>>@SUBUBI | @ALL

[excelsus]

I may be completely alone in this, but is anyone else disturbed by the alarming dearth of rebel archivests?

Fortunately it seems that the number of books outnumber the actual people who wish to burn them which is rather fortunate because some of these things I can actually read. The Malleus Maleficarum is actually quite a facinating read if you're interested in the true barbarism of this world.

Malleus refers to a hammer and Maleficarum is the plural of Maleficar which refers to one who is wicked or depraved. In this sense it seems to loosely translate as Hammer of Witches...I laughed admittedly.

I'm certain it would be Hammer of Mages where I come from, but that is completely apart from the point.

Apparently these people believed that magic was some sort of delusion of the mind precipitated by demonic seduction through visions and dreams. They blamed the most rudimentary of problems on people, captured them, tortured them into fraudulent admissions, and then killed them.

The magic and spells they discuss are not even real magic, not as I know it anyway...unless one considers mathematics, philosophy, and general enlightenment magical.

I suppose I would define magic as the ability to expend mana...or putting it more simply, the ability to burn my accuser's face off by willing primal fire into being.

And here I thought the Southern Circles were bestial. Flaying someone alive for anomalous intelligengence, very dyed-in-the-wool dedication to the extermination of magic...and that there could be a book devoted to the finding and killing these so-called magic users.

It's certainly telling, not completely unfamiliar either. I'm certain the Southern Chantry has their own step-by-step process for teasing out mages and spiriting them away to the Circles.

Comments

[excelsus]

I cannot say I have ever heard of centaurs, satyrs, and titans honestly.

I suppose somewhere relatively clean and free of hideous smells where wine is ideally accessible, but wine is not a requirement.

Of course that's what they seek to achieve, power after power in which it is never enough. I personally do not agree with it as seeking power after power leads to nothing but dissatisfaction and injustice. Not that I've been proper all of my life, but my parents did not get what they wanted from me and took actions to try and motivate me to be what they wanted. These actions involved tapping into a damnable source of magical power to achieve their ends. Needless to say I didn't believe in the corrupt weaknesses of their choices.

[horsepowered]

The first two are easy enough to explain: centaurs are half-man and half-horse, satyrs half-man and half-goat. Titans are simply beings that predate the gods.

I'm racking my brain to find anything that actually fits that description, wine included or not.

There's occasionally interesting developments in those pursuits, mainly in the realm of ritual. [Really, he wouldn't be here without the insane rituals.} That said, I'm deeply sorry that any of that happened. I expect there's no additional words that can be added to express any additional horror at the circumstance.

[excelsus]

Well that's...interesting. I suppose it's no more peculiar than a race of people that resemble dragons.

I've no wish for you to hurt yourself, I suspect the abbey would be the closest there is to fitting that description, but I feel like I am being judged on principle just by my presence alone in such a place.

I suppose. I don't know about your magi, maybe they are not quite as corrupt, but usually nothing good comes from seeking more power. It typically goes something like : "let's play with magic we don't understand, it'll make us incredibly powerful." Never mind ripping holes in the fabric of time or committing other atrocities along the way.

Ah, you needn't concern yourself with me, I'm habitually dramatic.

[horsepowered]

That sounds perfectly normal to me.

Then conversation and translation should make any feeling of judgement far easier to ignore. I'll see you around two?

I can't venture a concrete opinion on the matter of corrupt or non-corrupt. My own situation is something that gives me a slightly limited judgement

But self-aware, which not all are.

[excelsus]

Whatever normal happens to be.

Especially if you're reading to me, I imagine you have a pleasant voice and that always helps.

I suppose it is in the eye of the beholder. The idea of what one does and does not consider corrupt differs from individual to individual.

I do consider myself very self-aware and unapologetic for it if you'll bare with me.

[horsepowered]

I can imagine that something akin to a centaur but with a dragon would have made for even more interesting encounters back home.

I couldn't possibly comment on that fact, and will need to let you make that determination.

Well, having a limited sample size to make judgement is also a factor, particularity in my case.

It is no issue at all. My past colleagues have certainly been brazen and unapologetic.

[excelsus]

I am not sure how to describe a Qunari to be honest, massive in size, with many human-esque features, but their skin is more ashen, their eyes are more striking, but it is really the horns that make them stand out.

Gladly.

I suppose it's different when you have an entire continent of mages to choose from.

I hope to at least be worthy.

[horsepowered]

Horns almost make them sound like a cousin of the Minotaur, if I am being perfectly candid in comparisons.

Mm. A continent versus a grand total of what ought to be 14 is a markedly different matter.