4. The Search For Magiq: Peering Arts

Augustus_Octavian · July 17, 2019, 5:22pm

Hi Bean! First, thank you and Robert (Hi Bob!) and everyone else for further filling us in on everything that’s happened. You’ve all been busy, that’s for sure. And it makes me happy to know that you’ve grown your ranks despite the wall.

Avis Green is new to me. The idea that not only events were changed, but people may have also been erased is hard to get my head around.

And yes, re: memory recall, I just wondered if your exploration of memories and imagination produced any new ideas about the affinities. We’ve been attempting to do the same, without much luck. However, that’s just recently changed. Alison and Port are here. Alison has quite a lot of thoughts on what we could be doing and what we should be doing. And Port, well Port seems happy that her abilities don’t seem to be working. She’s basically a normal (now tween) girl. There was some kind of threat she saw when she could still see into the future, something in the shadows looking for people like her and her friends, which led to her searching for the sanctuary. They don’t know what happened to Aether or where he went. He left them a letter telling them he was safe but couldn’t come to the sanctuary because he had other work to do. That’s all he wrote.

But one of Alison’s ancestors was a “Thorinth,” and she has vague genetic memories about their study of affinities, and of one affinity in particular. Peering Arts. It turns out, according to her ancestor, Peering Arts was at one point believed to be an entire field of study , with one of the linchpins of the field being a spell using something called a peering tome. (Apparently, other guild affinities might also be fields of study/practice.)

Peering Arts center around gaining insight into and additional context from works of literature and other works of art. Basically, what was the artist/author thinking, feeling, or hoping to accomplish/express. Like how Sullivan’s intentions were wrapped up in the spell he cast on Deirdre. Alison says that Peering Arts might have revealed that, or his surroundings, his fears, and thoughts, or maybe even who it was he cast the grounding hex with.

It’s a long shot, but this might be our best bet to find out who cast the spell hiding you, why, and possibly how we can undo it. The problem is that you have to have the physical object to use a peering tome on it because it entails binding a blank book, parchment, canvas, etc. to the work you’re hoping to gain insight into, and asking in the peering tome what you’d like to gather from it.

Anyway, back to Peering Arts. How do we perform this on a spell? Can we perform this on a spell? Especially when we need to bind a blank tome or journal to a physical object to implement it?

A member of the sanctuary who can sense magimystic currents (and helped find you during the cataclysm, go Yuridia) thinks she has a way for you to do it.

She believes a grounding hex was cast to create the spell hiding you. Sometimes, splinters of the six elements become a part of the spell to help support the spell(s) and the caster(s) inside it. Those splinters are forever bound to the spell.

Essentially, you’d need to mashup two spells into one. One of which we already know is dangerous, and one we know next to nothing about, and who knows what will happen with them smashed together, but here goes…

We think you could rework the existing grounding hex wording to gather any possible elemental splinters in the wall spell, and then metaphorically bind peering tomes to those splinters to gain insight into the spell and the caster.

Yuri says she can’t see potential splinters because they don’t exist or they’re on the other side of the wall, or maybe even a part of it. Like mortar in between the bricks. So the best and possibly only chance of this working is from the inside.

Yuridia and Ali broke it down to some general (and highly hypothetical) base steps, but we’re in uncharted territory here, and this is putting you all at terrible risk. We know affinities are workable loopholes through the wall, for now, but in the bigger scheme of things we have no idea how much longer we can use them or any other magiq. Ultimately, this has to be your decision and by your own design.

What might work:

Alter the existing grounding hex verbiage and intention to call any elemental splinters bound to the spell that hid you. Call them to an object that is representative of each element.

Physically bind that object to a “peering tome,” like a journal or notebook. It should be blank except for your addition of as much context about the spell as you know. In Peering Arts you would typically have the physical book or art which would have the date, title, author, and the actual work. So you’d need to reference as much as you know about the spell at the beginning of the peering tome. The timeframe the spell was cast, that the Guide to Magiq is now a part of it, etc.

The peering tome spell itself isn’t actually written, it’s… thought. (Thornmouths.) You hold the bound tome, focusing on your intention to know more about the work it’s bound to, in this case, the splinter used to hide you.

Wait for something to hopefully happen. Opening the bound tome before the spell has done will break the spell, but Ali’s unsure what will signal the completion of the peering tome.

Yuridia and Ali both seem equal parts frantically excited about coming up with what could be a solution, and scared out of their gourds for you.

I wish I had more ideas or information to share, and they’re still hashing it out to see if they can help, but I have to be honest, it is really hard to open this connection to you. And each time I do could be the last time for all I know. I want to tell you whatever we know or think as soon as possible, even if it’s incomplete. If you have questions or ideas, please send them back, otherwise, let us know if you’ve cast the spell and what you’ve found.

We’re with you. And guide willing, this will work.

This just in from Eaves - copied and pasted before it vanishes. Looks like we have magiq to do, Mountaineers!

OracleSage · July 17, 2019, 5:27pm

Go Eaves!
Also, it’s good to know Aether is safe wherever he is. Maybe he’s still working to restore memories the Storm stole?

