I can rest a little easier, knowing you intend on following the principles that were built before we left Dark Fall. I will do my absolute best to recreate the great weave. Even if it's one overview, or thesis at a time. As you requested, the end of this thesis will have the name and magic of every citizen that agreed to share such information with us. I will send more and more copies as the people under me spread out to find this information for you. The Count is already overseeing everything he can, using his will to ensure accuracy where we can.

I at the very least, understand you do not intend on fighting our former neighbors. That you intend on keeping death to a minimum, and that helps to soothe me. To start this thesis properly, I must explain everything I know about magic from the start of it all. You probably know a bit more about this than me, given how much time you spent with the Queen. I will guess at the truth before moving onto the stuff I know. At least where the source of magic comes from.

What allows us to do magic, is a strange substance called Aether. It is quite literally everywhere, like an ocean. It permeates everything. Causing the basic principles of the ancient texts to fail us. At least where it pertains to physics. Energy and electricity take on a life of their own, due to Aether. Which renders making 'circuits' impossible. It also alters the conductivity of lightning, making it more likely to branch out and harm someone despite wearing materials that should redirect it. Then there is how it interacts with various powders, making 'guns' impossible unless they are the magic variety.

Surely we can make a network of crystals, and other magical things. Though that conforms to what Aether itself already allows. We can make the Queen's invisible web a reality with the crystal snails we managed to bring with us. Something describe as an 'Internet' in the ancient texts. It will not be the most secure thing, but it will allow for rapid communication and we could find methods for securing it later.

That said, I bring us back to the topic at hand. Where does Aether come from? We simply do not know that answer. The gods claim to have harnessed it, to become what they are. While the black monoliths that are scattered, and were translated by our queen suggests that an actual god or goddess is providing it. I know you talked in depth to our queen on this subject, but there is no mistake that Aether itself seems to come from those jet black stones. While other sources, such as Aether springs, and the winds have been found elsewhere. I am unsure if the springs mean that the same stone or monolith is buried. While the winds could suggest one of the other planets orbiting the sun, is an extremely large monolith itself.

It should be noted that the gods have been observed as letting off something described as a 'divine' energy. Research done by our queen that labeled her a heretic, and caused the gods to retreat to their mountain. This divine energy can and will break down into Aether, but it is unsure if they are just taking the ambient Aether and compressing it into something new, or not. I also realize that the gods are afraid of the black monoliths for some unknown reason. They forbid the destruction of such, and will actively repair the monoliths if anyone scratches it. Which is made stranger still by the demons guarding them.

The point is that there is much we do not know about Aether or where it comes from. All we do know is how it is applied and used. The Queen had a few glimpses, but she never explained what she knew. Now with her weave gone, we may never know. Though knowing you Charles, the Queen is likely not dead. I hope you'll explain what happened, hopefully before I die. Though I also must apologize for being more than a bit unprofessional. I know you will forgive me, given everything that happened, and is currently going on. I shall move onto the practical, and what we know now.

Despite what little we know about Aether, there is enough of it that we can direct it. In the sense that we can use it to perform magic. The Queen herself hypothesized that no one is simply born unable to use magic. That instead, those that cannot, are merely unsure how to use magic. This could be due to trauma, or the discovery of an entire new branch of magic. Such as the first lich coming about from the first necromancer.

I should say, that all magic functions roughly the same. Not exactly, but there is a certain structure behind it. Every magic user takes Aether and alters it within themselves. After it is altered, it gives the desired effects in some way, with certain magic classes having different criteria. From what I have heard and understood. I believe Aether is drawn through one's soul, and the idea of magic is imprinted on the Aether itself. From there, this idea is made manifest through a force of will, or desire. The Aether returns to its natural state after being used, meaning that it can be used continuously. I should mention that there are always exceptions to the rules.

Such as in the case of Alchemy, something I am quite familiar with myself. The basic building blocks for Alchemy are as follows. You have to start small. Which is why alchemy doesn't work for many things. We have to build it from the ground up. Want us to make a blade we can hone while fighting? We have to build the fire, lay the stone for the smeltery, grind the ingots into powder. Then we have to focus on every bit of that. It is a lot harder, and you're better off asking a rune smith to hammer a bloody rune on it. Our magic works by touching the base products and putting a bit of ourselves into it through the Aether. Kind of like leaving a fingerprint on anything you touch.

