Books - Intermediate Artifact Magic, fourth ed.

A closed solid book is on the floor.

This looks solid and well constructed. Finely-crafted leather makes the cover of the book, with beautiful golden bindings. In the cover is an illustration of a staff, a rod and a wand crossed.

Octarine sparks crackle intermittently down the spine.

Table of Contents:

2 - Crondor's Mysterious Sparkling

3 - Crondor's Fabulous Detection

4 - Turnwhistle's Effulgent Autiridescence

5 - Wonker's Wicked Wobble

Chrenedict's Calcareous Covering

What's it called? Chrenedict's Calcareous Covering (in brief, CCC)

What does it do? The more usually called 'trollskin' creates an outer, rocky and stone-like layer of skin that protects its user from pointy weapons getting to his 'voonerables'. As such, it acts as a perfect backup to other protective methods and spells (and usually, it is a wizard's third level of protection, after EFF and TPA, and perfect for the function of soaking some damage in the brief but unconfortable moments of running away when both the previous ones have been brought down -or TPA is weakened and lets some damage through). Blunt weapons don't suffer any penalty against it, but sharp and piercing ones will get damaged as if your adversaries were attacking a real troll.
As Spellcheck Project appropiately comments, its only setbacks are the inconvenience of the components, the difficulty of various successive castings, and the limited (skill-based) number of hits the skin will deactivate before peeling off, as well as its non-use against blunt and unarmed attacks (which add their hits to the deactivating count).

Where is it? To fetch it you will have to struggle with the rigid and granitic pages of Thee Dyscyplyne of thee Stoane grimoire, at the Unseen University Library.

What does it require? Three components to fetch: a ball of sap, a 'grade four varnish' (takes the form of a fish) and a handful of chalk powder. All are consumed in the process.

What skills do I need? Binding, Earth, Binding (2)

Has it worked? A correct output should read something like this:

You prepare to cast Chrenedict's Calcareous Covering on xxx (yourself/target).
You rub sap on yourself to prime your skin. It tingles.
You rub chalk powder on yourself while considering its rock-like nature.
You rub varnish on yourself to bind it all together. It feels strangely cold.
You feel your skin become rock-hard.

Help Information:

Chrenedict's Calcareous Covering - Stone skin.

Chrenedict's Calcareous Covering is a second order defensive spell which temporarily gives the target skin like that of a sedimentary troll.

In the Garden of Steel Flowers

You say in Agatean: I would like to collect my katana, Master Wan

Wan Bending Reed says in Agatean with a Sum Dim accent: The touch of a samurai should be as precise as the blade of Maki himself.

Wan Bending Reed says in Agatean with a Sum Dim accent: Do not dishonour your blade.

You hand over some money.

Wan Bending Reed gives a dark amber saya to you.

Wan Bending Reed says in Agatean with a Sum Dim accent: May your new blade serve you well.

Small golden sparks fly from your Bolshevik as the hammer clashes with the anvil.

The musical ring of fine steel meeting fine steel drifts in from the dojo.

>look saya

Slim and subtly curved to match the katana, the thin wood of this scabbard has been finished in dark amber lacquer. A golden brown silk shigeo cord wraps around the saya near its throat to attach it to the wearer's obi. Elusive reflections flit through its depths, as though in the darkest of mirrors encountered in a waking dream.

It appears to have something written on it.

It could sheathe a katana.

The dark amber saya contains: an endless summer katana.

It is in excellent condition.

>read saya

You read the dark amber saya:

Written in elegant characters in Agatean:

It is by the command of Winswand that I was made.

>draw katana

You draw the endless summer katana from the dark amber saya into your left hand and right hand.

You are already holding an endless summer katana.

>look katana

The length of a grown man's arm and lethally sharp, with the slightest of curves to the gleaming edge, this katana bears a pattern of fireworks worked into the folded steel. The long hilt, shaped and balanced for use in one hand or two, has been wrapped in amber leather. The maker's mark, a single reed gracefully curved by an unfelt wind, is engraved on the simple steel disc of the tsuba behind the blade.

It appears to have something written on it.

It is in excellent condition.

Your Ding A Ling chimes a muffled melody.

>bow to wan

You bow to Wan Bending Reed.

You say in Agatean: Thank You, Master. I will strive to honour the blade and its maker.

The musical ring of fine steel meeting fine steel drifts in from the dojo…

Convoking

Convoking draws together other minds, either to magnify the power to be ufed yn a spell or merely for a mental conference. An ynterefting eckfample of thys skyll may be found yn the spell "Kamikaze Oryctolagus Flammula", one of the famous creature spells of the fyre wyzard Frottjor.

Books - My Firste Demon-Summoning Booke!

A closed cheerful yellow book is on the floor.

This book is a cheerful yellow colour, decorated with the normal scenes of children’s books: puppies, bunnies, and boys and girls running and frolicking. However, they all have bat wings and horns. Except for the bunnies. The bunnies have tentacles.

Octarine light crackles intermittently down the spine.

Table of Contents:

2 - Doctor Kelleflump's Deadly Demon

3 - Professor Flambardie's Grim Amulet

4 - Kelleflump's Irritating Demon

5 - Skeetbraskin's Fuliginous Perdition

6 - Sageroff's Sentry Summoning

Cherry Blossoms in Bloom

What's it called? Cherry Blossoms in Bloom (in brief, CBB)

What does it do? 'Tis a funny toy spell. It activates your (or the targets) aura, making them bloom in flaming colour. The colour depends on the caster (that is, on which Order you belong to. Circles will have white auras, Last Order guys octarine auras, Seers green auras, and so on...).

