abraxaslogs | One must always be careful of books

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One must always be careful of books

WHO: Istredd and you
WHAT: Catch-all for December!
WHERE: Thorne, Nocwich, Horizon
WHEN: December

Starters Below!

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The mention of sixty years and longevity gets a slight eye narrow from Claude, there and gone in a flash, because: sixty? That's nowhere near whatever age he might've guessed Istredd could be, having maybe thought half of that or so. But. Looks can be deceiving as he'd learned with Rhea who was several hundred years older than she appeared. Perhaps the same thing is at play here. Though unlike Rhea, at least Istredd is being upfront about whatever's tied to this, whatever the unknown might be.

"A telepath," he repeats, considering what word he's not familiar with could mean in the context of what Istredd's provided and previously explained about how his domain works. "There's something further to do with our minds in that case? Rather than just the connection to the Singularity alone creating everything we have? I can't say I fully understand being, well, here," with a gesture to around them meant to encompass the Horizon as a whole, "but it's been a rather fortunate way to meet people."

Such as Istredd himself, someone who Claude's rapidly finding fascinating, and offers smile meant to say as much. "Especially considering the two of us being in different places, as unless things suddenly became much less tense - and Nocwich wasn't an option - it'd be unlikely for us to ever meet in person or know the other existed.

"But speaking of Thorne, I've heard much about their magic from others but not from anyone in Thorne themselves. Much of what I've heard makes it seem like the magic popular there resembles what I know from where I'm from, in terms of learning from spellbooks or other texts."

"A telepath is someone who can connect their mind with someone else. It is something like how we can send messages to each other, only they can do it all the time if they wish. Within reason."

Istredd is a polite person, he doesn't read people's minds or push his way in, he asks permission and respects boundaries. But he has the ability to do it more aggressively. He was trained on breaking other people's minds and forcing information out of them, thanks to his mentor who actively does the same. And because of Stregobor's general terribleness, it means he would never do the same unless it is the only way. Even then, he doesn't want to. This domain is a love letter to the positive things about being a psychic mage, about how smoothly a mind can create given the space and encouragement.

"This exists on the psychic plane, meaning it's in our minds. The crater does exist in the real world, and the people of this world will die if they go into it, but not us. We end up here." Outside of one time of the year, which is coming up shortly and will mean a great deal to him. "I can read minds and create grand illusions, but no one in the history of our magic would be able to make this. But the Singularity isn't a person."

Istredd is still trying to find out what it is; it is certainly not a rock. Not a monolith. It must be pure power, of a kind, filling this sphere with powerful magic. It's beautiful. He's slightly in love with it, as a concept. He turns his attention back to Claude.

"I haven't had many visitors, although I did a recent remodeling of the outside. I suppose it was rather foreboding before." The giant monolith to him represented many things, but in truth it was probably unnerving to other people. He removed it when Cirilla was upset by it. Perhaps having a visitor proves that it was a good idea.

"Thorne leans heavily on academic magic, spellbooks, covering every type of magic this realm has. Probably more than we see, as they control everything we are able to get our hands on." That means Istredd does believe there are higher level books, such as the one that brought them here in the first place. He can look for forbidden books all he wants. It's unlikely to happen. "But anyone can become a very strong mage spending enough time there." So that is why her Majesty has so many extremely powerful mages at hand. The type who could rain meteors down.

"Thorne is a prison." Istredd speaks bluntly because they are here. "We are trapped there, barely allowed to go out of the castle. They threw Summoned in the dungeon before. I have tested the wards myself. They're listening all the time, there's no privacy. You can get arrested for speaking out of turn about the monarchy. Understand that if you speak to more of us. It is not the way we've heard others live. We can't make businesses or really have jobs of our own. We're dependent on them."

The short explanation of telepathy is intriguing and leaves Claude with more questions than he feels it particularly answered. The biggest one is, of course, being whether Istredd can sense thoughts, feelings, anything all the time. And with that Claude, someone intent on hiding anything he doesn't want to reveal, has some reservations if so.

Now's not the time to get into that as the Singularity's abilities surpassing what Istredd knows to be possible in his world catches his attention. It matches what Claude understands to be true about Fodlan, even with the reveal of Shambhala and the technologies there, but even those were also created by people. That the Singularity wasn't: it makes sense and is also ever so slightly unnerving. Another thing to add to the ever growing list of said things Abraxas has brought to his attention.

None of that compares to the information about Thorne which Istredd gives him simply because he'd asked. Claude had been absently studying a nearby bookshelf while nodding at the explanation of Thorne's magic, but the word prison rivets his gaze back onto the other man in an instant. There's many meanings to calling something a prison and Istredd provides several rather quickly while Claude listens with a grim look.

