Inconsistencies in Madia’s Nightmare

Throughout “Alarulin: Dreamers”, Madia’s nightmare contains some unclarified inconsistencies with the real world of Alarulin, of which she doesn’t become aware of until after she has awoken.

The most plot relevant of these inconsistencies would be the case of the isle in the center of the Hivoria Basin, a small lake named after the Third Great Magician, Hivoria Urranda. This lake is a crater that was unintentionally created by Hivoria when she destroyed an artifact known as the Revrian Amulet. (More on this under “The Highland Troupe.”)

Within “Dreamers” Madia encounters a character who insists on being called “Star Dance” upon an island in the center of the Basin.

Later, Dream-Cael points out that there is no island within the Basin. This realization causes Madia to have a moment of clarity, however she is distracted from the realization moments later. This distraction is no accident, as Tuulin manipulated Madia’s dream to pull her focus off the unusual experience. As expressed by Tuulin’s commentary, there were several times that Tuulin was unable to track Madia within the nightmare, despite his grip upon the dreamscape.

To clarify, this was not because of Tuulin’s own oversight, but because of Star Dance’s presence. While I will not disclose this “messenger of Harmony’s” identity, I encourage readers to dig deeper to find it for themselves. By simply being present, Star Dance instilled in Madia the desire to question the reality around her. To put it simply, Tuulin was unaware of the false island within the Basin, and when Dream-Cael commented on there being no island within the lake, Madia wondered if she had merely dreamed of the encounter with Star Dance. This, of course, would lead her to wonder if everything she had experienced was a dream.

Madia’s encounter with Star Dance in chapter 9 served two purposes. The conversation not only served as a catalyst for Madia’s self-confidence and optimism, but as a possible trigger for Madia’s awakening. Even though Tuulin was able to prevent his awakening, the damage had still been done. It reminded Madia of the intimacy she had with her dreams and her senses, making this moment of realization for her one of the many pieces of a puzzle that would ultimately allow her to create the Daydreamer subsect of the Sensory form follow Dream-Rell’s death.

Another inconsistency briefly exposed by our story is that of the Keepers’ magic. During Chapter 7, in which Dream-Elra is attacked, Dream-Flain is slain defending the other Keepers. After recovering from the destruction that ensued, Madia and Dream-Aevum begin to make their escape, in which Aevum reveals that the Keepers’ magic is no more. Aevum claims this is a direct result of Flain’s demise.

When you are dreaming, you rarely question information presented to you. It is for this reason that lucid dreaming is so rare, which is to be fully aware that you are dreaming and to be capable of manipulating the dream. This exact scenario unfolded in Madia’s dream, as the concept of one Keepers’ death leading to all the Keepers losing their magic is not only unreasonable from a logical perspective, but even a world-building perspective. Simply put, it would be incredibly foolish for Harmony to bestow these powers upon the keepers but have all of them lose their magic should one of them fall. Although the Keepers are tied closely together, none of them strictly depend on the other to function. Their jobs are to maintain balance when they are needed to. Their very lives do not determine if balance exists.

Proof of this is found in Muurin, which at the time of this story has no Keepers within it, yet Cael visits it and finds the young Prince Endalef, meaning the land was not ravaged by the laws of the realm if Endalef could survive there.

For this reason, Madia muses to herself when she awakens that the idea was positively absurd, now recognizing it was no more than an illusion to weaken her.

Our next oddity is less of an inconsistency and more of a coincidence; the presence and identity of the merchant Alverd, who provided safe passage for Madia and the Princesses within the dream.

Alverd is directly referenced by Elkin later in the story. Elkin begins to state “I sell my goods here all the time with Alverd” in Chapter 20. Elkin, like his father before him, is a carpenter, and Alverd is described likewise in his introduction during Chapter 11.

The reason this is significant is that it means not only has Elkin been to the castle before to sell goods, but that he has done so alongside Alverd. It can be safely assumed based on this that Madia has encountered Alverd and Elkin before, which instilled the merchant to appear in Madia’s dream.

However, this does provoke the question of why Elkin was not there in Alverd’s place within the dream. There are several reasons for this, chief among them being that Elkin has greater details associated with him in Madia’s mind. Having been a member of the Highland Troupe, (which can be read about below) there are other accomplishments and familiarities Madia would have about Elkin, thus not making him an ideal candidate for Tuulin’s plan. To put it simply, Madia would be more familiar with Elkin as a person, which could have jeopardized the moment of betrayal that would later occur.

