2025 Apr 8: Spell Research

 As previously established, mortals cannot learn magic, they can only beseech spirits to do services for them. But then how come such a large amount of a sorcerer's time is spent researching magic? Well, there are a few reasons.

First is that any magic user needs to know which gods or spirits to call on for which task. Knowing the names, powers, likes, and dislikes of each such being takes a lot of learning, especially as certain spirits and gods are only active in specific areas, such as a spirit of a river or a mountain isn't going to be of much help far away from the natural formation they inhabit. Even one born from the bloodline of a god must know who to call forth to work their magic.

Second, many of the ancient sorcerers forged permanent pacts with certain gods or spirits. When the proper words are spoken the proper gestures made, and the proper sacrifices presented, the entity is compelled to uphold its end of the bargain now just as they were hundreds if not thousands of years ago. Many of these pacts have fallen into obscurity, most requiring pronunciations different from the ones used today, or even mastery of languages that have since fallen out of use. Piecing together these ancient rites again requires lots of research and learning.

Last but not least, even spellthieves need to know what to send their familiars after. Sure the little spirit can come up with a spell to steal on its own, but it might have very specific conditions or unpleasant drawbacks, or the spirit might even misunderstand the sorcerer completely, and come back with a completely inappropriate spell. Knowing which spells exist, and who can cast them, what drawbacks and stipulations they have, and how dangerous they are to steal is vital knowledge to any spellthief worth their salt.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Lore24 May 9: The White Gates of Enki

Lore24 Jan 13: Royal Prince Ea-Ir

Lore24 Apr 24: Monster-Headed Giants