A Treatise on the Potential of Magical Fabrications to Replicate Ancient Wonders and Improve Society
Hypothesis
What if society were capable of replicating the ancient technological prowess of the Ishar Empire?
In times long since past, before the divinities that sculpted this orb fled to their own ethereal corners of existence, the ancient Ishar Empire commanded magical powers to a level not seen since the Sundering. Myths and legends abound of their ability to imbue inert materia with the power of magic, in a manner far more extensive than that of the commonplace enchanters we witness today. Tales of cities with plentiful water inspire adventurers from all over Ishar to seek them out, believing them to be lost and forgotten ruins that can restore the continent to its former strength. But I have a counter proposal.
What if these ancient cities of teeming water are the same cities we all live within to this day? What if we have simply forgotten how to activate the vast networks of Magical Fabrications that made life within a desert possible?
Caveats
Legends claim that the lands of Ishar were not always dusty and barren. Therefore it goes without saying that the shift in climate is the cause of the lack of water and readily available food. However: what if the legends have evolved over their tellings? What if, in order to impose some sort of sense to the convoluted timeline of events of the continent, the bards simply embellished the tales to make them easier to digest for the common man? Is it not reasonable to assume that it is the storytellers who are wrong about history, that they have in fact blurred the facts sufficiently enough to confuse even the most learned Magisters of our new age?
Another caveat, albeit a compelling one. The Sundered Ruins located south-east of Kalri are more ancient than any building within the Badlands. Surely then, this city would be mentioned in the official histories of the Ishar Empire? The timeline matches up, the city surely would have existed at the same time as the Empire. Not to mention that the scale of the ruins themselves make it improbable that the mightiest Empire of their time simply didn't notice it. Leading theorists propose that the Sundered Ruins belong to a Precursor Empire, and it is from the destruction of this city that the Ishar Empire learned much of their magical ability. That would explain the lack of mentioning it, as who wants to admit that their knowledge was not freely earned, but stolen? In any case, expeditions to the Ruins have yet to return proof of my proposed Fabrials (Magical Fabrications). But... Perhaps expeditions simply have not delved deeply enough into the inner workings of the once-city, consumed as they are by material treasures and trinkets.
Project Log: 820 ME, Tenth Day of the Month of Storms
The Council Arcanum seem impressed with my proposal. Indeed, were I able to replicate or even emulate the abilities of the ancients then Desseray would no longer be reliant on maintaining a bloated number of transmuters of the sixth circle, at the expense of other (superior) schools of magic.
Now however, I must begin work. With the grant I have been given, I am confident that I can infuse magic into objects permanently, I need simply use the ancient wards.
Project Log: 820 ME, Twentieth Day of the Month of Storms
Progress has been... slow. In my tinkering before starting this project, I had assumed that since wards can hold an effect for a time, then ancient wards must have been more developed. I may have been incorrect however.
Using my newfound clearance levels I was able to requisition all books that so much as mentioned ancient warding techniques. It turns out, to my horror, that the ancient wards are actually less suitable than those commonly used today! I am unable to trigger an effect of any form, whether I inscribe them into stone, wood or paper. I have used some of the most expensive inks we have in the entire city, and still nothing. Further reading is required. Luckily the Council seem accepting of my setback.
Project Log: 820 ME, Fifth Day of the Month of Birth
Carvings!
In my reading I have discovered that ancient magic was utilised through three dimensions of the material plane, rather than simply drawing the wards I must etch them into the stones! In my excitement at this discovery, I hastily etched a rune into the flagstones of my workshop. In hindsight, picking the Nar Rune may have been poorly judged, but I suffered no adverse affect. In fact, I doubt I would have observed
anything had it been another rune, as I was only barely able to feel a slight change in temperature between the etches flagstone and those that surrounded it.
Still. It's a start.
Project Log: 820 ME, Eighth Day of the Month of Birth
The etched flagstone within my workshop no longer seems warmer than those surrounding it. I may have been able to produce an effect with the etching, but I fear I am missing something. The Council were thrilled that I was making progress, however that is likely due to my instinct to... embellish. I dread my next meeting with them.
Project Log: 820 ME, Nineteenth Day of the Month of Birth
I've failed. The Council, usually so calm and encouraging, have belittled my efforts after little more than a month of work. I told them research was a long and drawn out process! They simply retorted with some inanity about the "importance of transparency and maturity in reporting findings", claiming that I had lied to them deliberately simply to secure the funds! How dare they insult me in such a way. And to make matters worse, I am being told to shelve this project, along with all my notes. I am to assist Hagrabahs team with their work into replicating divine magic in a controlled and arcane way. And so I write this last entry, for a time. I will not stop my work. And when I have made sufficient progress I shall reclaim my notes and show everyone they were fools to doubt me.
