Merida's Wild Magic
Wild magic
Sparking, spitting, streaks of light and fire, wild magic is a phenomenon that appeared in Merida during the Binding of Sestus. The light dances in a spiraling cloud that hovers an inch or so above the earth, occasionally sinking back into it, only to remerge. We only have the words of those that saw the event and wrote down what they witnessed. Wild magic seemed to emerge out of the earth and walls of the Ledges.
Our inventors and wizards have hypothesized that the terrible power that the Gracious Lady and the Warden used to stop Sestus triggered a reaction that poisoned the earth. We don't know how they stopped him, but the impact over generations has been significant - to both the Huthal, who have coped with genetic mutations, and the land and the creatures of the Ledges, which have evolved into separate species from the creatures that live above land in Merida.
We have also had occasional outbreaks of Wild Magic in nearby areas, such as the Sagwood Marsh to the southwest of Tylren. Since only a few covens of witches inhabit the marsh, not many people have felt that it was important enough to bring it to the King and the Joint Council. The witches seem to have figured out a way to contain the outbreaks as no one has seen the damage that Wild Magic inflicts on the landscape beyond the twisted trees and darkened waters of the Marsh.
Wild magic's properties are not well known. A few inventors have gone to learn from the Witches of Sagwood Marsh to see how they control its expansion, but our attempts to reach out to them have not been well-received. What is exciting is that they seem to have learned how to use Wild Magic to defend their own borders! So we have been left to pore through the few notes that Onfa Bremin captured and a few have tried to meet with Huthal Elders to learn more.
What we have learned is the following:
Sparking, spitting, streaks of light and fire, wild magic is a phenomenon that appeared in Merida during the Binding of Sestus. The light dances in a spiraling cloud that hovers an inch or so above the earth, occasionally sinking back into it, only to remerge. We only have the words of those that saw the event and wrote down what they witnessed. Wild magic seemed to emerge out of the earth and walls of the Ledges.
Our inventors and wizards have hypothesized that the terrible power that the Gracious Lady and the Warden used to stop Sestus triggered a reaction that poisoned the earth. We don't know how they stopped him, but the impact over generations has been significant - to both the Huthal, who have coped with genetic mutations, and the land and the creatures of the Ledges, which have evolved into separate species from the creatures that live above land in Merida.
We have also had occasional outbreaks of Wild Magic in nearby areas, such as the Sagwood Marsh to the southwest of Tylren. Since only a few covens of witches inhabit the marsh, not many people have felt that it was important enough to bring it to the King and the Joint Council. The witches seem to have figured out a way to contain the outbreaks as no one has seen the damage that Wild Magic inflicts on the landscape beyond the twisted trees and darkened waters of the Marsh.
Wild magic's properties are not well known. A few inventors have gone to learn from the Witches of Sagwood Marsh to see how they control its expansion, but our attempts to reach out to them have not been well-received. What is exciting is that they seem to have learned how to use Wild Magic to defend their own borders! So we have been left to pore through the few notes that Onfa Bremin captured and a few have tried to meet with Huthal Elders to learn more.
What we have learned is the following:
- Wild magic can be deadly (obviously) too much exposure can stop the heart of all children of Merida
- The intensity of Wild magic does not lessen over years. The same patches in the Ledges that blocked passageway in the youth of the oldest Elder are still sparking, but they may have retreated by an inch or two. This is all anecdotal, so we can't take this as absolute truth
- Wild Magic can expand if the conditions are right during the full moon. What the conditions are beyond the moon's appearance, we are not certain, but that is why we think it expanded to the Sagwood Marsh.
- Wild Magic can trigger evolution and the generation of magical abilities in those that walk through it. Early in their tales, the Huthal used to use Wild Magic to reach out to Sestus and had an initiation for some of their wise men and women that made a few of them seers.
Comments