The Magnificent Manual of Mastering Mysticism: A Guide to Magic

What is a secret — at least, what many inscribers would like to keep secret — is that they can use runes for a darker purpose. Just as they can capture the native, pure energies of the world, so too can they contain the blackest evil from the Nether. Some inscribers see runes as another possible conduit through which to channel necromantic or demonic energy. They forsake the standard arcanist spells to focus instead on dark magic. Dark inscribers scribe runes on the foreheads of the dead to raise their bearers as zombies; the inscribers tattoo themselves with demonic signs.

-Dark Inscriber, Dark Factions

Taking a natural rune, and channeling dark magic into it, converts that rune into an unnatural and dark rune.

Therefore, death knight rune magic does not contradict the fact that rune magic is natural. They just twist and defile it, like everything else, until it is an unholy mockery. This is why I suggest in my guide that dark runic magic probably still causes corruption, unlike 'pure' runic magic, due to the use of dark energy.

I just, by chance, found this interesting piece of information.

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Hmm. Interesting. Good find.

Very interessting indeed.

I suppose Light and Shadow might stand to the Elements like Ying and Yang stand to the classical Five Elements in Chinese cosmology.

Metzen just made [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] totally legit.

...

Well okay not really. But hey. Worth a shot.

Both priests and paladins can wield the Holy Light. However, not all wield it through the same means (e.g., Elune, An'she). - Sean Copeland

All Holy magic is the Light!

The Light works in insidious ways.

I can imagine the Light making a trollface any time a priestess of Elune says she has nothing to do with the Light.

Elune being a Naaru is more and more likely for every single new bit of information I hear on the matter.

Drustai wrote:Both priests and paladins can wield the Holy Light. However, not all wield it through the same means (e.g., Elune, An'she). - Sean Copeland

All Holy magic is the Light!

Thelos (the character) called it.

And here I'm just waiting to nom popcorn as the nelf community uproars.

Well duh. If they where different, they'd be different! But they're not. They're the same.

Did that make sense?

Doesn't matter. What matters is that my characters where totally right in their convictions. /cackle

Drustai wrote:Both priests and paladins can wield the Holy Light. However, not all wield it through the same means (e.g., Elune, An'she). - Sean Copeland

All Holy magic is the Light!

This is quite ground breaking. From being an obscure assumption to a stated fact... Phew! It's important to understand some mechanics of the world and the nature of the Light.

Although for roleplay, it is not that ground breaking IMO... or relevant. Just because they are the same in theory doesn't mean that a character should see it as the same ICly. I don't see this validating or invalidating any character's stance, simply because the "how" they access this power is as important, if not more important, than "what" the power is: I define my character as a Priest by having him preach, reason, sing and write his views on the Light.. not because he managed to Light-bomb a bunch of zombies.

As a real life comparison, I doubt you could consider yourself smart, wise or thinking above all religions by proclaiming to all monotheistic religions that they all worship the same deity.

ICly, the differences are so culturally defined that I'd find it breaking to wave the cultural differences away in a heartbeat because OOCly you know the power is the same.

Still, it's interesting to get a better grasp on the lore-based mechanics in the world of warcraft... which is important to have a common ground in, regardless of the cultural differences of our IC toons.

Just because all holy is Light doesn't mean that Elune doesn't exist either, she can be a powerful being helping the Night Elves tap into holy energy through her. A conduit. Same as Naaru gave Draenei inherent ability to call the Light (Gift of the Naaru)

Jeanpierre wrote:

As a real life comparison, I doubt you could consider yourself smart, wise or thinking above all religions by proclaiming to all monotheistic religions that they all worship the same deity.

This is mainly because there's a preestablished general consensus among the monotheistic religions (Judaism, Islam and Christianity) that we -do- worship the same deity, what with both Christianity and Islam being originally cults of Judaism, and thus deviations from how to properly appease that same god (Jahwe, Elohim, Allah, whatever one might wish to call him)

This would be more like if a Christian strolled up to an ancient greek and told him "Your entire Pantheon is just 1 god, and it's the God that I worship.", which would be considered a blasphemous statement to the greek, just as the Night Elves consider it blasphemous to suggest that Elune is really E'lune or El'une or whatever.

