[It occurs to him it might be faster just to switch to video than to keep recording and attaching them to texts, so he does.]
No, not by a long shot. Fire spells come easiest, but I can also use ice and lightning. [He demonstrates each, briefly, a roughly billiard-sized orb of bluish-white magic that looks a bit like a miniature flurry appearing in his hand. He closes and reopens it, and instead of the ice, a ball of lightning appears, tinted purple and crackling audibly. He dismisses that one just as quickly.]
I'm also half decent at healing spells [a flick of the wrist and his hand is enveloped in a warm, golden light] wards [another twist of his wrist and there's a barrier of that same yellowish energy surrounding both him and the device, which disappears with a wave from him] and conjuration. [Rather than a flame atronach, he summons up his familiar, which takes the form of a bluish, translucent wolf that pads over to sit beside his chair.]
There are Illusions and Alteration as well, but those are a bit trickier to demonstrate over video.
[ It is only decades of training that keep Spock from actually showing his surprise. People have mentioned magic, and powers of the mind, but he had yet to actually see such a demonstration. ]
Is this common in your world? What is the source of your power? Do these spells drain you of energy after a period of time or are you capable of prolonged use?
[ So many questions, so much potential for discovery. His world has nothing like this, though many times the science they have encountered can come across like magic, and Spock wants to know everything. ]
[Which is why he gave it; he's run into this particular breed of skepticism enough to have figured such demonstrations are the easiest way to deal with it.]
It isn't uncommon, at least. The source is what's referred to in my world as magicka - a sort of internal well of magical energy, of which all living things on Tamriel have at least a little. All spells take some amount of magicka to cast and maintain, but the amount of drainage caused depends on the complexity of the spell.
[And he certainly doesn't mind explaining it! He's quite familiar with that sort of curiosity, that desire to learn everything he can about a given subject.]
[ Simply fascinating. On one hand, magical energy. On the other hand, Spock is well aware that so much in his world, even certain things on Vulcan, could be seen as magical. There had been a repository for the souls of the departed, even. ]
Is this magicka related to your planet? You do not have trouble casting spells here, so it must follow where you might travel - have you been off-world before? You mention complexity of spells; what are the most complex you have run across?
[ It is a scientific curiosity. Or at least, that is what Spock would say - no, insist. But who can resist wanting to learn as much as possible? ]
[That would be both fascinating and a bit disturbing to hear - it's not something even magic can accomplish on Tamriel. They have the occasional ghost, to be sure, but nothing quite like that.]
It is; magicka flows into the mortal plane of Tamriel from Aetherius, the realm of the gods. But as I said, it's internal - whatever the original source, it's part of me now, which is why I can still cast spells on a world other than my own. I hadn't been off-world before coming here, no; we don't have anything like the level of technology required to make it possible.
[He has to give the question about complex spells some thought.] There's a master-level Destruction spell I've read about, Lightning Storm - lightning is the easiest of the three elements to lose control of, and Lightning Storm requires the caster to channel it continuously.
[He certainly couldn't, were their positions reversed - which is yet another reason he doesn't mind at all answering Spock's questions.]
You said that all living beings in your world have some traces of this magicka, so it is possible it is something inborn. Have you been able to cast such spells all your life or did you come into such powers later? Does it require years of study to master such spells?
You have both healing and destructive capabilities. Is that common among your people, to have both?
I wouldn't say all my life, but since I was a child, certainly. It takes some time to develop the mental discipline and control required to cast actual spells, as opposed to just... uncontrolled outbursts of magic.
It isn't uncommon; there are six distinct schools of magic, of which Restoration and Destruction are two. A mage can specialize in spells from one school in particular or learn spells from all of them; it depends entirely on the individual.
Indeed not, though it is meant to avoid uncontrollable outbursts. We depend on mental shields and control over our bodies, and to some extent, the emotions we do feel. [ Have something of an answer, Vanyel. He is trying to be slightly more approachable. ]
Are there those who are competent in all schools of magic?
[His brows twitch up, interest piqued by that answer.] Your body and emotions?
[Well, since Spock didn't seem averse to answering his first question...]
It isn't uncommon for mages to be competent in multiple schools [He gestures vaguely toward himself, apparently including himself as an example.] But I've not heard of many who were truly competent in all of them.
My people were once quite violent and destructive. We have used mental control to curb such tendencies and are taught from a very young age to construct mental shields so we do not allow emotions to overcome our logic. We are also touch telepaths, which requires control to not pry on other individuals.
