"Couple of questions. Is it possible to set up some sort of spell to capture and store mana over time? If there is some in the air I could see how it might be useful."
"Ah, like panning for gold? Yes, such methods exist and there are actually a few structures dedicated just to this, although they tend to be very large in order to capture any decent amount of ambient mana. The good news is that it is entirely possible to store mana, as I have in that stone. You just need to wrap it in an aether framework to keep it in place. It's a finite store, though, and you have to manually replace it either from yourself or such a collector. A lot of mages, particularly if they know they have large projects to undertake, will carry crystals full of mana with them for use when their natural supply is insufficient. I understand it's also possible to obtain mana by harvesting a creature's soul, but it's quite a wasteful process and I'm not familiar with how to do it without destroying the soul in the process. The Master is very skilled with it, but he won't deign to teach you until your latter years of training. He actually only bothers to teach whoever's in Aethelwine's position and just trusts the rest of us to teach the younger.""So if these stones are linked to those elements, or thread types, does casting spells mean we need to crush these types of stone up?"
Pip laughs.
"Oh, goodness no! These are just pebbles I found by the inn, there's nothing inherently magical about them at all. Don't get me wrong, there are magical materials, but they're rare and most often cut from the hides of magical beasts. No, I picked those because it's easier to keep spell forms stable inside rocks, particularly crystals, as they are less prone to the effects of the Ebb. I'll explain that later, don't worry. Suffice to say, if you care about spells that last longer than a few minutes you'll put them in some sort of object.""What about that spell you cast when we were in the coach?"
"I reinforced that, and it helped that we were inside with little air flow. Besides, if I put it in a stone you'd get a hot stone instead of a warm coach, putting it in the air helped it spread. But yes, it would have broken down in a few hours were I not repeatedly maintaining and repairing it.""You mentioned magical beasts before, what sort of beasts are there? I've heard of goblins and werewolves and of course," you shudder, "elves. What else are there?"
"Dragons, of course, but those are far and few between here on the Emerald Isles. Sprites, brownies, manticores, unicorns, quite a number else. Demons, but those are intangible unless you deliberately give them form. Tip, if you ever come across one, do not give it form. They will promise you anything in exchange for a form, and if you make such a deal, break your word.""How do you give a demon form, create it a body?"
"Yes. I won't teach you how to do that, but Tostig knows some of the specifics as part of his speciality." You note an odd choice of pronoun there, but let it go.
"In any case, time is wasting. Today we're going to be working on your focus, and later this evening we'll start with your reading work. Now, take a look at that first stone again..."A month passes, most of your time taken up with chores and duties and the rest learning to read or doing focus and witchsight practice with Pip. The former is extremely slow going, but by the end of the month you can very slowly read words and sentences, although the pronunciation of the letters sometimes trips you up. You have to ask Pip for a lot of help. The latter part is much easier, as you natural talent helps you a great deal. You are vaguely aware that Frederick is undertaking witchsight practice as well and finding it much more difficult. By the end of the month you have not only trained your witchsight, but you have a good sense of how many times a day you can use it clearly and how long you can sustain your focus for. Like using a muscle, it gets easier with each use.
You see little of Master Harold in this time, who spends most of his days in his study or out hunting with Aethelwine and occasionally Tostig, which results in a fair bit of work for you taking care of the horses. It is a lonely sort of time, as Frederick seems intent on ignoring you and you barely speak to the elder apprentices, seeing only Pip most of the day.
At the dawn of the second month, you meet Pip as usual for reading practice. The snows are heavy outside and the fireplace does little to chase off the chill.
"Ah, good to see you. How are the horses?""Bess is with foal, I think. You'll need to get in someone who can manage the birth when the time comes, I've never done it before."
"Really? I thought they didn't get pregnant in winter.""I'm pretty sure she's been carrying since late summer. I thought you were taking care of the horses then?"
"I know how to ride horses and drive them, and I can feed them as well. We had grooms to take care of things like that back home.""Right, well I grew up around them and I can tell you she's with foal. Probably birth towards the end of spring, so please let the Master know to get someone in to help with that."
"Thanks. Anyhow, to business. I think we've done all we need to with your witchsight practice, and I think we can pare back your duties a little as well. So in addition to reading work, I'll be teaching you your first true spell. On top of that, it would be best if you learnt a few additional skills as well. Aethelwine can teach you swordplay, as well as how to wear and use armour and shields, although that does mean spending more time with him. Tostig can teach you to use a bow, crossbow and musket, and how to hunt. Or if you'd prefer you can stick with me and I can teach you about stewardship and book-keeping, which are essential to running an estate or business. Which would you prefer?
"Additionally, please pick which spell you would like to start learning. I can teach you how to create a very simple shield from magic, how to mimic the effects of acid, create heat or cold, light, sound, how to make someone momentarily confused or out of breath, how to move objects remotely, or how to leave messages that only someone with witchsight can see. Which would you like to start with?"Focus: 3/Day
Mana: 5/Day
Spells
Witchsight: 1 Focus (no components, sharpening of internal senses)
Flavours
Mana.
Fire.
Air.
Aether.
Earth.
Water.
Life.
Destruction.
Preservation.
Skills
Novice Farrier
Novice Groom
Dabbling Chemist
Dabbling Metalworker
Author
Topic: Apprentice [TSG] (Read 11094 times)