A Magick Lesson
Blog entry

03/04/05

While we were in the shower this morning Torlinque told me that Kharie'l still wants him to do a three month stint at the border lands. This is not what you think it is. I'm talking about the place that is the edge of the remnant of Selar. It is no longer a spherical planet, but a flat realm that only includes part of the world we once knew. The edges are guarded by lots of magick and Adrastai against anything that might try to come in from out in the Void, vor'jen for example.

He told me Kharie'l thinks he's getting "soft" and that it'd be good for him. Now, I have spoken with Kharie'l about this on more than one occasion. I have been very clear that I will have none of that. I refuse to have Torlinque put in that kind of danger while I am compromised (stuck in this incarnation). If anything were to happen to him, and all communication were cut off, I'd die of grief. It's a risk I'm not willing to take. Who knows where I'd end up then? Besides, he's a Temple Guard and they never have to do border work like that. I asked Torlinque what Kharie'l could possibly do to him if he just outright refused to go. "Strip me of my rank." he said immediately. "Well, we don't want that." I sighed.

I told Torlinque the only way out of this is to prove to Kharie'l that he hasn't gone soft at all by challenging him to an honor duel, on the field, in front of everybody. Torlinque accepted this readily, but had a bit of doubt also. "Sigh, live steel. He won't let up you know, not even a little bit, especially because I'm his son. He thinks he's taught me everything I know, and he'll have himself to prove as well." he said.

"Ah, but he hasn't taught you everything you know, my Love. I have taught you a thing or two as well." I said. "I could enliven my fakhai'n..." "No, no. Not against Kharie'l. If even you only took first blood, it might be enough to give him a poisoned wound from which he might not recover. Enlivening would work, but it's too risky. I have something else in mind."

So, I worked with Torlinque a bit on his magick. There is a modification to the fire starting spell among my clan that one can use to kill with if need be, and he has mastered it to a certain degree. He can't generate the power on his own that I can though, and that is to be expected since he is not Clan Kholi'ani.

I had him practice with that a few times, just hitting a small target on the floor. I told him though, that he obviously didn't want to kill his father, so he would have to develop a more subtle skill, the Touch of Threat.

I told him that the energy drawing technique is the same as what he had just practised, but that much more control is needed. Instead of releasing the energy through the palm of the hand in a beam, one transfers it to the fingertips in a slight vibration and then grabs hold of one's opponent. It is used for "diplomatic negotiations" when one wishes to be firm and one's opponent is within arm's reach. Appropriate accompanying facial expression is optional.

When I demonstrated it on him, Torlinque blanched and his eyes got very wide. The Touch of Threat lets your opponent know, in no uncertain terms, that you are capable of killing by touch alone and they'd better not argue with you any longer. (The fact that this really doesn't work on this physical earth plane is probably a good thing. I can toss a Glamour that creates a reasonable facsimile, but it does no real damage.)

Torlinque got the hang of it surprisingly quickly. Good for him!

I know for certain that Kharie'l has reserved a couple of fighting tricks for himself that he doesn't teach anyone just for situations like this when he "needs" to put another Adrastai in his place, but I don't think he knows that I've been teaching Torlinque magick over the years.