kimurho

working to get refugee kids settled in a new school. One boy, 4th grader, was upset that the school didn't offer Latin. I offered to help him continue to learn it, but of course he wanted the grades. Spanish was suggested as a viable alternative (in my experience, it is NOT an emotionally acceptable one). He seemed to reluctantly agree, but then decided to take me up on my offer as well.

School day ends, I meet up with a group of others because we need to find someplace to stay as well. There's a Stephen Strange (comic book, not cumberbatch) type wizard, two rough looking men, two women -one big, one little, and me. The wizard leads us to a barn/shed looking place - double doors in the front and another couple of doors further back, high windows in a row ceiling high. Looks like one room but I think there's a loft area. Almost immediately another group shows up, contesting our occupation of the space.

The wizard slams the door closed, takes out chalk and at this point, I'm the wizard and I'm running through runes of protection but I can't remember any. Doesn't matter because my dream self draws simple crosses on the doors to bar the way. Then breaks the chalk in half and throws it to the two men who are now in were-wolf ... halfman/halfwolf ... form. Orders them to draw crosses on the the other two doors.

Then I take up my staff and turn around, the left hand door is off, a man in a black overcoat and black fedora stands there, holding his staff. We stand there for several minutes, pushing at each other with magic attacks and defenses, then I do a Gandalf-like rise and slam with the staff and physically push the other wizard away. The world goes dark for a moment and when the light comes back, the would-be intruders are gone.

After that, we set about making the shed/barn habitable and my overmind remembers its supposed to check the time. The clock reads 3:05, I've overslept 20 minutes, so I get up.

This was a ghost-squad dream.

We were trying to determine the origin & meaning of some magic medallions, round disks ...clay or wood? ... with figures on them that my sleeping mind recognized as from the zodiac but my waking mind does not.

We were at a very large, very old-looking research library. Lots of unnecessary decorations, heavily carved shelves, stone walls. It may have been in a college, but the people running the library wore monks robes. Some of the unnecessary decorative touches were depictions of the medallions.

We discovered a vault under the library that held a large stone altar, around the top were the mysterious medallions ... and more that my character did not recognize, that did not belong to the zodiac figures of the dream. What I remember are a dragon/ reptile, a warrior in an animal skin, a tree like Yggsdrasil.

Leaving the library one evening, we encountered a large number of people leaving an athletic game ... football probably. One man, surrounded by several sons and holding one toddler-sized little girl by the hand, speaking in a heavy Louisiana accent, asked me what I thought of a nearby college. I responded with something innocuous because I didn't know much about it. He replied "The Gators are a real good team. Real good." As he walked away, I noticed something green snaking out from under the little girl's dress ... an alligator tail. That made me look at the boys and their father and I could tell that they had more in the backs of their pants that normal.

We headed for the college town he mentioned and found ... well, I'm not quite sure what we found but that man's family had been cursed with alligator tails at that place long ago. Somehow the church had obtained the altar ...probably had broken up the coven. I had a vision of the little girl on the altar while we tried to the remove the curse from her ... and only her?

I'm thinking that my sleeping mind planned that the family felt that the alligator tails were fine for the men in the family but that this was the first girl in a long while and the father wanted to give her as much of a chance at a "normal life" as he could.

strange dream - I kept waking up and going back into it.

I was a refugee, staying at a cottage with a woman I didn't know. A magical cottage. When she was showing me my room, there was a man there who wanted me to step on him, but I knew that was a bad idea. She didn't seem to notice him. He wore a sweater that matched the carpet/ rug in the room and when he lay down on the floor, he would merge with it so that it was only by the subtle differences in the pattern - especially on the edges - that I knew where he was to avoid him. At one point, I had to do laundry. I left everyone else in the lower floor (basement was sort of a entertainment room, my children were down there and our hostess) and took the clothes upstairs to the living rooms. It was dark and the light switches weren't working. I knew there was something dangerous in the dark and didn't want to go further.

Woke up.

