Chương 35: The Fundamentals of Spellcraft

In the end, Jordan did get that 'light day' he'd been pining for. Only it came with a curl of the proverbial monkey's paw. For Heron had gifted him a reading assignment, along with a new Item that served as a textbook. Item acquired. [The Fundamentals of Spellcraft]: A little known fact about Graft Auspice, the pre-unification Scholar responsible for formalizing and disseminating Aperturian teachings, is that he also authored the first written treatise on spellcraft, one which is still widely cited today.

The first edition is often criticized for its somewhat informal tone, since revised in all subsequent publications. Though some would tell you that's precisely what makes it so valuable, giving us a small window into the inner life of a man who died some 1, 800 years ago. Open the scroll to sync its contents with the Vesselia system. Note: certain aspects of the original language have been altered to conform to contemporary dialects. Weight: 0. 5 lbs.

At the time when Jordan escaped Heron's clutches, his platoon mates could still be seen in the courtyard, running through some self-directed drills. As such, he took the long way back to the dormitory, avoiding notice as best he could. There, he sat down in the shade in the back of the building, and settled in for some 'light' reading. All children born under heaven possess an innate sensitivity to the Original Void.

Just as all manner of beasts and beastkin dream the memories of when they once roamed the spirit realm. This sensitivity must be nurtured and guided with care and precision, lest the child fall to ineptitude and depravity, bereft of the Aperturian ideals man ought aspire to. Jordan made a face. So far, it was a retread of what Heron had already said. Except in a tone that was somehow even more judgmental and mean-spirited.

If this was the 'inner life' the item description had alluded to, he would've been perfectly happy with the second editions onward. In order to understand one's own place in relation to the Original Void, one must look to the gates. There are eight of them, though there is some debate about a theoretical ninth gate. I shall expound on the topic of this ninth gate in a separate section, if only for the sake of completeness.

Though I trust that my venerable colleagues are well aware of where I stand on— Jordan let out an appreciative snort. The word'venerable' dripped with pompous sarcasm, detectable even in a video game text box and across a 1, 800-year-wide chasm. But contained within the academic cheap shot was a concept very much relevant to the bearer of the Heavenly Cauldron. [Road to Ascension]: To become a god yourself, you must pass through the Nine Gates of Ascension.

That right there was the first line in the description for one of Jordan's Vessel Boons. Either the thinking had since firmed on one side of the eight vs nine debate, or there was some mismatch between what the people of Stormvast believed and what the Vesselia system held to be true. Intelligence DC 14: success Fuxi:"An astute observation. From what I can tell, the same debate alluded to by Scholar Auspice 1, 800 years ago rages on to this day.

If you ask ten different Stormvasters, you'll get ten different answers about the verity and significance of the so-called ninth gate." And the truth? Fuxi:"… I suppose you'll have to see for yourself, pupil. First by opening the other eight gates, the existence of which are undeniable." Fair enough. Jordan read on. The gates are the conduit between the spirit realm and the mortal, between the Original Void and magic made manifest in physical reality. A neophyte has no control nor even conscious awareness of them.

That is to say, their gates open and close at the whims of primordial spirits, leaking trifling amounts of power that could never be elevated into true spellcraft. Jordan recalled Old Mal [Speaking with Animals] to calm an anxious old horse. Old Sar [Shaping Liquid] to salvage some spilled milk. All wonderful work and important to their day-to-day, no doubt, but nothing that approached the lethality of Foxhill's [Energy Arrow]… nor the sheer destructive force of the Garuda's [Howling Tempest].

To master one's domain in spellcraft is to be the willful keeper of the corresponding gate. True and persistent control of one gate and one gate alone. In other words, the master spellcaster shuts seven gates, that he might ever sustain his magic via the one. At this, Jordan had to frown. The concept as written did make sense, and it lined up with his fantasy-literate knowledge of how elemental affinities and that sort of mumbo jumbo worked in video games.

What it didn't reflect, however, was his own experience in Heron Catchgrain's study, as he'd 'cast' a series of spells with the gate-blind mana in hand. Broadly speaking, such mastery comes in two forms, both inextricable from the other. One is, simply put, of the Body— a physical analog to the spiritual domain. The other is of the Mind —an emotion that needs harnessing, a belief that gives rise to a calling, or perhaps a state of being that must be achieved before the gate in question fully cedes to the keeper.

Herewith, I describe each of the eight voidward gates as well as their physical and psychic analogs that demand mastery. In cosmological order, they are … The pieces started to fall into place. This'physical analog' must be all that weird stuff that was happening to my body. I wonder if a similar fuckery was happening to my mind and I just didn't notice it? 1. the Tempest Gate Domain: Wind, lightning, velocity. The Body: Lungs. The Mind: Still the storm within thee, that thou mayest know true peace.

