I have being thinking about Thops Barrier and why is such discovery, most comment in the regard that this spell can reflect impresive proyectiles, such as Maliketh's Deathblade and Elden Beast's Elden Stars, great deeds without doubts, but if one take a look on others spells other reasons emerges.
When we examinate defensive spell, excluding fortifications, we can see two varieties, Seal Wall and Retaliations.
Seal Wall.- We often see this spell blocking paths, isn't absolute since in practice sometimes can be literally walk around it, is seen often in use by glintstone sorceres in their buildings, in sellia and in the erdtree; However this spell doesn't exist in isolation, it doesn't seem to exist a casting varient to cast in situs or combat, instead it require phisical holds, of course this means that can be complemented with other mechanics, locks & keys, bound to teletransportation spells. I consider that everything point that this spells derivate from the gargoyles key, in which a gargoyle statue hold a fog barrier and is require a stonekey to unlock, specially because exist glintstone related variants of it. It have the logical downturn that if it's phisical bounds are removed the spell banish, like we did with the one blocking the erdtree.
Retaliations.- This is one cause me curiosity. I consider that the original one is Golden Retaliation and so belongs to the Erdtree Incantation Family, as an improvement to the seal wall, is used by erdtree greatshield and wields the erdtree crest, which would make it in theory contemporany to Barrier of Gold at least and predescesor of Carian Retaliation, the functionality is simple cast a seal, this is hit by a proyectil and is demake into a new projectil, since the base spell is short in duration and is part of a shield probably require a phisical bound like the seal wall or is just a safety compliment. In the otherway, Carian Retaliation is an upgrade of the Phalanx spell and those are an improvement of Magic Glintblade, The latest one is impresive spell by it's own, since the spell itself cast another spell more complex and the caster just cast the base seal, the phalanx spell take this base and use to triplicate the number of glintblade but also bond them to the inital caster. The introduction of reatliation on the formula and the fact that is secret means that wasn't used in warfare before the shattering and so appeared after the carian wars, if we agree that is a derivation of Golden Retaliation then would mean that Preseptors, Lazuli Sorcerers or Glintknights studied the base spell and were capable to reintroduce into the phalanx while removing it's phisicals bounds, and that is without mention the possibility that it was probably used against them during the wars, in any case would be the only attested exchange of idea from leyndell to liurnia, in contrast that golden order is the result of the contrary, liurnian deas to leyndell.
Thops Barrier.- This spell hijack everything said before, where seal wall flaw was it's breakability and exploit of mechanism and retaliations is limitation on projectil demaking that can at same time. this deflecting spell is absolutist, is simple enough to be cast by a single sorcerer and doesn't care the number of projectils, is simple, is versatil, even use a disturbing field in it's functionality, something only done mostly by the gravity sorceries, one if not the oldest spell family that not only survive but also is still prolifict. The ways that can be employ are widely, just its use in shield already could be divergent in more ways, like of shield crash or barricade shield variants, the spell it's self could be turn into a fortification too or be improve into a greater variant with a larger radius of effect and that is without being apply into a seal to act indepently.
Thops Barrier really deserve it's own Conspectus. Magicbuilding wise is incredible, who knows how astonishing would be for an actual mage.
