The Final Calling: Progress Report Fourteen

Chapter Thirteen is now online.

I’m midway through writing Chapter Twenty-One; I should be farther, but I’ve been distracted by other projects, such as the chapbook to accompany Realms of Light, and getting the cleaned-up files of The Cyborg and the Sorcerers and The Wizard and the War Machine ready for the upcoming Wildside Press reprint volume.

The serial is paid for up through Chapter Nineteen; Chapter Twenty is almost paid for.

Chapter Fourteen will be posted next week, though perhaps not at exactly the usual time; I’ll be traveling, and am not certain of my schedule. However, I won’t have my own computer, and I’m not planning to take all my mailing lists and passwords and so on, so I won’t be making all the usual announcements; you’ll just have to check for yourselves.

Chapter Fifteen will be delayed; I don’t know how much. I won’t have net access on the 22nd. Everything should be squared away and up to date again by September 29th, when Chapter Sixteen will be posted.

63 thoughts on “The Final Calling: Progress Report Fourteen

  1. Random detail questions; where’s the flutist for the fissure? It works both ways in one casting? In The Vondish Ambassador Ithinia says that she has to go through first (as the caster of the spell) and very specifically warns everyone not to turn around in the passage. Was that making sure no one fell out of her little parade, or is there something different here?

  2. Right-o. That experience with the spell Hanner was a little distracted by the earthquake and sudden appearance of the wizards, so I wasn’t sure he just didn’t miss that (relatively unimportant to him) detail over the noise and other action.

    Interesting; so in this version does the flutist stay behind?

  3. It seems that Rothiel was the caster. Maybe the spell has the caster go through first to open the fissure and then return last to close it.

    Interesting that the god wouldn’t help wizards or witches. Clearly there was no problem with (former) warlocks.

    Presumably, if there were any demonologists, they would have also been excluded.

    Also, it would be pretty weird if the sorcerers weren’t excluded when that wizards were, given that the gods were on the same side as the wizards in the Great War. OTOH, maybe it is the manipulation of their soul that excludes wizards from divine help.

    Were all (active) magicians excluded (except the theurgists), as they should be able to take care of themselves?

    Also, the Goddess promised

    “The water of the stream will be pure and clean”

    This doesn’t seem to be the case, if they are having to purify it. I guess that means that it will be pure when it reaches them, but if they dirty it afterward, then that is their own problem.

    Also, when Hanner gave part of his meal to the witch, does that count as giving comfort to another person?

    “you will repay this by giving comfort to one who needs it – a blanket to one who has none, a roof to one who needs it for a night, or a meal to one who has not eaten that day. ”

    If the witch hadn’t eaten that day then it might count, but 1 food stick probably wouldn’t count as a meal.

    His action with the loaves of bread might count depending on when those people last ate.

    Also, it depends on what the requirement actually was. Were the 3 options merely suggestions of ways to comfort people, or did the repayment have to be exactly one of those 3?

  4. I’m liking Hanner more and more, like the way the threads are setting up.

    I never realized I could enjoy watching a novel in progress this much. Given the other novels, this one just seems to have something more in the community about it and the development.

    Thanks Lawrence.

  5. I was momentarily confused by the phrase “carpet of bureaucrats”. It took me a second to realize that it meant “carpet-load of bureaucrats” or something to that effect.

    Could just be me, though. I’m reading the chapter before my caffeine levels max out.

    Bill

  6. It did just strike me that all the principles are now on their way to one place, and with Hanner and Sterren both en-rout there’s going to be a ridiculous amount of common sense in the situation. Then again you’ve got Vond and Rudhara to be volatile enough for any group…

    raphfrk Says:
    >>It seems that Rothiel was the caster. Maybe the spell has the caster go through first to open the fissure and then return last to close it.

    I don’t think so, he was walking around doing stuff while the spell continued running. This variation might be *that* much cooler, but it seems unlikely.

