[Story] Pagan: Missing Gods Chapter 1.2

[Pagan]

                  Coming Soon!
               The Tales of Pagan

Hopefully, within a short amount of time, the first chapter of a new story will be posted. Until then, I will answer any questions to my best ability.

[Jairus]

Cool! Glad to hear that you're doing something like this. Good luck! *sits back with his best MST3K material and waits (just kidding)*

[Pagan]

That's not a question. And way to make me feel self-conscious and everything, gah.

Maybe I should include some basic details about the story?

[Ren Gaulen]

Do it. We want to know what is it going to be about and where is it going to be set.

[Pagan]

Ah yes. That probably would be a good thing to do.
Alright...


A fantasy setting of my own imaginings. Not a wholy complete universe, but the important bits to the story are all there in my head. A bit of drama, bit of my brand of comedy, and it's probably going to have odd bits of random.
Magic is in the story, and is quite important to plot. Gods were there, they have died. Races besides humans exist, but not that many. Oh, and "Our zombies/vamps are special."

That's a start, right?

[Pagan]

I apologize for the douple post.

Alright, more things to say.

I think naming a couple people might be a good idea.
  Janeth (Jane- th): Son of a farmer, he's got a straight head on broad shoulders. Simple thinking, but not dull. He's decisive and goes with what sounds good. Large build and knows that others notice.
  Sirul ( the "cer" in cereal- "ul" in dull): Store clerk, quick eyes and a sharp mind work for him. Tales and songs fill his head and tell him to keep a look for a chance at change. As for his mouth, wit (so he would boast) spills forth while wine goes to the depths.
  Rawn (R- "awn" as in dawn, lawn, drawn, fawn): Tall slender frame, confidence and suave, all hide behind the book glued to the end of his nose. This librarian leads the best granary of knowledge in the city and fights both the rats of chaos and the locusts of idiocy away from his precious grains.

A map of the initial setting for the story.
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j184/darkosilis/TelNauus.jpg
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j184/darkosilis/TelNauusnamed.jpg


So next I'm thinking races or magic? Magic's longer, because it's a bit of a three-in-one. Yes, the first chapter's being written.

[Pagan]

Tonight, races.
I'm still uncertain of how much to say, but how 'bout I say that there will probably be spoilers in the next paragraphs and you've been vaugely warned?

Sapien: Much the same as the humans that you have seen, these are the massive majority of the population. They produce no magic and they've more brain than brawn. If a technological advance comes into being, they probably did it. The first batch of sapiens, far on the northern tip of a continent, grew large and realized they wanted more space. So boats were made and people left in drones. Being quick and numerous breeders, sapiens filled the islands and continents of the world, travelling inland or southward till the world was covered. Slow to instinctual change, sapiens took quite awhile to stop moving, but now they rarely leave their birthplace. Over generations, sapiens adapt to the land where they settle, to the point where one might not recognize another as the same race. Sapien was still young when the Forgers became extinct, and the current ones don't remember them at all. Since most sapiens only see others like them, they don't travel, and the other living races keep to themselves, sapiens generally regard other races as myth and fairy-tale-- magic, as an ancient thing long gone.

Mort: These resemble zombies, but with quite a few differences. First thing, they have dead bodies, they don't reproduce by normal means, they boslter population through infection, and the main diet is live or recently deceased meat. Mort are sentient though, individuals produce quite above sufficent magic but limited to that individual, and the bodies they inhabit hold together mostly by that magic. Mort posses instictual needs such as food, potent needs. However, alone or even in pairs, mort have enough strength to resist gluttoness urges. In large groups, or the occasional riots and hordes, this restraint is sapped and mort become quite feral. Thus it is important to note that mort are solitary beings, for sanity's sake. Mort do not age in body, and are mostly immortal excepting exstinsive physical harm, but possessing somewhat frail bodies, this is not an unknown occurance. Mort, on the whole, are quite aware of the Forgers and their passing, but care little, for mort have a source of magic themselves and lost nothing by the race's extinction.

Ok, I was planning to talk about the Forgers too, but it's like a quater after five in the morning here. I'm tired. See you guys in the funnies. Good rest.

[Pagan]

Ok, it's taken me awhile to think of something to do for this, I couldn't decide (and I had to got my thoughts straight).
I kinda wanted to write about magic or the Forgers, but not today.