Where is it? Friends of the light can catch it inside the Illusionary Arts volume, in the Bes Pelargic Wizard Guild.

What does it require? No components are required, but you do need the focus of an octogram.

What skills do I need? Air, Channeling, Convoking

Has it worked? A correct output should read something like this:

You prepare to cast Cherry Blossoms in Bloom on xxx (target).
Stepping into the centre of the octogram, you focus on the thaumic waves gathering around you.
You start to channel the thaums into your very soul.
You focus on the thaumic energy now stored within you and with one terrifying primal scream, enchant the energies beyond normal capacity!
A surge of satisfaction flows through you/xxx.
You (the target) feel a strange white (or red, blue, brown...) satisfaction envelop you completely!

Help Information:

Cherry Blossoms in Bloom - Causes the target to switch sides.

This is an aura spell which causes sortilege. Cherry Blossoms in Bloom will cause your target (or yourself) to bloom in flaming colour. The colour completely depends on who the caster is.

There and back again!

Okay... so Winswand's on the way back, after about 3 months or so (maybe a bit more...) away from the keyboards. Well, you know how addictive this game tends to become. I think it will do me good to try to keep a 'moderate' profile, playing no more than 2 days a week.

Got to re-remember so many things... first of all, recover the mushclient, and then go round re-questing, buying lives and trying some of the new spells that were implemented while I was away. They don't seem to be very tough, and I guess they shall appear here quite soon. They are: Professor Flambardie's Grim Amulet, Kelleflump's Irritating Demon, Skeetbraskin's Fuliginous Perdition and Turnwhistle's Effulgent Autiridescence. Happy that daemonologists have been supplied with some stuff... 3 new spells for them, one offensive. It was long overdue... We thank the Cres for it...

The last issue of the AM Daily also informs of some (not so) minor changes to classical spells. They are the following:

* Narquin's Mist of Doom has been changed so that the damage done while casting it (due to the slashing of wrists) is less likely to break the caster's concentration.
* Wungle's Great Sucking now uses ma.me.me.cursing instead of ma.me.sp.conjuring in its first stage.
* Myrandil's Vicious Seizure now uses ma.me.el.earth instead of ma.me.sp.abjuring in the second stage and the strength of the hands is determined by the caster's ma.sp.offensive bonus rather than abjuring.
* Thousand Dancing Celestial Fates now uses ma.me.ph.dancing instead of cr.points in its first stage.
* Crondor's Fabulous Detection uses a staff to cast and uses ma.it.he.staff to cast now instead of cr.points.

Got to try and test, then. I guess this means my WGS will have difficulties (I have a minimum cursing), otherwise I should be o.k. MVS seems to be made more useful (I am no PK, but as very few have abjuring as a primary, the shift will make it easier, maybe, to tie enemies down to place...).

Charming

Charming ys ufed to convince someone to do your bydding. Yt becomes more dyfficult to charm with yncreafed mental ability of the target, although choofing a target for whom the relevant action would be yn character or conform with the target's beliefs helps confiderably.

Books - Body Parts for the Advanced Student

A bone book is on the floor.

This book has a cover and bindings of beautifully worked bone, with intricate carvings of skulls and wings and other nifty things.

Octarine light crackles intermittently down the spine.

Table of Contents:

2 - Narquin’s Mist of Doom

3 - Myrandil's Vicious Seizure

4 - Wungle's Body Part Suggestion

5 - Grisald's Reanimated Guardian

6 - Wungle's Great Sucking

7 - Von Hasselhoff's Skin Condition

Calm Embrace of Illusionary Beauty

What's it called? Calm Embrace of Illusionary Beauty (in brief, CEIB)

What does it do? Funny, almost toy-like oriental spell, really. It shoots a firecracker against the target, which explodes into 'a thousand multicoloured butterflies', doing marginal damage and blinding the target for a spell. Might be useful for finishing creatures (specially trolls) nicely, for running away from tough watchmen/guards or (most probable) to avoid Agatean merchants running away in the middle of an offensive spell cast.

Where is it? Its abode is within the covers of the Illusionary Arts grimoire, in the Bes Pelargic Wizard's Guild.

What does it require? quite annoying for the components; otherwise, I might use it more. A firecracker (which is consumed) and a staff (which isn't).

What skills do I need? Conjuring, Charming, Staff, Air

Has it worked? A correct output should read something like this:

You prepare to cast Calm Embrace of Illusionary Beauty on xxx (target).
You hold out the firecracker and conjure the imp within.
Holding the fire cracker out, you ask it to hover in place, right in front of xxx.
You take your staff and hold it at its end and pull it back in a batting fashion.
You take a mighty swing at the fire cracker, and blasting it, cause it to explode into a thousand multicoloured butterflies.
The rainbow of butterflies head towards xxx.

Help Information:

Calm Embrace of Illusionary Beauty – Summon butterflies to beautify a situation.

This spell will summon a swarm of butterflies to attack your target and give them something else to think about. The target will be distracted long enough for a quick wizard to make a silent escape.