PoTM: Alteration, Lesson One

  • The Scripture of the Wheel, First:

     

    'The Spokes are the eight components of chaos, as yet solidified by the law of time: static change, if you will, something the lizard gods refer to as the Striking. That is the reptile wheel, coiled potential, ever-preamble to the never-action.'

     

    Second:

     

    'They are the lent bones of the Aedra, the Eight gift-limbs to SITHISIT, the wet earth of the new star our home. Outside them is the Aurbis, and not within. Like most things inexplicable, it is a circle. Circles are confused serpents, striking and striking and never given leave to bite. The Aedra would have you believe different, but they were givers before liars. Lies have turned them into biters. Their teeth are the proselytizers; to convert is to place oneself in the mouth of falsehood; even to propitiate is to be swallowed. '

     

    Third:

     

    'The enlightened are those uneaten by the world.'

     

    Fourth:

     

    'The spaces between the gift-limbs number sixteen, the signal shapes of the Demon Princedoms. It is the key and the lock, series and manticore.'

     

    Fifth:

     

    'Look at the majesty sideways and all you see is the Tower, which our ancestors made idols from. Look at its center and all you see is the begotten hole, second serpent, womb-ready for the Right Reaching, exact and without enchantment.'

     

    Sixth:

     

    'The heart of the second serpent holds the secret triangular gate.'

     

    Seventh:

     

    'Look at the secret triangular gate sideways and you see the secret Tower.'

     

    Eighth:

     

    'The secret Tower within the Tower is the shape of the only name of God, I.'

     

    The ending of the words is ALMSIVI.

     

     

    It was difficult to get back into a daily routine, knowing that Talvas was gone - or maybe something worse than gone. But what was Grulmar supposed to do? Sit down and cry himself to sleep? No, he needed to keep himself busy. He needed a routine.

     

    It was all just a reaction. Grulmar was reacting to pain, because pain was something one could adjust to, one could pretty much adjust to almost everything. As long as there was a routine. Routine was something a mind needed, something it craved, because without it, the mind would descend into madness. Taking away day and night, food and water, needs, every possible pattern, that was sending the mind into a spin, inviting insanity.

     

    And so Grulmar’s mind buried itself into studies, going back to study the School of magic which he had started with so long ago at the College of Winterhold.

     

    Alteration.

     

    He knew that he would never be exceptionally skilled in Destruction spells, barely managing to cast even the most basic ones at close range, and while he was good at Illusion, that didn’t always work.

     

    He remembered Talvas telling him that a wide repertoire of spells was the most important weapon of a mage. That, and his mind. But Grulmar was prepared to argue against that. Sometimes it wasn’t about how many spells a mage knew, but more about how he could use the few that he knew. Quality over quantity, eh?

     

    And he knew that telekinesis was his greatest weapon. Barring his mind, of course.

     

    He was standing outside of Tel Mithryn, trying to figure out new ways to use telekinesis. He knew that his way, his use of it, was flawed and limited in its own way, but it also offered certain advantages over the way the Telvanni used it, controlling the objects with their minds.

     

    Grulmar’s method was tied to his hands - making telekinesis more of a kinesis - which made it much easier to control. All he had to do was point, cast the spell, and the magic was doing the rest of work instead of him. All he had to focus his mind on was either pulling the objects to himself, or pushing them away from himself.

     

    But what was making it easier to do was also putting him at a disadvantage against the Telvanni telekinesis. He was able to control only two objects, each with his hand - though he knew he could lift several objects at one if they were in a pile. Overloading the spell with magicka and using both his hands he would be able to lift that pile.

     

    So yes, the Telvanni method had its advantages, but he wasn’t prepared to let go off his method yet, which gave his mind more time to think how to use the spell rather than focus on actually keeping the control of the spell.

     

    Mahti appeared from behind the apothecary, carrying a handful of rocks in his hands. “Rockzzzzz,” the Riekling said proudly, showing them to Grulmar, which actually made him spill them on the ground.

     

    “Good boy,” the Orc murmured, looking around. He began placing the small rocks on the ground, in a pattern. He placed the first, a step away from where he was standing before, and then he placed other five, creating a circle. Then he took another step away, making another circle, this one bigger.

     

    He then sent Mahti for more rocks, because those weren’t enough. He needed more, more circles to better determine the distance for what he was trying to figure out.

     

    Grulmar crouched in the middle of the circles, touching the ground. He closed his eyes, looking for his own center, concentrating on his surroundings. He reached into the currents of magicka and he cast the spell, pushing against the ground with it. He felt something resisting him, as if he was trying to swim against a strong current and he gritted his teeth, pushing.

     

    The stones in the first circle around him...jumped up. Only a little, but they were pushed up from the ground, only to fall again.

     

    This was something Grulmar hadn’t counted on. Even if he used the spell in a short burst to push everything around himself up, the spell treated all the objects around him as a collective, which meant he was lifting a collective weight.

     

    Imagine liftin’ two small rocks, each in one hand. Then try to lift two rocks in each hand. And then go grazy and try to lift twenty of them. The weight goes exponentially up. And more weight means the more magicka ya have to pour into the spell.

     

    It was an endless circle. If he wanted to cast a continuous stream of magic that would make things around him levitate, he would need lot of magicka to keep that up. If he wanted to only push them up, he would need lot of magicka to push against the objects’ collective weight. Either way meant too much strain on his magicka pool.

