Doomwing's gaze swept over the assembled dragons. The time had come to give another lecture although the topic this time had little to do with Awakenings. Nevertheless, he would begin by speaking of essential knowledge and key generalities, rather than delving into the true depths of the subject matter. A firm foundation was necessary to properly understand any subject, and the matter he planned to address today was not one that should be taken lightly.
Magic.
He gave a low rumble and waited for his audience to fall silent. The whisper-song of magic rustled through the air. Those with the means wished to record and preserve his words. He had no objections to that. His knowledge and wisdom had been earned through millennia of hard work and careful study. They would find no mistakes, and although exploring the true depths of magic tended to be a highly idiosyncratic experience, the shallows, at least, were a well-trodden path.
"What is magic?" Doomwing asked. He let the question hang in the air. It was the first question, the fundamental question from which all other questions regarding magic derived. And it was tradition to begin with it as well. Certainly, Mother Tree had begun her instruction on magic this way, and she had successfully taught generations of dragons. "In simple terms, magic is the ability to impose your will upon the world, to take the story of the world and change it as you see fit."
He raised one claw and then brought it down on the ground with thunderous force. The ground split, and chunks of dirt and debris flew through the air only to be halted by his telekinesis. "Yet if that is so, what makes magic any different from raw physical strength or intelligence? All three can change the world, and all three can be used to forge a path through life." He bared his teeth, and three glowing spheres of light appeared in the air above him. "Strength comes from the body. Intelligence comes from the mind. And magic... magic comes from the soul."
The three spheres spun, gradually growing closer together until they merged into a single sphere of prismatic light. "But do not believe that the three are completely independent from one another. A stout body will aid you in channeling and manipulating magic, and a keen mind will allow you to grasp the intricacies of magic and use it more efficiently and judiciously." He flared his wings and drew himself up to his full height. "It is true that those who specialise in magic will rarely achieve the same pure strength as those who favour honing their bodies, but only a fool allows themselves to grow weak. Likewise, those who prioritise raw magical power over wisdom and knowledge will find themselves easy prey on the battlefield." He gestured at his fellow primordial dragons. "Look at those who, like me, have lived since the First Age. It is true that each of us has our specialities, but not one of us is truly lacking in any way. There are certainly areas where we are stronger, but the nowhere could any of us be called weak."
He wasn't flattering his fellows. He was speaking the truth. Consider his friend, Ashheart. It was widely accepted that in terms of pure physical might, Ashheart was the mightiest living dragon. Indeed, even amongst the primordial dragons, there was no one who could match him. But that did not mean he lacked intelligence or that his grasp of magic was poor. The others were the same despite the eccentricities some of them had. Stormbringer, for instance, often played the fool, seemingly content to spend the Ages throwing whatever animals she could find into that damn Pool of Ascension. Yet her cunning and wisdom had allowed her to craft a faction whose power was second only to Regal Flame's. Indeed, anyone who had ever negotiated with her when she was of a mind to exert herself would say the same. When she truly wanted something, there was little that could stand in Stormbringer's way.
"But I am not here today to speak on the finer points of magic and its origins. In truth, such a topic is as much philosophy as anything else." Doomwing chuckled. Dion had once tried to explain the origins of magic to him. Doomwing had been a hatchling then, and he had not been able to understand much. It was only many millennia later, having lived for several Ages, that Doomwing understood most of what his old friend had tried to teach him. "Instead, I shall speak about the different disciplines of magic."
Doomwing pointed at a dragon he knew to be knowledgeable in these matters. He had no intention of humiliating any who attended his lectures unless they sought to make trouble. "Name one of the disciplines of magic."
The dragon, blue-scaled and slender, did not hesitate to reply. Unless he missed his mark, she was one of Fractal Reign's followers. "Alchemy."
