But one could say prepare (say the chant of, but not release the spell) a fireball spell with arcane, then use black magic to create, say oil or some form of flammable gas near/around a target location, then release the fireball.

I'd figure as long as you don't actually mix the two magic types in the same spell it'd be fine, yeah?

Well, for starters it's not actually possible to prepare spells like that. One could speak part of the chant and/or weave part of the patterns associated with the spell, and then try to sustain this unfinished spell until finishing the incantation to invoke it, but even doing that much would increase the chance of the spell failing a lot, and would require the caster to concentrate quite a bit to remember exactly how the spell "feels" and continuously feed the spell magical energy (magical energy, when not bound to something relatively tangible, will always endeavor to disperse). "Finishing" a spell invokes it immediately, and performing the incantation without making it manifest will cause it to disperse on its own, no matter how much magical energy you pour into maintaining it, since you can't finish it anymore.
That said, if one were to attempt such a thing (one could try to do this; as mentioned above a spell not yet invoked can theoretically be sustained indefinitely), then one would still be "holding" a mass of energy infused into arcane nature, and another infused with black nature. While it technically would be possible to keep the two apart, I don't think there's a single mortal mind that would actually be capable of that kind of multitasking; the two energy-infusions would almost inevitably mingle, and the magic would backfire.

"If it's not specifically thought-control or the spell isn't sophisticated enough to separately null your knowledge of self and/or erase your memories of what you were feeling and sensing right before ... I'd expect any kind of generic-effect spell or abrupt illusion to be consciously very jarring and immediately identifiable, the latter especially when you're already aware that someone was casting a mind-affecting spell."

I never actually answered that question? Ugh... sorry. But it'd depend on the illusion-/mind-affecting spell, really. A lot of basic spells in that category would indeed be very jarring to the point where one would most likely realize what had happened - at least if one knew there was a possibility of such magic being invoked; otherwise one might just be really confused - but more advanced magic will usually make a more subtle transition. High-level illusions and mind-affecting magic is also either relatively gradual in its coming into effect, making the change less noticeable, or it will downright force it upon the target(s) that "you will not notice this". The former is obviously slower, but more reliable, whereas the latter is quicker but requires the spell to overpower the target(s) willpower in order for it to not be easily recognizable for what it is.

Incidentally, I'm also getting the feeling that our "translations" of arcane words are supposed to be very inaccurate, and their proper meanings do not really correspond to the English interpretations. (This has nothing to do with mind control.)

Oh yeah, the translations of the arcane language and Devil's Tongue are particularly inaccurate; their true meaning will depend greatly on the context they're put in.

Jack has also mentioned that the fire, light and other phenomena created by magic aren't actually true versions of themselves, but rather still carry more semblance to the original magical energy, and tend to have unnatural properties which stem from our (or our characters', rather) flawed conceptions.

Huh, I didn't know this; that's good to know. It seems I inadvertently respected this property to an extent in how I stylized Jill's spells in the past, maybe excessively so, given how Orphid's Lance carries properties derived from its original creator, rather than the invoker proper.

Cool stuff, will make an effort to keep this in mind.

@Jack: Would you be posting in the road-to-Zerul branch, or are you waiting for Legion? (Basically, does either your characters intend to (try to) interact with Iridiel up in the tree?)

@Jack: Since it might have missed your attention - Domhnall and Iridiel are actually speaking different dialects of the language; Domhnall's is more rapidfire, harsher, and has some words and expressions not present in other dialects of Éireann, Iridiel's is more Southern Irish, I've been informed. Which one is Olan using?

I did miss that, apparently... hmm... but since Olan hasn't heard either of them speaking in their own language yet, I suppose that he would address Iridiel in the dialect native to the highlanders, if such a thing exists. Failing that - if the dialects of their language aren't determined from that - he's liable to speak with no dialect at all, but rather... hmm... English fails me? I have no idea how to describe this in English. The variant of a language one learns in school, the kind of which is exaggeratedly correct and essentially impersonal?

There is a "standard" dialect, for the matter, which is Éireann, and also what Iridiel speaks... So he's speaking Éireann, I'd figure. Thanks.

