Earth Bond Chapter 20 Discussion (spoilers!)

[SYED]

Hi, first to comment, yay!

While a part of me is sad about not Jet Pack flying Earth Dragons, I am glad they have found a way to soar the skies in this excellent update. So say if all dragon spikes need a human magician, that is 17 for every one of the 2300, so less than 39100 humans with magic to find. Say magic is in only one in 10000, still plenty of magicians for each ED. They simply need to find them. Set up boarding schools in every country, to encourage magic, also to adopt or foster every child that can be found to have the magical gift? I wonder if the royal family have magical potential?
So this magical link, currently its passive, is there a way to make it active? If so what would an active link do? I wonder if this is similar to familiars in magical terms? I was thinking it could allow ED access to the specialist magics of the magicians. Or possibly, it would allow them access to elementary or specialist magic of the earth dragons.

The whole youth thing will have epic consequences, best thing is to only allow people who have lived their lives to be considered to be youthfulness. This may have a negative effect, by creating envy to the magicians due to their youth and long life span. I can see alot of tragic love stories ahead. It would be A way to draw wizards to them, study with us, and we give you a new future. Imagine the senior citizens they could restore simply by creating a temporary link. THe extended life span and prolonged youth only comes after those people have become fully fledged magicians.

I just had a crazy idea why all the hunters were were magicians. Names have power, Earth dragons must have been talking about the hunters all the time, could speaking their human names have had such a big effect on them? Also, the fact ED are the source of magic explains why draconic is the language of magic.

DO we know any thing about magical healing? Could it cure or manage diseases or infirmities, we are still trying to deal with? Its hard to hate people literally performing healing miracles.

If earth dragons give humans such youth passively, surely its possible to create spells to mimic this? What happens if humans give blood to the other types of spikes? Different magical gifts perhaps? Othe bio magic abilities?
What happens if other dragon races bleed on the spikes? THe only time blood gets on the spike is when used as a weapon, but what is the dragons test it out by giving blood. That would give thousands of links to allow for flight, and I wonder if dragons would get expanded magical ability in return.

I was said 2 weeks to restore the wards hiding the island once magic returns, does it need the magic to build up first or not? So cargo ships will be sunk for the salvage, while a couple of cruisers as deterents? The nuclear ships are not to be sunk. What if they sink it, salvage it, but dont bring any nuclear material on to the island till they have convinced the others. The commander of the fleet has to be in the know about dragons, what else might he be told? Can dragons make humans forget the last week or so, so when one night he falls off ship, then rescued from the waters later with no memories where he was, but the council would learn if the sky dragon left books behind.

[Cadre]

Well from what I've read, i don't see the Flying Problem being a question about how many human mages exist. The chapter clearly stated that a link can exist between two beings (dragon/human/animal?) or between a being an an object. In earlier chapters, they've also stated that the spikes themselves are far superior focus material. Therefore, depending on how the link is established ofcourse, it may become a ED tradition that each ED shed spikes, after learning breath weapons, so that they may be made into focuses - either for talismans or great spells, i.e. gateway thingies - and that the link between those two would allow the dragon flight. If they kept creating links between the earth dragon and the expelled spikes, they could use as many as necessary without creating the need to tell humans bout the foutain of youth and avoid being hunted. In this way it would also be freely applicable to all ED's and therefore no need for prejudice in determining who would get the gift of flight and who wouldnt. Who knows, maybe it would mean that, using these linked spike/focuses would allow greater magics to be used by weaker dragons.

[expedient]

What happens if other dragon races bleed on the spikes?

This is the biggest question in my reading of the chapter. Taking it further, could Prisma, Sella and Kammi form a tethered bond with Kell?

[Lochar]

Well from what I've read, i don't see the Flying Problem being a question about how many human mages exist. The chapter clearly stated that a link can exist between two beings (dragon/human/animal?) or between a being an an object. In earlier chapters, they've also stated that the spikes themselves are far superior focus material. Therefore, depending on how the link is established ofcourse, it may become a ED tradition that each ED shed spikes, after learning breath weapons, so that they may be made into focuses - either for talismans or great spells, i.e. gateway thingies - and that the link between those two would allow the dragon flight. If they kept creating links between the earth dragon and the expelled spikes, they could use as many as necessary without creating the need to tell humans bout the foutain of youth and avoid being hunted. In this way it would also be freely applicable to all ED's and therefore no need for prejudice in determining who would get the gift of flight and who wouldnt. Who knows, maybe it would mean that, using these linked spike/focuses would allow greater magics to be used by weaker dragons.

