faderift | Sixteen books on magic spells

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Sixteen books on magic spells

WHO: Hermione Granger and rifters (or anyone who saw her note and wants to chat)
WHAT: Adelaide is having Hermione find out about magic in other worlds by interviewing rifters ~~for SCIENCE~~.
WHEN: Mid-Drakonis and onwards. There's no deadline on acquiring knowledge!
WHERE: The default is Skyhold's library, otherwise note in the subject line if your character would have arranged to meet her somewhere else.
NOTES: Nothing comes to mind; will change if necessary.

Anyone frequenting the library has probably become used to the curly-haired young girl who's claimed a small alcove as her own. She can usually be found sitting in the corner, nose buried in a book as her brow furrows, attempting to bridge the gap between her worldview and that of Thedas'. It's not always an easy task, and sometimes names and dates get jumbled, which is why she can sometimes be found just a few steps away at the nearest table, books and journals and bits of parchment scattered about as she tries to make sense out of all the reading she's done.

Still, what at first glance appears to be a mess is actually rather organized, and for however engrossed she seems to be in her work, she's always been happy to talk to new people. After all, each conversation counts towards research, even if it isn't in the particular field she's been asked to study. Go ahead and ask around for her if you don't know where to find her; chances are she's hard to miss, and many will be able to point out the inquisitive rifter if she happens to be around.

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“At least it doesn’t usually end up so terribly.” Though Kain still finds it a bit unsettling, messing with someone’s mind like that. Still, after talking with Hermione enough, he’s got an idea that if she thinks they deserved it… they probably really did. She doesn’t see the sort to say such things lightly.

It’s something they’ve all said to him in the past… Cecil, Rosa, and his other companions back home… Jecht, Laguna, and the others during the war. After hearing it enough, it really ought to sink in. Kain nods, slowly. “I’ll try my best to remember that… especially if things become dark and difficult here. Or perhaps I ought to really think about it before it comes to that.” If it does. But Kain is realistic about things, and he knows Thedas is a harsh world to be in. He can’t expect life to always be easy here.

"No, not unless an unskilled person tries it, and even then, all it's likely to do is cause temporary confusion." Honestly, Hermione feels that memory modification should only be used to help aid fading memories, even if she'd had to use them for less scrupulous reasons. At least she'd done it with the best intentions; not everyone would do the same.

"Don't make me have to actively check in on you every so often," Hermione remarks with a small smile. "I'd much rather know that you'd seek me out - or seek out some sort of help - if it becomes necessary."

“Which is the way of things with magic overall… without the proper skill level, it has a greater chance to backfire…” Another thing that’s true enough of mages no matter the world, they always need some level of training to hone their skills.

Kain has definitely heard that before, many times, whether back home or his friends in the war. They mean well, he knows that. He has to keep that in mind, even if sometimes he has enough with being nagged. Or what he thinks of as such. “Believe me, I’ll do my best to spare you that level of concern. I promise. I don’t want to repeat the past, after all, to go through things I’ve experienced before…” Stopping something early on, going to someone who can help, is for the best. He hopes he’ll remember that if the time comes.

"That's why I'm surprised Thedas' Circles existed the way they had, rather than simply serve as a way for young mages to learn to cast spells responsibly. It's no different than teaching a child to ride a horse or tend to a farm; if they don't do it right, someone can be negatively affected in an awful sort of way."

She tries not to let her smile take on a sadder sort of edge as he continues speaking, simply shaking her head a bit. "You can always 'spare me that level of concern' by simply feeling free to drop by the library and have a chat with me. Or share small talk if we happen upon one another elsewhere. I think that's known as becoming friends in some circles. A bit presumptuous of me, perhaps, but it's better than assuming that we'll never see one another again after this."

Kain nods in full agreement. “Exactly. Mages usually need to undergo intense study to be considered ready to use their power… that’s true enough anywhere, and the responsibility to learn is theirs alone. But to lock them up…” He shakes his head. “It sounds like some may be ready to change, I hope so. Making the Circles into something more like schools seems better.”

