Smoke and Bones; that's a book title, isn't it? on Elective Hall

Giselle Duell

April 22, 2023 9:12 PM

Advanced Divinations by Giselle Duell

Giselle had the fire burning bright in the center of the classroom. It was no bonfire like the end of the year event, but it could be considered a 'good sized campfire'. Mats had been arranged on the floor around the fire at a comfortable distance, the tables and chairs had been moved to the walls of the room. The fire was also the only source of light in the room, so it was dimly lit with plenty of dancing shadows along the edges. Scents of sage drifted through the room mixed with the smell of the wood fire.

The class had been working on the finer points of fire-omens the past few classes, and as this was the advanced class, it was time to change things up just a little bit. As her students entered the class room, she greeted them and directed them to the mats. Not that this part was new. Once everyone was assembled, she began.

"Welcome all once again to class. So far you've been doing well in the more advanced topics of fire-omens. As such, today we will be investigating a slightly different application of the discipline." Giselle paused a moment as she levitated a box out from behind her desk. "Today we will be practicing the intersection of fire-omens and Scapulimancy." From the box arose white objects, which made their way to each student. They were animal shoulder bones upon closer inspection.

"The process is simple, but requires focus. You will need to levitate your scapula over the fire until the flames are just touching it. Once positioned, it cannot move, you must hold it in place. The flames will dance and heat up the bone, charring and cracking it. Watch the fire, be in tune with it as we have been doing, and it will let you know when it is done. Then you must remove it quickly and watch the results. Take note of how it looked when it came out of the fire and watch what happens as it cools down."

"Watch for the standard symbology we have been learning, however you may want to keep in mind some of the lessons you learned during our palmistry sections. They may prove more interesting as you watch the cracks intersect." She smiled at her students, "Once you are done, trade your bone with someone else and see what you make of their patterns and scorch marks. You may begin, and I am here if you need me."

Subthreads:

Smoke and Bones; that's a book title, isn't it? by Rosalynn Tellerman with Tommy Jamison

2 Giselle Duell Advanced Divinations 1517 1 5

Rosalynn Tellerman

April 23, 2023 2:53 PM

Smoke and Bones; that's a book title, isn't it? by Rosalynn Tellerman

Rosalynn liked Divinations, but she had been really close to dropping as she entered into her sixth year and Advanced level classes - had, in fact, turned in the paperwork to do so, but then decided at the last moment (or possibly beyond the last moment) that she wanted to keep it after all and, with some encouragement from her Dad who reminded her that his family had a long history with the subject, had turned in more paperwork to re-enroll in the subject.

She was glad she had. Even at advanced levels, it was quiet and meditative, and Rosalynn really felt like she needed that in her schedule. Plus, this unit was amazing. Rosalynn loved looking into the fires; they were just so beautiful to watch. Sometimes she forgot she was supposed to be looking for omens as she just enjoyed watching them flicker and dance.

Entering the room today, she greeted the professor verbally and moved in and took a seat at one of the mats around the fire. Oh, interesting. They'd be combining several different divination disciplines today. Scapulimancy wasn't Rosalynn's favorite form, but she was curious to see how the two interacted, especially as they were supposed to draw from palmistry as well.

Rosalynn took her piece of bone and levitated it into the fire, holding her wand firmly to keep the charm steady once the scapula was in place. She watched as it heated up, scorched, and cracked, making a nice little display as the fire danced around it, kissing and flowing around the bone. When she felt like the finale had concluded she carefully removed her bone from the fire and watched as it continued to crack and smolder as it cooled down again.

As it cooled to a temperature that was safe to touch, Rosalynn carefully turned it around to get a good look at it from all angles. There were definitely some charred shapes and interesting cracks in there she could try to interpret. Glancing to the side, to see how here neighbor was faring, she asked, "How did yours turn out?"

1 Rosalynn Tellerman Smoke and Bones; that's a book title, isn't it? 1520 0 5

Tommy Jamison

May 01, 2023 7:45 PM

I think it's a bar and grille. by Tommy Jamison

At the risk of not sounding humble, Tommy was a particularly skilled potioneer. He had spent much of his childhood assisting Sophie, who had spent most of her childhood assisting Serapes. And because of this potion-brewing experience, he had, for the most part, lost any type of disgust or discomfort when dealing with the body parts of various formerly living creatures.

That said, “scapulimancy” just immediately sounded terrible every time it came up. When a potion called for an eye of newt, he could get through it without batting one of his own. But bones? Weird, somehow.

So Tommy was… less than thrilled to receive his animal shoulder for the lesson. Still, the professional potion-maker in him buckled down and pushed the vile back to the bottom of his stomach where it belonged. Professor Duell said it needed focus, and so focus he would.

An equal partner, the dragon’s heartstring at the core of his wand was also determined to focus, and with astonishing stillness it levitated the scapula into the flames. The crackling sound as the fire bore into the bone threatened Tommy’s resolve, but he would not be swayed, and he tried to listen to hear when the flames whispered, “no more”.

At that time - or when he was bored and didn’t feel like waiting anymore, but Tommy was a teenager and that was open to interpretation - he levitated it quickly back from the flames. Too hot to touch, he stared from a distance, keeping it airborne. However, the shapes… didn’t seem like much to him. He tried rotating it in the air, but still nothing. He was, essentially, slowly spinning it in front of him for an angle that made sense when Rosalynn spoke beside him.

“Uhhh… not great,” he admitted. “Are you getting anything from yours? And if so, you’re more than welcome to take a look at mine.”

12 Tommy Jamison I think it's a bar and grille. 1518 0 5