Kithen: A reptilian race, these are a tribal and a reclusive people. What first needs to be noted that there are significant differences in numerous standings between males, females, and grands.
  The female of the Kithen is longer lived than the male (average of ninety years), taller though not quite so physically strong, and due to her wisdom from longevity often holds positions of guidance or leadership. The females are scaled, as are all Kithen. The legs and spine of females are not quite so bent as the males, but more so than a grand, giving them an average height of five and one-half feet.
  Males haveshort livespans, nearly half the average sapien age (between thirty and fourty). Most Kithen are males, in most tribes, males are the majority. Males do many jobs in a tribe; farming and hunting, tanning and smithing, warriors and priests, males fill any posistion necessary. A male's legs are bent and the spine curved somewhat, giving the male a small stature (four feet). This belies the physical prowess of a Kithen male, which is certainly quite substanial.
  A grand Kithen is somewhat of an oddity. Grands posess no reproductive organs and such produce no offspring. A  grand has the longest life of a Kithen, normally over triple that of a sapien (two hundred fifty to three hundred). Appearance between grands and other Kithen is a sharp contrast. As the the long legs and spine are as ruled as a sapiens, grands stand straight and tall (eight or nine feet,occasionally nearing ten). Grands are rare, most tribes would only have two or three alive at one time. Grands are nearly always the leaders of a tribe, in the law, in war and in religion. Grands are the only Kithen who produce any magic, no others do. The magic that grands produce, however, is more than enough for the grand and the tribe around it.
  The Kithen is the oldest race upon Antara; they held most of the world before the Forgers came to it. Initial communications between the two were hostile, and the war that came suprised neither. The Forgers won easily, but left the Kithen to survive. As their population was left in severely low numbers from the war, Kithen lost most of the world that had been theirs. The tribes that were left pulled closer to each other to provide trade, cultural and martial assitance. The Kithen have since remained reclusive and reserved from the other two races.
  Considering the conflicts Kithen had with the Forgers, it is not suprising that Forger-worship is unheard of in Kithen tribes. They prefer instead, to worship two gods asociated with the earth and the ocean. Numerous other lesser gods and spirits are worshipped as well, but those two are counted supreme by Kithen.

Hooo... four posts and no questions still? Do I have to give out cookies or something? <sigh> Regardless, I will post something later, more than likely something about the geography of the world.

[Jairus]

Nothing really. You seem to be doing fine so far. You certainly have your "main" races ready to be shown off. Unlike me (Note to self: get on that).

So the Forgers are the "Precursors," if you will, and came from another world/universe? And with their disappearance, Magic became something more like a myth? I mean, magic is still a part of their world, but it's a part that most people don't interact with? And Mort are mostly Sapiens, I presume (Given that the Kithen don't come out much)?

I'll probably come up with a few more at one in the morning.

[Pagan]

Wooot! Questions! Questions that I have direct answers to- even more woot!
Actually, once I finish Forgers, that's it for races. Less is more, heh.  Dag, I've got an urge to ramble, gotta keep that in check.

Forgers are somewhat like the Precursors of Jak, but different in that the Precursors are still alive and at large. I've no doubt that, somewhere out in the great realm of the stars and planets, other Forgers live. The ones on Antara however, are dead.
Yeah, the Forgers dying caused a whole hell of a lot of magic to go bye-bye, but that's of how I run magic. You've probably seem me use the phrase "produce magic." That's because, in my verse, magic isn't a free-flowing force through the stars. I'll talk more about during my magic discussion.
Yes, most Mort nowadays were Sapiens, but some of the older ones that are still around are Kithen, it's not impossible or anything. The first Mort? Heh, I'll talk about that later.

And please! More queries! More inquisistions! I finally understand why you relate your thread to addictive substances.

[Jairus]

Yeah, the Forgers dying caused a whole hell of a lot of magic to go bye-bye, but that's of how I run magic. You've probably seem me use the phrase "produce magic." That's because, in my verse, magic isn't a free-flowing force through the stars. I'll talk more about during my magic discussion.

Yeah, some of my earlier ideas were like that. So, magic is a bit like non-renewable energy or something like that, except you need something capable of creating it in order for magic to be available? And so long as the energy is available, can anyone (well, you know what I mean) use it, or does someone have to create magic in order to use it. And I know that Sapiens don't create magic, but the Mort are kind of like the Forgers in that they create magic, so I'm sensing a connection of some kind...

