Yes, although you have the impression that he is standing ready to intervene if anything goes wrong--moreso than before.
You demonstrate the Weaken Molecular Structure skill, and she picks it up reasonably quickly. She comments that a skill like that would be really useful against handcuffs, and then has to explain handcuffs to Merlin, who compares them to manacles with locks instead of bolts.
You try several times unsuccessfully to demonstrate the strengthen molecular structure skill before, sometime in mid afternoon, managing to do it. She picks up this skill also.
The next morning, you show her how you create a force shield, and she gets this very quickly and very solidly, building a stronger force wall than you expect.
This, you tell Merlin, concludes your psionic skills--what he calls your "inner powers".
"How," he asks, "would you begin to teach your outer powers? What do you think Jade needs to understand before she can begin to tap the resources of the supernatural world as you have done?"
--M. J. Young
Jhiaxus
Member
"Well I always considered my outer powers from other beings of great power, or from the environment around myself. If I call upon Odin, who is the head of the Norse Gods, I specially cite him, I use him in specific prayers, I usually don't ask help of him unless it is needed, as you don't want to anger beings of power. For the others, I think of myself drawing power from the earth, air, life, and follow the motions and use the components, and say words appropiate. I don't think the components and words are needed, they just make it easier for me to cast the spell, so I'd rather have the spell be more reliable, since accidents can be deadly, from personal experience."
*with that I will start with my religion, and receive assurance and limited damage cure and go from there*
Adam
As you begin to teach your religion to Geneice, you are bombarded with all sorts of questions. She was, of course, raised Catholic (after all, she's Italian and her father was a Don in the Mafia), and is very confused at the idea that there might be a god named Odin, and that there might be other gods as well. Merlin mediates some of this, drawing out your thinking with many questions about the relationships between the gods, the notion that gods have spheres of influence and limits to their powers. Why, though, Geneice asks, is it better to believe in many weak gods than one all-powerful God? Or is it that there is not one all-powerful God, but only many weak ones, and the Church has always been wrong? How can you know that Odin is real but God is not?
Merlin raises his eyebrows several times in this, as if he finds the debate fascinating.
What are your answers?
--M. J. Young
Jhiaxus
Member
"Wait, I'm Irish and was raised Roman Catholic, do I believe in a one God, yes, do I believe in the church, no, they have had over 1500 years of corruption, so no I don't believe in the church. Do I believe God granted powers to others, sure, why not, he granted us the powers to live after we die, be immortal till we die. I'm saying an open mind is needed to verse, and is needed to grasp the concepts of some magics"
Adam
"Assuming Odin exists--and it makes sense that there must be such a being, since you've obviously spoken to him and gotten an answer--why should we pray to Odin, instead of to God? I'm not saying you're wrong. I'm trying to understand. Isn't there something in the commandments about praying to other gods? How does Odin relate to God? Are there really many gods, and God is only one of them--maybe the biggest, but not really different from the others? Or is it maybe that God created Odin? If God created Odin, why? Are we supposed to pray to Odin, or are we supposed to have some other relationship with Odin, or is Odin really an enemy? This is so confusing. Why would God create enemies? Yet He did create the devil, right? So maybe He created more than one devil? Or maybe Odin is an angel, or a saint, or something like that? But I don't know whether Odin is a saint. Should I pray to Mary, or Peter, or Paul, or one of the saints I know are saints?
"I'm sorry to be so difficult; it just seems so--so pagan or something. It's one thing to discover that there's more than one universe. It's quite another to be faced with the possibility of more than one god."
--M. J. Young
Jhiaxus
Member
"God didn't create the Devil, he created angels that had free will to fall from grace. So did God create beings that became Devils, yes, but didn't specifically make them evil or enemies, they chose it for themselves. Did God create Odin, or is Odin just an aspect of God, that I can't claim to know? I am just saying that the ten commandments were brought down by Moses, and then made to be the word of God. If you take a look at the ten commandments, and the time period, you will see that they are more likely just good advice on how to keep people alive and together in tough times. No killing, no stealing, no coveting your neighbors possessions, or his wife, or other man's wives. They are to prevent people from turning on each other. I also bring up a point, on our Earth, God is the only God, in the universe, do I think there are godlike beings that grant their powers like Odin, yes. There is no need to be confused, just accept that you believe in God, and that there are others out there than can do his Gods will."
