The group’s put Nodden-Torr behind them, heading east. Gustav and Ca’armine say they’re close to where they’ll camp for the next few weeks. Alexis digs into the saddlebag and pulls out Tarkus Vell’s very fine tunic. He turns it over in his hands, then holds it out to Ethelred.
“Have you studied Ontic Instantiation within those scrolls? Summoning things that aren’t from around here?” He shakes the tunic slightly. “Would this help?”
“I do not see how the darkness from the tunic might help studying.
I do recall Tarkus and how we left him. I wonder how much he might spend to hunt us down. We have made some enemies along the way.
While we haven’t studied the Learned Scrolls of the Colleguim together… I do feel like us working together to learn about these unknown items would be best. We each have such a different perspective on magic, it can only make our understand better and more stable.”
Alexis tilts his head, looking at Ethelred with clear confusion.
“I’m not saying study the shadow. I thought you might be interested in how to bring things here. Practical Ontology.” He adjusts his hat. “You’re always confused about how Hadonis or those Avv perversions summon demons. This could help you piece it together.”
He shifts the tunic in his hands.
“And forget creatures for a second. You could work out how to bring shadow objects. Inventory. Anything that can bring a creature here can bring a rock, a bit of dirt, or a wisp of air. That’s basic Ontic Instantiation work. But who wants to summon a rock from Raiden’s realm when you could summon one of his warriors?”
He holds the tunic out again.
“Studying this might physically unravel it. That’d be worth it if you learn the secrets. So I’m asking: do you want it? Will you carry it, look after it, figure it out? If not, I’ll keep it. Maybe wear it if things get bad and I need a last-ditch move.”
He waits.
Rask notices the conversations and pays casual attention. He nods appreciatively when Alexis talks about unraveling the cloak and looks concerned as Alexis talks about wearing the tunic and begins to pay more attention to the conversation between the two mages.
“The scrolls so far have had little about summoning. There is some mention in the alchemy sections of ‘summoning’ elemental forces. But from my study this is less about pulling from another ‘place’ and more about gathering, pulling or ‘summoning’ something that is here just dispersed. So more how the light is focused in the spy glass. The spy glass is not pulling the image from somewhere else, but it is allowing one to see beyond the eyes limit.
The tunic has evil with in it. I would worry that studying it might release something evil upon us. Is my study of ‘Practical Ontology’ worth the risk to our other studies as a group?”
Alexis nods along, working through the problem as Ethelred talks.
“Good points. Two things.”
He shifts his weight, boots scuffing against stone.
“First: you’re right about gathering. Making items from shadow, maybe even creatures, might work through what’s already here. Not pulling from somewhere else. Think about it. Gather up the shadows around us, make them solid, fashion them into something useful. Wouldn’t last forever, but might not need to. You get good at that, maybe you could make something that moves. Something alive.”
He pulls his hat lower.
“Second: we never proved the tunic was evil. Tarkus lived in taint, so it wouldn’t surprise me if it picked something up. But it might be clean.” He shrugs. “Think on it. I’ll hold onto the tunic for now. Spend some time with it. See if Raiden thinks it’s evil. He might.”
“I will hold on it and study the nature of it’s magic. There might be some worth comparing the way Rask can shadow jump. Shadow magic is in interesting twist on magics that reveal rather than conceal.”
Alexis stops folding up the tunic and hands it over to Ethelred. “Let me know if I can help in some way, and let me know what you find. It would be nice to know more about this thing before we might need it in Nodden-Torr.”
After Alexis turns his attention back to his books Rask approaches Ethelred.
“If I may Ethelred, shadow-magic or not, evil or not, undoing magical items seems like a useful skill, I was wondering if that magic… absorbing? wall would help to break the demonic fire pike, but Alexis is right, you know the most out of all of us about magical theory and how things are made and stuff…”
Rask shrugs, having confused himself talking about magic.
“Anyhow, let me know if there’s anything can safely do to help, if you want to check out the shadow jump amulet just say the word. For what it’s worth’s blocking or breaking Magic is a powerful tool and it would be useful for the team.”
“I have not studied to door enough to really be able to say for sure how it works. Could be it just neutralizes magic effect for a bit, could be it can permanently effect magic.
As for the tunic it might be worth studying and understanding your ability to jump into a shadow. Could be something about this tunic and that magic.
I know much about taking items apart, I know something about creating magical items. Could be an overlap there for sure. Good thinking Rask.”