@yoshua171, @Rhaevnn Xeno, @Mercinus3: Who would be going next on the Zerul-side? I'd figure it's Ixion->I'on->Morgan?

I thought I had responded to this a while back - sounds good to me!

@Mercinus3 Did Ixion glance towards I'on when he considered that he might be a threat to them (due to his affiliation with the authorities). Conversely did his expression change at all?

@Mercinus3 Did Ixion glance towards I'on when he considered that he might be a threat to them (due to his affiliation with the authorities). Conversely did his expression change at all?

Hehe I actually forgot that he is unmasked. I'll make a correction to note that he glanced towards I'on, but knowing Ixion, his expression remains blank to not give away what he is thinking.

M3

I'on is going to notice that little glance and since his thoughts are already addressing the possible obstacle he might be to them (should they decide to no longer be allies of a sort) he's going to likely draw a few more conclusions (or educated guesses). It'll be something of confirmation for him.

This is surely going to be an...interesting relationship between these three, provided they remain associated. Also it's kind of interesting because it seems as if these three are almost their own party, rather than several people who are destined to join the main group at a later date :P

Ah that's fair enough. And I do agree that there is going to be an intriguing relationship between the trio, though I can see I'on trying to pry Morgan and Ixion off of each other.

Oh and while I am thinking of it: Jack, Lorienne sends her regards.

M3

Sorry for the shortness of my post. Just ran out of content I suppose. Oh well.

This is surely going to be an...interesting relationship between these three, provided they remain associated. Also it's kind of interesting because it seems as if these three are almost their own party, rather than several people who are destined to join the main group at a later date :P

To say the least, I'm sure. :P Though, as much as Morgan may not think so, I think their consistent butting of heads is only precursor to a stubborn friendship.

I've been too caught up in the collab that me an jack are doing to pay attention to what's going on IC (seriously, that collab is turning into a separate story on its own, which is kind of cool lol). Can you guys provide me with a brief overview of what has happened with your groups?

Had a thought @Dark Jack and @Shienvien, how do/would familiars work in the Prophecy, if at all? Mostly because it suddenly occurred to me that Ilitas might actually have one, perhaps in the form of some sort of hawk/eagle (just a bird of prey really).

Also yes, I've not stopped progress on her haha. Though I did get caught up in RL...so there's not been much of anything accomplished since I got those first questions answered. Nonetheless, I'm actually coding a CS for her at the moment in the interest of giving myself some structure to work with.

Also really struggling with her appearance as well, there are unfortunately not actual pictures of Deigan lol. If I had more money I'd actually commission something ^^;

Familiars? Eh, well, as far as animals are concerned, such a bird of prey, it's the same as on Earth. If you can tame, train and/or befriend them, they're (more) likely to stick around respond to commands they have learned. There is no particular Dungeons & Dragons-esque magical bond between mortal species like that. (EDIT: Short of actual magical mind control, that is.)

The only bond similar to those would be between summoners and immortals they summon, of which there generally are three types of bond:
The weakest one is that of an immortal that has already been subdued to the summoner once, and which the summoner can be relatively certain it will be able to dominate again to force it into obedience. The only condition to the formation of that kind of bond is that the summoner needs to learn the immortal's name, so that they might summon that particular immortal again rather than just a similar one. (Because it is relevant in this context: demons are named in the Devil's Tongue, and angels are named in the arcane language.)
The second one is that of an immortal and a summoner who have made a deal, bargaining among themselves to establish an agreement of sorts, the conditions of which may vary wildly. The immortal will then be summoned by name, as normal, but is liable to aid the summoner without the need for this to suppress the immortal's will first. This kind of bond is only as strong as the participants are reliable, of course, since either might betray the deal and potentially break the bond.
The last one is the most cliché one, to be honest, but is inevitable nevertheless: the bond of friendship. If an immortal accepts a summoner, they may freely aid them whenever summoned. These kinds of deals are rare among angels, and almost nonexistent among demons, but are generally regarded as the strongest, most dangerous bond possible. Summoners with such a bond have immortal familiars that can be called forth without concern for betrayal or having to control them, making them particularly dangerous.

