I have to teach a class for a punishment, so in fifteen minutes I'm teaching a class on principles of beginner's magic. You won't learn how to blow anything up or how to fly or anything like that. It will probably be fairly dull. [He begrudgingly provides the room information. If it wasn't obvious enough by the words, his curt tone makes pretty clear that if no one showed up he would be ecstatic.]
***
[Action - at the school]
((OOC: PLEASE READ the information below if you want your character to learn any spells. (And yes, according to the way magic works in Slayers they very well could, since no inherent magical ability is required for minor spells.) I have tried to be detailed in the IC lecture about how difficult/powerful these spells should be and what limits there might be, but questions are always welcome if you need further information.
I'm leaving some of this up to players' discretion -- but please note that according to the way this works in Slayers canon your character cannot take the info on minor spells Zelgadis gives them here and then "figure out" how to throw fireballs around -- or do anything else except marginally strengthen the specific spells he taught. They need the SPECIFIC spell words to cast anything else and Zel ain't giving them out.))
Basic Principles of Magic
[As unhappy as Zel seems to be when people are filing in -- nervous even, given hos he's pacing around in his hood and mask, when he begins speaking it's with a clear voice, no stuttering or babbling. Straightforward and matter of fact.]
Understanding how magic works is easy. Successfully doing it, however, is not.
Magic in my world works by calling on the power of something or someone else. My specialty, Shamanism, relies on the power of nature which is why those spells are elemental: air, fire, water, earth. White magic invokes one of the gods and is used for healing and defensive spells, purity spells, things like that. Black magic invokes the power of a dark lord and is the most powerful offensive magic.
In order to cast a simple spell like the first one I'll go over in a minute, all you need to know are the words for the invocation. Anyone can cast them, even commoners with no training whatsoever. The reason they're sold so freely to non-sorcerers is because they can't possibly be used for dangerous purposes. It's not possible to take a simple spell and morph it into a bigger, more lethal one unless you have specific training -- and really, if you're training, it would just be easier to learn to cast the more advanced spells anyway.
The second spell I'll go over takes a little more focus, but it still should be possible for anyone who has even limited spiritual abilities. The third spell will probably only work for people who have natural focus and a sense of the energy in the world. That doesn't necessarily mean you have to have used magic before to do it, but whether you can cast it will tell you whether you have any natural talent you may never have noticed.
Spell Instruction: Lighting
The lighting spell is the most basic spell in White magic. Even people with no inherent magical abilities can cast it if they purchase a scroll with the power words, so it shouldn't be a problem for anyone here unless, for some reason, you've had a seal placed on you.
It looks like this. [Zelgadis flicks a wrist and holds his hand palm up, where a glowing white orb appears. It's about as bright as a street lamp. He cuts the spell off after a moment.] Its use is self explanatory, for lighting your way in a dark place. It does not burn like a fire nor give off heat. If you have very weak constitution or extremely low spiritual abilities, your light may be dimmer or smaller. With several weeks of training, it would get brighter by a small amount. The brighter you make your light, the more it will tire you out. And in this place where magic tires us more than normal, it will take a long time before you're used to it enough to maintain it for any length of time.
The spell words are: Light which burns beyond crimson flame, let thy power gather in my hand. Lighting!
[When he speaks the words out loud, they echo and resonate in the air even though he speaks at a normal volume. The light reignites above his hand.] Beginners must always say the words aloud, only with practice are sorcerers able to cast after a mental recitation.
Spell Instruction: Gray Buster
Gray Buster is a spell in Water Shamanism. It cools down the air by freezing air particles. It can't be used to freeze anything else but air and it can only be used in a small space unless you know the trick to boost the power. Which I won't be teaching. [Since it could get lethal in the hands of a cunning person if they trained for several weeks and knew the power-increasing methods. Keeping such methods secret means that no one will be able to use this spell for anything other than a small amount of air conditioning.]
This is the first spell I ever learned. Anyone who has a small amount of magical intuition and focus will be able to cast it. It looks like this: [Zelgadis flicks a wrist and just in front of him a small patch of air shimmers like diamond dust. The particles evaporate into the warmer air, too small to fall like a tiny rainstorm. People who happened to watch Tyki's Bar burn up in the old dome might recognize his spell as the thing that put the fire out -- only that one was several hundred times bigger.]
This is a Shamanistic spell, so the first step is to focus on the energy of water. Sometimes it helps beginners to close their eyes and picture water, or even to have running water in front of them. Feel its flow and direction, as if it were a sentient being with thoughts and instinct.
Once its firm in your mind, focus on a place relative to yourself you want to produce the effect. A foot or so on front of your face is a good start. Open your eyes and look at the empty air, imagine the spell materializing there. Then, recite the spell words out loud. [Zelgadis slowly provides the proper words which canon does not provide us with but ALL SPELLS require them. Students who cast it correctly will have the same echo-y quality to their words when they speak them as Zelgadis does when he casts his example spells.]
Not everyone will be able to cast this on the first try. Repeat the same process again and focus more on visualizing the water. Use your natural energy to make the water's energy do as you command.
Spell Instruction: Dicleary
This spell is used to draw poison from someone's body. It can draw out all natural poisons, many magic poisons, and stronger sorcerers can remove several toxins at once. It can only draw poison out of someone. [so no trying to be sadistic with this, it just won't work.] It's White magic, meaning we're calling for the aid of one of the gods of my world. You don't have to believe in those gods necessarily for the spell to work, but the less open you are to the existence of magic the more difficult this spell will be to cast. Someone who has faith and trusts their intuition will have a far easier time.
I should mention that as a White magic spell, the intent of the caster matters. If this spell is cast with ill-intent and you anger the gods... [he hesitates.] They may not take kindly to it. [he doesn't elaborate, but it's clear the subject is highly personal.] So long as you use the spell with the intent to help a person who is stricken with poison, it won't be a problem.
...Assuming you can cast it. A spell of this nature takes even more focus than the previous one.
I'm not going to poison anyone in order to demonstrate this, but you'll know if the spell worked by a warm-feeling white glow in the hand you cast with.
The steps are similar, except for one key thing. In the Gray Buster spell, you could think of water. We all know what water looks like, feels like, tastes like. But no one has ever met the god we're calling on for the use of the energy in the Dicleary spell. You have to be open to the abstract, able to connect with the proper god and connect with their energy even though you have no experience with them or idea what they look like. It will be difficult for all but the most highly intuitive.
Close your eyes if it helps. Take your time. I can't instruct people on how to believe or have faith, you have to figure out how to connect with that energy yourself.
When you're ready, recite these words: Blessed, healing hand of god I pray thee come before me, Bestow your grace on this tainted body And leave them clean once more. Dicleary!
[A warm, white glow appears around one of his hands. Not like the globe of light from before, but a light around his hand.]
...it probably won't work the first time for most people. But with a few weeks of training and focus, you might get it to happen.