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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“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."

"Right, and it may be some time before anything with those views gets out there... but perhaps in time." Especially as the Inquisition continues to gain influence, to prove itself. More people would be willing to publish, to spread the word about those beliefs. Who knows, maybe a rifter might one day get something written.

"I think people need that sense of adventure and escape... no matter what world you're on." it's not like Kain has had a hard time finding such a thing when he lives that sort of life, but he can see why the stories appeal just the same. Especially ones with dragons in them. He can't get enough dragon stories, even if he's seen them in reality.

Hermione can only nod at the idea of Thedas getting more accepting; after all, it can hardly get less so, unless this Corypheus person actually manages to win. That would be awful for everyone involved, especially the people who aren't even native to this world, which means that she has all the more reason to make sure that the Inquisition doesn't fail on that front.

"I'd thought so, too, but that's before meeting people who are far more colorful than any character in any book I've ever read. So I have to wonder if it's always escapism or if it isn't just... I don't know, inspirational?" Chuckling, she adds, "Little boys wanting to grow up to be mercenaries seemed a lot sillier when that wasn't a valid career choice."

If their enemy wins, they'll all be in very deep trouble. They probably won't survive at all, or so Kain fears. He hates to think of the fate that would befall this world... if they fail... That's why he's putting so much into the Inquisition really, despite this not being his native world. It doesn't matter, as long as they're here, they're all in this together.

"Where I'm from that sort of thing is more common... but... then again, this world is similar to my own in certain ways." Not so much the specific factions, definitely not the attitudes toward mages, but there's enough else culturally, and technologically, that's the same. Knights and mages and mercenaries and all the rest are pretty much normal to him. "But if such books can inspire others, they're surely worth it."

If Voldemort had succeeded, Hermione had been fairly certain that she and anyone who had any Muggle blood in them would have faced a fate much worse than death, especially given that she'd aligned herself with Voldemort's greatest enemy. So it stands to reason that here, Hermione would assume that being a rifter means she'd face an even harsher sort of wrath from Corypheus than the average person, though there's no telling for certain whether or not that is or isn't true. She'd just much rather not find out.

Cracking a small smile, Hermione asks, "Oh? What sort of ways? It seems like you feel more natural here than I do, but I can't tell if that's because you'd been here longer or if it's because my world is so starkly different from this one." And she can't imagine how much more different it would have felt if she'd been a Muggle, never hearing of magic or seeing real dragons or knowing any elves.

“I’ve been here perhaps a few months longer, but that’s hardly enough time to become drastically more familiar with the place. No, I think it’s because the culture itself is similar in many ways to my own… the presence of magic, the same type of daily lifestyle… I could almost mistake it for home.”

Almost, if it weren’t for the unusual armor, the strange accents, and all those subtle differences that make it all totally unfamiliar at the same time. It’s a strange thing, to feel at home and not at all close to it, at once.

While Hermione may have gotten used to going without things like electricity on a daily basis, she still misses not having the option of simply being able to flick on a light; if not for her magic enabling her to easily light a candle or even a fire, she wouldn't know how she'd be able to deal in a place like this. So she looks at Kain for a moment before smiling softly, absently jotting down a few more notes about his claims as to the lifestyle he's used to.

"Then I suppose you're lucky. There are many people who probably still can't get used to not having certain conveniences available to them." Pausing for a moment, she frowns slightly and mentions, "Like indoor plumbing."

“I’ve heard things from some others, about things that are beyond what this world has, and beyond my own for that matter. It sounds like it’s been quite an adjustment for some of you.”

Maybe it is for the best that he doesn’t know any better. Sure, he’s been to the moon and he’s dealt with things like a gigantic robot set on destroying everything… but when it comes to regular everyday life, none of that technology has yet affected the rest of them in his world. It’s all the Lunarians.

Sixteen books on magic spells

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