Post by Arctura on Aug 22, 2014 14:23:23 GMT
A/N: Very minor spoilers for series 1 and 2 of BBC Merlin.
...
One of the most important things to remember in the fight against magic is power. Yes, sorcery is powerful in itself, which is why it is so imperative that this evil is eradicated from the land. However, magic is not the only kind of power that exists, and it is vital that you make this known to those vile creatures and any who aspire to be like them. Sorcerers underestimate the sheer wealth of power that status and entitlement can bring, and it is through this that you can and must show yourself to have the upper hand. A show of power against magic is a necessity and the best way to do this is by keeping a souvenir of magical origin.
The prize does not have to be anything too extravagant. You could start perhaps with the horn of a unicorn; killing an innocent and defenseless creature is a definite way of asserting your dominance - don't let the animal's unassuming guise dissuade you from your goal. No matter how alluring they may be, unicorns are born of magic; therefore it
is your duty to slaughter them like the scourge they are. So as you can see, a unicorn's horn is not too difficult to acquire, but it is still a suitably impressive start to your very own magical souvenir collection.
Now of course, there is a rumor associated with the unicorn myth that killing one precipitates a terrible curse, but you shouldn't let yourselves become concerned with such nonsense. Killing a magical creature brings about a magical curse? That's utterly ridiculous - any curse-like phenomena that may appear after the death of the unicorn are clearly the result of some other external influence. In fact, I give you my word that the only thing you have to worry about in securing your unicorn horn is its tendency to disappear – well, now that I think of it I haven't seen that unicorn horn ever since Arthur spontaneously left for the woods with that bumbling manservant of his a few weeks ago. Perhaps I should ask if they've seen it anywhere.
Of course, if you are just starting out in your campaign against magic and are still a little squeamish about killing or shedding blood . . . get over it. Those pyre's are not going to build themselves, and believe me, you're going to find frequent use for them throughout your fight against sorcery. However, if you wish to work your way up to following the more gruesome but necessary aspects of this guide, then there are ways of showing your superiority without the need to kill anything to gain your trophy. For instance crystals. Sorcerers are fascinated with crystals - so much so that I'm sure that in their spare time all they do is inhabit caves or shrines of them.
For the life of me, I have no idea what they think these crystals do or what they use them for, but whatever it is, it's clearly nefarious; taking one of their coveted crystals is a fantastic way of both stopping whatever they planned to do with it and showing to those animals that you are the one with the true power. Once acquired, simply lock said crystal in the vaults and bask in the glow of your accomplishment. After all, who would dare raid Camelot's unguarded, low-security vaults? No one. The whole thing is as perfectly safe as opening the “cursed” tomb of a long-dead sorcerer king, because as we've established, curses are not to be taken seriously.
Finally, for the truly intrepid warriors against the dark arts, you may find unicorn horns or crystals too easy a target or feel that they do not send out enough of a message. For you, my advice would be to find a live and powerful souvenir to showcase your strength - say, the last dragon for example. Imagine the fear you will be able to strike into the hearts of sorcerers when they find that you have managed to imprison the last of their revered beastly creatures.
You will need a dragonlord in order to accomplish this but that's simple enough to obtain. Simply tell them you will spare their life in exchange for chaining the creature in magical bonds within your castle (in the caves underneath it obviously - dragons are quite large in size and wouldn't fit anywhere else) and as soon as the deed is done, send armed guards out to hunt down and kill the dragonlord. Anyone who can control a dragon obviously has some use of magic.
If you want to prove to all magic users the man in charge, souvenirs is the way to go. In regards to the capture of dragons do not worry; it is perfectly safe. It’s not as if it could ever break free and ravage the city.
I think the creators of the show neglected to mention Uther’s Seer abilities. I can see where Morgana gets it from.
The Official Guide to Combating Magic by Uther Pendragon
...
I, Uther Pendragon, King of Camelot, present to you, a loyal Ally in the fight against magic, this guide. May you read it and put it's teachings to practice, so that our glorious lands will be free of the vile taint of magic.
I have decreed that this guide be published so that the methods that have led to over twenty years of peace against the evils of magic may be applied by my son and his descendants when they are King. These methods have proven to be successful, as shown by the events of the Great Purge and today in Camelot.
