MERCEDES-LACKEY Digest 95 Topics covered in this issue include: 1) Re: villains and blood magic by "Croaker" 2) Dire wolves by kmlisa-+AT+-netcom.com (Lisa Kurahashi) 3) RE: Physical shields by mealink-+AT+-syd.au.swissbank.com (Kerry Mealing) 4) Re: Dire wolves by mealink-+AT+-syd.au.swissbank.com (Kerry Mealing) 5) Re: MERCEDES-LACKEY digest 92 by Vivian Choh 6) Re: MERCEDES-LACKEY digest 92 by mealink-+AT+-syd.au.swissbank.com (Kerry Mealing) 7) Guardians and Heralds by mel (Melanie Dymond Harper) 8) Re: Dire wolves by Gyrfalcon 9) Valdamar to Music by Captain Fluffy 10) Re: Valdamar to Music by mel (Melanie Dymond Harper) 11) Re: Valdamar to Music by jc-+AT+-crosfield.co.uk (Jerry Cullingford) 12) RE: Physical shields by RUNDLE-+AT+-wilma.bcasd.az.honeywell.com 13) Dead to the World (was Re: Valdamar to Music) by Gyrfalcon 14) RE: Physical shields by mel (Melanie Dymond Harper) 15) RE: Physical shields by Gene 16) Re: Dead to the World (was Re: Valdamar to Music) by "Lisa Ramirez" ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 1 Aug 1995 19:30:10 -0400 (EDT) From: "Croaker" To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk Subject: Re: villains and blood magic Message-ID: <9508012330.AA27362-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk> Not too long ago, EBM mumbled something about: > > On the subject of Blood magic I think that I would have to agree with > the people who have been saying that it can only be used to "top-up" > mage power, in a person. > ^^^^^^^^^^^ There is another example of a person using blood magic... In 'Jinx High', the villain uses it on several occasions. Her view of it seems to be energy she can absorb to replenish her reserves... sort of a 'fast recharge'. > However, there have been several references to using blood magic, and > non-blood magic, to build up a set spell, examples being Kethry's > trap spells in Oathbreakers and the spell used by Vedric and co. to > go after Tashir and his family. I'm wondering now if one could see > the heartstones in this same fashion, a resevoir with magic feeding > into them from leylines rather than a mage periodically "charging" > them. Taking another example from the 'modern-world' books, there are mentions of doing this there as well. Deke Kestrel's shields, for example, were placed by his parents. It seems to me that these references are to shields against mental influence/attack, not physical dealings. -- =============================================================================== | croaker-+AT+-cyber1.servtech.com | "I *HEARD* That!!!" | | Known to Reality as | -- Warrick Morgannen, | | Chris Nasipak |_________________ Archmage of Pittsburgh. | | http://www.servtech.com/public/croaker/index.html | | =============================================================================== GAT/CS: d? s+:++ a? C++ U*+ P+ L+.5 E W++ N++ K- w--- O+ M-- V- PS+ PE+ Y+ PGP t+ 5++ X++ R+ tv+ b+++ DI- D+ G e+.5 h! r- z? =============================================================================== Copyright 1995, Chris Nasipak. Microsoft Network is prohibited from redistributing this work in any form, in whole or in part. Distribution liscense for this work is available to Microsoft for US$10,000. Distribution constitutes an agreement to these terms. Permission is granted for all other distribution of this complete work. =============================================================================== ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 1 Aug 1995 18:03:17 -0700 (PDT) From: kmlisa-+AT+-netcom.com (Lisa Kurahashi) To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk Subject: Dire wolves Message-ID: <199508020103.SAA14830-+AT+-netcom18.netcom.com> I know it was an old post, but Julie Vaux mentioned dire wolves in her post on werewolves in Valdemar. I KNOW I've heard of them before and it's driving me crazy that I can't remember where. Please help! Since I've already displayed my horrible memory, let me now ask for help in finding a quote from one of the Di Tregarde books where Di paraphrases the Wiccan creed. I thought it was in Jinx High when she was talking to Deke, but I can't seem to find it. -- Thanks for your help, kmlisa _______________________________________________________________________________ Lisa Kurahashi kmlisa-+AT+-netcom.com kmlisa-+AT+-typhoon.seas.ucla.edu "There is absolutely no substitute for a genuine lack of preparation." ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 2 Aug 95 12:43:06 EST From: mealink-+AT+-syd.au.swissbank.com (Kerry Mealing) To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk Subject: RE: Physical shields Message-ID: <9508020243.AA00815-+AT+-syd.au.swissbank.com> > >I can see a physical shield as being a major drain on the mage projecting it. > > A magical shield can rely on minor shielding until a spell is upon it, then > >the mage can dump in the addition energy needed. They should be able to > >sense the spell coming at them. They probably would not be able to do the > >same with a physical attack, because they wouldn't be able to sense it > >coming. Then again this is assuming it is an all around shield. It would > >probably be easier and less draining to have a small shield that they could > >move in to block. This would also require knowing an attack is coming but > >would take a good amount less energy. And seeing as how it would be like a > >physical shield. Frontal attacks could be blocked easily, only problem would > >be attacks from the rear. > >Enough babling for now, I gotta get back to working here. > > > Tensen > > > I agree that creating a magical physical shield would be a huge drain. > However, magical shields against magical attack seem to be a different > story. Vanyel said something in the second LHM book about having set > up shields for his parents and sibs. As well as whatshername, Randale's > lifebonded, and Jisa. In other words, he set up shields, and maintained > them, with apparently very little effort. Maybe he wove the protection > into the nearby nodes? But what would happen if one of the protected > travelled somewhere? So most likely he was maintaining magical shields > on a few dozen people without any drain to himself! > > StarWolf > It can't be all -that- draining to maintain a small personal physical shield - Vanyel shielded a whole palace with both a physical & magical shield sufficient to keep an *adept* out, then either rode or gated to the next-door country (Valdemaar) (can't remember the exact order of events). And he didn't tie it to the heartstone in that instance as he didn't know it existed then. As an aside, Savil set the shields on Van's parents.. I think shields don't need to be actively maintained all the time - unless they're under attack - and even in that case the shield is as strong as the power poured into it in the first place. Secondly, mages *do*, or did in Vanyel's day use physical shields quite routinely: - He mentions that blood mages summon Wyrsa or the like and contain them with a shield - it's pretty clear it's a physical shield from his description. - The barrier Keth & the enemy adept raise for their ritual combat. - The enemy mage summoning the Wyrsa at the end of Arrows Fall - arrows couldn't hit him.. - Jaysen (the adept herald-mage of Van's day) saying, after he was dead: "One of the things got through my shields." - it kinda implies that it got through a physical shield. (And what are the odds Leareth helped there just a tad?). - Van saying most untrained mages don't know how to shield physically. - Elspeth having to break the Empire's mage's shields to get a dagger through. Nope, for my money it has to be that it's just too darn inconvenient not to be able to touch things while holding a physical shield on yourself (think of it as wearing a force-field)... This form of physical shielding seems to be totally missing in Misty's current-day setting books. Admittedly though, Diana Tregarde isn't an adept.. but even so, her shields only keep magical related things out and there's no suggestion she or anyone else can do the same with normal physical attacks. Adepts generally in that setting seem to be either much rarer, or magic is much harder - gating is almost never done.. levin bolts aren't normally visible etc. Magic in general seems to be more low-key.. though that might just be the way it's described. At the risk of getting shot for starting yet another thread, :) would anyone care to speculate what being a Guardian actually means? Especially the extra power boost & magics that they get access to.. The only thing I could think of is that obviously, they're the equivalent of modern-day heralds, but get the power boost similar to that given by a companion without actually getting a companion (or similar). Presumably, like the unknown deity/deities of Valdemar the source of the power doesn't require fealty like the Star-Eyed. Either that or they tacitly subscribe to the druidical notion that all gods and goddesses are diferent faces of the same being. Anyway, I promise I'll be quite for a while now. :) Cheers, Kerry. -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- Kerry J Mealing mealink-+AT+-syd.au.swissbank.com "For the song and the sword and the pipes of pan, Are birthrights sold to a usurer; But I am the last lone highwayman, And I am the last adventurer." ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 2 Aug 95 13:46:00 EST From: mealink-+AT+-syd.au.swissbank.com (Kerry Mealing) To: kerry_mealing-+AT+-il.us.swissbank.com, au.swissbank.com-+AT+-il.us.swissbank.com, Subject: Re: Dire wolves Message-ID: <9508020346.AA01166-+AT+-syd.au.swissbank.com> > I know it was an old post, but Julie Vaux mentioned dire wolves in her post > on werewolves in Valdemar. I KNOW I've heard of them before and it's > driving me crazy that I can't remember where. Please help! Drat. Now you've got me doing it.. Umm, I have a very vague idea that they're an old AD&D (roleplaying game) monster - I've never played it but they've percolated into lots of later roleplaying games. I believe they were in the Eye of the Beholder 2 computer game as well. > Since I've already displayed my horrible memory, let me now ask for help > in finding a quote from one of the Di Tregarde books where Di paraphrases > the Wiccan creed. I thought it was in Jinx High when she was talking to > Deke, but I can't seem to find it. "An' it hurt no-one, do as you will." That's from memory, but I'm pretty sure it's Jinx High when Di is talking to Monica, saying that she's not the one trying to get Monica.. Monica replies something to the effect that "I've always believed that.." or "That's what mum's always said.". It's either after Monica arrives at the library, or after the second (more dangerous) attack. Hope that helps. (Yes, I know I promised to be more quiet.. I will now. :) Kerry. -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- Kerry J Mealing mealink-+AT+-syd.au.swissbank.com "For the song and the sword and the pipes of pan, Are birthrights sold to a usurer; But I am the last lone highwayman, And I am the last adventurer." ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 2 Aug 1995 00:18:56 -0400 (EDT) From: Vivian Choh To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk Subject: Re: MERCEDES-LACKEY digest 92 Message-ID: On Tue, 1 Aug 1995 hart-+AT+-best.com wrote: ('twas Tamra actually) > also used the term buskers, but I'm not sure. I know that Celtic music > is a theme in a lot of stories because of the power and (supposed) > magic behind the music. Anyone listen to Clannad or Nightnoise? > Definitely magical....I wonder where the term "buskers" comes from -- > maybe it's something all these people picked up at the same Cons? I If you can listen to music while you read, try reading these mystical/magical books while listening to New Age/celtic music... Has anyone else done this? (did the enya/dreams underfoot thing together). What other combinations are good? Are the filks good to listen to while reading about Velgarth? What's filk music like? folk-songish? New age-ish? (don't have any :( ) Vivian Choh bi189-+AT+-torfree.net v.choh-+AT+-utoronto.ca "I am all that I claim to be. I simply have not claimed all that I am." - M. Lackey, "Oathbreakers" "Hope is what allows the strong to rise above their despair. It's what makes them strong. Not blind faith, not the certain knowledge that someone will step in and help them, but the understanding that through their own force of will they cannot merely survive, but succeed. Hope is that tempers that will and gives it the strength to carry on, no matter what the odds are ranked against them." "Don't forget to tell her how too much hope will turn her into a lazy cow." from "Bridges" in Dreams Underfoot -- Charles De Lint ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 2 Aug 95 15:51:59 EST From: mealink-+AT+-syd.au.swissbank.com (Kerry Mealing) To: kerry_mealing-+AT+-il.us.swissbank.com, au.swissbank.com-+AT+-il.us.swissbank.com, Subject: Re: MERCEDES-LACKEY digest 92 Message-ID: <9508020551.AA02444-+AT+-syd.au.swissbank.com> Vivian wrote: > On Tue, 1 Aug 1995 hart-+AT+-best.com wrote: > ('twas Tamra actually) > > also used the term buskers, but I'm not sure. I know that Celtic music > > is a theme in a lot of stories because of the power and (supposed) > > magic behind the music. Anyone listen to Clannad or Nightnoise? > > Definitely magical....I wonder where the term "buskers" comes from -- > > maybe it's something all these people picked up at the same Cons? I > If you can listen to music while you read, try reading these > mystical/magical books while listening to New Age/celtic music... > > Has anyone else done this? (did the enya/dreams underfoot thing > together). What other combinations are good? Are the filks good to > listen to while reading about Velgarth? What's filk music like? > folk-songish? New age-ish? (don't have any :( ) Yeeeeesss, but not with enya or celtic type music - much as I love both types, I find them typically lacking in passion & power so that they don't impinge while I'm reading (perhaps I just concentrate too much on the book) :) Let me preface this with IMvery-veryHO, but I haven't yet found any new age or modern celtic music that can match the haunting lilt of Greensleeves on a violin, or the plaintive lament of Memories (from Cats) by someone like Debbie Byrns. If I had to put a label to it, I'd say I'd say I don't get any sense of a depth of feeling from them. Of course there are exceptions, Enya's "Book of Days", Clannadd's "Both Sides now" etc.. But generally.. :) Of course, I haven't heard any of Firebird's stuff at all yet.. here's hoping! Cheers, Kerry, (hastily ducking for cover & throwing up as