Advanced Black Steel Spellweaves

These are the most powerful spellweaves known to Nimlo, Dargon, and Quix, and among the most powerful known even to Theril. These reflect the same types of changes mentioned under "Basic Spellweaves" in a previous post. Again, note that these are very basic descriptions; the specific extent and limitations of these spells, even when woven in their normal forms, are rather more complicated.

Bane: Bane allows the caster to invent and speak a simple, single-sentence prophecy directly pertaining to the victim of this spell; if the victim fails to resist, then to the extent it lies within the power of this spell to arrange it, the prophecy will come true. The prophecy must be of intrinsic and obvious harm to the victim, and may be made continuous or conditional (e.g. "You will stink of death forever," or "If ever you look upon the House of Renin in Calasta, your hair and nails will all fall out, never to regrow!" or "Whenever you do battle with a Knight of Illenia, your right arm will weaken and fail you!") as the caster wishes.

Curtain of Flame: This is the spell that Nimlo eventually used to ensure that the "Holy Grat'han Bandits" remained trapped in their cave, raising a thin sheet of completely opaque, blazing fire that holds back creatures and flying projectiles alike with its thermal currents and constant waves of searing heat, needing no fuel of its own except for the caster's attention as he continually weaves it into being, but setting anything that comes too close aflame.

Displaced Perception: One of the options Theril considered for surveillance of Thaqz's team, this spell allows the caster to see, hear, smell, and (to a limited extent) even touch and taste objects within a few dozen meters as if standing right on top of them without actually coming near.

Dragon's Roar: Apparently as a curiosity, Dargon and Quix's draconic tutor taught them a spell that allows them to briefly duplicate the full effect of a dragon's roar, a sound audible for miles around that can shatter glass and ceramics close by, and deafen, flatten, or even kill living creatures who stand too close.

Driving Hail: Somewhat more subtle than the likes of Firecast and Thunderbolt, Driving Hail fills a ground-level area of limited size but any simple shape the caster desires, forcing anyone and everything within away with gusts of icy wind and driving hailstones. It can be released in such a way that it lasts for two hours, doing slow but steady damage throughout that period to everything that tries to pass, or concentrated into a shorter time, dealing much less potential total damage to someone or something that fights its way in and insists on remaining inside, but dealing damage far more quickly to anything trying to enter or pass through the area.

Emancipate: Emancipate can free its subject from virtually any single magical or pseudomagical influence or compulsion, from a simple Bewitch spell to the lure of a siren's song, from the effects of a backfiring attempt at Mind Reading to a Bane spell. If it worked in Tolkien's world, it could even have freed Boromir (at least for a while) from the lure of the One Ring.

Fertile Ground: First developed by the elves of the Grat'han jungles, this is the spell by which (with many castings over the course of several days) Theril was able to transform a handful of thornbush seeds into the vast Hedge that protects Alluarten. Only Theril has mastered all of the uses of this one, but Nimlo, Dargon, and Quix have all learned to use it in its simplest form.

Greater Bewitchment: This is a general-purpose form of the highly specialized Bewitch spell, capable of affecting almost any sentient creature, or several non-sentient creatures at once.

Hallucination: The subject of this spell is wrapped in a powerful multisensory illusion of which no one else is aware. In addition to possibly causing the victim to appear completely insane, this illusion is convincing enough to potentially kill, blind, or otherwise cripple the victim by convincing him completely of the truth of a horrible vision. Beneficial effects are also possible, but the mind is always doing nearly all it can to help itself and the body, and so the margin of possible benefit from convincing the mind of something is much smaller than the margin of possible destruction, so it is used far more often against an enemy than to give aid to a friend. This is the spell that Theril originally learned from Karloc Denobson of the Seven, in exchange for teaching him Theril's Assurance.

Mirage: This powerful variation on Visual Illusions generates large, long-lasting illusions that remain stationary relative to either the center of the spell's effect or the willing creatures they conceal. Though the illusions can not move themselves (within their frames of reference) they can conceal moving objects, like flowing water or moving animals. The spell is broken however when touched by a sentient being.

Permafrost: The spellweave Theril developed to keep the Solo's restaurant icehouse cold has a number of other uses, though they haven't been put into use. The basic effect is to generate a volume of extremely dense, solid ice, in a shape of the caster's design, that powerfully resists melting and breaking of all kinds.