Magic is an infectious disease that infects all but the strongest and stoutest of hearts, and it causes me grief to know that many innocent citizens fall to this illness and emerge as heartless monsters. It is my hope that this guide will help my fellow monarchs to cure the lands from this canker and help prevent infection of any more people.
In addition, I have also sent copies of this guide to my allies and brother Kings, so they too can purge magic from their lands and build their kingdoms following the same shining, glorious example as Camelot.
It is my hope that the Five Kingdoms will unite to destroy this threat.
...
One of the most important things to remember in the fight against magic is power. Yes, sorcery is powerful in itself, which is why it is so imperative that this evil is eradicated from the land. However, magic is not the only kind of power that exists, and it is vital that you make this known to those vile creatures and any who aspire to be like them. Sorcerers underestimate the sheer wealth of power that status and entitlement can bring, and it is through this that you can and must show yourself to have the upper hand. A show of power against magic is a necessity and the best way to do this is by keeping a souvenir of magical origin.
The prize does not have to be anything too extravagant. You could start perhaps with the horn of a unicorn; killing an innocent and defenseless creature is a definite way of asserting your dominance - don't let the animal's unassuming guise dissuade you from your goal. No matter how alluring they may be, unicorns are born of magic; therefore it
is your duty to slaughter them like the scourge they are. So as you can see, a unicorn's horn is not too difficult to acquire, but it is still a suitably impressive start to your very own magical souvenir collection.
Now of course, there is a rumor associated with the unicorn myth that killing one precipitates a terrible curse, but you shouldn't let yourselves become concerned with such nonsense. Killing a magical creature brings about a magical curse? That's utterly ridiculous - any curse-like phenomena that may appear after the death of the unicorn are clearly the result of some other external influence. In fact, I give you my word that the only thing you have to worry about in securing your unicorn horn is its tendency to disappear – well, now that I think of it I haven't seen that unicorn horn ever since Arthur spontaneously left for the woods with that bumbling manservant of his a few weeks ago. Perhaps I should ask if they've seen it anywhere.
Of course, if you are just starting out in your campaign against magic and are still a little squeamish about killing or shedding blood . . . get over it. Those pyre's are not going to build themselves, and believe me, you're going to find frequent use for them throughout your fight against sorcery. However, if you wish to work your way up to following the more gruesome but necessary aspects of this guide, then there are ways of showing your superiority without the need to kill anything to gain your trophy. For instance crystals. Sorcerers are fascinated with crystals - so much so that I'm sure that in their spare time all they do is inhabit caves or shrines of them.
For the life of me, I have no idea what they think these crystals do or what they use them for, but whatever it is, it's clearly nefarious; taking one of their coveted crystals is a fantastic way of both stopping whatever they planned to do with it and showing to those animals that you are the one with the true power. Once acquired, simply lock said crystal in the vaults and bask in the glow of your accomplishment. After all, who would dare raid Camelot's unguarded, low-security vaults? No one. The whole thing is as perfectly safe as opening the “cursed” tomb of a long-dead sorcerer king, because as we've established, curses are not to be taken seriously.
Finally, for the truly intrepid warriors against the dark arts, you may find unicorn horns or crystals too easy a target or feel that they do not send out enough of a message. For you, my advice would be to find a live and powerful souvenir to showcase your strength - say, the last dragon for example. Imagine the fear you will be able to strike into the hearts of sorcerers when they find that you have managed to imprison the last of their revered beastly creatures.
You will need a dragonlord in order to accomplish this but that's simple enough to obtain. Simply tell them you will spare their life in exchange for chaining the creature in magical bonds within your castle (in the caves underneath it obviously - dragons are quite large in size and wouldn't fit anywhere else) and as soon as the deed is done, send armed guards out to hunt down and kill the dragonlord. Anyone who can control a dragon obviously has some use of magic.
If you want to prove to all magic users the man in charge, souvenirs is the way to go. In regards to the capture of dragons do not worry; it is perfectly safe. It’s not as if it could ever break free and ravage the city.
I think the creators of the show neglected to mention Uther’s Seer abilities. I can see where Morgana gets it from.