many shields as possible). -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- Kerry J Mealing mealink-+AT+-syd.au.swissbank.com "For the song and the sword and the pipes of pan, Are birthrights sold to a usurer; But I am the last lone highwayman, And I am the last adventurer." > Vivian Choh bi189-+AT+-torfree.net v.choh-+AT+-utoronto.ca > > "I am all that I claim to be. I simply have not claimed all that I am." > - M. Lackey, "Oathbreakers" > > "Hope is what allows the strong to rise above their despair. It's what > makes them strong. Not blind faith, not the certain knowledge that > someone will step in and help them, but the understanding that through > their own force of will they cannot merely survive, but succeed. Hope is > that tempers that will and gives it the strength to carry on, no matter > what the odds are ranked against them." > "Don't forget to tell her how too much hope will turn her into a lazy > cow." > from "Bridges" in Dreams Underfoot -- Charles De Lint > > > > ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 2 Aug 1995 10:00:37 +0100 From: mel (Melanie Dymond Harper) To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Guardians and Heralds Message-ID: <9508020900.AA03595-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk> > Adepts generally in that setting seem to be either much rarer, or magic > is much harder - gating is almost never done.. levin bolts aren't normally > visible etc. Magic in general seems to be more low-key.. though that might > just be the way it's described. > Possibly it's just a "less-magical" setting. Valdemar has a lot of magic of one kind or another floating about, whereas the (semi-)real world that Di inhabits doesn't, much. > At the risk of getting shot for starting yet another thread, :) would > anyone care to speculate what being a Guardian actually means? Especially > the extra power boost & magics that they get access to.. > The only thing I could think of is that obviously, they're the equivalent > of modern-day heralds, but get the power boost similar to that given by > a companion without actually getting a companion (or similar). > I don't think they're quite Heralds, because Heralds have to be trained to the point where they can't do less than their best, and that takes about five years. >From things Di says in "Children of the Night", I infer that Guardians don't get the inability to do less, but they do get thoroughly munched on if they don't do enough; also, I don't remember seeing any Guardian training mentioned. The main similarity between the Guardian powers and the Companions seems to be that they both help as a last resort, when _nothing_ else is going to do the job. You don't get the companionship and day-to-day help, but you do get the "ohshitohshitwe'reallgonnadieunlessIdosomethingrightnow" help. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 2 Aug 1995 07:03:30 -0400 (EDT) From: Gyrfalcon To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk Subject: Re: Dire wolves Message-ID: >> I know it was an old post, but Julie Vaux mentioned dire wolves in her >> post on werewolves in Valdemar. I KNOW I've heard of them before and it's >> driving me crazy that I can't remember where. Please help! > > Drat. Now you've got me doing it.. Umm, I have a very vague idea that > they're an old AD&D (roleplaying game) monster - I've never played it but > they've percolated into lots of later roleplaying games. I believe they > were in the Eye of the Beholder 2 computer game as well. Yep.. They're in that particular RPG, as well as many many others. (There's so many, and it's too early to remember any of them... But I think they're also in Middle Earth.) But you know, it seems odd that humans are the main race on Velgarth. All the others, Hertasi, Kyree, Trevardi, Gryphons, and so on, and so on. Are/were magical constructs at one point. The closest thing to "Elves" seems to be the Hawkbrothers (Me-+AT+-work... Spelling in Shin'a'in -+AT+-home) and even they are remarkedly human. Tis just odd in a fantasy series. Oh well I shouldn't gripe. Goodnight people, I'm going to take a nap. --Gyrfalcon =======================msowers-+AT+-menger.eecs.stevens-tech.edu=================== Magic still exists. We have only to reach out and touch it, it is a part of the very fabric of the world. When our belief of magic completely dies this universe shall die. Because that magic; Hope, Dreams, Love, Beauty, Wonder, Belief, and Discovery are what make us a people. They are all part of a great Art whose workings are still a mystery but whose applications can be seen every day. If we ever lose the Art mankind shall not last the day. Let the magic that is in us roam free in our work, play, in each other, and most of all in ourselves. Let it roam free or it will die. ============================================================================== ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 