Yeah you're right though it wouldn't be valid for all monotheistic religions. Still, I think the cultural differences are so important that the thought of considering their powers the same might be a view that's difficult to grasp.

For role-playing a religious character, the spiritual aspect is far more interesting then the mechanical aspect. You don't have to know how the cosmic Light works, you just gotta have faith in your deity of choice, and slap around everyone that doesn't have faith in that same deity.

FOR THE LIGHT!

Jeanpierre wrote:Yeah you're right though it wouldn't be valid for all monotheistic religions. Still, I think the cultural differences are so important that the thought of considering their powers the same might be a view that's difficult to grasp.

It's perfectly possible for people to refuse to believe things that are demonstrably true because their cultural assumptions have told them something which contradicts that all their lives or because they are just too invested in the alternative. It doesn't even have to be a religious matter. Otherwise brilliant scientists are more than capable to defending a null theory to the grave because too much of their work is based on it or you can get successful business professionals throwing vast sums of money at a losing brand because the idea that they made the wrong call some time ago is just too terrible to fathom.

To an extent Paia's IC view on the Light is that it doesn't especially matter exactly where it comes from as long as it keeps acting in the same way, though she would like to know anyway. Being a Gnome she's intensely curious about the mechanical aspects of the Holy Light and a little bit frustrated that she hasn't (thus far) been able to take it apart and see how it works like a pocket-watch.

I've always roleplayed it that when Paia is thinking too hard about how to do something with the light she's actually not as good at using it as she is when she's just letting it flow through her in the heat of the moment. Essentially she has to just kind of accept the light on "faith" to get her full potential out of it but her Gnomish analytical mind constantly wants to optimise he usage through comprehensive study.
This is also (along with fatigue) how I explain how she's capable of these fairly powerful defensive and healing spells IC during RP-PvP and the like but then isn't quite so capable of miracle cures during the medical RP that tends to follow.

[quote="Paia/Jenit"]

Jeanpierre wrote:To an extent Paia's IC view on the Light is that it doesn't especially matter exactly where it comes from as long as it keeps acting in the same way, though she would like to know anyway. Being a Gnome she's intensely curious about the mechanical aspects of the Holy Light and a little bit frustrated that she hasn't (thus far) been able to take it apart and see how it works like a pocket-watch.

By Blood Elf has the exact same problem <3

Paia/Jenit wrote:
This is also (along with fatigue) how I explain how she's capable of these fairly powerful defensive and healing spells IC during RP-PvP and the like but then isn't quite so capable of miracle cures during the medical RP that tends to follow.

I had a big smile when reading this. This feels like a very fun and fitting approach for a Gnome

Jeanpierre wrote:I had a big smile when reading this. This feels like a very fun and fitting approach for a Gnome

Indeed!

I think it is also important to remember that the Light is not a monotheistic, exclusionairy religion - the Light (or the Naaru) never told Its followers: "I am the Light Lord, and thou shalt know no other deities before me".

The Light is a cosmic force, apersonal, which is why I have Always turned to Buddhism and Daoïsm for my inspiration, since the latter in particularily does not depend on any one deity.

What I mean to say with this, is that you can perfectly accept the fact that there are Gods and Deities out there when you worship the Holy Light - in fact, I'd go so far as to say it's almost common sense. We're in a magical world full of fantastical things - why shouldn't my Draenei take the fact that Azeroth has a moon goddess at face value and do his best to respect Elune whenever he is in Elven lands? And why shouldn't a priestess of Elune not also see the merit in the philosophy of Light and embrace Its teachings in conjunction with the worship of Elune? Same goes with the titans.

The Holy Light does not adress the existence of deities. If a deity is shown to be able to bestow great gifts of the Holy Light to Its followers, you can bet your behind that my Light worshipper is going to be worshipping that deity in extension, since It has shown Itself to be somehow related to the Holy Light; either trough Its teachings or directly trough divine intervention.

They made up the Naaru for an expansion, they can easily say Elune is a far greater being of the light (if they ever show her!)

Would be fun if Elune suddenly showed up in the end to kick everyones ass and save the day.

Allonia_Miral wrote:Would be fun if Elune suddenly showed up in the end to kick everyones ass and save the day.

I want them to have her show up and she's just a lowly Kobold.