[ As Vanyel is not from his world, it cannot hurt to be a little more open. ]
With so many schools and mastery taking so long, that is logical that no individual is truly competent in all of them.
I can certainly see how that sort control would be a good thing, in that case. [He's never believed repressing oneself was a good thing, but it does sound like it was somewhat necessary. And also, different worlds, different cultures, not his place to judge, etc.]
And most learn by apprenticing themselves to a more experienced mage, at least to start. So if the teacher only specializes in one particular school...
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no subject
No, not by a long shot. Fire spells come easiest, but I can also use ice and lightning. [He demonstrates each, briefly, a roughly billiard-sized orb of bluish-white magic that looks a bit like a miniature flurry appearing in his hand. He closes and reopens it, and instead of the ice, a ball of lightning appears, tinted purple and crackling audibly. He dismisses that one just as quickly.]
I'm also half decent at healing spells [a flick of the wrist and his hand is enveloped in a warm, golden light] wards [another twist of his wrist and there's a barrier of that same yellowish energy surrounding both him and the device, which disappears with a wave from him] and conjuration. [Rather than a flame atronach, he summons up his familiar, which takes the form of a bluish, translucent wolf that pads over to sit beside his chair.]
There are Illusions and Alteration as well, but those are a bit trickier to demonstrate over video.
no subject
[ It is only decades of training that keep Spock from actually showing his surprise. People have mentioned magic, and powers of the mind, but he had yet to actually see such a demonstration. ]
Is this common in your world? What is the source of your power? Do these spells drain you of energy after a period of time or are you capable of prolonged use?
[ So many questions, so much potential for discovery. His world has nothing like this, though many times the science they have encountered can come across like magic, and Spock wants to know everything. ]
no subject
It isn't uncommon, at least. The source is what's referred to in my world as magicka - a sort of internal well of magical energy, of which all living things on Tamriel have at least a little. All spells take some amount of magicka to cast and maintain, but the amount of drainage caused depends on the complexity of the spell.
[And he certainly doesn't mind explaining it! He's quite familiar with that sort of curiosity, that desire to learn everything he can about a given subject.]
no subject
Is this magicka related to your planet? You do not have trouble casting spells here, so it must follow where you might travel - have you been off-world before? You mention complexity of spells; what are the most complex you have run across?
[ It is a scientific curiosity. Or at least, that is what Spock would say - no, insist. But who can resist wanting to learn as much as possible? ]
no subject
It is; magicka flows into the mortal plane of Tamriel from Aetherius, the realm of the gods. But as I said, it's internal - whatever the original source, it's part of me now, which is why I can still cast spells on a world other than my own. I hadn't been off-world before coming here, no; we don't have anything like the level of technology required to make it possible.
[He has to give the question about complex spells some thought.] There's a master-level Destruction spell I've read about, Lightning Storm - lightning is the easiest of the three elements to lose control of, and Lightning Storm requires the caster to channel it continuously.
[He certainly couldn't, were their positions reversed - which is yet another reason he doesn't mind at all answering Spock's questions.]
no subject
You said that all living beings in your world have some traces of this magicka, so it is possible it is something inborn. Have you been able to cast such spells all your life or did you come into such powers later? Does it require years of study to master such spells?
You have both healing and destructive capabilities. Is that common among your people, to have both?
no subject
I wouldn't say all my life, but since I was a child, certainly. It takes some time to develop the mental discipline and control required to cast actual spells, as opposed to just... uncontrolled outbursts of magic.
It isn't uncommon; there are six distinct schools of magic, of which Restoration and Destruction are two. A mage can specialize in spells from one school in particular or learn spells from all of them; it depends entirely on the individual.
apologies for the lateness of this reply! ;;
What are the other four schools?
no worries!
[It's not quite a question; he's curious, to be sure, but he's not about to press for answers if Spock doesn't want to give them.]
The other four are Illusion, Conjuration, Alteration and Enchanting.
no subject
Are there those who are competent in all schools of magic?
no subject
[Well, since Spock didn't seem averse to answering his first question...]
It isn't uncommon for mages to be competent in multiple schools [He gestures vaguely toward himself, apparently including himself as an example.] But I've not heard of many who were truly competent in all of them.
no subject
[ As Vanyel is not from his world, it cannot hurt to be a little more open. ]
With so many schools and mastery taking so long, that is logical that no individual is truly competent in all of them.
Sorry for the delay!
And most learn by apprenticing themselves to a more experienced mage, at least to start. So if the teacher only specializes in one particular school...