Chapter 19: Foundations of Modern Spellcraft

The last two days before classes passed without any attacks, excessively noisy gatherings, or Maut-mai disruptions. Suria was immensely glad that Darkmoon University seemed to settle down as the first day of classes began, and as promised, the university got off to a running start.

As she walked to her very first class along with Maut-mai, Suria checked that she had all her supplies in her satchel for the twentieth time. She’d done everything she could to prepare and part of her was convinced that she was going to forget something at the last second. Her exercises had increased her runic capacity to six, meaning she could cast an augmented spell without any need for potions. That might be less than many students, but she was proud of her progress and didn’t intend to stop her exercises.

She didn’t have to go far: Foundations of Modern Spellcraft was a general class that took place right in the Taedric Building. It was in one of the student areas she hadn’t really visited, a large room with a semi-circle of desks facing one wall. The professor wasn’t one of the department thrones, just a middle-aged man who was widely agreed to be an unremarkable instructor.

“I hope this won’t be too bad,” Maut-mai whispered to her. “They say he’s terribly dull.”

“Shh.” Suria hushed her roommate and checked to make sure they hadn’t been overheard. They’d arrived a little early, but the classroom was filling up quickly.

Hopefully she would be ready, even if so many of her classmates already had more experience with magic than her. Suria had tried to cover as many basics as possible and finished reading the first volume of the Classical Glyphos Primers, just in case they used ancient terminology. From what she’d heard from other students, the class was more theory than practice, so her runic capacity shouldn’t be a limitation.

As the room filled to maximum it grew noisier and noisier. Once it was at last time, and a starting bell rang out above them, the professor rose to stand at the front. He carried a stick that seemed peculiar and Suria tried to figure out whether it was a type of stylus before realizing that it was a wand with glyphs on it. She understood its purpose when their professor waved it and silence fell over the classroom.

“Welcome, one and all, to Foundations of Modern Spellcraft.” The professor smiled blandly at all of them. “No matter who you are and how much or little you have learned, this course will help you start off on your journey as a proper mage. But first, we do have some details to take care of…”

He went on to discuss the examination schedule, how to turn in assignments, and the policy on lateness. It seemed like this large class was simply indifferent to most students: anyone who failed would have to take it again, but someone who could pass without attending would probably be unnoticed. Some students attempted to shout over or trick the silence spell while Suria did quieter tests: she could hear herself hum, but sound failed to carry and even talking to Maut-mai was nearly inaudible.

“Now, let us begin.”

The glyphed wand waved again and the class settled in. As unruly as many of them were, they still wanted to listen.

“Magic is not like running,” the professor said grandly, “it’s more like farming. Now now, don’t make a fuss, hear me out. Human beings can run naturally: a child will gradually learn to walk with little help, and progress to running as they grow up.

“Imagine someone trying to farm in the same way. Or, if you are really so offended by the earthy analogy, imagine someone trying to build a ship or run a business based purely on their natural instincts. It would be a disaster, wouldn’t it? Any difficult task, any truly complex field, requires building upon what others have learned before you.

“So do not misunderstand me when I say that farming is ‘unnatural’ in a sense. A sophist might say that it is ‘natural’ because it works with nature itself, with the plants that grow all around us. But farming is distinct from that natural growth, more concentrated and focused than wild plants in the field. In the same way, magic is an ‘unnatural’ method of working with the world, a complex technique with more intense results.”

Suria leaned forward, listening raptly. It was all straightforward and intuitive, yet she’d never heard anyone speak about magic this way before. This, more than the practical ability to cast spells, was what she had hoped to learn from a university.

“What about animals?” a student called through the silence ward.

“Not a bad question,” the professor said cheerfully. “There are indeed some animals that have the ability to use magic naturally. Animals have claws and teeth and thick hides that humans do not… and yet we have spread across the world, because we delve into the fundamentals of reality instead of taking them on instinct. Any further questions on that subject, however, should be directed to a Naturalism professor.”

“But people can sense magic,” someone else objected.

“See now, I’ll get to that all in good time,” the professor said with another wave of his silencing wand. “Leave questions for the end or this will take forever.”

He went on to speak about the general theory of magic, how it reflected an underlying structure of the world. Suria was disappointed that he didn’t go into more detail on the specifics: runes somehow guided the flow of magic, while inscriptions channeled energy, and together they formed stable commands. There had to be more to it, and perhaps that would be explored later.

“And now we return to the previous question,” the professor said. “Yes, humans can sense magic, but this is not a purely natural instinct. It is more like how a farmer can judge whether crops are ready, or a sailor can read the clouds. The result of experience, not some inborn instinct.

“As such, this instinct must be cultivated. This, along with the slow growth of mana pools, is one of the reasons that so few develop the ability to use magic before the age of twenty. Bear this in mind throughout your education. An untrained person may be able to pick some fruit, but they will never be able to raise a crop like a farmer because farming is the fully developed version of those basic instincts.”

Many in the crowd still seemed to find this analogy undignified, but it made perfect sense to Suria. She found herself wondering about exactly how mana senses worked, since they didn’t seem universal. Fortunately, she didn’t need to speak up, because several others called out similar questions.

“Yes, yes, I hear you.” The professor waved his hands with a smile, though not his wand this time. “Mana perception is not a single sense, but a thousand overlapping senses that must be developed separately. A mage who has studied fire magic will be able to sense it more precisely, and from a greater distance, than he or she could sense water magic.

“This can have some interesting applications when it comes to less obvious forms of magic. One of the most common is spatial magic: it has no obvious signal like flame, and accordingly could pass unnoticed. And yet, if one focuses on uses of spatial magic, one can slowly build an entirely new sense…”

As the lecture continued, Suria realized she had a smile plastered on her face. Some of the others were growing bored and restless, but she continued to lean forward, soaking in everything…

~ ~ ~

The first term continued, and though it wasn’t all as captivating as the first day, Suria continued to love it. She had Foundations of Modern Spellcraft every other day, but it was joined by her second class after two sessions.

Commercial Application of Talisman Artificing took place in the Earth Society Building, which gave her a good reason to explore a little further into the western side of campus. The building was the grandest marble construction on a campus filled with grand marble, all sleek surfaces and elegant designs compared to the blocky or rugged stone of other buildings. It was also laid out entirely sensibly, though she didn’t need to go deep into it for class.

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As far as she could tell, the building was dedicated to more business-oriented magic. There were no gaggles of nobles here, only serious craftsmen and craftswomen, including many older than the average student. Her first couple of classes were boring but practical. She felt confident that the course would help her earn money, teach her a little more about talismans, and provide a source of supplies.

Four days into the term, Suria finally had her first session of Introduction to Glyphic Combat. She was excited for it, both due to the subject matter and because it took place in the tower.

That tower, piercing out of the near edge of the forest, had been one of the first things she’d seen of Darkmoon University, even before she’d set foot inside. Apparently it was called Skypiercer Tower, or just the Skypiercer by most students. It really was shockingly tall, especially when standing nearby. She worried a little about finding the base, but there proved to be a cleared path into the forest that led directly to the front door.