Masters of the Veil was my featured "Waiting on Wednesday" novel this week and author Daniel Cohen is so awesome that he contacted me to thank me and he also provided this guest post for all of you. Enjoy!
Daniel A. Cohen was just your average business student. Microeconomics, finance, marketing… you name it, he had to do a PowerPoint presentation on it. One dark and stormy night, he was bitten by the radioactive realization that memorizing business jargon could possibly be the most boring activity known to man.
After gaining eagle-eye vision, abs that could grate cheese, and a talent for imagining things (including his cheese-grating abs), he wrote his first novel and began his epic battle against the formidable business jargon. He continues to fight the good fight by playing saxophone and writing YA fantasy, forever hoping his Veil trilogy will help inspire others to join his cause.
MAGIC FAQ + A SHORT LESSON FROM BARIV THE CONDUIT
Congratulations! You can do magic!
Here’s what you need to know about your exciting new ability:
Q: WHAT IS MAGIC? AND WHY CAN I DO IT?
This
can be a very thrilling, confusing, and even frightening time for a
young sorcerer, so let’s start with the basics. Magic is just another
way of saying, “Connecting with the Veil.” As you may already know, the
Veil is an ancient energy that lies all around us that some fortunate
few (YOU!) can even use.
The Veil gives the sorcerer
communities everything we need to survive. The more the Veil is used,
the more She gives us. All sort of wonderful plants, animals, food,
clothing, and shelter… they’re all there, waiting to spring forth.
There is no conclusive evidence
explaining why some people can use the Veil and some people cannot. Some
speculate it’s genetic, while others believe it’s spiritual. Alas, we
will probably never be sure, so just be thankful that you are one of the
lucky few.
Q: HOW DO I DO MAGIC?
There are two methods of doing magic: A “grip” and a “drape”
A Grip: Connecting with the Veil to perform a specific feat.
A Drape: Essentially it’s wrapping the Veil around an object to give it extraordinary properties.
As
you may have seen from the older sorcerers in your magical community,
we use something called a “Second-Skin” to access the Veil. A second-skin is a covering for your hand that allows you to grip the Veil. Second-skins must be
made from materials that have sprung from the Veil in order to work.
One of the first things that you will be instructed to do is create your
own second-skin in order to create the deepest connection. You can use
anything from dried aansi leaves to the bark from a zigzag tree, just
know that attempting to do magic that is beyond your reach with break
your second-skin.
Q: HOW SOON WILL I BECOME A MASTER SORCERER?
Whoa
there! Don’t get ahead of yourself. Magic is extremely difficult and
it’s going to take some time for you to become proficient at it. You
have a magnificent, bumpy road ahead of you.
Q: BUT WHO IS GOING TO TEACH ME?
The sorcerer community doesn’t take
your new ability lightly. We will provide you with the finest teachers
available. Train hard enough and you might even get to be in Rona’s
group (but don’t get your hopes up)!!! You will be matched up by your
skill level and organized by the type of magic you’ll be pursuing.
Q: IS MAGIC DANGEROUS?
It
can be if used wrong. To avoid causing unnecessary pain, make sure you
study hard, respect your clan elders, and eat your vegetables.
Q: VEGETABLES?
Yes, vegetables.
Q: WILL I HAVE TO LEAVE MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY?
For
a short time, yes. Whether you’re from the flathand (those who can’t
grip the Veil) world or a magical community, you will be brought to
Atlas Crown to study with Bariv. Bariv is the conduit to the Veil, and
he will be the first—and probably the most influential—teacher you will
have. After learning about your ability from Bariv, you will have the
choice of returning home or staying in Atlas Crown.
*Special note for those who come from
the flathand world. In the rare occurrence that you choose to return to
the non-magic world, you will be draped with the inability to speak of
our world or perform magic outside of a magical community. Sorry. The
good news is that if you choose to join a magical community, your
immediate family will be invited to come with you and will be provided
for.
NOW TAKE A SEAT AND ENJOY A QUICK LESSON FROM BARIV ON THE THREE DISCIPLINES OF MAGIC
Welcome.
Please have a seat. Before you are three second-skins that I have
created for choosing purposes. As you may already know, there are three
disciplines of magic that come from the Veil.
First,
there are natural magics, which are best gripped with the aid of
plants. The green second-skin is made from the leaf of the grampith
tree.
Natural
magics are very useful. They feed, they clothe, they help us interact
with the world around us. We would not survive without them. Nature is
dough and you shape it to your desires—if you are skilled enough.
Mountains can be leveled and water can fall upwards. Nature’s secrets
will whisk you away to another plane where you can realize the
awe-inspiring connections we hold with the world around us.
Next,
there are the mystical magics. The metal second-skin you see on the
left was mined from beneath Grus’ pass and made from silver-palladium
mixed by my own hand. A mystical sorcerer would use this second-skin.
The mystical magics keep true to their namesake. Even I don’t
fully understand all that can be accomplished with this, and I have been
close to the Veil for a very long time. Those who excel at the mystical
arts can reach into the deepest, darkest parts of the mind and cast
dreams into reality. They can navigate the vast and powerful river of
time. Reap gold out of metals like a glorious harvest. Harness fear, and
ride on its back until it tires.
And
last… there is the second-skin made from the hide of Sectus remisican,
the skull-wolf. This is a tool of power magics. These tools work best if
taken forcibly. In Atlas Crown, we do not kill when we do not have to;
however, in this particular case we had to. The power sect is a
dangerous one, yet it brings with it the ability to forge oneself into
the greatest ruler and purveyor of dominance. Authority is a given.
Supremacy is taken. The true power sect is scarcely found here. Those
who have chosen it, or rather have been chosen, usually take the road
down another path, a false path that can only lead to death and misery.
However, when applied for good, the power sect can be the most useful of
them all. An iron body has no need for a suit. That is what the Veil is
at Her heart. She is power. She holds possibilities so grand, we can
never understand, only observe.
Now why don’t you try one on?
Great post!
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