Post by kai on Aug 11, 2016 2:48:12 GMT -5
There is a somewhat well known method of manipulating mana. It's known by most mages, but only some are able to preform the spell to manipulate mana in this way.
Taking the raw, unformed mana around them, alongside a simple spell mostly held secret by those who know how to preform it, the mana around them is pooled together in one place, and with great effort, a physical crystal is formed. The size would depend on the amount of mana near the caster, the lenghth of the spell, and the skill of the caster himself. The result is a light blue, brightly glowing mana crystal. It's shapes vary, some are symetrical, and are specifically made to look appealing. Others are spiky and sharp, some even formed into very specific shapes, like symbols or signs. These crystals are a versatile tool, and are very useful.
Crystalised Mana
Taking the raw, unformed mana around them, alongside a simple spell mostly held secret by those who know how to preform it, the mana around them is pooled together in one place, and with great effort, a physical crystal is formed. The size would depend on the amount of mana near the caster, the lenghth of the spell, and the skill of the caster himself. The result is a light blue, brightly glowing mana crystal. It's shapes vary, some are symetrical, and are specifically made to look appealing. Others are spiky and sharp, some even formed into very specific shapes, like symbols or signs. These crystals are a versatile tool, and are very useful.
Mana Storage
Mana crystals allow for mana storage of great sizes. A mana crystal can grow to infinite sizes, at least in theory. Newly created crystals are in a light blue color and shine in the same color aswell. If mana is taken from the crystal, it turns to a regular blue, with a dimer light. Further, it stops glowing and becomes a simply glow-in-the dark, dark blue colored crystal. Lastly, if all mana is taken from the crystal, it turns black, and soon begins to crack and turn to dust. Something very noteworthy is the fact that any crysrtal that's larger than around half the average human's body, while having massive amounts of mana, also seemingly regenerates it on it's own. The largest mana crystal ever made was at the size of a two-story house, and was said to have been shattered during a huge fight, but saving a town from destruction.
There are many more uses other than simple mana storage, however. There is a book that has been written by a group of mages, blacksmiths, warriors and alchemists. They experimented with what could be done with the crystalised mana, and wrote everything down in great detail. The following information has been gathered from this book. ''We began by creating 10 crystals the size of our own fists. We handed them to the blacksmiths, who expertly used the crystals to turn them into square plates of pure mana crystal, each as thick as a finger. Now, we could begin our tests. Firstly, we were interested in seeing how well a plate of magical crystals can withstand a physical attack. A warrior took up a sword and slashed the plate horizontally, almost completely across. The results were unexpected, honestly. The plate was almost cut in two, with little force and effort put into the swing. This showed us that unfortunately, a full plate armor of mana crystals would only look strong, but be about as reliable as armor made from paper. Next, an archer shot a plate square in the middle. The arrow, with a bronze tip, went straight through the plate. These plates were no good as armor, that was clear. Two plates were already smashed, and eight were left. An alchemist attempted to test the durability of the material by heating it up, freezing it, and using various chemicals on it. Surprisingly, it would not melt under heat, would not become cold when surrounded by ice, nor would it react with any chemicals. Aside from physically smashing it, the alchemist could not do a thing to break the crystal. Then, the wizards took up the challenge to attempt to destroy the plates. First came a fireball, the size of the plate itself. After impact, the fireball was gone. Nothing was on fire. The plate didn't look burnt at all, it wasn't even warm to the touch. The fireball simply dissapeared when it touched the plate. The same was tried with magical icicles, thrown at the plate to smash it. Again, there was impact, but not a scratch on the plate, and no sign of any freezing. An onlslaught of spells were used against it, but nothing worked. Once the mage gave up, everyone could notice one thing; the mana crystal plate had become much, much thicker. It absorbed all of the incoming magical attacks, and turned them into mana crystals, thickening the plate. This has shown us one thing; despite the plate being as fragile as glass, no magic will ever be able to do a thing to them. We concluded the tests, and continued with something very exciting: a whole sword made of the crystals. It took much effort from the mages and blacksmiths, but it was doable. The sword was very weak, however. It coudn't peirce through most armors or plates placed in front of it. A fireball was thrown directly onto the blade, however, and it was absorbed just like the plate absorbed magic. The sword became slightly larger and longer. We had found a... well, 'voulenteer' who would help us find out what would happen when the sword would be used against a human opponent. We had collected a mage, who was sentenced to death. But instead of being hanged, he would now be brought to death by the first sword forged of mana crystals. Magical restraints forbid him to use magic, and he was locked in place. A weak slash, and the man was cut. It could suffice against opponents who were unarmored, but the important thing is what the mage said. ''I can't feel the mana!'' is the only words that were of use, however. When asked about this, the mage claimed that he can't feel the mana around him anymore. Cautiously, the magical restraints were taken off. At this point, the mage would have casted a variety of spells and attempted to escape, but all his attempts to control the surrounding mana failed. ''Why can't I find the mana? Why can't I use my magic anymore?'' It is safe to assume that the blade has robbed him of his ability to detect and control mana, for a while. This is the kind of discovery that will change the battles and wars across Noliterre, this much I know. I can already imagine it - A small group of soldiers able to mow down an army of mages without breaking a sweat. Magekind might be brought down by it's own creation, the mana crystals.'' The book continued with ideas like arrows and bows from the crystals, but all of those were failed attempts, and nothing useful is left in the book.