It’s fine by him, considering where he came from… The war more than anything had taught him the importance of making friends when stuck in a foreign land. “I can do that, yes… I think you’ll see me around here a lot, anyway, as I’ve been researching the world’s dragons. And… I’d like that.” His voice gets quieter, as he’s always been less assured when it comes to social situations. But he’s hopeful about it. “I’d like to consider us friends as well.”

"It sounds more like most of Thedas was content to stifle magic than encourage its growth," Hermione notes after a moment's hesitation. "Which is silly, especially considering what they stand to gain by working with magic. But I suppose the connection mages have to the Fade is reason enough for them to be wary, at least in their minds."

If she hadn't only met Kain a few minutes earlier, Hermione might have simply hugged him for his response, glad that he's being receptive to opening up. As it is, she only grinds and gives him an enthusiastic nod, saying, "Then we're friends. And I look forward to sitting with you as we research the strange new world we've ended up in."

"Indeed so... it seems like many have let the fear of magic get in the way. There's a lot of horror it could potentially unleash, but as I was saying earlier... that depends on the mage. It seems wiser to study it closely and understand it, to know how to use it against those who would do harm..." The Fade is pretty mysterious overall, but surely they're better off knowing all there is to know about it all.

Kain gives a firm nod of acceptance. He feels... really good about that, about making another friend in this world. "So do I. And I hope I've answered what you've wanted to know. There truly is a lot to discuss on the matter."

"Pushing mages away and treating them like second-class citizens is a surefire way to garner resentment, which makes their fear something of a self-fulfilling prophecy," Hermione points out. "I'm sure there are some mages who would certainly never use their magic to harm anyone, but not everyone has been granted the infinite patience to continue smiling when they've spent their entire lives being told they don't matter."

Glancing down at her notes for a moment, Hermione shakes her head, even if she's doing so with a small smile on her face. "I'm afraid that I can't ever promise to stop asking questions; it's in my nature. But for now, yes, I think we've reached an excellent starting point."

"Exactly... I'm somewhat surprised that they didn't rise up sooner, given what they've been dealing with for so long... but I could see that there are plenty of factors at work which stopped that from happening. That oppression was such a part of what they knew." The whole system sounds like it had been so ingrained in the society, it... did explain why no one thought to challenge it. An oppressed people aren't likely to just step up and fight so easily either. "I hope it will continue to change for the better. I've known too many mages... especially back home... that I respect and care about deeply. I couldn't bear to think of them experiencing this."

Kain nods. "And I've no problem with answering them. There's a great deal about it to talk about, after all..." He pauses, adding, "And it's good, to talk about home. I wouldn't want to start forgetting it." It keeps it all in mind, so it's not so distant and unreachable.

"There seem to be a lot of... nuances to Thedas' various governments and cultures," Hermione murmurs thoughtfully. "Supposedly, there are even some mages who think that the Circles were a good idea. I'd like to think that that means that mages hadn't been mistreated in every Circle, but I'm hardly qualified to say as much one way or the other. I just hope that, whatever happens here, it's in the best interests of everyone involved, not just those with some sort of power or who happened to be favored for some reason or the other."

Unable to help chuckling just a little, Hermione shakes her head and remarks, "That wouldn't do at all. Though in all fairness, I'd like to think we won't be here long enough to forget where we came from."

"Right, I've heard that as well... that the notion of the circles is more complicated than it might seem at a glance. Those involved directly can best speak for themselves and what they need, and I hope that they do. And that the outcome is something most involved can agree upon. Not everyone will be happy in the end... but if they can improve things..." It's going to be tough, and there's good reason he's stayed far away from the world's politics. He prefers to fight things, and it's much more straightforward to deal with that sort of threat.

Kain gives a wry expression. "Well. Let's at least hope it doesn't come to that. There are enough capable people working on finding a way back that I'm sure we won't be here indefinitely." Maybe. Who knows? He's wary of getting too optimistic, but there have to be answers to be found.

Hermione has a valid interest in arguing against unjust legislation, since she aims to do something similar once she's finished her schooling. She just hopes that she doesn't end up looking at Thedas as some sort of "practice" and says the wrong thing at the wrong time and angers the wrong person. "If I thought they had any reason to listen to the advice of a rifter, I'd offer it. I don't think that will necessarily be the case, though."

