Invocation, Answers from a Free Spirit Options

[hermit]

I hate when this happens. :(

[hermit]

That's so damn bloody awesome, man!! Thumbs up!

[Jrayjoker]

Beautiful tie-in.

[Ancient History]

Y'all are so easy to please. :P

[Lindt]

Yep, show us a good story and we will beg like dogs for more.

Eek... THAT book again.

[winterhawk11]

Very nice! :)

Is there any significance to the fact that the protagonist's name changed (from Kale to Kyle) from part 2 to part 3, or did I just catch a typo?

[Ancient History]

<waves hand> This is not the Kale you're looking for.

[Jrayjoker]

[Jrayjoker]

OK, so obviously the protagonist is all wrapped up in the information he is receiving, but the spirit has lead him to the conclusion that spirits can be dangerous SOBs, not to mention the fact that the spirit is described as black eyed, sharp toothed, and menacing.

If this guy is a mage of any power or experience is he really going to fall for the boot-to-the-head-from-behind trick after all the foreshadowing?

OK, so he's asking a spirit for information about spirits, maybe he's on the short bus to mage school, but really. :shrug

That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed the story, and found it very entertaining. I just had to put in my 2 :nuyen: and actually discuss something you did without defaulting to idol worship, which is too easy and probably not what you are looking for anyway.

[Ancient History]

No, it's a logical faulting. Truth be told, I was going to wrap it up differently but y'all were so intent on a deep, dark ending I didn't want to dissapoint.

The thing to realise about magic, and this is true in any game or setting, is that no one automatically knows everything. A trained magician will know how to astrally project and perceive, cast spells, summon spirits, and enchant foci. They're a far cry from the pubescent kid who damn near wets himself the first time he astrally projects. If said kid never gets any proper training, he might never figure out how to cast spells or conjure spirits.

And again, different traditions do different things. A 2064 magician has to wade through all the stories and rumors they've heard or read in order to figure out what another magician is and isn't capable of-players just have to read the book.

It's entirely reasonable to assume that in a sufficiently isolated place, magic is practiced differently because no one knows something can be done, so they never try it. If you were an enchanter and had never heard of metamagics before, a Channelling or Centering focus would baffle you.

No matter what tradition they might be, a Shadowrun magician incorporates a number of different magical techniques, and is constantly adding to their repetoire. Many magicians are driven solely by trying to stay on the bleeding edge of the SOTA, not unlike deckers or other tech-heads.

[Jrayjoker]

All very valid points, and we don't have enough of Kyle's curriculum vitae to formulate an opinion on anything I mentioned, except that he wasn't wary enough. Especially after the (thinly IMO) veiled warnings. But maybe Kyle wasn't a liberal arts major.

;)

Out of curiosity, what was the alternate ending?

I like the flavor of magic you presented and how you think of it in general (as far as I can tell from your posts). It is very easy to allow the characters we play to define the world they play in, but (as you said) the world is different everywhere.

On an aside, would a kid with shamanic potential necessarily be able to learn spells, etc. without training better than a hermetically (sealed , I crack myself up) potentialled kid? (I love the "interesting word usements I structure")

[Lenice Hawk]

Damn.
When I have something intelligent to say, I'll add it, but now...
Damn.

[Ancient History]

The alternate ending was Kale making a bargain with the spirit, appropriately enough. More than that...well, one day you might find out. ;)

A kid's magical potential is, I think, at least partially influenced by their environment, being as it is a reflection on their outlook more than their trappings.

A hermetic kid in a tribal culture with a strong shamanic tradition would probably attempt to codify the world by whatever system of arcane rules he could come up with. He'd be aware of the magical knowledge of the shamans in the tribe, but would need to interpret it with his own concepts.

A shamanic child in a corporate structure with a strong hermetic tradition would be guided by a spirit guide or ideal. Whether the totem chooses the child or the child unconsciously selects the totem (or both) is moot. The young shaman might learn to appreciate the dry magical texts for their aesthetic qualities rather than their strict formulae, re-interpreting magical diagrams and instructions to understand their purpose rather than their rotes. She would feel a connection to the spirits of the place rather than the more abstracted symbols of it, the idea of fire rather than what fire represents.

Does either have an easier time? Not really. Left on their own, a Hermetic kid and a Shamanic child would each express their own gifts. The Hermetic would attempt to codify, extrapolate, define and understand based on their perceptions, while the Shamanic would seek guidance from a totem, guide-spirit, elder or simply their feelings, and attempt to understand their magic.

A Shamanic child might seem to have the advantage, because they have a guiding-spirit, but it is a poor shaman who does not seek out more lore than the basics the totem might teach them. The same goes with a Hermetic, who has access to innumerable texts within a library, the distilled lore of ages. But a Hermetic who simply reads and learns by rote without experiment or original thought is little better than a cardboard magus, just going through the motions.

Stereotypes in magic are not archetypes: they are a place to begin rather than a goal in and of themselves.

Let's set our hair on fire! Tee hee yo har!

[Jrayjoker]

Good Damn, or bad Damn?

[DocMortand]

Very appropriate - I knew something bad was going to happen but I didn't expect the Book of the Dead to reappear. Makes me even more determined to insert that in my campaign somewheres...

*applauds wholeheartedly*

[Lenice Hawk]

Definitely a good damn. If I say damn, and it's bad, it will be followed with a reason and/or more cursing. ;)

[toturi]

AH, nicely written, even if a little predictable.

[Jrayjoker]

Sputter, fizz, appoplectic gaping! Toturi! WTF?

[scoundrel]

Why are you surprised? That comment was entirely your fault. :P

[Supercilious]

I liked it, but you should not have changed the ending based on what we wanted. If you give us everything that we want, it is less satisfying.

I want to hear about the alternate "Real" ending too.

[nick012000]

This is when Kale astrally projects and runs like hell. ;)

[toturi]

[Ancient History]

Who said the mage dies? Kale lives.

[toturi]

OK, he doesn't get the better of the spirit. The mage doesn't come up on top. :D

[Jrayjoker]