Theodred "Theo" Kaylin Sammeth (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
deadmanbusiness) wrote2012-10-17 10:52 am
deadmanbusiness) wrote2012-10-17 10:52 am
(no subject)
Hi.
Want to talk to Theo? Leave a message here.
Are you undead? Fantastic! What's okay for Theo to do to you? If anything.
What can Theo do with the undead, you may ask?
He's a necromancer. He can control and create undead, including vampires and liches. (If it's in the D&D monster manual he could probably make it.) Vampires created by him would be the first of their lines and have no sires. He can also sense any undead around and undead will detect him as an undead.
Obviously he can't flat out control other people's characters or influence them but if there's something you'd be okay with him doing, let me know here.
On general principle Theo won't try and control undead unless they attack him. It's rude to do otherwise.
Also, how's my Zombie Raising? (Cause driving's for wussies!) Anon enabled. If you want private you can Pm me.
Want to talk to Theo? Leave a message here.
Are you undead? Fantastic! What's okay for Theo to do to you? If anything.
What can Theo do with the undead, you may ask?
He's a necromancer. He can control and create undead, including vampires and liches. (If it's in the D&D monster manual he could probably make it.) Vampires created by him would be the first of their lines and have no sires. He can also sense any undead around and undead will detect him as an undead.
Obviously he can't flat out control other people's characters or influence them but if there's something you'd be okay with him doing, let me know here.
On general principle Theo won't try and control undead unless they attack him. It's rude to do otherwise.
Also, how's my Zombie Raising? (Cause driving's for wussies!) Anon enabled. If you want private you can Pm me.
email | Thursday afternoon
First I want to extend my apologies; with the influx of visitors this past weekend our meeting completely slipped my mind. At the moment I find myself without the ability to speak until the 10th of March, and outings in somewhat crowded places are proving to be a rather taxing endeavor.
With that in mind, I was hoping that we could move our conversation to electronic mail instead? I have any number of questions and it might be better to have a record of them so I don't find myself being repetitive.
Please let me know what would work best for you at your earliest convenience.
Sincerely,
Charles Xavier
Re: email | Thursday afternoon
Your apologies are fine and unnecessary. I had a rather hectic weekend myself. A co-worker of mine showed up and his familiar with her kittens did as well. Trying to keep up with six curious and teleporting kittens is an exhausting experience. Also expensive.
I don't mind answering questions over email. You're right, it's probably a better way.
Theodred Sammeth
email | Thursday afternoon
My goodness. Teleporting kittens? I should think the regular sort would be trouble enough if allowed.
I suppose I should start with obtaining some clarification: everyone in your world possesses some degree of ability, correct? How are those abilities measured against the abilities of others? Is that something that is only determined through the educational system or is there another method?
If there are people who are born without an ability, what happens to them?
Re: email | Thursday afternoon
Charles,
Yes, teleporting kittens. Which is just as bad as you think it is, and then some. And one of them can eat anything, doesn't get sick from eating anything and is dumb as a rock. Sweetest thing ever, but dumb as a rock. Thus a lot of property damage.
Everyone has some sort of ability and it's in-born. Though a good deal of the population is strong enough to just use things like charms, cell phones and self-cooling cans. I believe the way power strength is spread through out the population is similar to that of intelligence. This isn't so say that smarter people are going to be more powerful magically, but the percentages are similar. There are far fewer doctors who have the ability to do brain surgery than there are that can sew up stitches.
Usually children are required to be tested before they start school at the same time they get their vaccinations. The testing usually gives a hint of what sort of talents the child will have, and their strength will grow as they age. Around eighteen they'll be as strong as they'll ever be.
Sometimes we'll show abilities earlier, I started being able to raise the dead when I was three or four my parents had to dampen my abilities until I was old enough to learn how to control it. But that could be because I'm half god.
I've never heard of anyone born without an ability. Being able to manipulate the magical field is part of our DNA.