The familiarity still begs the question of why Madia did not immediately recognize Alverd. This is a classic case of distracted attention, as between Alverd and Elkin, Alverd is without a doubt the lesser known and would easily be overshadowed by Elkin. Elkin is not only associated with an important piece of Fendran history, but also the much more unique personality of the two by his thick accent and his abrupt behaviour. It is likely that Madia would hardly even have noticed Alverd during the merchants visits if he were with the much louder and more driven Elkin.

Ultimately, this made Alverd an ideal candidate for Tuulin’s plan, as not only was Madia unlikely to recognize him immediately, but he was also still within her subconscious. This meant that Tuulin did not have to invent someone within Madia’s dream, but rather pull from someone Madia had already - though briefly - met before.

Finally, we have an inconsistency not only Madia but Tuulin himself acknowledges within his commentary at the start of Chapter 20.

In Chapter 19, Madia travels from the Vaira Stronghold on the western end of the valley all the way to Elra in less than an hour; a travel that would typically take days to complete.

At this time, Madia was beginning to realize what her magic was truly capable of, hence the Daydreamer form. By willpower alone, Madia unintentionally manipulated the dream world with her sense of urgency. She knew time was of the essence, and this involuntarily changed her perception of travel. In short, what would have taken her days took her minutes as her sense of urgency caused the dream to shift. After all, the dream is taking place in her mind, and as such can be directly affected by her emotions and intent.

Madia, captivated by her dream and her intentions to avenge Rell, did not even question whether or not she could make it to Elra, and thus the pure-fantasy of a dream is on full display, as once again we do not often question even the most unreasonable concepts before awakening.

Another case of this happening is much more subtle. During Chapter 13, Madia and the princesses are fleeing the Arden after having their location revealed by Alverd.

“She tugged at Rell as she steered to the left, willing with all her might to find anything that could act as cover; an outcropping in the stone, a ditch in the earth, something to help mask their presence.”

Sure enough, after tumbling through the river rapids, the escapees find themselves hiding out within a crag in the cliff. This is yet another situation where Madia unwittingly manipulated the dream. If you were to visit the exact spot in which Madia and the Princesses washed up on the shore in the waking world, you would not find such an outcropping.

To clarify some items that may be questioned, Cael’s death via excessive use of magic without reagents is accurate to the waking world and would have still happened. Right down to the white hair and blank eyes, use of magic without reagents or care results in the sapping of the casters life.

Rell’s impulsive defending of Rune in Chapter 17 was also a case of something that would happen in the waking world. Unbeknownst to Tuulin, Rell has thrust herself into danger in order to defend her little sister before, however Tuulin was not present when this happened, and as a result he did not anticipate it.

Finally, Aevum’s spell cast at the end of Chapter 7 displacing Madia and the Princesses away from Elra would actually be feasible, but it would kill him immediately given the intensity of such a spell, hence Madia knowing he was dead without even seeing him fall.

Standard Forms of Magic Explained

Briefly within “Dreamers,” affinities and forms of magic are mentioned. Details on these were left minimal to focus on the story being told, while still providing enough information to understand the plot and how magic affected the events within. Here we will explore the three standard forms of magic; spatial, sensory, and physical.

Spatial magic is classified as the manipulation of the tangible world around the caster. At its most basic level, it can generate heat, and at its most advanced level, it is capable of displacing the caster into other locations in the blink of an eye if the reagents and caster is capable of withstanding the strain. (The latter of which is mentioned as “displacement magic” in Chapter 4.)

The second-most common form of magic, sensory magic, is classified as the manipulation of the senses. At its most basic level, it can allow the caster to feel the magic of others. At its most advanced level, it can manipulate the senses of others through illusions and tricks of the mind.

Physical magic is an advanced form of casting that involves the manipulation of one's body or another's body. It is most used in restoration magic, however, is also known to be capable of enhancing or crippling the physical capabilities of a casted target. The latter, however, is considerably less common due to its high risk and high cost to use. This form is considered highly dangerous and is the least often utilized of the three standard forms.

