Winterhold College Textbook: Basics of Destruction Magic, Chapter III: Lava Whip

I know, I know, I am submitting too many too fast, but hey, I have got no life! :)

Introduction

Though not an expert-level incantation or particularly complicated, "Lava Whip" is by no means a simple spell to cast. Commonly used by the mysterious battlemages, (or as they prefer to call themselves, "Dragon Knights") in the Alliance War of the second era, "Lava Whip" is an offensive spell capable of wrecking havoc in close quarter combat. When used, the user channels his magicka to form a molten whip of lava to strike or immobilizes his enemies. Though the secrets of "Lava Whip" has been lost throughout the ages, and this spell is only a shadow of its former glory, this withering process facilitated apprentice mages as the spell now requires much less skills than it used to. Even greatly diminished in power, "Lava Whip" is still a formidable attack to use on the battlefield, especially during single combat. Though not particularly demanding of the caster's skill and being quite simple to cast, "Lava Whip" is an extremely uncommon spell, even most master wizards aren't aware of such an incantation, mainly due to the fact that it is not a particularly elegant method of attack. Spells such as "Flames" and "Firebolt" are generally considered sophisticated or elegant by most sorcerers, as they are raw magicka refined into an aesthetically pleasing form, however, "Lava Whip" is not, it is brutal, uncouth in the extreme. It is no fine silver sword, but rather, a crude orcish warhammer, and such as, though its effectiveness is unquestioned, it rarely sees widespread use amongst wizards and mages.

History

Popularized by the enigmatic dragon knights of the Second Era, it is widely used on the battlefield where effectiveness take priority over elegance, and as most of these dragon knights are spellswords who frequently engage in close combat, “Lava Whip” synergies well with their battleaxes and claymores. However, little information is retained of the spell starting the Third Era, and the one used by the occasional battlemages today are only pale imitations. That is not to say that “Lava Whip” is weak, quite the contrary, its power is still formidable and much easier to master. Ever since then, this spell, with its brutal form and inelegant execution, is rarely seen in a mages’ arsenal and it is further worsened by the fact that this spell requires very short range, even shorter than the “Flames” spell. Most modern teaching of destruction usually only mentions this spell as a footnote or a trivia, only pursued by those most interested in the incantation. This book covers the spell only for the sake of completion and it is advised that one does not practice this spell in the vicinity of others, as it could be potentially dangerous if not controlled right.

Usage

“Lava Whip” is exclusively used in close combat, usually used to assist with one’s more mundane weapons, and it can be used to incapacitate or outright kill. As with a normal whip, you can either use it to directly slash at an enemy, or you can use it to entangle one, and because it is of arcane nature, “Lava Whip” is much easier to control, so the only practice required is to channel the whip rather than using it. The following two sections will focus on the two usage of the spell: devastate and entangle:

Devastate: the most common function of the “Lava Whip”, it is used to primarily deal damage, by channeling your magicka into the whip and quickly slash at the target, you can simultaneously cut deep wounds and ignite it, making it extraordinarily effective against unarmored foes. However, due to the whip’s large contact area, it is largely ineffective against heavy armor. Even an ordinary set of iron plate would be capable of easily stopping most of the spell’s power. Despite this, “Lava Whip” is still an effective “quick-draw” spell, and can easily surprise enemies. Although lacking in anti-armor capabilities, its effect on mages is debilitating, often wrapped in robes and prepared for countering spells, especially when faced against another wizard, very few are prepared to stand against the raw physical power of “Lava Whip”, one swing is more than enough to beat even the toughest orsimer shaman into submission. In addition, due to its relatively uncommonness in most cases of combat, even fewer are prepared to defend themselves against it. Due to the above factors, the offensive side of “Lava Whip” is more oriented to combating magic users or lightly armored targets.

Entangle: unlike normal whips which are hard to control for the uninitiated in the combat arts, the arcane nature of the spell allows mages to easily entangle an enemy which makes this function of the spell effective against heavily-armored knights. By wrapping the whip around the target, whether be his legs, arms or even the entire body, one easily immobilize or incapacitate him to prepare for another spell or strike using weapons. When faced with a charging knight, simply channel your magicka into the whip, and guide it towards the leg of the target, one simple pull, and he would be knocked off balance, pleading for mercy. Though not quite as effective against mages as outright lashing at them, entangling is perfect for dealing with warriors, interfering with their ability to move can outright disable them. The dragon knights of the second era are believed to use “Lava Whip” to entangle the hand of his opponent , followed by a quick uppercut and a fire breath spell, this combination is feared across the battlefield, some even say that it is how a dragon would attack its enemy: by wrapping its tail then slashing with its talons before executing a final fiery breath, though this is generally believed to be fantasy.

How to practice

Students are advised not to practice “Lava Whip” in the Hall of Elements, as the nature of the spell may result in unintentional harm to others, instead they are suggested to practice on the roof should the need arise. Note that “Lava Whip” is not a required study project even for those who major in destruction, although students who intend to serve as battlemages in the imperial army are advised to learn to defend against it.

Devastate: note that to use the spell offensively, you must channel your magicka into flames and stretch it to form a whip, use magicka to hold the flames together or the whip itself might collapse. Then, when you are going to strike, use your energy to guide the whip and slash at the target. There are two very important notes to keep in mind: 1. One must hold the whip together with magicka, and can not disperse it while using the spell, or otherwise the whip would collapse. 2. One must only use magicka to guide the whip while lifting it, but not when hitting with it, or the whip would not have sufficient momentum while being swung and thus would be less damaging. This is because that when you guide the whip with your magicka, it is as if you are holding it by hand, your hands cannot move possibly fast enough for the whip to be devastating. Think of it this way: when you use a real whip, you can use two hand to lift it up, but when hitting a target, you must not restrict the movement of the whip or otherwise it will be hitting the target at a low velocity. To practice attacking target with “Lava Whip”, one should place a wooden pole 5 steps away from him, and then slash at it with full force, the wooden pole must be cut clean off, and after doing so, examine the exposed surface of the pole, there must be no splinter and be perfectly smooth, keeping working with the spell until you achieve this.

Entangle: similar to attacking with the spell, one still need to hold the whip together, however, one can use magicka to guide the whole whip at all times instead of just when maneuvering it , as one will not be relying on momentum. The essential point to note is that one should guide the entire whip to wrap around the target rather than lashing at it. To practice, simply throw wooden logs with your hand, and use the same hand to cast “Lava Whip” and catch it mid-air, note that it is imperative that you use the same hand to throw and cast, as this will train your reflexes with the spell, and a fast response is needed in order to effectively disable your enemy with “Lava Whips”. If you are finished with the practicing this chapter, or only interested in learning the history behind the spell(mastery of this spell in optional for this course), you are ready to move on to the next chapter: Frost Nova