I have the feeling that each link is tied to the socket, not the actual spike in question. The differing colors of the spikes may change the effects, or at least the strength of the effects, granted however.

No, what'd I'd really laugh about here is if there wasn't two base dragon species. You just have to look even further back to find that there was a group of Earth Dragons that knew about the flight effect, broke away from the rest of the Earth Dragon clan, and began supporting human mages to gain the ability to fly. And eventually became the chromatics and lost the ability to generate their own magic and then had to return to the Earth Dragons for magical power.

[dellstart]

Well from what I've read, i don't see the Flying Problem being a question about how many human mages exist. The chapter clearly stated that a link can exist between two beings (dragon/human/animal?) or between a being an an object. In earlier chapters, they've also stated that the spikes themselves are far superior focus material. Therefore, depending on how the link is established ofcourse, it may become a ED tradition that each ED shed spikes, after learning breath weapons, so that they may be made into focuses - either for talismans or great spells, i.e. gateway thingies - and that the link between those two would allow the dragon flight. If they kept creating links between the earth dragon and the expelled spikes, they could use as many as necessary without creating the need to tell humans bout the foutain of youth and avoid being hunted. In this way it would also be freely applicable to all ED's and therefore no need for prejudice in determining who would get the gift of flight and who wouldnt. Who knows, maybe it would mean that, using these linked spike/focuses would allow greater magics to be used by weaker dragons.

I have the feeling that each link is tied to the socket, not the actual spike in question. The differing colors of the spikes may change the effects, or at least the strength of the effects, granted however.

No, what'd I'd really laugh about here is if there wasn't two base dragon species. You just have to look even further back to find that there was a group of Earth Dragons that knew about the flight effect, broke away from the rest of the Earth Dragon clan, and began supporting human mages to gain the ability to fly. And eventually became the chromatics and lost the ability to generate their own magic and then had to return to the Earth Dragons for magical power.

A pretty wild theory, if i do say so myself

[Lochar]

We've already seen one revelation of the species evolving. Fire/Water/Sky dragons all came from Chromatics. Wouldn't shock me if mixing magical links and the magi-biological processes of the Earth Dragons passed along to create the Chromatics.

Because actually, when I was first reading through and Prisma was talking about the Earth Dragons creating magic that links to the human which she gives right back, I was thinking 'Oh, spellcasting Earth Dragon' time not 'enhance natural biological function for possible flight' time.

[kabalman2000]

It seems to me there are going to be a lot of powerful clear spikes available. The reason Earth Dragons (ED) cannot fly is that they cannot control the change in their density like other dragons instictively can. Changing density is obviously an aspect of Change Magic (CM). Sky Dragons (SD) are specialists of CM. QED each EDs just needs to shed a clear spike, have the SDs enchant it with CM to lower the density of the wearer by 90% and have an on/off function, wear it as a necklace and, voila!, the EDs can fly. Problem solved.

[Dreamer]

It seems to me there are going to be a lot of powerful clear spikes available. The reason Earth Dragons (ED) cannot fly is that they cannot control the change in their density like other dragons instictively can. Changing density is obviously an aspect of Change Magic (CM). Sky Dragons (SD) are specialists of CM. QED each EDs just needs to shed a clear spike, have the SDs enchant it with CM to lower the density of the wearer by 90% and have an on/off function, wear it as a necklace and, voila!, the EDs can fly. Problem solved.

LOL... I just thought of something: An ED activates his crystal to take off, and has to activate breath weapon quickly (forgetting to turn off the crystal first). With full weight/mass, they are already being shoved backwards by their own breath... Also, what if they are already airborn and try a strafing attack? Instant reverse? Can ED fly backwards? ROFL...

