Post by steeledraconis on Nov 30, 2005 0:46:37 GMT -8
(Please note: Avians were the main charas in the tabletop version of this system, while Dragons were npcs, so while Dragons do have magic, weapons and Laws, they are nowhere near as specific as their Avian counterparts. Unless otherwise specified, all threads in Warcraft and Law pertain to Avians.)
When a young Avian female comes of age and desires a certain male for her mate, she will sing her First Song. It is of incomparable eloquence, complexity and beauty, and it is considered an honor to be allowed to hear one if you are not the intended. After she sings her First Song, she is physically (magically, really) unable to sing ever again unless the male answers her. As soon as he does, her song comes back immediately. If he does not reply within a week, her song is lost forever, and she must be ritually consumed, since not being able to sing is considered a deformity of the gravest nature (Avians rely on song for a lot of offensive and defensive magic). If he agrees to be her mate, all is well, and they are handfasted at their leisure. If he does not wish to be her mate, she usually becomes a Consort (though it is not legally required), usually because she is ashamed to have wasted her First Song on him. If she has been refused and another male desires her, he may step in and ask for her hand, rather than allow her to become a Consort. (Consorts kind of get a bum rap, but it's no bad thing to be one, the eldest daughter of the Crow Queen is a Consort.)
Some Avians, like Subtle's daughter Shadow, carry a grimoire, a book of spells not commonly used by any other Avian in Beyond. Some of these spells are very complicated, and rarely used except in conjuring. If you have a grimoire, you must list it in your chara info as part of your weapons. Shadow visits the Thunderbird clutch, who along with her great uncle, have foreseen her and her brother as the saviours of the world, so many of her spells are arcana she gained under their tutelage. Your chara's grimoire need neither contain Avian magic nor be of Avian origin, but no godmoding, please.
Avians use pinfeathers and flight feathers in certain kinds of magic, and although few Avians are alchemists, a small amount of transmutation occurs when using them. Pinfeathers can be used in just about any spell that creates another object, and the larger the object, the more feathers required, so try not to waste them on things you can get anywhere. One of Subtle's favored punishments of mischief when she was younger was dropping a pin feather on a troublemaker's head and transmuting it into a mass of sticky pinetar. Some transmutations require a chanted spell in addition, and the following spells are commonly used by Avians for this purpose. (If it isn't listed here, you can't use it to transmute pin feathers without prior permission)
Amaralo - Turns the feather into a rope that wraps itself around the person it was dropped on and will not release them until the user chants Sueltalo, which dissolves the rope.
Lavalo - Turns the feather into a shower of hot, soapy water, used to wash people, places and things.
Limpealo - When the feather lands, it completely cleans any and all stains, messes and bodily fluids on contact.
Penalo - When dropped on hair, it becomes a detangling solution that allows painless ease of combing out extremely long hair, no matter how snarled the tresses.
Sonoro: Much like the Dragon Contra Roren, this spell can be used by Avians to amplify the natural voice to be heard clear across a continent without shattering eardrums. Usually, only Lawgivers, Mouthpieces and clutch royalty may use this spell, as it requires a lot of power to employ.
Flightfeathers are the long, flat feathers that of course are used primarily for flight. When a person other than the Queen of a clutch makes a gift of the flight feather, the bonds that such a gift creates are as follows:
When you give someone a flight feather and it's the first one you've ever given away, half of your soul is exchanged with half of theirs, making a spiritual bond that remains even after death. This can be a problem unless the giver can regain the feather after the receiver dies, and if the giver dies first, the receiver must burn the feather, or they risk sharing each other's fates, as Subtle discovered the hard way when her first mate ended his own life.
When you make a second gift of a flight feather, usually to a different recipient, it takes a portion of the first two souls and bonds it in a triangle, so all three share tendrils of one another's souls. The difference here is that the first recipient is not life and death bonded to the giver and second receiver; only the latter two are bonded that way. For instance, Subtle had given a second flight feather to Steele, who'd ended up wounded in Limbo, nearly mortally so. Her body suffered sympathy wounds, while the reincarnated first mate, Viper, suffered no ill effects because his soul was not a part of the bond Subtle and Steele had from the second flight feather.
When Steele killed himself, Subtle would have died had the flight feather disappeared with him, but it was retrieved and returned to her. Once a flight feather is returned from a deceased recipient, the soul power in it is null, and cannot be used to harm the soul of the giver.