The mention of being here indefinitely makes her smile falter a little, though she doesn't keep it up for long. "No, of course not. There's even less of a place for us outside of Skyhold than there are for mages or elves. The Inquisition wouldn't want us to be stuck here when there's no telling what the quality of our lives would be like in the long run."

Nodding, Kain thinks about that seriously. “It’s true… some of them still regard us with suspicion, after all, as demons who fell out of those rifts. It’s going to take a great deal of time to convince them otherwise… and even then… so many of their own don’t have too much respect.” The mages, the various races and other factions… it’s all a very disagreeable mess of sorts.

“Exactly. I could get by here if I had to, of course… I hadn’t yet planned on returning to my true home yet even if I returned to my world… but… even so…” Even so, the end goal is to return home, isn’t it? Besides, lately he’s been questioning if his whole quest back home was even worth it, if perhaps he can find some other path to atonement. But all of that is something to worry about if and when he can return.

Frowning at that, Hermione remarks, "They think us demons? Shouldn't they have some sort of... I don't know, tests for that sort of thing? Especially if people here do occasionally get possessed by demons, from what I've read?" She isn't even going to comment on the lack of respect some races get versus others, since that would brook an entirely new discussion.

"Even so, home is home," she replies simply, shrugging her shoulders slightly. "I'm sure there might be some who have no strong connections or ties to where they came from, but for most of us, at least having the option should be the bare minimum."

"I know." Kain can't resist the urge to roll his eyes when he thinks about the illogical way some others have viewed rifters. It seems to have died down considerably at least. "By now most people seem to understand the truth, but there will always be those few who remain irrationally fearful..." Maybe in time they'll come to see that rifters aren't a threat, and certainly aren't anything demonic.

Home will never change, in the end, that's true. "I always planned to return eventually, so... yes. I would prefer to be able to do so, to have that choice. Perhaps they can find some way to reverse whatever force brings us here in the first place..." Probably very complicated magic, though, and it'll take time to see it through.

"But... if we were demons, why wouldn't we have attacked them by now?" Hermione brings up, genuinely confused. "And wouldn't there be at least some mages sensitive to that sort of thing who would be able to tell, given their connection to the Fade? It doesn't make any sense."

Taking a deep breath, she murmurs, "Either way, I don't think we'll have much luck in getting home until this Corypheus is defeated, since the holes in the sky had started because of him."

“You would think so. I’m not even sure if that opinion is still holding much sway anymore, but… I remember it was brought up back in the beginning of rifter arrivals.” But who knows, people are weird and irrational, and there may well be some out there. “Though at the very least some still hold that ‘us against them’ attitude… which won’t do since we have so many common enemies to deal with.” Better to put their energy to other things.

“...Speaking of enemies… yes. Corypheus. He’s going to be a powerful force to contend with, given what he’s capable of…” Which is why they really need to focus on that, on fighting him, rather than fighting amongst themselves.

"Isn't the first step in dealing with those kinds of issues is to let go of them?" Hermione asks. "There is no 'us', there is no 'them'. There are just people; scared, likely confused people, who want to find the same answers as anyone else."

Hermione pauses for a moment before she decides to ask the real question here. "Just what is he capable of?"

“Let’s hope everyone starts to see it that way… we really do need to be more unified if we’re to make a stand eventually. Enough with all of the factions and their arguing…” It’s why, as much as Kain will answer the questions directed at rifters and so on, as much as he’ll gladly fill in the gaps about other worlds… he thinks the notion of ‘rifter alliance’ or similar isn’t the greatest idea. They’re all with the Inquisition, plain and simple. That’s the way they should be thinking of themselves.

Kain thinks about what he’s been told. “The rifts, for one thing. He apparently has a great deal of dark power at his command, and not only is he powerful, apparently he has quite the army of darkspawn and other followers… I’ve heard many natives of Thedas voice serious concerns that he has enough power to destroy this world.” Something to do with the rifts, they’re supposedly a worse problem than they can imagine.

