TheStarsAreRight:CarlNote12
REDLAND JACK
While waiting for nightfall after mapping the leylines, Redland approaches Carl.
"Howdy. Do you have a minute? I was hoping to run a couple of things by you."
CARL
"Sure. Have a seat. What's on your mind?"
REDLAND JACK
"As always, a bunch of stuff, but most pressing, I suppose, would be this business with the Outsider (whose name is definitely not 'Joe'). I know that my summoning him up earlier botched up the ritual you were trying to perform. If things work like I hope, are there likely to be any consequences of which I'm unaware? You know, along the lines of interfering with your ritual, such as screwing up something for the Tsar or the Alchemists or whatnot."
CARL
“Well, let’s talk about that. What you did really did not interfere with my work, but it was unexpected, so I got distracted and alarmed. I suppose the remedy there is simply to make sure that we know you’re going to perform a summons, so that it doesn’t take anyone by surprise.
“Beyond that, how exactly do you hope things will go?” Curiously.
REDLAND JACK
"Ah. Fair enough. I mostly just want to summon him up, ask a whole stack of questions (if you have any, feel free to let me know), have him give me some crystal-clear answers, see if there's anything he wants, and then let him head back 'Outside'... I mentioned 'things working like I hope,' because I figure if things don't happen that way, there will almost certainly be consequences of which I'm unaware!"
CARL
“I see, yes.” Carl nods. “Jack, I don’t like summonings,” he adds candidly. “Don’t care for Outsiders, and my experience has been that the least of them is a disaster waiting to be unleashed. So far you have not had any difficulties, for which I am profoundly grateful, but always I am waiting for the other shoe to drop. It makes me feel better if I can have something in place to react if – when – bad things happen.” He shrugs. “I have only recently come around to the position that negotiation is a useful tool to have. Not too long ago, I would have simply done whatever I could do to ensure that no communication was possible, from either direction.
“I don’t know what the Tsar will want to do with the Dead Spot. Frankly, I hope he will want to close it tight as quickly as he can, but there is always the possibility that he may want to use it, or have his alchemists use it, which amounts to the same thing. Either way our time here is well spent if we armor the walls as strongly as we can, so that nothing can spread from here to infect the rest of the Rodina.
“As for questions, the ones I have are few, and probably unanswerable. Such as, what can we do to make all the Outsiders simply go away?”
REDLAND JACK
Redland looks a touch deflated. "Hmm. Insofar as you have little to gain by my proposed summoning tonight, would you prefer that I abandon the plan entirely? To an extent, it gets at the situation which has always, I'd say been implicit more than explicit. That is, if you actively wanted me to not summon Outsiders, it would be a simple matter, as the disparity in our knowledge and power is enormous. If you order me to not summon Outsiders, it would place me in the position of either leaving the group or abandoning my goal (or being underhanded, I suppose). If you indicate that I probably shouldn't, my position is roughly where I'm at now, namely, proceeding in fits-and-starts, mostly opportunistically. If you're neutral on summoning (or better), I'm more likely to press the issue and start summoning at a greater rate (until something happens that makes me rethink my strategy).
"I've considered us to be residing somewhere between 'probably should not' and 'neutral'. Is that a misread of the situation? I know that sometimes (often?) I rely on your lenient nature / goodwill and do things (repeatedly) of which you disapprove, which is assuredly discourteous of me. Do you resent this? Is it your belief that something like the 'Worldsoul' has put me in your path, and this is what allows you to tolerate my disruptions?"
CARL
“A fair question,” Carl replies. “Questions.” He turns to you with a hint of a smile. “It is funny, isn’t it, that we tiptoe around all this so much? You’re right, we ought to be candid with one another. So, okay.” He spreads his hands.
“I have a choice, Jack. I believe, wholeheartedly, that the Outside is not for us. We don’t want it, we don’t need it, it is bad for us and for the world. But – having said that – I, we, cannot afford to ignore it, because it is not ignoring us. Ignoring it won’t make it go away.
“We’re ignorant. Ignorant of what is there – of what the Outsiders want with us – of what they value – of what they fear or love or whatever evokes alien reactions, to make them come – or make them go.
“For whatever reason, I have been given a role that grants me some influence with the Outside. The right to offer and refuse; given my Kingship, I believe my demesne is one of possibility, that I can, at least in theory, offer up or withhold the power and potential for change in the World. That is worth a great deal to me. I wish I knew what it was worth to Others.
“But regardless – the fact remains that, like so many other powers, my ability to place these things on the table is worthless if I collapse or am incapacitated by the presence of the Other. You saw it yourself, with the alchemists. That is a fatal weakness. There is no point in attempting trade if I cannot be certain that I can finish the deal.
“So I need a voice to speak for me. Hands to work for me. To represent my interests and execute my promises, steadily, faithfully, and with as little risk as possible, where doing it myself would be too risky. Do you see? That voice, that negotiator, he must not only be steadfast and loyal – he must be knowledgeable. He must learn to ride those alien rapids, to read the currents and the signs, to know when deals should be made and when they should not – but if they are made, then they must be good ones. Because we have little room for mistakes, no wealth to squander.
“Does that make sense, Jack? I see in you a man who does not – or at least has not – fallen prey to the Allergy. You do not quail before the Other, and that is vital. But at the same time, you do not know what any of this is worth, any more than I – and you do not seem to have the desire to bargain hard to keep safe what is yours. It has been hard for me to watch what you do. Sometimes I am terrified. But again, we both need to learn – and doing is the only way to learn right now. So I try to stay silent, although my feelings probably show. Hoping, always, that you will find the knowledge to make yourself strong – and bring me the knowledge to defend us all.”
He swallows.
“So there you have it. Not sure what sort of an answer it is. You have the tools; but are you made for the job?”
REDLAND JACK
"It is an important question, and it is one to which I don't the answer. Am I fit for the job? Whether or not I'm fit, I've been operating under the assumption, so far, that I'm the only one for the job. But, of course, that just raises your other question: Should the job be done at all?
"I agree with you that doing is probably the best way of learning, at least at this point. We'll just need to make sure that you and Dale, and others, keep an eye on me. Make sure everything is going okay. It's frightening to contemplate that if things go wrong for me, I may be unable to tell ... that I may become a different person, corrupted.
"Please let me know if I am acting in a way that seems unusual for me. You've only known me for a short while, so it may be hard to tell. Also, let me know if I am trying your patience too severely. I know how I can be. I won't take it well, of course, but sometimes we have to face things that are unpleasant."
CARL
“Jack,” Carl replies soberly, “I have tried not to interfere with your studies unless you asked me for help. Rest assured, however, that I do what I can to watch, and to help, whenever needed.” He tips his head, quietly amused. “You have not always made it easy. You hide things, and you like to slip away. I can appreciate that; I know that I seem often disapproving of the things that are important to you. And the other things – the illnesses, the holes in your memory – those cannot be any comfort to you – any more than your amiable relationship with the Dark Pharaoh is to me.
“But if we keep talking, if you continue to share your concerns, show me the world from your point of view, and don’t merely stay quiet for whatever reason, then I *will* know you better, and can better help at need. Same for Dale and the others.
“On top of it all, you know, I do like you.” He shrugs. “And yes – if the job is to be done, right now you’re the best man we’ve got. That’s no small thing, and it means that we need to help you get ready any way we can, even if the ultimate need never arises.”
He shifts a bit in his seat.
