Post by Gaea on Jan 7, 2014 2:26:15 GMT -8
The sinister side of staff magic, the poorly kept secret that darkens perceptions of clerics - summoning is as poorly understood even by the magic community as staves in general are. The very concept of summoning monsters from children's nightmares is an unpopular one, but it is no more inherently dangerous than any other variety of magic, and so while magi of all stripes often look at it with distrust, it is not generally banned.
The actual act of summoning is truly understood only by those who have experienced it, and sometimes awkwardly attempted to express a sensation far beyond what words can convey. It is to pour one's self into their creation, to give birth to something on both metaphysical and literal levels - summoning magic creates life rather than suborning that which already exists, and in doing so, infuses the newborn monster with the essence of the sorcerer. Academics often posit that summoned monsters are possessed of a "soul" as an attempt to explain their differences from wild monsters, but it may be more instructive to look at the factual differences between summoned and natural monsters.
Wild monsters, outside of the eccentric Tarvos, are not possessed of true intelligence. They may be viciously clever and possess a sort of rudimentary understanding of tactics, or in the case of Gargoyles exhibit a sort of bestial intelligence, but they do not speak, they do not reason, and they are incapable of "choosing" to be what they are - they simply are. Summoned monsters, on the other hand, vary with their summoner, but most are more akin to animals, or even approach human intelligence in rare cases of Bonewalkers and Revenants, a few of which are even capable of human speech via the sorcery that binds their body together. Even species that are incapable of speech entirely, such as Mogalls, certainly possess a brand of intelligence and loyalty that makes them stellar guardians and reliable allies; a summoned monster will go to great lengths to avoid harming those the summoner considers friends or at least allies, regardless of whether the summoner is a bloodthirsty megalomaniac intent on wiping out all dragons, or a well-meaning monk who simply seeks to protect the weak.
The actual level of intelligence that a given summon varies wildly, and most are not capable of such far-reaching concepts as philosophy or even paradigms beyond friend-foe. Summoned Mauthe Doogs, for example, are often reminiscent of a very intelligent dog, and even Bonewalkers capable of speech and rational thought are not possessed of the same sense of philosophy, or even understanding of concepts such as life and death, as the average human.
Wild monsters do not understand summoned monsters in the least, failing to recognize them as kindred like they do with each other in the wild - making summoned monsters exceptionally useful at drawing the attention of their naturally-occurring counterparts, who find them absolutely abhorrent.
The permanence of summoned monsters varies wildly, both in summoning duration and sense of identity. Some staff users have taken to keeping out a given monster at all times, while others only summon theirs for fights. Similarly, in a phenomenon that seems to be linked to the individual caster, repeated uses of the same staff can either re-summon a unique monster even after "death" in battle, or replace the "original" with a functionally-identical monster with a different identity.
The actual act of summoning is truly understood only by those who have experienced it, and sometimes awkwardly attempted to express a sensation far beyond what words can convey. It is to pour one's self into their creation, to give birth to something on both metaphysical and literal levels - summoning magic creates life rather than suborning that which already exists, and in doing so, infuses the newborn monster with the essence of the sorcerer. Academics often posit that summoned monsters are possessed of a "soul" as an attempt to explain their differences from wild monsters, but it may be more instructive to look at the factual differences between summoned and natural monsters.
Wild monsters, outside of the eccentric Tarvos, are not possessed of true intelligence. They may be viciously clever and possess a sort of rudimentary understanding of tactics, or in the case of Gargoyles exhibit a sort of bestial intelligence, but they do not speak, they do not reason, and they are incapable of "choosing" to be what they are - they simply are. Summoned monsters, on the other hand, vary with their summoner, but most are more akin to animals, or even approach human intelligence in rare cases of Bonewalkers and Revenants, a few of which are even capable of human speech via the sorcery that binds their body together. Even species that are incapable of speech entirely, such as Mogalls, certainly possess a brand of intelligence and loyalty that makes them stellar guardians and reliable allies; a summoned monster will go to great lengths to avoid harming those the summoner considers friends or at least allies, regardless of whether the summoner is a bloodthirsty megalomaniac intent on wiping out all dragons, or a well-meaning monk who simply seeks to protect the weak.
The actual level of intelligence that a given summon varies wildly, and most are not capable of such far-reaching concepts as philosophy or even paradigms beyond friend-foe. Summoned Mauthe Doogs, for example, are often reminiscent of a very intelligent dog, and even Bonewalkers capable of speech and rational thought are not possessed of the same sense of philosophy, or even understanding of concepts such as life and death, as the average human.
Wild monsters do not understand summoned monsters in the least, failing to recognize them as kindred like they do with each other in the wild - making summoned monsters exceptionally useful at drawing the attention of their naturally-occurring counterparts, who find them absolutely abhorrent.
The permanence of summoned monsters varies wildly, both in summoning duration and sense of identity. Some staff users have taken to keeping out a given monster at all times, while others only summon theirs for fights. Similarly, in a phenomenon that seems to be linked to the individual caster, repeated uses of the same staff can either re-summon a unique monster even after "death" in battle, or replace the "original" with a functionally-identical monster with a different identity.
