#THE ABJURATIVE RUNE AROUND THE ORB

[renegadeontherunn]

AELWYN 😭😭😭 I KNEW YOU COULD DO IT GOD YES AELWYN REDEMPTION IM SO HERE FOR IT

[struckbyelectriclove]

A Meeting With Advisor Rakepick

A Jay!U story inspired by the Storybook AU

Four guards patrolled a castle wall, pacing back and forth through the night, occasionally glancing down at the gate below them. There were no shortage of people walking all about the city around them, it’s only reasonable that they would miss one random beggar in a tattered cloak, wandering next to the wall and vanishing into the darkness, leaving the cloak behind. They were all mostly tired, and it was getting hard to see even by torchlight, so if someone were to scale the wall with a grappling hook enchanted to blend into the stone, the clink of metal on stone would probably be missed, and if it weren’t, it would be mistaken for their armored boots walking along the wall.

On the furthest side of the wall, there was a single knight standing atop a tower, holding a quiet vigil over the castle. The guard set their drink down on the parapet, a simple tea made to keep them awake during their patrols. There was a much more distinct tapping noise from behind the knight, and when they turned to investigate, they found a strange, ornately designed dagger on the ground. The knight noticed a large, deep blue sapphire set in the pommel of the weapon, with a series of dark patches that almost reminded the knight of an eye. If someone were to have a more complete view of the room than the knight, they might have seen a small, opaque crystal be removed from an invisible pouch, and drop into the knight’s cup where it instantly dissolved. The knight, reasoning that the blade was just a lost trinket of one of the other knights on duty, picked it up, decided they would report it in the morning. There was no taste difference in the knight’s tea, but its original purpose of keeping the knight awake had changed, and the knight lost consciousness almost immediately.

When the knight hit the floor, a figure melted out of the shadows, the illusion and abjuration runes sewn into their dark, hooded leather armor glowing against the night. The figure flicked a hand open, and the dagger in the knight’s hand flew into the figure’s own, who smiled slyly as it landed in their palm. Releasing their fingers again, the dagger floated up to the side of the rogue’s head, and the rouge reached down to unclasp the other holster on his opposite leg. Another dagger, with a blood-red ruby in its pommel but otherwise identical, flew up to the opposite side of the rouge’s head. The rogue removed his mask, a repurposed front half of a basilisk’s skull bone, the lenses of the beast still set in the sockets. The rogue scanned the castle grounds with their one good eye, and saw the castle’s windows were still mostly lit, the lights of celebration and revelry still filled the windows.

The castle had been celebrating the rescue and recovery of the princess Kat since she had finally fully recovered from her rescue that morning. Of course, the rogue had been keeping an eye on the princess since she had arrived home, just as he promised Yakov he would, but he had his own work to do now that she was up and about again. Up in one of the taller towers of the castle, the rogue saw an open window, attached to the Advisor’s chambers. Reaching again into his bag of tricks and tools, the rogue picked out a smooth, dark bluish-green orb, about the size of a baseball, small specks of purple energy flitting off of it. Making three short clicking noises with his tongue, the blue dagger swung down to his chest, floating at an angle, forming a rough right angle between the blade and hilt. The rogue flicked the red dagger on the hilt to get its attention, and it quickly mirrored the other dagger, holding at the same angle to the other dagger, creating a small, basket-like opening for the pearl to sit. Setting the pearl inside, the two daggers shot away from the tower and across the courtyard, towards the window.

Closing their good eye, the rogue looked through the hilt of the blue dagger, watching as it flew through the window, stopping and hovering in midair next to the window. The Advisor Rakepick was searching through a pile of books, and the rogue paused for a moment, waiting for the woman to turn away from the window. Eventually, Advisor Rakepick found what they were after, and turned away fully from the window to continue reading the tome in her hands. The rogue snapped their fingers, and the daggers spun on their hilts, flinging the pearl into the room. The pearl landed on the floor of the room, instantly shattering like brittle glass, and with a quiet gust of wind, the rogue appeared in the study, their mask returned to their face.

