So this branches off the end of the Gogonji Gambit event, the conclusion of which saw Newton in possession of three Soul Crystals ostensibly drained of any worthwhile purpose.
Lacking anything even remotely resembling a starting point, anything resembling a precedent, or anything resembling common sense in the matter, we join her in her ludicrous quest to try and reactive the stones for great justice. Or something along those lines.
Day One
Decided to keep a record of my attempts to be an actual Scholar for a change of pace. The problem presented before me are three Soul Crystals that have been drained of their soul energy and are therefore inert. Of the three in question, one is that of a Black Mage, which presents its own ethical dilemma with regards to the nature of Black Magic itself. One is that of a White Mage, which is also appropriately forbidden in nature. And the last, and most interesting to me personally is that of a Scholar.
If nothing else, I'd like to get the last of these functioning at least. I have no way of knowing at present how much of the Scholar's art Chachanji's brother will retain without access to this Crystal, but it seems a shame to separate someone from their companion without at least some attempt to restore it. Perhaps he'll be able to call his fairy companion on his own. I'm not sure.
To begin, I suppose it best to go over a few simple basics. A Soul Crystal, to give it the common term, is a multi-aspected Crystal brimming with all six elemental energies. Through processes heavily guarded and in some cases lost to antiquity, these Crystals can be utilized to store ancient techniques and arts through the experiences of their practitioners.
To quote my own example, I can use the abilities of a Scholar because when I hold my own Soul Crystal, I can feel the memories of the Scholar who used it long ago in the distant past. My own fairy companion Hope was first contracted into this world from the aetherial plane by this Scholar of eld as well. So long as I hold the Crystal, I can use the Scholars arts as if I was a master. Though the theory remains strong in my mind afterwards, I cannot utilize them practically without contact with the stone. And to my irritation, I personally need a link to Hope in order to use Scholastic arts. What I wouldn't give to go wit
The last letter suddenly trails off in a line, as if the writer had been struck on the head while in the process of writing it.
I have been gently reminded that I'm getting off track. So to summarize, the Crystals are something of a shortcut, allowing access to arts without the necessary years of study involved.
At the suggestion of some of my friends, I first attempted the simple solution, namely to channel as much aether as I could possibly muster through the stone in an attempt to reactivate it. Coralhaus was witness to my failure in that regard, as even breaking all three of my internal Aetherdams, I could not bring even the slightest inkling of light to the crystal.
There was the possibility that I was simply exhausted from the various exertions of the day and the significant amount of healing involved afterwards, so having rested a night, I tried again in the morning with the same results. Arcanists, and Scholars in particular are host to remarkable quantities of Aether thanks to our ability to store reserves and call upon them at will, so I draw the following conclusion:
No amount of my personal aether, or the personal aether of another, will activate the crystal.
Which is a shame. Would it kill life to hand me the easy solution every once in a while? Apparently so.
In retrospect, it isn't particularly surprising. These crystals have absorbed Aether for centuries, millennia in some cases. In comparison, putting my own Aetheric reserves into a crystal is like trying to water the Sagolii Desert with a thimble. On a hot summer day. With the Lord of the Inferno breathing down your neck.
Not a particularly scientific conclusion I admit, but what can you do.
The next question I had to ask was whether I could gather enough Aether from the environment to activate them. In the end I relented on this matter, partly because as Hope so rightly pointed out, only a complete monster would drain the aether of the land for purely selfish purposes like activating a couple rocks.
But mostly because getting that aether is really hard. I'd heard rumblings of some kind of discovery from Sharlayan in that direction, research in gathering energy from the vast quantities of aether crystallized in the land from the Calamity. But sadly, I can't find anything further along those lines from my available resources.
The irony is that an appropriate tool for the job is sitting right on the bleeding desk, namely the Black Mage crystal. But it's something of a self defeating situation to use the Black Mage crystal to draw enough aether from the land to activate the Black Mage crystal to draw aether t
The same curious incident as last time with regards to the writing appears to have repeated itself, the t suddenly concluding in a sharp line to the right.
On task. I'll spend the rest of the day in research with the available material here, but I think on the whole I might have to get some expert consultation going.