Preemptive Strike: Developed by Pasha Zavalier (who claims it's almost as valuable in the court of Shalasia as in the Grat'han jungles), this spellweave lies dormant for more than a day, or until triggered by an attack on the caster, at which point it reacts with a bright flash of light and repulsive power to knock the attack aside and knock down the would-be attacker. Unlike Force Block, it works only once, but is pretty much foolproof and infallible. Among Black Steel Wizards, only Theril has mastered this one.

Space Jump: One-way, short-range teleportation that can cause its subject to disappear and reappear, even in mid-motion, with extreme precision and without a sound. Its name derives from the fact that its subject appears to jump instantaneously from one point in space to another.

Theril's Assurance: The spellweave Theril developed to keep Black Steel's command network functioning across the breadth of the world sees more use than any other in the Black Steel repertoire. Nimlo, Dargon, and Quix all use this one to keep in touch with one another, Theril, and their far-flung friends ... and Theril still uses it to coordinate and direct all the forces of Black Steel.

Transfiguration: When wizards threaten to turn their misbehaving apprentices into toads, this is the spell they're implying they would use. This is also the spell that Theril used to create Grynne's "costume" for the celebration of last year's "Night of the Veil" ("between living and dead"). Theril, Nimlo, Dargon, and Quix have all also used a less-lasting variant of this spell to transform themselves when they found it convenient.

Zone of Fury: Another variation on bewitchment magic (like Spellbind), this one fills an area with roiling emotion, so that anyone in the area who fails to resist becomes unaccountably incensed with everything he sees, sometimes furiously attacking friends and foes alike, sometimes standing motionless and quivering with helpless rage.

Standard Battle Spellweaves

These are somewhat more advanced spellweaves known to Theril, Nimlo, Dargon, and Quix. Most of these are designed explicitly for military use, though not all are directly applicable to the immediate exigencies of combat. These reflect the same types of changes mentioned under "Basic Spellweaves" below. Again, note that these are very basic descriptions; the specific extent and limitations of these spells, even when woven in their normal forms, are rather more complicated. I did leave out one spell in this class, known only to Theril among Black Steel wizards, because it was a highly specialized spell which she learned for a very specific purpose, and has not been used or mentioned since. If it, or any use for it, ever comes up again, I'll describe it then.

Amphibious Lungs: Originally designed by human wizards to combat undersea enemies, preferably by enchanting a giant ally, this spell allows its subject to breathe oxygenated water (e.g. water in which a fish can "breathe" with its gills) as comfortably as though it were air, for up to 24 hours, without interfering with the subject's ability to breathe air as well. The change affects the subject's reflex system, physiology, and lung structure as well, allowing him to breathe water without reflexively choking, to descend safely into deeps where the pressure would normally crush a human's lungs, and to avoid the bends upon surfacing, no matter how quickly.

Darksight: Another "special forces" spell for wars against inhuman species, this one was designed to give the subject, usually a spy or assassin, the ability to see clearly in starless night or the lightless depths of a cave, without giving himself away by carrying a light source. It was designed with long-term missions in mind, and therefore, like Amphibious Lungs, lasts up to 24 hours.

Directed Deflection: Developed and expanded from the simple Deflection spell, this spell's enhanced effects are made possible by the caster's continuous and direct attention, directing the field of deflecting force himself. Any and all arrows, javelins, spears, crossbow bolts, even rocks of reasonable size -- falling, thrown, or launched from slings -- that the caster can see approaching the subject of this spell are automatically knocked aside unless enabled to get through by enchantments of their own, allowing a great warrior, a giant with a ram, or the caster himself to walk into a storm of arrows unharmed. This spell may last indefinitely, ending only but as soon as the caster's attention to it (and weaving and direction of it) lapses.

Enhance Reflexes: Intended for use upon an army unit in preparation for battle, this spell gives its subject and everyone immediately around him at the time of the spell's release the energy and reflexes of a berzerker so long as they all remain near the central subject (e.g. part of their unit). It does nothing to prevent wounds or exhaustion, but those are matters to be considered after the battle is won. By means of a simple modification to its core in the inital weaving process, the caster can instead prepare a slightly different version of this spell that has the effect of sapping the energy and dulling the reflexes of its target and everyone near him if they fail to resist its power; this version of the spell, usually called "Impede Reflexes," is most often used to weaken the enemy at a critical position, like a castle gate or the crest of a hill, or to soften a key section of the enemy battle line. Though anyone other than its immediate target can escape its effects by leaving the area of its power (even if they immediately return) an army whose men leave an important station at the wrong moment is likely to suffer even more than one that finds the men there suddenly and severely weakened.

