3rd of Searing 4622
What truly was magic? It is a controversial question with many answers, most of Daravin would say it is a divine blessing. The nobility would say it is a sign of the favour of the mighty Ulen, may his return be swift, and that those who are the most magical are thus some of the most blessed. As far as Hugo knew, in Lorien, it was feared as a way it would give people power. Power to dominate the weak institutions and minds of the people that lived there. There it was seen as a form of power and control over the world. Thus that state is afraid of its power and only allows it when it was under their control. Meanwhile, in Grisic it is feared and viewed with disgust and superstition as a force of corruption upon the world. A view dominated by past history and a hidden fear of its power rivalling that of its non-magical rulers.
One truth is clear in their view of magic, it holds power. Whether they see it as being used for good or ill they saw it as power. This was something that Hugo agreed with. Magic was power, the power to bend the natural order of this plane to your own world by harnessing the power of ether and your own will. This was not a sign of favour of god, or of sin, it merely meant that someone had a strong power of will and had the affinity and luck not to die to an initiation. The idea that it was a sign of divine favour was unlikely, saints and sinners and those who held beliefs diametrically opposed to Ulendreaism possessed magic as well. Still, some might say that having the power of magic was a sign of superiority, of power beyond mortal institutions and that it was an extension of survival of the fittest, for amongst all humans magic was the most powerful force. This was also untrue in Hugo's view, a person could potentially be the most powerful mage in existence, but they could potentially know nothing of how to administrate an empire, how to lead its armies, how to stir the masses to passions or write a legal code that would create a long-lasting compact between various peoples. These were abilities which were not linked to any kind of magic whatsoever. And yet, the idea of magical superiority did have an appeal even to Hugo's mind. For Magic was still power, and the sacrifices and will of its practitioners should be admired. That these people had the ability to change the world on its elemental basis and decide not to use it for one reason or another.
Regardless, magic provided vast benefits to its users and even more so if these users lived in Daravin, the greatest centre of magic of probably this entire plane of existence. This led to Hugo standing outside the cottage that he currently lived in and calmly breathing in and out. Closing his eyes and trying to listen to all the surrounding sounds from his environment. Some inept resonancers believed that one should isolate these sounds and only focus on the sound that you create, but that was the path to mediocrity. One should not only understand those sounds created by themselves but also how it interacts with others. Sounds and vibration don't exist in a vacuum, almost nothing does, so as Pascal had told him so long ago, he had to listen. Listen to the sound of the pigs and chickens in a nearby cottage. Listen to the sound of people walking by the cottage on the outskirts of Genteven and most of all listen to the sound of people talking to each other. For these individuals, these humans made sounds, vibrations in the air. They took in the air from their environment, letting it enter their lungs, do any number of biological interactions and then it went out again. In bursts controlled by the larynx. Thousands of tiny parts in one of the most complicated parts of biology. Then out from the throats of people come these highly controlled vibrations, behaving in certain patterns and certain sounds in order to create language. Frequencies and manipulations of the air were then transferred in the brain to meaning. It almost exceeded human belief that through these elemental processes all of human society and communication were made possible.
Hugo finally listened carefully to the sounds of the small creatures, his attention to these things greater than that of the average person. Feeling the tiny vibrations in the air caused by the blowing of the wind, the creaking of wood and the rustling of the leaves. With a low sigh, Hugo finished identifying the most noticeable sounds in his environment. Finishing the basic exercise before he did any other Resonance abilities. Then Hugo stepped into the large wooden tub that was used for baths.
Hugo felt the heated water against the skin, the way water rippled against it and formed its own vibration. So small but so much more evident and isolated in the water. Then Hugo sat down and though he had to squeeze he managed to bring the entirety of his body underwater. He could feel the pressure on his ears mounting, water pushing inwards into his hearing diaphragm and distorting the sounds that came from outside, but best of all, at least for the initial testing, allowing him to transmit sound through the water rather than air. By using water as a means to transfer sound rather than air hard sounds could be more effectively isolated. More effectively transmitted and, as was now to be tested, actual feedback should be easier to identify. Admittedly a large pool of water would be better if he wanted to test this but he was not going to be caught naked in some random dirty lake by a peasant or even worse, by anyone of any standing. As such the bathtub was used as a substitute. Now, it was time to focus on the more magical part of all of this.
