Video: The Basics of Magic, Part 2
The video starts with a shot of a large building, the architecture of which subtly shifts every few seconds. The Camera then pans down to a man in casual clothes waving.
"Hello, friends. Your good pal Jordan is back to bridging the gap between the magical and the mundane. Like I promised last time I am filming from the campus of the Arcane University in Maine. It is after hours, so there isn't much of a crowd here, but nevertheless, I'm here for part two."
The camera moves closer.
"Last time I explained the three most common types of magic, Witchcraft, Curses, and General Magic. This time we will explore only two, but I made sure that both are a bit more obscure. Of course, each is represented by a practitioner again, and that is the main reason I came here for this part. Very easy to find mages of all kinds at the University. Now let's let our first guest introduce himself. Professor Martin?"
The camera pans to the right, showing an older man in a suit and tie, smoking a pipe with a smile.
"Good day. My name is Saemus Martin. I am the professor of Intersectional Shamanism at this fine institution, and of course, I am a Shaman. I do not have social media, but you can contact me on my website SaemusMartinSh.mag. I will try to get back to you, but it may take a good while. I'm pretty busy. This is a good cause to make some time for, I think. Mundane people should possess at least some rudimentary knowledge about the different kinds of arcane power."
The camera pans back to the left, passes Jordan, and stops on a young woman in loose-fitting clothes, her hair tied in a ponytail.
"Hey, freaks and geeks. I'm Miranda Jackson, but you can call me Miri. I'm not a teacher here, just a student, but believe me when I say I'm the best kind of mage there is. A Tipster. My handle is @MiriSoFly. Follow me for hilarious jokes and deep insight into the world of luck-based magic."
The camera moves back to Jordan, who grabs it and points it at Saemus.
"Wonderful. Let's begin. So, Professor Martin, tell us about your kind of magic. What do Shamans do?"
Saemus chuckles.
"That is a good question, Jordan. It's complicated. What makes us Shamans different from other kinds of mages is that we don't really cast most of our spells ourselves. At least, that is what it feels like to us. There is some debate on that topic."
"Can you elaborate a bit?"
"Sure. The way we cast is that we.....for lack of a better term, pray to something. And if we do it right the thing we prayed for happens. That is why our spells are called Boons. They are granted to us."
"You pray to something? What exactly is it? A god? An Eldritch Entity?"
Saemus shakes his head.
"No one knows. Whenever we pray we feel....something. It's hard to explain. We feel that something is there, listening. We can feel if it is satisfied by our request or not. But that is all."
"So are all Shamans basically part of like...a religious group, or something? Worshipping whatever it is that grants these boons?"
"No. Not really. Us Shamans are a tight-knit group, but not because we worship the same being. Most Shamans don't even believe we do."
"What do you mean?"
"Not every Shaman has the same power. You have some that can influence animals with their Boons. Others can warp reality to a very limited degree, granting small wishes. There are elemental Shamans like myself. I have some influence over Earth. My best friend can change the properties of Water."
"Oh. So the theory is that each Entity is different?"
Saemus shrugs.
"Some believe that. There are a variety of different subcultures among us Shamans. There are Spiritualists who believe we each pray to different spirits that inhabit the earth. Even two people who can influence fire are praying to two different fire spirits according to them. Poly-Deists believe that we all pray to different gods. In that framework, all Fire Shamans pray to the same being. The rare Mono-Deists believe we all pray to the same being that just distributes its power differently for each worshipper. Anti-Deists like myself believe we pray to nothing, that prayer is just our way of waving the wand, so to speak. And there are even more. Quite a diverse little group we are."
"Okay. I think I get it. What exactly does it take to have a Boon granted?"
"It depends. Easy requests are usually just done without difficulty or delay. For larger asks, we may have to make an offering. A few drops of blood. A valuable object. It's different for each Shaman."
"Interesting. Thank you for the explanation. One last topic. Nine out of ten times when I see a Shaman they are smoking something. Why is that?"
Saemus chuckles again.
"Now that is the really strange commonality we all have. The early Shamans very quickly found out that smoking increases the chances for our Boons to be granted more than tenfold. Not only that, but further testing revealed that we are fully immune to the negative side effects of smoking. I have been smoking since I was 13, first cigarettes, then a pipe. My lungs are as healthy as can be."
"You're right. That is pretty strange. Do you have a theory as to why that is?"
