Can anyone with the basic know-how do a calling spell, or would they have to be magically talented, or what? Can Gods use them on eachother, or do they generally just go "CO-EE, AZ?"

That sort of thing.

Also, just wondering, do you know of anyone having done one yet?

I have some ideas of how thing work in the world of Once that I haven't written up so as not to force on everyone... basically, I figure that living things all have a kind of energy or potential for magic, and mostly people born with magical abilities have the sort of channels to make it flow and do what they want-- but anyone can learn to jury-rig unweildy channels for power, and that's the learned magics like magecraft and witchcraft.

Calling spells can be performed by basically anything that's alive and complex enough-- ie, humans and near-humans*. Gods... I don't think gods work like that; I think the structure of a calling spell would be meaningless to them. Yeah, basically they go coo-ee. They might have developed their own ways of ritualistically requesting the presence of other gods politely. That's up to players.

Yes, there have definitely been calling spells performed! I know people have summoned Apoth; someone's summoned Dionis just recently. I think, but am not sure, that someone's summoned Sanguis. A fair few people have summoned Az using various of the three spells provided (if you happened to read the archives, you can figure out which actually works by how he appears!).

Does that help you out with the calling spells? They're similar in nature to calling spells for demons, but more... expansive and powerful.


*(I suspect that the difference between a trained mage doing a calling spell and a normal person doin g a calling spell would be like the HTML coded by a beginner and by a master internet-goer. Normal folks' calling spells are the equivalent of bright turquoise with huge yellow times new roman text; spells performed by trained and practiced mages are more intuitive and flexible-- hypothetically mages could even make modifications, if they knew what they were doing.)

Yep, thank you!

I thought they were too-super-cool to go to waste, so I'm glad they get used. Thanks for clarifying!

They are so cool! i'd like to see them go horribly wrong more often, though. I bet they could go horribly wrong in really awesome ways.

accidental auto-asphyxiation by trying to get out of amor's calling spell

I'm picturing, like, metaphysical accidents. Do it wrong and BAM, SKELETON LEGS.

Cami, I get the feeling that's happened. Or at least really horrible burns. Or possibly being trapped in the circle forever and ever.

Ahahaha skeleton legs! Serves you right for calling Death, wot.

I still feel like an ass that I never fully completed a calling spell for Dionis. He just - he really, really seems like a deity where, if a person wanted to get ahold of him, they wouldn't even need to get to the stage of digging out some musty old tome and lighting a bunch of candles. I know he needs a proper one, where the summoner has the control a real summoning spell would offer, but as Adrian's seen even just yelling any of his names drunkenly has him popping up. Dionis really doesn't have better things to do than hang out with human-types, especially if they're wasted.

I do love the idea of calling spells going wrong, though, and as I talked about with Sar when she was putting together hers, I like when calling spells put the summoner at more considerable risk, or in awkward positions. I'd love one where the summoner has to be suspended upside-down by ropes and covered in honey and feathers, or something.

Oh man, that could be Dionis'.

Everyone should have more calling spells! i'm the only one with three.

They're not easy to come up with! I like them, though. If I had/make a mortal character they'd probably try them all, just for the hell of it, and end up with a very exciting medley of curses and gone-wrongs. Like, skeleton legs, the wrong gender, a perpetual hang-over, a horrible electric bill, got their college degree revoked and was struck with a fondness for Britney Spears and is doomed to forever lose every arm wrestle. But, they called every single God, which is awesome.

They'd be in the magical history books! No pictures, though.

hahaha it's bad enough worrying a god will do something awful even if you do the spell right
kristopher was asleep for an OOC year, srsly

It's not even that malicious. they might curse you and intend to take it off but forget about you for the rest of your life, or grant you a 'power' that sucks. They just, you know... do not get worried about mortals as much? specific mortals?

or grant you a 'power' that sucks.

Dacey: I can change my hair color!

Dacey: ... Oh wait shoot I'm dumb.

You realise that at the end of her life, if he hasn't yet asked a favour, he may ask her to serve him as a spirit for as many years as she'd had the power while alive?

Possibly.

Goodie for her! Though I suppose that time would be less significant as a spirit than as a living mortal human. But I guess that depends on what normally happens to spirits post mortem.

Azrael jealously guards that knowledge as a trade secret.

I figured he did. ^-^