Adam
"So Odin is like an angel, or maybe a saint from another universe? And instead of asking God to send someone to help us, or asking Mary to ask Jesus to ask God to send someone, we just talk to Odin, and he gets the O.K. from God to help us?"
She thinks about this.
"Would it be all right with you if I prayed to Paul? He's my patron saint, after all. I feel like I know him already. I mean, would it make any difference?"
--M. J. Young
"Well, I should hope so. What would be the point of praying, if prayers were never answered? I mean, I can't say I can point to prayers that were actually answered, but I'm not a saint, either. I'm sure that the saints answer prayers, as they see fit."
"Indeed," Merlin says, "you must pray to whom you believe will answer. If his name is Odin, then pray to Odin; if his name is Paul, pray to Paul. The gods do answer, if we keep our part of the bargains we make."
--M. J. Young
These are the first skills on your list:
--M. J. Young
Jhiaxus
Member
The first two Geneice needs to figure out who she is preying two and what words to use, the cure damage, we'll cut her and have her heal it. For disease, find some poison ivy or other skin causing problem, and have her try to cure it, dig and silence, I will instruct her on what words I say, Merlin will be there in case things go wrong.
Adam
I try not to correct spelling errors, but this one is particularly irksome to me (I am, after all, a theologian), so forgive my mentioning it: preying is what predators do to prey, stalking, catching, and eating them; praying is what supplicants do to benefactors, petitioning them for assistance.
Thanks.
The first is simple: she will pray to Paul, and otherwise do as you do.
You spend several hours working through the details of the next skill, though. First, she didn't bring a crucifix or rosary beads, and there's nothing like that in the jewelry you gave her. That's a problem you'll have to address.
She likes the idea of calling on subjects, but she decides to reword it "grant me God's power to call upon His subjects the Sun and the Sky to grant me powers of nature to strike down with the force of your anger. Paul, grant my prayer, and let the Sun and Sky grant me the power over nature itself, and strike apon our enemies, with the power of primal fury".
That seems to capture the essence of what you prayed, but she still needs to solve the holy symbol problem.
--M. J. Young
Jhiaxus
Member
I usually don't bring things like this up. I find it hard to believe a Roman Catholic Italian woman is not wearing a cross. Even if she got out of the habit during our spy missions, I would say that she probably had a gold cross and chain (I would say silver, but her father would have spared no expense), so it should be in her personal possessions, in her backpack in a jewelry box, if I had to make a guess. The GE roll was for if it was in the jewel and precious metals that I bought, not if she would have had a cross. If not, I will goto town and see what can be found. I would say make it, but I have neither the tools nor the expertise to work in fine metals.
Adam
Yes, you are correct, she has a small diamond-studded gold crucifix, very delicate filigree background, that she wears around her neck. She hadn't realized it, because it's such a part of herself that she never thinks about it. She'll use that.
She learns the skill, and performs it; however, she doesn't know any nature-based magical attacks, so she cah't really test whether it works.
The next day you turn your attention to the healing skill. Again she rewrites your prayers, addressing them to Paul rather than Odin, and mentions that Jesus healed many who asked. You then cut her, and she prays for the healing, restoring the flesh instantly.
How familiar are you with poison ivy and similar plants? There are a lot of things that look like these but aren't (I've often been asked whether wild raspberry plants are poison ivy, or mountain laurel). Knowing the description and being able to spot the plants are two different things.
--M. J. Young
It takes you about an hour of searching the woods to find a batch of poison ivy.
How are you handling the stuff?
--M. J. Young
O.K., I smile, good joke.
Thing is, I don't see gloves on your equipment list, unless they're part of something else that I'm overlooking; so I'm not certain how you are protecting your hand. I do see a washcloth, and I can envision someone trying to pluck poison ivy with a washcloth, but that's not so easy to keep it off your skin that way. There's also the possibility of using the gloves and then contacting the gloves to your skin when you remove the gloves--transfer of the irritating oils from clothing to skin is quite common, actually.
So I ask again how you are handling the poison ivy, just so I know whether there is a significant risk of you contracting it also.
--M. J. Young
Jhiaxus
Member
Well my armor, which we have established I don't take off often, is made of the rubber undersuit, and Spectra armor on top protecting the main areas. My hands are included in the protection, the outside with the spectra, inside the rubber, like a glove. They would be gloves/gauntlets incase I needed to do fine work.