Firecast: Finesse and subtlety have their place. The drawing room for instance. On the battlefield, you want /this/ kind of spell. Firecast doesn't act like an explosive bomb or rocket-propelled grenade -- there's no explosion or impact, and there are no fragmentation shards -- but it does fill its target area with blazing, magical fire. The more skilled the caster of the spell, the wider the area, and the hotter the flames.

Flight: How do you get a sniper into a good position over a castle on a bluff? How do you send a swordsmaster after the rider on a hippogriff who's dropping rocks on you from above? How do you place a scout or general to observe every position and direct his whole army on a battlefield three miles across? How do you get a messenger home with a captured artifact when the enemy surrounds you on all sides? Oh, you can find other ways, no doubt, but the best way is usually to fly. Based on the humble Resist Gravity spell, Flight is just a little over-ambitious for its power and spellweave design, and is therefore one of the most unstable spells in a wizard's repertoire, but it works, and if woven correctly is always good for at least an hour. A skilled wizard like Theril can make it last even longer too, and though it /does/ cut out without warning when its weave finally collapses, the final stages of the collapse can be recognized by the caster or anyone else familiar with the spell, as long as they can see its weave working with their sorcerous vision, usually enough to give several minutes of warning.

Group Invisibility: Another spell meant (like Enhance Reflexes) to be worked on a small combat unit, this is ideal for flanking maneuvers, ambushes, and sneak attacks, among other special assignments. It works just like the Invisibility spell, but affects everyone immediately around the subject as well as the subject himself. As with Enhance Reflexes, those under the spell must remain close to the subject (e.g. moving together as an army unit) in order to continue to benefit from the spell.

Protective Aura: The third spell intended for army units, this one is meant to defend one as it escorts the caster himself. Its effects are identical to a simple Protective Charm, but protects the caster's entire immediate vicinity and anyone in that area who treats him as a friend and ally.

Spellbind: When Matrix met Pasha Fokahre for her jungle party, people say he just stood and stared as if spellbound by her beauty. This is the spell to which they're referring. It is heavily based on the Bewitch spell, but so overwhelms its subjects' faculties -- it is most potent against a single target, but may affect several at once -- that they essentially freeze in place, slowing and stopping if in motion when the spell is cast and more or less relaxing while holding roughly the same position they were in when the spell caught them. The subjects can still see and hear, but can't move even their eyes while the spell continues (usually roughly an hour, depending on the caster's skill). It is possible, via a simple change in the weaving process, for the caster to prepare a different version of this spell, usually just called Release, since Spellbinding magics are common enough that Release is primarily used as a means of breaking them. Its true effect however is to ease undue stress and strain on its subject's mental faculties, thereby breaking not only Spellbindings but the temporary power of paralyzing emotion, religious fervor, or even pain, allowing its subject to function normally, at least until something triggers the natural paralyzing effect again. (Thus, a mourner, helpless with grief, might be Released by this spell and go about the business of his own life, only to break down again on seeing something that reminds him too strongly of the deceased.)

Spellbreak: Spellbreak is quick and dirty anti-magic, and its operation is quite straightforward: It sweeps through a wide area, tying tight, blocking knots into every spellweave it can find, preventing them from operating, so that they collapse and cease to function. The spellweaves of especially skilled wizards are resistant to this effect for the same reasons that they tend to be more lasting in the first place: They are typically more compact, better capable of repairing themselves, and better fortified against outside interference. Nonetheless, Spellbreak is such a crude and powerful instrument, even the spells of very powerful wizards rarely escape its effects -- and of course as a wizard becomes more skilled at spellweaving, he can make his Spellbreaks more effective too.

