(08-05-2014, 02:12 AM)Sounsyy Wrote: Black Mages are interesting in that, yes, they learned to open Voidgates, but that isn't really what Black Magic is. "Black Magic" by definition, is actually just a technique to more effectively cast destructive magic. The mother of Black Magic, Shatotto, wished to ever further expand her magical prowess, but was ultimately limited by her own aetherial reserves. That is to say, to wield the power Shatotto desired, it would kill her. So she discovered a way to drain the planet's aether instead of her own. This technique was called Black Magic. Likely receiving its name because the land around the caster would die with every cast.
I still wonder if that's the "in-character" explanation for why Thanalan is so damn dry, yet has constant rainstorms. Â With how careful Yoshi-P and co have been about the environments, etc, it's hard to believe they'd be this shoddy about the environment. Â There's also the stream that runs outside of Forgotten Springs. Â It's literally a channel of water through the sand. Â There isn't a single bit of greenery that grows near it, despite the fact that there very much should be. Â But nothing at all grows there. Â It's weird.
Quote:From 1.0, we learned that Black Magic is not taught. It is learned through rigorous study, reading, and experimentation. It is not an exact art. It takes years, possibly decades to master. And even then, things can still go horribly wrong.
As for its connection to the Void, we now know that Black Magic can be used to open Voidgates. Thaumaturgy also has this ability, however, the sheer amount of aether required for the process likely makes this impossible for a Thaumaturge to do alone. Which is why you need Black Magic, to siphon the world's aether for the job.
For obvious reasons, this job has been forbidden since the War of the Magi, in which Black Mages, White Mages, and Scholars waged a magical war so devastating, it nearly killed the planet, prompting the Elementals of the Twelveswood to summon a flood to cleanse the taint of all magic from the world.
That's good info. Â The idea of a Black Magic accidentally blowing themselves up or even killing themselves because they flubbed a spell or whatnot is quite interesting.Â
Quote:Sigh... White Mage is complicated. In 1.0, you were granted access to Succor (White Magic) by an Elemental named Oha-Sok. And it is because of your purity of heart (or possibly Hydaelyn's Blessing) that Oha-Sok entrusts YOU to return Succor to the dying planet. She even becomes your White Mage Robe so that you might carry Her power with you.
In 2.0, they've all but abolished Elementals being of any consequence any more. Ugh. Hatred. Anyways, you are gifted the White Mage Soulstone of A-Towa-Cant, an extremely eccentric, dead Padjal. The two Seedseers, begrudgingly accept Cant's choice of successor mainly because they need a third whee-White Mage to strengthen the Hedge and are just too lazy to ask their big sister or E-Sumi...
Anyways, in BOTH quest lines, you are quite sternly warned/threatened that should you ever abuse the Succor granted you, you're in for a world of hurt. Now, while both versions are fairly exclusionary, I'm of the opinion that if you can prove beyond any doubt that your character is pure of heart, you can wield succor. I personally prefer the 1.0 lore on the topic because A) it's better written and B) it does not discount the influence of the Elementals.
Because Succor is the Elemental's Magic. They gifted it to Mankind in order to balance the destruction of Black Magic. It is the Yin to Black Magic's Yang. But ultimately, the world could not support the aether needed to heal what Black Magic destroyed.
I'm going to end this here and get some sleep. Hope this helps! ^^
I had gotten a slightly different impression of the 1.0 questline, but of course, the Unending Journey doesn't actually record all cutscenes, just most of them, so I was pretty sure I was missing something. Â The thing that stuck out at me from the 1.0 questline is that it seemed like you were just a convenient person to run fetch-and-carry, or whatnot, for Raya-O-Senna. Â The nearly flippant way she's like, "Hey, you can leave the Shroud, you can be my agent, so here's some White Magic to play with" just really made me think that maybe you weren't her only agent. Â It's way different from having the super-special soul crystal from A-Towa-Kant in 2.0, and I felt like it was a more open-ended scenario because there's no suggestion that the Elementals can't or won't grant White Magic to others who prove worthy, whereas it's emphasized repeatedly that the only reason Raya-O is helping you is that A-Towa-Kant chose you specifically. Â While she's far more accepting than her younger brother, there's never the suggestion that she'd even consider teaching you if you didn't have that all-important soulstone.
I also agree with you about the Elementals being dragged out of the questline makes it much less interesting. Â Raya spends quite a bit talking about the Elementals in the 2.0 quest, but you really never see a single one - not even the Great One in Everschade that you're supposedly trying to keep from rampaging through the Shroud. Â It's disappointing, since the Elementals are supposed to be the gatekeepers on Succor, yet they never once interact directly with you.
![[Image: hFalP38.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/hFalP38.jpg)
