[Dragaera] Nightslayer

[Steve Rapaport]

I note that the definition (courtesy of Aliera) of Necromancy is:
*"The art of using necrophia, and amorphia, to control the energy levels of
different life-states"*

And that the Necromancer is mentioned as seeing death, life, and
dreamwalking as just matters of engineering.  I would surmise that they
count as "phases of existence".

Hence you could retranslate "Loci for different levels of energy from
various phases of existence"  as
"Loci for Necromantic states".

American Heritage defines "Locus" as:
*1. * A locality; a place.
*2. * A center or focus of great activity or intense concentration: "the
cunning exploitation of loci of power; the insulation from normal American
society" Clifton Fadiman.
*3. * *Mathematics* The set or configuration of all points whose coordinates
satisfy a single equation or one or more algebraic conditions.

using 1. or 2. you get either:

1.  Places for Necromantic states
or
2.  Foci of great activity for various Necromantic states.

Possible translations could therefore also include the idea of having the
sword draw power from different Necromantic planes, or help in Necromantic
engineering,   Or, as you say, draw personality energy from people on
different planes with some congruence to the bearer.

Hmmm...

StY

2008/10/5 J C <greyw01f at hotmail.com>

>
> 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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-- 
\Steve