Hm, should I wait for your magic discussion?

Yes, most Mort nowadays were Sapiens, but some of the older ones that are still around are Kithen, it's not impossible or anything. The first Mort? Heh, I'll talk about that later.

Aha! You've caught the plot hint sickness too! Welcome aboard! You must now pass it on.

Wooot! Questions! Questions that I have direct answers to- even more woot!
Actually, once I finish Forgers, that's it for races. Less is more, heh.  Dag, I've got an urge to ramble, gotta keep that in check.

And please! More queries! More inquisistions! I finally understand why you relate your thread to addictive substances.

Heeheehee. Now you know what it's like for me. But isn't it?

That reminds me, I don't really have anything for my post tonight. Maybe I'll just post another character profile, those are fun... like Dreksa or Merlin. Maybe Skaira. Hm, I'll think about it.

[Pagan]

No... the only sickness I've got is talking about your universe as if you are not the Lord and Master of it. Ah well...

As far as your magic questions, I'll cut you a deal. Nothing right now, but the next post (and I'll try really hard to make to tomorrow night) I'll put up my magic system.

Yes, go, write!

[Pagan]

Magic in the world of Antara!
How to start?

  I guess the first is to reinforce that magic does not flow freely throughout the universe. Magic is not something like
gravity or magnetism. It does not flow underneath the ground like a river in a ley line. The force of magic is produced by certain souls. The beings that have these souls have the ability to tap into this power and use magic. Might be helpful to think of an electromagnetic wave, created at one point, spreading out in all directions and growing weaker the farther out it goes, unless something blocks it.
    Some souls produce magic only for that soul. This is because of a barrier around the soul, these are "Walled Souls," preventing any magic produced from going beyond the soul so that others can not use any magic produced by that soul. Sorta like a mirror surronding a light bulb. An individual such as this could have enough magic to level a city, but if the magic produced doesn't pass beyond the soul that made it, no one else can use that magic. Walled souls tend to have a stronger amount of force than an open soul when they produce the same amount of magic. Mort are an example of walled souls.
  However, if a soul which has no barrier produces magic, an "Open Soul," anyone near that soul can use the magic produced by that soul. The range around an open soul that will be saturated by magic is correlated to the amount produced and the force of the magic. The force of magic beyond the soul begins at around half the force of the producing soul and grows weaker quickly as the edge of the range is reached. Multiple open souls who are within each others range benefit greatly from the proximity as each range overlaps and the force of each open soul adds to every other open soul within it's range.Think if you will of a light bulb in room, then two, then three and so forth, with each bulb, the room continues to grow brighter. Forgers are an example of open souls.
  A soul which produces no magic is known as a "Dark Soul." Fortunatly, walled dark souls are extremely rare, so most dark souls can benefit from the magic of an open soul. Dark souls which are in the range of an open soul become "Lit Souls." They can use magic just as any other. Even though a lit soul produces no magic, a lit soul does add some force to the magic which it uses, thogh this force does not aid any others within the range, unlike multiple open souls.
  The strength of the magic that a soul uses is known of the magic's force. Force could possibly be compared to the frequency of a light wave, though differing amounts of force do not change the "color" of magic used as differing frequencies do. The amount of force differs due to race, age, and exercise and study. The amount of magic produced differs by the same variables, though this is much more difficult to increase. Even dark/lit souls can increase the amount of force they have, though this is slow except when lit.


And I think that's about it. At least for part one.

[Jairus]

      Interesting. Interesting indeed. So your character's ability to use magic is affected by their physical condition as well?

Okay...
      Walled Souls create magic for themselves. Um, can they use the magic off of an Open soul?
      Open Souls create magic for everyone, and more of them in an area reinforces the effect. So, for really big effects, would the Forgers get a big group of Open Souls together to keep refining their power to the point that they could do some really big magic?
      Dark Souls don't create magic at all. They can use Open soul magic. I'm guessing that most people/Sapiens are this kind?

      Out of curiosity, is one of your main characters a Walled Dark Soul?

      Um, how close does a Dark Soul have to be to an Open Soul to "channel" magic?

I'll probably come up with more questions, but I'm starting to fall asleep here. Good night. And it's looking good so far.

