Character

Experiment 1 - Weapons

Hypothesis: Conjurers and thaumaturges carry very similar weapons. However, while conjurers cast by channeling the aether in their environment through wooden canes, thaumaturges channel instead their own aether with rods made from horn and metal.

Casting thaumaturge spells with a wood cane should therefore allow me to use environmental aether to do so. Conversely, casting healing spells with a thaumaturge weapon might enable me to safely use my body's aether.

Attempt 1: A new recruit burned her foot while training. I volunteered to heal her and was able to do so while holding a horn staff, but the spell completely bypassed the weapon and was delivered through my hand. I however already knew I had the ability to heal using my own energy (although I still do not understand it). I felt tired afterwards and took a nap.

Speculation: Thaumaturge weapons are made of horn and metal because they are thought to be "aggressive" substances suitable for creating destructive effects. Perhaps this makes them incompatible with healing magic?

Attempt 2: I tried casting Fire by channeling environmental aether with a simple maple cane. The cane burst into flames. I'm... not positive why, except perhaps that wood is, well, flammable.

Attempt 3: Knowing this, I tried casting Blizzard instead. I encountered a similar issue and the 2nd maple cane I had carved exploded into a mess of frozen splinters. I figured maple was too fragile and tried again with Mindbreaker. The cane did not break (thank the Twelve, Mesa would have had my head) but became so cold that I had to let go of it. The spell simply could not be released.

Speculation (continued): This could be caused by wood not being a suitable conductor for destructive spells. Makes enough sense.

Conclusion: Hypothesis disproved. If I am to continue investigating the difference between black and white magic, I will need to do away with tools. However, my 2nd and 3rd attempts demonstrated something important: it seems possible to some degree to weave thaumaturgic spells from environmental aether.

The implications of this are yet unknown.

Experiment 2 - Handcasting

Hypothesis: The separation of elements between white and black magic is arbitrary. Therefore, it is possible to cast conjurer spells with thaumaturgic methods (body aether) and also possible to cast thaumaturgic spells with conjurer methods (environmental aether). There being no weapons I know to be suitable for such things, I will go outside the city (for safety) and attempt casting by channeling aether through my hands.

Attempt 1: I already know how to heal using my body's aether, but I have never tried casting other types of conjurer spells this way. I decided Fluid Aura would be a great candidate for this experiment since it normally requires very little energy.

However, after multiple attempts, the best I could do was create a tiny wave in the puddle in which I was standing. This afternoon of experimenting left me utterly exhausted - I went to bed that night and woke up 22 hours later.

Speculation: At this point in my thaumaturgic training, I'm able to cast fire, ice and lightning spells, and my inner pool of aether has grown consequently. Yet, I'm still unable to cast even the simplest of conjurer spells without completely exhausting myself. I think this is because conjurer spells in general require much, much larger amounts of aether, which makes it necessary to harvest aether outside the body. I however do not know the role played by inexperience and the absence of a weapon in this experiment.

Attempt 2-5: I tried to cast Blizzard by channeling environmental aether. Doing so without a weapon proved extremely difficult, and I had to spend multiple days trying before I could produce any effect whatsoever. I however gave myself frostbite on my 4th and 5th attempts, which showed me I was making progress: in conjury, aether is normally pulled in or around one's cane and then transformed into the desired spell. Since I was not using a weapon, the aether was thus entering my body directly. This being a little unorthodox, I was probably channeling too much aether and keeping it inside my body too long.

Attempt 6: I managed to correctly cast an ice spell by channeling environmental aether. It... did not go well. I was definitely right when I said I was likely channeling too much energy: the spell created a blast of cold air so powerful that it buried the entirety of the Clutch under a sheet of snow and ice. I also completely froze both my arms in the process and sweet Matron, did that ever hurt. I was able to heal myself, but it was an extremely close call.

Never again never ever ever ever

I hope that the wind doesn't blow the cold system I created over to the city. Hopefully, the desert sun will melt everything before anyone finds out...

Conclusion: Hypothesis extremely disproved; speculation most likely correct. The separation of the elements between the two magical disciplines seems to be founded in mysterious principles that make certain weapons and casting methods better suited to certain spells. As a matter of fact, most healers are unable to use their body's aether to heal; perhaps most thaumaturges would similarly be unable to do what I did.

I can only hope that as I continue my studies, I will understand the mechanics at work better. These experiments have at least brought me closer to grasping the nature of the magical arts that I've been fated to wield.