Okay, so like what is an expositor? You said that before.
[ Nate's never heard of that. He's never heard of the immortal blessed either, but he's wondering if these are different names did things that he would know about. ]
You know witch and demon but not expositor? ( we'll be guesses he didn't know about them the first two years of his life either. ) Another kind of magic worker that primarily uses the dead to fuel their magic.
[ yeah, okay. Magic in this guy's world works very differently. ]
Well we wouldn't make that distinction, if you're doing magic you're a witch.
But we don't use the dead like that, that's... [ It would be forbidden, he imagines, like resurrection is forbidden. ] What do you even mean, how do they do it?
All magic users are the same in your world that they'd all be witches? ( it sounds a bit redundant. then again, he has theorized that expositors are a different kind of Witch that developed differently. but there's no true evidence of that.
but moving on. ) I suppose death is a bit simplistic to describe it. They use pain and suffering and death can provide the biggest and easiest well of power to do so. The more skilled expositors can do more with less, but they're few and far between.
But they use the energy released from death to fuel their magic. They have a wide range of magic, but that's the essentials of it.
Right. [ Nate's tone sounds dry. ] So they don't use the dead, they kill people.
[ It doesn't really matter to him what else they're able to do. They're murderers, and they're doing it to increase their magical power. That's horrific. ]
Sound like lovely people. We don't do that.
I guess witch is a general term. I'm a blood born witch, from a witching family. There's hedge witches too, who aren't from families, but they're generally speaking not as powerful and can't always access true magic like we do. Then there's other creatures, like incubi, genies, demons. They have their own brand of magic, and they're all their own thing.
( he can detect the note of distaste in Nate's tone about expositors and death. at least they can both agree on that. ) Expositors are no friends of mine. I prefer the company of witches.
We don't have... any of those other things that aren't witches and demons. But we do have the Immortal Blessed. They're as their name suggests, immortals with their immortality fueled from wells of power they develop from time and places of significance. Their power is more in their physicality, they don't practice magic as such.
[ Nate leans forward a bit, watching the gestures. They're not familiar to him, but after a moment, he moves his own hand through a series of gestures, and circles of flame start to cycle his fingers, his hand, his wrist. ]
Gestures or movements can make spells, like tracing symbols in the air instead of speaking the words, or drawing them on the ground. I don't recognise what you're using, though.
[ He closes his hand into a fist, and the flame rings wink back out. ]
[ They were persecuted in Nate's world, too. Or at least, humans tried. A long time ago, which led to a more intense mandate on secrecy. One that Nate hasn't always agreed with.
But that's a story for a different day. ]
Okay. Cool, so...the gestures you made, what do they mean?
( he repeats the gestures. ) 'Do you understand' essentially. While almost all witches know Witchspeak now, if you need to be certain this was the most common way to ask.
Humans gave me the name. Not the Witches. ( he corrects. ) Not that it offends them.
( the amusement fades a bit. ) What do you think if they're giving me obscure names because they don't know me? I'm plenty friendly with plenty of humans but humans are wide and varied. Some will always fear what they don't know.
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[ Nate's never heard of that. He's never heard of the immortal blessed either, but he's wondering if these are different names did things that he would know about. ]
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Well we wouldn't make that distinction, if you're doing magic you're a witch.
But we don't use the dead like that, that's... [ It would be forbidden, he imagines, like resurrection is forbidden. ] What do you even mean, how do they do it?
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but moving on. ) I suppose death is a bit simplistic to describe it. They use pain and suffering and death can provide the biggest and easiest well of power to do so. The more skilled expositors can do more with less, but they're few and far between.
But they use the energy released from death to fuel their magic. They have a wide range of magic, but that's the essentials of it.
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[ It doesn't really matter to him what else they're able to do. They're murderers, and they're doing it to increase their magical power. That's horrific. ]
Sound like lovely people. We don't do that.
I guess witch is a general term. I'm a blood born witch, from a witching family. There's hedge witches too, who aren't from families, but they're generally speaking not as powerful and can't always access true magic like we do. Then there's other creatures, like incubi, genies, demons. They have their own brand of magic, and they're all their own thing.
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We don't have... any of those other things that aren't witches and demons. But we do have the Immortal Blessed. They're as their name suggests, immortals with their immortality fueled from wells of power they develop from time and places of significance. Their power is more in their physicality, they don't practice magic as such.
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[ Somehow, that's weirder than what he was imagining. ]
So they're not like, angels or something.
Okay. And so humans, they know that all of these people exist?
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And of course they do. Why wouldn't they?
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It's the big secret in my world. Telling is against witching law. The others prefer to do their shit in secret, makes it easier.
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So I take this all to mean you don't know Witchspeak?
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What is that, like Latin?
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Gestures or movements can make spells, like tracing symbols in the air instead of speaking the words, or drawing them on the ground. I don't recognise what you're using, though.
[ He closes his hand into a fist, and the flame rings wink back out. ]
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It's a language, not magic. Spoken with hands.
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[ Nate sits forward a little. ]
So it's like sign language. Why do you call it Witchspeak?
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[ They were persecuted in Nate's world, too. Or at least, humans tried. A long time ago, which led to a more intense mandate on secrecy. One that Nate hasn't always agreed with.
But that's a story for a different day. ]
Okay. Cool, so...the gestures you made, what do they mean?
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So it's how they find each other.
But how is it that you know it, are you part of witch society?
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The Witch King.
You lead the witches in your world?
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No. It's a pointless title given to me by people who don't know me and make me out to be more than I am. The Witches don't have leaders like that.
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Maybe those people want that to change.
You're definitely closer to the witches than my people are to demons. As a rule, I mean. Do you get along with humans?
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( the amusement fades a bit. ) What do you think if they're giving me obscure names because they don't know me? I'm plenty friendly with plenty of humans but humans are wide and varied. Some will always fear what they don't know.
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[ Nate hesitates, then leans forward. ]
At the risk of causing offence again.
Where I'm from they'd be right to fear. You, your people, the other demons...you don't want to hurt anyone in the mortal world?
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