#worldsbeyondpod

I have been banging my head against the metaphorical wall for a while now trying to figure out what it is about Wizardry and the Lingua Arcana that resonates with me deeply. It goes far beyond the set dressing of the story (which I also love deeply). It is the core, fundamental idea of What Wizardry Is.

Wizardy in Umora is IRL philosophy and metaphysics: which are concerned with the study of the fundamental nature of reality and knowledge. (NB: there are many ways To Know outside of formal philosophy education.)

Wizards are the only Intelligence based casters in D&D, and in Umoran history did not exist until a couple hundred years ago. There is a lot to be said about what that means wrt Empire and the imagery and consequences of that, which are beyond the scope of this post.

Three concepts emerged in the founding of Wizardry: the Lingua Arcana (language of magic), one specific kind of magic: Conjuration (helpfully also a school of magic in D&D), and the idea of the Greater Binding and the Binding of Spirits. Why these three ideas in particular and what do they mean for the Philosophy of Wizardry?

Wizardry is to take that which is Formless of Spirit and thus unknowable, to give it Form, to give it meaning and understanding. To Summon it, to Conjure it, and to Bind it to the Real, yet also to Know and Understand its Nature.

Citadel Wizardry is to give it a Name, to add to Language in order to further define, refine, restrict, control, and diminish it from its Unknowable and Formlessness. To Bind a Great Spirit is to Know and Understand something Great.

Citadel Wizardry was combined with and furthered through Empire, and this has brought about great harm to the Spirit and knowledge-gathering itself.

(NB: much of "modern" science is deeply entwined with the imperialistic and colonialist tendencies due to the historical foundations upon which it was built. IMO, science/bio-"ethics" does not do enough to recognize nor address this fundamental problem. This is a much more complicated idea than can be untangled here, but I thought it worth mentioning as an IRL parallel.)

So, this begs the question: Does knowing this damn the pursuit of knowledge obtained through imperial means to always be harmful? Remember to be wary of questions that provoke binary responses.

Instead, there is a better question to ask: How do you, as an individual, right the wrongs of a broken system? Look at Suvi as a character and at her story. It is plain as day. Clearly written in the Sky.

Here's the common thing among the many different ways To Know and Understand: there are some things that you know and understand both deeply and innately but cannot put into words. Perhaps these are one's values or philosophies or ideals; whatever you call them, these things are Formless. But there are some things that you understand facets or pieces of that you name and point at to be able explain and bring about and manifest that deeper understanding. There is connective tissue here; this idea that Reality is simultaneously and paradoxically made up of individuals and groups (particles, atoms, molecules, chemicals, organs, people, groups, (eco)systems, the world, the universe), and that reality is Beyond Number; it is both Formed and Formless.

Chill

Listening to Worlds Beyond Number - Suvi ruining me as this child thrust out of innocence by war and violence, reunited with childhood friends and they can't seem to grasp how she has changed. The young girl who spent hours chasing a magical chicken, kneels down in the dark and the storm to slit a woman's throat.

Watching The Ravening War as Karna, my beloved chili pepper, gets caught up on war as the inheritor of a spymaster's legacy. She is still a child, who in her own words is used to being treated as dispensable. Why was she not allowed to live as a child? Will she be made a hero and a martyr, or a symbol of resistance - will they forget that she was just a kid.

I can't help but think of Murphy from Naddpod (C1e97).

There are six ability scores in Dungeons and Dragons:

Strength (STR)

Dexterity (DEX)

Constitution (CON)

Intelligence (INT)

Wisdom (WIS)

Charisma (CHA)

The first three are abilities of the body and the last three are of the mind. Ethics is inherently of the mind.

The Wizard, The Witch, and The Wild One explores ethics by emphasizing these three abilities, their archetypes, and through their characterization.

Suvi, the Wizard (INT caster): explores ethics through intelligence and reason.

Ame, the Witch (WIS caster): explores ethics through insight and perception.

Eursulon the Wild One and knight (CHA caster): explores ethics through honor and performance.

This is probably stating the obvious for most listeners, but I wanted to express this succinctly, for myself and others, especially given a lot of discussion that implies a false binary of choice. There is never only two options.

​And the World, both Real and Spirit, needs the Intelligence of the Wizard, as much as it needs the Wisdom of the Witch, as much as it needs the Honor of the Wild One.

It's why I love this podcast and this story. And I can't wait to see what other stories they tell. Thanks, @worldsbeyondpod for ALL that y'all do. It's a bright light in the dark. 🕯️🧡

~~TheBardBullseye~~

i'm pretty sure The Great Bullfrog is just a bullfrog now. Fully in the Real and no longer in the Spirit.

idk how you undo that (since it had never been done before); I know the trio can figure it out