    >>Interesting that the god wouldn’t help wizards or witches. Clearly there was no problem with (former) warlocks.

    I assume it has something to do with the fact that wizards are, in effect, permanently enchanted via the athamization spell, witches and warlocks seem to generate a similar effect when their powers are “on” (ie; always). or it could just be that *having* magic they’re assumed to be “not human.”

    >>Presumably, if there were any demonologists, they would have also been excluded.

    There was at least one demonologist. I’m interested (now that you reminded me) to know if she was or not.

    >>Hanner…giving comfort to another person?

    I don’t think it’s going to matter with Hanner. Looking at his behavior, and what he did right after the Night of Madness, I assume he’ll pay off that debt in spades without ever thinking about it. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Piskor was particularly fond of Hanner- his entire demeanor of helping the helpless but not coddling people seems right in step with her.

  7. I keep going back to “If the wizards had found a theurgist like that, it would have been lovely.” I recall Valder going to a wizard diviner to ask about Wirikidor, and two things keep rolling over in my mind:

    1) I wonder why wizards can also be necromancers/diviners/etc. and where the lines between schools of magic really are. We know that wizards are not allowed to practice non-wizardry magic. Where does the line between specialties and schools begin to blur? Could a wizard be a theurgist? Would the gods ignore them if they knew the right prayers and performed them perfectly? That’s not exactly magic, just praying. Also, wizardry seems to be capable of just about anything, why not opening a communications channel to a god?

    2) I wonder if any of the immortal wizards ever took up theurgy as a way to pass the millenia or to try to help them figure out new spells.

  8. No, wizards can’t do theurgy.

    Necromancy means any magic involved with communicating with the dead, and that can sometimes be accomplished by a wizard’s spells, divine assistance, or witchcraft. (Whether a demon can do it or not depends on whether you believe demons; most people assume they’re lying.)

    Divination means finding things out by magic; again, it doesn’t specify which variety of magic.

    There are hundreds, maybe thousands, of wizards’ spells; no one wizard knows all of them, so they specialize. Some make a point of collecting animations, some do divinations, etc. Doesn’t mean they can do any magic other than wizardry.

  9. > I don’t think so, he was walking around doing stuff
    > while the spell continued running. This variation might
    > be *that* much cooler, but it seems unlikely.

    Well, there must be a reason why he had to be the last to return.

    Maybe it takes two wizards to cast the spell. One plays the flute to open the tunnel and the other one walks through.

    Actually, are there any spells which require multiple wizards to cast?

    > I don’t think it’s going to matter with Hanner. Looking
    > at his behavior, and what he did right after the Night of
    > Madness, I assume he’ll pay off that debt in spades
    > without ever thinking about it.

    Well, it depends on how exact the repayment has to be.

    However, the punishment for not keeping to the deal is that the god won’t help you any more. Sometimes this also applies to your immediate family, which seems a little excessive.

    He could probably make his cast to the god that he did lots of other things that lent comfort to the needy.

  10. >>However, the punishment for not keeping to the deal is that the god won’t help you any more. Sometimes this also applies to your immediate family, which seems a little excessive.

    Actually, Vondish Ambassador indicated that failing to put a copper coin in a shrine to Piskor once a year might cause the neighbors to become hostile. I’m guessing it’s not because they would simply be overcome with righteous indignation over the mistreatment of the shrine (which was otherwise pretty run down).

    >>He could probably make his cast to the god that he did lots of other things that lent comfort to the needy.

    After the night of madness he provided roofs to several who explicitly did not have them, having been driven from their homes, and food to those who would have otherwise gone hungry for a couple nights before Faran was revealed as a warlock, and then instead of driving them out and covering up his (still hideable) warlockry, he took the leap to lead them into a much more tenable position- continuing to feed, shelter, and otherwise care for those who needed it until they could get on their feet… He doesn’t currently have the means- but he’s doing exactly that again to the best of his ability.