"Good." Doomwing nodded. "Although scholars may argue about how many different disciplines of magic there are, I will discuss only those that can be learned by any dragon. With that in mind, I would say that there are six: runes, ordered magic, alchemy, mystical crafting, magical scripts, and enchantment." His lips curled. "Any dragon may learn these six disciplines of magic. However, proficiency in them is far from guaranteed."
There were winces from the audience, and he bit back a chuckle. He had achieved mastery of all six disciplines, yet it was far more common for a dragon to acquire skill in a few only to show little talent at all for the others. Oblivioncaller, for instance, struggled with mystical crafting, most likely due to his nature as a corruption dragon.
Doomwing raised one claw and formed one of the simplest runes for fire. "This is one of the first runes that any dragon learns. It is a rune for fire." He gestured and let the rune occupy the space overhead. "Runes are the oldest form of magic and the most powerful. When the gods shaped the world, they used runes to do so. And when they slew the Broken God, it was runes that laid him low - runes and god-fire. The words I spoke earlier, of being able to write the story of the world, it is runes that do so, runes that allow you to truly bend reality to your will." He formed more runes for fire, each growing in power and complexity. The last, an ancient rune, shone like a miniature sun, its heat so great that his audience would have had to retreat if he had not restrained its power with his own. "But there was a problem with runes, one that led to the development of the other disciplines of magic. Can anyone tell me what it was?"
It was Fractal Reign who gave the answer. He was not surprised that she knew. After all, she too had mastered the six disciplines of magic, and her father had been perhaps the most knowledgeable of all the dragons of the First Age when it came to the topic. "Runes rely much more heavily on the strength of the user's soul than other forms of magic. As such, learning more powerful and complex runes can be extremely difficult, even for dragons. If someone attempts to learn or use a rune that is beyond them, they may suffer injury, even death, if they are not properly prepared." She chuckled faintly. "When I complained about it, my father always said that it was because runes were not designed with us in mind. After all, the gods were the first ones to use them, and they had little to worry about when it came to the strength of their souls."
"Indeed, that is the case," Doomwing said. "Although magic comes from the soul, most forms of magic do not draw upon the soul directly. Instead, they draw upon what we call magical energy, which the soul produces. Only if you are on the verge of death and seek to draw upon magical energy that you do not have is your soul truly at risk. However, runes are different. They draw power directly from the soul. This makes them dangerous - but also powerful. If you think of other disciplines of magic as using chalk to draw upon the ground, then runes are akin to taking your claws and carving furrows into the earth." Doomwing's eyes narrowed. "At the very highest levels of magical combat, powerful runes are virtually impossible to defend against without using powerful runes of your own. We typically divide runes up into several classes: basic runes, lesser runes, greater runes, ancient runes, divine runes, and primordial runes." He dismissed the runes overhead. "To give you some idea of their worth, a single fully mastered ancient rune would be worth more to a dragon of the Third Awakening than their entire hoard, such is its power."
One brave dragon asked for leave to speak. Doomwing granted it. "How many ancient runes do you know?"
Doomwing bared his teeth. "Many. I know many ancient runes." He chuckled. "Let us move to ordered magic. Ordered magic is similar to runes. In fact, it was created in the First Age as a more accessible way to do what runes can accomplish. In that respect, it is a failure. Ordered magic cannot truly mimic what runes are capable of. However, in practical terms, ordered magic could be called a great success." Doomwing spun spells into being. They were minor workings, ranging from the First-Order to the Seventh-Order. "Ordered magic works by taking magical energy and manipulating it in certain ways to produce specific effects. Each spell is assigned an order from one to fifteen after examining the complexity of the manipulations involved. Since ordered magic draws primarily on magical energy, rather than the soul, it is generally easier to learn and use than runes, albeit considerably less powerful."
