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Joseph
He continues to speak, his words casual and more suited to tavern conversation than the discussion of ideas concerning systems of magic but the worry of matching the style of words to content is a distraction that cannot be afforded. He has mastered the ideas and explanation is best given fluidly and easily so that behind his words the power of his insights might gather. His eyes chance upon the face of the woman, Senora, distinct for once between the folds of her hood as she looks at him, but that too is a distraction to be submerged in the streaming of words as he marshals his thoughts. Artful thinking is required here – but then any thinking that is not an art isn’t much good in the first place.
“Eight or nine years ago I read a monograph written by some guy named Myron. Ground breaking stuff it was, I mean real cutting edge. This was written way back in the old days before anybody ever heard of stuff like shadow magic as a separate area of study – it used to be part of my field and as far as I’m concerned it lost something when folks overspecialized in it. Anyway Ed Greenwood was starting to write about stuff like the Weave and the idea was getting ready to take off when this Myron fella sat down and cranked out this analysis of the underlying issues of the system. Ahead of his time, I tell ya. There’s maybe ten guys what ever read that particular bit of research. Research, kid, remember that. It pays to look into the sources. Here everyone was picking up the new system and there was this guy Myron laying out the fundamental dynamics involved in translating across magical frameworks. They just don’t write stuff like that no more. Hell, good ‘ole Myron might’ve been the only guy writing it back then.”
As he spoke a globe of what seemed to be sunlight formed around his right hand. “There’s a really popular idea out there – so popular and around for so long that folks just assume it’s gotta be true. Popular impressions, kid, you wanna fool somebody popular impressions are a good way to do it. Anyway, this idea holds that in order to have a shadow what you need is a bit of this......” He holds out his right hand and the light flares brightly. “And a bit of this......” His left hand vanishes from sight as a blur of near absolute darkness covers it. “Dead wrong, kid. Dead wrong.” He brings his hands together and the light fills the darkness. “You see, kid, shadow has a relationship with light but it ain’t no mixing of light and dark. Shadow is a special kind of darkness, it’s that kind of darkness, the only kind of darkness, that can exist where there’s light. If everything were darkness, there’d still be shadow – it’s a type of darkness - it’s just that shadow would be less important."
"This is heavy stuff, kid. Shadow is that darkness that can exist where there’s light. In fact, all you need to bring forth shadow is a bit of light......” Once more the light flares about his right hand. The fingers of his left hand move and what appears to be a thin wooden rod appears in his grasp. “And something to block the tiniest bit of that light.” He moves the rod toward the light and a shadow appears on the ground, moving as the rod is moved and stretching or contracting according to the relation between the rod and the light. He then opens his fingers and the rod remains suspended in the air. Stooping he touches his hand to the shadow and lifts it from the ground. At a snap of the fingers of his right hand, the light vanishes. The shadow, however, remains in his grasp. “Neat stuff, really. I can see why a guy might want to focus his work on it.” He takes the shadow in his hands and works it with his fingers as if its shape and substance were somehow malleable. He stops speaking for a few moments and his movements become very deliberate until the shadow has been elongated and shaped into what would seem to be an oversized hook of the kind used in crewelwork.
Turning again to Larry, he suddenly resumes speaking, “All of which brings us back to our friend Myron and what he had to say about the weave......” He turns to the tower and lifts the shadowy crewel hook, then pauses. “You sure you want in?”
[ 08-24-2005, 09:24 PM: Message edited by: Cyril Darkcloud ]
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