Hi, I received RoP: Magic a couple of days ago, and I really like it. One of the very best books so far, in my opinion.
I do have some questions regarding the Magic Realm.
First, a Boundary, is that in fact a kind of geographical area inside the Magic Realm? So a Boundary has a limited space?
Second, I'm a bit unclear on how one can use a Vestige to travel to the mundane realm. Is a Vestige itself a kind of gateway? So if one steps into the Vestige of a tree in the Magic Realm, one can actually step out again of that trees reflection in the mundane realm?
Third, I can't seem to figure out how to find the Speed Rating for travel in the Twilight Void. Are there some formulae missing somewhere?
And lastly, a question not about the Magic Realm, but about place spirits. In the 4th edition supplement Faeries Stories, there are two faeries. One of Dark Summer and one of Bright Winter. These were located in Brittany, and looking at Lion and the Lily, that area is now the home of two place spirits. Have something changed in regard to spirits and faeries in 5th edition? Are these two faeries now spirits of these places instead in 5th edition?
That's my understanding of them too. Hence the "island" simile.
I don't think so. But you might allow the whole vestige to act as an Arcane Connection for a spell similar to Leap of Homecoming.
The initial speed modifier (level?) is the amound by which the travel roll exceeded the difficulty. See page 23, middle column at the top, right above the familiarity modifiers table.
There's no limit to the size of a Boundary, but I tend to think of them as being analogous to the area covered by a Magic aura.
If you step into a vestige of a tree in the Magic Realm, you wind up in the Twilight Void, heading towards whatever it is you're looking for. If that's the tree in the mundane realm, you can add the bonus for an Arcane Connection to your travel roll. As someone recently put it so aptly, good luck!
Every boundary belongs to one of the Forms, and regions of the Twilight Void also belong to Forms. But are there any relation between the Boundaries and the regions of the Void belonging to the Forms?
The way I imagine the Magic Realm is like a big, black sea, that is the Twilight Void. This sea covers the entire planet. Where ever there are magic auras in the mundane realms, islands form in this sea. These islands, bound by boundaries, are most often much larger than the auras, as these auras are actually formed by magic that"radiates through" the walls between our world and the Magic Realm. The bigger the "island" is, the stronger the aura in the mundane realm. A regio is then a place where the Magic Realm is "pushing" itself through to the mundane realm. Well, that's my take on it.
I really like the three concepts of what the Magic Realm is, but I'm having a bit of trouble understanding the microcosms. Looking at the example with the country inside the pebble, does this mean that every pebble, or even every item in the mundane world has some cosm inside it?
I really like this book!
-Eirik
"My mind is unraveling so soon!" -Bill Bailey, "Part Troll"
I'd say it's entirely up to you to decide, possibly on a case by case basis. This is what I meant earlier when I said that you were the one who would have to fill the Realm of Magic as suits your saga.
That's a valid theory. Prove it, find a way to exploit it and you'll be famous in the Order. Personally, I can't see how you'd be able to establish a spatial correspondence between the Realm of Magic and the mundane world.
Wouldn't that be the other way round? Where there are appropriate tethers, they pull the Magic Realm closer to the mundane realm and give it definition.
The country isn't literally "inside" the pebble. The country is an allegorical representation of the pebble. Actions in the country affect the pebble and conversely. To some extent, it is the pebble. The notion if microcosm and macrocosm is one of the ideas underlying astrology. The movement of the stars (macrocosm) affect man (microcosm), as well as the other way round, which is why events in the world (birth of kings, etc) may be signaled by events in the sky.
Spoiler: "[color=white]Much like in the Cause and Cure adventure, the castle is representation of the characters's body and health."
As to whether every item has a vestige, maybe, maybe not. Good luck proving it either way, regardless of what you as SG decide is true. What's sure is that something that is "perfect" (e.g. a masterpiece painting) is more likely to have a vestige than a random pebble. Then again, who knows. That random pebble may very well be the perfect embodiment of what a pebble should be (i.e. just be a perfectly random pebble).
Why do you think Maestros (from Art and Academe) eventually attract the attention of the Magic Realm? They create perfection. They create magic.
The book mentions that smaller vestiges are easier to travel through- is the vestige level inversely proportional to size? So a mouse would be a level 10 vestige- perhaps vestige value equals the negative of the size modifier, with a cap at either end of 1 or 10?
Personally, I can't see how you'd be able to establish a 