Djinn Blog Post preview, for 7/15

[John Dunn]

Hey guys,

Here's the blog post on the Djinn for next Monday, 7/15. Feedback is very much appreciated. Thanks!

-John

The Djinn's current status remains one of the greatest mysteries of Morden. When King Auberon's blade pierced her flesh, she vanished, taking much of her army, the forces of the Alliance, and even the Summerlands with her in a cataclysmic magical explosion. No human scholars know her ultimate fate, and even the Witches seemed unnerved by this dramatic turn of events. Though the Witch armies had essentially won the war, many of them left Morden with their armies, crossing the Darkfall Peaks to their homes that lay beyond.

Even in her absence, however, the Djinn's mark continues to plague Morden. The army that she raised and unleashed upon Hyphrates still battles the human rulers for control. Though she is no longer there to direct it, many who bear her Witchmark remain loyal to her cause. The vast numbers of banes that plague the land still follow her last orders, besieging and ravaging the countryside, even though the land's inhabitants have already surrendered to the Witches.

White witches and scholars of the Witches continue to disagree about what this means for Morden as a whole. Ancient legends posit that Witches are immortal. If this is truly the case, then the Djinn's absence is surely temporary. Many believe this to be true, because of the way her servants continue to prosecute the war even without her support. If this is true, then the undead Pharaoh Memmon is likely a puppet, just continuing to follow the plans that she had previously prepared.

Alternatively, some experts believe that its inherent Fey properties were enough for King Auberon's spear to actually slay a seemingly immortal Witch. Proponents of this argument insist that her workings remain active only because her death happened within the Summerlands. As she was not in the same physical reality when it happened, the repercussions have yet to be fully felt. Most of these experts agree that her workings are gradually losing potency, and that they may eventually fade completely. If this is the case, then those who bear the Djinn's witchmark—including the mummies behind Memmon-Aswar may soon see their powers fade. It could even be that the undead might return to their graves without the Djinn to eventually refortify her curses.

The important caveat to this argument is that scholars disagree about just how long the Witchmarks and other workings might take to fade. Some believe that it could just be a matter of a few more years. Others believe that it could take centuries before the powerful workings lose a noticeable amount of their potency. Even skilled white witches are unsure of the long term ramifications, as even the most accomplished wield only a tiny fraction of the power that the Djinn could apply at her slightest whim.

Wish Magic

Many believe that the Djinn's magic was closely linked to the power of the Fey. The fact that a weapon of the Summerlands apparently vanquished her seems to support this argument. The theory goes that the Djinn permitted others to summon her because of her inherent connection to these fickle beings. Some believe that the Djinn could have once been a Fey who somehow came into greater powers. Others argue that she actually created these entities in her own image. The argument and legends associated with this discussion are ancient, and predate the arrival of humans to Morden. Not even the Unseelie Fey seem to know the truth of the matter—or if they do, they refuse to speak of it.

[Texashex]

Pretty cool! I like the conflicting opinions about the fate of the Djinn. Basically, no one knows for sure. I would like to see a little more on the wish magic, there was some in the Hyphrates write up but maybe a little more elaboration would be good. 

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[John Dunn]

Thanks!

Here's the full working draft stuff on Wish Magic -- It's just not all going into the blog post:

Wish Magic

Many believe that the Djinn's magic was closely linked to the power of the Fey. The fact that a weapon of the Summerlands apparently vanquished her seems to support this argument. The theory goes that the Djinn permitted others to summon her because of her inherent connection to these fickle beings. Some believe that the Djinn could have once been a Fey who somehow came into greater powers. Others argue that she actually created these entities in her own image. The argument and legends associated with this discussion are ancient, and predate the arrival of humans to Morden. Not even the Unseelie Fey seem to know the truth of the matter—or if they do, they refuse to speak of it.

It is clear that the Djinn could fulfill wishes. She enacted this ability by appearing in response to the attempts of mortals to summon her. The humans who performed the necessary rituals generally believed that they had full control of the situation, though the truth of this is uncertain. Many accomplished white witches insist that the Djinn always had the upper hand in these situations. Ultimately, it seems that she was able to undertake far more potent magical workings in response to a mortal's request. This is most likely due to some element of negotiation that took place as part of the summoning rituals. Some speculate that the act of making such a wish enabled the Djinn to utilize the summoner's willpower as the central focus for her magic

If it were truly energy from the wish-maker that powered her magic, then the typical outcomes were particularly ironic. The Djinn never fulfilled a summoner's wish in the way that the individual hoped. Instead, she twisted the meaning of the wish, so that the ultimate outcome could be consistent with the literal request, but directly opposed to the desired outcome. A few breeds of Unseelie Fey often follow this same approach to magic—granting the requests of a summoner in response to some sort of bargain. However, their magic is far more limited in scope than seemingly limitless power that the Djinn could wield. Some speculate that the willpower that the wish-maker invested in a request played a major part in the ill fortune that they invariably suffered. It may be that after expending their will in this way, the karmic backlash somehow fated them to an ignoble death.

There are not currently other known entities within the Morden capable of performing Wish magic at the same level of potency as the Djinn. However, there are a few accomplished white witches and Unseelie Fey that have some ability with this magic. What is clear is that for a wish fulfillment spell to succeed, a significant amount of life force must be expended. While the Djinn never seemed to face consequences for fulfilling wishes, both the white witches and the fey always seem to bear a comparable burden to the wish maker. Consequently, such magics always require a rigorous negotiation prior to their workings.

[Texashex]

Sweet! I am curious how it works mechanically but that may be unimportant in the larger scope of things. BTW my first character is totally going to be a mummy. 

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