Spinning Stones: Before he and Dargon moved up to Illenia (by way of Night Harbor, which most people would say is going about the thing back end foremost) Quix took regular walks by the stream that runs through the Scabbard, picking up skipping stones to toss across the water. Wizard that he was, he soon got the notion of getting such stones to skip on the air. He's a practical-minded guy though, and the spell he eventually developed, a clever union of Spellstrike and Minor Telekinesis with some ideas of his own, is a quirky but effective combat spell, especially useful for "shooting around corners," as the stones can twist and swerve in flight, and don't require line of sight as long as the targets' locations are known. Upon impact, each Spinning Stone is eradicated by the spell's magic, delivering a shock of pure magical energy to its target. Although greater skill allows wizards to enchant greater numbers of stones (all must be hurled at once, regardless) the only sure way to get the maximum effect is to prepare the number of stones you want and wrap the spell around them just before releasing it. It's therefore of limited effect as a quick reaction spell, but if you've waging a secret war against Black Steel, and you spot Theril approaching, counting smooth river stones into her hand, the time has come to turn around and run.

Thunderbolt: Finesse and subtelety really /are/ terrific, and they really /do/ have their place. Sometimes the time and place for certain other tactics is just a little easier to recognize. Thunderbolt does not call down lightning from the clouds, and does not generate a "bolt from the blue" like a judgment from the gods. The wizard points at the spot where he wants the bolt to start, and forked lightning roars out from there in the same direction the wizard is pointing, generating a thunderclap that can be heard for miles around. A Thunderbolt can blast through wooden doors and walls, set trees afire, and sometimes even shatter stone, and if it strikes something it can't get through, it only multiplies its forks, arcing through the area with greater force than before. This is the spell you use on giants and drakes when the time for subtlety is gone.

Vicarious Vision: Sometimes finesse even has its place in war. Wizards are often repositories of knowledge, and leaders of men -- too valuable and vulernable to be risked in espionage missions or lightning raids, but necessary to their success or in need of such information as they bring as soon as it can be had. Long ago, a great sorcerous general therefore developed the means of going on his spies' most important missions without ever leaving his command post. By casting Vicarious Visions and spending ten minutes with one of his spies, attuning to his vision, he could see the world as though he were looking through the eyes of the spy for nearly two hours. This spell is also useful for learning a creature's motives without the dangers inherent in Mind Reading though; attuning to a creature does not require its permission or knowledge so long as it's close, and the caster can see exactly what that creature looks at, focuses upon, and does in its own view, then return to his own eyes or even move on to someone new.

Weave Read: Though now most often used /after/ a battle to discover the nature of enchantments left behind by the enemy -- or during a secret mission, to learn the nature of sorcerous defenses -- Weave Read was originally developed as a counter-intelligence measure to learn what enchantments might lie upon an ally or informant who had been in enemy territory. Weave Read enhances the wizard's sorcerous vision to reveal intimate details of spellweaves set upon the caster's location or an object in his hands. While this does not grant perfect knowledge of the spell's effects, and certain spells, especially when cast by highly skilled wizards, are capable of deceiving it, Weave Read is in general extremely reliable, especially as the caster grows skilled enough to recognize greater numbers of spells and deceptions. It is also the simplest enhancement to sorcerous vision that is actually superior to what Theril can do naturally.

Afternoon of Leva 26, continued

When he sees the cart's dust cover move and hears the guards at work, Glaxtiks reacts immediately, even as he silently curses the city of Kaiimar. He doesn't bolt -- that's not his style, when he can help it at least -- but carefully maneuvers to the side of the cart furthest from the sounds of the inspection, keeping low, between the side of the cart and the back of a setee. Two of the corners of the cover are thrown back — not quite revealing his position — and the sounds of furniture scraping along the floor of the cart, being moved or removed and examined begins. Straining his ears, pulling his knees in, Glaxtiks waits his chance, then when he's convinced he can do it safely, he slips over the side of the cart, under cover of a fold of the thrown-back cover, and swings underneath, getting a grip on a wheel axle with both hands and both feet. From there, he uses his eyes, watching the movements of booted feet, and even risks a glance around the wheel and dust cover corner past and under which he just swung; as he already saw in passing, he chose the right side of the cart: he's quite near one wall of the passage, with no one on that side for the present. There's no commotion -- nor whispering or stealthy movement --- on any side to suggest he was seen as he dropped, and he moved as quickly and decisively as always, with almost no profile at all against the side of the cart, hidden in part by the edge of the dust cover. He can hear the inspection progressing above him, long and thorough, but he waits patiently, in silence, hanging exposed just a few feet below their lines of vision, though as nearly flush with the bottom of the cart as he can be. Eventually, the inspectors give the cart a pass, and the dust cover comes back on -- Glaxtiks moves again, swiftly, silently.