“Not a fan of parties, are we?”.

The rogue’s voice was steely and cold, low and rough from years of battle. Rakepick whirled around, immediately faced by a dagger floating in front of her,pointing directly to her throat, and another now in the rogue’s gloved hand.

“Careful now… Vax hates when people get jumpy.”. In response, the dagger inched slightly closer to Rakepick’s throat, and she noticed the red gem set into the pommel.

“W-what is the meaning of this?” Rakepick sputtered, “Have you any idea-”

“Shh…” The rogue shushed the advisor, holding their index finger to their lips and whispering, “Vax doesn’t much like noisy people either…”.

“Now… let’s get some introductions out of the way, shall we?” The rogue asked, much cheerier than would be expected of someone who was holding a powerful member of royalty hostage.

“My name is irrelevant, but for introduction’s sake, you can call me Jay.”.

The name turned Rakepick’s veins to ice. The daggers, the mask, and now the name.

“A bit of a shock, right?” Jay laughed, “The legendary rogue, thought to have vanished into retirement and off any map long ago, the Relentless Hound of Ioun? What could he want with someone like me?”.

“A good question. Unless you weren’t going to ask me that, in which case, wrong question, ask the one I told you to ask.”. Slowly, Rakepick tried to reach behind herself to the desk, angrily scoffing, “Well, yes, I would. Wouldn’t your business be with their Majesties themselves?”.

“Well, that’s the fun part,” Jay said, smiling, “I am on business from the royal family, just not the older two. No, actually, this contract is from the late Crown Prince Yakov.”. Rakepick grimaced, she dipped her hand into a hidden seam of her robe, closing her hand around a small knife. She wondered, the Crown Prince, did Jay know about-

“‘Cept, he’s not really late, is he? Nah… I know he’s still around. Don’t know where he is, but…” Jay stepped forward, pointing to Rakepick with the other dagger, “...I think I know who does.”.

“I don’t like what you’re insinuating, mercenary,” Rakepick spat, the knife in her hand slowly being drawn, “I have no idea where the prince could have been taken. And I should have you know that this sort of offense is punishable by death!”.

“Unless you plan on seeing it carried out yourself, madam,” Jay answered, “I’ll just mark it on my tab.”. Rakepick chuckled wryly, “Oh, but I do.”.

Rakepick flung her open hand up, knocking the red dagger out of the way, and she lunged forward, raising the knife over her head. Instantly, her hand was caught by the other dagger, which seemed to fling itself through the air. Rakepick shrieked, dropping the dagger and was flung back into the desk, and Jay sighed.

“That… was really fuckin’ stupid.”.

“You seriously think nobody’s tried that before?”. Jay leaned down close to Rakepick, muttering, “Alright, the hard way it is. Someone’s gonna come and investigate the commotion, and here’s what you’re gonna tell ‘em. Nothing.”.

“You came up here, got yer book, and cut your hand messin’ with that letter opener. If I hear tell you said a single word about me, well… I don’t warn twice.”.

“I’ll be back. I've got some questions for you, but you’re not the only person I can get my answers from, Advisor, remember that.”.

Without another word, The two daggers retreated into their holsters, and Jay stood, walking towards the window and climbing onto the windowsill. On another tower, Jay saw the princess exiting onto a balcony with one of the knights, one he had seen her walking around with before. Reaching into his bag for another pearl, Jay carefully aimed for the balcony’s guard rail, with a momentary pang of shame that he was going to have to ruin what would otherwise be a very pleasant night. Probably.

There was another puff of wind as the pearl landed directly on the rail, and Jay was teleported there, balancing on top in a similar crouch.

“Your majesty,” Jay interjected as both the princess Kat and her knight jumped.

“We need to talk.”.

