I'm Behind

So I thought I was publishing book 4 of Shadow Gods, Brothers of Chaos, but I'm six months off. Instead, I'm publishing book 3, Warrior of Chaos. Oh well, it gives me more time to continue editing on both book 6 and 9.

I've also been lazy since the football season has started. A while ago, I was editing and writing in 3 different books. Now, I'm just a lump on the couch with a weekly trip to the golf course. At least that game is improving (a little).

As for the 3 books, they've stagnated in my mind. I can't figure out how to get from point C to D in any of them. I know it will eventually come to me, but I hate writer's block. Oh well, if I'm stuck writing them I can at least do some editing.

Mage of Chaos: Theory on Magic - pt.3

Of course, Zol has his own take on things. Yet he is just one man whereas the collective eventually won out. Nevertheless, he's closer to the truth than anyone wants to admit to; even now.

Zol Darklock’s Adaptation: Magic, as both Dilmoth and Moordikiin would lead you to believe, is a complicated process of manipulating time and energy with the help of symbols which are based on the Gods. They are wrong in many ways. Magic is simply the ability to believe in oneself. Most everyone has the ability to produce magic, but they are unable to manifest it because they simple believe they can’t. Yet, what most of them believe they are capable of doing they can do because they believe they can on a sub-conscious level. If you will, it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy, though magic has never been defined that way and likely won't.

What I suggest is real magic; the ability to use, not just yourself, but the power of others, to create the end goal. Belief is a powerful thing and when properly used it can produce results; not only on the scale of man, but within the scale of gods. In essence, magic boils down to one thing; a person’s individual belief in himself and the world around him. In this single indivisible aspect, there is not magic, just power over one’s sub-conscious. As for the sharing of magic; symbol, sign, and speech, it only exists as a channel for convincing one’s self that a person can recreate what another has already accomplished using the same three frivolous and useless methods. By truth, symbols, signs, and speech are of no need for any well-trained mind. A proficient mage can do the same without them.

In fact, magic is nothing more than time and energy, or as I describe it in clearer terms reality, captured and unleashed. And if my belief surpasses yours then my reality dominates and becomes the truth.

Mage of Chaos: Theory on Magic - pt.2

Though this is just a summary during Moordikiin's earlier years, he saw the future. However, he wasn't prepared for what the future would bring. And he paid little precaution to the eminent disaster his discoveries would bring.

Moordikiin’s Premise: During the past century or so, great strides have been made in the area of magic as Dilmoth predicted. No longer must a mage use his own body’s energy to create an envelope of time thus slowing energy to create matter, but he's able to use energy, time, and his mind in harmonic unison to harness the three into matter. The use of symbols has now become wide spread along with adjoining sign and speech. The symbols are based upon the original symbols of the individual gods and therefore imparting different powers and aspects of magic. In the beginning, symbols were unreliable, as Dilmoth claims, but through the years the materials from which the symbols are created and the drawing of the symbols themselves has increased their reliability thereby increasing their power. However, no symbol ever created by man is perfect and therefore can be un-made. Only those symbols created by the gods themselves are perfect and unbreakable except by another god, even if that were possible.

This refinement of symbolic recreation has been accomplished through several recent discoveries and some reverse logic on the part of myself and other magic users. With this done, magic users of today are able to tap into other hidden resources concerning both time and energy. Still, other mages are experimenting with power in order to lengthen the average life span and are even able to practice minor healing methods many thought were only within the ability of clerics. The next several decades will present some very exciting times within the mage community.

Mage of Chaos: Theory on Magic - pt.1

Though a giant in his time, Dilmoth's understanding of magic is flawed for many reasons. Nevertheless, the established the groundwork for the future which we hope comes to fruition in my lifetime.

Dilmoth’s Magic Premise: Magic, true magic, not the sleight of hand as seen through charlatans, is the ability of the mind to construct material objects out of raw energy. This is done by using the body’s own energy and subconscious mind to create an envelope of time to slow energy, thus forging it into matter. Of course, once this envelop of time dissipates, the matter returns to its natural form of pure energy. However, the use of the body’s energy is a direct reflection on the total life energy of the person. As energy is used, the body will age more quickly. This accounts for the shortened life span of the more powerful mages.

Creating the envelop of time is a long and involved process requiring deep concentration, a strong will, and steady nerves, because one slight error can have catastrophic results. Some of these problems have been recently solved through the use of symbols which focus one’s inner power in the creation of the envelope. However, these symbols are unreliable and create other problems with the focusing of energy. This wasn’t always the way, but due to the destruction and loss of much of our knowledge of magic during the Wizard Wars, we constantly seem to be reinventing the wheel concerning magic and its uses. There are efforts to recreate what we’ve lost, but the process is slow and tedious. Maybe, if all of the magic community works together, we can hope to solve many of these problems, but the future of magic is still unclear.

Mage of Chaos: Theory on the Gods - pt. 3

Then, of course, there's Zol Dacklock. Read what is below and it should explain everything. After all, arrogance is a learned trait and Zol gained it from someone by the bucket full.

Zol Darklock’s Premise: Though I concur with the logic behind Moordikiin’s premise and Dilmoth’s theory, I am an atheist and therefore give little credence or validation of either view. Gods are of little use to me. I believe in the use of time and energy in order to satisfy one’s goals. If those goals require the presence of a god then so be it. Mine do not. If, at such time, the presence of a god will satisfy one of my needs then I may see fit to say thanks, but I will not worship the god like a slave for eternity.