On that note, it reminds me of a recently concluded webcomic called “Supernormal Step” by Michael Lee Lunsford. It had the same premise or thesis: magic gives power which leads to people doing terrible, reckless things and thus creating a crazy, out-of-control world.
And as a fan of sword and sorcery fantasy in general, it now makes me reflect on that. I’d also recently bought the 5th Ed. books of D&D, so where you can roleplay a magic-user of various sorts, does that insight come in? Is it present there as well? (Tentatively: Yes. Just examine the behavior and character of D&D’s greatest magical heroes and villains: Mordekainen, Elminster, Raistlin, pretty much most lichs and archmages…)
OK, that made more sense. Fleetwood didn’t have the ability to travel here on his own, the archmage found him and brought him here. The rest is just another confirmation of how magic forces events. Which brings up the question: as the most magical creature of all, does the dragon have any free will? Maybe there’s a part of the dragon that wants to lose because it wants to do something different than what magic ‘wants’ it to do.
Neat theory… I’d not be shocked if something like that happens, but at the same time The Dragon seems to equally be very fatalistic from my recall. They don’t think there is any way to really ‘win’ at all and acts as if they’ve already lost.
Notice the wizard’s monologue is virtually the opposite of the end-game of the Second Sphere’s boss (Prof. Rinbauld)?
While Rinbauld wanted to use Dr. Creighton’s anti-magic suit to manipulate magic and become a god, Turath realizes that Magic is manipulating him, and is currently using Technology to fight back. Note his story, and how it fits into what eventually happens to Rinbauld (“…used [him] as much as [he] used it…pushed [him] to find more ways to invoke it, to meddle with affairs to the point of obsessive insanity…”) Note how Rinbauld in the end makes a pact with a demonic entity and tries to dabble in magic several times, each time elevating a copy of himself into virtual god-hood.
Turath, it seems, tries to do the opposite. Fitting that Humph’s destiny is to “claim the Shadow of the Wyrm” (which seems to be the gem Turath is wielding), whereas the very beginning of the story has Creighton claiming they are under the “shadow of the Dragon”. Either the Wyrm is opposite to the Dragon, or the “shadow” is actually not what Creighton thought it was.
Then again, Dr. Creighton speaks about “magical causality”, so the Dragon is basically taunting the heroes to use narrative causality to fight back, and the best way was to create a parallel sci-fi story, which will end up being plausible thanks to Clarke’s Law. The Dragon may be fatalistic, but it doesn’t mind playing a long-term gambit against its own destiny.
Neat insight into the nature of magic & it’s users…
Totally agree.
On that note, it reminds me of a recently concluded webcomic called “Supernormal Step” by Michael Lee Lunsford. It had the same premise or thesis: magic gives power which leads to people doing terrible, reckless things and thus creating a crazy, out-of-control world.
And as a fan of sword and sorcery fantasy in general, it now makes me reflect on that. I’d also recently bought the 5th Ed. books of D&D, so where you can roleplay a magic-user of various sorts, does that insight come in? Is it present there as well? (Tentatively: Yes. Just examine the behavior and character of D&D’s greatest magical heroes and villains: Mordekainen, Elminster, Raistlin, pretty much most lichs and archmages…)
It works for advanced technology, too, except most of us are too close to the trees to see that particular forest.
Your words are sobering… and appreciated.
OK, that made more sense. Fleetwood didn’t have the ability to travel here on his own, the archmage found him and brought him here. The rest is just another confirmation of how magic forces events. Which brings up the question: as the most magical creature of all, does the dragon have any free will? Maybe there’s a part of the dragon that wants to lose because it wants to do something different than what magic ‘wants’ it to do.
Neat theory… I’d not be shocked if something like that happens, but at the same time The Dragon seems to equally be very fatalistic from my recall. They don’t think there is any way to really ‘win’ at all and acts as if they’ve already lost.
Notice the wizard’s monologue is virtually the opposite of the end-game of the Second Sphere’s boss (Prof. Rinbauld)?
While Rinbauld wanted to use Dr. Creighton’s anti-magic suit to manipulate magic and become a god, Turath realizes that Magic is manipulating him, and is currently using Technology to fight back. Note his story, and how it fits into what eventually happens to Rinbauld (“…used [him] as much as [he] used it…pushed [him] to find more ways to invoke it, to meddle with affairs to the point of obsessive insanity…”) Note how Rinbauld in the end makes a pact with a demonic entity and tries to dabble in magic several times, each time elevating a copy of himself into virtual god-hood.
Turath, it seems, tries to do the opposite. Fitting that Humph’s destiny is to “claim the Shadow of the Wyrm” (which seems to be the gem Turath is wielding), whereas the very beginning of the story has Creighton claiming they are under the “shadow of the Dragon”. Either the Wyrm is opposite to the Dragon, or the “shadow” is actually not what Creighton thought it was.
Then again, Dr. Creighton speaks about “magical causality”, so the Dragon is basically taunting the heroes to use narrative causality to fight back, and the best way was to create a parallel sci-fi story, which will end up being plausible thanks to Clarke’s Law. The Dragon may be fatalistic, but it doesn’t mind playing a long-term gambit against its own destiny.
The Shadow is what the Wyrm is not — its negative. Therefore, as the Dragon is magic itself…