[Pagan]

By "exercise" I meant flexing the magical muscle. It was kinda metaphorical, bad word choice on my part. But it's the same principal. Using spells, especially big ones will tire you, but eventually you'll get strong enough to do those easily and then you move on to bigger spells, etc. So physical condition doesn't truly affect the strength of spells. Unless you have a gaping hole in your chest or something. That might make casting difficult. Probably.

No, a walled soul can not use the magic of an open side.

Well... when talking about the Forgers, really big magic for them is reaching points of universal effects. Forgers are nigh gods, so they're ridicously strong already. The range of each covered huge amounts of Antara and ... I'm getting close to plot here, whoops.

All sapiens are dark souls, yes. As for the peeps on other worlds? Most are actually open souls, but other worlds aren't in the story at all, so it doesn't really matter.

Well... yeah, one is. The way [cut] makes that fact relativily worthless for a good long while, but yes, one is a walled dark soul.

A dark soul just has to be in the "range" of an open soul to become "lit," and thus be able to use magic. Should I explain "range" in greater detail?

As for the next post, I'm going with magic 102. Casting and such. I'm hoping I'll post tomorrow, but with lighting and thunder and crowe-damned comcast, I don't know when I'll have it up. Peace.

[Jairus]

By "exercise" I meant flexing the magical muscle. It was kinda metaphorical, bad word choice on my part. But it's the same principal. Using spells, especially big ones will tire you, but eventually you'll get strong enough to do those easily and then you move on to bigger spells, etc. So physical condition doesn't truly affect the strength of spells. Unless you have a gaping hole in your chest or something. That might make casting difficult. Probably.

Well, physical/spiritual/magical exercise. Practice makes perfect.

Um, snip...
Snip...

Hm... is there a particular reason that Sapiens are all Dark souls? Or is it just something about their world in particular?

Well... yeah, one is. The way [cut] makes that fact relativily worthless for a good long while, but yes, one is a walled dark soul.

No worries, it's what I would do to.

A dark soul just has to be in the "range" of an open soul to become "lit," and thus be able to use magic. Should I explain "range" in greater detail?

Maybe as a postscript for your next post.

Actually, quick question: how is magic passed down? Like, will the child of an Open Soul be an Open Soul as well, something like that?

As for the next post, I'm going with magic 102. Casting and such. I'm hoping I'll post tomorrow, but with lighting and thunder and crowe-damned comcast, I don't know when I'll have it up. Peace.

Good luck. See you later. *yawns*

[Pagan]

Hm… is there a particular reason that Sapiens are all Dark souls? Or is it just something about their world in particular?
Actually, quick question: how is magic passed down? Like, will the child of an Open Soul be an Open Soul as well, something like that?

Two fat birdies, one slick stone. I should have mentioned this earlier or explained it better, but the type of soul is determined by race. Morts are all walled souls. Forgers are all open souls. Grand Kithen are all open. Male and female Kithen are all dark. Sapien are all dark. However, there is an odd soul or two that's walled and dark. But that's blind chance. Not as good as winning slots, not as bad as falling through a solid wall... but pretty rare.

Hmm... I think I'll just something about Sapiens here. Sapiens are open to genetic change a bit more than other races. It's what makes them change basic istincts over time, it's the reason why they're just so adaptive to their enviornment. It's how I get racial variety with only three races. And if the Sapiens had been around the Forgers long enough, it's possible Sapiens could have become open souled. Oh well... that chance went bye-bye.  <very, very evil neko>

[Pagan]

The urge to reference certain songs is rising strongly... I'll just have resist.

So this is magic 102: Spells and casting.
But first a clarification on the range of open souls. "Range" is the term for the area in which open or dark souls are affected by the magic produced by an open soul. Inside the range, a dark soul becomes lit and can use magic. Inside the range, an open soul receives the benefits described above. The range of an open soul is affected by both the force of magic and the amount of magic produced by that open soul, though the distance of a soul's range barely changes. It might grow a meter in thirty years.
And now for casting.