Project Log: 822 ME, Fourteenth Day of the Month of Dunes
Firstly, to you who are reading this I say simply this: life will occasionally seem set out to destroy you. It will do its damnedest to bring you down. The best revenge one can take on life is to bow your head to its whims, and use what it throws at you to win anyway.
It turns out that spending two years trying to emulate divine magic, while initially seeming to be a waste of time (indeed, it turned out to be such for Hagrabah, who failed utterly to reproduce the effects and wasted the time and resources of an entire Cadre of Magisters in the process) actually revealed itself to be a
blessing (please, pardon the pun).
The work performed over the past two years shall not be wasted, not by me. We studied much of the commonalities between divinity and arcana. Casters of either discipline have a finite amount of power that can be performed with every day, we took to referring to this as the vitae of the caster. We also devised a rough ranking system, and found it matched almost perfectly with the traditional Circle System passed on by the ancients! To put in laymans terms, for when my work is published for all the world to see: spells drain the vitae of a caster, but not by an equal amount. Oh no, the vitae drained is based on the power of a spell! Every discipulus of magic learns of the Circles in their first lessons: There are nine Circles of Magic (though truth be told, I have never witnessed or known anyone was has witnessed magic of the Ninth Circle) and every spell in existence can be fit into a specific Circle. Spells of the same Circle consume the same amount of vitae, a finding known to the ancients but only truly rediscovered by our work.
So, I aspired to take these facts and apply them to my own ongoing secret research. If casters have limited vitae, then surely so do wards and etchings! I simply needed a way to imbue greater vitae into my etchings. And the final link here came in an unlikely form: spell scrolls. It struck me as marvellous that magic could be inscribed into paper with the flowing script of modern Magisters, then I realised the disparity between a spell of the First Circle and one of the Fifth Circle. The latter scroll was far more ornate, more embellished. It had
more vitae. What for centuries has been taken to simply be a pretentious practice of Archmages across time was discovered to have actual purpose!
And so, with all of this, I etched Nar into my flagstone once more. But this time, I centred the drawing of the ward around a ruby I had once been gifted by a since jilted lover. Her name escapes me... No matter, I have begun to ramble. It worked! And in such an unusual manner! The ward seemed to capture magical essence and then transfer it to the gemstone. The gemstone glowed fiercely during the process, but then subsided once complete. It now emanates heat, even after I performed the experiment 7 days ago! Armed with my discovery, I marched into the Council chambers and demanded my notes back. They had no choice but to give in before my intellectual might, and have given me a team (!!!!) to lead. The look on the old Archmages face was something to behold too. I've never seen an Elven face get so pale. I believe I shall appoint one of my underlings to sketch the scene so that I may treasure it always.
Project Log: 822 ME, Ninth Day of the Month of Skies
There has been a terrible accident. Arabeth, the young elven girl I had ordered to produce the sketch of the Archmage, is dead.
I'm not even entirely sure what happened. I was performing another Imbuement (this is the term I have selected for the process of giving the gems magical energy) when she came by to deliver the sketch. I should have warned her to stand back from the sapphire array, but in truth I did not think it could be dangerous.. I know better now. She made some foolish remark about how pretty the gems seemed, and the fool girl touched it. Next thing I know she has dropped my prized sketch to the floor and her very essence has been pulled from her body.
I theorise that the Imbuement process is somewhat indiscriminate when drawing magical essence into the gemstone, and that the sapphires now hold her bodies own vitae. They certainly seem far more radiant than the ruby I carry around my neck. To make matters worse: the sapphires... the sapphires are dripping.
This is the secret. This is how the ancients did it.
They sacrificed each other.
I feel sick.
Project Log: 822 ME, Thirtieth Day of the Month of Skies
My hearing is today. I could not hide Arabeths body, I couldn't bring myself to do that to her family. But now, I shall probably be exiled and the possibility of a magical renaissance denied. Surely it is the choice of every Magister whether we give our vitae for the greater good? The Council Arcanum, cursed as they are, seem to think that this technology will lead to the death of every magic user in the world. Fools.
I know that when I reach my lifes end, I will choose to extinguish myself into my ruby and live on as vitae.
But time has marched on. It is already time for my hearing. I thought I had hours still. I only hope I get to keep my research notes and that they aren't burned.
Project Log: 828 ME, Sixth(?) Day of the Month of Cattle
Its been many years, but I have finally done it.
I've created a source of water sufficient to keep all of Desseray alive. Shame that the fools banished me, as the source of water is now many weeks travel to the East. The soldiers of the Keep were thankful at least, and have allowed me the right to stay for as long as I wish. Maybe here I can make a new home and further this technology, perhaps make it less... Lethal.
Only time will tell. For now, I must get some rest..
(The writing of this last passage appears slanted and weary. The last words actually seem to trail away from the page entirely.)
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