A Study on Transmutation
By Tolfdir,
Alteration Master of the College of Winterhold
Foreword
As a teacher at the College of Winterhold, I am responsible for teaching aspiring students in the arcane arts. My specialization is in the school of Alteration which involves the manipulation of the physical world and its natural properties.
In this book, we will discuss about a branch of Alteration called Transmutation.
Introduction
Transmutation is a branch of Alteration that deals with the manipulation of matter using magicka. It is considered by some as a ‘pure’ branch of Alteration as it possesses all of the attributes associated with that school of magic.
Spells under this branch are not as widely used as Mage Armor spells or Utility spells. This is because in order to use them, one must acquire a certain degree of understanding about metaphysics as well as magical aptitude. I think the proper term to describe transmutation is, as the young ones called it these days, “difficult but amazing”.
History
Transmutation spells have existed for as far back as the First Era, though they were often credited as pre-Destruction spells. It was only until the incorporation of the schools of magic within the Mages Guild study program that transmutation was given its own branch under the school of Alteration.
The most famous known practitioners of transmutation were the Aldrich brothers, who lived during the late Third Era as hedge mages, wandering around Tamriel in search of employment and using their transmutation magic to help those in need. Some tales speak of their ability to repair a building with a touch of a hand while others speak of how they chased after a group of bandits on a snake made of earth.
Sadly, by the first century of the Fourth Era, transmutation magic is reduced to nothing more than an conceptual branch of Alteration magic. Those who still study this branch can only hope to harness but a fraction of its true potential.
Concept
Before we can begin casting transmutation spells, we must first understand its fundamentals. Transmutation spells consists of three sequences as followed:
1. Comprehension - Understanding the inherent structure and properties of a particular material to be transmuted, including the flow and balance of potential and kinetic energy within.
2. Deconstruction - Using magicka to break down the physical structure of the identified material into a more malleable state so as to be easily reshaped into a new form.
3. Reconstruction - Continuing the flow of magicka so as to reform the material into a new shape.
Novice mages will often begin at the first sequence (Comprehension) before they move on to the next two. Students are advised to pay equal amounts of attention to understanding all three sequences. Once they mastered the fundamentals, they’ll soon find themselves able to transmute any material with just a simple hand gesture.
Equivalent Exchange
Theoretically speaking, almost anything that possesses matter is subjected to transmutation. However, this branch of Alteration, like almost all other studies of magic, is subjected to a strange set of laws collectively known as the Equivalence Laws or Equivalent Exchange.
This rule was first established by Reiner Coheim and Mithras in the Second Era, which simply states:
"In order to obtain or create something, something of equal value must be lost or destroyed."
The Equivalence Laws consist of two laws:
Coheim’s Law of Conservation of Mass, which states that energy and matter can neither be created from nothing nor destroyed to the point of elemental nonexistence. In other words, to create an object weighing three pounds, at least three pounds of material is necessary and destroying an object weighing three pounds would reduce it to a set of parts, the sum of which would weigh three pounds.
Mithras’ Law of Natural Providence, which states that an object or material made of a particular substance or element can only be transmuted into another object with the same basic makeup and properties of that initial material. In other words, an object or material made mostly of water can only be transmuted into another object with the attributes of water.
Any attempts to bypass the Laws of Equivalence, be it increasing magicka output or external enhancements, would not only result in failure and cessation, but also the possibility of serious injury or death. This is because both sides of the equation are trying to balance out the excessive amount of magical energy, only to wildly fluctuate and cause an ‘explosion’.
A Study on Transmutation
By Tolfdir,
Alteration Master of the College of Winterhold
Foreword
As a teacher at the College of Winterhold, I am responsible for teaching aspiring students in the arcane arts. My specialization is in the school of Alteration which involves the manipulation of the physical world and its natural properties.
In this book, we will discuss about a branch of Alteration called Transmutation.
Introduction
Transmutation is a branch of Alteration that deals with the manipulation of matter using magicka. It is considered by some as a ‘pure’ branch of Alteration as it possesses all of the attributes associated with that school of magic.
Spells under this branch are not as widely used as Mage Armor spells or Utility spells. This is because in order to use them, one must acquire a certain degree of understanding about metaphysics as well as magical aptitude. I think the proper term to describe transmutation is, as the young ones called it these days, “difficult but amazing”.
History
Transmutation spells have existed for as far back as the First Era, though they were often credited as pre-Destruction spells. It was only until the incorporation of the schools of magic within the Mages Guild study program that transmutation was given its own branch under the school of Alteration.
The most famous known practitioners of transmutation were the Aldrich brothers, who lived during the late Third Era as hedge mages, wandering around Tamriel in search of employment and using their transmutation magic to help those in need. Some tales speak of their ability to repair a building with a touch of a hand while others speak of how they chased after a group of bandits on a snake made of earth.
Sadly, by the first century of the Fourth Era, transmutation magic is reduced to nothing more than an conceptual branch of Alteration magic. Those who still study this branch can only hope to harness but a fraction of its true potential.
Concept
Before we can begin casting transmutation spells, we must first understand its fundamentals. Transmutation spells consists of three sequences as followed:
1. Comprehension - Understanding the inherent structure and properties of a particular material to be transmuted, including the flow and balance of potential and kinetic energy within.
2. Deconstruction - Using magicka to break down the physical structure of the identified material into a more malleable state so as to be easily reshaped into a new form.
3. Reconstruction - Continuing the flow of magicka so as to reform the material into a new shape.
Novice mages will often begin at the first sequence (Comprehension) before they move on to the next two. Students are advised to pay equal amounts of attention to understanding all three sequences. Once they mastered the fundamentals, they’ll soon find themselves able to transmute any material with just a simple hand gesture.
Equivalent Exchange
Theoretically speaking, almost anything that possesses matter is subjected to transmutation. However, this branch of Alteration, like almost all other studies of magic, is subjected to a strange set of laws collectively known as the Equivalence Laws or Equivalent Exchange.
This rule was first established by Reiner Coheim and Mithras in the Second Era, which simply states:
"In order to obtain or create something, something of equal value must be lost or destroyed."
The Equivalence Laws consist of two laws:
Coheim’s Law of Conservation of Mass, which states that energy and matter can neither be created from nothing nor destroyed to the point of elemental nonexistence. In other words, to create an object weighing three pounds, at least three pounds of material is necessary and destroying an object weighing three pounds would reduce it to a set of parts, the sum of which would weigh three pounds.
Mithras’ Law of Natural Providence, which states that an object or material made of a particular substance or element can only be transmuted into another object with the same basic makeup and properties of that initial material. In other words, an object or material made mostly of water can only be transmuted into another object with the attributes of water.
Any attempts to bypass the Laws of Equivalence, be it increasing magicka output or external enhancements, would not only result in failure and cessation, but also the possibility of serious injury or death. This is because both sides of the equation are trying to balance out the excessive amount of magical energy, only to wildly fluctuate and cause an ‘explosion’.
