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Compel Obsession:
Runic Hymn - Tier I (Psionic)
Affinity: Mind
Glyph: Eirnith
350 Mana
Selection Available!
This hymn alters a target's cognition, compelling their attention towards a person, object, or location that the caster has willed. This effect slowly degrades over time, and can be hastened with Willpower or dismissed by the caster.
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Forced Introspection:
Runic Hymn - Tier I (Psionic)
Affinity: Mind
Glyph: Eirnith
400 Mana
Selection Available!
This hymn blinds and deafens a target. This effect slowly degrades over time, and can be hastened with Willpower or dismissed by the caster.
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Onnhren's Minor Haunting Shades:
Runic Hymn - Tier I (Psionic)
Affinity: Mind, Madness
Glyph: Eirnith
400 Mana
Selection Available!
This hymn inflicts a target with fleeting glimpses of shadowy figures, and the haunting sound of laughter while heightening emotions of paranoia and fear. This effect slowly degrades over time, and can be hastened with Willpower or dismissed by the caster.
Kaius grumbled to himself — it seemed he'd come up short twice in a row. He'd hoped to get something to boost his reaction times, but it seemed that after turning down a similar spell his previous selection, he wasn't lucky enough to get offered another one this time.
Still…what he had been offered posed an interesting question.
Most of them could only be seen as direct offensive mental magic.
Previously, the thought of taking such spells had made his skin crawl. His first selection had been so soon after they had escaped their confinement. After they had escaped the looming threat of a mind mage cracking open their thoughts like an egg and riffling through the mess left behind.
Time and battle had tempered that unease, and he'd had plenty of space to think about his team's earlier words.
It was, ultimately, just another weapon — and one that could undoubtedly save his life, and those he cared about. Frankly, with his current strength, he was already enough of a threat that very very few people would be able to stop him from committing an atrocity. Hells, even the people who were stronger wouldn't even be fast enough to stop him in the act.
Climbing the path that he was, he had come to realise that eventually the only thing that would stand between him and tyranny was his own code. Was being able to mindwipe a city really any worse than being able to glass it? He supposed it was in a sense — but the point remained, any power could be used for great evil. The point was that he wouldn't crack open a man's mind like an egg, any more than he would torture one.
That said, he still had standards. Onnhren's Minor Haunting Shades was right out — it was a downright cruel spell, no two ways about it.
Even the thought of using it on a thinking person made his skin crawl — especially because it looked like it would last a long while if he used it against someone sufficiently weaker than him.
He also had little interest in Devil-seeking Eye. He already had a scout, and a decent ocular skill himself. Being able to detect violent intentions was interesting, but ultimately wasn't as much use for him as it would be for others — he already had a danger sense ability.
The final two, though?
Compel obsession was flexible — a fine thing for a spell to be. Even with only a couple of minutes to ponder, he could see several uses for it. He could make his feints more effective, bolster Porkchop's Bulwark's Challenge, or distract an opponent mid-fight. Hells, even out of combat it would come in handy.
If he was honest with himself, he had to admit that it was likely that he would eventually be embroiled in some form of politics. Attention would be unavoidable now, both because it was unfair to expect Porkchop to continue to mask his true nature, and because Eirntith was basically tattooed on his bloody forehead. There would be questions.
With how young he was, it was unlikely that people would default to treating him with the respect a high-tier was normally offered — having something that would compel people to listen to him could prevent plenty of otherwise messy situations.
His final choice, Forced Introspection, was far more straightforward. He doubted many creatures or warriors would be much of a threat if they were blind and deaf. Sure, it was expensive, but even if it only lasted for a second, it was the mother of all openings in battle.
Kaius scratched his chin, thinking it through.