Ask Luna #76

From: Xexas

Luna are there any magic types that con only be passed down hereditarily.

Not as far as I know. If there were, they probably wouldn’t last that long. Mages tend not to have big families, and while there’s a much better chance that a mage’s child will have some magical talent, it’s nowhere near a sure thing.

From: Nick stephenson

Can magic be given voluntarily to another person

Nope. Magic’s a part of who you are. Only way to ‘give’ it to someone else would be to replace who they are with who you are, ie possess them, which wouldn’t exactly be doing them any favours.

From: Faragorn

So, how is the publication of Alex’s story likely to affect how other mages see him?

I’m guessing most wont even read them, but even if they do will they care?

Caldera might find it somewhat interesting, but she doesnt end up looking that good overall.

Will the average light mage even care about how corrupt Levistus is?

Most mages don’t read those kind of books, so they’d be unlikely to notice. In case they do, there are some . . . other measures Alex has taken. Can’t really tell you what they are, for obvious reasons. But yes, if mages read it, they’d care, if for no other reason than that Alex and I have done more than a few things that’d be considered highly illegal. People like Levistus would be in trouble too, but he’d have a lot more political clout to deal with it.

From: Kurt Von Bosse

Hi Luna.

I have been thinking about Mage Lyle, and I wonder what your impression of him is? You’ve had him as a part-time teacher in the apprentice program and I believe you might have met him briefly at the ball at Canary Wharf.

Before you answer here is what I think about Lyle. I believe he was probably sincere when he told Alex that he was trying to help him. I think Lyle might actually have felt some sense of remorse for turning his back on Alex, when Alex was desperate for support from the Light Council after he left Richard. However, Lyle has a problem and because of it Alex has one too.

There is nothing wrong with Lyle wanting to improve his place in the world, except the career path he has chosen for advancement has put him in waters that are over his head, and he’s swimming with the sharks.

Without knowing what Lyle’s specific magic abilities are, my guess is that aside from the time Mage Crystal manipulated him at Fountain Reach, Lyle is probably pretty good preforming whatever duties have been assigned to him. Whatever you may think of Levistus and his allies, as a general rule they probably don’t employ incompetents.

Unfortunately, Levistus and company are the kind of people who, if they read about the machinations of historical figures like Cardinal Richelieu, the Borgias, the Medicis, Ivan IV (the Terrible) and Henry VIII; to name a few, they would probably see them as kindred spirits. Like Levistus, the people I named had no problem sacrificing minions, executing innocents or doing whatever they needed to do to accomplish their goals. I doubt Lyle has the street smarts to see the danger he may be putting himself in by working for these coldblooded players of Mage politics, and I don’t think he realized he helped set up Alex until Alex told him off.

There may be a lesson here for Sonder, as someone with his abilities may be coveted as a useful asset by the same or very similar types of people on the Council. What do you think?

I never liked Lyle very much. Whenever I talked to him he always seemed vaguely uncomfortable, like I was a homeless person approaching him on the street and he was trying to figure out how to get rid of me without having to give me any money. As for your analysis, you’re probably right. He never really struck me as evil, just snobbish and the kind of guy who just automatically assumes that everyone must see the Council as the best thing ever. His dealings with Alex haven’t exactly earned him many favours, so I expect he’s had his own problems. Nowadays he’s working for Undaaris, which from the sound of it probably suits him pretty well. (Oh, and he’s an enchanter, by the way – aka charm mage. You get them in male versions as well as female.)

Whether the same thing’ll happen to Sonder – good question. I like him more than I do Lyle, but he’s got kind of the same attitude as far as the Council goes, so maybe it wouldn’t be that surprising. I have been wondering for a while what he’ll do when he starts working with the Levistus types and finally has to make a choice about whose side he’s on. It feels as though, up until now, he’s managed to put that off.