One must always be careful of books

[magicalarchaeologist]

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





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[godshattering]

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?"

[magicalarchaeologist]

"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."

[godshattering]

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."