Doomwing gestured at the spells he'd made. "One of the greatest strengths of ordered magic is its versatility. The spells I cast range from simple attack magic to healing magic, defensive magic, and enhancement magic. In principle, there is nothing stopping a dragon from learning all the different types of ordered magic. In practice, however, this rarely occurs since people tend to have affinities for certain forms of magic. For instance, a dragon of the fire dragon lineage will generally find it much easier to learn and master fire magic, as opposed to water magic. Of course, with sufficient effort, they might eventually master water-related magic too, but there are few who wish to devote so much time to something for seemingly little gain." Doomwing left it unsaid that he was precisely that sort of person. It... aggravated him when something eluded mastery, and as a primordial dragon, he did not have to worry about dying from old age. Efficiency was a consideration, but boredom was too. Simply put, given his long life span, staying interested in something was an important consideration, and exploring all the many twists and turns of magic had allowed him to remain interested in it, regardless of how much time he had already devoted to understanding it.
"For most of you, ordered magic will be the area you spend the most time. Learning more advanced runes is a process akin to enlightenment, and it cannot forced. However, intense study and practice of ordered magic will typically yield great benefits." Doomwing examined his audience keenly. "Should you reach your Fourth Awakening, you should have at least one Fifteenth-Order spell in your arsenal. Without one, you will find combat against mightier foes... difficult."
He dismissed the spells he'd conjured. He was tempted to show them a Fifteenth-Order spell. However, that would be unwise. Unlike more complex runes, which those incapable of using them could not even properly perceive, ordered magic was different. It was far easier for an unskilled mage to attempt a spell beyond their understanding, and the last thing he wanted was for one of his fellow primordial dragons to complain about one of their followers accidentally blowing themselves up. Oh, he could warn them, but dragons could be childish at times. All it would take was one sky-breaking spell, and there would be at least half a dozen fools trying to replicate it without giving the spell proper respect.
"Let us turn to alchemy." Doomwing noticed several dragons in the audience stir. They were the alchemists, and he knew he there would be no shortage of questions from them when he gave the lecture devoted to alchemy. "In simple terms, alchemy is about the transformation of energy and matter by both mundane and magical means." His eyes gleamed. "Under such a definition, you could argue that all magic is alchemy. However, in a more practical sense, alchemy is about the creation of useful substances and energies using a combination of mundane and magical processes." He lifted one claw and several items floated toward him. "On their own, these items are not especially useful to a dragon. But...using alchemy, they become something more." Rather than using the near-instantaneous alchemy that he was known for, he slowed the process down, allowing each step to proceed at a viewable speed, albeit still much more swiftly than normal. Soon, only a glowing, lava-like substance remained. "This is lava-steel, a substance that grows stronger the more fire and earth magic it absorbs. In the hands of someone like my friend Ashheart, it can pierce the scales of a Fourth Awakening dragon."
The younger members of the audience stared at the lava-steel with awe. The more cunning amongst them, however, focused on the subtle clue hidden in Doomwing's words.
He smiled at one such dragon and nodded in acknowledge. For an Unawakened dragon to realise the truth was impressive. "Yes, alchemy can be used in combat - and it frequently is, at least in a limited form. Why strike the opponent with a spike of lava when you could use alchemy to create lava-steel and strike them with something far more dangerous?" He withdrew his power from the spike of lava-steel and tossed it to the hatchling he'd nodded to. The hatchling belonged to the same lineage as Ashheart. The spike would serve him well, first as a weapon, and then later as an object of study. "Of course, alchemy can be used in more complex ways." He called more ingredients to himself and used his alchemy several more times. "Magical crystals to store magic, healing potions to deal with injuries, shadow energy that can be used to conceal, and holy energy to sanctify and purify. All can be created with alchemy. And unlike ordered magic, alchemy relies more on careful study, magical control, and rigorous practice than overwhelming power or speed."
