Time to study those magical spirit rituals!
You crack open the book. Or, more accurately, you turn the pages gently until the book is open to the correct region, and then spend a few hours deciphering circles and runes and such.
Or, once more, that's what you think you'll be doing. What you are doing is reading a treatise on the nature and makeup of.. floating dust specs, and how to best manipulate tiny amounts of dust.. somehow.. to create ritual lines through some kind of ability you know is impossible, at least for humans.
Well, that part is out, or at least seems to be useless, but it isn't the only thing in the book. More useful are what seems to be a specific element. A tool, so to speak, one effective when composed of dust. A trigger, so to speak.
Magic is, as best you grasp it, composed of lots of smaller items, which are arranged into the formation of a spell or an item that will create some kind of seemingly supernatural effect. However, they don't seem that supernatural; you're supposed to link things together, such as power sources, through intermediate effects, into other ritual elements that would cause the final effect you're supposed to arrange.
The piece you learn today is a particular arrangement of dust, that when done properly, uses the tiny amount of energy put into it's creation to act as a trigger to trip some other magical effect, one linked up with something else, powered by something else, to do something else. This is usually triggered by someone moving the dust around, or breaking it with their feet. There are notes indicating that it can be modified in various ways, to make it more or less sensitive, or to try and limit what kind of thing can break it, such as wind, presence of a living creature, or several other variations.
You try it out yourself. After perhaps fifteen minutes of collecting dust, and spending a good few more minutes placing it on the floor and carefully arranging it into the lines that make up the ritual symbol, you are finished making a, well, rune, that will trip when the first person steps on it. You then do so, and see the slightest of faint sparks on the ritual edge, demonstrating a successful arrangement of dust.
Huh. You have learned a
versatile dust triggering rune.Week 4
Assets and Abilities:
Prestige = 0
15 silver.
Concealable fighting dagger
Adventurer's diary (partially studied)
->Information on southern jungle nations
->Secret locations in southern jungle.
->Information on spiritual beings, spiritual being society, spiritual being outlook.
->Information on animal life of the southern jungle
->Information on magical beings of the southern jungle
->Instruction on spirit-related magical rituals. Versatile dust triggering rune. Two more undeciphered rituals.
->Instruction on an unknown magical field.
->Instruction on wilderness survival methods
->Instruction on what seems to be the language of the southern jungle nations.
->Instruction on an unknown language.
Plan for trading in cloves. Buy at a very cheap price, wait an uncertain amount of time for the price to rise, sell at a profit. Costs 4 silver a bag, can yield 2-3 silver a bag, barring additional events.
Miscellaneous magical diagrams, captured from one of your dreams. Uncertain accuracy.
Skills:
Charming, +1
Magic:
Versatile Dust triggering rune.
Allies:
Employed by Li Yue, merchant, 1 prestige, 0 favors. Paid 2 silver/week, acting as a servant and guard, takes four actions.
Huan Zhang, diplomat, 2 prestige, 0 favors. Owe 11 silver, 1/week interest.
Li Song, martial arts student, 0 prestige, 0 favors.
Upscale Weapon Shop.