design comm for a bug taxidermy mage

My OCs Ace and Winona in Dragon Age AU

What Avvar mage training tells us

Not enough people talk about the Avvar, which is a shame because they have some amazing history and practices. I find the way they handle mages to be especially enlightening and based as fuck.

So I made this post to summarise it!

In the above video, I captured two conversations with the Augur of Stone-Bear Hold, and Sigrid - the mage-in-training who went into a self-imposed exile. I'll summarise what mage training looks like for the Avvar, and then delve into the implications.

Augurs are the spiritual leaders of the Hold, but are not necessarily mages - though they often are.

Spirits are called 'gods' by the Avvar. The Avvar do also have named gods, and these appear to be particularly powerful spirits.

Mages among the Avvar bind themselves to a spirit in order to be trained - i.e., they become 'abominations' in the eyes of the chantry, which Dorian confirms in the video. This occurs at a young age, in Sigrid's case when she was a child.

The spirit becomes the mage's trainer. Years later, when the training is done, the mage releases the spirit in a ritual which requires only a small sacrifice (like a bird) and a vial of lyrium.

If a mage cannot release the spirit, then the situation is handled carefully. In Sigrid's case, she just didn't want to say goodbye to a good friend. She goes to the Augur after this, and he confirms that they are working on helping her overcome her loneliness.

If the reason is they are truly incapable of releasing the spirit (they are 'weak', though it's unclear what this means), then the Hold and spirits watches over them to prevent them from growing 'sick'. The Augur implies that if the mage does sicken and endangers themselves or the Hold, they are euthanised and pass away peacefully in their sleep. He says it is a very sad event.

What are the implications of this, then?

Reversing 'possession' can actually be really easy. We knew it was possible from DAO, but now we see that it need not require a massive amount of lyrium or blood magic. If the 'possession' does not happen in a state of extreme desperation/distress (which the Circle and Templars love to put mages in), then reversal is simple.

Mages who cannot release the spirit might 'sicken' - and I suspect that's what they tried to show with Anders. What 'sicken' means is not clarified by the Augur, but from our Anders experience we can piece together that the Augur means they grow mentally and physically unwell. But even this can be prevented or mitigated with proper care.

It appears to be very, very rare that mages among the Avvar turn into the types of abominations we fight in the games, because the Augur never even mentions it happening.

So, in conclusion: The Avvar treat their mages with the most humanity and compassion of everyone, resulting in very few instances of violent abominations.

(Note: tbh I have no idea wtf the Dalish mage training is like because the games contradict themselves even within the same clan, so I can't really draw comparisons to the Dalish, unfortunately.)

Two wizards having a lovely conversation. 

What secrets could they secretly be sharing in secret?

I was thinking about my “You are the best wizard/mage only if you look like this“ post and most common wizards/mages put in tags were them:

Morrowind: Master Aryon, of House Telvanni meets fellow magister at Tel Vos.

You may recognize Terra (on the right)—an altmer sorceress obsessed with hoarding spoons—from Spoonmagister's regular postings on r/Morrowind. Terra claims she is aware of meta-gaming events like: bugs, console commands, savefiles, dangers of falling through holes in geometry and NPCs blocking doorways etc. This however, is most probably, just a side-effect of powerful constant-effect illusion enchantments on her clothes (which, as you might imagine, have detrimental effect on one's sanity).

P.S: Turedus Talanian, Aryon's bodyguard (in the middle) has never approved of Terra regularly stealing spoonware from the tower. Aryon, on the other hand—being accustomed to dealing with eccentrics like Therana (also a voracious hoarder)—is fairly lenient towards the fact. 

Black Magic - magazine - Vol. 2 N° 3, Parliament, 1965

Genso Manege coming west for Switch, PC

From Gematsu

PQube will release MAGES.-developed otome visual novel Genso Manege, also known as Rever d’un Manege, for Switch and PC via Steam in the west, the publisher announced. A release date was not announced.

Genso Manege first launched for Switch on January 30, 2020 in Japan under MAGES.’ LOVE & ART brand, followed by iOS on October 9, 2020.

