9. IT TOOK more than fifty years after vaulting was first achieved for the general mage population to accept that vaulting is not a universal ability. Until then, it was believed that with earlier and better training, and an ever-burgeoning collection of vaulting aids, every mage could be taught to vault. Nervous parents regularly enrolled children as young as three in vaulting classes, for fear that should the tots start any later, they would grow up to be emus—flightless birds—disdained by their peers. Medical literature of the day recorded multiple instances of dangerously premature labor, brought on by expectant mothers hitching too many vaults in misguided attempts to inculcate the process in the minds of their gestating babies.
But before society at large could accept that vaulting was not possible for every mage, it had to first accept that mages who could vault often did not vault very far. In the heady early years of vaulting, mages were convinced that their vaulting range would continue to improve, as long as they continued to practice. When these pioneers began to be thwarted by personal limits, they attributed it to late starts, incorrect training, and a flawed understanding of the principles of vaulting—and encouraged the next generation to push harder and more astutely.
The best data currently available suggests that between 75 to 80 percent of adult mages are capable of vaulting. Of those, more than 90 percent have a one-time vaulting range of less than fifteen miles. Only a quarter can tolerate consecutive vaults; the rest must wait at least twelve hours between vaults.
Moreover, it is now known that vaulting exacerbates pre-existing medical conditions. Expectant mothers, the infirmed, the elderly, and those recovering from serious illness should refrain from vaulting. In rare instances, vaulting has been known to cause grave consequences in otherwise healthy individuals.
—From The Mage’s Household Guide to Health and Wellness
10. DO YOU need a wand? The short answer is no, you do not. The working of a spell requires only intent and action, and it has been conclusively proven that mouthing or speaking the words of a spell constitutes action.
Why then do we still use wands? One reason is heritage: We have wielded wands for so long, it seems almost rude to stop. Another is habit: Mages are accustomed and attached to their wands. But more practically, the wand acts as an amplifier. Spells are more powerful and more effective when performed with a wand—reason enough to find one that fits well in your hand.
—From The Art and Science of Magic: A Primer
11. NOT MUCH will be said of otherwise charms here, given that they are both too advanced for the scope of this book and, more importantly, illegal.
Love philters are often mistakenly pronounced as the best known examples of otherwise magic. The effects of love philters, however violent, are temporary. The effects of true otherwise charms, on the other hand, are semipermanent to permanent. And they seek not to alter emotions and short-term behaviors, but perceived facts. In other words, they are campaigns of misinformation.
Fortunately, it is not easy to implement otherwise spells. If Mr. Stickyfingers is a known thief, no otherwise spell will change that perception. Nor will otherwise magic help someone already suspected of lying. Otherwise spells are only effective when (1) the intended audience is entirely unwary and (2) the misinformation disseminated does not run counter to established facts.
—From The Art and Science of Magic: A Primer
12. LAST WEEK’S confirmation by the Citadel that Princess Ariadne is indeed expecting her first child ended months of speculation—and raised even more questions.
The decree governing succession to the crown specifies only that an inheritor should be a firstborn child of the lineage of Titus the Great. No mention is made of legitimacy.
With a few notable exceptions, most princely bastards have refrained from staking a claim to the throne. But the Observer’s sources believe that Princess Ariadne intends to declare her firstborn an heir of the House of Elberon.
The declaration, should it come, would not be challenged on grounds of legality. But most mages surveyed by the Delamer Observer are of the opinion that they deserve to know the paternity of a future ruling prince or princess. The princess’s steadfast refusal to name the father of her child has damaged her erstwhile pristine reputation. Rumors brew and froth, many casting doubt on both the princess’s character and her fitness to rule.
—From “The Princess’s Hurdle,” The Delamer Observer,
8 June, Year of the Domain 1014
13. THE FOLLOWING is a reproduction of a January Uprising-era underground pamphlet.