Doomwing managed to keep a straight face as some of the alchemists in the audience puffed out their chests and flared their wings. "Yet if alchemy is so useful, why do so few seek to master it?" He chuckled. "Time and treasure. Alchemy is a delicate and complex form of magic. It takes great time and effort to achieve proficiency in, especially when compared to ordered magic, and it takes even longer to grow skilled enough to use it properly in combat. The cost is also... substantial." Here, he did chuckle. "A failed alchemical process will generally result in nothing but waste. You will have effectively thrown away the materials involved. And those materials can be extremely valuable. As such, acquiring true mastery in alchemy requires not only vast amounts of time but also vast amounts of treasure." He paused. "It is not a coincidence that most master alchemists are either exceedingly wealthy or are supported by those who are. Still, should you succeed, the rewards are substantial... especially when combined with mystical crafting."
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He studied his audience once again. Even without using magic specifically designed to detect those adept in mystical crafting, he could guess which dragons might be good at it. "Strictly speaking, mystical crafting refers to the creation of complex magical items. Amongst dwarves, this often takes the form of magical weaponry or magical tools. Amongst elves, magical staffs and magical bows are common. Those of you with some understanding may be wondering what sets alchemy - which involves the creation of magical substances and energies - apart from mystical crafting. I have already given you the answer. It is complexity." Once again, Doomwing performed alchemy on a number of materials. "Here we have a material that absorbs and stores lightning magic, alongside material adept at holding magical script and material that serves to bind different magics together." His eyes narrowed, and he worked further magic on the materials. Bright light enveloped them, and when it cleared, a gemstone the same colour as a storm-hewn sky floated in the air. Within it, countless magical inscriptions flickered. "Alchemy was used to create the materials I showed you earlier, but it was mystical crafting that allowed them to be combined into this - a talisman that absorbs lightning magic and then releases it according to the magical inscriptions held within the crystal."
Doomwing scanned the audience again before settling on a young dragon of the First Awakening who had paid particularly close attention. He had accompanied Stormbringer's delegation, so he ought to be able to use the talisman well. A gesture bestowed the talisman. "That is yours. In exchange, you must demonstrate the magics held within." The dragon stared at him flabbergasted whilst Stormbringer chortled, clearly pleased. "Simply reach out to the magical script within the talisman. I have already filled it with power although in the future, you will need to give it to time to recharge itself. Once you have a feel for the script, select which magic you wish to unleash. There are five spells within, the strongest of which is equivalent to the Twelfth-Order." A mighty gift, perhaps, for a dragon of the First Awakening, but Stormbringer would ensure he used it well and did not rely overly much on it.
"I... I will do my best." The young dragon closed his eyes briefly and then raised the talisman to point at the sky. A great flash came from the talisman before a bolt of magical lightning tore up into the sky, splitting the clouds overhead and unleashing a great peal of thunder. As impressive as the magic might seem, to a dragon of the Fourth Awakening - never mind one like Doomwing - it would be of little use. Still, it would more than suffice against the opponents a dragon of the First Awakening was likely to face.
"Mystical crafting can be thought of as the intersection of the other forms of magic since, with sufficient skill, it can combine them all." Doomwing called out several items. "Charms are another prominent example of mystical crafting, as many of you know." There were amused chuckles from the older dragons and bashful looks from their younger fellows. It was commonplace amongst dragons to gift their hatchlings with a variety of charms to ensure their safety. "The most common charms are related to attack, defence, and healing although more exotic charms do exist, such as those related to teleportation. However, what truly makes mystical crafting mighty is the ability to create items that are both powerful and capable of complex functions." Doomwing took out a simple pouch. Despite its humble appearance, it thrummed with power. "Who can tell me what this is?"
A young dragon from Fathombinder's delegation answered. "A storage pouch."
"Yes. Although we dragons possess great physical strength, simply carrying all of our belongings around is difficult, especially for those of us with sizeable hoards. Storage pouches - and other similar items - are one way of dealing with that. The space within is larger than it would appear, and the weight of the objects within can be considerably reduced. Of course, there are restrictions. No storage item is truly limitless in capacity, nor can the weight of the contents ever truly be eliminated. Moreover, items of great power or delicacy cannot always be stored inside. Even so, there are few items better for moving large amounts of gold, jewels, and more mundane treasures." Doomwing bared his teeth. "Mystical crafting is no easy task. It is hard to learn, difficult to master, and even more expensive than alchemy. Yet mastery will allow you to construct items of great worth." He withdrew several items from the pouch. "The catalysts often used to help in Awakenings are another example of mystical crafting."