Within Alarulin, casters can adopt an affinity, which is to say a specialty in spellcasting. This affinity can be as narrow as restoration magic, or as broad as an entire form such as sensory.

Affinities are extremely important to the studying of any would-be magician at any age. At some point in their lives, all people develop a personal affinity, which is to say a subsect they gravitate towards. Typically, this develops at the age of around ten years old, however it is not uncommon for it to take longer.

When one acquires an affinity, they are not locked into that form of magic. Anyone is capable of harnessing any form or subsect should they have the time, resources, and power to master it, however they will always be strongest with their particular affinity, almost like a natural talent. This affinity will come as second nature to them once they acquire it, and it cannot be changed, however it is possible to manipulate or groom an affinity before it is acquired.

Some younger casters are trained before they acquire their affinity in a particular form, and this will often make them more likely to acquire that particular focus when they awaken their affinity. Studying a form or subsect however does not guarantee it will become your affinity, as while Hivoria was studying a rare and dangerous alternative sect, when she developed her affinity it turned out to be a sensory form focused on reading and controlling others’ senses. In short, while practicing a form prior to acquiring your affinity raises the odds of that becoming your primary form, it makes no guarantee and may lean towards something else, either via bloodline or via personality.

Contrary to popular belief, in Alarulin, magic is more so controlled by the mind and less the physical actions of the caster. As a result, personality and natural talent has a strong effect on the types of magic you excel in. While much like identifying affinities it is no guarantee, a casters personality type still can play a part in the affinity they develop.

The “Daydreamer” Form

In Chapter 19, Madia invents a new form of magic she proclaims to call the “Daydreamer” form. This is directly associated and connected to the artifact she made out of Aevum’s staff (more on artifacts below.) This is a form unique to Madia and cannot be harnessed by anyone without the same understanding of sensory magic and access to the same level of power that Madia does as the Keeper of Mind. In this section, the way this form was created, how it works, and what it does will be explained.

Daydreamer is an ascended form of the “dreamwalker” sub-form. The dreamwalker sub-form allows the caster to manipulate the dreams of both themselves and others. A real-world parallel to this would be the concept of lucid dreaming, however in this case the dreamer is capable of manipulating the dreams of others. While it is an extremely limited sect, those capable of using it are often found in clinics for their ability to bring peace to one’s dreams.

Daydreamer, as one may be able to guess, is a form that breaks the traditional boundaries of the dreamwalker form and ultimately blurs the lines between dreams and reality. Though Madia hardly utilizes its full potential in Dreamers, the form is capable of not only manipulating the dreams of another, but making those dreams (or aspects of them) real as well.

This is another inconsistency in Madia’s nightmare; she would not even be able to use this form if she was not a Keeper, due to the connection with Dafra’neer that this would require. As a result, Madia not only wielding but also creating this form should not have been possible if she had truly lost her title as Keeper of Mind. This was another case where Madia’s willpower and determination overwrote some of the limitations or situations Tuulin had placed on her. The only reason Madia believed herself capable of it to begin with was because of the artifact she created with Aevum’s staff.

Despite its name, this unique sub-sect of magic does not involve “daydreaming” to create anything with your imagination in the waking world. It is more so named after the fact the form of magic allows the caster to pull from existing dreams.

The paradox of this is that Madia is using the daydreaming form while actually being asleep. However, the issue here is that Madia perceives that she is wide awake. She cannot manipulate her own dream while Tuulin is in control of it unless she is aware she is dreaming. As a result, she could not draw from her own dream. Instead, she would have to draw from other dreams.

However, in this case, instead of drawing from any particular person’s dream, she drew from the feeling one acquires while experiencing lucidity in a dream; complete and unmatched awareness and opening of the senses, to the point where Madia could practically form images in her head despite being blinded by Tuulin’s spell.

With this awareness shift, this begs the question; why did she not awaken from this heightened sense? Would she not have noticed she was dreaming via this awareness? This is where Tuulin’s “battle of the minds” comes into play.