Dreamt of my offspring Senna, telling her that I love her but I was missing my son Sean. That I needed to mourn his loss and get to know her better.

Woke up.

Back in the cottage, except now it was bigger and I was more of an observer than a participant. The hostess had several children - three or four - and was guesting four refugee children who were tightly bounded but I'm not sure that they were actually siblings. One ... Livia ... was smaller than the rest and rather awkward; a natural victim. The mean girl among the resident children picked on her; so that the other refugee children had to look out for her. Then Livia disappeared and her fellows went looking for her.

She had followed some instructions from Victoria - to get somewhere innocuous in the house - and ended up in another dimension being chased by giant cats.

Her friends joined forces with the the other resident children (who did not approve of Victoria's ways) to find the way into the alternate dimension. They started searching for Livia. One of them was hiding and overheard a giant cat inform Victoria that they had found the prey she'd sent for the "Feast of Bones" in the small room {elevator?} but that it got away from them.

I really wanted to find out what happened. Livia seemed to be doing well against the cats. Victoria seemed to be well on her way to evil witchery. What would the combined children do to resolve the situation? What would the hostess do when she found out? Was she secretly teaching Victoria the dark arts? {There was the implication in all the dreams that the hostess was magically inclined - but there was nothing really overt.}

Up to a point, this was a pretty standard dream for me, then it got really weird. Details aren't too clear in memory, these are the high points.

Dream takes place in one of the Borderlands - places that touch on Mortal and Faerie lands, bubbles of location connected by Gates. Some are closer to Mortal lands, they have rudiments of technology to augment a modicum of magic. Others are further out - older and closer to Faerie - and Mortal tech doesn't work at all, magic is too strong and ... well, easier to understand and use.

This dream takes place in one close to Mortal lands.

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My dream was set in the England described by Patricia Wrede and Caroline Stevermer in their co-authored novel "The magic chocolate pot". Basically, it's Jane Austin with magic.

Alethia and her sister were being presented to society. Alethia, called Thea by the family, was acclaimed a Beauty; she was lovely, accomplished, charming, &c &c and her magic was accounted to be exceptional.

Her sister, called Cassie by the family, was quieter, more shy, less attractive, less social, less socially accomplished. And no one talked about her magical talents.

Thea immediately attracted one of the Catches of the Season, Teagan Teague (yeah, I know, weird name, but these names came directly from the dream, so I figure there's a reason I remember them). He was described several times in the dream as "Gorgeously handsome, Amazingly talented, Fantastically powerful, Terrifically attractive, Superlative dancer, Fabulously intelligent" which is bad enough but it was usually Cassie so describing him as she beat her fist on the chest of her male companion ... until he finally caught her hand, wincing, and begged her to stop praising the blackguard. But that comes later.

I suspect that Cassie was merely quoting word for word what she'd heard Thea say about Teagan.

I ... do not remember the name of Cassie's male companion. He was not a Catch of the Season and I'm not entirely sure if Cassie realized that he was romantically interested in her. She liked him ... more than a little ... but since she didn't think she would ever catch the interest of anyone, she figured he was just helping her because of Thea.

Because in the dream, Thea had disappeared from a garden party and was found hours later, barely alive, having been fished out of the River. She was in a coma - unable to explain what had happened. There were hints that the coma was not physical in nature, but magically induced.

At that point, Cassie had visions of what had happened ... because that was Cassie's talent. I have a suspicion that her nickname has more to do with her talent than with her actual name.

Thea had been enticed away by Teagan who took her to his home and entertained her with conversation and music and snacks ... right up until he began to take liberties. Thea refused but he forced her. He raped her and then sent her to jump into the River to hide his crime. He may have stolen her magic as well which would likely have caused the coma after the compulsion charm ended.

Cassie and her male companion set out to bring Teagan to justice which involved the companion becoming a Regency incarnation of Dick Grayson/ Robin and a high tech (magical) Batvan that was co-opted by super-villain Teagan using a tear-shaped jade pendant which acted like a key/ identification of ownership.

