[June 22] Runic Musings [Casey] Tags: Casey and Alvis Read 180 times / 0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic. [June 22] Runic Musings [Casey] on October 23, 2011, 07:35:01 PM Sometime in late June, a small, patient-looking sand owl arrives at Doherty Manor with a simple letter, dated a few days earlier, in its beak. Oddly conscientious for an owl, it shakes the sand from its wings before entering the manor and passing its letter off to a house elf for delivery. The letter itself is contained in one page, but the envelope also includes two extra sheets of parchment, on which a number of Egyptian symbols and cartouches have been sketched with scientific precision. The marginalia is writing in what is ostensibly English, however, the combination of chicken-scratch handwriting and odd short-hand make it impossible for anyone but the writer to comprehend. Alvis NorlingNumber 4 Rectory LaneAdderly, Shropshire, England Mr. Casey O’DohertyDoherty Manor, Donegal County, IrelandJune 22nd, 2009Cairo, EgyptDear Casey,It only now occurs to me that, when we met in the armory at school, you never bothered to tell me where Doherty Manor actually is. Lucky the professors know, or this poor post-office owl would have wandered around Britain for days. Anyway, I’m writing because we – that is, the Hogwarts tour group here in Egypt – took a tour of the Temple of the Muses today, which is, or was, more like a university than a temple – kind of like Hogwarts really – and the engravings on the walls made me think of your project, the one with the protective runes. Egyptian carvings are a different sort of language than the ones we used in Britain, of course, but the wizard guidebook pointed out a number of protection and security spells, and if I’m not mistaken the spell the pattern of their spell is similar to some of the ones on the armor we examined.And it got me to thinking how, in a modern sense, it would be limiting to draw only on the runic traditions of one nation. If the languages of ancient runes feature parallels, perhaps they can be woven together. It would be difficult, but imagine how effective it would be if it were done right!This is all speculation of course, but I’m going to ask Professor Reid about it as soon as I can get her alone. With all her archeology and runic experience, she’s bound to know something; but don’t worry, I won’t mention the armor research. You seem the sort who likes to keep his secrets close. We’ll be going to the Pyramids and the Sphinx on the 26th, and the Temple of Apis on the 30th, so I’ll keep my eye out for more repeating patterns. If I find anything, or if Professor Reid has any useful information about our translations, I’ll be sure to drop you a line.And…I suppose that’s it, really. Take care of yourself. Your friYour Classmate,Alvis Balthazar Norling Skip to next post Re: [June 22] Runic Musings [Casey] Reply #1 on October 23, 2011, 09:36:19 PM It was with great surprise that Casey looked at the post handed from Dingy. A letter personally addressed to him from Alvis Norling. Few bothered to write to Casey, most mail being business related to something he ordered. His joint rune research with Norling, that he might be able to use for battle armor, had slipped to the bottom of his list of plans. Casey was touched, but not to put it in mushy-gushy words.Unlike the rest of the family, Casey took time to write his own letters rather than have Dingy as stenographer. He still had the elf fetch him parchment and quill, and deliver the letter back to where it was to be found in Alvis Norling's hotel room, as a sandy colored and rather nauseated owl recovered on the roof. Included are copied documents about battles from the old age, highlights from the first duel of Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin at the start of their initial fallout after founding Hogwarts.Casey O'DohertyDoherty ManorDonegal County, IrelandMr. Alvis NorlingEgypt (Abroad)June 22nd, 2009Dear Alvis,My apologies, the home address is not typically given out to associates until they can be trusted.A blend of international security spells provides a sea of opportunities but it is only viable once a concrete definition of rune and effect can be determined. The Egyptian Wizards of old developed numerous wards and curses and the wrong phrase on an armor could trigger mutated skeletal growth or having your flesh consumed through acidification. I suggest writing out the notes of your attached hieroglyphic symbols yourself as your translator has indecipherable script.Your appraisal of my secrecy is correct. Armor to this extent is no longer common these days and even the ownership of enchanted armor provides a commodity of surprise. This extent is mostly not what the Hogwarts professors have in mind keeping the Armor Gallery about at school.Your itinerary is also useful for knowledge for subsequent letters. To give you context, I have included excerpts from Salazar's and Godric's first duel of their falling out. At this time their armor was a blend of leather and metal, made for speed with minimal protection. Note that Salazar also completes his armor with the use of his locket, changing his aura to protect himself from Godric's attacks and to better channel is own magic. Unfortunately this is an artifact never replicated and the original was tainted for another purpose and eventually destroyed.Have 'fun' on your trip then, Balthazar.PS: Am I correct to assume a Veronica Ward is on that trip? Skip to next post Re: [June 22] Runic Musings [Casey] Reply #2 on November 12, 2011, 11:18:33 AM On June 26th, a slightly larger owl than before arrives at Doherty