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fandomhigh2015-07-17 01:03 am
nuclear_snide) wrote in fandomhigh2015-07-17 01:03 am
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How Not to Kill Yourself with Incantations | Friday, Period 1
"Right. So." Bob nodded at the students. Class was meeting in the Danger Shop today, although it currently looked just like a normal classroom. "Once you've got a surface, you need a means of writing on it. Which unless you're dealing with engravings, means ink. The sort of ink used is partially dependent on the surface, but when you're speaking of magical scripts it's less often related to cost or worth and more often related to the nature of the inscription."
He waved at the scrolls and sheets laid out on the table. "Anything that stains can be an ink. Sometimes it's even actual ink, and in that case you can use its quality to help judge the worth of the piece. Or at least the pocketbook of whomever was responsible for it. Otherwise, it's important to know what went into it. Different plants or ground stones can be used, each of which may have a specific meaning to the spell at hand. And yes," he admitted with a sigh, "blood can also be used, as can a few other...bodily substances." Which his expression said he wasn't going into.
"Often the ink used is an actual component of the spell. If nothing else, it can be your first clue as to what sort of spell it is. Azurite may mean a spell to enhance vision; malachite may involve healing or protection. Blood almost certainly involves something very powerful and potentially - although not necessarily - very nasty.
"Now I don't expect you to be able to tell everything at a glance. However, each of these sheets has an assortment of different inks on it, each one clearly labelled. Those sheets," he pointed at another pile, "are not labelled. I want you each to take one, and find a way to label the inks upon it. Compare them to the labelled ones, test them as you like - use the room to conjure whatever you might need. Ask questions. Tell me what each ink is, and if you have the time, what it might mean."
He waved at the scrolls and sheets laid out on the table. "Anything that stains can be an ink. Sometimes it's even actual ink, and in that case you can use its quality to help judge the worth of the piece. Or at least the pocketbook of whomever was responsible for it. Otherwise, it's important to know what went into it. Different plants or ground stones can be used, each of which may have a specific meaning to the spell at hand. And yes," he admitted with a sigh, "blood can also be used, as can a few other...bodily substances." Which his expression said he wasn't going into.
"Often the ink used is an actual component of the spell. If nothing else, it can be your first clue as to what sort of spell it is. Azurite may mean a spell to enhance vision; malachite may involve healing or protection. Blood almost certainly involves something very powerful and potentially - although not necessarily - very nasty.
"Now I don't expect you to be able to tell everything at a glance. However, each of these sheets has an assortment of different inks on it, each one clearly labelled. Those sheets," he pointed at another pile, "are not labelled. I want you each to take one, and find a way to label the inks upon it. Compare them to the labelled ones, test them as you like - use the room to conjure whatever you might need. Ask questions. Tell me what each ink is, and if you have the time, what it might mean."
Re: Talk to the TA!