I should mention that you can work together with up to four alchemists and all control what you're making. Though they need to all agree on what to do. Otherwise they will end up fighting each other. Which brings me to another rule that can be observed. If you make it you own it. No matter how much time passes, this will never change. Unless what you made is broken down to no longer be itself, it will respond to an alchemist. We could potentially make a wall with missing bricks and seal an alchemist stone inside. If it breaks, then whoever is inside can be considered deceased. Since they would have to focus on letting the stone hold itself together.

It's a crude idea, but it could help us. Especially if we get someone to bind the stone to the person or something. That said, my studies have brought me to a realization. It might be possible for an alchemist to recreate their own body to control it. Something I'll probably spend a few decades trying to get right. We already have examples of assassins using Alchemy to render their poisons inert to everyone, but the target. Another use, could be to have alchemists build critical structures. They could use their power to repair it naturally, by just living in the area.

I understand how badly it could go, but it should be worth trying at some point. For now, I suggest keeping alchemy out of the kitchen. Everything is rather fluid, and I do not want you being assassinated Charles. This is also as far as I plan on going into alchemy since those basic rules listed before are all it truly follows. I could write about how alchemy could be used when mixing the components of blood. We might be able to create it, ushering a new branch for the healers.

Healer magic is odd, but from speaking to both monster and person healers. I have come up with a small guideline. Please remember that I am not a practitioner of this magic and I can imagine that most of what I say is wrong. What I understand about other's using magic is hearsay and rumors. Despite how close I got with them. I will only be describing the more common magics we can find, since the rarer ones are damn hard to find.

Anyway, a healer describes their magic as 'light.' They pull Aether through themselves, and use this light to radiate healing. This is good for curing disease, curing poison, and so on. The most notable draw back, is that it is unable to restore blood. It is not regeneration, but mending flesh and blood. It works with what it is given, which is why dying from blood loss is rather common. The Golden Circle probably has better healers than what we are used to, but the group itself keeps their best healers close.

Healers should not be confused with priests. Who have powers that vary widely depending on the god, or gods they worship. Their relationships with their gods is a personal one. Every one of them have to complete different trials, while some do not have to undergo such. The powers they are given by their gods, is associated with the gods they worship however. They are also required to wear symbols associated with the god, to channel Aether through. Still, much like healers the priest cannot just create blood from nothing. At best, the high priest of the god of healing, can regrow an arm over the course of weeks or even months. Thankfully only small cults fight each other and the worshipers of other gods. The large churches and accepted gods do not condone in fighting. In fact priests that do get into scuffles are demoted by the gods, if not outright banished from worship. I wonder if Bo'chi managed to ascend with his talent or not.

Moving away from healers, and priests. We have the elementalists. Typically they are fairly straight forward. With Aether they are able to guide the elements they are connected or attuned to. Many make hand signs or gestures to guide their element, while those that train will use martial arts of some kind or another. They cannot just create their elements out of nothing, and need to be able to see or feel their element. An earth elementalist cannot use enchanted stone. An air elementalist cannot use their power underwater. You get the idea, though as always there are exceptions. As the elementalist becomes more powerful, they are able to do things we would not have considered. Such as an air elementalist using opposing wind currents to create lightning.

The following elements are those we know, and the sub-variants we have observed. There are those talented individuals who through clever use, are able to make it appear they are other elementalists. Fire: heat, explosions, ash, and molten liquids. Earth: stone, crystal, magic stone, dust. Air: sound, crude electricity control, flight. Water: ice, mist, blood. Electricity: magnetism, shape shifting, healing to some extent. Naturally these are the basic and most common elements and sub-variants of such out there. It is possible that all elementalists are capable of learning the sub-variants with practice. It is equally possible that there are more elements out there. With many supporting theories leaning on dark and light for those that practice illusions.

Illusion users are fairly rare, and in most cases they are just someone using another type of magic. Thus, I will not be going into their kind. Much like I will not be going into necromancy, chronomancy, soul finders, and so on. As for how they work, time is likely an element. Soul finders likely function like oracles do. Necromancy requires an extensive knowledge of rituals, and one to actually work on the bodies. Just nipping this in the bud, if you asked me later Charles.

Oracles, fortune tellers, and soothsayers all function exactly the same from what I can tell. They use their magic to peer at potential possibilities, to a different extent. Oracles peer at the present, and are able to break all illusions, with the sole exception being mental manipulation. They can tell what is in front of them, and what kind of magics they are looking at. Even if they have never heard it before. Oracles cannot see into the future however, and are limited to what they can see or scry. Fortune tellers are much better at telling what happened in the past, and the immediate future. They are often hired to consult grieving families, and often paid to tell what happened to a missing person. They are more easily countered by magical interference, though you and I were there when the Queen studied this aspect. As for soothsayers, they are best suited for things that are not very likely to change. The future is always shifting and changing. Though it means they will be able to see assassination attempts that have already been paid for. I might suggest the will be vital for knowing when droughts and good harvests are coming. To know the weather and prepare as we need.

