An Understanding

So an idea came to me after reading through a post on Bethforums about C0DA and I felt that it would be interesting to express it in the form of a conversation between 'teacher' and 'student' rather than just a short essay. The two characters in this are Alves Telvanni, my ex-Telvanni mage lord who resides over at Tel Alves on Solstheim and Morgan, a Breton (1/8 Direnni) apprentice/student seeking her counsel. Yes, Morgan's female. It happens.

The sun was far from its peak but the day was already sweltering as the winds kicked up the ash into thick clouds, choking the sky and enveloping the surrounding areas of Tel Alves. Smothered by the thick ash, Morgan found the heat almost unbearable as she walked up to Alves' personal tower and levitated herself up, cursing as she did so. Alves was one of the few who still deemed levitation magic a requirement to access her tower and despite the new spell she had learned which telekinetically lifted her body she still wasn't confident about the whole thing.

After letting herself in and noticing the apparent lack of care given to the interior - it was always in the same state every time she visited - Morgan sat herself down at the table and waited.

A few minutes later Alves appeared. "Nice to see someone's awake! My assistant Zarjo is still out from sniffing that sugar yesterday" Alves quipped. "Now what did you want to see me about?"

"Er, well, I was looking up some of the more complex destruction spells that manipulate the ice and lightning forces and shape them into whirlwinds and bolts and...well I wondered about creating my own which combines the two forces of ice and lightning. I read up on it and I understand how it works, but for some reason the spells always fail..." Morgan tailed off, uncertain.

"You UNDERSTAND how they work?" Alves asked.

"Yes" Morgan answered.

"Or do you merely understand how they work?"

"Sorry, I don't..."

"Understand? No that does seem to be the problem. Here let me explain.

"There are three ways we can know and be able to explain or manipulate the concepts of things, three ways of 'understanding'. To understand something is to know what it is and the concept as presented on the surface. Let's take this empty bottle here. When you understand the bottle you grasp the concept of something which is a container, often of liquids and if normally made of a type of glass that will smash if subjected to high impact. However, to UNDERSTAND on the next level you would take the concept of this bottle and the container and see the parallels and metaphors it brings out. The bottle can hold potions of poisons; aids or harmful substances; the good or the bad. It's also the act of containment; holding another within boundaries, enforced by your will and the will of the servant (in this case the bottle); but also of water and the significance of water. A bottle that holds water is the purest bottle. Water is neither potion nor poison, much like how the walls of this bottle may see both and will remain neutral. It neither cures all ills or instigates them. But it does sustain us. Water is that balance of what we need. A wise man once told me that all water is linked, that the Water on Nirn is the same as the Waters of Oblivion and that they hold our Memories. Treasure this water because it IS us. Now that is UNDERSTANDING. But, there is a third type: Understanding. Explain a concept to someone that's a little too far from their grasp on reality and if asked they will say they Understand it. Soldiers also act on Understanding when commanded to follow orders they may not agree to. Political or social rank can create this type of Understanding. Now, the question is - do YOU UNDERSTAND?"

"Well, I'm not sure......I think I understand..."

"Try again. Think on what I have said."

"Ok, right." Morgan paused for a few seconds. "I Understand."

"No, no, no. Not quite. You're letting your social position get in the way of things."

"Oh. I See. I Truly SEE. I UNDERSTAND now."

"I knew you would. Now, about that spell..."