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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"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.

Thinking that over, Hermione looks down at her hand again, contemplative for a few moments before murmuring, "I suppose I don't really need my left hand. Assuming, of course, that having the shard is a much greater risk than whatever would need to be done to remove it. But I'd much rather keep myself whole and healthy, at least until such a time comes that we have more definitive answers."

While she might be brave, volunteering to be a sacrifice in an experimental procedure when she hadn't even met any qualified surgeons would involve more stupidity than bravery, and Hermione Granger was far from stupid.

"I couldn't live without it." There he goes being quietly melodramatic. But it's true, in certain respects, he couldn't bear the thought of losing it, of the shard destroying it somehow. Not just because it's his dominant hand, but his dominant weapon hand at that. Being able to fight is his livelihood. He couldn't bear to lose such a part of him.

"Though for now, there's at least been no change. We can only hope they remain stable, whatever else may happen... or that they learn more about them before it's too late." Only time will tell on that one, but he's been hoping that if he returns home it'll inactivate it somehow, that or closing all rifts here once and for all.

"Of course you couldn't," Hermione replies easily. "You're a fighter. Fighters do better with both hands than they do with one. Not that a person somehow becomes less if they have one less extremity, but it's our natural inclination not to let such a thing happen to ourselves, if we can help it."

Putting her hand palm-down on the table so she doesn't have to look at it for the moment, Hermione remarks, "Perhaps learning more about all the different worlds represented by the rifters will help with that. Finding a common thread might reveal a pattern, which can only prove useful."

It’s entirely true, and he’s glad she understands it so he doesn’t have to go through and explain it. He can’t put to words just how much it really means to him, to be a capable warrior, just how being a dragoon is more than just a job choice for him, it’s his life and legacy.

“It may… perhaps it’ll give us some idea of why and how we came to be here. Perhaps… and in time we’ll understand enough about the shards to deal with them, if at all possible.” Kain won’t take any ‘cure” for them unless he knows that it’ll work, of course, but if such a thing is possible eventually… he’ll be glad for it. “I think that’s what bothers me the most, sometimes… that there’s so much unknown…”

Everyone fears a different sort of disability depending upon their hobbies and lifestyle. For her own part, Hermione is terrified of the prospect of losing her sight, given her love of books and art. A musician would be afraid to lose their hearing, for obvious reasons. So of course it made sense that someone who prided himself on being able to protect people through fighting would be afraid of a more physical loss.

"I can understand that," she agrees. "I've never liked not having all of the answers. Now here I am, with virtually none of the answers. It's... an unpleasant sort of change, which is why I hardly leave the library at all most days."

It's all too true. Kain could handle giving up anything that didn't impede his ability to fight. It's just too important to him to be a dragoon. He's devoted his entire life to it, after all.

"That must be frustrating, to be taken so far out of the role you're used to. Fortunately, they've documented a great deal about their history... you'll have a lot of material to cover." Kain has glanced through a lot of it, mostly while looking for dragon-related lore, and what he's seen... Thedas is a complex place, especially when it comes to the relations between the various races.

"Yes, well... it doesn't really help when I can detect a bias in just about every author's writing, but I don't know enough of the actual facts to know whether the bias is also relying on fabrications." There have definitely been books that tore down mages and books that did the same to the Templars, but how was one supposed to filter through all of the personal stereotyping and figure out what was real?

"The few fictional novels I've been able to find have actually been bigger eye-openers in terms of the way the world works... so long as I ignore how tawdry some of them could be."

“I’m not surprised. Everyone here holds strong opinions one way or the other… it’s rare to find someone neutral to any topic, especially social matters.” The mage and templar divide is just one of many, and he could imagine that the same goes for the various elves, the nobles of Orlais, anyone from Tevinter... The list goes on. “At least those novels must be entertaining… more entertaining than reading Chantry writings, I’m sure.”

"I have the feeling that this attitude of acceptance and relative neutrality is something unique to the people at Skyhold, and not even to all of them. As such, any book written in that sort of light hasn't been published yet." Shrugging a shoulder, she remarks, "The novels aren't as dry, at least, but many of them are a little too... swashbuckling for my tastes, I suppose. But then, I guess that makes sense, given that those sorts of adventures might well be the norm in some parts of the world."

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