-End-

[noblecrumpet-dorkvision]

Wizard Week: Practicing Magic

image credit: Ruiheng Liu

Unique Spellbooks

Just because the Players Handbook says you need a spellbook doesn't mean you can't get creative! Here are some unique ideas for you to use as your wizard's spellbook. Bulkier collections might require you to either buy a vehicle to carry them or summon them from an extradimensional space. Campaigns with a hub area like a town or stronghold could have a permanent location for a particularly large spellbook.

These are just of few ideas. For more ideas, think of anything that you could collect or craft as a hobby and imagine that each object holds a spell of some sort.

Artwork: This sounds a bit more like a bard but imagine a wizard that fills the halls of their Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion with detailed paintings depicting each spell either directly or abstractly. To prepare their spells, they walk through and peruse their mansion, reading the magic of each painting. For a more mobile spellbook, you could instead have a sketchbook or a carriage full of canvases with an easel attachment.

Brewing/Mixology: You prepare spells as mixed drinks (or potions, if you're boring) and drink them when you wish to cast the spell. The only downsides are that you must carry your liquor cabinet with you and you get wasted if you don't pace your spellcasting carefully.

Bones: For the edgy necromancer, you carve or paint bones with your spells. Bonus points for animating it as a skeleton so you have a walking spellbook. Just be careful you don't lose it.

Candles: You create candles that have your spell colored or carved into the wax. Perhaps the candles' colors have a special significance like a red candle is a fire spell and a green one is poison. You might need to use the Fabricate spell to make candles from a block of wax or else carry a mound of wax and candlemaking supplies with you (some way to melt the wax, a rack to dry the candles on, carving tools, dyes, etc.). You prepare spells by burning them and inhaling their scented magical vapors. You could carry them on your carriage lighting the way or in a permanent location on candelabras or a votive rack.

Cooking: Magical meal-prepping. You spend your spell preparation time cooking and baking up foods each with a unique spell enchanting it. Of course, this requires having an entire kitchen's worth of ingredients with you. One could make an argument that the Prestidigitation spell can replace most kitchen tools and a fire can be built at any old campsite.

Crystals: You grow or collect crystals that resonate with each of your spells. To prepare spells, you spend time meditating with your chosen crystals and allow their magic to infuse your body.

Illuminated Manuscript: For flair, you add illuminations to your spellbook that illustrate the margins and perhaps hint at what the spell does. The figures and objects in the illustrations move, making repeated actions.

Jewelry: You create jewelry enchanted with your spells and wear the ones that you prepare for that day. This can be very creative ranging from rings of power like the Mandarin to points of a crown to a Pandora bracelet of the wizarding world. Not to mention jewelry is easy to carry on your person or in a jewelry box or chest.

Medals: You emboss your spells on small gold/silver plates, perhaps with gem embellishments, and wear the spells you have prepared as jewelry on your body.

Outfits: You sew each spell into a specific garment; the larger or more elaborate the garment, the more powerful the spell. You prepare your spells as easy as getting dressed in the morning. The only problem is your outfits can sometimes get a little... eccentric, sometimes wearing socks on your hands or multiple hats and belts so you can get certain spell prepared. You will also need to carry your wardrobe with you somehow.

Plants: You enchant potted plants or plants in a garden with your magic. The leaves and flowers become patterned with runes and symbols. You prepare your spells by tending to the plants' needs of water, food, pruning, and the like.

Rune Stones: You carve your spells as complex runes on small stones or talismans. You could keep the stones in a satchel or pouch. In a more permanent location, you could have them be stones in your fish tank or arrange them in your garden or some other safe location.

Scrolls: Instead of a book you have a whole bunch of scrolls with you, one for each spell. This can take the form of a backpack-scrollrack, a carriage, a bunch of scroll cases hanging from cord off your belt and back, or an extradimensional scroll rack only you can access.

Sheet Music: Perhaps as a wizard you study the power of music that bards use and create more specific spells in a similar manner. Instead of using your ear or "feeling" the music, you have to write it down in the form of sheet music which you read and play to prepare your spells.

Shrunken Heads: For the eccentric necromancer, you have a collection of shrunken heads that hold your spells. You unsew their mouths to allow them to whisper their spell's secrets into your ear as you prepare spells.