These are obviously not gifts to give lightly, so make sure the recipient is someone both close and trustworthy. The only exception to these bonds is when the Queen gives the members of her clutch a flight feather to make Jet arrows with (more on this in Weapons)
Spells that do not require transmutation and are used to conjure, banish, or otherwise affect one's surroundings are as follows:
Calmalo/Calmala- this spell, when chanted discreetly, can lower the tension levels during arguments, and it can be used to help the injured calm enough to allow treatment. Calmalo is used on males, Calmala is used on females.
Clarify- Sometimes you need to use the Deep Lullabye, but don't have the luxury of sleep time, so when you've used the Deep Lullabye, chant Clarify, and it nulls the side effect of sleep that the Lullabye has.
Deep Lullabye - Depending on the skill of the person who chants it, this famous healing spell can heal wounds and restore the wounded to full strength when he or she awakens. Subtle can heal wounds and restore full strength. Her elder twins, James and Shadow, can heal physical and psychological damage, in addition to restoring full strength. Amon De, a soul that resides in the Crow Lawgiver's body, is the most powerful Avian that ever lived, and can not only heal any and all physical and psychological wounds, she can remove all traces of scars, whether recent or from prior wounds. She can also heal deformities. This gives a sort of range, but bear in mind that your Avian will not start out anywhere near as powerful as any of these. At most, until you've been playing awhile, your chara will be able to heal wounds, but not restore strength without draining his or her own. Do note that while Amon De is able to heal anyone and everyone better than any Avian alive, she drains the Lawgiver's body to the point of death when she does so, so if you happen to be the lucky person she saves, take the gold scroll from the Lawgiver's satchel and read it aloud, or you will have a dead Lawgiver on your hands in a matter of minutes. (If she happens to die on you, sound a clarion call immediately to the clutch Royalty, or the new Lawgiver will not arrive in time to take the souls into his or her body, and you will have created MILLIONS of Raiders. Trust me when I say you'll be joining them, for such an act results in execution.)
Impetus Illuminarious- this spell will cast light in an area about the size of a city block, lasting for three hours unless called off early, by chanting Asombrada.
Impetus Imobulus - chanting this will freeze most people in their tracks for a small amount of time. It is a spell that can be dodged, so be carefull, or you'll freeze the wrong person in place. It wears off naturally and does not require a second incantation to release the spell. It does not prevent the enchanted from speaking, hearing, or seeing, it simply prevents them from moving.
Impetus Fuegus - chanting this will produce a long stream of flame that can either come seemingly from your mouth (it's actually from the space in front of your mouth) or your hand, depending on how you want to direct the flame. It doesn't last long, and you will be drained after using it, so have a care and don't waste it.
Impetus Volaris - On occasion, Avians will have visitors in Beyond who can not fly under their own power. Since all the continents are so far apart, carrying your guest from, say, Murder Cliffs to Ormrland would be heinously painfull, not to mention dangerous. When an Avian chants this spell on a non-winged being, it gives them the power of wingless flight, and this spell lasts until they leave Beyond.
Occulto - This spell will hide you alone, other people (with or without you), or even entire buildings, if you're skilled enough. This does not make the above mentioned invisible to EVERY being, so be aware that you and/or your enchanted might still be invisible. You, they or it remain hidden from view until you chant Enseñalo, which lifts the invisibility. Do note that only long standing members tend to have the ability to make entire buildings invisible.
The Sigh of Souls is a very powerful spell that is forbidden for anyone who is not royal or a Lawgiver to use. This is because the user must insert a portion of his or her own soul into the mind of the person with whom they must communicate on special level. By using the Sigh of Souls, the user may not only entire the very mind of his or her subject, but "speak" with that person, and either help resolve conflicts, revive from a severe coma, and (if the user is careful and powerful enough) even restore sanity. The price of such magic is that the soul tendril used by the magician leaves a spirital print behind, so he or she is always a part of the person on whom the spell is cast. It isn't wise to use the spell on an enemy, since leaving any portion of one's soul inside the mind of a villain can result in dark manipulation of that soul matter, and thus, the original owner.
