Hello, Readers! Clevenger here.

First, I’m going to start by saying how STOKED I was to see Graham cover the Investurants. The concept of the Shadow was one of his biggest contributions to the overall backdrop and became such a quintessential element of the plot of the Stories of Sainan. Seeing them appear (and disappear) as quickly as they do in Manticore’s Shadow was a joy. They are a terrible, competent, and dangerous element of the overall narrative, and give our Mains something truly heroic to overcome.

This week, I want to talk about Magic. Just like everything else, we steeped the Investurants in magic. The concept of the Shadow plane, how it affects our magic system, what spells would look like and how they function were major points of concern. But with a clear idea of how the overall magic system works, we had a great path forward and some of the most interesting ideas sprung out of it. The Stories of Sainan cover magic in multiple forms, and we start to see that each culture has their own view on how magic “should” work.

I could write (and have) a full post on the magic system. It’s a hard system, with twists and turns, and has been formed by not only my metaphysical views, but also Graham’s Federation politics. Where those two worlds collide, came interesting magic ideas, and spells. So what’s my favorite?

One of the first visuals that I had was of Jesse using an arcane force barrier to deflect an attack. The concept of the world slowing in his vision as he focused and cast was something that was a “classic” fantasy feel. With some editing (and still more to come) the scene showed a lot about how the magic works.

In the system we have built, anyone can cast a spell provided they know how the forms work. They can use the form recipes to pierce into the realm beyond the Veil and cretae magic. With practice, learned spell casters using their arcane energy to tap into and memorize these rituals each day, allowing them to cast simple spells instantly. Showing Jesse as a caster who had grown in his abilites to this point was a highlight. It gives our characters contrast. Where Symon is slow and methodical, Jesse is quick and innovative.

As his opponent’s sword came swinging towards him, Jesse quickly released his flow of arcane energy into the glyph he had memorized that morning. Time seemed to slow down as he connected with the arcane forces, as it always did. His mind was clear.

Zenesul and he had practiced hours and hours for years to get this process down. Jesse would spend an hour to two in the morning, completely visualizing his spell forms and drafting enough energy to “etch” it out. He found he could hold quite a few of these during the day without issue. It allowed him to instantly reach out for that spell and merely speak the command role to trigger it. “Hasil!”

He outstretched his hand and felt the energy leap out and take shape. The enemy’s blade deflected effortlessly off the arcane ward. The block created an opening just wide for Jesse to slip his dagger through their defenses and into his attacker’s chest.

Excerpt of Manticore’s Shadow.

There are many other spells and images that spring to mind, and honestly, just finding one was a challenge. But this was one of the first I wrote and became my source of inspiration. I’m really excited about what we’ve gotten accomplished, and what we have left to do.

Well, I’ll sit back and let Graham give us his take.

Until then…

Be kind.

-Clevenger