[Dragaera] Nightslayer

J C greyw01f at hotmail.com
Sun Oct 5 05:15:25 PDT 2008


So I was re-reading Dzur again.  No reason to do so necessary for this list, I presume :P

Anyway, this time I really focused on Daymar's explanation of the basic fundamentals of psychic location etc, as found on pages 125-129 (2006 paperback ed.), and cross-referenced that with Telnan/Zungaron's description of what Nightslayer is called in the Serioli on pages 198-199 (same ed.) and again with the description of what it was like to be in the same room as the drawn Nightslayer on page 276 (same ed.).

This got me to thinking about GWs in general, but Nightslayer in particular because we know so very little about it as compared to the others. 

That was a joke, we know next to nothing about the others either.

Anyway,  "Loci for different levels of energy from various phases of existence" that comes across as a night predator when unsheathed, and is carried by a Dzurlord Lavode-in-training.  But in specific, the description sounds an awful lot like Daymar's "building" metaphor, which, I finally think I barely understood when reading it the millionth time.

I'll try to translate for those of you who are still in the dark about this, but this will be like the blind man leading the deaf man :P

The way I see it, Daymar's essentially describing vibrational levels or energy signatures, depending on whether or not you're into real science or Star Trek science. Essentially, though, they're the same thing.  I imagine differentiating between the psychic resonances of two athyra wizards is like trying to distinguish between two types of australian shiraz.  Both are extremely dense, heavy, very full of content and would probably give you a killer headache if you linger too long on them.  But somewhere, in the details, you'll detect slightly different notes of flavour, or different areas of interests (in the case of the wizards) that will set them apart from each other.   Like being a part of the same building, but on different floors.  

I often refer to a thing called a "psychological landscape" when I'm talking about people and their modes of thinking.  Consider this landscape to be the "floors' of the building.  It's not at all confusing, then, that in order to find a person psychically, you not only have to be in the right country, (the right floor) but you also have to find that person within that country (where on the floor they are)

Daymar's comment about psychic energy tending to accumulate to form a spiritual gridwork is basically nothing more than our minds tending to create a place of comfort and security for ourselves as we tend to mentally exist inside certain thoughts and ideas.  For instance, my "gridwork" is comprised of the I-beams of fairness, spiritual and intellectual progress, justice, proper use of power, etc.  I'd be an Iorich if I weren't so much a Dragon. 

Vlad leaving a psychic echo on weapons that have been around him too long is like the energy signature in STTNG that Geordi can get an improbably large amount of information from. 

Sorry if I ramble on so much, I like to type while I'm thinking.  It makes for molasses-like reading, though.

Anyway, in the case of Nightslayer, I imagine that "Loci for different levels of energy from various phases of existence" means "Big freaking sword that is able to channel the essence of different creatures/ideas, usually of a similar stripe that may or may not draw their inspiration from the wielder."

It MAY just be that Nightslayer in the hands of a Teckla would convey the sense of a rat, a mouse, or other type of timid creature.  Nightslayer having a sense of pride, though, obviously wouldn't be caught dead being wielded by one such as he.  However, it WOULD be perfectly satisfied reflecting the "level of energy" of a Dzur and calling all kinds of similar essences from different levels of energy, and from different phases of existence so that, when wielded you have some kind of Alien/Extra-dimensional Uber-predator, a Dzur whose name is written across the constellations.

See THAT would be a *Great* Weapon to have.


Godslayer:  "Remover of the aspects of divinity"
Blackwand:  "Magical wand in sword form for creating death"
Nightslayer: "Loci for different levels of energy from various phases of existence"
Pathfinder: "blah blah blah for finding the true path" (I can't recall ottomh what the actual translation is, or what book it can be found in)
Iceflame: "Shard of ice that burns like a flame"?  (I don't know why that came to mind?  Is there even a translation for Iceflame?)

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