003 [Video]

[brat_from_hell]

[Phibrizzo has a magical tome in his lap when he looks into his journal for this video broadcast. It's interesting, the things one can find in the library. He's learned a bit about magic in other worlds.]

Just curious, but how many people here practice magic, or come from a world where people use magic?

[This inquiring mind wants to know. Specifically, he wants to know who poses the most potential threat, but from an academic standpoint, he is sincerely interested as well. In that vein, he shares a little bit of information about his own world.]

There are more people who can't use it than those who can in my world, but it's still common enough for there to be a Sorcerer's Guild where magic is formally taught. A lot of people who can't use magic directly can still use magic objects made by a sorcerer.

[Including brass rackets. He'd like to get some of those here in Luceti and introduce the sport. The chaos and hilarity would be well worth it. But that's not the point of today's broadcast.]

I've also noticed there are a lot of people with powers here. If you have them, are there a lot of people who have them in your world? And if you don't have them, are there people in your world who do have them? I'm kind of curious if there's some kind of thing that makes people more likely to wind up here.

Comments

[Voice]

[brat_from_hell]

[Phibrizzo perks up at that.]

Hunted? Really? Why would people do that?

[Voice]

[defieddracula]

Aye. You see, religion is quite prevalent in Valachia, and sorcerers of any age are believed to be servants of the Devil himself. Some are evil beings that deserve execution. [A pause, filled by a soft exhale.] But not all. Some of the accused do not even carry magic.

[Voice]

[brat_from_hell]

Execution? That's scary! In my world, some magic draws power from gods. So it's not really evil unless you do evil things with it.

[Voice]

[defieddracula]

You are blessed to have come from such a place, then. If I may, are sorcerers in your world limited to only one type of magic? Fire or ice, for example. Or can a trained sorcerer wield as many types as he or she sees fit?

[Voice]

[brat_from_hell]

Well, it would take a person a very long time to become a master of everything, but yeah. You can learn multiple types of magic. Some people are better at one type over another. I'm no good whatsoever at healing magic...but I can cast different elemental spells.

[Voice]

[defieddracula]

'Tis somewhat different in Valachia. Though any person can be born or infused with magic, one sorcerer may not share the inborn abilities of his counterpart. A… [He pauses again, searching for the correct way to phrase his thought.] colleague of mine carries the same type of magic as I, yet he possesses gifts that I do not.

[Voice]

[brat_from_hell]

But you must have some abilities that he doesn't then, right?

[Voice]

[defieddracula]

One. For as long as I can remember, animals of all kinds have been drawn to me. Though I cannot directly command them, even the most savage creature relaxes in my presence.

[Voice]

[brat_from_hell]

Oh, that's neat! A little like my big sister Zellas. There's a god from my world called Lord Beastmaster, and my sister can draw more power from Lord Beastmaster than any other sorcerer or sorceress in the world. Although Xellos, the priest who learned from her, is pretty impressive, too. He's sometimes called the Beast Priest because of his strong connection to Lord Beastmaster.

[Voice]

[defieddracula]

You must be quite proud to call her your sister, then. [At least he would be, were he in Phibrizzo's shoes.] This god you speak of. Are there others with similar powers?

[Religion is typically a tender topic for Hector, but his curiosity's been piqued, and he's ever eager to learn something new. If Luceti's been good for anything thus far, it's that.]

[Voice]

[brat_from_hell]

Zellas is amazing. There's very few people in the world strong enough to fight her.

[He can say that with complete honesty, too.]

There's Lord Hellmaster...but it's not like the hell I've read about that some other worlds have. Lord Hellmaster is the lord of the dead and the underworld. When souls die, they're put to rest in crystal.

[Voice]

[defieddracula]

[A chuckle is heard before he speaks again, but it's dry. Forced.] From what I understand, Valachia would be one of those worlds you've read about. Those of faith will insist that God holds ultimate jurisdiction over the souls of His children, and so committing souls to crystal is a rare and forbidden art.

[Not that he hasn't dabbled in the forbidden, however. The lives of Dracula's generals were dark, and that sort of blasphemy was done on almost daily basis.]

[Voice]

[brat_from_hell]

Well, it is a rare thing for a sorcerer to be able to tap into Lord Hellmaster's power enough to be able to do that. Rezo the red priest could, but he was one of the Five Great Sages. He put the entire kingdom of Taforashia in suspended animation using Lord Hellmaster's power because they were dying of a terrible contagious disease. That way, the disease wouldn't spread, and when a cure could be found, the people could be saved.

[Voice]

[defieddracula]

'Tis refreshing to hear of magic being used for the betterment of others. Surely, such a feat did not come without cost? Should I use too much of my magic at once, I become weary and must rest before I can cast another spell or channel energy. As a child, sorcery was incredibly draining to me.

[Voice]

[brat_from_hell]

Rezo was born with a fragment of a god's soul sealed into him. He had a higher magic capacity than most people. He also had a magical device called Hellmaster's Jar. It was originally created by drawing on Lord Hellmaster's power, and it let Rezo use such high level power without it costing him so much energy.

[Voice]

[defieddracula]

[A magical reservoir, of sorts? He'll have to remember that one.] My kind has never been blessed with such an artifact. The surest way to replenish our strength has always been to rest. A few hours to an entire day or night, depending on the circumstances. 'Tis the same for my familiars, though unless entirely drained of strength, they can also absorb energy from the hearts of fallen enemies.

[Voice]

[brat_from_hell]

Food and rest are the best ways to get magic energy back. But for spells that take extra power, there are talismans and other things that can boost a person's power temporarily.

[He pauses at that last part.]

Wow, that's pretty neat that your familiars can do that!

[Voice] possible tw: gory imagery

[defieddracula]

[Hector chuckles weakly.] As convenient as it may be, a heart being torn from a man's chest is quite the grisly sight. If the choice is mine to make, I prefer to have them rest.

[Voice]

[brat_from_hell]

Oh, yeah, that would be pretty messy. I've seen grosser, though. I used to live in an area with a dragon problem.

[Voice]

[defieddracula]

Truly? Dragons were rare in Valachia, as I recall. I had assumed they were mere fantasy until I crossed one deep in the mountains. I could scarcely believe something so large could remain hidden for such a long time.

[Voice]

[brat_from_hell]

I lived in a town that was close to a valley surrounded by mountains. An entire colony of dragons lived there. Sometimes they ate people who got too close to their territory.

[Voice]

[defieddracula]

Interesting. The one I faced had been a solitary creature. [A pause, filled with a soft laugh.] In that case, I suppose I should consider myself lucky, then.