2 Aug 1995 07:15:27 -0500 (CDT) From: Captain Fluffy To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk Subject: Valdamar to Music Message-ID: On Wed, 2 Aug 1995, Kerry Mealing wrote: > Vivian wrote: > > On Tue, 1 Aug 1995 hart-+AT+-best.com wrote: > > If you can listen to music while you read, try reading these > > mystical/magical books while listening to New Age/celtic music... > > Has anyone else done this? (did the enya/dreams underfoot thing > > together). What other combinations are good? Are the filks good to > > listen to while reading about Velgarth? What's filk music like? > > folk-songish? New age-ish? (don't have any :( ) > Yeeeeesss, but not with enya or celtic type music - much as I love both > types, I find them typically lacking in passion & power so that they don't > impinge while I'm reading (perhaps I just concentrate too much on the book) :) > Let me preface this with IMvery-veryHO, but I haven't yet found > any new age or modern celtic music that can match the haunting lilt of > Greensleeves on a violin, or the plaintive lament of Memories (from Cats) by > someone like Debbie Byrns. Has anyone tried reading to the Quest of the Dream Warrior CD by ML and David Arkenstone yet? Its a fantasic combination. The Fluffy Tell your troubles to cats, The night walking cats, The black cats of Althea Jane, Tell your troubles to cats, Her messenger cats, for she cures the poor folk of their pain, -- The Cats of Jane mailto:tpaulk-+AT+-metronet.com # http://www.metronet.com/~tpaulk/Fluffy.html ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 2 Aug 1995 13:45:02 +0100 From: mel (Melanie Dymond Harper) To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Re: Valdamar to Music Message-ID: <9508021245.AA06100-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk> > Has anyone tried reading to the Quest of the Dream Warrior CD by ML and > David Arkenstone yet? Its a fantasic combination. > I'd love to be able to listen to music while I read -- unfortunately, if I'm reading, I'm generally dead to the world (at least if it is a sufficiently good book...) Mel. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 2 Aug 1995 13:12:48 +0000 (GMT) From: jc-+AT+-crosfield.co.uk (Jerry Cullingford) To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk Subject: Re: Valdamar to Music Message-ID: <9508021312.AA03759-+AT+-crosfield.co.uk> > Has anyone tried reading to the Quest of the Dream Warrior CD by ML and > David Arkenstone yet? Its a fantasic combination. > > The Fluffy Hmm. Haven't tried mixing music and books much - usually, I'd find the music distracts from the book or vice versa :-). On the other hand, some of the "Background Noise" CDs work quite well - birdsong in the forest, and suchlike. -Jerry -- _|_ / | Jerry Cullingford jc-+AT+-crosfield.co.uk (Work) \_|_ jc-+AT+-selune.demon.co.uk (Home) \__/ Hemel Hempstead, UK jerry-+AT+-shell.portal.com (alternate) ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 2 Aug 1995 6:41:40 -0600 (MDT) From: RUNDLE-+AT+-wilma.bcasd.az.honeywell.com To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk Subject: RE: Physical shields Message-ID: <950802064140.206144df-+AT+-wilma.bcasd.az.honeywell.com> >It can't be all -that- draining to maintain a small personal physical >shield - Vanyel shielded a whole palace with both a physical & magical >shield sufficient to keep an *adept* out, then either rode or gated to >the next-door country (Valdemaar) (can't remember the exact order of events). >And he didn't tie it to the heartstone in that instance as he didn't know it >existed then. I think that's kind of my point. I think there's two possibilities here, first that Misty's being very inconsistent, in that she makes shields difficult and draining at times, and other times not, or the amount of magic available to "modern-day" Velgaarthian mages is much less than in Vanyel's time. >As an aside, Savil set the shields on Van's parents.. >I think shields don't need to be actively maintained all the time - unless >they're under attack - and even in that case the shield is as strong >as the power poured into it in the first place. Granted, I forgot it was Savil. However, think it through. One of her relatives all of a sudden gets hit with a magical attack. How would these shields work? Do they draw more power from her, at a distance of a companion-week? (a weeks ride by companion, at a rapid clip from Van's parents to the capital). Or is it tied in with some node? The shield may be semi-dormant until invoked (the person is attacked, the shield reacts), but it has to draw energy from something! >Secondly, mages *do*, or did in Vanyel's day use physical shields quite >routinely: >- He mentions that blood mages summon Wyrsa or the like and contain them > with a shield - it's pretty clear it's a physical shield from his > description. Don't remember the description, but