Adam
You work with the rubber gloves from your spectra armor (which you do, I believe, remove when you sleep), plucking the poison ivy you've located and infecting Geneice with it.
You wash your gloves in running water with soap before removing them, to prevent contact yourself.
It will take at least several hours for the rash to appear, so it is the next day when you show her how to pray for the healing of the disease. The cure works adequately, the reaction subsiding.
Aside: poison oak looks almost the same as poison ivy, but the leaves have rounded almost lobe-like protrusions along the edges, particularly one edge.
The next day she digs a hole. She and Merlin both note that this is not a prayer.
Her interest is whether this is some sort of evil magic spell you learned somewhere, and whether it might be dangerous to be dabbling in dark arts.
His interest is where you learned this, given that it is different in kind from the other spells you've done.
--M. J. Young
Jhiaxus
Member
Well I learned it from a fictional game, and translated it to something I could do. I did it in the Orc world, and I believe I was helping to build a sewer system with it, and I will explain the concept to Merlin, since I know he will ask. I will address Geneice, I learned it from a Role Playing Game, (she should be young enough to understand the concept, if not I will explain it to her, that no it is not evil, nor did it come from evil origins). I tell her I know nothing of dark arts. I assume my answers will allow us to continue learning.
Adam
There are several hours of discussion about the use of magic that is not based on prayer. Geneice is particularly curious about the entire question, because she has an aunt who told fortunes and an uncle who said that all of that was evil, because God didn't want good Christians playing with magic.
Merlin approaches the matter from a different end, asking whether God allows her to change things by what she does, and then whether He allows her to change things by prayer. Given that God allows her to change things, by actions, by thought, and by prayer, there is no particular reason why He would not allow her to change things by supernatural power, if she knew how.
In the end she seems to accept the idea, although she's not entirely comfortable with it.
As you explain to her the silence spell, she asks what use it has.
--M. J. Young
Geneice attempts the silence spell, and it works quite well for her.
"Does this mean," she says, "that my prayers won't work if no one can hear them?"
--M. J. Young
These are the next skills on the list:
What thoughts do you have on teaching these, individually?
--M. J. Young
Jhiaxus
Member
I'm back from Ubercon, I met and beat Harry "JohnOSevens" In Settlers of Catan and played a bit of Multiverser inbetween other events. I am sleep deprived, and at work, so I will likely miss some details.
Well long story short, I finally taught Geneice all my Mag skills, and Merlin asked us what we were weaker in, and I said Psionics, simply because we don't have as high of a bias in it. He taught me a way to psionically teach psionic skills, and made Geneice and I brainstorm on what we can do with Telepathy and the like skills, we taught each other 4 to 5 skills, before a few days went buy and Merlin asked us if we wanted to goto a local inn for business. We sat down, ordered drinks and watched as Merlin interacted with a person or people, hard to tell. We were then back at his grove for a very short time, and we talked about the future of the world before he got summoned to help Uther with a quest. He once again asked if we wanted to accompany him while we were summoned to a seige to let Uther get another King's wife.
We made the journey with Merlin, and Uther insulted both ourselves and Merlin, before Merlin left with Uther. We started doing katas in the camp, and got looks from the other soldiers. They questioned whether our swords would be effective, and Geneice and I put up a demonstraition that didn't convince them the swords were effective, but only we were. I didn't feel like hurting anyone to prove my point, and it was about this time Merlin came for us to leave, and a short while from the camp, we heard a scream and Merlin said it was done.
We learned once we got back to the grove that the scream was Uther's death and that his affair with the other Queen would produce a son Arthur. It was at this point Merlin quizzed me about the sword and the stone, excalibur, enemies, and the arthurian legend. A plan was to set the sword in the stone in motion, so that the power vaccuum could be contained until Arthur grew up. Merlin suggusted Paris, I suggusted Spanish Steel as the best and Merlin said it would be better to go there to have it made, since it would be hard to identify, different enough to be not from England, and of suitable quality to be enchanted. The stone would also need to be engraved and enchanted. Merlin asked if we were ready to leave, and we were, so Merlin contacted the werewolves, which were the people who first met us in the woods. He met with one, who found another who has been to Spain a few months earlier. We learned with their umbra like travel familiarity with the destination is important for the travel.