Manor, with a gleam in its eye as though it were challenged to deliver this letter as fast as possible and staked its very pride on getting the job done. Alvis NorlingNumber 4 Rectory LaneAdderly, Shropshire, EnglandMr. Casey O’DohertyDoherty Manor, Donegal County, IrelandTucked inside the envelope is another several sheets of notes, some of them a little cleaner than last time but most looking like they came off worse for wear in a fight with an ink bottle. One one page features a cartouche filled with Celtic runes alongside a sketch of of makeshift armor with spiral scratchmarks around a small hole on its breastplate. The sketches are far from precise. June 24th, 2009Dear Casey,Your responses are impressively rapid, but I do hope you’re not working Dingy too hard to get them here so fast. That is how you slipped it into my room, correct? Admittedly, I don’t know much about house-elves’ magic…but I’d rather not add to his workload if I can help it. He seemed stressed. Anyway, I asked Professor Reid about it, and Professor Trishna too (they were sitting together at the time)and they said that the script isn’t actually Egyptian! Well, the styles definitely are, especially the cartouches – those loopy things that look kind of like amulets around the names – those are definitely Egyptian, but the script isn’t, it’s some foreign language that neither of them knew. Professor Trishna said the temple’s from the Hellenic period, so the language could be from anywhere, and Professor Reid said that she thought the shape was meant as a ward to protect the cartouches’ names.Of course, she also said that it might just be history’s way of playing around with us…but I don’t think that’s the case. Ancient wizards would have to be as ill-tempered as a Slytherin on a bad day as a half-drowned cat to go to this much trouble carving walls just to play a joke. I’ve been working on it all yesterday afternoon, and I think I’ve got a pretty good theory of how the blending could work. I’ve copied the notes for you but I guess it needs a little explanation since they’re kind of all in shorthand. (The notes before weren’t translated by anybody, I’m just not used to anyone else reading them…) Since your family is English? Irish? of Celtic descent, any names or texts relating directly to you would be in our runes, but placing it inside an Egyptian cartouche would have the same protective effects. The Egyptians thought that names had power, so I purposefully misspelled yours here to prevent anything from actually happening. It’s just an example. So that’d be a minor level of protection, but if we amplified it with layers of other symbols (spirals perhaps, curling in for support and out for relief…) it would increase the protection and possibly even give the mixed runic symbols something to latch onto. I think this would especially work if the name and cartouche were to be placed on an amulet, similar to the notes you sent before about Salazar Slytherin’s armor and locket. It’s a shame nobody ever got a really good look at the thing before You-Know-Who got his hands on it; I bet it was riddled with really excellent magic. We’re off to Cairo today. I promised a first-year (second year?) from my house that I’d look around the antiques market with him, so I’ll keep an eye out for any books or things that might let us know more about these languages. If I can figure out exactly where they come from, that’ll go a long way towards the translations.Hope you’re having fun with your summer.P.S. – Yes, Ward is here. Why do you ask? P.P.S. – Sorry about the ink splotches. It’s awfully hard to write on a boat, and the river’s pretty choppy. Poor Professor Trishna’s been absolutely sick to his stomach. P.P.P.S. – Please don’t call me Balthazar. It makes me sound like a brand of bath salts. Skip to next post Re: [June 22] Runic Musings [Casey] Reply #3 on November 12, 2011, 10:14:48 PM Late on June 26th, technically early morning of the 27th, an envelop is placed to be found at the top of Alvis Norling's luggage. While the letter inside is unblemished, the envelop is crispy--soaked in ginger beer and then dried haphazardly. Only with the most intense scrutiny would someone notice that the handwriting on the envelope is not an exact match to the handwriting inside, as if the letter had been prepped before but the envelope was rushed moments before mailing.Dear Alvis,I wouldn't worry about Dingy, he enjoys work that takes him from the manor. I would ask your discretion on that part, not everyone is as clever as you think when is comes to associating Dingy with my post. Surprises are best when they remain surprises.A connection between one's name and their protective enchantments? It's an intriguing idea, not what I had expected. The only to to test the viability of the mixed style would be to set up a defensive rune properly and cast spells at it to see if it deflects, blocks, etcetera. Parchment may be too weak a medium, even if some of the jinx is repelled, so you may need to carve the rune into a denser medium.Would size of the cartouche increase the power associated with the rune? Having the runes on an amulet may be benefit, but amulets are tricky to perfect. Of the amulets out there (again none as powerful as the destroyed Slytherin locket) there are various enchantments and protections, but the artifacts are very rare. Also, most have expensive mediums to keep the enchantment. A type of clothing or armor may be overall more cost effective.I wouldn't dismiss bath salts too quickly. You may surprise yourself with some of the Egyptian brands when hunting for souvenirs.P.S. Tell Ward she has a point. When you mention me she will understand. Skip to next post
