Fractures (Facets of Reality Book 2)

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Fractures (Facets of Reality Book 2) Page 43

by Jeremy Bullard


  The deep blue gemstone eyes of the sapphire have the ability to see levels of stress or strain, whether it be physical or mental. And though their magic has limited offensive use, sapphires have the ability to put a subject into varying stages of rest, from a calm and cooperative state to actually rendering the subject comatose. This ability make the Sapphire Tile invaluable as guards for magic wielding prisoners, or as interrogators.

  In battle, they are most effective defenders, erecting walls of ice and drowning the magic of Ruby. But they are extremely vulnerable to amethyst magic, not so much sustaining injury themselves, but rather relaying an amethyst’s attack to anyone unfortunate enough to be near them when they are struck. This was inexplicable in the early years of magic, until one enterprising young scholar discovered the relationship between water and electricity. Water receives little damage from electrical current. But being the perfect conductor, it will carry that electrical current to any object in the immediate vicinity. So it is not surprising that sapphire mages tend to stay far from the front lines of any battle.

  While sapphires do tend to be genial and sociable, one should not mistake this for evidence of simple mindedness. Sapphires have intelligence that rivals any amethyst. Sapphires make extremely effective leaders for their ability to maintain calm and focus under pressure. They are also lauded among scholars and teachers as some of the most intellectual and influential people, very fluid in thought and able to work well with most mages in their studies. Rubies excepted, of course.

  5. Granite

  Little is known of the brooding Granite Tile. I say “Tile” rather than “Order” as Granites have largely foregone the scholarly teachings of the Academy in favor of the more practical applications of their magic in the Granite Guard, a branch of military service a part of, and yet separate from, the Earthen Ranks. The Granite Tile’s notoriously secretive society remains tight lipped, even under the best of circumstances. Most accumulated knowledge of Granite comes from interviews with newly ascended granites, and blind speculation, so you must forgive any inaccuracies that may be found in this section.

  As wielders of the element of Matter, granites have the ability to shape and reshape anything that has physical form. They’ve been known to forge swords out of tree branches, open doorways in solid walls, or create complex structures out of plain sand. They have the most disconcerting ability to melt into the ground and travel great distances at the speed of thought. They are even able to disintegrate objects, their targets turning to dust with a touch. As Granite’s magic is closely related to that of Emerald, it is thought that those of the Granite Tile might have the ability to heal themselves -- to “effect self repair”, as it were. However, there is no evidence available to either confirm or refute this theory.

  Unlike other gemstones, the eyes of a granite mage are completely opaque, allowing no light to reach the optic nerves. This has the unfortunate effect of nullifying their primary vision, forcing them to rely completely on their secondary sight. As their magic is based on strength and weakness, the secondary sight of a granite mage sees in terms of structure and form, which may help to explain how a granite can change a piece of wood into a metallic object. In essence, the world becomes one large schematic to the granite mage, with everything represented in its most basic form.

  Trent Mulqueen, granite mage and patriarch in Bastion from 4835 to 4903, briefly addressed the issue of granite sight in a rare candid session of the Patriarchal Council. The following is an excerpt of that text.

  At first, when I touched the Tiled Hand and felt the mana surge through me, I was elated. My most wanton, selfish dream of becoming a mage was being fulfilled.

  My ascension began, bringing the pains of Rebirth. Having expected them, still I looked to my mother for comfort.

  Blessed Crafter…

  Her beauty -- the whole world’s beauty -- drained before my very eyes. Her face changed from a creamy peach to an awful orangish color. I could see the bones beneath her skin, for Prophets’ sake, glaring yellow within the orange!

  I watched in horror as the colors of the entire world shifted. The sky, once a powder blue, was now white, and the moon’s once white glow was powder blue. The sun had vanished from the sky, as well as the shadows. I found no darkness anywhere, even in the dead of night, save for the darkness behind my closed eyelids! The water in our rain barrel had gone red. The tiles on the Hand went to varying shades of dark blue. I begged the Crafter to wake me from what I was sure was a nightmare, to reopen my eyes to reality. Later -- much later -- I came to understand that I’d never seen reality so clearly. Beyond the colors were patterns that I’d never seen with my natural eye, patterns which made up everything around me, from the tiniest pebble to the greatest mountain. I found that I could see everything -- absolutely everything -- at its most basic level…

  The Patriarch’s story mirrors that of granite novices that have been interviewed. The color spectrum of granite vision is thought at least in part to be related to the structural integrity of an object, from the near black of metal to the light pink of steam.

  Typically, granite mages become reclusive not long after ascension. They tend to grow bitter, resentful over the loss of their past life. As time passes, the bitterness fades, replaced by an intense devotion to logic and practicality. We are at a loss as to the reason for such a dramatic shift in personality, but it is believed to be related to the deprivation of any relief from the granite’s secondary vision. In essence, the total reliance on granite sight drives the granite to totally immerse himself in the characteristics of his magic. Whatever the cause, the granite mage is tenacious, single minded, and deadly.