Moving on, we have the tamers. These individuals are able to form a bond with monsters and beasts from roughly the same family as others. In truth they are also able to form bonds with humans as well, but that is typically done by slavers. Regardless of what the bond is made with, the tamer is able to feel the state of the entity. They can feel if they are hungry, tired, thirsty, and if they have emotions those same emotions can be felt. Everything is left bare before the tamer, which makes it easy enough for them to break or mend those in their care. There is a common misconception that a tamer can only have up to five bonds. The truth of that, is that they can only have five unstable bonds.

The misconception comes from bad tamers, that do not have an idea of what they are doing. Many like to view those they 'tamed' as beasts or pets. Able to follow their master's orders, or commands. It is that lack of understanding that makes the monster or beast fight back. While in some cases a master slave dichotomy is accepted; usually when it comes to monsters accepting someone stronger. It still leads to a friction that makes the tamer unable to gather more than five similar creatures under them. That friction disappears when both acknowledge the other. Often beasts will see their master as an alpha for their pack, while monsters come to understand their tamer in the same regard. Smarter monsters are a bit more difficult, but the idea is that a tamer should properly care for their 'flock.'

This knowledge came from a man with over 100 whispering wolves under him. It helped to shed a lot of light on the subject. Yes, Charles, I have met Jack while we escaped. He was a human, who died so we could escape. He fought valiantly, with the one regret that he could never hold you as a child. I promised I would pass this along to you, and now that debt has passed.

The last magic I can claim to know about is ritual magic. Which is less like magic, and more like a law of this world. Any individual can do ritual magic. The reason for this, is likely that the magic is using the components going into the ritual instead of the person. Which allows for a grander effect to occur. I suggest we openly teach everyone we can how to do the ritual of purifying water. It should help us greatly since we are not near a river. It is simple enough, and I have no intention of spelling out every ritual I have heard about. At least not on paper, but perhaps in private.

What makes this confusing, is that there are those that can practice ritual magic. Individuals that can create new rituals. They are also the same kind of magic users that are currently accepted in the kingdom of fire. I truly have no actual understand of how ritual magic works, other than perhaps it is accepted by everyone around. It makes some sense, in that Dwarf rituals are much different compared to that of the Elves. Though the effects of such rituals are also different. This magic has me utterly stumped.

That is all that I know about magic, Charles. It is not much, but it is a starting point after everything we lost. I will do everything I can, to save as many lives as I can. I need you to help my, my friend. We cannot survive this alone, and without support. The people need a king, and there is no one better than you. The people still believe that dark elf puppet was their king. They still believe he was the one that guided them all this time. If you have truly loved our Queen, then you will save all that she left behind.

-Oswald Manfred, your closest friend and aide.

Return Letter

Thank you Oswald, I needed to hear those words. The time for my grief shall come later. The time for my retribution will also come later. I am hurting, but I managed to save our Queen. She is in no state to speak or talk, but I will keep her safe. The day might come when we can heal her, but until then we need allies. Envoys are coming from different kingdoms to negotiate terms. I shall handle them, while you have my full permission to do what you must. What authority I have by using this body, is yours to move the people.

Have the alchemists build houses. Let them feel if anything approaches in the night. We cannot get the walls up to save everyone, but we can minimize the casualties by know where our enemy strikes. Let the captain of the guard move as she chooses, I have made a contract with her. Mobilize those willing to fight, and those that want to fight, but are too weak to do much. Separate them into groups, and have a trap prepared. We will use the injured, the infirm, and the old as bait. The monsters will likely attack a large group, and that will spare us supplies to last the coming winter.

It is not a decision I have taken lightly. It is what must be done, and I accept the assassinations and hatred of the people that will come. I have given orders for the Count to do this, if you cannot. He can feel his kin mere days away. Even he would rather end them, than let them be controlled by that idiot monster king. I finally understand everything our Queen tried to show me, how it was all so simple. When lives are just numbers on paper you can fool yourself. Yet, these are men and women that I know. These are refugee monsters that I fought tooth and nail to save.

It brings me both the greatest joy, and the greatest pain. I am a broken shell of the man I was Oswald. I am truly a monster, and I embrace the mantle readily. I will lead us to our Queen's dream, even if I have to trample on all that is sacred.

-Sincerely your King