  11. So far, the story is thoroughly satisfying; in a lot of ways, it feels like a culmination of the entire series to date. I’m especially impressed by how consistent the characterization is; Hanner feels like Hanner, Vond most definitely feels like Vond. (I’m personally half-hoping for an appearance by Sirinita, from Spell of the Black Dagger.) My hat’s off to you, sir!

    Hanner’s relationship with Rudhira is an interesting subplot; I’ll be curious to see how it progresses, particularly depending on Mavi’s current status. After all, seventeen years is a long time, and (based on chapter one) Hanner didn’t leave behind a great deal of money with which she could support her family. She could very well be remarried at this point.

    It occurs to me that Hanner could very easily find himself in a situation similar to Esmera–rejected by the woman he sees as his spouse through no fault of his own, but simply as the result of a bizarre magical occurrence.

  12. Thanks, Ben.

    Ryan, the annual copper coin is if you have a shrine to Piskor; not the same thing as if you summon her.

    I don’t think Hanner will have to worry about her payment.

  13. >>Ryan, the annual copper coin is if you have a shrine to Piskor; not the same thing as if you summon her.

    I just meant it as an example of the gods having a few more levers than just denying future aid… unless that’s also what you mean, in which case there’s obviously something I’m missing about the shrines.

  14. This is my first Ethshar serial (own all the books and have read most multiple times), though I also caught the Realms of Light serial.

    I absolutely **loved** the serial format for Realms of Light, but just can’t get into it for The Final Calling. I’m still reading every chapter, pretty much as they come out, but it’s hindering appreciation rather than enhancing it.

    I don’t know why, whether this is a Final Calling vs a Realms thing, or whether it’s a Mystery genre (Realms) vs. Ethshar thing.

  15. The changing viewpoints is a bit of a departure from the format of the previous books. In The Misenchanted Sword We only had Valder’s point of view. In The Unwilling Warlord,we only had Sterren’s. It may be somewhat disconcerting to some people to shift perspectives and carry the various agendas with them. We generally know how the “primary” character would like events to unfold, and can become invested in their goals. The scale of this book, however, certainly requires multiple locations and thus, multiple perspectives, but it may be difficult determining who has the perspective we should be invested in. It seems a bit unrealistic to think that all the “lead” characters have the same goals, especially since several have not met.

    So far, here are all of the chapter perspective owners:

    Hanner
    Sensella
    Hanner
    Kelder, Lador, Thira, Sammel
    Hanner
    Sterren
    Hanner
    Sterren
    Hanner
    Ithinia
    Hanner
    Sterren
    Hanner

    I can see how it could be a bit difficult to follow when totally new frames of reference are being introduced, seemingly every other chapter. That said, I am enjoying the novelty of the new format. I like how Hanner is essentially the protagonist, with shifts to other significant viewpoints every other chapter. But I can certainly see how that could be odd to other readers.

  16. I’m fine with the shifting viewpoints.

    Besides, I’m currently rereading NIGHT OF MADNESS; that also has multiple viewpoints. It’s mostly Hanner, but it does shift momentarily to other characters, at least during the actual night of… well… madness.

    Bill

  17. I pretty automatically invested in Hanner and Sterren; both because they’ve got the heaviest representation in this book and, probably, because of carryover from the previous books.

  18. Likewise, Spell of the Black Dagger alternated viewpoints between Tabaea and Sarai, and I thought the technique was quite effective there.

    I think it’s important to keep in mind that this is shaping up to be a less linear story than many of the other Ethshar novels. Most of them have been about one major event and the effect it had on one person, or a small group of people. This one’s about one major event that triggers a number of OTHER major events worldwide. If the other stories were linear, this one’s more of a web drawing in towards a center point.

    That might be why some people are finding the serial format less than satisfying.

  19. Hey, folks — I cleverly didn’t bring my admin password with me, so I can’t post a new Progress Report, but Chapter Fourteen is now available.