Casting is quite easy, think of the spell you wish to cast and let it fly. Before being able to cast a spell though, one must "make" that spell through a process known as crafting. Spells can not be taught, there is no method to learn, no incantations, no hand-waving. Each individual must recreate every spell he wishes to use. To better explain it, think if you made a machine, then showed it to your friend, but it's impossible for you to show your friend how to
build this machine, he has to study yours and recreate it or he has to think of the machine himself and create thusly.The process for crafting spells differs, for some it's like weaving thread, others say it's piecing a puzzle. The difficulty does not differ and it is a taxing procedure. Crafting a spell requires complete concentration on the task to even be able to work at it. How long the crafting takes depends upon the preparedness of the crafter, the complexity of the spell, and the crafter's skill. One's skill at crafting spells, well, practice makes perfect. A spell, when completed, takes on the image of a seal (the wax things on letters, not the animal) in the mind, always remembered and ready to be called. Once a spell has been crafted however, it can be cast by a simple mental exercise. Call up the seal of the spell wanted and break it open, this casts the spell.

Questions? Please, somebody, raise a hand. Oh, and next lesson: "The effects of being lit" or "Elements of magic and a soul's affect on elements"?

[Jairus]

Okay, so spells aren't like DnD, where you learn them and then forget them once you've used them? You're basically creating your own version of a spell, tailored to your needs and how you perceived that spell, that once you've completed it can be called up at any time? Can spells be increased in power over time? Um, can the effects of a spell vary slightly (like can a fire spell be used to do something as small as light a cigarette and something as large as burning down a door?)? And I'm guessing that each Open soul has a different range for how far the effect carries.

Okay, that's what I've got for now.

Regarding all of the questions: This is how my mind works. Just as an example, I watched Bedknobs and Broomsticks for the first time in years a week ago and by the end of the movie I had figured out two different ways that the Substitutiary Locomotion spell could have worked, and both of them fit how the spell was shown to operate and be called up in the movie.

[Pagan]

Your two questions are basically about the scaling of power for a spell, right? Ok, this is where the idea of force comes into play. As you increase the force behind your magic, you increase the power of your spells. Think of punching a wall with your full strength. Now go imagine yourself training for about a decade, now take your imaginary self to the same wall and punch it again at full strength. Different result right?
Scaling a spell's power up and down is just measuring the amount of force behind your magic. Same thing as throwing a weak punch. This takes a large bit of control in magic though, so we use the age old "practice makes perfect" once again.

Spells are somewhat open to interepation due to the circumstances. A seal to summon fire might be used to hold a flame in your hand at one point, and light an enemy's flesh on fire at another. It's all in how you break the seal. (Yes, this is me getting variety out of a limited set again, I just like a small number of mutlitask options to an option for every task and only one task.)

As for the distance of ranges, yeah it varies. Very old, powerful grands could have ranges spreading over their entire tribe's land. Forgers, even the young ones, had ranges spreading across continents.

Bedknobs and Broomsticks? Don't know it.

[Jairus]

Ah, okay: that's kind of how spells work in my universe as well. I have no problems with the same spell fulfilling basically the same function in general but having a different output in specific... okay, that didn't make much sense. Sorry. Anyway, thanks for clearing that up. Can't wait to see more!

Oh, and Bedknobs and Broomsticks. It was one of my favorites when I was a kid.

EDIT: Something that just hit me as I was going to bed, is it easier for for a Walled and/or Open soul to craft spells? I'm guessing that Dark Souls would have it hardest (unless you don't need to be under the effect of an Open Soul to create spells... does a Dark Soul need to be Lit in order for it to craft a spell, or can it do it anytime?)

[Pagan]

It's pretty much even between walled and open souls. Dark souls do have it bad though, they do have to be lit in order to craft a spell. There's a reason for that and I guess I know which topic to do tonight.

[Jairus]

It's pretty much even between walled and open souls. Dark souls do have it bad though, they do have to be lit in order to craft a spell. There's a reason for that and I guess I know which topic to do tonight.

I can see that... you can't make a machine without all of the component pieces, after all: in the case of spellcrafting, the components are magic and your own capabilities. Okay, I can't wait for tonight.

Oh, um... can you "start" and "stop" spell crafting, like set aside what you've done so far and come back to it tomorrow or a week later? I mean, there has to be an upper limit to how long you can set it aside, because I'm guessing that a half-completed spell will degrade in your mind, but do you have to spend days/weeks working on a spell non-stop, or are you allowed breaks?

Um, all these things about souls has raised a question: can a being without a soul cast magic, or do such things not exist in your world?