A female werewolf came the next day, and prepared us for the journey. We were told to stay close and not to wander, and we stayed close. We found ourselves outside a cave, and Merlin thanked her, and she said for him it was not a problem doing this. She left much the same way she came, and we had a few hours of daylight before night, so we walked until nightfall. We setup camp and a small fire, and set out to sleep. Sometime during the night a person in armor came up to find out why we were here. My limited latin, didn't help matters much, and Merlin was apparantly invisibile to the person, so when I couldn't communicate, he ushed us to come with him. He allowed me to take a log for light, and we went off. He walked us to a stables with a room, which we were locked in, until the Master of the Castle was awakened. I used the soot from the log and salt from teaching Geneice, to cast my Comprehend Languages for myself, and waited to be introduced to the King.
We were escorted to the King, and we were able to communicate much better with my spell, but he did know a little bit of English. He asked me where I was from, I said currently in service in England, but from across the seas. He asked if it was before the flat end of the world. I tried to explain the concept that the world is round. He then asked what keeps the water on the earth on the other side, which caused a discussion on gravity, and then the earth and the sun. He asked our business here, and we needed a sword comissioned, and we knew spanish steel and craftsman were the best around. It was late and the King showed us hospitality.
We slept and woke up for breakfast of citris fruit and milk, which was a nice change of pace. The King said he has summoned a local swordmaker, claiming his were the best of the lands. We thanked the king, and asked if we could retreive our tents, and he allowed us to do so. We went back to the spot of our tents and packs, and they weren't there. We headed back to the castle, and Merlin had gathered our items to be close to the castle. That was the last we have played at Ubercon.
I will ask Merlin if he wanted us to handle the sword, and him stay out of it so he couldn't be linked to the sword maker. I will also ask about payment, should we pay for it, or does he have a better idea? Also a good sword will take a month or so to make, so we might want to make arrangements with the King to stay here, or goto where the swordmaker is. Reguardless, once we give the swordmaker suitable dimentions for the sword, and make the payment, I am content to let time to pass. As for what the sword should look like. I'm thinking of something that is not Roman, not French, not English, or like mine. I am thinking of a Fancy Broadsword, 3 and a 1/2 feet in length, broad blade, and a gold plated jewel encrusted pommel with a design of a two lion heads on either side, and their bodies making the pommel. If Merlin has no objections, we can comission it, and we can hoepfully do some learning here.
Adam
That's a good summary, but that I will need detailed updates of your skills--both the new ones and the improvements to old ones--so I can at least make an effort at keeping your character sheet up to date at this end. Thanks.
Merlin says that your suggestion of keeping him out of sight is excellent, as someone will wonder why he was in Spain if word gets back, but no one will wonder about you, as there will be little reason to connect you to anyone or anything, at the present. He can provide the gold or silver necessary to pay for the work, so negotiate a price and let him know what it is.
--M. J. Young
Jhiaxus
Member
(I'll make you a deal, I can slap them here, or I can redo both whole sheets for you, repost it this weekend, and it will make your job easier, as I am basing my sheet off the last repost of yours.)
"Sounds good to me, I will wait to be introduced to the sword maker, and negotiate with him. I also assume I will be dealing with the king, and will be glad to answer any questions he has of me."
Adam
That actually makes my job harder.(I'll make you a deal, I can slap them here, or I can redo both whole sheets for you, repost it this weekend, and it will make your job easier, as I am basing my sheet off the last repost of yours.)
I keep all the character sheets on an excel spreadsheet; every third column is the list of labels. When I post a character sheet to the board, I shift it if necessary so that the labels are on the left of the character data, pick up two columns, paste them into the thread, and then delete all the extraneous lines including the regularly repeated line for "name" that helps me keep track of which column is whose.
I can't reverse that process from what you post. If you post what you have in its entirety, I have to read each item on your list and compare it to the same item on mine, to see whether it is the same or different.
Thus I would much prefer for you to post only the changes, so I can see the changes.
If, however, you only have the current version (not the changes), I'll make due. It may take me a few weeks to find time enough to update it all. Sorry; it's not really fair, perhaps, but it's the best I can do.
The swordmaker arrives and asks what exactly you would like.
--M. J. Young
Jhiaxus
Member
"Greetings, I am Ashe Valerin and I am looking for a broadsword, about 3 and a half feet in length, 3 inches wide, with an elaberate pommel and hilt, covered in gold or silver, whichever is easier to work with. There should be a design of a Lion involved, with the hilt. I am looking for the best work, and I was told you can provide it. If you can give me a price and how long it will take, it will be appreciated."