  20. Glad you still had the admin passwords for the website though :).

    I wonder if any of the 19 warlocks will make the link between the headaches getting stronger and the towers (or at least that there is something special in Lumeth).

    Vond was able to connect to the towers once Sterren suggested that they were a new Source. One of the 19 could easily make the same connection on their own and then all he has to do is try to listen to them as a source of power.

  21. Well, having gotten that close to the Towers and experienced that sort of pain–and seen all the OTHER warlocks experience the same thing–they’re not going to be able to write off the buzzing and headaches as insignificant, that’s for certain. It took Vond a while to figure it out, but he didn’t have other warlocks around with whom to compare notes. It seems like at least one of them should be able to put two and two together.

    Of course, all of this is assuming the Wizard’s Guild doesn’t make good on their threats. I wonder if they apply to ex-Warlocks?

  22. >>they’re not going to be able to write off the buzzing and headaches as insignificant

    Yes, but it’s pain. I think I’d just want to distance myself. I wouldn’t be thinking, “Hey, this could help me.”

    Bill

  23. Maybe; maybe not. It all depends on how central their lost power was to their life. Probably a lot of them (the more balanced and sensible ones) will distance themselves. It’s entirely possible that there are some who are like addicts going cold turkey, though; the absence of their magical “fix” is so absolutely central that they see everything else in relation to it. If that’s the case, then they might very well try to tap into the Towers once they realize they have something to do with warlockry, in the same way a desperate addict will sometimes take insane risks to get that fix they’re craving.

  24. When Hanner went through the tapestry, he didn’t seem to suffer withdrawal. It looks like the compulsion to use the magic was an active part of the signal Source.

  25. Another question is this: do you need to already have Warlock powers to adjust to the Lumeth source? Vond was able to “listen” to the Lumeth source, but he still had his Calling powers. Vond adjusted Sterren. We don’t know if the 19 even *could* become Lumethlocks or not.

    But I don’t know that the 19 really have a choice — when the warlock-emperor puts someone on a boat and says they’re going somewhere, I doubt the people on the boat have much choice in the matter… and remember these are folks who already wanted to go to Esthshar anyhow. I doubt that they’ll have the opportunity to go back to Lumeth soon, and while the wizards might not be able to take out Vond easily, a former warlock en route to Lumeth would be a piece of cake.

  26. Well, they can still hear the Lumeth source, while normal people can’t; I’d say that at leasts strongly suggests that they’re still warlocks.

    As for the nineteen on the boat, that’s a good point; on the other hand, Vond brought a lot more than nineteen with him…

    I suppose we’ll just have to wait and see. Whatever happens, I’m sure it’ll be entertaining.

  27. They can hear it like a radio hears static from a different channel. I think the question is, extending the metaphor, whether they can reach the knob to “tune in” without having the initial source to give them access.

    I’m dead certain that if they can warlockry will persist- whether it continues to be a major school of magic or not is the question.

    but, as Ben says, it’s going to be an interesting trip regardless.

  28. It’s a very interesting dilemma. If they can “tune in,” then warlockry will persist…and the inherent limit on warlockry will be gone. Potentially, there’ll be a world of Vonds…or they’ll drain too much power from the Towers, which could be even worse, given that the Towers hold back the chaos vapors.

    If they can’t “tune in,” then warlockry is down to two practitioners. One thing I don’t think anyone’s mentioned yet is that, apparently, Sterren DOES have the ability to become a more powerful warlock. When Vond “tuned him in,” all he could do was unconsciously influence dice; he couldn’t even affect something as small as a mug. Now, he’s able to use his warlockry to “push back” when Vond is attempting to pick him up. It’s a pretty feeble push, granted, but that still seems like a major step up from where he was at the end of The Reluctant Warlord.

  29. I really disagree with Lady Kalira’s philosophy, “The secret of good government is to let people go on about their own business. Oh, there are times you must act, but unless your people are asking for your help, usually it’s best to do nothing.”