this is direct, active use of a shield, as opposed to a dormant shield that reacts to an attack. >- The barrier Keth & the enemy adept raise for their ritual combat. I thought this was a magical barrier, that physical stuff could get through. Maybe I'm confusing myself on this one. >- The enemy mage summoning the Wyrsa at the end of Arrows Fall - > arrows couldn't hit him.. >- Jaysen (the adept herald-mage of Van's day) saying, after he was dead: > "One of the things got through my shields." - it kinda implies that it > got through a physical shield. (And what are the odds Leareth helped > there just a tad?). Could have been magical shields. A magical attack that penetrated magical shields would make you just as dead. >- Van saying most untrained mages don't know how to shield physically. >- Elspeth having to break the Empire's mage's shields to get a dagger > through. > >Nope, for my money it has to be that it's just too darn inconvenient not >to be able to touch things while holding a physical shield on yourself >(think of it as wearing a force-field)... > Hmmm. Maybe. That seems as good a way to look at it as any. But I keep remembering the way Firesong was teaching Elspeth and Darkwind. I won't say more about it till I reread that part. >This form of physical shielding seems to be totally missing >in Misty's current-day setting books. Admittedly though, Diana Tregarde >isn't an adept.. but even so, her shields only keep magical related >things out and there's no suggestion she or anyone else can do the same >with normal physical attacks. >Adepts generally in that setting seem to be either much rarer, or magic >is much harder - gating is almost never done.. levin bolts aren't normally >visible etc. Magic in general seems to be more low-key.. though that might >just be the way it's described. It seems to me that the Di Tregarde books could be explained as also containing node magic. A guardian might be one who can tap nodes. But it's like the Pelagirs in Velgaarth: the nodes and ley lines are wild and untamed. Remember how it's supposed to be far more difficult and dangerous to work with lines and nodes that are unstable? And the less magic is used, which would be true in our word/Di's World, perhaps the less is available, and as it fades, the level of magic being done fades. In other words, Di may be at the upper end of the scale for the level of magic available. On the other hand, she seems to be mostly self-taught, and in a sense, a lot like Elspeth. She's got a lot of power available to her, but she doesn't have enough training to fully utilize that power. >At the risk of getting shot for starting yet another thread, :) would >anyone care to speculate what being a Guardian actually means? Especially >the extra power boost & magics that they get access to.. >The only thing I could think of is that obviously, they're the equivalent >of modern-day heralds, but get the power boost similar to that given by >a companion without actually getting a companion (or similar). >Presumably, like the unknown deity/deities of Valdemar the source of the >power doesn't require fealty like the Star-Eyed. >Either that or they tacitly subscribe to the druidical notion that all gods >and goddesses are diferent faces of the same being. I wouldn't say guardians are like heralds. Heralds are really the arrows of the queen/king. Guardians are independant. AND most importantly, a guardian only helps when the need is great. Heralds may help in even small things (remember the boundary disputes and other minor functions Talia performs on circuit?). Their main similarity would lie in that they are both on the Side of Good (TM). White hat time. StarWolf (If that wasn't about $2 worth...) ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 2 Aug 1995 09:58:29 -0400 (EDT) From: Gyrfalcon To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk Subject: Dead to the World (was Re: Valdamar to Music) Message-ID: On Wed, 2 Aug 1995, Melanie Dymond Harper wrote: > > I'd love to be able to listen to music while I read -- unfortunately, if I'm > reading, I'm generally dead to the world (at least if it is a sufficiently > good book...) > > Mel. > This is true, I'm one of several people who has to be shaken out of a good book. (Picture of roommate shaking book upsidedown to dislodge me from among the pages.) Seems odd though, there are just some books that don't do that to me and others where I begin reading and put down the book later only to find that three or four hours have passed. Arrows of the Queen was one of these. Ah well, back to work. --Gyrfalcon =======================msowers-+AT+-menger.eecs.stevens-tech.edu=================== Magic still exists. We have only to reach out and touch it, it is a part of the very fabric of the world. When our belief of magic completely dies this universe shall die. Because that magic; Hope, Dreams, Love, Beauty, Wonder, Belief, and