Immediately, the eyes of many dragons locked onto the catalysts. A good catalyst could greatly ease the burden of Awakening, and no one made catalysts finer than Doomwing's. Although the catalysts he had revealed were only meant for those aiming for their First or Second Awakening, their value was still immense, for few things were more valuable to a dragon aiming for their Fourth Awakening than an unshakeable foundation. Already, he could see the eyes of older dragons, those with children, assessing the catalysts, no doubt wondering if they could somehow trade for them. Doomwing had no intention of dwelling on such matters. He had already agreed to exchange these catalysts with his fellow primordial dragons. Let them decide who could make best use of them.
"Let us move to magical scripts," Doomwing said. "An area where we dragons are, unfortunately, not the pioneers." He chuckled at the ire displayed by some of his audience. "Oh, that is not to say we cannot use them, but our own unique characteristics ensured we had little need to develop them." He carved symbols into the ground before him, infusing them with power. Light spilled outward, and a lump of ice formed in the air over the symbols. "Much like ordered magic, magical scripts were developed in a bid to mimic the abilities of runes. However, unlike ordered magic which dragons helped develop in the First Age, magical scripts owe most of their development to dwarves and elves. Can anyone tell me why that might be so?"
Rather than Fractal Reign answering, it was Ashheart. His friend's voice was like an avalanche, and it was easy to understand why those who did not know him well feared him. Everything about Ashheart spoke of his overwhelming physical might, yet Ashheart was no lumbering brute. In truth, he was quite good natured, reserving his ire only for those who truly deserved it. "Because they are weak."
Doomwing laughed. "Yes, that is right. Ordered magic relies heavily on the power of the user. As dragons, we possess far greater magical power than the elves or dwarves. Moreover, our minds and souls tend to be more resilient, which serves us well when using higher-order spells. Lacking those advantages, the dwarves and elves developed magical script to shift the burden of spell casting onto the script itself, rather than themselves." Doomwing wove an illusion to show the foundational symbols of the magical scripts used by the dwarves and elves. "If you think of a spell as a sentence, then these symbols serve as the words and punctuation. Critically, using certain symbols allows you to draw power from exterior sources fairly easily, either the environment around you or objects like magical stones. For those who lack our raw magical strength, that is a powerful advantage. Another advantage magical script has is longevity. Many of you possess items of dwarf make. It is common for those items to bear magical script."
Doomwing pointed skyward and then crafted an elaborate illusion. "What makes magical script so useful is that with sufficient understanding, you can go far beyond the simple markings left upon meagre weapons." His lips curled. "That is a formation based on the magical script used by the dwarves. It contains more than one thousand separate symbols linked in a variety of ways. Its effect? It is designed to purify and convert the ambient magical energy in a particular area to the purity and type its user desires. I developed it long ago to aid a friend in their pursuit of advancement. However, it's utility remains substantial although I have since developed far better versions."
He did not care if they saw it. Simply copying the symbols would not help. Not only did the symbols have to be created and linked in a specific order but the medium used was also of critical importance. Still, the greed in the eyes of many there was unmistakable. Such a formation could be of great use to dragons who lived in less optimal conditions or in places where the ambient magic did not match theirs. True, a powerful dragon could alter the ambient magic in their domain, but such things were beyond a weaker dragon, especially if they were not willing to devote substantial time and effort to the task. Such formations were another bargaining chip that he could use to further his goals, especially since there were few who understood magical script to the extent he did. Not many dragons spent much time around dwarves and elves, and those that did seldom spent it studying their magic.