“So let’s get you some good tools. I have a bit of knowledge and some techniques which I can share. You may find it a bit more, ah, disciplined than you like, but a bit of rigor may save your life someday, hmm?”
REDLAND JACK
"That sounds good to me. I can't imagine that actually knowing what I'm doing (to some extent) will harm me. It's always good to know more."
He thinks of something suddenly. "Oh. As a brief aside, I've been talking about some of this sorcery stuff with Dale, and one things he's mentioned is that it is not a good idea to use the names of Outsiders casually. That it can draw their attention. Should I refer to the Dark Pharaoh by some other appelation, going forward (and similarly with my other Outsider pal, once I learn/give him a name)? Or is 'Dark Pharaoh' already a 'safe' nickname?
"Anyways, I'd appreciate any knowledge or techniques you can teach me. I can't promise that I'll necessarily agree with them, but it is assuredly better to have the knowledge, and hence options, then not."
CARL
“Dale is right. It is not recommended to use any real names in sorcery, unless you know you are among friends. That applies both to Outsiders and to the sorcerers who contact them. In the case of the Dark Pharaoh, well, that is a nickname already, and in fact a nickname for a particular subform of that entity. You’re safe using it. Likewise, you should never use your own true name, or that of anyone else you care about, in conversations with Outside beings. The Redland Jack handle should suffice for you; amongst the Outsiders, I am generally known as the Philosopher King, or sometimes Galileo. As well, now, as the King of Life, which is a title more than a nickname but is not personal.
“Tell you what: I have a small sorcery kit in my luggage. Let me get it for you, and show you what’s in there and how to use it; then I’ll try to get in touch with Tony and get some further answers for you. Hmm?”
Carl's sorcery kit:
A small box containing the following:
- several colors of chalk
- three each, white, black, red, green candles
- matches and a striker
- a small wooden bowl
- a small copper bowl
- a glass rod and six wooden rods
- a 50' spool of 20ga silver wire
- a 10' spool of 20ga copper wire
- a small spool of silk cord
- two small spools of thread, one red, one white
- a handful of small wound-wire charms, some of which have been imbedded in resin
- three knives, one pair scissors
- three small squares of cloth
- a square of slate 6" across
- a square of dark metal 6" across
- a small vial of silvery paint
- four other small vials, wax sealed. One labeled 'wine', one 'water', one 'spirits' and one 'a.v.'
"Tony Grimaldi carries a much more elaborate ritual kit. He knows more about such things than I; perhaps you two should talk at some point. But here goes...."
"Hmm. I'm going to give you the simplified tale here. Actual occult sorcery is very rich in imagery and significance, but we'll look at the more sterile and streamlined version here.
"What is in this kit can be broken down, roughly, into three different categories. Stuff to keep you safer, stuff to help you know what you've called up, and stuff to make the calling-up easier and the mood of the conversation more genial; in a word, bribes.
"Wat you will not see in this box is a lot of information. I figured I would always be responsible for the signs, patterns, and so forth myself -- that way I don't give away information to people rifling my bags. Much of what I have to teach you, that isn't in the box, are signs and symbols that actually do have power -- I'll show you some of those, talk about what they do and how you can use them yourself.
"First, though, some safety tips. When you are calling up something, you want to be safe. Safe from distractions, safe from interference, and safe from the thing you're calling. And you probably want to ensure that others nearby are safe from you as well. Yes? So we will start with walls and wards. Here."
Carl tears out several sheets of paper from his little notebook, and busies himself for a minute drawing pictures.
"Learn these," he says, handing them to you. "Memorize them and then give them back or burn them, just to be sure. These are useful things.
"First, this is the basic circle of protection. It's called a Hayes-Waite ward, after the men who codified it. Essentially a circle, as you see, with some symbols crossing it and others surrounding. The ward creates a barrier against magic. It isn't particularly strong, you can throw a bolt of energy across it, but it will disrupt spells aimed through it, and it keeps bodiless critters out. Or in. Serves both ways. Draw the circle around your summons? A little demon or Outsider cannot take the taste of you across the ward, has trouble crossing without help. Gives you some control. Contrariwise, if you are out in the world and believe you are being hunted by people with psychic powers, draw one of these around you before you sleep or try mental contact; you will be less disturbed. The ward will also limit the effect of a random misfire, tend to keep it inside the circle. All good things, yes?
"Wards and symbols can be drawn on just about anything solid, but the more distinct and durable the inscription, the better it works. Chalk on stone; a ditch dug into the earth; both are effective. A pattern in iron or silver wire is much more powerful, however -- and a pattern in silver, imbued with ponic force, is very powerful indeed. With me so far?
"Two other patterns I want to teach you, the ones marked A and B there. The first, A, is an ignore-me. Draw it out and enchant it, as before, or stamp it into cement, any other durable form, and it deflects attention away from itself. Distracts the observer, confuses the mind. Good for making hidey-holes. B, on the other hand, is something of a weapon. It makes the viewer uncomfortable - in a powerful form it even causes them pain if they try to approach too closely. Keep the papers for now, both of those are very tough to memorize, for that very reason.
"There's another form of ward too -- a modern one. Many magical effects and critters are disrupted when crossing a simple loop of wire carrying a high-frequency alternating current. There's nno generator in the box, but if you're in an apartment, you can use house current, yes?"
"Now, as I said, any of the wards and sigils work better when they are made more durably -- and best when made from materials very distinct from their surrounds. Chalk lines are just about the weakest, as I said; he strongest combination I have made so far is an enchanted silver pattern, imbued with power, inset into a matrix of enchanted iron. That second square plate is enchanted iron; the paint pot there contains metallic silver. Together they will do well if you need to make a powerful sign.
"Most summoners will work with two wards. One, smaller, between them and their demon, to keep the demon from harming the caller; the other, larger, drawn around the outside, to keep the caller and the outside from interfering with one another. I have one more protection to show you, of a rather different kind. Hand me the spool of silk cord, if you would."
Carl pulls out a penknife and cuts off a length of cord. He then slowly makes a loop and weaves a knot around it, the end result reminiscent of a hangman's noose a few inches across. He undoes it and repeats the process once or twice, so that you can learn to tie the knot also, then gives you the result to keep.
"There are sorcerors out there who protect themselves by sending their perceptions out of their bodies and scouting nearby. The same technique can be used to spy on -- or even interfere with -- a summoning or a sending. I cannot teach you how to travel that way, I've never mastered the technique myself -- but these little knots are called spirit traps. They draw in bodiless spies, catch them, and -" he pantomimes drawing a garrotte tight. "You never know when they'll be needed, hmm?" Carl shrugs. "No enchantment in the making -- the secret is in the cord itself, which is made in a very exacting way.
"Now let's see -- what else...?
"So you've prepared your site, inside and out. Now you want to minimize distractions.
"Most goetic sorcery relies on three basic principles: Similarity, Contagion, and Will. You've probably heard about these before. Similarity says that two things that are similar are connected in some way, and that connection can be used. Contagion says that two things that have come into contact are forever after connected in some way, and that connection can be used. And the principle of Will says that the mind and the will can forge connections between the sorceror and his desired target, and those connections can be used.
"From what I heard you say, you make use of all of these principles when you contact your Outsider. Similarity; you form a bond through your near-death experience. Contagion; you have already touched and know the Other's signature; and Will, in that you concentrate on these things and reach out with your will to open the doorway.