  Granite magic is, of course, very strong. A spell cast by a granite mage is extremely difficult to break, though it can be affected by emerald and, in some cases, ruby magic.

  Most often, granites can be found in the employ of the Highest, as he prizes these mages for their magical fortitude and their dogged determination. The Highest’s personal guard is entirely composed of granite mages, and they also fill positions in the Earthen Ranks from time to time. It is no wonder that the Highest has held sway over the world for countless centuries, with these magical juggernauts at his beck and call.

  6. Obsidian

  As the Highest is the only known obsidian mage -- the only one in recorded history, in fact -- and has never met his true equal in combat, very little is known of his complete range of power, abilities, or weaknesses (if any exist). We must rely totally on supposition.

  According to our histories, the Highest has lived for at least five thousand years. Even the earliest pre-Rending documents in the Archives make mention of him, to include the historical tomes from which much of the material in the section “Origins” is derived. This has led some to believe that there may be a secret society, an Obsidian Order, and that “the Highest” might actually be a political position passed from one obsidian to another. Interviews with the Highest’s personal assistants, however prove otherwise. Many have worked with him for over half their lives performing various duties, and have watched each other -- and themselves -- grow old and die, while the Highest ages not a day.

  Due to his seemingly eternal life, the Highest is revered by most of the known world as a demigod, possibly even the Crafter in the flesh. Some speculate that this is impossible, as the Highest commands only one of the six elements.

  In any case, his long life serves to illustrate the connection between the elements and the soulgems. Where the latter elements are in a constant state of flux -- Fire flickers, Life ages, Water flows from point to point, and so on -- the primal element of Darkness is unchanging. It’s under every bed, fills every corner, and though light can drive it back, it is never damaged, and it always returns. It has been thought that Fire or Energy could banish Darkness, as a torch or a lightning bolt does to the shadows, but few mages in recorded history have ever been strong enough, or foolish enough, to challenge the Highest. As the Highest still lives, it is safe to
assume that those few mages shared the same fate.

  Ascension

  As stated previously, it is currently impossible to predict just who has the potential of becoming a mage and who does not. Many theories exist -- too many, in fact, to give them all proper credit or rebuttal. Therefore, I shall constrain my findings to what may be readily proven.

  Extensive research shows that whatever the trigger may be, it happens around the time when a child reaches puberty. The voice changes, muscles fill out, the body prepares for its reproductive years. It is during this time that the adolescent first senses mana, both in himself and in the world around him. He feels the flow of creation, the connection that binds it all together. He feels the storehouse of mana welling up inside him, and may possibly feel such a storehouse within certain others.

  Traveling recruiters move from town to town, meeting with all children who have recently come of age. They have the sole purpose of finding children that have the potential of becoming a mage, and initiating ascension in a carefully monitored setting. An accidental ascension, without an experienced mage present, could have disastrous consequences, both for the new mage and for the general public. Untrained mages have been known to devastate entire communities with their unfettered magics.

  Finding a subject that is sensitive to mana, the recruiters counsel the young man or woman, as well as the family. Once all are made fully aware of the child’s potential, and the dire consequences of leaving a potential mage unascended, the recruiters initiate ascension. They do this either by way of the Tiled Hand or, if one is not available, by cooperative effort of members of the five non-obsidian Tiles.

  The potential mage makes contact with his soulgem, and this contact induces ascension. The body fills with mana as the link to his soulgem is established. Seconds after contact, the body is racked with pain as mana fills the child’s being to overflowing. The eyes begin to crystallize, changing from organic tissue to living rock, taking on the likeness of the soulgem.

  Often, it’s at this point that the child loses consciousness. There are some, however, that panic and try to fight the ascension. Before long, they too faint. While the child is asleep, the mana continues to increase to extreme levels. One in three hundred children do not survive. The rest adapt to the influx of mana, instinctively erecting internal barriers and conduits through which the mana may flow, and eventually be controlled.

  The process of erecting these barriers may take anywhere from a few hours to two or three days, depending on the potential strength of the individual and how hard they fought the ascension. Ruby mages tend to take roughly thirty six hours, which is the longest predictable time. Granites tend to take much longer, since they are more apt to panic as they lose their primary sight.

  Once the barriers are complete, the newly ascended mage awakens. Immediately, he is given instruction on how to constrict his mana conduits, slowing and even cutting off the flow of mana. Once that precaution is taken, the mage may be safely trained in the use of mana.

  Rarely, a renegade mage is found. This is generally a potential mage who refuses to accept ascension, or an ascended mage who refuses proper instruction. In order to prevent loss of life, these mages are put down as quickly and painlessly as possible...

 

 

 


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