The journal ends there for the day, except for a short, scribbled note at the end reading 'Limsa Lominsa in the morning. Possible help?'
Lacking anything even remotely resembling a starting point, anything resembling a precedent, or anything resembling common sense in the matter, we join her in her ludicrous quest to try and reactive the stones for great justice. Or something along those lines.
Day One
Decided to keep a record of my attempts to be an actual Scholar for a change of pace. The problem presented before me are three Soul Crystals that have been drained of their soul energy and are therefore inert. Of the three in question, one is that of a Black Mage, which presents its own ethical dilemma with regards to the nature of Black Magic itself. One is that of a White Mage, which is also appropriately forbidden in nature. And the last, and most interesting to me personally is that of a Scholar.
If nothing else, I'd like to get the last of these functioning at least. I have no way of knowing at present how much of the Scholar's art Chachanji's brother will retain without access to this Crystal, but it seems a shame to separate someone from their companion without at least some attempt to restore it. Perhaps he'll be able to call his fairy companion on his own. I'm not sure.
To begin, I suppose it best to go over a few simple basics. A Soul Crystal, to give it the common term, is a multi-aspected Crystal brimming with all six elemental energies. Through processes heavily guarded and in some cases lost to antiquity, these Crystals can be utilized to store ancient techniques and arts through the experiences of their practitioners.
To quote my own example, I can use the abilities of a Scholar because when I hold my own Soul Crystal, I can feel the memories of the Scholar who used it long ago in the distant past. My own fairy companion Hope was first contracted into this world from the aetherial plane by this Scholar of eld as well. So long as I hold the Crystal, I can use the Scholars arts as if I was a master. Though the theory remains strong in my mind afterwards, I cannot utilize them practically without contact with the stone. And to my irritation, I personally need a link to Hope in order to use Scholastic arts. What I wouldn't give to go wit
The last letter suddenly trails off in a line, as if the writer had been struck on the head while in the process of writing it.
I have been gently reminded that I'm getting off track. So to summarize, the Crystals are something of a shortcut, allowing access to arts without the necessary years of study involved.
At the suggestion of some of my friends, I first attempted the simple solution, namely to channel as much aether as I could possibly muster through the stone in an attempt to reactivate it. Coralhaus was witness to my failure in that regard, as even breaking all three of my internal Aetherdams, I could not bring even the slightest inkling of light to the crystal.
There was the possibility that I was simply exhausted from the various exertions of the day and the significant amount of healing involved afterwards, so having rested a night, I tried again in the morning with the same results. Arcanists, and Scholars in particular are host to remarkable quantities of Aether thanks to our ability to store reserves and call upon them at will, so I draw the following conclusion:
No amount of my personal aether, or the personal aether of another, will activate the crystal.
Which is a shame. Would it kill life to hand me the easy solution every once in a while? Apparently so.
In retrospect, it isn't particularly surprising. These crystals have absorbed Aether for centuries, millennia in some cases. In comparison, putting my own Aetheric reserves into a crystal is like trying to water the Sagolii Desert with a thimble. On a hot summer day. With the Lord of the Inferno breathing down your neck.
Not a particularly scientific conclusion I admit, but what can you do.
The next question I had to ask was whether I could gather enough Aether from the environment to activate them. In the end I relented on this matter, partly because as Hope so rightly pointed out, only a complete monster would drain the aether of the land for purely selfish purposes like activating a couple rocks.
But mostly because getting that aether is really hard. I'd heard rumblings of some kind of discovery from Sharlayan in that direction, research in gathering energy from the vast quantities of aether crystallized in the land from the Calamity. But sadly, I can't find anything further along those lines from my available resources.
The irony is that an appropriate tool for the job is sitting right on the bleeding desk, namely the Black Mage crystal. But it's something of a self defeating situation to use the Black Mage crystal to draw enough aether from the land to activate the Black Mage crystal to draw aether t
The same curious incident as last time with regards to the writing appears to have repeated itself, the t suddenly concluding in a sharp line to the right.
On task. I'll spend the rest of the day in research with the available material here, but I think on the whole I might have to get some expert consultation going.
The journal ends there for the day, except for a short, scribbled note at the end reading 'Limsa Lominsa in the morning. Possible help?'