"Naturally, when you must focus your will, distractions can be a bad thing. You can lose your way, or lose control. And if you were dealing with a hostile entity, or needing to dominate or otherwise control one, you might imagine that distractions could be trouble. What you may not realize is that the same is true for the entity you reach. It may be struggling to stay focused on you as well." Carl raises his eyebrows.
"So we want to remove distractions. For both of you, in order that you both can concentrate. Hmm?" Carl nods. "While some contact rites require elaborate productions, your technique would probably benefit from isolation. I recommend a closed room or a tent -- close off external sights and sounds. For most sorcerors, I would also recommend complete and utter darkness. You don't need to see the thing - most sorcerors benefit from *not* seeing them. Easier to focus the will, see?"
“That brings us to the summoning itself. You already have your means to call your friend, and the Pharaoh … but if you will call others, you need three things: A way to catch their notice, a way to lure them to you, and – usually – a way to pay them for their visit.
“If you know a particular entity, and want to call them, chances are you know their Name, or at least something about them that is unique enough to use as a name. Speaking that name, or investing it in a ritual or an object, will catch their notice if done correctly. Most summoning rituals involve a lot of repetition; this serves two purposes. One, calling the name many times increases the likelihood that the target will hear and respond; two, repetition increases focus and is a useful way to invest ponic energy for people who aren’t accustomed to moving it on their own.
“If you don’t know the name or the particular entity, but want to talk to something, you choose qualities and symbols appropriate to the thing you hope to meet. In effect you build up a partial Name from what you have and what you desire. The more qualities you specify, the more likely something out there will match the qualities of your Name and notice the call.
“That is why dedicated sorcerer summoners have large and complex ritual kits with many ingredients prepared in precise ways. It’s all about symbols, and the Principle of Similarity. They memorize countless formulae, and know that, oh, to call the Black Ravener to slay an enemy’s family, they need to light black candles and burn three crows’ feathers when the new moon sets … and so on. Or what have you. Someone like yourself, who has the chance to … peek Outside a little bit … can probably profit from doing your own research. Seek out correspondences that work for you and create a rite that uses them. They do not have to be physical objects, but they must be “right”; they must not only remind you of the One you seek, but have personal associations to you also.
“As a King, I have the means to do this directly: to peer out into the Outside and … sort through the Ones I see, in search of those who have enough in common with me to meet and communicate. If I can get you to the Peruvian Redoubt, there is a room there that acts as a mediation chamber – a place where you could do the same thing, supposedly. Until then, we use the old techniques, thus the kit. But my ability to see directly is why I don’t have a lot of different material in my kit, just the stuff I use to speak to the Worldsoul.
“Hmm. Back to summoning. Once you have chosen your correspondences, you need to call. As I said before, repetition is a common technique – and so is enchantment: investing personal energy into the calling, and into the objects or designs used in your ritual. Ponics, yes – “ Carl pauses, looks up at you. ” Has anyone ever taught you the difference between ordinary and excised Power? It might have been called ‘temporary’ and ‘permanent’ sacrifice. Yes/no?”
Carl nods. “It’s pretty much what it says. Each of our bodies carries a certain amount of energy; normally, when we send it out or cast a spell, we use some of it up, but over a few hours it replenishes itself. That’s what we might call ‘temporary Power use’. It is possible, however, to literally cut the energy out of oneself. Energy used in that way – permanent Power use – does not replenish. You have not only used up the energy, but the ability to store that energy too.
“Of course, we are living things, we change and grow. Spellcasters who exercise their ponic structures eventually increase their capacity, but it’s a long process. We use excised Power so rarely that I haven’t done a lot of tests on the process. I have a suspicion that part of what happens involves a sacrifice of lifeforce also – but I don’t know for sure.
“In any case, we were talking about calling the Outsiders. You catch their attention by naming them, the more completely the better; you draw them in by giving them a beacon, usually a representation of that Name invested with your power. Excised Power is immensely more useful – it can even be used to make effects permanent – but of course one cannot afford to cut one’s energy away very much or very often.
“Lastly, you reward them for coming, and bribe them to stay. Again, what you give them depends upon the nature of the Outsider, but the usual reward is either something symbolic, that represents wealth or something you value – or it is a living sacrifice. Lifeforce is currency, it’s energy to them; they almost all value it. And the easiest way of offering it is in an offering of blood.
“So – a quiet place, your Outsider comes, and you have Its fee waiting. Sometimes it’s a bowl of brandy, or wine, or something else that can be consumed; sometimes it is a bowl of blood, preferably your own, or – in some cases – a living creature held in place for the Other to consume. I prefer not to kill animals; thus the little vials. Wine, water, brandy – that’s the one marked ‘spirits’ – and aqua vitae, which is a concoction I invented, which contains a lot of lifeforce invested in solution in the drink.
“Make sense to you?” He tips his head to one side.
“That’s pretty much it for the kit, except for these.” He lifts the charms in one hand. “These are useful to tell you what you are facing. You impress a small amount of your own Power into them, and they become sensitive in different ways for about ten minutes. Or they’ll activate by themselves if you’re in the presence of something really powerful.
“This one,” a circle crossed by a wavy line, “glows blue in the presence of certain kinds of … ponic predation, you might say. If it glows, you’re facing a predator, something that steals or eats the energy of its opponents – and has recently done so.
“This one,” a bimetallic triangle, “glows a sort of greenish hue, if you are facing something whose energy comes from outside of the Earth. Pretty much a guarantee with an Outsider – but summoning can be done on Earthly forces also, and it’s nice to know which is which.
“And this one,” Carl handles it carefully, reverence in his tone, “can be used to make contact with the local form of the Worldsoul. I think I’ll keep it. Not only is it a … potential weak link, bringing it into an Outsider’s control, but … using it will change you, Jack, and I suspect you don’t want that. Do you?”
“And this last one,” a tangled knot of metal on a string, “we call a ‘shifter’. While you wear it, it will change your signature slightly, so that those who have your signature, Inside or Outside, will not easily find you. One cannot wear them for very long; more than a few hours starts to cause damage to your own personal ponic structure; but in a pinch they offer a quick way to hide from magical searchers.”
Carl pats the box lid.
“So there you have it, the lightning brief.
Chalk, to draw symbols, in various colors to match associations if there are any;
Candles, for summoning rituals, many colors, likewise;
Matches, to light the candles;
Bowls for offerings;
Rods for gestures, rites, and stirring ingredients; the wooden ones are of various significant woods, but I do not think you need care just now;
Silver wire, for wards and sigils, and for weaving containers;
Copper wire, likewise;
Silk cord, for spirit traps;
Thread, to hang things and for ritual knots;
The charms I described already;
Knives and scissors, for cutting and rituals;
Silk, linen and cotton cloth, likewise;
A slate, for drawing symbols;
A square of enchanted iron, likewise;
Silver paint for the symbols;
And four vials of offerings, as already described.
“Hmm, I seem to be missing holy water and a cross. Ah well. Those are more useful for Occult work than for speaking with the Outside.
“Questions?”
REDLAND JACK
{When Carl asks him about whether he's heard of the difference between 'ordinary' and 'excised' powers, he contemplates for a moment, before shaking his head, saying, "It sounds familiar, but maybe only as a term. I don't think I've heard it explained before."}
Redland has been taking notes (in a somewhat shaky hand) as Carl talks.