Stone/Clay Tablets: You carve your spell into stone or clay tablets. This presents a similar problem like the scrolls in that they are not only unwieldy but also heavy. You will likely need a horse-drawn vehicle or extradimensional space or else a more permanent place to store your spell tablets.

Stories/Poems: Again more like a bard but each spell in your spellbook could take a more narrative format like a story or poem which you read or recite to cast or prepare the spell.

Tattoos: You tattoo your body with your spells. When you prepare certain spells, you trace the patterns on your body and cause the prepared ones to glow slightly.

Tarot Cards: You have a set of illustrated cards that you use to hold your spells. For added flavor, the spells you "choose" are the ones you randomly pulled from the deck in-game. Or, for added fun, you can actually prepare your spells at random by assigning them to certain cards. Hopefully you don't ever know more than 78 spells or however many there are in your deck. Perhaps you can count their facing (rightside-up or upside-down)

Vials of Memories: Once you learn a spell, you save space inside your head by extracting the memories in liquid form, drinking them when you wish to prepare the spell (much like the Pensieve from Harry Potter)

image credit: Sam Wood

Ways to Practice your Magic

For unique manifestations of your magic, you can refer to one of my most popular articles about narration of spell combat by following this link. Here, I provide some further, more creative alternatives for wizards of certain specialty schools

Abjuration

You could use runes or symbols to create your spells.

You could enchant objects with your prepared abjuration spells and activate them when the time comes (usually a brooch, bracer, shield, helm, or cloak).

You could use historically magical minerals as components in your protective magic like salt, iron, gold, or silver.

You could create glowing objects to represent your shields or temporary hit points, like summoning glowing bones that spin around you or sigils of Boccob or your own personal seal.

When you dispel or counter magic, a magic animal avatar could emerge from you to rip apart the target spell's aura.

Conjuration

You could summon conjured objects by extracting the materials for it from the surrounding environment like in Fullmetal Alchemist. Summoned creatures might even work this way, being unable to physically manifest in this dimension but instead creating an avatar.

Objects you create might be made from specific materials that you are good at manipulating. For instance, a wizard considering themselves an ice mage might create a table made from ice (textured to add friction), instead of wood.

You could involve a lot of symbols in your conjuring spells like in a magic circle. The object rises from the symbols drawn on the floor or on prepared pages.

You materialize objects from coalesced smoke that you cast from your fingertips.

Objects you create are summoned ectoplasm from the Ethereal Plane that take on real form once in the Material Plane.

Objects you summon rise from shadows and always have a darker tint than similar objects. The objects are created with matter from the Shadowfell.

Divination

There are so many ways to practice divination. Follow this link to Wikipedia for ideas. I have listed my favorites below.

Aruspicina: Observation of sacrificial rites.

Auramancy: Observation of auras.

Capnomancy: Observation of smoke.

Cartomancy: Observation of cards like tarot cards.

Ceromancy: Observation of wax dripped into water.

Cleromancy: Observation of cast objects (casting bones, dice, beans, runestones, etc.)

Cryptomancy: Observation of omens.

Dririmancy: Observation of dripping blood.

Entomomancy: Observation of insects movements and behaviors.

Lithomancy: Observation of stones or gems.

Necromancy: Speaking with the dead. (I think this one might be taken, however)

Oneiromancy: Observation of dreams.

Scrying: Gazing in a crystal, pool, mirror, or other reflective surface.

Tyromancy: Observation of cheese (you can't make this stuff up)

Enchantment

You could manipulate auras of the charmed creatures.

You could cloud a creature's mind with false visions or senses to guide their behaviors.

You could have a potion or poison be inhaled by the target to make them susceptible to suggestion.

You could have a dangling amulet hypnotize your target.

You could give the target an object cursed with the enchantment magic.

