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Defending Yourself Against Magic | Tuesday, 4th period

Bob was relaxed and...well, happy for Bob this week, though not tanned. The Danger Room looked a bit like an alchemist's lab...in a big open room with a lot of sunlight and breezy curtains looking out over the ocean. What? Somebody had liked vacation.

"Right," he told the students. "Wards. Broadly defined, anything that keeps something from coming near it, crossing over it, or affecting it. More specifically, they tend to be symbols or substances - or both - that keep away things that want to hurt you. There are a lot of different kinds of wards; we're going to cover some of the basics, and the principles behind them, which hopefully will apply wherever you are. We'll be spending at least two weeks on it, because when it comes to defence, they're rather key."

He drew in the air to illustrate as he talked. "The most basic thing to remember is a circle. Any shape that's completely closed can be used to keep things out or in, but unless you really want to waste concentration on the different points of distance and strengths needed for a square or a triangle or an irregular polygon, I suggest a circle. It's a classic for a reason.

"Now, you can make that circle out of nothing but will if you need to; visualise it there and it's there. But it's generally easiest to have a focus, if nothing else. Draw the circle, focus on the physical image. This kind is generally used in the traditions I know for something like casting a spell and avoiding outside influence or keeping the effect localised.

"You can also make circles out of specific substances. Sometimes that's all you need; no magic required. There are creatures that can't cross running water, or that abhor salt or cold iron; surround yourself with it, and they can't get in. Surround them with it, and they can't get out."

He drew another shape in the air. "The pentagram is a powerful shape in my world." He touched each point in turn, evoking a flare of light. "Air, fire, water, earth, spirit. Again, you can visualise something at each point, or you can use a representation of them. A fan or balloon, a candle, a cup of water, a bowl of earth, an enchanted item. Or yourself. The point is, each element reinforces the others, and between them all, they can shield from just about anything. But other worlds may have other concepts of the elements, and thus other shapes." He looked to Anders ~~if he's there~~.

"So, as I've mentioned before - materials, focus, and will. Wards can combine these in pretty much any combination. The sort you need mostly depends on what you want to do. Today, I'm going to give you several scenarios, and I want you to each build a ward to use for each of them. Brainstorm, research," he waved at the bookcase on one wall, "ask questions, or improvise. As long as it's likely to work."

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Protected against evil!

Edited 2015-03-03 05:39 (UTC)

Elsa of Arendelle

Nathan Byrn

Anders

Carmilla Karnstein

Isabelle Lightwood

Vider Bearskin

Don't ask about the balloon thing. That's all Harry's fault.

Here are your scenarios:

1. A black court vampire wants to come in your house. Stop it. (Remember the class is wards, not stabbings.)
2. You have a very delicate spell to weave, and it's storming outside. Keep the storm from affecting your casting.
3. There's a spot of bad energy in a house, and you need to contain it so you can clean it out.
4. Congratulations, you've cleaned the house. Now you want to keep it clean for good.

Discuss, research, ask questions, and say how you'd ward for each of these.

Research! Elsa was excellent at research! And, as much as she desperately wanted to start on the second scenario (for personal reasons), she figured she ought to take them all in order.

"... Garlic?"

That actually worked?

Carmilla snorted. "Only if you're in the movies," she said.

"It depends on the vampire," Bob corrected. "Black Court - a specific type in my world - yes. They seem to have been the basis for many of the legends and movies. Red and White Courts, no. Vampires in your world are different?"

"Well, I've never been up close and personal with one," Carmilla lied. "But the whole garlic thing, I don't know where that came from."

Bob gave Carmilla a slight side-eye for that, but shrugged. "In that case, I suggest researching." He nodded toward the bookcase. "I've specifically added tomes relevant to my home dimension, so you'll be able to find out which rules apply."

Carmilla caught the side-eye, but it only encouraged her. "Do they sparkle?" she asked. "The vampires, not the books."

"Only the ones with the worst fashion sense," Bob answered, rolling his eyes.

Elsa blinked over at the other girl curiously.

"The movies? I haven't seen any movies with vampires in them, I'm afraid. We have myths about the draugr back home, but those never mentioned garlic. You'd hear about open iron scissors or holy water, more."

She had no idea where this 'garlic' thing came from, really.

"Open iron scissors?" Carmilla said curiously. "Draugr? Those some kind of vampire where you're from?"

She leaned back in her chair and grinned at Elsa. "If you want, I can introduce you to a vampire movie or two," she offered. "Not that sparkly crap, though. I hate those ones."

"Perhaps not strictly a vampire the way people here would know them," Elsa allowed. "But definitely the dead brought back to life. They'd guard their burial mound, could shapeshift into animals, and they were known for having terrible appetites."