No. Certainly not. Allow me to explain; Mages are the only ones capable of creating these crystals. They own them, and can, with a different spell, lock the crystal into it's shape, so that no forge can bend the crystals to become armor or swords. The crystals that are made are only mana storage devices. So with no mages willingly preparing crystals to make into armor or weapons, these armors and weapons are quite rare. Mostly, every mana crystal sits in a magic store, waiting to be purchased. Certainly, there is no reason to think that soon all mages would dissapear from the battlefieds simply because it would be useless for them to take part. Perhaps a large, storng nation will have a small group of these soldiers, going into battle specifically to take down mages on rare occasions.
These crystals are largely unstudied still, and many things are bound to be discovered. As technology advances, surely, more uses for the crystals will arise.
Mana crystals allow for mana storage of great sizes. A mana crystal can grow to infinite sizes, at least in theory. Newly created crystals are in a light blue color and shine in the same color aswell. If mana is taken from the crystal, it turns to a regular blue, with a dimer light. Further, it stops glowing and becomes a simply glow-in-the dark, dark blue colored crystal. Lastly, if all mana is taken from the crystal, it turns black, and soon begins to crack and turn to dust. Something very noteworthy is the fact that any crysrtal that's larger than around half the average human's body, while having massive amounts of mana, also seemingly regenerates it on it's own. The largest mana crystal ever made was at the size of a two-story house, and was said to have been shattered during a huge fight, but saving a town from destruction.
Other Uses
There are many more uses other than simple mana storage, however. There is a book that has been written by a group of mages, blacksmiths, warriors and alchemists. They experimented with what could be done with the crystalised mana, and wrote everything down in great detail. The following information has been gathered from this book. ''We began by creating 10 crystals the size of our own fists. We handed them to the blacksmiths, who expertly used the crystals to turn them into square plates of pure mana crystal, each as thick as a finger. Now, we could begin our tests. Firstly, we were interested in seeing how well a plate of magical crystals can withstand a physical attack. A warrior took up a sword and slashed the plate horizontally, almost completely across. The results were unexpected, honestly. The plate was almost cut in two, with little force and effort put into the swing. This showed us that unfortunately, a full plate armor of mana crystals would only look strong, but be about as reliable as armor made from paper. Next, an archer shot a plate square in the middle. The arrow, with a bronze tip, went straight through the plate. These plates were no good as armor, that was clear. Two plates were already smashed, and eight were left. An alchemist attempted to test the durability of the material by heating it up, freezing it, and using various chemicals on it. Surprisingly, it would not melt under heat, would not become cold when surrounded by ice, nor would it react with any chemicals. Aside from physically smashing it, the alchemist could not do a thing to break the crystal. Then, the wizards took up the challenge to attempt to destroy the plates. First came a fireball, the size of the plate itself. After impact, the fireball was gone. Nothing was on fire. The plate didn't look burnt at all, it wasn't even warm to the touch. The fireball simply dissapeared when it touched the plate. The same was tried with magical icicles, thrown at the plate to smash it. Again, there was impact, but not a scratch on the plate, and no sign of any freezing. An onlslaught of spells were used against it, but nothing worked. Once the mage gave up, everyone could notice one thing; the mana crystal plate had become much, much thicker. It absorbed all of the incoming magical attacks, and turned them into mana crystals, thickening the plate. This has shown us one thing; despite the plate being as fragile as glass, no magic will ever be able to do a thing to them. We concluded the tests, and continued with something very exciting: a whole sword made of the crystals. It took much effort from the mages and blacksmiths, but it was doable. The sword was very weak, however. It coudn't peirce through most armors or plates placed in front of it. A fireball was thrown directly onto the blade, however, and it was absorbed just like the plate absorbed magic. The sword became slightly larger and longer. We had found a... well, 'voulenteer' who would help us find out what would happen when the sword would be used against a human opponent. We had collected a mage, who was sentenced to death. But instead of being hanged, he would now be brought to death by the first sword forged of mana crystals. Magical restraints forbid him to use magic, and he was locked in place. A weak slash, and the man was cut. It could suffice against opponents who were unarmored, but the important thing is what the mage said. ''I can't feel the mana!'' is the only words that were of use, however. When asked about this, the mage claimed that he can't feel the mana around him anymore. Cautiously, the magical restraints were taken off. At this point, the mage would have casted a variety of spells and attempted to escape, but all his attempts to control the surrounding mana failed. ''Why can't I find the mana? Why can't I use my magic anymore?'' It is safe to assume that the blade has robbed him of his ability to detect and control mana, for a while. This is the kind of discovery that will change the battles and wars across Noliterre, this much I know. I can already imagine it - A small group of soldiers able to mow down an army of mages without breaking a sweat. Magekind might be brought down by it's own creation, the mana crystals.'' The book continued with ideas like arrows and bows from the crystals, but all of those were failed attempts, and nothing useful is left in the book.
End of Magekind?
No. Certainly not. Allow me to explain; Mages are the only ones capable of creating these crystals. They own them, and can, with a different spell, lock the crystal into it's shape, so that no forge can bend the crystals to become armor or swords. The crystals that are made are only mana storage devices. So with no mages willingly preparing crystals to make into armor or weapons, these armors and weapons are quite rare. Mostly, every mana crystal sits in a magic store, waiting to be purchased. Certainly, there is no reason to think that soon all mages would dissapear from the battlefieds simply because it would be useless for them to take part. Perhaps a large, storng nation will have a small group of these soldiers, going into battle specifically to take down mages on rare occasions.
Final Words
These crystals are largely unstudied still, and many things are bound to be discovered. As technology advances, surely, more uses for the crystals will arise.