Discovery are what make us a people. They are all part of a great Art whose workings are still a mystery but whose applications can be seen every day. If we ever lose the Art mankind shall not last the day. Let the magic that is in us roam free in our work, play, in each other, and most of all in ourselves. Let it roam free or it will die. ============================================================================== ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 2 Aug 1995 15:13:18 +0100 From: mel (Melanie Dymond Harper) To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: RE: Physical shields Message-ID: <9508021413.AA08611-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk> > Granted, I forgot it was Savil. However, think it through. One of her > relatives all of a sudden gets hit with a magical attack. How would these > shields work? Do they draw more power from her, at a distance of a > companion-week? (a weeks ride by companion, at a rapid clip from Van's > parents to the capital). Or is it tied in with some node? The shield > may be semi-dormant until invoked (the person is attacked, the shield > reacts), but it has to draw energy from something! > Van was able to tie in with Tylendel for magical stuff (good gods, I actually remembered a name ;)); maybe there's something like that going on. While the recipient of the shield wouldn't have enough mage-gift to run it themselves, maybe they had enough dormant to let them cooperate .... or something like that ...) Speculating wildly here, of course. Cheers Mel. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 02 Aug 1995 09:24:02 -0600 From: Gene To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk Subject: RE: Physical shields Message-ID: <01HTLP2KCS0I9BY5PP-+AT+-SKISAS.USask.CA> > >As an aside, Savil set the shields on Van's parents.. > >I think shields don't need to be actively maintained all the time - > >unless they're under attack - and even in that case the shield is > >as strong as the power poured into it in the first place. > > Granted, I forgot it was Savil. However, think it through. One of > her relatives all of a sudden gets hit with a magical attack. How > would these shields work? Do they draw more power from her, at a > distance of a companion-week? (a weeks ride by companion, at a rapid > clip from Van's parents to the capital). Or is it tied in with some > node? The shield may be semi-dormant until invoked (the person is > attacked, the shield reacts), but it has to draw energy from > something! I believe the implication here was that the shields on Van's parents were tied into nodes or somehow more permanent than a thrown together sheild. At one point doesn't Savil say something like "I spent weeks in the nodes weaving protections for them [Withen and Treesa] that's how I got half of these silver hairs" No books around to check this out, as usual, but I think it's there somewhere. Later, Gene PS. Welcome to the list Cap. Fluffy. Seen you around on Usenet hope you stick around for a while. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 2 Aug 1995 12:39:46 EST From: "Lisa Ramirez" To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-vanyel.herald.co.uk Subject: Re: Dead to the World (was Re: Valdamar to Music) Message-ID: Gyrfalcon wrote: << I'm one of several people who has to be shaken out of a good book. (Picture of roommate shaking book upsidedown to dislodge me from among the pages.) Seems odd though, there are just some books that don't do that to me and others where I begin reading and put down the book later only to find that three or four hours have passed. Arrows of the Queen was one of these.>> I think all of us do this to some extent. For myself, many is the time I was called to the dinner table and never heard a thing until one of the parents came in to my room and physically took my book away from me. Arrows did to me what it did to you. Some books draw me into the story so well that I am unaware of the passage of time when I read. There has been more than one occasion when I have started a book in the evening, finished it, and only then realized that the time was 4 or 5 a.m. Any normal person would be slowly easing out of REM sleep into a lighter sleep and getting ready to greet the day; but I have to be different and stay awake the entire night. Strangely enough, I have never felt tired when this happens. I just go to work as normal. Longing for a new Misty book to see if this happens again. By for now (BFN) Lisa ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Lisa M. Ramirez ~ The worst enemy of humanity's ~ Applied Marine Research Laboratory~ noblest works is still humanity ~ Norfolk, VA 23529 ~ itself. ~ ramirez-+AT+-estuary.amrl.odu.edu ~ ---Karl E. Meyer ~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------------------------------ End of MERCEDES-LACKEY Digest 95 ********************************