video

[cloakand_danger]

Who: Yuan and whoever answers
When: Now.
Broadcast: Fleetwide
Action: The library on the Iskaulit

[The feed comes on to show Yuan in the library, with a scattering of handwritten notes in front of him. He addresses the camera in a calm, businesslike tone:]

So there's something I've been wondering about for a while now, since I started meeting people here, and now seems as good a time as any to start a conversation on the subject: there seem to be a fair number of different kinds of elves in the Fleet. Where I come from, elven blood is the only source of magical abilities, at least for mortals. [He holds up a hand, palm upward, and a crackling ball of lightning appears hovering over it in demonstration. Once he's sure his point has been made, he lets it wink out and continues.]

If anyone's willing, I'd like to hear about the elves of your worlds and their relationship to magic, if there is one. And if you have magic that doesn't derive from elven blood, I'd be curious to hear about how you came by it.

Comments

[lord_wizard]

I suppose that's where we differ. There is no way to increase one's power. There are certainly more powerful techniques one can use, most of which are distasteful, but in the end it can never change the limit they can reach.

[Because if that were true, Malkar would never have needed him, and Malkar had assuredly scraped the barrel of any possible way to elevate himself]

I remember you speaking about the melding of magic and technology in your world. You're saying that's how humans bypass the need for the proper heritage to use magic on their own?

[cloakand_danger]

So a child can in theory cast at the same level of power as an adult? That seems dangerous on many levels.

Yes, exactly. The elves must have taught them originally, although that would have been long, long before even I was born. By the time I was a child, human cities were full of magitechnological conveniences that improved every aspect of the average person's life. And magitech is also more versatile than pure spellcasting, which doesn't necessarily have much use outside of combat or healing.

[lord_wizard]

It is dangerous, which is exactly the problem. Without someone to train them there's always the risk of accident, but, it's difficult to accomplish much without training. In any case, the talent doesn't generally manifest until their age of maturity, at which point they hopefully have the wits to seek out said training.

[He crosses his arms in thought] Do you know how it works? Magitech?

[cloakand_danger]

[He shakes his head.] Not much. I know it's powered by mana, and that magitech weapons use more mana than most devices, but I'm afraid I've always left most of the technical details to engineers.

As far as casting ability - what I meant is, where I come from even untrained children who exhibit an unusual degree of capability might be...pursued by those who wish to take advantage of it. I can only imagine how much worse that might be if they were already able to use artes at an adult level. ...But then again, I guess that would be less of a problem if it doesn't manifest until adulthood to start with.

[lord_wizard]

I'm less interested in the mechanical workings and more in how they imbue it with magic that allows anyone else to use it. Unless those things are one and the same...

[Felix's mouth twisted into a frown. He'd really only fully understood how the system in Marathat was less than ideal until he'd left, though it seemed that no country had yet to really perfect the education of young wizards. More to the point,
Yuan was exactly right about some of the reasons it was a problem. At least, in his case.]

Adulthood is a matter of perspective, unfortunately. Most wizards manifest around sixteen or seventeen, but for some, like myself, it can occur much earlier.

[Felix fidget uncomfortably for a moment before clearing his throat and continuing]

How is it that people learn magic there you are from?