Afterward, he isn't sure when he saw the guard kneeling to look under the cart -- whether he reacted to a change in the stance of a pair of boots instinctively, or decided there was a risk before one materialized -- but he was back out from underneath, clinging to the side of the cart, making sure he wasn't seen, and back in under the cover before the guard got his head down low enough to take a look underneath. The cart remained motionless for a seeming eternity ... and then began to roll forward again, its unintended passenger still in place.

He tells Thaqz about it at their first rendezvous, in the spot Glaxtiks found in the park, and points out the need for a back-up plan, not only in the future, but perhaps on the way out. He got through it, yes, and maybe even made it look routine, but if he hadn't gotten lucky with the positioning of that wall and that fold of the dust cover, and hadn't moved to just the right places, at just the right moments, there's no telling what might have happened -- or what still might, especially if Hirena is known to be dead before they try to leave the city.

Kaiimar, Leva 26

Theril flies invisibly into Kaiimar in the early afternoon, with Preemptive Strike already in effect. Rondus of course has been installed for four days in the room of a young man in the merchants' quarter whose mother wanted prayers said for his welfare by a priest of Matorath the Warlord. His personal effects include a set of crossbow quarrels -- though he owns no crossbow himself -- prepared for the ritual magic with which he intends to enchant them. Elsewhere in the city, Faxandu is hidden deep in a dark room beneath the ground, still ritually preparing herself for her service to the Dark Lady Nahl, preparing herself to don the robes of night and join perhaps the oldest, least-known priesthood in the world above the ground. Thaqz, Berlokh, Glaxtiks, and Daryan meet one last time in the outer city to make sure they all understand the plan, their points of rendesvous, their backup and emergency plans, discussing everything with each other and a beautiful disembodied voice that is comfortable and familiar to them all, known to Thaqz and Glaxtiks as long as anyone else's in the world except each other's.

They split up shortly; Theril flies, still invisibly, to meet Rondus in his room, while the others head out to find carts of goods in which to smuggle themselves -- with their weapons and equipment and the dog (drugged for the time being, in Berlokh's charge) -- into the merchants' quarter. They choose carts full of bulky objects with bored-looking guards, wait their chances, and slip aboard, then just wait in hiding as the carts carry them slowly toward the merchants' quarter wall, and on into the economic heart of the city. Everything goes smoothly until the cart of furniture and upholstery in which Glaxtiks has stowed away stops at the gate to the merchants' quarter, and stays stopped, and someone begins to remove the cover -- it quickly becomes clear, as the cart's bored guards lounge and wait, that the men at the gate have selected that cart for a thorough random inspection. Glaxtiks is too well-trained to actually curse, even under his breath, and he doesn't waste a moment in responding, but he does reflect, in the back of his mind, "I really don't like this city."

Simple Utility Spellweaves

These are slightly more advanced general-purpose spellweaves known to Theril, Nimlo, Dargon, and Quix, mostly with primarily peaceful uses. These reflect the same types of changes mentioned under "Basic Spellweaves" below. Again, note that these are very basic descriptions; the specific extent and limitations of these spells, even when woven in their normal forms, are rather more complicated.

Delay: A "nasty little meta-spell" taught to Dargon and Quix by their draconic tutor, this one has a simple effect with extremely complicated consequences; it is cast in anticipation of another wizard (friend or foe) releasing a spell, and holds that spell dormant, if one is cast, for just a few seconds, then releases it normally. Only Dargon and Quix have learned this one thus far.

Enhance Second Sight: Enhances the wizard's sorcerous vision so as to reveal all power sources (and therefore the objects or creatures that generate them, and the natures of those objects and creatures) and spellweaves nearby, whether they are in the wizard's line of view (or visible) or not. This is another spell that seems to fall short of what Theril can do naturally.