[Pagan]

First I'll answer the two questions, then tonight's lecture.
  No, the moment the concentration on crafting is broken, the spell falls to pieces and has to be recrafted from the start. However, the time in crafting varies like I said, probably little over an hour for a spell to summon flame. A complex spell, such as an enchantment or a warding would more than likely take the better part of a day.
  A being without a soul can not cast magic. A soul must be lit to cast magic, without a soul, the being has no chance of casting. Yeah, soulless beings do exist on Antara, someplaces they exist in droves.

And now, tonight's lecture

  Even though the term is most often used to described dark souls when in the range of open souls, "lit" is more acuratly the term for any type of soul that has access to magic. However, all open souls and walled souls are lit at all times, so it doesn't need to be said that walled or open souls are lit, such as it doesn't need to be said that a number is to the first power.
  The effects of being lit are few, most only happening when changing from dark to lit, known as "lighting". As Mort having more pressing concerns when they turn and grand Kithen light whilst in the womb, neither could tell of the switch.  Dark souls, though, are quite aware of lighting. The immediate effect is a complete lack of sensation: sight, hearing, smell, taste, even touch, all go away. In a few minutes, sight returns; an hour after, hearing. Smell eventually returns as well, but it can take years for taste to return and even the oldest morts don't have the sense of touch.

And I'm way too tired to do anything, I'll edit this to completion in the morning, GOOD NIGHT.

[Jairus]

First I'll answer the two questions, then tonight's lecture.
  No, the moment the concentration on crafting is broken, the spell falls to pieces and has to be recrafted from the start. However, the time in crafting varies like I said, probably little over an hour for a spell to summon flame. A complex spell, such as an enchantment or a warding would more than likely take the better part of a day.
  A being without a soul can not cast magic. A soul must be lit to cast magic, without a soul, the being has no chance of casting. Yeah, soulless beings do exist on Antara, someplaces they exist in droves.

Okay, thanks for clearing that up.

  Even though the term is most often used to described dark souls when in the range of open souls, "lit" is more acuratly the term for any type of soul that has access to magic. However, all open souls and walled souls are lit at all times, so it doesn't need to be said that walled or open souls are lit, such as it doesn't need to be said that a number is to the first power.
  The effects of being lit are few, most only happening when changing from dark to lit, known as "lighting". As Mort having more pressing concerns when they turn and grand Kithen light whilst in the womb, neither could tell of the switch.  Dark souls, though, are quite aware of lighting. The immediate effect is a complete lack of sensation: sight, hearing, smell, taste, even touch, all go away. In a few minutes, sight returns; an hour after, hearing. Smell eventually returns as well, but it can take years for taste to return and even the oldest morts don't have the sense of touch.

Okay, so lighting isn't as simple as just walking inside a set circumference and suddenly being able to perform magic: there's actually quite a few side-effects to it. So, all of these effects hold true, even if someone was Lit in the womb? Um, do Open souls suffer from sense-related problems, and if one were to leave the area of affect caused by an Open soul would all of their senses return to normal, or is it just because their senses were overloaded and their coming back down from that overload (like walking outside into bright sunlight from a dark movie theater)?

And now I want to ask you about souls and how they can be lost, but I fear distracting you from your current objective (and based on my thread, we know what can happen if that happens), so I'll just wait for you to get there.

[Pagan]

If I understand the questions correctly, you're asking if when an open soul enters another open soul's range, would that open soul go through the lighting process? The answer is no. That soul became lit when it became an open soul, so it would not go through the lighting effects ever again.

I'm going to finish last night's lecture before answering the second question. A warning, some of this is up in the air and subject to change.
  While lit souls lose much of their physical senses, they are somewhat compensated. Lit souls seem to have some form of etheral senses, though nothing conrete as to what they are. These senses are not always avialable and seem to come and go at random. It has been theorized that these etheral senses are strongest at the moment of lighting, when all physical sense leaves the soul. Dark souls have not yet been said to have any etheral senses when lit, and it's possible that a soul must actually produce magic to gain these.

In answer, the effects of unlighting or going dark is much the same but quicker.


Ok, I think I'll actaully stop doing magic for awhile, we're walking on thin ice. So... I think I could do Forgers now, or do you want more on souls? Or I could finally do that lecture on geography.  And raise those hands dangit, you learn more by asking questions!