[IE. Magical abilities are treated like intelligence. Sometimes, like Theo you get prodigies, but it's something you grow into.]
email
I will, perhaps, remain glad that I only had to deal with hosting a dinner party. I was fortunate enough not to even have to cook for it. [ Just shop, really. ]
All of this information is fascinating but (possibly unfortunately) has created more questions for me. I'll try to keep them short since I'm certain I'll be requesting a bit of clarification on all of them. Thus:
- What exactly is a god, in this context: as in how is such a thing decided now versus how it was decided to begin with when those like your deific parent or other relation were given the title? If it is not a recent title, that is.
- Since magic exists as a species-wide mutation where you are from, how did the term magic even come to be?
- What happens to those who aren't tested? Or parents who refuse to submit their children to testing?
- How does ability dampening work, exactly?
- Are there any ideas as to why the abilities plateau at eighteen, as opposed to the ending of puberty or it's onset or any other biological marker?
- Is it known how long people have been able to access and manipulate the magical field (the definition of which I actually wouldn't mind clarification on as well) on a genetic level? Is it considered a mutation and was it originally selective? Or did this happen in a generation?
Sincerely,
Charles
Re: email
Next time the kittens come to town I'm crashing your place.
1. A god is hard to explain. My father, uncle and brother are over seven thousand years old. (I'm twenty-eight). Gods are not human. They are sustained by belief in them. When people stop believing they fade away. The only reason why my father and uncle out of their family has survived is because my father has a very strong belief in himself and my uncle fell in love with someone and refuses to leave him alone. A god has certain abilities pertaining to their sphere of influence. I can't exactly tell you how it works, you'll have to forgive me on that.
But my father is and does take care of the souls of our people when they die. There are a lot fewer of them now than there were at the height of our people's time, but we still have some followers.
2. It's... like any sort of energy source? Air is a world wide phenomenon and yet we have a word for it. As we get further advanced we learn more about how air is made but it's still air. So is blood. It's like an electromagnetic field that we project, I guess. Some of us have stronger fields than others.
3. Nothing. Their parents are very surprised. A lot of public schools in the States won't let you in if you haven't been tested, but there's no mandatory law saying you have to be.
4. Dunno. Not my field of expertise. The theory is sort of creating a reflection or a fence around the magical aura a person has so it can project but I don't know the technical details.
5. I meant the end of puberty. I used eighteen as a short hand. That was my fault.
6. As long as history has been recorded. According to the gods, at least. Considering how long some of them have been around, I think they would know. It's not considered a mutation any more than having eyes would be considered a mutation.
When I first came to the city I couldn't believe - still have trouble with it - that there are people who are born without magical abilities. It's like something out of a science fiction story.
Sincerly
Prince Theodred, Lord of the Mark.
[Okay, now he's just being silly.]
email
Your Majesty,
It would appear that I became a peer of the realm and promptly forgot! I shall hope you'll forgive me as I would hate to offend the Royal We and a god in the same breath. My manners are clearly in shambles in this bizarre land.
1. That is all very fascinating. Are you the first in your family for seven millennia, then? Are you expected to take an active role in your father's pantheon? If you were the last and had no believers, what would happen to you?
2. & 4. & 6. I suppose it is the etymology that has me stumped. Tracing the word 'magic' back leads one to ritual and priesthood - several of a number of positions that separated one from everyone else since the development of civilization and religion. Part of me wonders, then, what would cause a word like magic to become so all-encompassing of a concept but it may be boiled down to something as simple as I am not content with the common vernacular in this case, which is not your fault at all.
Having eyes was a mutation at one point in the biological history of life.
If there is ever an evolutionary biologist or geneticist who comes from your world to arrive here, I would be forever thankful for the chance to speak with them.
Did you notice this ability being limited, as a child?
5. That's perfectly fine and understandable, thank you.
For a moment I had entertained a notion that a world in which unique and occasionally fantastic abilities would lead to a very different social structure on a massive scale. However I doubt that between the mere two of us we could device a precise enough method of comparison between the histories of our two home worlds or realities.