Field of Light: Perhaps the most stable and elegant spellweave ever devised, this spell efficiently converts ambient magical energy into light energy, effectively turning everything (including air molecules) within a wide globe into a tiny light source, rendering the entire area as bright as a cartoon day. A simple modification to the weaving process allows the spell to be released in such a way that everything in the area will absorb light instead of emitting it, much like the less-powerful Shadowcast spell; Field of Light (and Field of Darkness) can last indefinitely, so long as it remains in an area with any ambient magical energy.

Ice Lattice: Fills an area with gigantic ice crystals, constantly dissolving and regrowing, trapping and holding any creature caught in the affected zone, that last up to eight hours in typical weather if not destroyed. The ice is formed from sorcerous power and not actual water, and is therefore rather unstable, especially in the presence of extreme heat; it tends to explode and vaporize upon the introduction of flame.

Illusory Visions: May be woven in any number of different ways for different optical effects; the most open-ended allows the wizard to actively design the appearance of the target area into anything desired, though the spell collapses as soon as the wizard ceases to do so. It can also be woven so as to create "hands-off" illusions: It may be woven around a creature or object (or the wizard) to create one or more illusions that imitate the subject exactly while the spell lasts, or it may even woven tightly into a tiny and unmoving but essentially permanent illusion.

Invisibility: Renders its subject -- an object or creature of reasonable size, or part of a larger inanimate object -- completely invisible while the spell lasts. It provides better camouflage than mere transparency -- an invisible creature swimming underwater would not appear as a giant air bubble, for instance -- but does not affect objects or pieces dropped by the subject (e.g. an injured character might leave a trail of blood, and rubble would become visible upon falling from an invisible wall) or anything picked up after the spell takes effect, and is unstable enough to be broken by direct or indirect contact with an animate being, or by any action involving the release of significant physical or sorcerous energy.

Invisible Messenger: Calls a tiny, invisible, more or less mindless being into the world; it will stay only long enough to hear the wizard's instructions, travel to the destination described (up to a few miles away), and repeat a few words or sounds that the wizard instructed it to repeat, in the same voice and intonations used by the wizard.

Magic Bag: This spell enchants the wizard's bag so that anything placed inside it effectively shrinks in weight and volume to a small fraction of its size. This allows tricks like pulling a floor lamp out of a handbag a'la Mary Poppins, but (also a'la Mary Poppins) the more the wizard stuffs into the bag, the more difficult it will be to find anything inside.

Mind Reading: This is the spell Nimlo used back at the old pirate isle to check for possible recruits, test pirates' loyalty, and generally cause massive quantities of mayhem. Notfrank still hasn't lived down Nimlo's claim that, when he called himself Frank, he was thinking with smug pleasure that he had concealed his true identity. This active use is actually a somewhat dangerous application of the spell, not that Nimlo cared in the slightest, as some beings can turn the active version around on the caster, or even expose him to thoughts that could impair his sanity. The spell can also be used passively however, to find the source (and existence) of any active malice being directed toward the wizard in the immediate vicinity.

Personal Levitation: This specialized version of the Resist Gravity spell allows the wizard to drift up and down through the air in spite of gravity, and more or less at will, though slowly. Daryan and Osiavia say that this is a very common spell in the far eastern lands where they were born, but it's still mostly significant as a precursor to Flight.

Personal Seal: An altogether superior version of Time Seal, this spell is extremely stable, and is meant to keep the wizard's most prized personal effects safe from examination or tampering. It lasts indefinitely -- standing dormant whenever the object it enchants is open, only to seal it again as soon as it is closed again -- and allows the wizard to open or close the sealed object without affecting the seal.

Telekinetic Trigger: A modification of Minor Telekinesis and a classic example of the use of sympathetic magic, this spell can activate virtually any simple device, from turning a door's latch and swinging the door open on its hinges, to cinching and buckling a belt, to cocking and firing a siege engine or crossbow.

Vermin: Essentially a cousin of Bewitch, but specialized to attract much simpler creatures that are much easier to compel, this spell attracts huge numbers of small, biting vermin to an area of the wizard's choice nearby.

Wood Haven: Theril learned this spell from the elves in Grat'ha, and has put it to nearly perpetual use ever since. It creates a small secret room inside a tree, though in some cases much larger than the inside of the tree itself, opening a knot in the trunk as the secret room's "door." Only Theril has managed to master this spell so far (well, Theril and Quil...).