Winterhold College Textbook: Basics of Destruction Magic, Chapter I: Flames

All criticisms are welcomed

By Faralda of the College of Winterhold 4E 191

Forewords

Congratulations! If you are reading this, it means that you are now taking your first step towards the path of becoming a battlemage! This series of textbook, designed as both to be used alongside normal lectures in the college and a self-help study workbook, is going to cover the basics of destruction magic. Starting each chapter, you would be introduced to a new spell, its history, its usage and how to practice it.

Forewords end here

Chapter one: Flames

Introduction

"Flames" is the most basic of all destruction spells, and this is typically the first spells many students learn in their studies. "Flames" is very easy to understand, all that requires of the user is to simply channel their energy through their fingers to form fire, it comes almost as an intuition to most apprentices and therefore, it is very easy to master. Make no mistake though, that is not to say that "Flames" is a weapon which will never see daylight in a master's arsenal, quite to the contrary, even the most skilled practitioner of magicka will rely on this spell for backup or close-quarter combat, so, "Flames" is definitely not a tool reserved only for the most uneducated in the arcane arts. With practice, the cone of fire produced by "Flames" can be shaped according to the will of the user, be it a beam to deal with the weak spot of a frost troll, or an overwhelming sea of fire to control multiple targets, and it is this control over the spell that separates the expert from the novice.

History

As with most basics spells, it is almost impossible and pointless to try to pinpoint the exact time and person when invented them. "Flames" is simply instincts given form, our early ancestors may need a fire to cook their game, so they simply channeled their energy into fire, and ignited the wood,and it is not long before the mages figured out how to use it as an effective weapon. Throughout the ages, "Flames" is further refined by users who managed to find ways to control the spread of the fire, adjust the range, tune the heat and even change the color of the flame. And after generations of being the stepping-stone of aspiring mages, "Flames" developed into two variants, "Heat Beam" and "Fire Wave"

Usage

This part is going to focus on the pratical application of the spell, and it would be divided into three parts, one for each of the following: the original spell and its two sister variants.

Flames: the famous entry-level spell is often served as a tool for closed quarter combat, its short, yet intense fire is capable of melting through a varieties of common materials used in armor making, and with practice, an adept can even penetrate the thickest fine steel plates. However, its true effectiveness only begin to show when used on unarmored targets, which commonly includes: the less-than fortunate bandit, scoundrels or thieves, most wild animals including wolves, bears and sabrecats and even most forms of undead creatures. On most living beings, one volley of "Flames" is enough to set them ablaze, sending your enemies into a state of panic when they try to put off the fire, and on the battlefield, this could give you the precious few seconds to recharge your magicka, prepare a powerful spell, unsheathe your weapon or even retreat. In addition, because of how little "Flames" drain magicka, it is an excellent weapon to fall back to. Even the most skilled practitioner will eventually run out of reserves or have it drained by an enemy's shock spell, and when faced with a charging berserker, they can always spray his enemy with a volley of "Flames". "Flames" is also quite useful in tight spaces, where you could easily miss with a projectile, a storm of cleansing fire is sure to rid you of that draugr while a "Firebolt" spell might easily miss. Besides being used for combat, "Flames" is often quite useful as an utility spell too, be it lighting campfire for the night, burning useless clutters or scrolls or firing up the smelter, it is much more versatile than one would think. In fact, thanks to its accessibility and ease of use, some blacksmith even purchase the tome to help with the forge.

Heat Beam: a variant on the ever so popular "Flames", "Heat Beam" is basically the former with tightened spread and longer reach. By focusing one's magicka into a tighter stream, you can create a beam of flame that burns much stronger and reaches much further. Though lacking in the ability to contain several targets and requiring careful aim, "Heat Beam" can easily turn fine steel plate into a molten metal, this spell is perfect for dealing with tough enemies like trolls or cave bears, and, owing to its pinpoint accuracy, one can easily hit the weak spot of your target. Imagine facing down a frost troll in the snowy mountain ranges of Skyrim, running up-close with your "Flames" isn't probably the wisest of choices, unless you want to beaten into meat pulp, so when you do encounter said creature, you unleash the beam onto its three-eyed head, and before it even comes in close, its skull will be melted straight through.

Fire Wave: going in the completely opposite direction of "Heat Beam", "Fire Wave" sacrifices power and range for the ability to contain a much larger group of targets, making it a favorite among battlemages. By spreading the flames as much as possible, you can create a wave of blazing inferno to control a greater crowd. Though it might not be as effective as "Heat Beam" against armor, it makes up for it with the ability to set a squad of soldiers on fire at once. A common technique adopted by the battlemages in the early third era was to have group of mages armored with heavy shield in one hand and casting "Fire Wave" in the other and slowly begins to bear down the targets' location, not only is it a devastating formation, it also serves to severely demoralizes enemy soldiers. After all, seeing an ocean of flame advancing towards your army can be very terrifying, even to the dunmer.

How to Practice

To practice "Flames" and its variants, one need to focus only a single attribute: the spread. The spread of fire determines the spell, a small spread will focus the flames into a beam and therefore would have a longer reach, a more vicious spread would produce a storm of fire with very limited range, anything in between would fall under the spell of "Flames". Also, remember to regulate your magicka, though it is not a very draining spell, it could deplete your reservoir if not careful.

I suggest the following method for practicing the spell: Place a steel plate (about two arms'length across) mounted on a wooden shaft 15 steps away from you, the plate should be about a finger thick, and aim your spells onto it. For "Heat Beam", your spell should just melt half way through if you keep it up for 10 seconds, and bear in mind that this is the standards for a successful "Heat Beam" ,if it takes longer that that, you would need to tighten the spread. For "Flames", your scorch mark should cover about half of the plate, larger or smaller, you need to re-adjust. For " Fire Wave", it is imperative that your fire should not reach the target, however, you should not also see the target either as your vision would be obscured by the fire, otherwise, your spell would not cover the necessary area to contain your enemies. You need to remember how you managed to get the right spread each time, and only after months of practice, can you control the cone of the flame intuitively.

After you finish practicing the spell, you would be ready to move onto the next chapter,"Firebolt"spell

All criticisms are welcomed