I know, not likely, but still. That was my immediate thought upon reading the above. Personally, I don't think even the SDs using clear crystals can negate enough of an ED's mass to allow them to fly, Fel would probably say that it would be canceled by the ED's innate mass reducing ability to hold rock in their "bellies" or where ever it really is hidden. But it was still a good thought though.

As for Kell and his jet engine, I imagine that his first experiment along these lines will be grabbing a launching missle/rocket from the Chinese ships they are about to attack and hanging on for the ride of his life Another thought would be a parasailing (spelling?) ED (probably Kammi trying to be the first flying ED) being towed by a WD or SD!

[SYED]

Attacking the fleet will be important. Use magic to create fog and mists, then hack their navigational systems, so control where they travel, as well as use the magic to make sure that they cant hear, see or detect them. THen order the ships into a form they desire. THe ships crippled and sunk need to be close enough that people can escape to the simply damaged ones.
The next fleet the chinese despatch need to help the first or expect casualties. SAy they deal with every ship that is not nuclear, force those that are to abandon their men, or try to help the masses. WOuld the chinese risk their nuclear vessel by themselves?
If they dont want the chinese to be stuch at sea, they need to attack while they are close enough to evacuate to a near by island? If thhey were near an island, they could sink the whole fleet, while the forvces are beached.
They could hit the shipps with lightning bolts during a storm, mess their systems up/

[Evodavich]

anti-grav could be used to make ED able to fly

most countries are try to get anti-grav tech cause is give better fighter tech, so if ED's got it to work for america then they could fly no problem. they would just need to be able to look at area 51

[SYED]

If any magical ability like element resistance can be copied in to a form of spell or an item. Negating mass would be an increadibly useful technique.

It would potentially allow for the ability to move thing into and out of orbit easily, and possibly one day to allow for a form of ftl travel, due to magic concerns any ship would need an ED to fuel the magic.

[Bartokian]

mass-canceling technology/magic is nice, but it's inertia that is the real killer.
Even anti-grav encounters problems in the larger scale. Newton's law tells us that if something moves, it will tend to remain moving (ie interia/momentum). Where inside the local (anti-)grav field you might not be subjected to inertia or momentum, in the larger interacting grav-fields something is being generated, and that needs to be stored somewhere (aka the inertia-compensator). Without option to bleed of the excess energy of inertia, any anti-grav is just a fast lane to getting smeared out when something out of the local field is encountered (and with relativistic speeds in mind, that might be sooner than you think)...
The real magic would be an intertia-compensator. Forget about artificially lowering mass - being able to pump/extract focussed kinetic energie in a structure without damaging its components would be the real trick. Wanna move upwards or turn - just dial up the engine. Apparent mass would still dictate the required energy, but at such an advances technological stage energy should be free anyway...

[ravenousreader]

That's something to work on after the perpetual motion power generator.

[GBLW]

mass-canceling technology/magic is nice, but it's inertia that is the real killer.
Even anti-grav encounters problems in the larger scale. Newton's law tells us that if something moves, it will tend to remain moving (ie interia/momentum). Where inside the local (anti-)grav field you might not be subjected to inertia or momentum, in the larger interacting grav-fields something is being generated, and that needs to be stored somewhere (aka the inertia-compensator). Without option to bleed of the excess energy of inertia, any anti-grav is just a fast lane to getting smeared out when something out of the local field is encountered (and with relativistic speeds in mind, that might be sooner than you think)...
The real magic would be an intertia-compensator. Forget about artificially lowering mass - being able to pump/extract focussed kinetic energie in a structure without damaging its components would be the real trick. Wanna move upwards or turn - just dial up the engine. Apparent mass would still dictate the required energy, but at such an advances technological stage energy should be free anyway...

Hmm, I was taught that Inertia = Mass x Acceleration. If you have zero Mass, how can you have Inertia?

[Bartokian]

the zero mass only works in your local environment/reference frame - you are still accellerating your mass relative to the outside world. So you would have to use that world as your reference frame, hence mass reappears into the equation. Or were we planning on eliminating all mass all over the universe? If so, let me know in advance so I can shut down whatever engine-type equipment I may have as to avoid having it run out on me!