Roren Mutus - This is a Dragon spell, mostly used by mothers when their Hatchlings first figure out that they've got lungs, and can put them to powerfully loud use! The Roren Mutus mutes the sound of a Dragon's roar when it goes above a certain level. It's a temporary spell, and doesn't actually mute the roar, it makes the hearer's ears shut out the sound, protecting them from deafness. If one stops long enough in a fight to use it, it can help keep you from being stunned, but people tend to be too busy fighting and get caught off guard. The duration of the spell depends on the magical ability of the user; the stronger the mage, the longer lasting the spell.
Contra Roren - Another Dragon spell, this is nearly the opposite of Roren Mutus. It allows the caster to amplify her or her natural voice in order to be heard clear across the continent without shattering eardrums. This is a rare spell, usually only very old or very powerful Dragons can use it, as it requires a lot of control, as the name implies. Very few people who are not royal or in the military will ever have need of it.
Scrying is not done by anyone in Beyond except the Royal Consort Tien e, the eldest daughter of the Crow Royalty. She observes and records all actions of any Avian in other realms, important Avian ceremonies when the Royalty or others can not be present, and can locate lost or injured Avians on any plane. She is literally the Eye of the World. The Crow Lawgiver often works closely with her, as do Subtle and Steele. If you have need of her services, seek her in Murder Cliffs, in the Crow Royal Nest.
Almost every Avian can now open portals to and from other realms. This was thanks to Subtle's "uncle", the last Moonlight clansmen. He'd given as a gift a spell that allows any Avian who is at the age of Choosing or older to open a portal to and from Beyond without having to use a spell. They simply wave their hand, and a portal appears. Many Dragons have been taught by the Queen to open them as well, but not so many know how as the Avians do.
Avians can set themselves Aside to allow someone to take over their body and use it. Or, if you're unconscious or in danger, or even if you're being a pain, they can set you Aside (not auto though, you have to "attempt"). The difference between Lawgivers doing it and regular Avians is, Lawgivers can allow the souls of the dead to use them. Regular Avian bodies can only host living souls. What goes for both kinds of Avians though, is that when they are set Aside, the person who takes over their body REALLY takes it over; as in the physical form becomes the person taking over. Any injuries sustained and any consumption of food or drink affect's the original owner's body, so be curteous and take good care of the body you borrow. You wouldn't like it if you had a low alcohol tolerance, like Souls, and someone drank large quantities while you were Aside, and leave you to get ill when they went back to their own body.
When a young Avian female comes of age and desires a certain male for her mate, she will sing her First Song. It is of incomparable eloquence, complexity and beauty, and it is considered an honor to be allowed to hear one if you are not the intended. After she sings her First Song, she is physically (magically, really) unable to sing ever again unless the male answers her. As soon as he does, her song comes back immediately. If he does not reply within a week, her song is lost forever, and she must be ritually consumed, since not being able to sing is considered a deformity of the gravest nature (Avians rely on song for a lot of offensive and defensive magic). If he agrees to be her mate, all is well, and they are handfasted at their leisure. If he does not wish to be her mate, she usually becomes a Consort (though it is not legally required), usually because she is ashamed to have wasted her First Song on him. If she has been refused and another male desires her, he may step in and ask for her hand, rather than allow her to become a Consort. (Consorts kind of get a bum rap, but it's no bad thing to be one, the eldest daughter of the Crow Queen is a Consort.)
Some Avians, like Subtle's daughter Shadow, carry a grimoire, a book of spells not commonly used by any other Avian in Beyond. Some of these spells are very complicated, and rarely used except in conjuring. If you have a grimoire, you must list it in your chara info as part of your weapons. Shadow visits the Thunderbird clutch, who along with her great uncle, have foreseen her and her brother as the saviours of the world, so many of her spells are arcana she gained under their tutelage. Your chara's grimoire need neither contain Avian magic nor be of Avian origin, but no godmoding, please.
Avians use pinfeathers and flight feathers in certain kinds of magic, and although few Avians are alchemists, a small amount of transmutation occurs when using them. Pinfeathers can be used in just about any spell that creates another object, and the larger the object, the more feathers required, so try not to waste them on things you can get anywhere. One of Subtle's favored punishments of mischief when she was younger was dropping a pin feather on a troublemaker's head and transmuting it into a mass of sticky pinetar. Some transmutations require a chanted spell in addition, and the following spells are commonly used by Avians for this purpose. (If it isn't listed here, you can't use it to transmute pin feathers without prior permission)
Amaralo - Turns the feather into a rope that wraps itself around the person it was dropped on and will not release them until the user chants Sueltalo, which dissolves the rope.
