So, back then, there was a fun topic called " Cool concepts for your least favorite House, I had this idea of a [Flambeau researcher](https://Cool concepts for your least favorite House). It has evolved in that he wants to transform his body into living fire, and then, "fly it up" using Rego Ignem until he came to the sphere of fire, hoping to reach the lunar sphere?
What do you think would happen? In keeping with Icarus Myth, I'd say his magic would stop working after he passed the sphere's limit (if he could pass it, that is), but would it stutter before, giving him a warning? More importantly, could he do it?
For those interested, his focus will shift later towards reaching Mars by creating the hottest fires possible, while having all sorts of sympathetic connnections. Flambeau research is fun!
The natural level of fire is below the lunar sphere, and magic does not work beyond the lunar sphere, so I would say generally no. Keep in mind that in medieval astronomy the moon is not a chunk of rock but a celestial object, held in the sky by what amounts to divine forces (since nobody ever discusses meteors cracking the crystal sphere I think we can accept that it is effectively metaphorical) or by natural forces which are, to the medieval philosopher, indistinguishable from divine.
You might be able to transform into fire and propel yourself at a velocity that would allow you to escape the natural level of fire, the real questions would be 1) how much distance is there between the level of fire and the lunar sphere, and 2) what will happen if you do reach the lunar sphere.
Now for inspiration- the highest level of earths atmosphere is called the thermosphere. It is actualy within thie layer that most artificial satelites "orbit" because the air is so thing that they can effectively remain aloft for years. the temperature is 4500 degrees farenheit, so I'd say that it makes a good allegory for the ancient sphere of fire, though the atmosphere is so thin that a person there would freeze to death if left unprotected from a combination of radiant heat and convection as the water in their body "boiled' away at temperatures well below body temp.
The thermosphere reaches from 50 miles above sea level to 375 miles above sea level. the moon orbits at a distance of 238,855 miles, which would presumably be the distance to the lunar sphere. So once your flambeau gets up to he top of the thermosphere, sorry, sphere of fire, he would need to figure out how to cross the remaining 238,485 miles. Of course the sphere of air is below him, so as in the real world there is clearly no air at this altitude.
If he does reach the lunar sphere he will be dealing with a hitherto unknown environment, though based on medieval associations it likely has something to do with fairies or madness, and of course has no solid ground for him to land on (that being well below the sphere of air) or air to breathe (see previous)
So whatever he might experience at these truly rarified heights, and given that he has a 238 thousand mile fall if he loses consciousness (remember, laws of motion are different), I'd say there is essentially zero chance of him reporting his discoveries to anyone.
Though I'm sure his name will warrant a footnote in the research paper of the Bonisagus who eventually obtains whatever remains of his body in order to examine the aftereffects, if that body can be found and identified in any significant pieces.
Very cool idea, remember me a bit of a Jules Verne Story - does he go alone? If you have a fun story on the Moon, I would ignore that hermetic limit, maybe even give him insight into breaking the limit of the lunar sphere. Or when he change to liquid fire, he enter a special regio, which allow all kind f strange thing. .
In his first tries i would make his magic stutter out, then he have to find a solution - maybe something like a rocket with a stored fire, then he can also take a party with him for a fun adventure on the moon
I think the Hermetic Limit of the Lunar Sphere is an observed problem, not designed in by Bonisagus. I.e. people tried to cast range Sight spells on the moon and discovered that they didn't seem to work. So if your character is the first to try going there in person, then they can find whatever suits your story.
It occurs to me that line of site near the earth is generally about 10 miles. Raising your elevation by 300 feet (roughly the limit of non-magical period architecture) would extend this to 35 miles. If you somehow put a 300' tower on top of a 1200 foot mountain that would get you to 76 miles, and be quite a feat of engineering and logistics.
So what if the limit of the lunar sphere is actually just a range issue, that sight spells are limited to 1000 miles or less.
The distance to the moon (be it in in light-seconds or feet) in the 13th century was a problem for specialists.
So were the discussions of the material, consistence and solidity of the celestial spheres. For ArM5, it makes sense to summarize them in the lunar sphere as a cosmological barrier.
Light seconds would certainly be an issue in the 13th century since they weren't even certain light had a speed.
However whether you use modern distances for convenience or the numbers of the medieval astronomers, the fact remains that it is a heck of a lot further than anything else you can see that is below the lunar sphere.
In some ways it's like people in the modern day discussing the galactic barrier in star trek- sure there is a sense of consensus about whether or not it exists, but there is no conceivable way that we are going out there to check anytime soon.
I've thought a little about this. This may seem stupid, but it didn't occur to me that, even in fire form, the flambeau would need to breathe, probably because it isn't specified for Cloak of mist, but it makes sense, even if this makes MuCo spells deadlier.
So, let's say he casts a Re Au spell to bring some air with him.
Whatever the troubles he may face, they can be solved by magic, until he reaches the lunar sphere, and then, we're in Dies Irae territory: Spelllcasting becomes more difficult, and some spells just can't be cast (like spells to affect ether).
Which is probably the time when he gives up and instead tries to cast a great Cr(Re)Ig(Vi) Ritual, hoping to create a sympathetic gateway to Mars
On R: Sight, I'd note that Hold the Sky in Thrall (DI 31) is R: Sight, and "works" (given the requisite breakthrough).
This sounds plausible, but I haven't read Aristotle's Metaphysics thoroughly enough to understand his model of the cosmos. Turning into fire sounds a good way of getting through the sphere of fire, but of course if fish live in the sea and birds live in the air, what creatures naturally live in the sphere of fire? He can still face opposition on the way.
You could, of course, screw with his expectations and then when he gets above the sphere of fire, he can see a mountain top in the distance (Mount Purgatory) and he runs into angels and celestial spheres - it turns out Dante's Paradiso is the accurate model of reality! (Yes, I know Dante is 14th century rather than 13th century, but it is medieval and could make an interesting setting)
I have thought about this as I want to have an archmage set himself up by a volcano, waiting to catch a comet being exhaled by the earth and try to track where it goes. Could you hitch a ride on a rising comet?
Keeping in mind that the nature of the breakthrough, should the actual limit be range, could be to break that limit of range. Or the SG can simply say that that breakthrough cannot be made because that is not the story they are telling. DI is meant to be more inspirational than cannon.
I'd say it would make sense to have elementals, fire spirits, but also spirits of "fiery" emotions...
This makes it sound as if the fire sphere is part of the Magic Realm Which we know isn't the case
Maybe this is the abode of Dragons
I think the point is that birds are not fire elementals or spirits, and fish are not water elementals or spirits. So what sort of beast lives in the sphere of fire?
I would suggest something like reptiles, endothermic creatures. Of course there needs to be something to live off of (plant equivalents) for air and sea plants grow from the ground, but this would not work for the sphere of fire, so unless there are beanstalks growing from clouds that reach that rarified height, or they "fish" for birds, there would have to be something exotic filling the autotroph role as well as the beasts in that spere. Secondly they need to have a way to stay at that height, which is not so strange when you consider that they take the term "fire breathing" to a whole new level, to the point that their lungs might act as gasbags full of elemental fire.