Instead I will ask you what you think the largest problems in your society are?
Yours,
Charles
Re: email
These things happens. Though I must admit my own address is from a historical fantasy called Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. My father named me after one of the minor characters in the book.
1. No. I'm not. My father and uncle (and possibly my brother, I don't know much about him) have had several children over the years and I have a younger cousin. Since we've all been half human we have to take a sort of 'test' on our eighteenth birthday that will either kill us or unlock our godly abilities. If we don't take it we die a mortal. I don't know how many siblings took the test or refused to take it but none have survived until myself. I am supposed to be the god of the undead, however we just learned recently that contrary to popular belief he's still alive.
As for what would happen to myself if I was the last? I don't honestly know. I believe I would probably fade away like so many other pantheons that have been lost since the rise of Judaism and then Christianity. Apparently having a god that isn't prone to smiting you is very popular. Or having a god that just says "be a good person" is all you need to do, no sacrifices are necessary and since they don't have a physical presence they won't take first pick of your labors, steal your children and do other things.
I imagine if they didn't show up the world would be much different.
[Yup. It was the rise of Judaism that pretty much devastated his family and everyone else. And the world IS much different if Judaism never caught on. Theo will encounter an alternate reality sometime later where this is true.]
2. The strongest magic users used to be priests and then over time it branched out as science and technology marched on.
If Anna ever shows up I'll direct you to her. She's a doctor.
3. I didn't really notice much of a difference because they got the dampeners on me quickly and I never realized what I could do before I couldn't do it any more.
4. What's your Germany like? There's a great chunk of it missing in our world.
5. Right now? Well there's been a lot going on, at least in the United States about vampire rights and how they feel like they should still be able to vote and things like that even if they are dead. Personally, I don't think it'll go anywhere. Of course then again, I'm not even a US citizen because I'm half god.
Also there's been a resurgence of the older gods regaining some of their abilities and powers. We're not exactly sure why this is, however Adrian theorizes that it might be because people are trying to find other religions to believe in and having a physical god is a lot easier to believe in than a thought in the sky. This is sort of worrisome because my father is perhaps not one of the best people to be allowed to return to full power.
It's something the team I belong to is looking into.
email
I rather like Tolkien, I admit.
1. I take it the unexpectedly living deity and your brother are one and the same?
2. So it advanced as a general understanding of and education about the natural world advanced as well? That's very interesting.
4. I should first point out that I have never actually been to Germany. What do you mean by 'missing', are we speaking of literal landmass here or something else?
Germany (and Berlin) have been divided into East Germany and West Germany. Politically and economically the country is rather fractured as a result of the Second World War. The year before I arrived here, a wall was erected in Berlin to stop refugees and immigrants from fleeing East Germany.
5. Do you have citizenship in any nation?
Who is Adrian?
What would returning your father to full power mean in a larger sense?
What is the goal of the team you belong to/what do they do?
-Charles
Re: email
My father is a ridiculously huge fan. Ridiculously. If you couldn't tell from my name at least.
1. Yes. His name is Ashkari, though recently he's been going under the name Ashley Carrey and working as a movie star.
2. Pretty much, yes.
3. During the Dark Ages there was some issues with demons and dragons and it kind of ended up with a literal chunk getting blasted from existence. It's only recently starting to recover. The magical damage to the area was extreme. An almost literal pits of hell, I guess.
4. No, I'm afraid not.
Adrian is our ritual mage. He's one of those folks that are trying to figure out how the universe works, by taking it apart and possibly by making it explode. [He's a mad scientist/physicist.]
My father wants to take over the world and rule with an iron fist.
We're jokingly/seriously called the DMC, Department of Magical Crimes and we're lead by a guy named Rhys. He used to go around by the name Merlin. The DMC is a troubleshooting team. Often times there are problems that governments don't want to deal with or cross too many borders that they can't be handled "in house" without causing an international incident.
So, we take care of it.
Theodred