{If Carl notices things like this, he would recall that it has been quite a long time since Jack has done this}
Redland reflects on Carl's final question. "Hmmmm. Well, you know that I'm always happy to talk to everyone. It is probably true, however, that, relative to the Outsiders, there are probably a ton of people who are more qualified to speak to the Worldsoul than I.
"That being said, it would probably be a good idea for me, at least once, to talk to the Worldsoul (or at least, one of it's local manifestations). The more perspective I can gain on, er, communicating with 'weird' things, the better. And since, at least in my opinion, a lot of what I'm trying to accomplish is on behalf of the world, I'd like to get a sense of," he makes a kind of confused gesture, "how the Worldsoul feels (or thinks) about what I'm doing... uh, if that makes sense, which I'm not sure it does."
CARL
Carl smiles. “It makes quite a bit of sense, given what you know. What you perhaps don’t know is that the Worldsoul, in its current state, is not one thing, one person, but a hundred, a thousand, a million. Most of the world is still asleep; where it has awakened, it sees only locally, and has grown up ‘wild’, learning from its surrounds and the things that happen there. That is one of the great dangers of opening holes into the Outside. Sufficiently large or powerful Outsiders tend to contaminate the places where they come, like an infection; and the infant world can be irreparably harmed by them, without any intent or action at all.
“But, yes, if you like, we can conduct a rite to bring up my version of the Worldsoul’s voice. It may have nothing to say, here; or we may get the Russian Land, which is merely one of those local forms I spoke of. Do you want to try that, given the risks?”
REDLAND JACK
"Let me make sure I understand. When you distinguish between the Worldsoul and the Russian Land, that means that they are two different (to some extent) entities. If we had pursued the 'One God' plan, the Worldsoul would have become a single entity, but it still would have had distinct local manifestations? As opposed to now, where the Worldsoul is not, essentially, a unity?"
He seems like he's about to let you answer the questions when he suddenly continues.
"Oh, and when you say risks, are you referring to the risk that I'll contaminate the Worldsoul (or vice-versa) with, uh, 'Outsiderness' or something else?"
CARL
"As to the first point, yes, that's about it. While the Worldsoul is an entity as a whole, she is rarely awake enough to speak and act as such; the local manifestations are more likely to arise. But when I refered to 'risks', I meant the risks to you, my friend, not to Her. Usually they are minimal; but the Sofia, as I call Her, is willful. She acts as She wills; and sometimes reaches into people and changes them. Of course, as I said, we may get the Rodina instead -- and that is an individual I do not know.
"I would say that if I conduct the ceremony, the risk to the world from your Outside connection is pretty small."
REDLAND JACK
Redland thinks for a moment. "Hmmm. I guess my tolerance for risk has expanded in recent months... or I simply fail to appreciate the extent of the risks I am taking. Either way, I think that it's something that I should probably do. I'll trust in the Worldsoul to recognize that I am a (er, mostly) good guy and, thus, won't mess me up too badly.
"Say, will you just use that last device, or will you utilize some of the other paraphernalia?"
CARL
"If I do it, we will use various materials, including the candles. The advantage of the Seal is that it is self-contained; but the Seal's use is personal. If you use it, the contact will be yours. Whether it is yours alone will be up to Her to say."
REDLAND JACK
"Ah. I think I understand. So what you're proposing will be something a little more along the lines of a 'standard' summoning ritual. Since I am tainted with the imprint of Outsiders (including a powerful one), it would be best if I had an intermediary in my dealings with the Worldsoul. The charm would disallow that, so we'll instead attempt to summon up the Worldsoul in such a manner that you act as a sort of buffer. Since we're performing a standard summoning, we are best served to go through all of the forms that you have just discussed."
CARL
Carl smiles. "Well, it won't quite use everything -- but I think you'll recognize a lot of the elements.
"I do have a question for you, one that matters. When we do the invocation, I intend to be inside the circle. What about you?"
REDLAND JACK
"Hmmm. I'll counter with a couple of questions. While I can certainly see why a person might want to be inside the circle when summoning an Outsider, why would you want to be inside the circle when talking to the Worldsoul?... Since I assume the answer to that would be that the Worldsoul can still be dangerous (especially a local manifestation), I'd follow with: While I can see the benefit of being inside the circle, what would be the benefit of being outside it?"
CARL
"Only that if you don't like what you call up, or are afraid of it, you have that ward between you. Personally, I am not afraid of invoking Her in whatever aspect arises -- but I do have something of a privileged position." He shrugs.
REDLAND JACK
"I generally like to be trusting, but since it doesn't sound like there is any particular benefit to not being in the circle, and since I'm trying to be smarter about listening to you and Dale regarding this summoning stuff, I suppose I'll go ahead and play it safe-ish."
CARL
“Splendid,” Carl replies. “I wish we were back at that nice little meadow Dale showed me; it would, as he said, have been an appropriate spot. Still, any place that touches the Land should – “
Carl stops, abruptly. His eyes widen, looking at you – through you – again, rather like before, and he remains absolutely motionless for about ten seconds, lost to the world; then he blinks and looks down, around, grabbing abruptly for a pencil and his notebook.
“A thought, Jack—a very interesting thought –“ he murmurs absently, scrawling a few phrases on the first blank spot he finds, before looking up. His face has a sudden expression of almost feral excitement. “Need to think this through,” he blurts, body infused with eagerness, “but maybe it’s a,” he spreads his hands, fingers widespread, “the web, the leys, we can…” another gesture, like stretching taffy, and he stops. “ This is frustrating,” he frowns. “I don’t know how to explain. The image is not clear enough – but there is an, an implication....” Carl makes an annoyed noise.
“Never mind. I’ll think some more about it, maybe it’ll make more sense.
“I’m sorry, Jack, I shouldn’t muddy the waters.” Still a bit disjointed. “We have one thing to do, yes? The rest is … research. Can happen after.” He shakes his head again.
“I should not let myself get distracted.”
REDLAND JACK
Redland appears unsure himself. "Er, if you've got something important, I don't want to interrupt your train of thought. I can just take a seat and rest my eyes for a bit if you want finish up what you're doing..."
CARL
“No, no --! It’s all right.” Carl waves the thought away. “Things come together in my head – sometimes they’re insightful, other times, oh, merely hopeful,” he replies, speaking rapidly. “Very vivid, but not always clear, do you see? In this case –
“Similarity,” he counts on his fingers. “And contagion. And the Portal leys, configuring the Dead Spots. And the notion that they can be used to travel. And the notion of, oh, consulates. And beachheads. And a suitable place, and a rising Negotiator at that place, and the Sword of Solomon.
“It all connects, but the *mechanism* of that connection is not conclusive. I need to, to try things. To pin down the missing pieces. Otherwise it will nag me forever.” He shakes his head, rueful, the intensity fading now.
“That particular vision, tying them all together, may not come again. I’ll have to work for hours, or weeks, to piece it back together the slow way; but at least when I’m done, I’ll know how to walk from A to Z, instead of leaping there without a path.”
REDLAND JACK
"Fair enough. When you're trying to do something new, sometimes all the hard work in the world can't match a flash of intuition. It sounds like the flash is gone, but at least it's left a bit of an imprint..."
He trails off.
"In which case, I guess all that remains is to summon up the land and see what happens."
CARL
Carl grins. “True!” he says. “And it’s not as though the one has anything to do with the other.
“All right then, we seem to have a bit of time. Did you want to do this right now? And did you want the others to stand witness?”