Creatures enchanted by you could have some sort of visual cue to the enchantment magic. This could range from subtle, like a small symbol appearing on their shoulder blade, to extreme, like Crown of Madness making an iron crown appear on the creature's head. Alternatively, glowing chains or puppet strings or a glowing orb before their eyes.

Evocation

You could create a controlled portal to an elemental plane to draw elemental energy from.

You could invoke Archomentals of the spell's element to cast the spell, almost like a cleric or warlock.

Fire/Lightning: Imix, Zaaman Rul, Chlimbia

Cold/Water: Olhydra, Ben-hadar, Cryonax

Wind/Thunder: Yan-C-Bin, Chan

Earth: Ogremoch, Entemoch, Sunnis

Acid: Bwimb

You could call an element by calling on its true name, sort of like magic in the Eragon book series.

You could manipulate chemicals scientifically to create the evoked effect

Fire: Pretty much any flammable liquid or gas like concentrated hydrogen peroxide.

Cold: Cryogenic liquid (hypercooled gas) such as liquid nitrogen.

Lightning: Inducing a spontaneous redox reaction to produce a current. For this explanation you might need a conductive material focus for such a spell.

Acid: Perchloric acid is one of the strongest acids around, as is hydroiodic acid, hydrobromic acid, hydrochloric acid, and sulfuric acid.

Poison: Many chemicals can be considered poisonous, including chlorine gas, strychnine, cyanide, batrachotoxin

You could burn off energy from your soul to create the energy for your spells, knowing full well that it will eventually burn out. You could also channel energy from some other finite source.

You could summon short-lived elementals to cast your elemental spells.

Your energy could take the shape of a symbol or animal as it flies toward the target.

Illusion

Your illusions could be you bending light

Your illusions could be you creating a mental image in the minds of those who can witness it; a collective delusion.

You could summon a swarm of harmless insects that take the form of the illusion.

Your illusions could be carefully shaped elemental energies like fire, water, sand, pebbles, etc.

Your illusions could come from a set of cards with images on them which you produce whenever you create the pictured illusion. Useful if you don't stray too often with your illusions. You could also use tiny charms/jewels, figurines, or pictures in a sketchbook.

You could subconsciously pull the imagery for your illusions from your, your allies, or your enemies' dreams or fears.

Your illusions could be composed of ectoplasm and exist on the Ethereal Plane but only visually on the Material Plane.

Necromancy

Your undead creations could come from weird science like Frankenstein's monster, using science and surgery to channel negative energy or lightning damage through flesh. You might have a variety of devices for your spells.

Your undead you create could require a complex ritual of mummification. It doesn't create an actual mummy but it preserves the corpse and perhaps reduces the smell from embalming chemicals. You use chemicals to cause necrotic damage in opponents.

You could create undead by trapping souls or demons inside the corpses. These souls are used to make necrotic attacks.

You could cover a corpse to be animated with glowing runes, each reanimating a specific part of the creature like a specific knuckle or joint. These symbols are key to your control over organic material and negative energy.

Your necromancy could come from a form of nature magic using fungi and plants to reanimate corpses. Your necrotic damage is dealt by natural poisons, venoms, and toxins.

Transmutation

You could need to scribe symbols on the target of your transmutation target in order to affect them.

Your transmutation magic could be a form of necromancy by bending the flesh of a creature to polymorph them. Shrinking a creature might cause skin and flesh to slough off while growing a creature might require some sort of sacrifice or else cause uneven cancerous growth.

Your transmutation magic could be more abstract. Instead of literally polymorphing a creature, you cause a magical aura of what they would polymorph into to surround them and augment their abilities. This would make stealth with your magic impossible, however.

When you polymorph a creature or object, elements (usually stone or mud) from your surroundings could cover the target to alter it. You could also have vines wrap around them, creating a sort of mech-suit for them to pilot.

You could maybe specialize in a certain material, so your transmutation spells always work but transform the target into that material. Maybe you can only transmute things into cheese so when you polymorph the barbarian into a black dragon, they gain black waxy scales, a cheesy interior, and breath acidic molten cheese.