Saemus nods, then shakes his head and finally shrugs.
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"Partially. I think the reason our Boons are more likely to be granted is because smoking may count as an offering. We are burning something while we smoke, right? Perhaps whatever magic is at play considers that as a burned sacrifice, like the people of old sometimes burnt good crops as offerings. As for why we are spared the physical degradation....I assume it is the same as when we offer blood. If we cut ourselves for the purpose of having a Boon granted, the wound closes immediately after. It's not a perfect explanation, but it fits. For the following, however, I have no explanation."
Saemus takes a deep drag of his pipe and blows the smoke in the air. Instead of the usual white cloud, a red and a blue one emerge. The blue forms itself into a small smoke woman, the red into a small smoke man. The two dance for a few seconds and then evaporate.
"As you can see, we have extraordinary control of the smoke we exhale. We can shift its form, its color, even its density. The older a Shaman gets, the more control they have. I have no idea why that is. It's the biggest conundrum for me. Quite peculiar."
"That was pretty amazing, Professor. Can you show us having a Boon granted as a little finish?"
Saemus nods, grabs something out of his pocket, and holds it out toward Jordan. It's a large rock.
"I brought it just for this occasion."
He closes his eyes and throws the rock upward. When it comes down again it's a crude small statue of Jordan, camera and all.
"There you go. With a drop of blood or two, it would've looked much more detailed."
Jordan takes the figure.
"Thanks a lot, Professor. If any of you have further questions about Shamans, contact Professor Martin via his website. Now let's move on to Lady Luck herself."
The camera pans to Miranda.
"Miri. Tipsters are some of the most obscure types of mages. Tell us all about'em."
The woman grins and pulls out a coin.
"You got it, hun. Tipster magic is based entirely around luck, and there are many different ways to use it. But the basic principle is the same. You bet on something. If you win the bet, whatever thing you want to happen happens. But it needs to be proportional to the bet. Let Mama show you the most basic of Tipster magics."
She points at a drinking water fountain.
"I want this fountain to turn on remotely. I bet that the coin I throw will come out Heads."
.
She throws the coin.
Tails. Nothing happens.
She throws it again.
Heads.
The fountain turns on.
"Wow. So...you can do anything with that power?"
She shakes her head with a grin.
"No, babe. Well, not like this. Betting on a coin has a 50/50 chance of succeeding and carries no risk. That means I can only do boring baby stuff with a bet like that. I'll show you. I want you to go over there and turn the fountain back off. Same bet as before."
She throws the coin and it comes out Heads immediately. Nothing happens.
"See? Compelling humans is a bit too expensive a reward for a bet that small. But that can be rectified two ways: Lowering the odds, or adding risk."
She pulls out a six-sided die.
"If I bet on rolling any specific number and win, it would work. Compelling you to walk a few steps and turn something off isn't that big an ask. But with odds lower than 50% comes an added limitation. I can't just roll until I win forever. With the odds of 1 in 6 I can make 3 rolls. Then I have to wait a few weeks before I can attempt the same bet again. The lower the odds, the harsher the limitation....as long as it's riskless. Adding personal risk is a lot more reliable, but...it's often not pleasant."
She puts the die back in her pocket.
"I want you to go over there and turn off the water fountain. I bet that the coin will come up Heads. If it doesn't....I'll lose a fingernail."
"Miss Jackson, I hardly think..." Saemus starts from off-camera, but Miranda already flipped the coin.
It lands on Tails.
The nail on her left pinky finger slowly peels itself from its prior resting place.
Her face is contorted in a pained grimace.
"Jesus..." Jordan says as the dislodged nail falls to the ground. Without delay, Miranda tosses the coin again.
This time it comes out Heads. The camera pans to the fountain as Jordan walks over.
"This is weird. It feels like someone is grabbing my legs and moving them forward."
The water button is stuck and he prods at it until it slides out again.
The camera points back to Miranda and he walks up to her.
"Man, this was...strange. So, can you do anything as long as the risk is high or the odds are low enough?"
She nods hesitantly.
"Yes. But at some point, it just doesn't become practical anymore. I think I have a good story that showcases both the power and limits of Tipster magic. Have you heard of Antonia Argos?"
"Oh, yeah. The miraculous resurrection, right? She is the only person in history who has been fully revived without side effects after more than a year of death, right? She was dead for like 50 or something."