Cassie and "Robin" managed to gain entry into the van because of "Robin's" knowledge of it - He prevented a fatal implementation of security when something Cassie did set it off. Just before I woke, Teagan was delivered to them, inside the Batvan, securely wrapped in so many ropes he looked like spider's lunch - presumedly by "Robin's" mysterious patron - the owner of the van. Cassie triumphantly took possession of the jade keyfob and I woke up.

In terms of appearance, "Robin" was NOT Burt Ward. He had reddish hair and a stocky countryman build. More boxer than dueller if you know what I mean. I don't know what Cassie looked like because I was mostly looking out through her eyes. Thea looked like the girl in the Bridgerton mini-series - which I haven't seen except when folks post pictures from it to a historical doll costume site. Teagan looked like an idealization of the most romantic Lord Darcy performances.

20200902
Borderlands Academy
Tower of Learning
The Door

Borderlands Academy enrolled students from First Years, those who turned 11 years of age before the Autumnal Equinox, to Seventh Years. Each year group, one through six, had their own floor in the tower for academic learning. They had halls for group lectures, classrooms for smaller groups, still rooms for brewing and workrooms for casting. Every morning after breakfast, the entire student enrollment would meet in assembly for announcements and then would be dismissed to their classes, starting with first years, ending with ...

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Last night I was studying this image as an inspiration for Borderland Academy. {question - is it plural (Borderlands) or not? Have to decide one way or another.}



A student coming to the Tower of Learning in the engraving arrives knowing the basics of reading and writing.
The first two levels of the tower are learning Latin.
The third level is devoted to Logic, Rhetoric, and Arithmatic
The fourth level is given to Music, Geometry, and Astronomy
The fifth level is Theology and Metaphysics
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From a Facebook chat, 2020 August 22

A friend wrote : --
I feel like it is incomplete without summoning and dismissal, as well as- for lack of a better term- the manners you need for interacting with the manifestation of your work so that you don’t get eaten or otherwise.

me: --
Summoning of magical and mundane creatures (flesh and blood) and, of course, safely dismissing the same, would be a major school. I could be persuaded to include the summoning of elementals and spirits (divine, infernal and mundane) into this tower curriculum as well; which means I need a different name for Destruction Magic/ Elemental magic. ... I really REALLY hate the term "destruction magic"

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friend :--
Was also thinking what about Known history and law? There’s got to be that one tower that’s super important but is mind numbingly dull for all but a few, that most dread but recognize the need for the basics.

That would make nine towers. 3 x 3

me :--
Re "Known history and law" ... I'm of the opinion that that would be covered in General Studies.

( Read more... )

I had a college dream this morning - a college offering courses in magic. In the dream, a spell was scribed on paper or cloth which was then adfixed to the object ... or person ... being enchanted. There were little square pads of spell paper like sticky memos in the dream.

As the spell transferred from the written medium to the enchanted object/person, a colour would develop in the aura of the person/object (visible only to second- or spell-sight, not to the physical vision) indicating the magic at work. Light rose pink for love spells, lavender for passion, shading to darker shades of purple for violence. Dark red for anger. These are the colours that were pertinent to my dream self; I did see other colours as well but my logic mind did not explain the significance to my dream self ... or I didn't carry the information out of dream state when I woke.

There was a developing problem on campus, someone was maliciously adfixing spells of anger and violence at random in increasing numbers, leading to riots and assaults. Magic and engineering students were being called in to help - the way to break a spell's hold was to (1) remove the physical component of the spell and then (2) wash or soak the enchanted individual well with salt water. So students of magic were needed to espy who was enchanted and who was just a jerk and to help locate the spell square. Engineers were adding salt to the showers in the dorms and to water trucks that were spraying down the protestors/ rioters/ &c.