Lavalo - Turns the feather into a shower of hot, soapy water, used to wash people, places and things.
Limpealo - When the feather lands, it completely cleans any and all stains, messes and bodily fluids on contact.
Penalo - When dropped on hair, it becomes a detangling solution that allows painless ease of combing out extremely long hair, no matter how snarled the tresses.
Sonoro: Much like the Dragon Contra Roren, this spell can be used by Avians to amplify the natural voice to be heard clear across a continent without shattering eardrums. Usually, only Lawgivers, Mouthpieces and clutch royalty may use this spell, as it requires a lot of power to employ.
Flightfeathers are the long, flat feathers that of course are used primarily for flight. When a person other than the Queen of a clutch makes a gift of the flight feather, the bonds that such a gift creates are as follows:
When you give someone a flight feather and it's the first one you've ever given away, half of your soul is exchanged with half of theirs, making a spiritual bond that remains even after death. This can be a problem unless the giver can regain the feather after the receiver dies, and if the giver dies first, the receiver must burn the feather, or they risk sharing each other's fates, as Subtle discovered the hard way when her first mate ended his own life.
When you make a second gift of a flight feather, usually to a different recipient, it takes a portion of the first two souls and bonds it in a triangle, so all three share tendrils of one another's souls. The difference here is that the first recipient is not life and death bonded to the giver and second receiver; only the latter two are bonded that way. For instance, Subtle had given a second flight feather to Steele, who'd ended up wounded in Limbo, nearly mortally so. Her body suffered sympathy wounds, while the reincarnated first mate, Viper, suffered no ill effects because his soul was not a part of the bond Subtle and Steele had from the second flight feather.
When Steele killed himself, Subtle would have died had the flight feather disappeared with him, but it was retrieved and returned to her. Once a flight feather is returned from a deceased recipient, the soul power in it is null, and cannot be used to harm the soul of the giver.
These are obviously not gifts to give lightly, so make sure the recipient is someone both close and trustworthy. The only exception to these bonds is when the Queen gives the members of her clutch a flight feather to make Jet arrows with (more on this in Weapons)
Spells that do not require transmutation and are used to conjure, banish, or otherwise affect one's surroundings are as follows:
Calmalo/Calmala- this spell, when chanted discreetly, can lower the tension levels during arguments, and it can be used to help the injured calm enough to allow treatment. Calmalo is used on males, Calmala is used on females.
Clarify- Sometimes you need to use the Deep Lullabye, but don't have the luxury of sleep time, so when you've used the Deep Lullabye, chant Clarify, and it nulls the side effect of sleep that the Lullabye has.
Deep Lullabye - Depending on the skill of the person who chants it, this famous healing spell can heal wounds and restore the wounded to full strength when he or she awakens. Subtle can heal wounds and restore full strength. Her elder twins, James and Shadow, can heal physical and psychological damage, in addition to restoring full strength. Amon De, a soul that resides in the Crow Lawgiver's body, is the most powerful Avian that ever lived, and can not only heal any and all physical and psychological wounds, she can remove all traces of scars, whether recent or from prior wounds. She can also heal deformities. This gives a sort of range, but bear in mind that your Avian will not start out anywhere near as powerful as any of these. At most, until you've been playing awhile, your chara will be able to heal wounds, but not restore strength without draining his or her own. Do note that while Amon De is able to heal anyone and everyone better than any Avian alive, she drains the Lawgiver's body to the point of death when she does so, so if you happen to be the lucky person she saves, take the gold scroll from the Lawgiver's satchel and read it aloud, or you will have a dead Lawgiver on your hands in a matter of minutes. (If she happens to die on you, sound a clarion call immediately to the clutch Royalty, or the new Lawgiver will not arrive in time to take the souls into his or her body, and you will have created MILLIONS of Raiders. Trust me when I say you'll be joining them, for such an act results in execution.)
Impetus Illuminarious- this spell will cast light in an area about the size of a city block, lasting for three hours unless called off early, by chanting Asombrada.
