Seeker of Mystic Lore

Character Creation - Being a Warrior - Art of Magic - Dereth Portal Maps

Mystic Lore Volume I

Hail, Seeker!
This book is not for the weak minded, nor for the weak hearted. For if you seek to tame the wild fires of the magical winds that surround us, you must be willing to dedicate yourself to this task.

A true seeker will seek to learn all spells, those that bring help as well as harm to oneself and to others. There is much benefit in learning a healing spell, for example, but there is also gain to be found in learning the spell 'slowness self.'

In the first section, I will explain spell use and spell components. In section two, I will expound upon the spell schools, spell groups within those schools, and the spell formulae. This book contains spells of the power of Lead only. Know then, seeker, that this book contains the sought-for knowledge I have gained, and should only be used when what you seek seems impossible to find.

SECTION I--On Spellcasting
There is a universal logic to spellcasting, and one must watch carefully to find it. Each 1st level spell uses five and only five components: Lead Scarab, Herb, Powder, Liquid, and Talisman, in that order. The lead scarab denotes it as a 1st level spell; other scarabs denote higher level spells.

Herbs
Herbs give initial direction to a spell. Each herb has a word associated with it, and it is the first word in the spell that is cast. The herbs and their associated words can be found here.
Spell opposites can be discovered by using the same spell formula but switching the herb to its opposing herb. For example, Mandrake is the opposite of Hyssop. In some cases, using a spell opposite requires the use of a different talisman.

Powders
Powders give a spell shape, and determine what group of magic is used. Each spell belongs to an associated group, with a common theme among all spells in that group. Powders have words associated with them as well, but only as part of a larger word that is formed by using a powder and a liquid together. The powder denotes the first part of the word formed. The powders and their word fragments can be found here.

Potions
Magical potions give a spell its final shape. These potions are what give each spell in a group its unique effect. When a new spell group is discovered, a wise mage will test that formula using every liquid available, for this is the way that different spells within a group can be discovered. The word part associated with each potion forms the second half of the word that is begun with the powder's word part. The Potions and their word fragments are listed here.

Talismans
The talisman denotes the target of the spell, as well as the bodily movements associated with the spell. By simply changing a talisman, the target of a spell can be changed. For example, the spell 'Willpower Other' uses a Poplar talisman, while 'Willpower Self' uses the same formula but with a Rowan talisman. Some talismans are not used until higher level spells are learned.

SECTION II--Spell Disciplines, Groups, and Formulae

In revealing these spell formulae, I have organized them into groups. Each first level spell starts with a Lead Scarab and each second level spell starts with an Iron Scarab. Each group is organized by the Herb and Powder that is used. With each group, I reveal the associated talismans and their targets. Then the individual spells are listed, along with the potions that makes them unique.

Creature Enchantment
The magic of a creature enchanter is powerful and useful indeed. Using these spells, a caster may enhance his own abilities or those of others, numb the skills of enemies, or even give a small amount of skill where there was none. The majority of creature enchantment spells use Hyssop or Mandrake as the herb. A list of the creature spells is available here.

Item Enchantment
Highly sought-after is the accomplished Item Enchanter, for many a friend he can make by enhancing the weapons and armor of a warrior! By the same token, he may also weaken the weapons and armor of an enemy. Less well-known, but still quite useful, are the other skills of an Item Enchanter, such as the weakening of locks or the decreasing of the difficulty to appraise an item. A list of the item spells is located here.

Life Magic
Many an adventurer has found himself weakened nearly to the point of death, only to be rescued by the benevolence of a Life Mage's healing spell. Aye, indispensable is the skilled Life Mage, for he has the skills to aid a group as well as to sustain himself when he is alone. The most well-known Life Magic spells are Heal, Harm, and Stamina to Mana. However, a true seeker will find many other incantations that are quite valuable. The life magic spells are listed here.

War Magic
The War Mage has fewest spells at his disposal at lower levels, but these spells are valuable indeed! Learn them all, for the myriad of foul monsters in Dereth each have their own weakness. I have found Drudge to be especially susceptible to cold, while acid is fairly effective against Mites. The war magic spells are listed here.

Level II Spells
Gaining strength, are ye, seeker? Wish ye to wield stronger magics? These level II spells have the same formulae as their level I counterparts, with two differences. These spells use an Iron Scarab instead of Lead, and each spell has a taper in the formula, just after the scarab and before the herb. Learn the secrets of level II Creature Spells, Item Spells, Life Spells, and War Spells today!
Take care, seeker, for stronger magic requires stronger skills!

Higher Level Spells
Seeker, do you feel prepared to forge the higher magics? Are you prepared to pay the price? With each new circle of spells, the difficulty becomes greater, as does the drain on mana and components. A wise mage will keep his skills in the magic schools high, as well as his skill in mana conversion.

I will write little more on spell formulae, for upon reaching the 3rd level, spell formulae take on a personal aspect and become unique to each caster.

However, I will tell you that the original spell formulae change not. They are simply added upon. The diversity of formulae among mages comes in the additional tapers.

At level III, a Copper Scarab is used, the taper from the equivalent level II spell is rotated (taper rotation will be discussed hereafter), and an additional (random) taper is added--after the herb, and before the powder.

Level IV spells use a Silver Scarab, and simply rotate the first taper from the level III spell and research the second taper.

Level V use a Gold Scarab, rotate the first taper from level IV, research the second taper, and add another random taper between the potion and the talisman.

Finally, level VI spells use a Pyreal Scarab. Again, rotate the first taper from level V and research the second and third tapers.

In addition, there are a number of spells that are introduced at level III (i.e. they have no level I or II equivalents). These spells will not be mentioned, for a seeker who has the strength to attempt level III spells also has the strength to seek after their formulae.

Taper Rotation
At each progressive spell level after level II, there is a rotation of the first taper. This means that, according to a specific order, each taper is rotated to a new color for the next higher level spell. For example, the spell 'Willpower Self II' uses a turquoise taper. The level III equivalent uses a blue taper and a random taper.

The order of rotation is as follows:

Taper was	Becomes	Taper was	Becomes
Red	Pink	Pink	Orange
Orange	Yellow	Yellow	Green
Green	Turquoise	Turquoise	Blue
Blue	Indigo	Indigo	Violet
Violet	Brown	Brown	White
White	Grey	Grey	Red

There is a pattern to the rotation of the second and third taper, however, it is too complicated to spell out here. A true seeker will either discover the pattern or randomly try tapers until the spell formulae is discovered. Additionally, the nature of magic in Dereth constantly changes as we learn new spells. This text is only designed to help you learn the basics. Your skills and knowledge will advance with time.

May you seek the mystic lore of magic forever more.
- Tyrius
The Seeker of Mystic Lore
[Editor's Note: Anyone who doesn't want to take the time to learn the tapers via trial and error should try the program Splitpea - see Related Links.]

[Editor's Update: Recent changes to Dereth have altered the way magic is learned. All spells are now available on scrolls that can be purchased from various vendors. Spell research as described in these articles is no longer possible.]