Thus Hugo folded his hands together and pulled, pulling raw ether towards him and manipulating it into resonance magic. He could feel this vibration and energy spreading out from his back where his Sign was located and then he channelled it into the water. Then a loud sound went through the water, it was a burst of low-frequency sound and then it was gone. Then he released another sound, with a higher frequency this time and felt how it reverberated through the water. The first task that Hugo had was to find the right frequency to use (at least for use underwater) finding the balance between being detectable by his senses (magical and mundane) and being high enough that the greatest amount of sound and frequency being sent out. Eventually, he managed to find a basic balance, now he began to focus more on interpreting what was coming back. This was..... hard. Especially due to the small size of the bathtub and the speed at which sound went back and forth, bouncing through the tub and on Hugo's body. So many different bounces, it was hard to make out. And yet Hugo managed to get a better feeling by using Intonation on his most immediate surroundings. He managed to decrease the speed that sound travelled. Something that ironically was the opposite of the use most associated with intonation. With the speed that sound travel decreased through more use of magic Hugo could now more effectively interpret the sounds that were coming back to him. He could through his magical instincts feel how the sound waves reverberate of a large shape of some sort. This was of course Hugo's body but he finally smiled in triumph.
Then he felt the choking sensation and the sensation of being short of breath and thus Hugo let his head burst out of the water. He took a few deep breaths and winced as he saw that some drops of water had landed on the carpet. This was something that he would certainly hear back from Angelique about that. Still, he could not help but smile in slight triumph. Thus Hugo stepped out of the bathtub, he stood on the wooden flooring and then grabbed a dry towel and let it dry out his hair and the rest of his body. Afterwards, he put on his set of night clothes and began preparing to go sleep that night. BUt not before sending out several bursts of sound, this time he had to increase the sound by a large frequency to make out anything he could feel that there were shapes, but at this moment it was all just a single very large blur, Still, satisfied with how his evening had gone Hugo made his way to bed. Preparing himself for another day of study and work tomorrow.
What truly was magic? It is a controversial question with many answers, most of Daravin would say it is a divine blessing. The nobility would say it is a sign of the favour of the mighty Ulen, may his return be swift, and that those who are the most magical are thus some of the most blessed. As far as Hugo knew, in Lorien, it was feared as a way it would give people power. Power to dominate the weak institutions and minds of the people that lived there. There it was seen as a form of power and control over the world. Thus that state is afraid of its power and only allows it when it was under their control. Meanwhile, in Grisic it is feared and viewed with disgust and superstition as a force of corruption upon the world. A view dominated by past history and a hidden fear of its power rivalling that of its non-magical rulers.
One truth is clear in their view of magic, it holds power. Whether they see it as being used for good or ill they saw it as power. This was something that Hugo agreed with. Magic was power, the power to bend the natural order of this plane to your own world by harnessing the power of ether and your own will. This was not a sign of favour of god, or of sin, it merely meant that someone had a strong power of will and had the affinity and luck not to die to an initiation. The idea that it was a sign of divine favour was unlikely, saints and sinners and those who held beliefs diametrically opposed to Ulendreaism possessed magic as well. Still, some might say that having the power of magic was a sign of superiority, of power beyond mortal institutions and that it was an extension of survival of the fittest, for amongst all humans magic was the most powerful force. This was also untrue in Hugo's view, a person could potentially be the most powerful mage in existence, but they could potentially know nothing of how to administrate an empire, how to lead its armies, how to stir the masses to passions or write a legal code that would create a long-lasting compact between various peoples. These were abilities which were not linked to any kind of magic whatsoever. And yet, the idea of magical superiority did have an appeal even to Hugo's mind. For Magic was still power, and the sacrifices and will of its practitioners should be admired. That these people had the ability to change the world on its elemental basis and decide not to use it for one reason or another.