Adam
"Gold is always easier to work; it's soft. It also makes for weak swords--although for a sword intended for one user, a layer of gold on the grip will form itself to the user's hand over time, where with silver you have to use thicker padding and replace it more often.
"I can do what you want with the gold grip for three hundred gold dollars; silver will cost you two hundred seventy-five, because gold is more expensive."
--M. J. Young
Jhiaxus
Member
*I will try to read his mind, to see is what he is thinking is the lowest price, or if there is room to negotiate, if he is doing it with little to no profit margin, I won't try to get him lower, if he is making a large profit, I will attempt to negotiate to a lower price. As it's Merlin's money, I feel obligated to see he gets the best return on his investment."
Adam
You get a solid link.
The crafstman does not consider this a negotiation, exactly; he's offered to make you a sword for what he thinks it's worth; he will make you a cheaper sword, if you do not want to pay that much. He is more worried about whether he can trust a foreigner to make payment.
You didn't say whether you wanted the gold grip or not.
--M. J. Young
Jhiaxus
Member
*I nod*
"The Gold Grip it is then, please wait here while I retrieve payment, half up front, the other when it is complete. We will be staying here, either in the castle or on the grounds for the duration, so you need not worry about not receiving the other half.*
*assuming he lets me get payment, I will goto Merlin*
"For the sword he wants 300 gold dollars, I scanned his thoughts, and he is charging for the work, and is not thinking about excessive profit, so I believe that is as good as price as we can get for the kind of workmanship needed. I told him half up front and half when the sword is delievered, which is the custom where I am from for high end craftsman deals. Is this alright with you?"
*I await his response and money if he has it*
Adam
"Indeed, well done. Three hundred of their gold dollars? I think we can obtain that."
He reaches into a pouch and draws out several large gemstones--a ruby, a sapphire, three diamonds, each at least an inch across, all cut.
"Not having the local currency, we will have to do with these. See what you can get for them, but try not to sell them all--we will have our swordsmith embed the others in the hilt."
--M. J. Young
You ask around and are directed to a local merchant who might buy them.
The merchant examines the gems, and offers you one hundred dollars for each of them. You read his mind, and it is clear that he really has no idea of their real value, but thinks that he is safe at one hundred dollars--if they are worth what he imagines, he stands to turn a substantial profit, and if they are not at all worth what he thinks he will not have lost too much.
--M. J. Young
Jhiaxus
Member
*smiles*
"I understand that we are all in the business to make money, but we both know between how rare it is to find gems this big, and the perfect cut, they are at least worth 200 of your dollars. I also understand you are doing me a favor by changing the money, so let's meet in the middle at 150 per gem, and I will sell you two of the diamonds for 300 dollars total, sound reasonable?"
*if he doesn't go for it, will do the Jedi mind trick with a wave of my hand that 300 for the 2 diamonds sounds reasonable*
Adam
"I don't know," he starts. "I mean, you say they're valuable, but how do I know they're real? I'm hardly--"
"Three hundred dollars for these two diamonds sounds reasonable."
"Three hundred dollars for these two diamonds sounds reasonable. I guess, then, we've got a deal."
He starts counting out three hundred large gold coins.
--M. J. Young
Jhiaxus
Member
*smiles*
"Thank you for your business"
*I take the coins*
*make my way back toward the sword maker*
*I will count out 150 in front of him*
"It is customary in my homeland to give the artisan half of the payment up front as proof of intention, as well as making sure the work is delievered"
*I will count out the other 150 and put it back in the bag*
"The other half awaits you when your masterpiece is finished and presented, I will be here, so you need not worry about being stiffed with payment".
*I hand him the 3 gems left*
"Please use these with the design of the hilt and pommel"
*Since were here for awhile, need to see the King again to arrange to stay for the duration*
Adam
"We have a different custom in our country," the man says. "We choose a noble arbiter--his lordship will suffice--who holds your money until I deliver your sword. When he is satisfied that the goods are as promised, you get the goods, and I get the money.
"I will be pleased to include these fine stones in the workmanship."
The Lord (he is not a King, exactly, but perhaps something on the order of a Duke--the title is not English) indicates that he is pleased to extend his courtesy to you for the duration of your stay.
--M. J. Young
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