One source of trouble was a Middle-eastern tycoon/ sheik visiting his affianced bride who was a student of magic. (Lovely zaftig beauty - her name started with an "A" and had the sound of "roo" in it because that was what we called her "Rua"). I was visiting with them in their suite talking about the rioting and the hour got late, so she invited me to stay the night - which I accepted. In the middle of the night I woke and found her husband in the room with me - apparently sleepwalking - with a colour aura that indicated he'd been enspelled. I managed to waken him before the spell got too deep a hold on him - by talking about his wife, my friend. I think I turned the intent of the spell to enamour with her. When he left, one of his bodyguards asked where he was going and he said to spend the night with Rua. The bodyguard asked "What about her?" (meaning me) and the sheik responded, "Touch her and I'll cut off your hand. Or whatever you touched her with."

I thought that was very thoughtful of him.

The dream ended with me washing a sporty little convertible coupe that was spelled to keep going off the parking brake and start rolling away. My husband was rather patronizing about that when he had to help me catch it at one point - he thought I forgot to set the brake.

========

What I find interesting about the dream
(1) the colours of the spells that develop with ... contagion?
(2) the fact that the dream informed me of the counter-action for the magic spells
(3) Okay, yeah, the sticky note spell-squares. That amuses me
(4) Being able to twist the spell by changing some aspect when it wasn't possible to break the spell immediately. Not only with my friend's husband but also with the sporty little convertible coupe - I *think* it was supposed to turn the engine on and drive itself away (making it easier to steal?) so simply changing that to only going off the brake and rolling away was an improvement.

1 Yule

To the Gentles of the Well at the End of the World,
Greetings.

A merry Yuletide to you and yours and may the coming of the sun bring light and joy to your year.

I pray this letter finds you all well.

The great and wonderful Dragon Reserve continues to retreat from those of us in the Valley. The Cave of Eggs is still visible and some few do still adventure there, returning with marvels ... that do not thrive. Many of the larger dragons attached to Na Gurnaidh have faded from view, either literally into some other realm of existence or figuratively, falling into a sleep so deep that they merge with the bones of the earth.

The mid-sized dragons are still present, though sluggish in nature and thought. Their intellect fades with the closing of each path betwixt Here and There. Knights of the Order of Saint George have been sighted, gearing as for battle.

The smaller dragons and the Peter Pan Brigade remain active and bright and great joy and consolation to those of us here at Na Gurnaidh. They assist with our efforts to preserve the existence of the the dragons devolving into the thoughtless existence of beasts. Simply being with the devolving dragons, the smaller ones calm their fears and slow the degradation.

Arthur has called on his great friend Professor Ernest Drake for advice and assistance. They have examined all the creatures here at Na Gurnaidh and in the Valley and believe that hibernation will slow the process even further.

With the closing of the Hatchery and Dragon Nursery, we find ourselves embarassed by a need for ready funds. Therefore, we propose to make a virtue of necessity and hatch two eggs with one nest. We are planning to convert Na Gurnaidh to a Technical Vocation Academy teaching Natural History, Dragon Husbandry, Practical Magics and similar subjects of greater and lesser interests. We have reached out to Aldwyns Academy of Magic in Cymru for advice; they have kindly issued to us an invitation to visit and learn more about the way their establishment works - to see if this is a model to which we should aspire.

I am torn about similarly reaching out to the School of Magic at Hogsmeade in Alba. Their recent wars have upset the regular routines and they are still in the process of establishing their own norm. I freely admit that I couldn't stand the man but ... the death of their Potions Master affects me strangely. Arthur says it will pass with time. That death leaves a hole in the fabric of the world, a wound raw and bleeding. Time heals all wounds - provided one does not pick at it and make it worse.

I suspect part of my upset is with myself. Granted, the man was overbearing, sarcastic, cutting, nasty, petty and completely unlikeable but ... The true account of his history reveals how tragically he was misjudged. How completely I misjudged him and his actions. And how deeply that man who shall not be named manipulated and played us all.

I hear Jonah calling. I'd better go see what he needs. Until soon, my friends.