"I've heard it was also once a literal prison for many people brought here some time ago," he says almost offhand, if only because that was also included in Istredd's explanation and Claude means it more to underscore it's known to be a prison even outside of Thorne's boundaries. "There are people I've spoken to there, mostly in the aftermath of the attack on Libertas as we were fortunate enough to meet in Nocwich first before tensions erupted. They mentioned the same in being under lock and key effectively and with deep consequences for speaking anything besides what the monarchy's deemed acceptable."

But the utter dependence on leaders who might turn on them at any second - that is troubling. For all the Free Cities' many faults and the deep distrust the Cadens Summoned seem to all share, they are still (for now) allowed to do as they please within reason. Claude's expression shifts to a frown, one he doesn't bother to hide. "They expect you to do exactly as they say, I presume, with consequences for not. Are you not allowed to travel even between the castle and Thorne's other cities?"

Said other cities being something he'd only recently learned of in more detail than maps provide, but Claude's guessing the answer is no. It'd mean surrendering that surveillance over the Summoned even if some kind of mission would be a too convenient 'reward' for obedience.

"Yes, in the beginning, they threw Summoned in their jails. That threat is always hanging over our heads, but they have amped up recently. The Queen is unstable, it's led everyone to be paranoid. Looking for people to blame."

Istredd says all of this very calmly and logically, as if he too isn't in this strange beautiful prison. Maybe because he has accepted the situation and he's focusing on what he can get out of it. It also isn't new. He was raised in a place where he was taken as a child and forced into severe and sometimes fatal training. Thorne hasn't murdered anyone yet, so they're still technically doing better than his own teachers.

"They've been arresting Summoned. Hard to say if they know what they're looking for, or if it's a simple fear tactic." Istredd would say it's a combination. They probably know the Summoned have secrets, and this is a way to see what they can glean from applying pressure. "They don't like people getting jobs of their own, they certainly wouldn't let us go to other cities. We were allowed to Nott to help put down the fires."

So while they were useful, but then they had to go back. It is possible to get jobs and even live in other locations close to the castle, but always with the understanding they know where people are. And they will come for them, wherever that is. "I am used to being able to teleport anywhere I want, adjusting to being trapped hasn't gone smoothly."

Istredd being rather unflappable while describing this is a bit of a curiosity, if only because most Summoned (occasionally Claude included) tend to show some distinct feelings on it beyond words alone. But - it's also the kind of surety that comes from having lived through strife before and not just the distance from the events of a couple months ago, and that's something he files away for later. It's the kind of something which requires a few more conversations first before bringing it up.

Besides that, the mention of Summoned being arrested in Thorne gets his attention. Kyle had mentioned something which seemed close to it briefly but hadn't called it that outright, and Claude studies Istredd while he speaks. It could easily be a trap of some kind to get him to say more about the Free Cities, if not for Claude having the prior knowledge of the state of things in Thorne. And he is, after all, not one to turn down the opportunity to learn more.

"Do you know how many have been arrested there?" He's careful to phrase this as casually as one possibly can given the topic. This could, theoretically, apply to him though he's been careful to mention it only to those it impacts or the even smaller circle of those he trusts. "I've... heard a bit about the latest developments, but not beyond it seeming random. Not comforting given Thorne's history for jailing, if you ask me."

Maybe better to start an ever so slight shift to another topic to go with that, something which serves multiple purposes as while Claude's curiosity will likely require some trust he's willing to work to gain there's also genuine interest in what else Istredd has mentioned. "Before I ask this, I want to preface it by saying I'm guessing teleporting can't be learned from a book," a slight grin, somewhat of an inside joke with himself considering one of his most studious friends did learn this from a book in Fodlan, "but do you have books here about the magic from your world? I'm eager to learn more about it, even if it's just the theories behind it all."

"Oh, I apologize, arrested is the wrong term. Questioned or detained is more accurate. I suppose I still consider it arrested if the threat of you immediately being tossed in a cell if they don't like your answers is there." It is a small difference to him. No one has been put into the jail cells that he knows of, but sooner or later someone will be. Either for good reasons or to try and get the others to talk. He would more likely call it quote marks questioned.

"A few Summoned have been spoken to. It is not over. It is possible someone will end up in the dungeons, it simply hasn't happened yet." Istredd himself made some of the dungeon wards so that's always an interesting detail. "It is interesting though that they are certain Free Cities is to blame for the attack, but are hunting within their castle as well." By interesting he means suspicious. Perhaps the queen isn't as certain as she says she is about who was responsible. Or someone got them suspicious.

