TheStarsAreRight:CarlNote12a
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?”