Regardless, magic provided vast benefits to its users and even more so if these users lived in Daravin, the greatest centre of magic of probably this entire plane of existence. This led to Hugo standing outside the cottage that he currently lived in and calmly breathing in and out. Closing his eyes and trying to listen to all the surrounding sounds from his environment. Some inept resonancers believed that one should isolate these sounds and only focus on the sound that you create, but that was the path to mediocrity. One should not only understand those sounds created by themselves but also how it interacts with others. Sounds and vibration don't exist in a vacuum, almost nothing does, so as Pascal had told him so long ago, he had to listen. Listen to the sound of the pigs and chickens in a nearby cottage. Listen to the sound of people walking by the cottage on the outskirts of Genteven and most of all listen to the sound of people talking to each other. For these individuals, these humans made sounds, vibrations in the air. They took in the air from their environment, letting it enter their lungs, do any number of biological interactions and then it went out again. In bursts controlled by the larynx. Thousands of tiny parts in one of the most complicated parts of biology. Then out from the throats of people come these highly controlled vibrations, behaving in certain patterns and certain sounds in order to create language. Frequencies and manipulations of the air were then transferred in the brain to meaning. It almost exceeded human belief that through these elemental processes all of human society and communication were made possible.
Hugo finally listened carefully to the sounds of the small creatures, his attention to these things greater than that of the average person. Feeling the tiny vibrations in the air caused by the blowing of the wind, the creaking of wood and the rustling of the leaves. With a low sigh, Hugo finished identifying the most noticeable sounds in his environment. Finishing the basic exercise before he did any other Resonance abilities. Then Hugo stepped into the large wooden tub that was used for baths.
Hugo felt the heated water against the skin, the way water rippled against it and formed its own vibration. So small but so much more evident and isolated in the water. Then Hugo sat down and though he had to squeeze he managed to bring the entirety of his body underwater. He could feel the pressure on his ears mounting, water pushing inwards into his hearing diaphragm and distorting the sounds that came from outside, but best of all, at least for the initial testing, allowing him to transmit sound through the water rather than air. By using water as a means to transfer sound rather than air hard sounds could be more effectively isolated. More effectively transmitted and, as was now to be tested, actual feedback should be easier to identify. Admittedly a large pool of water would be better if he wanted to test this but he was not going to be caught naked in some random dirty lake by a peasant or even worse, by anyone of any standing. As such the bathtub was used as a substitute. Now, it was time to focus on the more magical part of all of this.
Thus Hugo folded his hands together and pulled, pulling raw ether towards him and manipulating it into resonance magic. He could feel this vibration and energy spreading out from his back where his Sign was located and then he channelled it into the water. Then a loud sound went through the water, it was a burst of low-frequency sound and then it was gone. Then he released another sound, with a higher frequency this time and felt how it reverberated through the water. The first task that Hugo had was to find the right frequency to use (at least for use underwater) finding the balance between being detectable by his senses (magical and mundane) and being high enough that the greatest amount of sound and frequency being sent out. Eventually, he managed to find a basic balance, now he began to focus more on interpreting what was coming back. This was..... hard. Especially due to the small size of the bathtub and the speed at which sound went back and forth, bouncing through the tub and on Hugo's body. So many different bounces, it was hard to make out. And yet Hugo managed to get a better feeling by using Intonation on his most immediate surroundings. He managed to decrease the speed that sound travelled. Something that ironically was the opposite of the use most associated with intonation. With the speed that sound travel decreased through more use of magic Hugo could now more effectively interpret the sounds that were coming back to him. He could through his magical instincts feel how the sound waves reverberate of a large shape of some sort. This was of course Hugo's body but he finally smiled in triumph.
Then he felt the choking sensation and the sensation of being short of breath and thus Hugo let his head burst out of the water. He took a few deep breaths and winced as he saw that some drops of water had landed on the carpet. This was something that he would certainly hear back from Angelique about that. Still, he could not help but smile in slight triumph. Thus Hugo stepped out of the bathtub, he stood on the wooden flooring and then grabbed a dry towel and let it dry out his hair and the rest of his body. Afterwards, he put on his set of night clothes and began preparing to go sleep that night. BUt not before sending out several bursts of sound, this time he had to increase the sound by a large frequency to make out anything he could feel that there were shapes, but at this moment it was all just a single very large blur, Still, satisfied with how his evening had gone Hugo made his way to bed. Preparing himself for another day of study and work tomorrow.
