#stoneskin

[mtg-cards-hourly]

Stoneskin

"Ooh, nice shot! I almost felt that one."

Artist: Jake Murray TCG Player Link Scryfall Link EDHREC Link

[haaaaaaaaaaaave-you-met-ted]

Stoneskin by Jake Murray

[thearcanacheck]

Revivify and the Value of Magic

The “Diamond Spells” (e.g. Clone, Mighty Fortress, Raise Dead, Resurrection, Glyph of Warding, Greater Restoration, Nondetection, Stoneskin, Symbol, Revivify, True Resurrection) are an interesting case study in the economics of Magic.

In an age of antiquity, Mages used to measure out their material components by weight. Of course, back then, the science of recording and teaching spells was still being worked out. Many spells needed multiple casting attempts, requiring a great deal of luck and finesse -- so it wasn’t unusual for “Diamond Spells” to fail inexplicably.

Naturally, many mages sought out to improve the replicability of magic. Clerics, Wizards, Warlocks, and other trades-persons would travel the world and record the different techniques different mages would use to create the same magical effect. Among these sages and pilgrims was the unnamed Monk of Ilmater -- a veritable “Johnny Appleseed” of healing magic.

This Monk helped perform healing rituals across the world: In impoverished towns where clear-cut diamonds were unheard of, or even in Dwarvish cathedrals were diamonds were a dime-a-dozen. The diamonds used to fuel magic were wildly different, but one thing remained constant: the price of magic.

No matter how scarce or common diamonds were in these communities, the “diamond spells” were just as costly. So as soon as the material components were measured in cost instead of weight, the replicability improved ten-fold. But more than that, it re-framed magic as a philosophy rather than a science.

“Why does magic have a price tag?” many sages have wondered. Some hypothesized answers are as follows:

>Perhaps the qualities that make diamonds, herbs, and other components valuable to us are coincidentally the qualities that make them magical. >Perhaps the value we put on things like diamonds is what makes them magical. >Perhaps this is apart of a cosmic scheme that will reveal itself when the material plane is depleted of diamonds. >Perhaps Mystra, the god of magic, is a filthy capitalist.

Many different ideologies have their own ideas on why magic works the way it does, but since the value of diamonds are so important to magic, many societies try to regulate it. The world’s (technically) richest temple is planted in the heart of Olympus Mons -- a tremendous treasury dedicated to storing the world’s surplus of diamonds. Because diamonds are (almost) worthless within the walls of this temple, spells like revivify are practically impossible to cast there. 

The monks of this temple only work to hoard diamonds and slowly release them into the world at the same rate at which diamonds are consumed. Every-so-often, a “treasurer” monk is dispatched with a sack of jewels to spread them were they’re most needed. As much good as these monks spread in the world, many bandits treat traveling monks as pinatas because of them.

[kyledahl]

Rutger “Melee” Gigantic Motiga Games

[agirlandherfed]

cross-posted from kbspangler.com

Sometimes a story gets into your head and refuses to leave.

I can usually perform a minor exorcism in the form of a short story. I’ve got a bunch of these furious little demons sitting on my desktop, or making the submission rounds to genre magazines. Stoneskin was supposed to be one of these short stories, a one-and-done. It’s…uh.

Well. Life happened. Stoneskin comes out this week.

Three thousand years from now, galactic transportation relies on the sentient energy field known as the Deep. Its immortal human emissaries call themselves Witches, and they control how the Deep is used. When eight-year-old Tembi Moon wakes on an unfamiliar world, she knows the Deep has to be involved, but to leave her home planet and become a Witch herself? No, that life isn’t for her.

Or so she thought.

At sixteen, Tembi takes her rightful place with the other Witches. They believe the Deep is a tool; Tembi knows it’s a person with its own hopes and dreams, and a wicked sense of humor! With a war coming that could cost the lives of millions, Tembi has to find a way to convince the Witches that the Deep wants them to join the fight.

Because something worse than war is coming, and the Deep needs its Witches to be ready.

STONESKIN is a prequel to the DEEP WITCH TRILOGY, coming soon.

I like Tembi Moon a lot. She’s not my usual kind of broken character. It’s nice to spend time in the head of someone who–with one very violent exception!–is a generally healthy person.

In contrast to Tembi, the universe itself is pretty freakin’ broken. The majority of the hundreds of human-occupied planets are thoroughly encased in the norms of what they think of as “Earth” culture; many of the residents resent this, as well as the institutions responsible for preserving it. In Stoneskin, Tembi’s a little too young to fully appreciate what’s happening, and she’s got a few problems of her own to manage. In the sequels? Tembi’s in control of the primary galactic supply chain. She knows what’s going on, and she’s older, wiser, and angry!

The full text is available on Thursday, Sept 21, 2017. You can read the first three chapters for free by downloading them at Gumroad.

Preorders are available, too! (I’ll update this list as the links go live)

Amazon Kindle (US)

Amazon Paperback (US)

Amazon Kindle (UK)

Amazon Kindle (CA)

Amazon Kindle (AU)

Barnes & Noble Nook (US & Other)

Smashwords (US & Other)

Kobo (US & Other)

Our store (non-DRM electronic files)

As always, please purchase from the store which best suits your needs and reading preferences, not mine! If you want Tembi to get her sequels, please leave an honest review, and tell other readers about Stoneskin.

I hope you enjoy this book!

[stillgladefane]

Farewell, Stoneskin.

[kyledahl]

Rutger “Sprint” Gigantic Motiga Games

[unik0rnu]

Stoneskin Undersuit

x.com/CornuUni