Impetus Imobulus - chanting this will freeze most people in their tracks for a small amount of time. It is a spell that can be dodged, so be carefull, or you'll freeze the wrong person in place. It wears off naturally and does not require a second incantation to release the spell. It does not prevent the enchanted from speaking, hearing, or seeing, it simply prevents them from moving.
Impetus Fuegus - chanting this will produce a long stream of flame that can either come seemingly from your mouth (it's actually from the space in front of your mouth) or your hand, depending on how you want to direct the flame. It doesn't last long, and you will be drained after using it, so have a care and don't waste it.
Impetus Volaris - On occasion, Avians will have visitors in Beyond who can not fly under their own power. Since all the continents are so far apart, carrying your guest from, say, Murder Cliffs to Ormrland would be heinously painfull, not to mention dangerous. When an Avian chants this spell on a non-winged being, it gives them the power of wingless flight, and this spell lasts until they leave Beyond.
Occulto - This spell will hide you alone, other people (with or without you), or even entire buildings, if you're skilled enough. This does not make the above mentioned invisible to EVERY being, so be aware that you and/or your enchanted might still be invisible. You, they or it remain hidden from view until you chant Enseñalo, which lifts the invisibility. Do note that only long standing members tend to have the ability to make entire buildings invisible.
The Sigh of Souls is a very powerful spell that is forbidden for anyone who is not royal or a Lawgiver to use. This is because the user must insert a portion of his or her own soul into the mind of the person with whom they must communicate on special level. By using the Sigh of Souls, the user may not only entire the very mind of his or her subject, but "speak" with that person, and either help resolve conflicts, revive from a severe coma, and (if the user is careful and powerful enough) even restore sanity. The price of such magic is that the soul tendril used by the magician leaves a spirital print behind, so he or she is always a part of the person on whom the spell is cast. It isn't wise to use the spell on an enemy, since leaving any portion of one's soul inside the mind of a villain can result in dark manipulation of that soul matter, and thus, the original owner.
Roren Mutus - This is a Dragon spell, mostly used by mothers when their Hatchlings first figure out that they've got lungs, and can put them to powerfully loud use! The Roren Mutus mutes the sound of a Dragon's roar when it goes above a certain level. It's a temporary spell, and doesn't actually mute the roar, it makes the hearer's ears shut out the sound, protecting them from deafness. If one stops long enough in a fight to use it, it can help keep you from being stunned, but people tend to be too busy fighting and get caught off guard. The duration of the spell depends on the magical ability of the user; the stronger the mage, the longer lasting the spell.
Contra Roren - Another Dragon spell, this is nearly the opposite of Roren Mutus. It allows the caster to amplify her or her natural voice in order to be heard clear across the continent without shattering eardrums. This is a rare spell, usually only very old or very powerful Dragons can use it, as it requires a lot of control, as the name implies. Very few people who are not royal or in the military will ever have need of it.
Scrying is not done by anyone in Beyond except the Royal Consort Tien e, the eldest daughter of the Crow Royalty. She observes and records all actions of any Avian in other realms, important Avian ceremonies when the Royalty or others can not be present, and can locate lost or injured Avians on any plane. She is literally the Eye of the World. The Crow Lawgiver often works closely with her, as do Subtle and Steele. If you have need of her services, seek her in Murder Cliffs, in the Crow Royal Nest.
Almost every Avian can now open portals to and from other realms. This was thanks to Subtle's "uncle", the last Moonlight clansmen. He'd given as a gift a spell that allows any Avian who is at the age of Choosing or older to open a portal to and from Beyond without having to use a spell. They simply wave their hand, and a portal appears. Many Dragons have been taught by the Queen to open them as well, but not so many know how as the Avians do.
Avians can set themselves Aside to allow someone to take over their body and use it. Or, if you're unconscious or in danger, or even if you're being a pain, they can set you Aside (not auto though, you have to "attempt"). The difference between Lawgivers doing it and regular Avians is, Lawgivers can allow the souls of the dead to use them. Regular Avian bodies can only host living souls. What goes for both kinds of Avians though, is that when they are set Aside, the person who takes over their body REALLY takes it over; as in the physical form becomes the person taking over. Any injuries sustained and any consumption of food or drink affect's the original owner's body, so be curteous and take good care of the body you borrow. You wouldn't like it if you had a low alcohol tolerance, like Souls, and someone drank large quantities while you were Aside, and leave you to get ill when they went back to their own body.