"Yes, I have many. You won't be able to use any of them yourself, including our teleportation, because we have to be born with an innate connection to Chaos magic. It is not as healthy and overflowing as here. But I am happy to share them."

If anyone could use magic back home they probably wouldn't share any of the volumes on it, the mages love to keep all the power to themselves. Istredd puts his palms up and several books fly through the air to set on top of them. Claude will find them all filled out and they do look very old since they're replicated from texts alive for a thousand years at this point.

They share the same thought about the clarification in wording: the end result is likely to be the same regardless of the path in getting there, and even more likely when those questioning are looking for what they want to hear and nothing else. That's even before accounting for this being an on going process. It must be the same in Cadens then, surely.

Something that should've registered with Claude a little more firmly than it is now considering the interviewer had mentioned follow up and the filing of the report. Something which makes him considerably more concerned for his friends near him, and one in particular in Thorne. Nothing to do about that now, though.

The onslaught of books is deeply exciting, and for once Claude doesn't bother to disguise his reaction as anything but. A particularly age weathered tome is the first one he picks up, eager to dive into it post-haste. But then what Istredd said about the magic he knows clicks in Claude's mind, and he looks up from the page he'd turned to with a raised brow.

"Your magic can't be learned at all if you don't have that connection? That's considerably different from Fodlan." Here he thought he'd been kidding about Istredd's version of Warp, and yet it seems to be the truth after all. "Magic where I'm from is often learned in academies. It requires studying and some talent for it, of course, and because there's so much to it people often specialize in areas rather than the entirety. That also helps if you're a questionable magic student like me since I never picked up anything besides wind magic."

He means to start paging through the book, and yet - one more question lingers in his mind. "Is the connection you mentioned anything like what we experience with the Singularity here? Where it seems to grant gifts at random?"

"There are some minor signs people can learn. You do need to have some kind of aptitude for magic, but it should work here. Details about those are ... in here." Istredd picks up one of the books and offers it to Claude. A book on signs that witchers use commonly and some minor mages can have access to. They require bare minimum connection to the forces.

"But real magic requires you to be born to it. It can't be taught, unlike here, or what you're used to. Mages are rare in my sphere and long-lived. We're taken as children and put into training. We channel something called Chaos energy and if you aren't trained, it can kill you or drive you mad." When Istredd says take, he means take. They can be kidnapped or stolen, although most of the time they can simply pay or bargain to take a child mage. He says it very matter-of-factly though, these grim realities.

"I am very impressed and slightly jealous of worlds like yours and here with free-flowing magic and academic learning. It is incredible to be in Abraxas where magic is everywhere in the air around us." And in here, so close to the Singularity, he can feel it. "I've started teaching academic magic in Thorne, it is far easier than what I am used to, and more pleasant to teach." The Chaos magic they do always has an edge of danger, you have to be incredibly precise to use it.

"The connection to chaos is, unsurprisingly, more chaotic than what you see here. Using it improperly or making a mistake can still kill you even with training and skill. But with it we are capable of impressive power, so you accept the balance."

Claude takes the book with no small amount of curiosity - a running theme for everything Istredd has presented him with before prior to and since his arrival - and very narrowly avoids giving into the urge to open it right then and there. It's a good thing he doesn't both for politeness reasons and because otherwise he would've missed what Istredd tells him to fill in some of the blanks in what he'd assumed about magic in the other's world.

"Real magic," he repeats after a pause, mostly because the phrase seems odd to him. It's possibly linked to the signs in the book in his hands, or maybe there's something else behind it. Real implies layers to it: not only the inborn connection being required but also abilities and what can be done with one's grasp, and maybe even different areas of it like Fodlan's magic. All of which is considered real enough at home, Claude supposes, and not broken out into anything categorized to the level of how it sounds like in Istredd's world.

That's before factoring in Thorne's academic magic which he's heard resembles Fodlan's in some ways, and that only adds to the intrigue. There's much he wants to ask, could easily spend a good few hours prying into what Istredd knows and seems willing to share from experience and as an instructor, but realistically: patience in making sure he understands what he can grasp will surely help. Especially considering the magic the other knows well can kill users in their attempts to harness it and not because said spells were aimed at an enemy.

So Claude nods slightly, still clearly ruminating on all of that information and filing it away, then glances down at the book of signs. "I have to confess the idea of being somewhere where access to magic isn't a given, even if it's something like my absolutely limited abilities, seems strange. I'd like to ask you about that sometime in more detail, but something tells me I should start with this book first," with a grin and tilting the tome in his hands slightly to call attention to it, "and then see where that takes me. So long as I'm not intruding by returning to ask more, that is, and then next time I can be better prepared to bring you some more books from Fodlan my friends and I have created as well."

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One must always be careful of books

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