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| | in nature. Each stratiscopic pendulum is tuned to one specific stratum. The | | in nature. Each stratiscopic pendulum is tuned to one specific stratum. The |
| | stratum is determined by the type of shard used to make the pendulum. See | | stratum is determined by the type of shard used to make the pendulum. See |
| − | "help sidhe charms" for the correspondence between shard appearance and | + | "help strata crystals" for the correspondence between shard appearance and |
| | stratum. | | stratum. |
| | | | |
| | The other vital component of the pendulum is a properly thaumatically | | The other vital component of the pendulum is a properly thaumatically |
| | insulated chain with a clasp. Any competent mage knows how to construct | | insulated chain with a clasp. Any competent mage knows how to construct |
| − | one of these, there's no need to go into the details here. | + | one of these; there's no need to go into the details here. |
| − | | + | |
| − | Dowsing can only be performed by a skilled mage. Assuming that the reader is
| + | |
| − | such a person, instructions follow. To dowse, simply let a (properly
| + | |
| − | constructed) stratiscopic pendulum swing freely while practicing
| + | |
| − | either the first or third meditation forms to damp out your own thaumatic
| + | |
| − | fields. Note that you must take care to dispel from yourself any spells
| + | |
| − | of the stratum being dowsed, or their interference will mask the actual
| + | |
| − | results. The magical fields around powerful extraplanar entities can also
| + | |
| − | foul up the readings. (If you are yourself a powerful extraplanar entity,
| + | |
| − | I recommend contacting Orkhis at the Mages' Guild in Bal Harbor to hire one
| + | |
| − | of our many fine practitioners of the arts to perform the dowsing for you -
| + | |
| − | you won't be able to do it yourself on this plane.)
| + | |
| − | | + | |
| − | Below is a catalogue of the possible results of dowsing:
| + | |
| − | | + | |
| − | 1. pendulum refuses to swing
| + | |
| − | This occurs only when you have found the peristratum that you seek.
| + | |
| − | Congratulations!
| + | |
| − | | + | |
| − | 2. pendulum swings in a circle
| + | |
| − | This is the default state of the pendulum, that is, a null reading. This
| + | |
| − | behavior might indicate several things: you could be extremely distant from
| + | |
| − | the peristratum, for example on a different continent; in that case the
| + | |
| − | field gradients are so minute that the pendulum won't produce a
| + | |
| − | detectable reading. Or, your pendulum might be defective, or burned out.
| + | |
| − | If the shard you're using is crumbly and black, then it's time to make a
| + | |
| − | new pendulum. The process of dowsing puts quite a bit of stress on the
| + | |
| − | shard, so this can be expected to occur from time to time.
| + | |
| − | | + | |
| − | 3. pendulum swings in an ellipse with its major axis aligned north-south
| + | |
| − | The equipotenial plane is east-west/up-down, meaning that the peristratum
| + | |
| − | lies either north or south of your current position.
| + | |
| − | | + | |
| − | 4. pendulum swings in an ellipse with its major axis aligned east-west
| + | |
| − | The equipotenial plane is north-south/up-down, meaning that the peristratum
| + | |
| − | lies either east or west of your current position.
| + | |
| − | | + | |
| − | 5. pendulum bobs up and down
| + | |
| − | The equipotenial plane is north-south/east-west, meaning that the
| + | |
| − | peristratum lies either above or below your current position.
| + | |
| − |
| + | |
| − | 6. pendulum jumps around chaotically
| + | |
| − | Either the equipotentials are chaotic, or there's some sort of interference.
| + | |
| − | The latter case is the easier to deal with: find and remove the source of
| + | |
| − | the interference. It's either a spell on somebody in the room or a
| + | |
| − | disruptively powerful creature in the room. If the creature cannot easily
| + | |
| − | be removed, try bypassing the room and getting an idea of the local
| + | |
| − | equipotentials by taking readings in the surrounding rooms.
| + | |
| − | | + | |
| − | If you have eliminated all sources of interference and the pendulum is
| + | |
| − | still acting like this, that means the peristratum of the stratum being
| + | |
| − | measured is spatially sequestered, and you aren't in the same disjoint
| + | |
| − | space that it is. There's no easy way to remedy this; you will just have
| + | |
| − | to explore all of the disjoint spaces on the present continent until you
| + | |
| − | get a good reading.
| + | |
| − | | + | |
| − | Addendum: there are various guides to dowsing about in the land which
| + | |
| − | record the practices of hedge wizards. One of the more reliable ones is
| + | |
| − | in the form of a manual bound in witch hazel bark.
| + | |
| | </helpfile> | | </helpfile> |
| | [[Category:Help Files|Pendulum]] | | [[Category:Help Files|Pendulum]] |