REDLAND JACK
"I suppose there's no time like the present. Kind of feels like the right place for it, too."
He continues, uncertainly. "Uh, as a general rule, I'd prefer the others didn't stand witness, if that's okay..."
CARL
Raised eyebrows. “I know you prefer that, Jack. Isn’t that what got us all wound up, back there at the meadow?” Carl grins again. “I don’t know what it is with you and secrets; are you simply shy?”
REDLAND JACK
Redland shifts uncomfortably, as though, perhaps, Carl is close to the mark.
"This is going to sound stupid, but..."
He considers for a moment.
"I know a lot of people don't approve of me or the things that I do. To a large extent, it's not a big deal. It's been that way most of my life... it's just something that you deal with, you know, and I certainly don't let it deter me. It does wear me down a bit, though... sometimes more than others..."
He trails off briefly.
"Anyhow, when I 'sneak off' to do things, it's a combination of," waves his hand, "that, and the fact that when I'm looking to talk to Outsiders, I'm aware that it is dangerous and ... disturbing. I don't want others to have to face the danger or just the severe unpleasantness if they don't have to.
"Now, that being said, I'd be okay with Dale witnessing, if you think it'd be helpful. Oh, and for this particular summoning, I'd also be alright with Rebecca."
CARL
Carl nods.
“Sure,” he says. “I don’t think even Rebecca will have any objections to this one, though of course you can bet she’ll want to watchdog. As for Dale, well, maybe he’ll see something new.” He smiles.
REDLAND JACK
Redland looks around their makeshift campsite for a minute.
"Hmm. I don't see Rebecca. Perhaps she went back to the train for something. Well, no hurry. I wanted to ask you about the Hayes-Waite ward, anyway."
He consults his notebook for a moment. "Now, you say that it will keep out various things. With things that are bodiless, is it impenetrable? Or can more powerful entities (without bodies) still pass through? You also say that Outsiders might have trouble getting through. Presumably, the better material you use, the stronger the Outsider you can stop. However, if I wanted to stop somebody like the Dark Pharaoh, am I pretty much out of luck with this technique?"
CARL
“I think you will find that there is never a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer to that sort of question. The range of possibilities is simply too large.
“In the case of the barrier, well, Waite’s ward was never designed to stop Outsiders; it was intended to protect goetic sorcerers from summoned spirits and demons. In fact it works pretty well against Outsiders who are sensitive to such things, but the Principle of Will applies to them as well, so it isn’t perfect. Nonetheless, as an empowered symbol it works pretty well. The summoner has declared to the summoned, ‘you shall not cross this line’; and to the extent that the summoner has executed his ward well, and with confidence, it succeeds.
“Even embodied creatures can be constrained this way, if their nature obeys such laws, but the ward is a general tool, not perfect for anyone in particular; it won’t keep everyone out, or in. Even for those affected by it, if they are independently willed, they might overcome it through their own efforts if they are strong enough; however most of the time it’s simply not worth the cost, you see.
“And here we come back to what I said earlier. True sorcery is about specifics. Effects and limitations are much more potent when tailored precisely to the specific individual being summoned: the better you know its true Name, the safer you are and the more you can command or control. Thus the numerous names, materials, rites, timings and preparations that are used to call up and put down. Each is a part of the symbolic calculus; each pins down some aspect or correspondence to the target being.
“If you wanted to create a ward that would constrain the Pharaoh, it could be done. We might even take a guess at it here; but that ward would be less effective against other things – even against other aspects of the Pharaoh’s parent entity. Do you see?”
REDLAND JACK
"What exactly are 'spirits and demons'? I'd just assumed that (pretty much) anything a person summons would be an Outsider. I'm guessing spirits are just ... traces... of living or dead people (or other earthly things?). Demons, though?"
CARL
“Good questions. Not always easy to answer either, since people mean different things when they use the words. So much of this is informed from old texts that are mostly self-discovery or hand-me-down traditions; your average medieval warlock would not have known the difference between an Insider and an Outsider to begin with, and would have interpreted whatever he found within the context of his own faith, or the faith of his peers.
“When a summoner performs his ceremony, he wishes to contact or call forth something into his presence, usually to do his bidding. The process of the calling, or the contact, may be superficially similar regardless of who or what is being called: establishing protections, defining the name of the thing to be invoked, exercising the summoning through ritual and will, and offering payment. Right? But some summoned beings come from Outside, while others are wholly earthly, and a few are in between.
“When I speak of spirits and demons, I generally refer to things that are *not* Outsiders – but someone else may not make that distinction. There is a huge continuum of ‘occult’ phenomena, from ghosts through spirits and demons to hotspots, angels and avatars, that are entirely Earthly – and more of these as the world’s ambient rises and it continues to awaken.
“Ghosts, or memory-ghosts, are just what you said: traces of the living. Rather, they are traces of events left by the living: like movies, they play themselves out endlessly in repetition and have no real intellect or awareness. Ghosts are impressed upon the world by the living, and often involve death, but not all ghosts are of the dead: I’ve seen one or two ghosts that play out scenes containing people who are happily alive, living somewhere else.
“Spirits are more. They are unbodied things, usually traces of the living, other times spun out of the world or some other source. They tend to be faint, little more than wisps of thought and memory and will, and very fragile – but they are aware and can communicate after a fashion. One can interact with the world too, but they have little energy, and little means of getting more, unless we gift them.
“Demons are also, usually, bodiless – but they are predators. Some are smart, some complex and powerful, others no more than raw appetite – but a demon, to me, is an occult entity that feeds off of the living, either by directly stealing its life energy or by fastening on to a living body and taking possession. The more sophisticated of these will perform services in return for payment. By this definition, I suppose you could say that the Brotherhood’s Baron Hauptmann, the body-jumper, is a sort of demon, even though he was born a man long ago.
“Haunts and Hotspots are entities that are bound to places, usually because there is a source of energy for them to live on. They can be very powerful, very sophisticated, and can take almost any form, but tend to grow into some form that they keep so long as they survive.
“Beyond that,” he shrugs, “you’re dealing with immense creatures. Angels, gods, avatars, the Land, the Unity … beings that take shape out of their environment, formed by the expectations, ideologies and passions of the people within them, or out of the natural structures of the world. All of these can be entirely earthly, yet be indistinguishable from an Outsider save for its form – and for the Allergy, the essential alien taste of things not born of the world.
“Your lack of the Allergy may be a blessing for your work – but it also gives you a blind spot, Jack. That’s why I recommend you carry the alien detector at all times, and make use of it when you can.”
REDLAND JACK
"Now, you mentioned that," checks his notes again, "'True sorcery is about specifics. Effects and limitations are much more potent when tailored precisely to the specific individual being summoned.' I wanted to push on that a bit, to see if I understand precisely what you mean.
"I was thinking about how, when you were training Mary and Stewart in the use of channeling energy, the effect seemed more 'powerful' when they failed to focus it properly. Is it the case that all of the rites and whatnot lead to more powerful effects, or is it that the effects are more useful?"
He considers for a moment.
"I may not be saying anything particularly interesting here. I'm not sure if I'm thinking it's along the lines of how a shout is more powerful than a whisper (which would be true, even though the whisper might be more useful) or if it's more like comparing a random explosion of energy versus energy that is funneled down a wire from a phone to a switchboard..."
He trails off.
"Er, I'm also unsure if I've communicated very well at all. Do you get what I'm driving at?"
