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Arcana and Avocados
Dec. 29th, 2018 09:34 amOne might expect cultists of an insane, alien god to meet in a dark dungeon, lit only by flickering torches. One might expect that if the cult has infiltrated the highest reaches of power that they might meet instead in an opulent room with a grand, mahogany table. In fact, the Followers of The One Beyond the Veil had rented out the conference facilities at a small hotel in a Boston suburb.
Now, on the third and final day of the conference, the conference-going cultists awaited for the report from Richard Bartholomew Ovington the Third, the current Mage-In-Waiting. All knew that the title bestowed on Ovington was the highest magical title the Followers could give, for not until the hated Veil was rent asunder and their dark master returned to this universe would the thaumaturgical forces be strong enough for anyone to be truly described as a Mage. Most but not all of them knew how Ovington had started out as one more recruit chosen in part for his heritage and name which made him a good liaison among the country-club set, and that sheer talent and relentless ambition had propelled Ovington to his current lofty-heights.
Ovington came to the podium; he was an average looking man with blond hair. One might describe him as slightly taller than average or slightly better looking than average, but not by much. He wore an impeccably tailored suit with a small silver and gold colored pin; rumors said that the pin was itself a powerful magical artifact, but in truth it was a mere affectation; Ovington had more than enough magical devices, some literally up his sleeves.
Ovington's speech was calm and measured, but anyone watching could see the growing consternation in the room as he detailed the recently discovered nature of the spell preventing their master from entering this reality.
"So to summarize, like most powerful wards, the spell was deliberately constructed to have a weak point, in order to make it substantially easier to cast. After two hundred years we have successfully analyzed the weak point. In this case, however the weak point has a variety of distinct contingencies built in making it even more difficult than usual to break. A food which is green in color, and which was made from plants not known to the spellcasters of the original spell, must be placed inside a silver musical instrument with certain runes carved inside it. This must occur twelve times at least, no two times of which are more than a week away from each other, and it cannot be done by someone who knows of the spell they are breaking or has been coerced or paid to do so. Each event must occur on a single natural island with a population of at least one million people. Any questions?"
Immediately hands shot up.
"This seems extremely difficult to engineer. Would it be easier to remove the ward simply by brute force?"
Ovington suppressed a sigh. He thought that the answer to that should have been obvious.
"We have tried in the last two hundred years repeatedly to remove or damage the ward through such means, including using the raw necromantic power of human sacrifice. All has been unsuccessful. The wards protecting the Veil were created when magic was still strong in this world, indeed they were created by some of the greatest mages mortal minds may ever know. The sheer power available to them dwarfs anything we are likely to be able to harness or channel. Next question."
"How can we possibly manage to trigger all the events needed?"
"Well, some of the triggers are easier than others. It is clear that the mages who constructed the spell didn't anticipate modern population growth. Manhattan for example has more than enough people. And the food requirement itself can be fulfilled simply by using foods from the New World. But to have a person willingly fulfill the requirements is difficult. However, as we speak, we are working on a plan. I intend to have a report on that ready in the next few weeks."
Author's note: If you have a better explanation for https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/22/t-magazine/difficult-art.html I'll be happy to hear it.
Now, on the third and final day of the conference, the conference-going cultists awaited for the report from Richard Bartholomew Ovington the Third, the current Mage-In-Waiting. All knew that the title bestowed on Ovington was the highest magical title the Followers could give, for not until the hated Veil was rent asunder and their dark master returned to this universe would the thaumaturgical forces be strong enough for anyone to be truly described as a Mage. Most but not all of them knew how Ovington had started out as one more recruit chosen in part for his heritage and name which made him a good liaison among the country-club set, and that sheer talent and relentless ambition had propelled Ovington to his current lofty-heights.
Ovington came to the podium; he was an average looking man with blond hair. One might describe him as slightly taller than average or slightly better looking than average, but not by much. He wore an impeccably tailored suit with a small silver and gold colored pin; rumors said that the pin was itself a powerful magical artifact, but in truth it was a mere affectation; Ovington had more than enough magical devices, some literally up his sleeves.
Ovington's speech was calm and measured, but anyone watching could see the growing consternation in the room as he detailed the recently discovered nature of the spell preventing their master from entering this reality.
"So to summarize, like most powerful wards, the spell was deliberately constructed to have a weak point, in order to make it substantially easier to cast. After two hundred years we have successfully analyzed the weak point. In this case, however the weak point has a variety of distinct contingencies built in making it even more difficult than usual to break. A food which is green in color, and which was made from plants not known to the spellcasters of the original spell, must be placed inside a silver musical instrument with certain runes carved inside it. This must occur twelve times at least, no two times of which are more than a week away from each other, and it cannot be done by someone who knows of the spell they are breaking or has been coerced or paid to do so. Each event must occur on a single natural island with a population of at least one million people. Any questions?"
Immediately hands shot up.
"This seems extremely difficult to engineer. Would it be easier to remove the ward simply by brute force?"
Ovington suppressed a sigh. He thought that the answer to that should have been obvious.
"We have tried in the last two hundred years repeatedly to remove or damage the ward through such means, including using the raw necromantic power of human sacrifice. All has been unsuccessful. The wards protecting the Veil were created when magic was still strong in this world, indeed they were created by some of the greatest mages mortal minds may ever know. The sheer power available to them dwarfs anything we are likely to be able to harness or channel. Next question."
"How can we possibly manage to trigger all the events needed?"
"Well, some of the triggers are easier than others. It is clear that the mages who constructed the spell didn't anticipate modern population growth. Manhattan for example has more than enough people. And the food requirement itself can be fulfilled simply by using foods from the New World. But to have a person willingly fulfill the requirements is difficult. However, as we speak, we are working on a plan. I intend to have a report on that ready in the next few weeks."
Author's note: If you have a better explanation for https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/22/t-magazine/difficult-art.html I'll be happy to hear it.