[June 22] Runic Musings [Casey] on October 23, 2011, 07:35:01 PM Sometime in late June, a small, patient-looking sand owl arrives at Doherty Manor with a simple letter, dated a few days earlier, in its beak. Oddly conscientious for an owl, it shakes the sand from its wings before entering the manor and passing its letter off to a house elf for delivery. The letter itself is contained in one page, but the envelope also includes two extra sheets of parchment, on which a number of Egyptian symbols and cartouches have been sketched with scientific precision. The marginalia is writing in what is ostensibly English, however, the combination of chicken-scratch handwriting and odd short-hand make it impossible for anyone but the writer to comprehend. Alvis NorlingNumber 4 Rectory LaneAdderly, Shropshire, England Mr. Casey O’DohertyDoherty Manor, Donegal County, IrelandJune 22nd, 2009Cairo, EgyptDear Casey,It only now occurs to me that, when we met in the armory at school, you never bothered to tell me where Doherty Manor actually is. Lucky the professors know, or this poor post-office owl would have wandered around Britain for days. Anyway, I’m writing because we – that is, the Hogwarts tour group here in Egypt – took a tour of the Temple of the Muses today, which is, or was, more like a university than a temple – kind of like Hogwarts really – and the engravings on the walls made me think of your project, the one with the protective runes. Egyptian carvings are a different sort of language than the ones we used in Britain, of course, but the wizard guidebook pointed out a number of protection and security spells, and if I’m not mistaken the spell the pattern of their spell is similar to some of the ones on the armor we examined.And it got me to thinking how, in a modern sense, it would be limiting to draw only on the runic traditions of one nation. If the languages of ancient runes feature parallels, perhaps they can be woven together. It would be difficult, but imagine how effective it would be if it were done right!This is all speculation of course, but I’m going to ask Professor Reid about it as soon as I can get her alone. With all her archeology and runic experience, she’s bound to know something; but don’t worry, I won’t mention the armor research. You seem the sort who likes to keep his secrets close. We’ll be going to the Pyramids and the Sphinx on the 26th, and the Temple of Apis on the 30th, so I’ll keep my eye out for more repeating patterns. If I find anything, or if Professor Reid has any useful information about our translations, I’ll be sure to drop you a line.And…I suppose that’s it, really. Take care of yourself. Your friYour Classmate,Alvis Balthazar Norling Skip to next post
Re: [June 22] Runic Musings [Casey] Reply #1 on October 23, 2011, 09:36:19 PM It was with great surprise that Casey looked at the post handed from Dingy. A letter personally addressed to him from Alvis Norling. Few bothered to write to Casey, most mail being business related to something he ordered. His joint rune research with Norling, that he might be able to use for battle armor, had slipped to the bottom of his list of plans. Casey was touched, but not to put it in mushy-gushy words.Unlike the rest of the family, Casey took time to write his own letters rather than have Dingy as stenographer. He still had the elf fetch him parchment and quill, and deliver the letter back to where it was to be found in Alvis Norling's hotel room, as a sandy colored and rather nauseated owl recovered on the roof. Included are copied documents about battles from the old age, highlights from the first duel of Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin at the start of their initial fallout after founding Hogwarts.Casey O'DohertyDoherty ManorDonegal County, IrelandMr. Alvis NorlingEgypt (Abroad)June 22nd, 2009Dear Alvis,My apologies, the home address is not typically given out to associates until they can be trusted.A blend of international security spells provides a sea of opportunities but it is only viable once a concrete definition of rune and effect can be determined. The Egyptian Wizards of old developed numerous wards and curses and the wrong phrase on an armor could trigger mutated skeletal growth or having your flesh consumed through acidification. I suggest writing out the notes of your attached hieroglyphic symbols yourself as your translator has indecipherable script.Your appraisal of my secrecy is correct. Armor to this extent is no longer common these days and even the ownership of enchanted armor provides a commodity of surprise. This extent is mostly not what the Hogwarts professors have in mind keeping the Armor Gallery about at school.Your itinerary is also useful for knowledge for subsequent letters. To give you context, I have included excerpts from Salazar's and Godric's first duel of their falling out. At this time their armor was a blend of leather and metal, made for speed with minimal protection. Note that Salazar also completes his armor with the use of his locket, changing his aura to protect himself from Godric's attacks and to better channel is own magic. Unfortunately this is an artifact never replicated and the original was tainted for another purpose and eventually destroyed.Have 'fun' on your trip then, Balthazar.PS: Am I correct to assume a Veronica Ward is on that trip? Skip to next post