"And finally, we come to enchantment." Doomwing dismissed the illusion overhead. "Enchantment is... tricky to define. Indeed, there are many who argue it should not be considered a discipline in its own right. However, I believe it is different enough to be worth mentioning on its own. Enchantment involves modifying the properties of an object or person, often for considerable periods of time, if not permanently." His brows furrowed. "Let me give you an example." He used his magic to tear a lump of dirt out of the ground before using additional magic to turn it into a proper boulder. "This is a boulder. Apart from its origins, there is nothing remarkable about it." His eyes gleamed as he wove magic into the boulder. "But with the right magic..." The boulder glowed briefly before settling back to its normal appearance. However, anyone with keen senses could still tell there was magic at work. "You." He pointed at a dragon of the Second Awakening. "Strike that boulder with an attack spell. Do not hold back."
The young dragon hesitated for a moment before gathering his magic and striking. It was a commendable effort: an Eighth-Order spell designed to shatter solid objects. The magic struck the boulder... and the boulder remained undamaged. The young dragon stared at the boulder in disbelief, and a brief ripple of laughter filled the air before Doomwing cut it off with a gesture. The young dragon hung his head.
"Do not be ashamed," Doomwing said. "I placed an enchantment upon that boulder, one that greatly enhances its durability and resistance to magic. In truth, I doubt there is a dragon of the Second Awakening here that could break it." He tossed the boulder to the dragon. "For your efforts - you may keep it." There was more laughter, but it soon died when Doomwing continued speaking. "If nothing else, you may use the boulder as a defensive item. As you saw it can block magic of the Eighth-Order with ease. Also... the enchantment I put upon it can be used on living things as well. If you study it closely, perhaps you can unravel it and learn it. In the long ago days of my youth, that enchantment was one I often used in battle." And he was truly speaking of his youth, back when he'd only achieved his First Awakening.
The young dragon immediately tightened his hold on the boulder and nodded in gratitude.
"There are ordered spells that would do much the same to that boulder, so why draw a distinction?" Doomwing asked. "Ordered spells are not designed to have lingering effects. However, enchantments are designed to last for substantial periods of time. For instance, that boulder will remain enchanted for at least a century. Of course, there is a price to pay for such longevity. Enchantments are often more difficult to learn, require more power to use, and take longer to cast. However, their longevity makes them extremely useful for enhancing items, creating lair defences, and providing aid in extended combat."
Doomwing called several items from the storage pouch. "As for examples, the magical weapons used by humans, orcs, and goblins are often enchanted. Without extensive knowledge of magical script, enchantment is the best method they have for enhancing weapons. Such enchantments are often thought of as blessings. Conversely, enchantments can be used to attack others. Curses, in fact, are a form of enchantment, and they can be applied not only to people but also objects, like cursed daggers that make healing difficult or cursed arrows that corrupt and poison flesh. The prayers often used by monks, priests, and paladins to enhance themselves are also enchantments, albeit often ones that draw power from whatever being they worship." He would not call those beings gods. After all, Doomwing had known the real gods, had counted one of them a close friend and mentor. "But enchantments have one major flaw, a flaw that can only be remedied with substantial mastery. Can anyone of the First Awakening answer?"
It was a dragon who had approached Littletooth at the market who offered an answer. "Um... where does the magic to maintain the enchantment come from?"
Doomwing bared his teeth. "Well done." He tossed the dragon a charm. It was of little worth to him, but a healing charm of that level could easily serve as a life-saving treasure to a dragon of her level. "Magical scripts are often written to draw power from either those who use them, their surroundings, or something like a magical crystal. Enchantments do not have that luxury, at least at first. So how long an enchantment lasts often depends strictly on the skill with which it was cast and how much power was used to cast it. That is why the holy swords often prized by humans need blessing every generation or so - without renewing the enchantments on a regular basis, they would be little better than regular swords. Of course, there are ways around that, but such methods only become possible at higher level of proficiency."
Doomwing rolled his shoulders. "Of course, as with any form of magic, enchantments range from the thoroughly mediocre to the truly powerful, as I shall demonstrate..."