The only reason Hermione thinks it's at all a good idea for the rifters to loosely band together is so that they have a network of definite support should one of them ever be maligned simply on the basis of being a rifter. But they should each be able to defend themselves, not as rifters or mages or elves or Qunari, but as people as a whole. She'd never would have stood for it if anyone had claimed that she was clever for a Muggle-born, or for a woman, or for anything else that might happen to make up who she is. But she'll still stand with other Muggle-borns to make sure they're treated fairly, especially in the aftermath of the war.

"I can almost understand the fear towards mages, if magic here is connected to the Fade, and this Fade is what awaits on the other side of those rifts. But surely there have to be people here that understand the Fade well enough to heal the rifts, or to at least manage them. If we can keep a record of open rifts, we might be able to see some sort of pattern. And if Corypheus is behind them, perhaps learning that pattern can be the key to destroying him."

As long as they don't forget who the true enemy is. That's Kain's stance overall about the whole matter, about rifters and mages and everyone else who gets looked at with suspicion. Maybe he's not one of them, maybe he won't ever be, but while he's here, he'll fight for the sake of the world as much as he would his own.

"I know there are people around here who've made close study of the Fade... surely one of them will find an answer, eventually. I don't think anyone knows how to fully get rid of all rifts, yet, but the shards have helped to seal them individually." He looks toward his left hand, the glowing shard pulsing in it. "I'd definitely agree that closely keeping track is a good idea. There must be some connection to be made."

Hermione's own priorities are much simpler: find a way home in one piece. So long as she has hope that being in Thedas is only a temporary arrangement, the majority of her time and attention will be focused on ways to return home. Anything else is just background noise, even if she does react very strongly when it comes to her reaction to the way elves and other supposed second-class citizens are treated.

She makes a slight face when he mentions the shards, given that she hates being reminded that her body isn't entirely her own anymore. So she clenches her left fist a bit, pretending to be more focused on the interview aspect of the conversation.

"Doing it one by one isn't nearly quickly enough. Especially with how many rifts there are versus how any of us are currently willing and able to do what we can to stop them."

At least Kain understands that reaction to mention of the shards. He was disturbed when he first arrived and the painful glow had been there in his hand… and he hasn’t grown to like the notion of having it, even now. Still, he gets that they probably hold some clue to all of this, a connection to what’s brought them all here in the first place. It doesn’t mean he likes it either, though.

“Agreed. We can do as much as we can at the moment, but in the long term… in the long term, we’re going to need to put an end to it on a much greater level. It goes far beyond what an individual is capable of.” At home, the only way to solve their problems was going to the moon, fighting Zemus, the one behind everything that had happened. They could have battled all of his monsters endlessly, but in the end they had to face down the one truly responsible for everything.

People had claimed that Hermione would get used to the ever-present throbbing of the shard, but she hasn't seen any signs of that happening as yet. Throbbing only ever happens if there's something wrong, and so she's been left wondering just what sort of damage is being done to her from the inside, and whether she'd ever be able to come back from it. Harry still has his lightning scar on his forehead; will she end up going home with a green scar in her palm?

"If we can find the source of that first major breach, find out just what was responsible, maybe we can work out a way to reverse it. Or... well, I don't know how advanced surgeries are in this world, but if we find a rather excellent surgeon and someone brave enough to have their hand prodded at, perhaps we can at least find a safe way to have these things removed. Perhaps with a few shards combined, we can even discover a faster and more efficient way to get rid of these rifts."

That’s something Kain doesn’t like thinking about either. Could these shards be permanent? What if they have worse effects than anyone realizes, because they’re not well understood. It’s troubling to consider.

“Combining the powers of these shards may be an answer. They hold a lot of power on their own, but together… who knows what they may be capable of. I think returning to the source of that breach would help too.” The source, where it all started, it could be a way to shut it all down once and for all. Kain frowns down at his hand. “I certainly wouldn’t volunteer for such an experiment, the risks are too great. But if there’s someone willing out there, perhaps one day...” He’d only ever get it prodded at if he was certain it could be dealt with, without lasting consequences. He doesn’t fear dying of it, either, no… he fears being left in a worse state, still alive. He couldn’t bear something happening to this arm.

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