[Jairus]

If I understand the questions correctly, you're asking if when an open soul enters another open soul's range, would that open soul go through the lighting process? The answer is no. That soul became lit when it became an open soul, so it would not go through the lighting effects ever again.

Um, I think I was asking whether or not a Dark soul... oh, I see the problem, I didn't punctuate right. I was trying to ask if a Dark soul who was previously lit (and then left the influence of an open soul) would have to go through that whole re-lighting thing again if they reentered an Open soul's influence, or if they could skip it and get their senses back on track faster.

I'm going to finish last night's lecture before answering the second question. A warning, some of this is up in the air and subject to change.

Welcome to my world. Why do you think my stuff is so chaotic?

  While lit souls lose much of their physical senses, they are somewhat compensated. Lit souls seem to have some form of etheral senses, though nothing conrete as to what they are. These senses are not always avialable and seem to come and go at random. It has been theorized that these etheral senses are strongest at the moment of lighting, when all physical sense leaves the soul. Dark souls have not yet been said to have any etheral senses when lit, and it's possible that a soul must actually produce magic to gain these.

In answer, the effects of unlighting or going dark is much the same but quicker.

Ah, so magic-wielders gain some sort of "sixth sense" in exchange for their more physical five sense? That's a little more fair then.

Ok, I think I'll actaully stop doing magic for awhile, we're walking on thin ice. So... I think I could do Forgers now, or do you want more on souls? Or I could finally do that lecture on geography.  And raise those hands dangit, you learn more by asking questions!

I'm a little curious about souls to be honest (especially since the concept of a soul in my universe is so bloody important that you could consider this entire story about Terra to merely be a prologue to a much large cross-multiverse story I have in mind).

[Pagan]

Once again, answer the question then a lecture.
Dark souls have to go through the lighting process each time, every time. It's one reason why Kithen dislike leaving their lands. It's not something one wants to experience again and again.

By a overwhelming win (one), souls have win the topic contest tonight.

  Souls are what give a being sentience, what gives beings access to magic. Without a soul, a being has neither. A soul resides with it's body for that body's lifespan and leaves for a different plane upon that body's death, most times. Souls can be ejected prior to death by magic though this is difficult without killing the body. When a soul is ejected, it does not leave this plane. The soul either becomes an Oddity of some sort or it enters another body which already has a soul in residence. When this occurs, the souls have something similar to a battle of wills, one soul (not always the orginal) becomes the host, the other the boarder. Having two souls in one body is not pleasant the body often dies soon after the second enters. Sometimes, very extremely rarely, the two souls decide to merge instead of coexist - why this happens is unclear, a tie in the 'battle of wills,' the souls being 'friendly,' who knows?- which creates a "Merged Soul." Regardless of the original souls', a merged soul will always be an open soul. And a quite powerful one. While a merging between souls has little effect on the physical state, the mental state will be a bit worse for wear.
  Soulless are Oddities which have a corperal body, but posess no soul. A body which had it's soul ejected, a Mort which failed to turn properly, a zombie, and a few other Oddities are all Soulless. Soulless aren't too dangerous, they tend to loiter and stare blankly. Unless a soulless falls under the control of a spell, then it's up to the will of the caster what that soulless will do. If the body of a soulless is still living, it will most likely die soon.


Any questions? Oh, and don't get too excited about merged souls. They're interesting sure, do they show up in the plot? No.

[Jairus]

Interesting stuff. For some reason, I'm envisioning the battle of wills as something like between Ling/Greed from Fullmetal Alchemist. And I'm guessing the Soulless don't really do anything, kind of like the Hollow that result from a Fae breeding in the DMFAverse?

And I like how you anticipated my question about Merged souls. I'm guessing that a merged soul's mind could be best described as "schizophrenic?"

[Pagan]

Well, most of the soulless are just going to be zombies raised by magic, so they're already going to be under the control of someone. So it's less like the hollows and more like undead under a necromancer. But that's most cases, the rest are pretty much like a hollow from Furrae.

Schizo is a light term for a merged soul. Forming a coherent thought is going to be difficult for a good long while. When you're possessed, one soul has control of the body even if it has to switch hands occasionally. When two souls merge, it's not quite so clean cut. The thoughts and wishes of both souls mingle and it's kinda like a sentence that changes between two languages every other word.

I'm really liking the geography idea. So unless I get an objection or something, that's what'll be up tonight.