    That’s the sort of thing cynics love to say about government, but it’s no more true than most cynicism.

  30. >>Sterren

    I don’t think there was ever a question Sterren *could* become more powerful, I think the question is *how* powerful can he get (I doubt that Sterren will ever be a “real” warlock) and what will he do with that limited power.

  31. Ryan, I actually disagree with you. I think that there was nothing inherently preventing Sterren from becoming as powerful as Vond. The thing that stopped him was that he was (a) smart enough to realize that it would take him a long time to get that powerful, and (b) the wizard’s guild would take him out the minute they saw him as starting to become a threat. Add to that the fact that he was aware that if he became as powerful as Vond, he’d be called, and that explains why he used his power as little as he could.

    At least in my humble opinion. 🙂

  32. There are some indications that warlocks who were called had varying levels of power, just based on Night of Madness- Rudhira was clearly more powerful than the other two who were called which indicates that there’s personal variation in conversion rate.

    Similarly, assuming every apprentice warlock is given the exact same receptivity- a reasonable guess given that every warlock is theoretically made using the method created by the one witch apprentice and there’s been no indication the process has been changed by other users -something is obviously different about Sterren, given that he was unable to move or sense anything consciously.

    Somewhere between the two is the question of how powerful he can get.

  33. Actually, I think that apprntice warlocks also had different degrees of initial power. Some people even had NO talent altogether, like Dumery, for example. Also possibly the rate of power gain varies with the individual, as well as power usage. As for the difference in power when called, that might just be the problem of willpower, warlocks with the weaker will getting called earlier that ones with stronger.

  34. Or an alternative – Sterren could be an ultra-efficient warlock.

    If when a ‘lock uses their power it’s the portion that is wasted that contributes to additional power gain/calling, Sterren could simply not waste anything – but be unable to grow because of this.

    (Also, he used to be able to influence dice some distance from the source – in the Empire he’s much closer to the Towers)

  35. All in all, I’m loving this series just like I like the others. The differing points of view is a very common element of modern novels. Ethshar as a more “juvenile fiction” tended not to have that. When Ethshar “grew up” in Black Dagger, then the points of view and tools of the writer changed.

    Thanks Lawrence.

    So where is chapter 15?

  36. For money she wants Hanner to convince the warlocks to quit being magicians for no better reason than so the guild isnt challenged in power? This plan feels half baked.

  37. Well, I think the reason is that while warlocks restricted by the Calling were tolerable, unrestricted warlocks are not. They may be assuming that that all the warlocks would end up as unreasonable as Vond.

    Also, the reason that they accepted warlocks was that a war could have been damaging for both sides. That is not the same as killing warlocks one by one as they regain their power.

    She is making an assumption about Hanner’s loyalty. It is quite possible that he will agree with Zallin that if possible warlocks should try to regain their power. However, tactically, they need to all regain their power at the same time. Ideally, they would discuss tactics in the dead zone, but that’s the wrong city.

    I wonder what the formal procedure for being appointed Chairman is. I doubt the council submitted its nomination to the wizard’s guild for ratification, during normal times. Having the guild appoint a new Chairman isn’t going to increase Hanner’s popularity with the warlocks.

    As for Hanner’s wife, this is not as bad as it could have been. She didn’t end up out on the streets.

    I wonder if Hanner knows her new husband.

  38. Protecting the talisman/everyone breathing would be a worthwhile goal, and may even be her/the guild’s real motivation, but I didn’t see anything in the chapter that vaugely hints (to Hanner) at such noble reasoning. He gets a (lousy) bribe and an ultimatum…

    I’m thinking about Ithinia’s earlied musing about his spirit when cornered and wondering if there’s some convoluted plan to get Hanner to save the day, but as it stands it just looks like she might have the idiot ball. This is when I don’t like the serial format.