CARL
"Hmm," he says. "I think I see your point, but you're comparing different things. I also think we have another vocabulary problem.
"When Dale says he is a sorceror, he means he is a spellcaster. That's also a common usage in the texts in Wisphers. When I used the term just now, however, I was thinking 'summoner,' and more particularly, 'goetic ritual summoner'. There is overlap between these two groups, of course, but they are not the same.
"Spells are like machines. They have a distinct form, are fairly inflexible in that they don't work if changed, and produce a distinct result. Dale is a good spellcaster; he has a lot of energy, is disciplined, and knows a lot of spells. He also knows a lot of theory, but he dos not apply it *as theory*; it is merely useful ancillary knowledge.
"Many summoners are much the same, only their universe of discourse is different. They know several specific rites, apply specific symbols to them, and hope for specific results. The mechanism may differ, but these are, in effect, spells. However the spells themselves serve only to summon entities; it is the entities that are summoned that do all the real work in the world.
"The underlying art of sorcery, however, was an art of discovery as much as practice; like alchemy, it is a search for symbols and meanings, and for transformations of energy and knowledge leading to power and control. I suppose you might say the difference is one between a mechanic and a designing engineer. One is an expert tool user, the other designs the tools.
"Dale is a good spellcaster. Some of his spells are summonings, but he is not a sorcerous artist; he deals in the symbols only as components in his spells.
"Let's see," Carl sighs, "were was I going with all this? Hmm. Ah yes.
"None of this really has anything to do with the exercises I had Stewart and Miss Ripley doing with the rings. They were not seeking an effect at all, other than to move the energy, so it isn't really fair to compare the visible effects of their successes to that failure. The failure was, in essence, the energy choosing its own effect, and had nothing to do with the caster. Do you see?
"When I said that specifics make things more potent, I referred specifically to the effectiveness of the ritual in summoning and controlling your specific desired entity.... Not to spellcasting in general. However, you bring up a good point.
"A caster has a limit to the amount of power he can control. The ambient Unity, in effect, does not. Random effects are almost always insignificant, but they do not *have* to be. They can be very large indeed, since they are limited only by the amount of energy attracted by the 'random instructions'. That", he adds, amused, "is one reason I prefer to study the underlying laws and learn how to build machines to build larger machines, as it were." Carl smiles.
REDLAND JACK
"I'm a little hazy on what is meant by 'spells'. Now, I have at my disposal two things that I would call spells: a healing ritual and telepathy. Would those rightly be considered spells (maybe called 'healing spell' and 'telepathy spell'? Similarly, I have a ritual that I can use to summon up an Outsider. Would we call that a 'summoning' spell, or is that something we'd put into a different category (spells are one thing and summonings are a different thing)?
"When I've talked to Dale, he's mentioned 'throwing' spells at things. This I would take to be creating bright flashes of light or 'bolts' of energy or whatnot. Is this what we'd normally consider to be spells? Similarly, it's my understanding that Rebecca used some sort of empathic ability when the Outsider was summoned. Also, Kings and Soldiers can apparently do all sorts of things...
"Does everything sort of fall into one umbrella, spells? Or do we break them into separate buckets: spells, summonings, talents, abilities, mechanics, etc.?"
Pauses. "I think you're right that I have a vocabulary problem!"
CARL
“Good, yes. You can call everything a spell if you want … but I do not. Let’s set some standards then, hmm? Here are some terms we use: spell, skill, ability and talent.
“As I said before, to me, a ‘spell’ is a mechanical process that can, in conjunction with the release of magical energies, be counted upon to cause a specific effect. Spells usually have specific components, be they materials, gestures, words or symbols spoken or drawn – and if they are done incorrectly, the thing doesn’t work. Boom. By that definition, your healing spell is indeed a ‘spell’. There are spells to do all sorts of things, including throwing lightning bolts or what have you. Most sorcerers use summoning spells – rituals that have been codified into mechanical processes, to get specific results, in this case contacting or calling forth a particular sort of being.
“Skills are direct exercises of Power and will, without paraphernalia. They don’t always work, but can be acquired; they require training; they can be focused or directed by the user, and are more flexible than spells. There are only a very few Power skills that can be learned by most people. These include the basic movement of ponic energy, the raising and lowering of your natural barriers, and the means to make mental contact. Soldiers can do much much more, by virtue of their having connected their physical and ponic senses. Just about any effect a Soldier can imagine, he or she can theoretically train into a Power skill given time and practice.
“Abilities, ponic or psychic, are effects that some people can produce because of particular peculiarities of their makeup. One generally has, or does not have, an ability; it cannot be trained if you don’t have it, though training and discipline can strengthen its use if you have it in the first place. Examples might be the carnival psychic, or the ability of the Fae to produce a glamour. It’s in their bones, so to speak. A King’s abilities are somewhat in the same vein, but Kings are chosen, not born. In this case, the abilities come with the role.
“Talents … talents are special. A longtime veteran Soldier eventually discovers that he or she has a unique gift for a certain kind of magic. While others may be able to train skills in that area, a Soldier can develop and refine his or her Talent with an ease and mastery far beyond their peers.
“So – back to your question. Spells are often rituals; rituals do not have to be spells. Rebecca’s projective empathy is a facet of her Talent. My King powers are abilities. Your ability to move Power is a skill that you have trained, but there’s no mechanical process involved. Mental contact is also a ‘Power skill’, rather than a spell; it’s all internal.
“Better?”
REDLAND JACK
"That mostly makes sense to me. Let's see, it sounds like, for myself, I only need to really worry about spells. I already possess pretty much all of the skills that are possible for me, and I don't have any abilities or talents. This would mean that if I really wanted to train myself into being a spell-user, I'd be best served by talking to someone like Dale, who is, presumably, in the same boat as I am. You, Rebecca, and Boris all possess talents, abilities, and/or skills that are outside of my potential.
"Now, you mention that skills are more flexible than spells. Is this 'on-the-fly' flexibility or overall? That is, if I had an infinite time to research spells, as well as an infinite power source, could I achieve any effect I wanted?"
CARL
“I don’t know. The number of spells we know of are pretty limited; some sorcerers spend their lives trying to discover new ones. The assumption in most of the old books is that most spells were taught to men by some entity or other – angel, demon, what have you – and that we don’t have what it takes to make up our own. I disagree, I think knowledge of the laws of energy, combined with an appropriate understanding of Names and symbols, will allow new spells to be researched – but it’s a lot of work and the cost for trying new things is rather high. Which is why, I suppose, most sorcerers content themselves with summoning, and let the summoned entities do the work.”
REDLAND JACK
"I think we may have talked about this briefly before in a different context, but do the summoned entities produce effects in the same fashion that we would? That is, if I summon up an angel and have it heal me, would it use ponics and vitalics in the same fashion that I would if I were healing myself? Similarly, if I summoned up an Outsider (though I understand that they don't have the same energies that we do, so it's less likely they would use the same processes).
"If yes, could we simply have the summoned creatures teach us spells? If no, could we learn to use the techniques of these others?"
CARL
“You did ask something like this before. I cannot provide you any firm guarantees, I fear; most of my knowledge is experimental, so it’s limited by what I myself have done.
“I believe, without proof but so far without contradiction either, that Outsiders use the same fundamental energies that we do – they may be ‘flavored’ differently but are of the same basic stuff. In which case, your answer to all of these questions ought to be ‘yes’. Your angel might not heal you in the same way you would yourself, but the energies involved ought to be familiar.