     

    If only there was a way to reduce the weight of the objects… he thought and shook his head. No, for the time being, he had to focus on practicing the spell, getting the hang of it, because with time and practice, the spells were getting easier. He just needed to be a little more patient than he was back at College.

     

    It was almost ironic how far he had come since those times. Back then, he was having difficulty casting even the telekinesis spell, having problems keeping it up because it was draining too much magicka from him. And now? It was almost second nature to him, the strain barely noticable.

     

    Mahti then appeared with more rocks and Grulmar showed him where to plant them, eventually leading to four circles of rocks - each wider than the other - around Grulmar in the middle of Tel Mithryn’s courtyard.

     

    “Whaaat...theees?” Mahti asked, a curious look on his face.

     

    “It’s...an experiment,” Grulmar hesitated for a second and when he saw Mahti’s frightened look he quickly added: “No, don’t worry. Not the kind of experiments Neloth does. Just tryin’ to improve some of my spells. Ya have seen me lift things with magic, right?”

     

    “Mageeek. Theeengs flyyy,” the Riekling nodded and Grulmar smiled. Mahti was certainly improving with his speech and that was a good thing.

     

    “Yes, that. So I’ve had few ideas how to make that even better. These circles? Those can help me determine the distance and number of the objects I’m capable of liftin’ at once,” Grulmar explained and rubbed his goatee.

     

    Stop focusin’ on the word ‘lift’, because that’s not yer goal here, matey, he thought for himself. Push and pull. Short and simple, that’s all ya need. Lifting all the objects was something he actually didn’t need, because what was the purpose of lifting several objects at once and leaving them hovering in the air? None as far as he could think of. No, what he needed was to push those objects into the air, preferable high enough.

     

    He tried to imagine it in a real life situation, like the one back in Highpoint Tower. Four Ash Spawn had come at him, all wielding swords. If he had been able to cast a spell that would push all their weapons into the air, sending them flying towards the ceiling, he would have had saved himself some trouble. Area-wide disarm.

     

    But there were also other possibilities. Grulmar was making the mistake of thinking about himself as the focal point of the magic, that all the pushing and pulling had to come from him. But he wasn’t limited to standing in the middle of the magic.

     

    What if he could cast a spell a certain distance away from him, and that spot would serve as the focal point? What if he could pull all the objects to that point? Or push everything away from that point?

     

    All he had to do was figure out the weight problem.

     

     

Comments

8 Comments   |   The Sunflower Manual and 9 others like this.
  • Paws
    Paws   ·  April 4, 2018
    Routine is good, although easy to fall into a sort of robotic state in which days, then weeks, and eventually years pass of a life spent unlived. I'm glad Grulmar has a weight problem to keep himself occupied. Very few people in his life have treated him ...  more
  • Caladran
    Caladran   ·  March 26, 2018
    And the studies continues. I'm glad Mahti is there to company Grulmar, too. :)
  • A-Pocky-Hah!
    A-Pocky-Hah!   ·  February 17, 2018
    Is it me or does this chapter feel a bit shorter than usual? Hmm... maybe it's just me getting used to the Long chappas (see what I did there).


    I have my own ideas for telekinesis and Alteration, but it's good to see Grulmar improving...  more
    • Karver the Lorc
      Karver the Lorc
      A-Pocky-Hah!
      A-Pocky-Hah!
      A-Pocky-Hah!
      Is it me or does this chapter feel a bit shorter than usual? Hmm... maybe it's just me getting used to the Long chappas (see what I did there).


      I have my own ideas for telekinesis and Alteration, but it's good to see Grulmar improving. Who knows, maybe...  more
        ·  February 18, 2018
      Yeah, the Lesson chapters are always considerably shorter. Let's just say I don't have Harrow's skill to talk about a certain subject for 10 pages. :)


      And yeah, Grulmar's improving. And in theory he already has unlimited throwing kniv...  more
      • The Sunflower Manual
        The Sunflower Manual
        Karver the Lorc
        Karver the Lorc
        Karver the Lorc
        Yeah, the Lesson chapters are always considerably shorter. Let's just say I don't have Harrow's skill to talk about a certain subject for 10 pages. :)


        And yeah, Grulmar's improving. And in theory he already has unlimited throwing knives, in a way. As l...  more
          ·  February 19, 2018
        Oh, s-stop it, Karver-jo, you're making me blush!
  • The Sunflower Manual
    The Sunflower Manual   ·  February 17, 2018
    Oh, I remember discussing these aspects of kinesis with you, Karver-jo! Good to see Grulmar beginning to implement them, or at least thinking about implementing them.

    And hehe, Grulmar's hands. He does do all kinds of magic with them, doesn't...  more
    • Karver the Lorc
      Karver the Lorc
      The Sunflower Manual
      The Sunflower Manual
      The Sunflower Manual
      Oh, I remember discussing these aspects of kinesis with you, Karver-jo! Good to see Grulmar beginning to implement them, or at least thinking about implementing them.

      And hehe, Grulmar's hands. He does do all kinds of magic with them, doesn't he? 'Watch my hands!'
        ·  February 17, 2018
      The Whispering Fang! Hahahahaha! :D
      • The Long-Chapper
        The Long-Chapper
        Karver the Lorc
        Karver the Lorc
        Karver the Lorc
        The Whispering Fang! Hahahahaha! :D
          ·  February 17, 2018
        Best battle move in the entire Straag Rod universe. :D