Tuulin is primarily utilizing the dreamwalker form, which allows him to manipulate Madia’s dream. This ultimately put him in control of it. Tuulin’s greatest struggle was maintaining control of the dream while Madia was ultimately its dreamer, which is a common struggle for any user of the dreamwalker sect. In this case however, that struggle is compounded by the fact that, although Madia doesn’t believe it, she is the Keeper of Mind. Though Tuulin has a natural strength in sensory magic due to his prior role in Muurin, it does not compare to Madia’s, giving her a natural resistance to his tampering. (An important condition for anyone casting magic upon another person.)

What this means is that Tuulin was under constant strain trying to keep the illusion going. In typical conditions, Madia would have surely discovered she was dreaming much earlier, but every step along the way, Tuulin was making an effort to make sure she didn’t make this discovery. Tuulin was toying with Madia’s mind, making it difficult for her to realize when something was truly ridiculous until she finally awoke.

While it’s a difficult concept to grasp, Tuulin is practically controlling Madia’s mind itself. Given that dreams are purely in the mind and Madia is fast asleep, it isn’t out of the question that Tuulin could manipulate her mind rather than just her dreams. Again this comes down to Madia’s ability to resist that manipulation, subconsciously or not. As such it is likely Tuulin was preventing her from fully realizing she was dreaming. Despite this, a lot of close calls occurred, meaning that Madia was indeed resisting Tuulin subconsciously.

In closing, Madia truly did create such a remarkable form. Anyone is capable of creating a form of magic if their connection with Agra’neer (or in this case, Dafra’neer) is strong enough, and their understanding of said realm and its intricacies is deep enough. Despite having created the form within her nightmare, it was no less real, as unrefined as it was. While Madia would certainly have to make some adjustments and rethink the form a little bit, it would still work in the waking world. Perhaps she will make use of it again in the future after perfecting it…

Regarding Artifacts

Within Alarulin, artifacts are unique magical items that allow their master or masters to focus, amplify, or channel their connection to Agra’neer, the realm of magic. Some artifact are far more powerful than others. This typically is tied to the creation of the artifact. Influential factors during creation include the materials the artifact is composed of, the intent of the craftsman, and the craftsman's proficiency and understanding of controlling Agra’neer’s magic.

Creating an artifact typically involves providing the item a fragment of the crafter’s inner flame, as the caster must surrender a shred of their connection with Agra’neer unto the tool in question, effectively giving the artifact its own magical capabilities. As such the master of the artifact must prepare a method of anchoring themselves with the realm of magic to avoid surrendering too much, which can permanently cripple or even kill the caster. More often than not, this is performed via a combination of reagents and inscriptions that are unique to the caster. While the first craftsman of the artifact is bound to it, anyone is capable of using the artifact, yet none shall be able to use it to its fullest aside from its first master.

To use Madia’s process in Chapter 19 as an example, Madia requests a collection of specific ingredients and an arcane circle is drawn on the ground using a form of enchanted ink. An identical circle is then drawn on the back of Madia’s hand using the same ink. This is phase one of the artifact creation process, in which the craftsman prepares a combination of reagents and inscriptions unique to them and their artifact, and then mirrors it on their own body. This is a preliminary step that not only establishes the caster’s link with the object, but ensures that the magic the caster surrenders can ultimately be returned to them should anything go awry.

Madia is then seen reaching her hand into the circle while the reagents are consumed by the spell, imparting her connection with magic to Aevum’s staff. The staff, being at the center of the circle, expelled its energy into the pattern, and upon doing so the reagents were consumed. Once the staff had inherited Madia’s magic, the connection between her inscription and the inscription on the ground is established. This is phase two of the artifact creation process.

At last, the magic directed into the inscription is mirrored against the inscription on the casters body, typically producing an intense burning sensation as the reagents used to pen the inscription are consumed. This is what binds the master and the artifact, and upon this step being completed, the magic dispersed into the ink on the floor by Aevum’s staff is ejected back into Madia forcefully through the burn mark on her hand.

Most artifacts are small-scale, and are used as tools for education to help teach would-be magicians how to channel magic. Some, however, have been known to fell entire kingdoms with a single spell.

The most notable artifacts within Alarulin’s history are the Lute of Harmony, and the Revrian Amulet.

The Lute of Harmony was an artifact belonging to Harmony herself. This particular artifact was the first of them all. It was created with the purpose of connecting the spirits of those who would listen to its melody with the threads of Agra’neer, and thus instill in the people of Alarulin a connection with the realm of magic, allowing them to cast spells.