Rimor · July 17, 2019, 5:36pm

@OracleSage it’s a good job you have a massive collection of blank journals

OracleSage · July 17, 2019, 5:40pm

I didn’t realize this was read Oracle hour-
glances at bookshelf but you may have a point

Ashburn · July 17, 2019, 5:57pm

I too have a ridiculous number of empty notebooks and journals for someone the Guide said was decidedly not for nearly two years…

Nimueh · July 17, 2019, 6:05pm

I may also have a lot of empty notebooks… Hey, that bodes well that we have people who could step up and do this!

So, a spell that we don’t really know anything about, that we need to frankenstein onto an altered version of a spell we’ve used before. Just another day in the office, right? I may be jumping the gun, but tbh, are we really gonna say no to trying this? I say we get people signed up to calling corners and work and a rewording in the meantime? As much as I joked about the notebooks, I do think we should have a Thornie do the tome as the added boost from it as a guild affinit might just improve our chances of a more succesful outcome.

Ashburn · July 17, 2019, 6:19pm

I read that part as each person calling a corner would need to bind the called element to a book. Do we think it’s just one book for the whole shebang?

Tinker · July 17, 2019, 6:43pm

kicks closed desk drawer before anyone sees the mountain of notebooks …I might have a blank notebook around somewhere…

Edit: I’m with @Ashburn…I also read that as each person calling a corner needs a notebook, since we’re reading each splinter in the wall

Nimueh · July 17, 2019, 6:54pm

Okay, yeah, on second read you’re probably right. IDK, I was thinking of it as two seperate things still. Definately makes more sense for everyone to be doing it.

Nighteater · July 17, 2019, 7:02pm

What if we called corners for each corner? It would require alot of people, but breaking it down into 6 parts might make it’s easier and cause less magiq use overall. Calling corners and then trying to split them in 6 at the same time seems… Daunting.

Remus · July 17, 2019, 7:10pm

Hmmm, do I have blank notebo-… stares at my desk which is full of unused school and writing supplies. Yes, yes I do have some blank notebooks. So do we have volunteers for Calling the Corners: Remixed? I’m all down to do it, but I want to make sure everyone has a chance to cast (I’m looking at you, my new WW friends ).

And I’m not sure we need to split them in six each time, Night, I think we’re just calling any elemental energy leftover from the original casting, binding it to an item, and then binding that item (now physical embodiment of “The Veil” that’s been cast on us) with a single blank notebook for each of the corners that were called. So unless I’m totally misunderstanding this, its only six notebooks overall?

I also agree that a Thorny should lead this since this is sort of their thing! Also maybe any polyguilds who feel connected to their “chosen” guild and Thornmouth could be helpful when casting this!

Augustus_Octavian · July 17, 2019, 7:17pm

This is what I took from Eaves’ message, too. Given that “Like attracts like,” maybe our physical items representing the abstract Leaden Veil spell should be some kind of barriers, even actually veils. Thoughts?

Nighteater · July 17, 2019, 7:26pm

I just worry trying to do all 6 at once might be to much

Ashburn · July 17, 2019, 7:26pm

Oh heck, I need to figure out what I’ll use for tides! The cataclysm might’ve ate my go-to (Schrodinger’s plastic bucket in a closet, I hold some hope it survived but not much).

…flowy blue scarf?

I’ll try to think of something with a bit more meaning behind it, even if the scarf’s been some cool places.

Edit: you think using my shore-themed journal would help amplify the tide-ness?

Nimueh · July 17, 2019, 7:31pm

I mean, the spell will be split among 6 people around the world (most likely), so that should help to spread the cost a little.

Also, I think fate has stepped in slightly here and wants me to do this one as I recently found the perfect object for wilds. Of course, if another Bali has strong feelings and wants to step in I’m very happy to let a newer member step in and get a shot at magiq.

Sorrel · July 17, 2019, 7:36pm

‘Balithorn’ polyguild here, with a hoard of notebooks-in-waiting. I can be on deck if we end up needing a spot filled.

Nighteater · July 17, 2019, 7:36pm

True, I’m just trying to address at potential issues, especially since we are doing this ad hoc. I would rather be safe then sorry

Tinker · July 17, 2019, 7:52pm

I have a dance veil and also a spare I don’t love in case it goes horribly wrong

Nimueh · July 17, 2019, 8:00pm

Well, while we’re thinking about objects and finding people, maybe we can work on adjusting the spell? Here’s it as we know (for ease of referance):

Light (Weatherwatch)
First look upon the red horizon
All awakened by my force
I am the mother and the son, the rising sun my source.

Aether (Gossmere)
Morning’s called me many names
Gravity and untouched things
Though I am but a force unseen carried on imagined wings

Ore (Flinterforge)
As fire hangs midway in the sky
Move the ground to summon me
But only fire and force will show what I can truly be.

Tide (Ebenguard)
Day grows weary, night awakes
Five moons call to the water
A careful step upon the land but sea is too my daughter

Thought (Thornmouth)
Night black curtains drape the world
Memory and misery, rage and reason too
All are born inside of me, and I am born in you

Wild (Balimora)
The darkened world is stirring now
Before dawn breaks its silence
Life and death move hand in hand, the minuet of violence

Ashburn · July 17, 2019, 8:08pm

Well, I don’t know why my brain thought there was something about reversing, but would going Wilds to Light be an alteration to the usual we’d want to do (in addition to wording changes, of course)?