Magic: an overview

[Kei Nakamura]

Some very powerful peopl ehave been trying to wipe the last vestiges of influence that the Ba'Al Ze'Necht have on this planet out since before the dawn of recorded history.

The first of their order may or may not have been slain in the war that cast them from the face of the earth, all I know for certain of that war is that the artifacts that remain are powerfull, and dangerous, and that war wound up causing the race of men to push magic and those who rely upon it away from us. It also basicly "reset" our cultural, scientific, and magical knowledge back to square one.

I wonder how long it will take them to drive me to ground this time...

[KonThaak]

GS requested more than just necromancy; he requested information on the dark arts in general...so I'm gonna talk next on Shadowmancy, especially since it seems that it might be pertinent to what's going on in his life at the moment.

Because of its nature, shadowmancy is feared by most, though it isn't as "dark" of an art as its name implies... There are far worse out there, but in the wrong hands, this style can be downright deadly.

Shadowmancy is pretty much exclusive to sorcery... Shadows don't give off their own energy, so it's almost impossible for psi (or Chi) users to manipulate them, and they tend to be outside mystics' spheres of influence, since "shadows", by technicality, don't really exist (a "shadow" is an area which is experiencing an absence of light, in spite of there existing light around it. Therefore, the shadow itself doesn't exist, per se.). It isn't easy to get around this technicality, and it usually requires a lot of energy, study, and practice, which normally excludes mystics, who learn their abilities intuitively.

Having said that, I should get into what it is, exactly... Shadowmancy is the art of generating shadows, moving and manipulating them, and giving them form. It can be used to cloak someone, making them invisible in darkness, or at its worst, it can bring shadows to life, turning them into dark monsters that are capable of wreaking terrible havoc.

Due to its nature, shadowmancy is typically harder to detect than other forms of magic. It can (pretty obviously) be dispelled by light (any kind will do, though the brighter, the better), as the light will dissipate the shadows, and the energy controlling the shadows along with it. It has to be the a direct light source, too; if the light is blocked by anything, the shadows being controlled will simply utilize that to continue existing.

I know this isn't as in-depth as my necromancy explanation was, but I'm a bit rushed at the moment, and aside from the difficulties on the technical usage of shadow magics, there isn't that much difference between it and any other form of sorcery.

Oh, one more thing... As always, be careful when dealing with shadowmancers. If there is a spell that any other sorceror could cast, there's bound to be a shadowy equivalent.

[Razor]

Furthermore, when it comes to Shadowmancy, as KT said, there is almost always an equivalent in Shadow based spells to the normal version. At night this gives a Shadowmancer a marked advantage as is quite difficult to see their spells coming.

Also, with proper control of shadows, even your own shadow may be turned against you, with suprising results. Shadow powers and Shadowmancy was something that I have dealt with myself and it is down-right freaky. Thankfully we weren't dealing with a true Shadowmancer, but this one did summon around a dozen shadow-beasts. They could move from shadow to shadow at will pretty much. Granted it was within a certain range. Fighting them at night was nigh impossible, unless you attacked them mentally.

A couple of those entities were strong enough and posessed human-like intelligence, and may have been a different race entirely. One of them was able to throw bolts of solid shadow. Thankfully, Thorn's reflexes were fast enough that he was able to protect his eyes. I arrived at that fight a little late, but well... I wasn't happy.

[Willie Long]

Dawhoozitnow?

Daewoo. It's a little Korean car. I think they went out of business some years back. If anyone needs spare parts for one, I think I remember where I left some.

The seats were scattered across the dude's front lawn; the battery and engine block crashed through his bay windows; the hood, hatchback and doors were jutting out of the dining room wall; the wheels took out his fence and probably the mailbox, too; I made him wear the steering wheel like a Hawaiian lei; and the frame itself broke through the roof. I assume it landed in the attic where I threw it, but it might have been too heavy and fallen through the floor.

The car was working fine before I started tearing parts out, so some of the sub-systems might still be salvagable.

[Shadowstalker]

Uh do we really want to know why you did this to the dude, his car. and his house?
Hmm yes do want to know.

[KonThaak]

Oh, yeah, I do remember Daewoos...

[Willie Long]

Uh do we really want to know why you did this to the dude, his car. and his house?
Hmm yes do want to know.