Jordan blinked as he connected the dots. This has got to be the domain that an Aeromancer falls into, yeah? No fucking wonder Finch is so emotionless! It's literally a prerequisite to his brand of magic! I guess it also explains that asthma attack I had while trying to cast [Manipulate Winds]… If Jordan had stopped to think on it some more, he might have caught onto a clear discrepancy. Perhaps involving a second Aeromancer he'd met. For now, however, he was too invested to pause his reading.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. 2. the Requiem Gate Domain: Shamanism, death, ancestry. The Body: Feet. The Mind: Thy past shall set thee free. 3. the Artifice Gate Domain: Metallurgy, smithing, invention. The Body: Hands. The Mind: Seek not the safety of the known but the romance of the unknowable. A small giggle escaped Jordan as he saw evidence of Vesselia's greatest hits.

Shaman especially was a super fun class, and he still had fond memories of absolutely dominating the Season of Remembrance. Next up… 4. the Cinders Gate Domain: Fire, flesh, mass. The Body: Musculature. The Mind: Seed thy passions with care, that they mayest endure as love. Jordan had to do a double take. He read the entry twice and even a third time. This had to be the Pyromancer's domain, and yet… Hey, don't be too quick to judge, he told himself, though without any conviction.

Maybe the dude has a loving wife and kids waiting at home, and the only reason he's so mean is because he misses them too much… That was about all the lore-inspired gossip Jordan could take for one day. He sped through the rest of the entries, nodding in understanding at some and shuddering in remembered anxiety at some others. 5. the Undertow Gate Domain: Water, blood, healing. The Body: Heart. The Mind: Let thy words ever carry the weight of promise and commitment. 6.

the Scourge Gate Domain: Time, hexes, illusion. The Body: Skin. The Mind: He who casts his gaze on the morrow is never lost. 7. the Monolith Gate Domain: Earth, druidism, growth. The Body: Skeleton. The Mind: Abide the seasons where ye stand, and fear not the weathering judgment of the winter sun. 8. the Ether Gate Domain: The planet, the universe, the lore. The Body: Brain. The Mind: Shouldst all else drown in the faceless multitude, thou alone must yet rise.

None of the entries were exactly straightforward, but this last one was especially vague. Yet, somehow, Jordan could picture—with some amount of confidence—someone he knew who surely belonged to this domain. The planet, the universe, the lore. It was, therefore, with another twinge of heartache that he scrolled to the next section. Which happened to be Scholar Auspice's diatribe against… The Firmament Gate. Yes, such is the moniker most recently agreed upon by my esteemed colleagues.

On this, I've little to say other than to pose a question to the attentive reader. Which is simply this: just where is the evidence? Have you, dear reader, ever met a spellcaster who claims the very concept of gates as their proficient domain? A gate to govern the opening and closing of gates. Imagine that! And to think that the proponents of this theory—this, this charlatanry —would dare grace their poppy-addled idea with a name that hews so close to heaven's will. The insolence! The blasphemy!

What I record herewith is purely with the intent to illustrate the lunacy behind this school of thought. In no way do I, Graft Auspice, endorse this as fact, nor do I wish for it to take up precious real estate in anyone's mind. I bid you read it, laugh at it, then forget it forthwith and forever. 9. the Firmament Gate Domain: Gates, dimensions, space. The Body: Meridians. The Mind: Transcend thy mortal coil, that thou mayest cross the very Void as thy selfsame soul.

Jordan had been giggling and giggling with increasing momentum. That was, until that last sentence stopped him cold. Transcend my mortal coil? Cross the Void in soul form? Isn't… isn't that exactly what happened to me when I fell into the cauldron? And if that's true, could it mean that the re— He shook his head to dispel the thought, not quite ready (to be exact, only 0. 0000135% ready) to chase it to its natural conclusion. Instead, he focused on comparing notes with a cranky Scholar from 1, 800 years ago.

Based on what I'd just experienced in Heron's study, I'm strongly leaning toward this ninth gate being a real thing. The description more or less matches my 'symptoms' when I tried to cast [Gatekeep]. And if I take this 'gate to govern other gates' thing as fact, it would explain why the gate-blind mana reacted so strongly to the other spells too. But where did that leave Jordan, exactly?

Even armed with some of the fundamentals of spellcraft, he was no closer to bypassing his [Hoarding Mode] restriction, nor even adding a single spell to his [Character Sheet]. It felt like a whole lot of busywork for very little gain. Stop it. This time, he managed to pull himself together without any god's help. I learned something today, and learning is never useless. Just because I don't see the vision right now, doesn't mean it won't all come together sometime down the road. After all…

He who casts his gaze on the morrow is never lost. There. Jordan could be a quick learner when he put his mind to it. Something else he used to put on his résumés once upon a time, before deciding it was too generic to be of real note. Well, as it turned out, at least one god appreciated this generic trait in their pupil. New Feat unlocked. [Fuxi's Blessing (Lv. 1)]: Lifelong learning isn't just a personal calling. It's the building block to a smarter, sturdier, and gentler society.

In recognition of your pursuit of knowledge, you've gained a permanent [1]-point upgrade to Intelligence. INT 20 -> 21 Active spell slots: 0/11 -> 0/12