Spellcraft? Or Knowledge (arcana)? Who knows? [Open]

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Having given warning to the crew as they asked -- and regretting the days in his own lands, where massive ground-shaking detonations would earn no more notice than a peddler with delicious folded bread -- Aibghalien stepped into the sensorium. With a wave of his hand he bade it produce the image of his former laboratory -- much like his current one, save the outer walls were constructed of massive blocks of stone, testament to its position in the tallest tower of the castle he once dwelt in.

Then, with more painstaking care than it seemed worth, he began forming duplicates of each of his magical items, pausing to laboriously inspect each one before setting it to one side, next to its actual twin.

This promised to be a fruitful night.

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[gifthasacold]

If Thom had been interested before, now he was absolutely fascinated. "How is that possible?" he asked. "Magic is innate, inborn - on my world, people have driven themselves mad trying to attain the Gift. The Gods either give it, or they do not - even some people in powerful lineage can be birthed Giftless."

Even though it usually bred true, like the Sight and the fabled Wild Magic.

[for-magic.livejournal.com]

"So far, that appears to be true of every world of every person I have spoken to on this ship, except my own," Aibghalien said, somewhat nettled by the fact. "On my world,it is also true that magic can be inborn. If one has the blood of an immortal, whether inherited from the divine or simply being elven, one can tap power innately. We call this art sorcery. It has the advantage of being relatively easy to learn and quite powerful, but comparatively limited.

"By contrast, a wizard, who has learned his art by study, has less raw power to command, but far greater versaiility."

[gifthasacold]

"The Gift has nothing to do with immortal blood - immortals and Gods use a different brand of magic entirely, nothing even remotely related to mortal magic. Mortals and immortals cannot even use each other's magic."

Thom spoke with the air of an expert on the subject. Since his only pastime in school had been studying, this was hardly surprising. "More versatile? How? Do sorcerers on your world not use the very same spells?"

[for-magic.livejournal.com]

"The spells are shared between disciplines," Aibghalien said. "Thus, if I summoned a fireball, and a sorcerer summoned a fireball, you wouldn't be able to distinguish the difference. However, a sorcerer may only draw upon a limited number of spells from a pool. They may, however, cast any spell they want that they know, without limitation.

"Conversely, a wizard, such as myself, must memorize a spell before casting it, and once it is cast the magical energies are expended and the spell cannot be cast again without fresh preparation. However, we have no limitation on the spells we may study."

Magical nerds of the worlds, unite!

[gifthasacold]

"You use cast-spells for throwing fire?" Thom said, arching one eyebrow. Well, that's what he had made it sound like, and fire was one of the indicators of the Gift. From birth.

Thom's hand twitched like he was about to raise it and then he stopped himself. Using his magic was inadvisable. Instead he took the opportunity to study the man across from him. That he was not human was clear, but in the last few weeks Thom had grown out of the urge to startle at strange silhouettes.

[for-magic.livejournal.com]

"All the spells we use are cast, barring unusual circumstances," he said. "May I ask what other sorts of spells are common on your world?"

No, most assuredly not human. For all that he looks in his mid-twenties if he were human, the eyes hold six, eight times as many years.

[gifthasacold]

"Most magic is intuitive. You shape the Gift with your mind as your tool - but there are several complicated workings that can only be done with cast-spells. Simulacra, greater protections, summoning. But those are for powerful mages, those who have studied. Most hedge-witches can cast fire, perhaps heal a little."

Maude had taught them Seeing in the fire, but Thom had never done it. Only Alanna had risked calling upon those powers that could destroy her.

[for-magic.livejournal.com]

"That sounds similar to sorcery," Aibghalien mused, thoughts racing. "Not identical, but the idea that you have an inherent 'gift' that allows connection to magic, rather than a developed understanding of the rules and theory of magic which enables its manipulation. Manipulating magic directly, though, without use of the usual components... is usually confined to wizards who have specifically studied the art."

A moment more of racing thoughts. "Healing is within the purveyance of your arcane arts?"

[gifthasacold]

"Some with the Gift have a talent for healing - you have to be inclined for it or you won't be able to learn. My sister uses her Gift mostly for healing. I don't have the inclination."

Thom had been jealous of that at first, but Alanna neglected the higher arcane arts, so he had settled into contentment that they balanced each other out as always. "Depending on how much raw power one has, that is how far one's Gift can be applied. Mages who attempt greater workings when they only have the power for hedge magic... well, the results are fatal."

[for-magic.livejournal.com]

"More and more interesting," Aibghalien said. "Healing as a magic, on my world, falls under the purveyance of the greater forces -- divine, spiritual, or philosophical. Those of us who draw on arcane energy can't, under most circumstances, perform such feats."

Not that he had time for clerics himself, with a few exceptions.

[gifthasacold]

"Magic is from the divine," Thom said. "That's why the arcane arts are called the Gift - interesting that yours has other sources."

Interesting, but in the end irrelevant. "The Media Library seems to contain some of the most basic texts, theoretical, nothing practical. Is there another library on board?"

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"Two sources, in fact, though the power of the land itself is, for some reason, inaccessible here." He cast a wry look around at the artificial environment.

"Well. My library consists almost entirely of books dealing with my form of magic, of course, but I was fortunate enough to have it here almost in its entirety."

[gifthasacold]

Almost in its entirety. Those words were practically musical. He'd waded through most of the Media Library and found not a thing of use to him, so even with Aibghalien's reservations about the content, it was a start.

"Do you... would you happen to have any texts focusing on unusual interactions with various spells or disciplines of magic?"

Once he found something that sounded similar to what had happened to him, he could try to reverse it. He just had to do it fast.

[for-magic.livejournal.com]

"Numerous!" Aibghalien said brightly. "That was actually one of my primary foci back before I was brought here, since -- well, it's a long story. Now, be mindful that it deals primarily with an association between divine magic, arcane magic, and crystallized mebghail, so I don't want to get your hopes up, but I certainly don't mind helping you look for something which can be generalized."

[gifthasacold]

"How fortuitous," Thom murmured. He compressed his excitement, shoving it far down. If he expressed too much interest, it might inspire too much curiosity - and Thom still couldn't bear to admit to the magnitude of his mistake.

"If you might point me in the direction of certain texts more useful than rudimentary theories - although perhaps a primer of some sort might be desirable if I'm to be looking at speculation in an entirely new branch of magic..."

Thom's voice trailed off. He had gone fully into planning mode now.

[for-magic.livejournal.com]

"I could certainly start you with a primer -- I've actually written one myself," he said, quite pleased with this turn of events.

Now, to shamelessly abuse the sensorium. He concentrated a moment, until a simulated copy of the instructive text appeared before him, floating in midair. Then, he spoke a few arcane words as he made some passes over that text; a moment later, a duplicate appeared next to it. As a result of a real spell, however, so too was the duplicate book solid and able to be taken from this den of illusion.

With a flourish he took the book from midair and offered it up. "This should give you a grounding in the magical theory I understand. Once you've read it, by all means stop by my laboratory; it's in the Jedi Temple in the city."