>>I'm a bit confused here. It sounds like you can study all you want, >>increasing your ability all the while. But, as soon as you actually >>use it, it's frozen and your soul dies.
> That's correct.
With soul, I suppose you mean the spiritual organ of a middle world being which can be attuned to one of the Otherworlds, or, in case of mystics, to the Ultimate?
Rather than "dies", doesn't this mean "defines"? I agree that there will be no way to bypass this to reach the Ultimate. Whether the ability rating for using this "cult of self" is fixed might be a different matter. Do you mean that Sheng Seleris stagnated in his magical powers? (Or was he wise enought to include a clause that allowed stealing opponents' powers and adding them to his own spectrum?)
>>Is using mysticism an inherently evil act, or just misguided?
> Using mystical insight for wordly power is a soul-destroying act.
Am I right that this "worldly" includes "divine", "essential" and "spirit world" powers?
>>> Draconism
>>So it's like Mysticism in that once you actually use it, it's stuck?
> Somewhat. If a part has been revealed, then other parts are
> still able to grow. But the overall progress towards the void
> is much more difficult.
So this becomes another piecemeal approach to the Ultimate.
>>Is a revealed part permanently manifested (like you always have >>claws) or does it only show up when being used?
> It only shows up when used but there's probably some tell
> when not in use (ie exceptionally long fingernails, a forked
> tongue, cats eyes).
Ingolf's abilities (used on a huge scale) appear to have been one-use gimmicks, unless this means once-unopposed (because new).
It appears that draconism is different in providing a permanent afterworld in Kapertine?
This has been described variously as an "immortal eyrie" and as a "draconic hell". I guess the latter because it keeps a draconic entity from experiencing the Ultimate.
One aspect of draconic dreams is the manifestation of reality - best known example are the dragonewt city of Dragon's Eye and dream dragons.
The EWF appears to have tried to invert this process with its grand dragon project - shape the dream to get the dragon.
Less powerful entities might settle for temporary reality - aka illusions. How are these tied into dream magic?
Powered by hypermail