I did miss that, apparently... hmm... but since Olan hasn't heard either of them speaking in their own language yet, I suppose that he would address Iridiel in the dialect native to the highlanders, if such a thing exists. Failing that - if the dialects of their language aren't determined from that - he's liable to speak with no dialect at all, but rather... hmm... English fails me? I have no idea how to describe this in English. The variant of a language one learns in school, the kind of which is exaggeratedly correct and essentially impersonal?

There are several different dialects of the Eireannach language, each of them with their own particular sound and sometimes even their own wordings and spellings.

The primary dialect is known as Urban Eireann. To us on Earth, it would sound very similar to a Dubliner's accent, with all of the typical 'th' sounds as 't' and so on. Urban Eireann is very much more of a nobleman's accent than anything else, the commoners in and around Ath Cliath, Cill Chainnigh and several others in the very heart of the Contaetha speak Urban Eireann, and it's considered to be a sort of 'Received Pronunciation' for Eireann itself as a language (perhaps what you were trying to articulate in this post). A relevant offshoot of Urban Eireann is Garmanic, and Garmanic is what Iridiel speaks in - hence why it's the only regional dialect I'll bring up. Garmanic is centralised around the town of Loch Garman - Iridiel's home town - and the eastern edge of the Contaetha proper, including the regions of Lonfoirt and Chill Mhantáin. Garmanic is a smooth, rich-sounding dialect with much emphasis on the vowels, perhaps best described as a mixture between Welsh and southern Irish.

The second major dialect is Albhain, also known as the Forestfolk Tongue. Albhain is a harsher, more guttural dialect that sounds rougher on the ears and is much faster-paced than Eireann or Garmanic - to an inexperienced listener, a conversation between two eireannach speaking Albhain is almost incomprehensible. Every sentence is full of contractions where they can be fit in. An example sentence could be "Wha'hae y'be'lassie, ye've be'go'a'lon'tiim!" "Ach, I'sor'fatha, I'd be busy gatherin'th'sheep." Perhaps not difficult to understand when typed out like that, but in a conversation combined with the thick accents that Albhain speakers are notorious for, it's hard to keep up when spoken aloud. The best "Earth" dialect that I can relate to Albhain is a mixture of Highland Scots and Glaswegian. Domhnall is a speaker of Albhain, though I don't think his accent's quite as bad as perhaps a man from Inbhair Nes or Innse Gall would be (both towns are very deep into Albhain territory).

The third major dialect is Cymric. Cymric is a horrible dialect for outsiders to try and learn, and all I need say is: it's Welsh. If that alone doesn't make you want nothing to do with Cymric, then I don't know what will. It's a southerner's dialect, and it's quite uncommon with the encroachment of Eireann into the old Cymric lands. It's not hugely relevant to the topic at hand, so I'll keep this one brief.

Any questions, don't hesitate to ask. I'm back on the Guild after extended period of hiatus.

Oh my god, all this time and I didn't realize that it was my turn to post in the Drunken Dove-scene... gah. Well, I posted now.

Oh my god, all this time and I didn't realize that it was my turn to post in the Drunken Dove-scene... gah. Well, I posted now.

Haha, no worries, Jack! Happens to the best of us.

Rose's question actually made me go back and reread the scuffle with The Fixer, as I couldn't remember if The Fixer had drawn any weapons; I doubt Morgan will remember if I can't even remember such a detail. Regardless, it was a nice reread. It makes me smile to see such a beautiful story unfolding. :3

Edit:
@yoshua171,@mercinus3 - I'll put up a quick post if there are no objections, seeing that Rose is answering Morgan's question and he'd probably immediately respond.

Rose's question actually made me go back and reread the scuffle with The Fixer, as I couldn't remember if The Fixer had drawn any weapons; I doubt Morgan will remember if I can't even remember such a detail. Regardless, it was a nice reread. It makes me smile to see such a beautiful story unfolding. :3

Edit:
@yoshua171,@mercinus3 - I'll put up a quick post if there are no objections, seeing that Rose is answering Morgan's question and he'd probably immediately respond.

Yeah, I had to reread all of that to double check on that. As for you posting first, I don't mind.

M3