“As for the teaching of spells, there are other variables. Does the thing you summon know spells, or does it do what it does naturally, without thought? What are the costs of the spells? Can we afford to cast them, will it be harmful? If we’re speaking to a being of immense power, it may think nothing of using a casually wasteful spell that requires ten times your available Power, or perhaps requires that you fly, or turn yourself inside out, or what have you.
“I do think, though, that many of the spells that are in use today came from the Outside originally.” He nods.
REDLAND JACK
"Right. So it may be that these summoned creatues don't use spells, but instead talents, skills, abilities, or something else that wouldn't translate to us. That makes sense.
"I guess the language barrier might be a problem as well. It's often difficult to understand what they're talking about, though I don't know if that's the case with Insiders.
"With Outsiders, it's also probably difficult to have them hanging around for too long to teach you something.
"On the power issue, that's less of a barrier, I would think. You've developed ways of storing up power, right? Isn't that one of the advantages of the machines you create (in addition to magnifying and focusing)? So, if we contacted Thor, and he showed us a really powerful, but inefficient spell to chuck a lightning bolt, couldn't we duplicate that using machinery?"
He stops and then continues abruptly. "Do you know if bothers the various types of entities to be summoned? I assume ghosts don't really have any mind to speak of, but the others would seem to be 'persons', at least in the important sense. Is summoning always a request or is it also a compulsion? Are dealings with these entities always voluntary for both parties?"
CARL
“I do know that some spells, at least, are compulsions. Which makes it all the more important, in my opinion, that you have the right bribe on hand to sweeten things.
“It’s a range, Jack,” Carl sighs. “Some creatures are compelled; others are invited; and a few, the really powerful ones, are merely … contacted from afar. Depends upon the method, the ethic and beliefs of the caller, and of course what he means to do. Given what you have seen, would it surprise you to find that the Ones who are summoned expect to profit from the journey? They do seem to find even the intangibles of our world to be .. valuable.
“As for making machines to cast spells – I believe it can be done, within limits. But Will is so often a crucial part of a spell –and my machines have no Will. They are deliberately simple, to keep the energy in its most basic state.” He looks intently at Jack. “Such machines can be made to amplify other effects, of course, but there is always some distortion. A twist in the process, which may render results … unreliable. “
REDLAND JACK
"I thought that the 'will' and the 'power' were, to some extent, separate elements, with the power providing, er, power, and the will providing focus. Is it not possible to store up power in some kind of giant, magical battery?
"As to summoning, I just want to be careful to insure that I'm not compelling anyone to do anything. We don't know much about how these various entities think/feel, but it certainly appeared that the Outsider in the Alchemist's basement did not enjoy being imprisoned. From this, I would gather that constraints, including compulsion, are repulsive to them ... as they are to us.
"This particular issue is of more than academic interest to me. You saw how little I gained from the Alchemist's Outsider. Dealing with him in that fashion was ... repellent to me (and, of course, I was concerned with Chigiko's suffering). What little I did gain was due to the fact that he wasn't my 'prisoner' to release at will. Otherwise, I'd've just let him go free without asking anything at all of him.
"It's very important to me that whoever I'm summoning is able to act voluntarily."
CARL
Carl nods slowly.
“That’s good,” he says. “Laudable. We have no real clear notion of how the Alchemists caught that one, do we? I know for certain that the chains in which it was bound, once it was caught, are very unpleasant indeed. But that one, now, seems happy enough to come to you when you call it, yes? I believe it continues to profit from your talks – even if we do not know how.
He ponders a moment.
“It brings us back to where we started, really. In order to have a proper mutual exchange, we need to know what we have that is of value, and why.”
REDLAND JACK
"Hmm. Good point. I should add that to my list of questions I'm going to ask him tonight."
Redland grabs out a different notebook and jots down a note.
"As to my beliefs on compulsion, well, obviously I think they are correct, but I bring them up (again you might say) because they are also, potentially, a weakness. Someone with different views might have been able to extract a great deal more from him than I."
Redland collects his thoughts for a moment.
"The problem I have, I think, is that my beliefs have generally been established in 'normal' times. It is assuredly correct that compulsion is an evil. However, in 'emergencies', the usual types of morality may not be appropriate. This is something that has greatly concerned me for some time. Do I have it in me to do the 'wrong' thing? Will I even be able to accurately determine what is right and what is wrong, in context of the great struggle that is occurring / will occur in our future? I can't be sure..."
Before Carl has a chance to respond, Jack hurries on, "You know, I really have this summoning scheme tonight on my brain."
He flips through his notebook.
"I've narrowed down the topics I want to ask about, I think, and I was hoping to get your input on whether they are good things to ask about and if there is some particular way that I should ask them. Here's what I have:
"1) What is your name? 2) Where is Donal? (Where can I find him, how can I contact him, etc.) Other Donal-related questions. 3) What (if anything) can I use the dead spot for, other than summoning stuff? 4) Where is the current leader(s) of the Brotherhood of the Beast located (aside from Baron Hauptmann)? 5) What can you tell me about the upcoming incursion in New York? 6) Do you have the Name of any other Outsiders that you'd recommend I talk to?"
He flips shut the notebook.
"That's (roughly) what I have in mind. I figure I probably need to polish these up a bit..."
CARL
Carl raises his eyebrows. "Oh yes," he says, flipping to a blank page in his notebook, then setting it aside.
"For one thing, you must remember always -- as I mentioned before, to name someone or something is to have control over it. If you will ask for names, be aware that they probably command a price; they're worth something, do you see? And that notwithstanding the face that any names you receive in return might not be spoken -- or speakable -- at all, but something more akin to a ponic signature. So rather than 'what is your name?' you might ask 'how may I refer to you?' which will give you a nickname perhaps; and rather than asking for the Names of other Outsiders, you might ask 'How might I reach others that you think I ought to speak to?' That's probably a much less expensive transaction than asking for a Name. If your Outsider offers you a Name, then there's probably some agenda or advantage involved for it and it would be good to know just what that might be.
"Regarding Donal, again, be sure you know which of the three of them you are asking about. And give some thought on how you might identify Donal to a creature ho has no real concept of appearance or location.
"As for the Dead Spot -- yes indeed, that is of interest. In fact, while you were talking, I had a rather remarkable notion! I believe I may be able to use the Spot to move things myself -- though I'm just a bit reluctant to try it on people right off the bat! It's part of the pattern I was rambling on about a moment ago." He beams excitedly.
"For the rest, names again. You have to get used to the notion of speaking about places and people in terms the Outsider might know. Hauptmann -- yes, just maybe, it might have heard the name. Brotherhood of the Beast? Not too likely. Unless you can think of something about the Brotherhood that will be familiar to your friend. The Pharaoh will know the, I am sure. Perhaps you should ask It.
"Same thing with New York. The name will mean nothing -- however the incursion may mean something. 'A great city of glass towers by the water -- where a great being seeks to enter our world, very soon --' something like that. See what I mean?"
He picks up the slate and the silver pen and starts to carefully draw some crosshatched lines.
REDLAND JACK
Jack jots down Carl's words. "That makes sense. I'd thought that maybe I'd need a 'Name' to locate other Outsiders. You're saying that he could give me some other locator that'd be (roughly) as good for purposes of contact, but wouldn't be as valuable?