Among the scholars studying artifacts, there was great debate regarding the usage of the legendary instrument and what it was truly capable of. The primary conflict stemmed from whether the instrument empowered Harmony, or the instrument was empowered by Harmony. In the year 503, a young man named Tallus uncovered the instrument and was seen traveling the highlands with it in hand. Tallus was the second wielder of such a tool, and was living proof that the instrument was only as strong as he who wielded it. (More on Tallus under “The Highland Troupe I”.)

On the other hand, the Revrian Amulet was an artifact that allowed its master to perform feats thought otherwise impossible. Created by Revrian Ralbar in the year 171 during the first era, its primary reagent was the soul of a fallen star. The mythical pendant was created to feed on the desires of Revrian himself during his conquest of Alarulin as his empire blanketed the realm. After the death of both Revrian and his empire at Harmony’s hands, the artifact was kept under close guard by the Fendra family.

During its time under the royal family’s care, it was held and used by several great magicians and even the king and queen themselves. It garnered a dark name as the “Magician’s Tear” for the tragedy that seemed to haunt all those who wielded it.

The artifact was ultimately destroyed in the year 506 by the Highland Troupe, where the Hivoria Basin now rests. Upon its destruction, some say the very realm was shaken to its core as lightning plagued the heavens and screams filled the atmosphere. There are those who claim to have seen Harmony descend upon the basin that very day to rid the world of Revrian’s taint once and for all as it was released from its prison.

The Highland Troupe I

The Highland Troupe (or Highland Heroes) was a group of young travelers formed within the north-eastern regions of the Highlands, where the Fihulen and Ket tribes roam. It was formed in 503 by the Second Great Magician Armeil, who had encountered a young boy by the name of Tallus in his travels. At this time, Armeil was growing old and found that traveling the lands in pursuit of the secrets of magic was becoming difficult. It was in light of these conditions that Armeil recruited Tallus, a young and struggling magician, to travel in his stead. This growing man ended up finding friends in folk of several different tribes, and upon seeing the unusual company, Armeil elected to name them the Highland Troupe based on their origins.

The troupe was comprised of five, starting with Tallus, who was joined by a Ket woman named Arunai. Tallus and Arunai then encountered Filera and Elkin, who made appearances in Dreamers, and a few months later Hivoria joined their company on the outskirts of the highlands. Historians who took note of their story compared them to the tale of Harmony and the Seasons, a piece of historical folklore in which Harmony and her four disciples traveled the realm, revealing the truth of magic unto the people of Alarulin through song and dance.

Having been founded near the end of the Second Era, the Highland Troupe became influential in the events leading into the Third Era of Alarulin. Though most of their achievements paled in comparison to those of both their predecessors and most other folk tales, there were several accomplishments that warranted them places in the history books.

Tallus himself was responsible for uncovering Harmony’s lute, which had been missing for over 300 years after the collapse of the Revrian Empire at Harmony’s own hands. It was found deep in the Baelyn (Bey-lin) Woods within a cavern. The discovery left many scholars baffled, not only at the lute’s strange resting place, but also that a 13-year-old boy found the elusive artifact.

The Highland Troupe’s mightiest accomplishment came shortly before their disbanding; the destruction of the Revrian Amulet. The horrific magical tool had haunted the troupe during their time together, and was in the possession of Hivoria for several years.

Throughout the era, the crystal affixed to the lace acted as a catalyst for numerous dangerous and even disastrous events through the will of its old master (explored in “Regarding Artifacts” above.) While one would think this was cause for it to be destroyed after it was recovered from the fallen empire, it was kept intact for a variety of reasons, ranging from greed to fear. However, it is worth noting that the late King Enorian damaged it while calling upon its power.

Ultimately, the troupe together destroyed the infectious artifact using the very same reagent that had created it; the soul of a fallen star. Like a blade of light, it pierced the gem, causing so mighty an eruption that a crater was left in the wake of its destruction. This crater became the Hivoria Basin, named after the troupe’s own Hivoria, who was responsible for ultimately breaking the amulet with help from her friends. Following this triumph, Hivoria was named the Third Great Magician of Alarulin for her prodigious talent in magic and her pursuit of ridding the world of that which would corrupt the magic Alarulin so closely relied upon.