    As for the warlocks: reempowerment wouldnt be one by one. It’d be exponential and it wouldn’t need to be a big demonstration to start with. Then again, event if it happened in a standoff situation the wizards would need time to react, meanwhile the warlocks would be getting stronger. Open war is still a bad plan for the wizards.

  39. Protecting the talisman/everyone breathing would be a worthwhile goal, and may even be her/the guild’s real motivation, but I didn’t see anything in the chapter that vaugely hints (to Hanner) at such noble reasoning. He gets a (lousy) bribe and an ultimatum…

    I’m thinking about Ithinia’s earlied musing about his spirit when cornered and wondering if there’s some convoluted plan to get Hanner to save the day, but as it stands it just looks like she might have the idiot ball. This is when I don’t like the serial format.

    As for the warlocks: reempowerment wouldnt be one by one. It’d be exponential and it wouldn’t need to be a big demonstration to start with. Then again, event if it happened in a standoff situation the wizards would need time to react, meanwhile the warlocks would be getting stronger. Open war is still a bad plan for the wizards.

  40. I’m home. I’ve just gone through the entire queue of 321 comments awaiting moderation that had accumulated in my absence.

    319 of them were spam, and have been deleted.

  41. My take is that she’s hedging her bets. She has to admit a real possibility that the Guild won’t be able to deal with Vond in the short term and that a large-scale reempowerment may happen. Having Hanner, someone she respects, as leader of the warlocks would be to her advantage in this case.

    Also, it occurs to me that a few very powerful warlocks is bad, but more than that is actually less so, if the group forms a self-regulating body.

    Vond might always be #1 in power, but two or three other high-power warlocks could always take him down in concert, especially w/ Hanner to organize such a thing (as he did before).

    My two cents worth, anyway,

    Bill

  42. See, that was more or less my expectation, but the whole “we kill them” thing seems to run counter to that. She effectively just declared war on any such ruling council whether it includes Hanner or not. Actually, having had this conversation, the guild would probably take a particularly dim view of a reempowered Hanner.

  43. I think this plan probably is half-baked. There’s not been a lot of time to arrange a high level guild meeting and decide on new policy, so it’s likely running on logic from an earlier decision to kill any warlock found to be using the Lumeth Source.

    Although, has the guild actually positively identified that source? Everybody seems to assume it’s the towers, but I don’t think there was any actual evidence of that. Nor that there are no other alternate Sources, whether it is or not. Divinations are not very effective about warlockry. Which also suggests telling them we’ll kill you if you regain your powers is a really bad idea. You probably can’t tell if they don’t go around showing off their recovered power, and encouraging any of them that do recover it to hide until they think they’re strong enough to take down the Guild could get very dangerous.

  44. I am wondering how Hanner’s magical tapestry will be utilized again in the story? It is too useful not to be brought back into the story, perhaps to isolate Vond since he is so powerful. You could throw all the warlocks who regain their power into that world. I think the wizards are going to have a tough time killing the warlocks if only a few more regain their powers without the restrictions of the calling.

  45. I’m not sure the Guild has a lot of great options here. Sure, it’s possible that the warlocks won’t all turn out to be as capricious or bad-tempered as Vond, but there’s no way of knowing exactly HOW someone will react to unlimited power until they have it–and by then, it’s too late. To make matters worse, some of the warlocks could turn out to be worse than Vond–much, much worse. Vond is a despot, yes, but at least marginally-benign most of the time. What would happen if a full-blown psychopath got their hands on that kind of power? Or perhaps someone with a long-standing grudge and a vengeful streak? Or the king of one of the Small Kingdoms opposed to the Empire of Vond?

    I agree with MA that the plan IS half-baked; there hasn’t been time to fully bake a plan. The world changed overnight, and could change again for the much, MUCH worse, and Ithinia’s trying to prevent that.

    Is it ruthless? Yes. Is it cold-blooded? Yes. Is she wrong? I really don’t think she is.