"With Donal, could I let him rifle through my memories (or, perhaps safer, offer him up some of my memories)? I've seen that it can be pretty tricky getting answers that are meaningful to me from Outsiders, so I was wondering if maybe a 'mental' communication might be more fruitful. Or is that a dumb idea?
"In terms of your idea with the dead spot, do you want me to ask him about it? You could phrase your question exactly as you like, and I could pass it on to him, if you like.
"With the Brotherhood, it is my understanding that they ... worship ... (er, is that to strong of a word) one of the aspects of the Power that has the Dark Pharaoh as another of its aspects. I'm thinking that maybe that entity might be so powerful as to be known (to some extent) by lots of Outsiders (kind of like how all British people know about the King of England, even though we don't actually 'know' him). Could I leverage that in some way?
"If I can get him to recognize New York, is there anything in particular you'd want to know? I probably can't get any specifics about time (that doesn't appear to be his strong suit), but I might be able to get the Name(s) or type(s) of creature(s) that are going to enter."
CARL
Carl nods, serious and distracted at once. "Without a doubt," he says, "the more we know about the big incursion, the better off we are. That's probably the biggest winner in the lot; it is also most likely the expensive one.
"As far as the Beast is concerned -- yes of course. I'm sure it is well known. The question is whether the Brotherhood is recognized, or of interest at all, to random Outsiders. There could be a dozen or a hundred groups who worship the Beast, and I doubt if anyone Outside besides the Beast Itself would be likely to distinguish them."
He stops, looking up at you.
"What do you want to learn about Donal? And which Donal would you ask about?" Sudden interest. "Do you want to talk to him? It occurs to me that that might be possible."
REDLAND JACK
"Although I maintain some curiosity about all of the Donals, I think there's a fairly good chance that Dale has adequately explained the origin of most of the Donals (though I guess it would be nice to know what the 'murdered' Donal had discovered that caused him to end up with his blood on the walls).
"The Donal I'm primarily interested in locating, is 'Laura's' Donal. I'd particularly like to know where he is, how he's associated with Pentheus, why he abandoned Laura, what information was he trying to get from the creation of the Donals, and who actually created the Donals.
"Talking to him would assuredly be of interest to me. That would, likely, allow me to resolve all of the issues relating to Donal... and as a bonus, you guys wouldn't have to listen to me constantly rattle on about him anymore..."
CARL
“Well … my point was, if he’s actually a person of importance to the Outsiders – as Laura herself is, or any of her court – it might be easier for them to find him and connect you, than to explain to you where he is or any of the earthly details. Do you see?
“If he is just an ordinary guy, the only way they would likely know him is if he is somehow involved in contacts with the Outside himself. “Am I making sense?”
REDLAND JACK
"Ah. Sorry. I thought you meant you had a way to contact him. I was wondering why you'd been holding out on me all this time!! Sure. That makes sense to me. I've long suspected that Donal would be a member of Laura's court (at first I thought he'd be the Agent, though now I'd guess Paladin). It also seems likely that he is an alchemist, and I believe he is associated with Pentheus. It wouldn't shock me if he was known to the Outside."
He stops abruptly.
"Er, could I put him in danger by asking about him? Maybe I'm better served to stick with the 'earthly' methods I've been using to date..."
CARL
“Of course there’s a risk. There’s always a risk, when touching the Outside. You know I feel that way, even though I don’t like to rant or repeat myself. There is a safer method, you know; if he really is one of the Court, you should go to Tibet and research the Court; the librarians there can tell you with a high degree of certainty where he is and what he is doing, so long as he is important to the world’s schemes.”
Carl finishes his lines; an odd, asymmetrical web of silver threads on the black metal plate.
REDLAND JACK
Redland starts to say something and then stops. He thinks for a moment, starts to speak, and then stops again. He then pauses for a couple of moments before saying, "Hmmm. So the librarians will know the location and the identity of all of the (potential) members of all the various courts? I probably don't even need to go to Tibet. I could just ask them to send me the list. That would make finding all of Consecrations people much easier (as well as Aspiration, if I still wanted to do that)."
CARL
“Yes and no. I wish it were so simple. The library works with what the librarians call the ‘negotiated present.’ It can only give clear information for things that are already certain, or at least very likely. Last time I tried to look for the court of Aspiration, it could tell me very little because nothing had been decided; the earlier candidate had rejected the role and no new one had come forward.
“Now, of course, it might be different. You might get a list and descriptions of them all – or you might get information only about those you have already met, because they are known. And as for asking for a list, well, no. The librarians are guides; one of us would have to go to ask the questions in person, if we wanted answers.”
REDLAND JACK
"Could we hire somebody and stash them away in Tibet? It'd be nice if we had somebody we could instantly send questions to and have them relay answers to us..."
He trails off. "Er, so, what's the deal with that?" he asks, pointing at the metal plate.
CARL
Carl tilts his head, staring at the plate as though not quite certain of what he's seeing.
"Something of an experiment," he murmurs; then, collecting himself,
"We tried that," he explains, a bit obliquely. "Putting someone in Tibet. A Scotsman; Dunbar was his name. Was very keen on things at first, but he ran off after a couple of months, we never heard from him again.
"But even when you have someone there, things are not instant. More like putting in your request and getting something back in a day or two. There are .. layers," he adds.
With a small frown, Carl pulls a penknife out of his pocket. He pricks his finger just enough to bleed, then strokes it close above the plate, following some of the lines, a look of concentration on his face.
"Let's see...," he murmurs, then looks up at you. "Seem familiar? Look here and here." He points.
Buried in the nest of the other lines are two spots where the silver crossings make the exact shape Carl showed you earlier: the shape of the leys surrounding the Dead Spot.
Carl looks at you, then back at the metal slate.
“You see them,” he says, pointing to the figures. It is not a question. “Can you see the energy flow? Probably not. The flow is as important as the shape, you see. You could have the same arrangement of lines, but if the flow were reversed, here or here,” he points, “they’re not the same any more. Understand? So I’ve created a .. a closed loop. To make sure that the energy flows properly, so that the two spots are similar. It won’t last long, just a minute or two, but it should be long enough.
“Now, this is just a test. An idea; we try these things. So many different parts to it. Choices. It’s hard to work on one thing at a time, when they’re all connected. These spots, these dead spots, they can be so many things. Doorways. Embassies. Cages. All three at once.
“But here, we have a situation in miniature. The two spots, they are already similar – and, through the lines, they are connected. We ought to be able to use that connection, and that similarity, to make them, hmm, able to touch.
“Sit back a bit,” he adds, scooting his seat a small ways off. Carl then spins slowly in place, drawing a thin line of not-quite-light in the air with his finger, surrounding himself with what you can recognize as one of his wards. (53)
“Now we name them. They already have a name, and it should be the same name – let’s see.” (76, 37, 66, 62) He places his hand, palm-down, over first one sign, then the other. Nothing obvious changes, but Carl seems satisfied. He then draws a small symbol – the same symbol - in the air over each one. The symbols fade.
“Similarity – and contagion. All we need is Will.” Carl plucks a stalk of grass, places a tiny bit of the stem in each of the spots. Again he signs a symbol in the air over one of them, touches it with his pricked finger (32, 35) … and a shimmery twist appears in the air, jerking back and forth as if it were alive. “My little explorer,” Carl smiles, leaning closer. Closing his eyes, he whispers, “pick up the stem beneath you – take it to the other stem – but do not cross or go around any lines!” (42, 15)
