The Loremaster looked very intrigued when Davian made his report, and he remained silent until Geldryn and the High Inquisitor asked for his knowledge. When he spoke, it was with a certain hesitation.
"When it comes to what we are dealing with... [?] With the information you have given me, I cannot know for certain. It would have been preferable if I had had the chance to examine the sites for myself, but we are pressed for time. I lack the facts and the information needed to make an accurate deduction, and as such I must proceed by elimination. Gentlemen, I doubt that a wizard - that is, a mage who uses leylines as a source of power - was responsible for the spells employed against the hamlets. They have been happening on a yearly basis, which points to some sort of ritual dependent on time, while a wizard always has access to constant power, if he can find lines. He would either have not been able to do it once, or he would not have had to wait a whole year before doing it twice. I would think that the nodes are indeed a coincidence - they exist in a regular density all over the world. The ones in this region simply happen to be mapped, like almost all were in an older age.
Keeping that information in mind, [?] I believe we are safe to assume whoever did the rituals lacked experience but had power. Residual energies at the site after such a long time, and the same amount in both places on top of it, might mean that the creator of the spells either forgot or did not know how to deactivate his creations after using them once, and that they are expending large amounts of energies doing absolutely nothing every year. On the long term, this may become exceptionally dangerous, but it is not a priority. This tells us that brute strength rather than skill was used - which generally points to the work of some sort of cabal. A single mage having the necessary power to create a spell on that scale and yet making an apprentice's mistakes while preparing the ritual is almost unfathomable.
[?] Finally, there is the fact that the rituals must have a use of some sort. Unless we are witnessing pointless acts of violence for the sake of it, those who disappear from the hamlets must be necessary for some sort of process. Magic on the level we are dealing with is a vulgar, loud, flashy thing - unless they are operating at an absurd distance away from civilization, they must have been leaving some sort of trace behind. Find that trace, and you will find them. To fight them, well... Although I could be of more use if I knew exactly what they were, I can still give some simplistic advice. Mages are dangerous in situations where they have the time, resources, and strength needed to act. Assuming there truly are several, do not fight them all together. Outnumber them at all times. Do not give them time to recover. Do not attempt to take on their base directly - draw them out.
And above all things, do not let them know you are coming - although if you are going after the one who hit Faran, it may be too late for that."
Having apparently exhausted his available information on the subject, the Loremaster stepped aside, quieting down to let the discussion carry on.
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Topic: Inquisition - IC thread (Read 6839 times)