Well ... you know how those rebellious teenage years are ...

[KonThaak]

Don't worry, man. I understand perfectly.

[Chen Lung]

Amen, Sophoroto.

As for the Taoist claims of immortality, I heard of one that does bear a grain of truth. It was said that one of the greatest goals and efforts to strive for in Taoism is to be able to subsist off of sunlight alone... well besides the need for water. I can attest that sunlight's energy can be absorbed and converted to be useful physical/personal energy.

As for the mix of Chi/Psi/Magic... Chi is personal energy, and vitality. Psi is outwardly directed energy, and magic is comprised of outward energies woven together. At least this is how I see it and understand it. All of it is energy. Psi is chi, but chi is not Psi. Psi and Chi are made of the same type of energy, except that Chi stays Chi until it leaves the body. This is the key difference. Many Chinese and Japanese Masters acknowledge this, though they still refer to outwardly directed energy as Chi, though many do aquiesce that this 'Chi' is of a different type, and a different feel. Chi can be drawn in from the outside and redircted, which could classify it as magic. This type of Chi or Chi usage is found in some groups such as Chi Gung, and Shaolin martial arts training, and even some types of Tai Chi Ch'uan. Often this form of Chi or Chi usage is refered to as Dragon Chi or Environmental Chi.

Dragon Chi has been used to refresh martial artists, and Chi Masters quite often throughout the ages, and have found that in many cases different places, people, and objects have differing amounts of Chi available to be taken in and used. For instance, places of wild life and beauty, and high places often contain positive chi. Dark, dingy, dank cramped spaces that rarely see the light of day contain negative chi and are said to be sources of sickness. Depending on the Chi Master and their preference for using Chi they will cultivate these types and function with them.

Chi is often focused through the body by the mind and is responsible for the effects of many seemingly 'supernatural' abilities displayed by hard-core martial artitsts. The ability to punch through walls without being a muscle-bound freak, to shatter bones, and cause blinding agony with a touch... Often are the results of Chi and training.

There are two main types of Chi as well. Hard and Soft, in addition to positive and negative. Hard Chi usually is percussive, and moves in straight lines, and is set up in hard edges. It is often responsible for such feats as Iron Shirt or Iron Robes, which is a chinese technique to harden the skins penetration value against blades. It does work, I know first hand. Saved my life that day.

Soft chi is flowing, circular, and soft. It could be best demonstrated by watching a Grand Master of Aikido. It moves in a circle and sweeps through and around, and when used to transfer an attacker's power, can contain great force, but when defending, it lacks hard edges. It is often used by martial artists that aren't so much about hurting their opponent, but subduing them. Another good example is that of a ribbon twirled by a dancer. In some modern study/training of Chi-Gung using a dance ribbon in such a fashion is recommended for those training in soft style.

I apologize I actually intended to get into a lecture on Psi, instead of Chi, but it seems that this is what I am meant to cover tonight.

As for the former question in reference to Paul Dong... As far as I know, Paul has had no contact with the Anime community, and takes the work of Empty Force and study of the powers of the human mind seriously, and would not care to see his work slandered in such a way as created by the Dragon Ball Z community.

If there are any other questions I would be happy to answer them.

The entire universe is made of chi. In addition to Hard and Soft, and Positive and Negative Chi, there is also Fast and Slow Chi. The universe is made of Chi; all physical objects are composed of slow Chi, all energies are forms of fast Chi.

When Chi slows it coagulates into the atoms and molecules which make up the things and bodies we interact with daily. This Chi can be acted on by other Chi in a way that others might call magic, but it is all dependent on how well I can manipulate my own body-chi.

When Chi hastens it motivates things and gives life. This chi can also be acted on by my control of body-chi. One can "create" lightning by simply moving the "electrical" chi in the local area.

Ever since the Eye showed me the true nature of the universe and forced enlightenment on me, and therefore true immortality, I have become quite proficient at the manipulation of chi and the universe around me. I have become a Transmitter of the Dragon Gate, the human-path of Dragon Chi, the guardian of the Way, a priest of the power of the human BE-ing.

What I do is not psi (Inner Strength does not allow me to work) and it is not magic (Potential Psychic Energy is merely fast chi), what I do involves havng the discipline to direct the chi within my own form to interact with chi that is external to this form to manipulate others and the universe.