She smiled faintly.

"Myth, probably, though trolls are real enough where I'm from, and magic, so it's difficult to say. I've... never heard of any manner of undead who sparkled, though."

"It's a terrible series of books and movies," Carmilla said. "You're better off not knowing any more."

She'd gone to see the first one in a theater, just to see for herself, and had wound up getting politely asked to leave because she was disturbing the fangirls with her running commentary. Actually, she was asked to leave for her own safety because some of those girls were insane.

"But the garlic thing, that's just a myth," she went on. "But, hey, if it makes people sleep better at night...."

"All the better for the vampires, I suppose," Elsa murmured, looking down at the book in her hands and frowning thoughtfully. "Though, given all that's out there, maybe somewhere there is some manner of vampire that happens to be sensitive to garlic. It's a big multiverse."

She glanced back up at Carmilla, smiling a little.

"How would you keep a vampire out, then?"

Holy symbols, but Carmilla wasn't going to mention that particular weakness.

She shrugged, then grinned. "Machine guns," she said. "Not sure if it would kill one, but it would probably take one awhile to pick up all the pieces."

Elsa's eyes widened a little at that.

"... History must have been very interesting where you're from," she decided. "We're still in an era that primarily uses crossbows and swords, back home."

"Well, it's just a theory," Carmilla admitted. "Vampires don't exactly go around announcing I'm a Vampire, Ask Me How, so I've never seen anyone take one on."

Liiiiiiiiiiiiiiies.

She gave Elsa a speculative look. "So, medieval times?" she said. "I'm from a modern world, but I've always had a big interest in learning about history."

"Not so far back," Elsa replied with a smile and a shake of her head. "More like... Victorian, I think it is. Though there are still differences between this world's idea of what that era was meant to be, and what it is for us. Place names are the big one, I suppose. What we call Arendelle, people here keep calling Norway."

Elsa thought Arendelle sounded far better. But the aesthetic was familiar. And the traditions. And the myths...

"You'll have to tell me all about it some day, cupcake," Carmilla said, resting her chin on her hands. "Are all the girls cute like you?"

Elsa was blushing, and her ambiguous biromantic orientation and the fact that she was currently at odds with her boyfriend might not have had anything to do with that... or they might have had a lot to.

"They might be," she managed, because witty replies while she was flustered were not her strongest point. "I really didn't get out much before coming here."

Blushing was adorable.

"All work and no play?" Carmilla said. "I hoped that's changed since you came here. Otherwise I'll have to drag you out to have some fun."

"It's changed some," Elsa protested, still blushing. "Though... my idea of an evening well-spent mostly involves curling up with the dog and reading."

Maybe someday she'd even teach Canute that malamutes were not lapdogs.

"I'm more of a cat person," Carmilla said. "Do you like cats, too?"

No reason.

"Oh, I do, very much," Elsa replied, perking up a bit. "Petsitting Eleanor's cat for her was part of the reason I decided I might want a pet at all. Soleil is lovely."

In her own highly independent, feline sort of way.

Nathan read the list and, to himself, said, "Weather can affect spell casting?"

It hadn't seemed to bother Mercury. Or his father.

"It depends upon the magic," Bob answered him. "At its most basic, magic - at least the kinds I'm familiar with - is moving and affecting energy. Think of it like a delicate electronic circuit. Now, storms generate a lot of energy of their own. Add lightning to that circuit. What happens?"

"Big boom?" Nathan guessed, not really knowing for sure what might happen.

"Very likely," Bob answered, grinning. "It's also possible to channel that energy and get a really big boost - and possibly blow out the circuit, though in the case of magic it's generally temporary, if painful."

He shrugged. "Most often what you get is, both literally and to keep with the electrical metaphor, a lot of static in the air, which can alter the paths of your energy and cause unforeseen effects."

Anders read the list carefully, chewing on his pen. He'd never known storming to bother spells -- but he'd never tried to cast in a true thunderstorm, either. It was something to research.

As for the first scenario...

"Are vampires the ones who can only come in if you invite them?" he wondered. "If that's true, it seems easy enough to keep him out."

"Let's assume he's been invited or you're in a public place," Bob said. "But that is a valid point; it's good to know the specific needs and weaknesses of the being or individual you're warding against. What works for one may not work for another."

He's in a really good mood after vacation.

Once she pings in.

Elsa was here! And wondering if any of those wards would work on her powers, at all. After she'd thrown her gloves at Barry's head, she'd been down to just the bracelets he'd made for her. But she wasn't completely sure she wanted to be reasonable and actually wear those, yet.

I go thud now.

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Defending Yourself Against Magic | Tuesday, 4th period

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OOC!