Here is an overview of the game, via PQube:

About

I will awaken the magic within you, and you will free us from the Reve… Set in a wondrously evocative re-imagining of France, a beautifully crafted otome visual novel following Emma, orphaned at a young age, as she fights to uncover her forgotten memories. A witch who lost her powers when young and now living a quiet life, Emma is led by the memento her father left her and finds herself swept away with the arrival of a travelling amusement park in town. Filled with magic and dreams but holding a dark secret, Emma feels an immediate connection to the wondrous La Foire du Reve. She discovers that hidden underneath the lustrous fairy-like charm of the park, its employees are trapped, bound to the amusement park and only the magic within Emma can free them. But it has been years since Emma has been able to access her magic, and she must dig deep within herself, navigating painful repressed memories, in order to recover it. Working at the Reve as she unravels the tangled threads of her forgotten past, Emma forges bonds with the employees of the amusement park. A cast of wonderful characters; the dazzling director Hugo, the stoic accountant Serge, the Tsundere Performer Crier, the kind-hearted rabbit Lyon, the Reclusive Mechanic Luciole, and Emma’s special childhood friend, Arnaud. Each character with their own crosses to bear, stories of tragedy and longing woven together with desperation, Emma builds deepening bonds of friendship, and maybe more, as she works to unlock her magic and their freedom. With its gorgeously subdued artwork, radiating warmth and romance, Genso Manege is a dream-like otome fantasy with an outstanding visual power that conjures an unforgettably bittersweet tale.

Key Features

Breathtaking Romance – Six different male leads to sweep you off your feet, follow their character routes and uncover their secrets.

A Thriving Town – Near the French border, this culturally rich location sets the scene for an unforgettably magical tale.

Dazzling Pastel World – Expertly crafted characters and artwork paint a dreamy picture of romance and magic, making this a visual novel in every sense.

Magical Mini Games – Utilize the Eveil System, an enjoyable game mechanic, woven into the story to help you recover Emma’s magical abilities.

Voiced Characters – Unique characters brought to life by stunning voice acting allow you to experience first-hand the different personalities trapped in the Reve.

An Unforgettable Tale – Sweet and touching yet tinged with sadness, Genso Manege weaves a tale which is as happy as it is bittersweet.

Watch the announcement trailer below. View the first English screenshots at the gallery.

Announce Trailer

Witches of the Witcher serving c*nt like no other

design comm for a glassblower mage

Mages Guild

Concept art for The Elder Scrolls: Daggerfall

Art by Mark Jackson

Mages practicing gravity magic together.

Ansilvund

RATING: 6/10

Here we are. The place that re-ignited my passion for Skyrim’s dungeons. A long and mildly troublesome to navigate dungeon full of draugr and mages, hellish for even a high level character. It contains no puzzle doors, nor trapped chests, but instead an interesting narrative of a bereaved wife taking it out on others after her husband was killed and ‘defiled’ in the war. Some portions of it are claustrophobic; others are fairly open. It’s definitely an oddball dungeon. If you’re playing through it, the final boss might go through the floor on death- which is annoying when your way out is a key in her pocket.

In exchange for all your effort, you get the unique weapon Ghostblade. A translucent ancient Nord sword that does 3 unblockable extra damage. In hindsight, it wasn’t a very good dungeon, nor a fun one, and the reward only does a paltry 17 damage per hit without improvements.

But the thing that got me going was how no quests led into it, and it had no greater purpose. It was just there. It didn’t even have a word wall. But someone put time and thought and care into it, made a custom character with her own storyline, and used draugr in a unique way. And furthermore, it’s one of the only dungeons I can name off the top of my head to use crush traps. Not just once, but repeatedly! And it wasn’t used in anything!

I hope that, if nothing else, my ratings will make people want to discover their own version of ‘Ansilvund’. 

Never thought that this crossover would have been so popular, but glad y’all are enjoying it! Have some more Orkos and Magolors. Looks like they’re still getting along!