"That's right. She was revived by her dear old hubby, a Tipster. The mainstream news only reported it as a crazy magic ritual, but his notes are public. We know exactly how he did it."
"Really now? Can you explain?"
"That's what I planned to do, yes. Kane Argos met Antonia in Italy when both were 16. They married at 18. And she died when she was 20. The dude was devastated. They were soulmates, pretty much. He never recovered from the loss. He worked hard and made it big. Argos Cosmetics is still a top brand today. According to his notes, he started to plan the great resurrection when he was 52. Took him till his 70th birthday to pull it off. And that's because he had to perfect the bet."
"Perfect the bet?"
"Yes. We Tipsters, if we plan out a bet, we know immediately if it's going to work. It's an innate part of our magic. Feels kinda like a tingle in the back of your head. And so he had to make sure to create the perfect bet that would work and be doable. He experimented with many variables and eventually, he found his master plan."
"So, how did it work?"
Miranda smiles.
"To his 70th birthday, he invited his whole family to his remote mansion deep in the mountains. His three kids, their spouses, and his four grandkids. And of course his 2 butlers and 2 maids. 15 people in total. He had a small secret room built in the mansion in which he placed a roulette spinner. But instead of numbers, the sides were plastered with a picture of each person who was going to be at gramp's party, including himself."
She takes the coin and flips it a few times.
"The ritual was to begin the day after the celebration. He bet his fortune, his life, and the lives of all present. At 10 in the morning, he spun the wheel and left, setting everything in motion. From that moment on, every hour on the hour the wheel would spin again, by itself. And whoever's picture it landed on would die horribly the next time they were alone. If it landed on someone who was already dead, it would spin again until it found a victim. This would go on for 12 hours, leaving 3 survivors. He planned to explain everything after the first death."
Miranda smirks.
"And in case he turned out to be the first victim, he left a note to be read in the event of his death to the head butler. On that note, he explained the ritual and left a riddle, hinting at the entrance to the secret room. If the Boule, that's the little ball, was to be removed from the wheel, the ritual would fail. In this case, all of his money was to be split among the survivors, and his remaining assets were left to the oldest surviving family member. If only the staff survived, then to the eldest among them. If the ritual went through, then his dear wife would be granted new life, and of course, all of his belongings would go to her. It's pretty damn clear that he hoped he would survive, but the note turned out to be a wise investment because he actually was the first to die. And as you know, the ritual succeeded. The riddle was solved, but it was too late. In the end, two kids and a maid survived. And Antonia came back. 20 years old and very confused."
"Wow. What happened to the survivors?"
"Antonia adopted the kids and hired the maid. More we don't know. They're very private. But listen. This incident shows you how powerful Tipster magic can be. But also how horribly inconvenient. Kane's notes are required reading for any Tipster because they go into great detail about what works and what doesn't. First, the odds. Kane wasn't a monster. He wanted as few people to die as possible. 15 was the absolute minimum he could get it to work with. Next, is the risk. Death, of course. To return a life, life must be paid."
She puts the coin away.
"But the potential sacrifices couldn't be anyone. It couldn't be people he hated or just didn't care about. It had to be 15 people he actively didn't want to die. So, he chose his family and his most devoted servants. And himself. Betting your own life is a massive potential power increase, especially if the caster wants to live. So he had his 15. But that wasn't enough either. The last ingredient to get everything to work was the risk of failure. By giving the ritual a failstate, and giving out a clue to find the secret room, he added a chance for everything he worked for and risked to amount to nothing. This is what finally did it."
"Damn. And all that for one life?"
She nods.
"All that for one life. I one hundred percent believe that Tipster magic can be used to do anything. But finding the right combination of odds and risks and being willing to go through with it....at a certain point it becomes so unlikely for anyone to do it that it may as well be impossible."
Saemus steps into the frame.
"Are we done here? I still have to prepare for tomorrow's lecture."
"Oh, sure. There you have it, folks! Shamans and Tipsters."
Miranda waves as the camera is turned around to focus on Jordan.
"I hope you all enjoyed learning about two of the lesser-known forms of magic. Members can look forward to a tour of the campus with Miranda and a more in-depth interview about life at the University. The rest of you will see me again in part 3, which may or may not be within the Magic Castle! I don't know yet. I may have an in. Whether or not that checks out, I thank you for watching. Keep the magic in your hearts. You never know when you might need it."
The video ends.