  46. I’m sorry, how does everything you just said not apply equally if you substitute the word “wizard” for “warlock.” Sure, wizards need rituals and components, but warlocks will never match the seething death. By this logic wizards should be wiped out lest one turn out to be a psychopath.

  47. Well, that’s an excellent question, isn’t it? The wizards ARE extremely powerful, and a lot of the time they DON’T know exactly what they’re doing, and they HAVE come within a hair’s breadth of wiping out the world on at least three occasions that we know of…and goodness knows how many that we don’t know of. Any non-wizard who knows how horribly wrong even minor spells can go and isn’t scared to death isn’t paying attention, if you ask me.

    I’d argue that there are three differences. One: a wizard’s power is limited by the need to study. Even the handful of immortal wizards don’t grow more powerful simply by using their magic; they need to research new spells, which is a time-consuming process. Most wizards never make it to that point; they live a normal life and then die, so their power is limited by their finite study time. Without the calling, warlocks have no such limitation; the more they use their power, the more powerful they become–and if they can reach the point where they no longer age, the problem is even worse.

    Two: a wizard’s power is limited by the Guild itself. There are specific things they’re simply not allowed to do; the Guild seems to exist as much to prevent wizards from indiscriminately flinging power about as it does to further their interests. The Council of Warlocks has no such long-standing rules, and no real way of enforcing them short of dog-piling on any warlock who steps out of line.

    The third major difference is simply this: there’s nobody in a POSITION to eliminate the Wizard’s Guild. That makes the whole question of whether they’re a threat to the world’s safety sort of moot, doesn’t it?

  48. Of course, we don’t know that post-Calling warlocks (well, basically Vond and Sterren at this point) can attain unlimitted power or even that their power continues to grow over time.

    We already know of some differences between the sources. There may be more.

    Bill

  49. Thanks, Lawrence.

    Well, I must agree that the Guild is taking it’s usual high-handed stance in this situation. We’ve got lots more to see before this cake is finished.

    For example, Vond itinerary calls for checking out the tower of flame and the dead area. Both could have interesting implications. Suppose that he is capable of tapping into any out-of-control magic like the tower of flame. That could be useful. And since Vond is using the towers, does the magic-free zone impact him now and did it impact warlocks before?

    And there may be negative implications to having dozens of warlocks tapping the lumeth source. Imagine if the yellow stuff started seeping in….

  50. The magic-free zone shouldn’t affect Vond, should it? Remember, the Warlocks started specifically renting space in the Overlord’s palace in Ethshar because it was in a magic-free zone–I wouldn’t think they’d do so if it affected their powers, as well.

  51. From an earlier post:
    “There’s not been a lot of time to arrange a high level guild meeting and decide on new policy, so it’s likely running on logic from an earlier decision to kill any warlock found to be using the Lumeth Source.”

    I think that the Wizard’s Guild has had LOTS of time. Since they begrudgingly accepted Warlocks as a legitimate school of magic, in my opinion. I have no doubts whatsoever that they began deliberating and outlining plans for how to deal with warlocks, should the restriction of the Calling ever disappear, pretty much the day after they decided to allow Warlocks to continue existing. As much of a pain as the Day of Madness and it’s after-effects were for the Guild, there is NO WAY they just decided to leave things be and not plan for contingencies.

    I would also wager that there have been at least some wizards researching how to counter warlockry. Maybe not researching totally new spells, but at least contemplating combinations of spells that might give the wizards an edge, should any conflict ever arise.

    And the dead zone shouldn’t affect Vond at all. The Lumeth Towers are sorcery, not wizardry. The dead zone is only dead to wizardry.

  52. On the other hand, the contingency plans they made almost certainly didn’t assume that the warlocks would conveniently all lose their powers, so I think they’re still in uncharted territory to some extent. I suspect their real contingency plans were a bit more subtle and complex than “Threaten to kill everyone.”

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