>>5967706At first you’re not especially impressed by this. The Unseelie already rejected your <Daylight> spell—more powerful than most forms of <Mage’s Troch>--as insufficient to purpose. However, Prince Long Wang reveals something which changes your mind.
“I thought it peculiar, when I viewed them during the Winter Ball, yearsss ago now… But they do not sseem to require refreshment or reenchantment by the elves who live there. In fact, an ally of mine—you remember Princesss Jazkarmel, yess, my Queen?—she oncce drew magic FROM one of these, and it sseemed to only temporarily deplete it.”
“So they absorb and concentrate magical aura from living things?” you ask. “Or from the environment?”
The Prince Consort shakes his head, explaining: “That area of the Underdark, of the deep and dark placesss of the Earth, it iss not magically-rich. The life which exissstss in and around their ‘oassiss’ is sscant, to ssay the leasst.”
You stare at him in shock. Magic is often referred to colloquially—even professionally and academically—as a form of energy. This isn’t technically correct—magic, like spirit, exists independent of matter and energy, which are ‘mundane’ (ie. non-magical) aspects of the ‘prime material plane’ of Earth. However, certain principles which apply to energy seem to generally apply to magic as well… Such as its conservation. Living things (besides goblins, trolls, and a few other related beings) accumulate these energies in and around their souls, and expend or transform it to cast spells. It is part of what makes a thing ‘alive’ in a traditional sense. It would be unusual enough for a non-living material to accumulate magic on its own without special treatment, or to store it effectively, though not unheard of. What IS unheard of is for a material to GENERATE magic in excess of the ambient aura. That’s something even LIVING THINSG don’t generally do, outside of creature of true, high magic like the True Fey, the Gods…
Or satellites such as Holy Sol and Holy Luna.
“I have to see this,” you say, with an urgency that explodes out of you. “That’s incredible! With a reliable source of energy like that—even in low amounts—well, it’s almost more impressive than the berry bush!”
“Isss it?” the Pricne Consort asks, tilting his head and regarding you curiously. “They cannot be reproduccced in the ssame way… Not grown, only desstroyed.”
“Even so,” you insist. “And the broken shards… By the Gods, even the SAND… The possibilities are… Wow!”
Queen Ekaterine claps her hands together, apparently quite satisfied at this, noting: “Well then, it sounds as if an expedition is in order! Oh, and this is actually rather wonderful, isn’t it? The Drow won’t get their seat on the Council of Elders, but by being a part of this project, maybe they can still benefit?”