Re: [June 22] Runic Musings [Casey] Reply #2 on November 12, 2011, 11:18:33 AM On June 26th, a slightly larger owl than before arrives at Doherty Manor, with a gleam in its eye as though it were challenged to deliver this letter as fast as possible and staked its very pride on getting the job done. Alvis NorlingNumber 4 Rectory LaneAdderly, Shropshire, EnglandMr. Casey O’DohertyDoherty Manor, Donegal County, IrelandTucked inside the envelope is another several sheets of notes, some of them a little cleaner than last time but most looking like they came off worse for wear in a fight with an ink bottle. One one page features a cartouche filled with Celtic runes alongside a sketch of of makeshift armor with spiral scratchmarks around a small hole on its breastplate. The sketches are far from precise. June 24th, 2009Dear Casey,Your responses are impressively rapid, but I do hope you’re not working Dingy too hard to get them here so fast. That is how you slipped it into my room, correct? Admittedly, I don’t know much about house-elves’ magic…but I’d rather not add to his workload if I can help it. He seemed stressed. Anyway, I asked Professor Reid about it, and Professor Trishna too (they were sitting together at the time)and they said that the script isn’t actually Egyptian! Well, the styles definitely are, especially the cartouches – those loopy things that look kind of like amulets around the names – those are definitely Egyptian, but the script isn’t, it’s some foreign language that neither of them knew. Professor Trishna said the temple’s from the Hellenic period, so the language could be from anywhere, and Professor Reid said that she thought the shape was meant as a ward to protect the cartouches’ names.Of course, she also said that it might just be history’s way of playing around with us…but I don’t think that’s the case. Ancient wizards would have to be as ill-tempered as a Slytherin on a bad day as a half-drowned cat to go to this much trouble carving walls just to play a joke. I’ve been working on it all yesterday afternoon, and I think I’ve got a pretty good theory of how the blending could work. I’ve copied the notes for you but I guess it needs a little explanation since they’re kind of all in shorthand. (The notes before weren’t translated by anybody, I’m just not used to anyone else reading them…) Since your family is English? Irish? of Celtic descent, any names or texts relating directly to you would be in our runes, but placing it inside an Egyptian cartouche would have the same protective effects. The Egyptians thought that names had power, so I purposefully misspelled yours here to prevent anything from actually happening. It’s just an example. So that’d be a minor level of protection, but if we amplified it with layers of other symbols (spirals perhaps, curling in for support and out for relief…) it would increase the protection and possibly even give the mixed runic symbols something to latch onto. I think this would especially work if the name and cartouche were to be placed on an amulet, similar to the notes you sent before about Salazar Slytherin’s armor and locket. It’s a shame nobody ever got a really good look at the thing before You-Know-Who got his hands on it; I bet it was riddled with really excellent magic. We’re off to Cairo today. I promised a first-year (second year?) from my house that I’d look around the antiques market with him, so I’ll keep an eye out for any books or things that might let us know more about these languages. If I can figure out exactly where they come from, that’ll go a long way towards the translations.Hope you’re having fun with your summer.P.S. – Yes, Ward is here. Why do you ask? P.P.S. – Sorry about the ink splotches. It’s awfully hard to write on a boat, and the river’s pretty choppy. Poor Professor Trishna’s been absolutely sick to his stomach. P.P.P.S. – Please don’t call me Balthazar. It makes me sound like a brand of bath salts. Skip to next post
Re: [June 22] Runic Musings [Casey] Reply #3 on November 12, 2011, 10:14:48 PM Late on June 26th, technically early morning of the 27th, an envelop is placed to be found at the top of Alvis Norling's luggage. While the letter inside is unblemished, the envelop is crispy--soaked in ginger beer and then dried haphazardly. Only with the most intense scrutiny would someone notice that the handwriting on the envelope is not an exact match to the handwriting inside, as if the letter had been prepped before but the envelope was rushed moments before mailing.Dear Alvis,I wouldn't worry about Dingy, he enjoys work that takes him from the manor. I would ask your discretion on that part, not everyone is as clever as you think when is comes to associating Dingy with my post. Surprises are best when they remain surprises.A connection between one's name and their protective enchantments? It's an intriguing idea, not what I had expected. The only to to test the viability of the mixed style would be to set up a defensive rune properly and cast spells at it to see if it deflects, blocks, etcetera. Parchment may be too weak a medium, even if some of the jinx is repelled, so you may need to carve the rune into a denser medium.Would size of the cartouche increase the power associated with the rune? Having the runes on an amulet may be benefit, but amulets are tricky to perfect. Of the amulets out there (again none as powerful as the destroyed Slytherin locket) there are various enchantments and protections, but the artifacts are very rare. Also, most have expensive mediums to keep the enchantment. A type of clothing or armor may be overall more cost effective.I wouldn't dismiss bath salts too quickly. You may surprise yourself with some of the Egyptian brands when hunting for souvenirs.P.S. Tell Ward she has a point. When you mention me she will understand. Skip to next post
[June 22] Runic Musings [Casey]