Ask Luna #119

From: Alan

So I was wondering since Landis is rather eccentric do you think his mage name is actually one of his birth names? I could see him simply not bothering with one and everyone would just assume it was him being strange without realizing it was his actually his real name. Seems like something he would do, he may be odd but I think we need more people like Levistus or Sarque.

Good guess. It’s his family name, Vari told me a while ago. I’ve no idea why he picked it, but probably it’s the whole eccentricity thing.

From: William

1. What exactly is a xen? I read that they were some of the magical creatures you met but I could not find anything else about them.
2. I also read in an older Ask Luna about different types of elemental systems aside from the Western system, with the one in South America being a weird mix of elements and something else. Is that something else similar to being spirit based for lack of a better term or something else? I know it’s been awhile but I was curious about how other mages around the world use magic.

1. I don’t know much about them. They’re supposed to be named after the place they came from, which was some weird alternate reality that mages used to access a long long time ago. Never seen one, or heard of one still being around, so maybe they’re all gone now.

2. I think it’s vaguely spirit-based, yeah. I don’t know much about it, though, so that might be way off base. I get the impression that it’s a sort of hybrid of European traditions and some older ones.

From: Kevin

So Chalice seems to be a really effective Chance mage, do you know how she manages to not get used by Richard or Morden or stay off the notice of the Light Council? I know she mainly keeps to herself but everyone seems to want to use the services of rare magic types regardless of said mage feelings as Alex can attest to.

So just because a magic type is rare doesn’t mean it’s sought-after. Time magic is rare and sought-after, space magic is rare and sought after. Chance magic is . . . just rare. It comes down to how useful a magic type is, or to be more specific, how much certain powerful mages want wielders of that particular magic type around. The Council love space and time mages because they can move stuff around and they can turn up evidence. They’re fifty-fifty on diviners because when diviners turn up evidence they might turn up the wrong kind. And they don’t like chance mages at all, because chance magic is all about chaos and randomness, which are two things the Council hates.

So that’s why Chalice doesn’t get bothered by the Council. As for Richard and Morden, that’s a good question. Chalice doesn’t say anything about it, but I’ve got a feeling she probably takes quite a few precautions that she doesn’t tell other people about.

From: Sam

Okay I apologize in advance if this is a stupid question but I wondering how exactly you would discover the magic of a diviner if it is so hard to detect? In theory couldn’t Alex or other diviners claim that they are mind or enchanter mages and use divination to duplicate those effects? I only ask because Richard seemed to know Alex was a diviner but I thought that was just Richard using some advanced magic items or are there other methods?

Generally you don’t. Diviners get identified because they say they’re diviners and they do diviner things. So yes, there’s nothing actually stopping a diviner from pretending to be an enchanter, or a mind mage, or vice versa. The funny thing is, though, they would actually stand out. Diviners, enchanters, and mind mages all have really distinctive personalities. Not enough that you can guess it just from getting to know them – at least I can’t – but enough that once you find out what they can do, you go ‘oh, that makes sense’. I can’t imagine Alex being an enchanter, it just wouldn’t fit.

From: Charles

So what exactly going on with this Benedict Jacka character who writes the books and manages this website? Is he an adept, sensitive, or normal you guys made a deal with, or is it just a fictional pseudonym you guys use to throw of your enemies with?

Don’t know who you’re talking about.