Spell Tome: Oakflesh

Lady Annabelle, Master Alteration Instructor, Cheydinhal Mages' Guild

Greetings, student, and welcome to Alteration. Whether you are just starting your journey into the magickal arts, you've mastered every other school, or are anywhere in between, you should find this tome to be an easy, informative first step into Alteration.

Alteration is currently one of the most popular schools to learn, due to its usefulness both as support and on its own. Anyone who does any exploring, adventuring, or battling is welcomed and encouraged to learn from this most versatile of schools.

There is much that may be done with Alteration, running the gambit from magickal light, "mage armour", also known as flesh spells, or even allowing one to walk on or breathe water. There is no limit to what you can do with the knowledge of Alteration. At its core, Alteration represents the fundamental basis of all magic. That is, to change the world around you in a physical and tangible way. If you practise destruction, you alter the world whenever you conjure up a fireball. If it is Conjuration, you change it every time you conjure up a skeleton or Daedra. The list goes on. Many mages from other schools have found it particularly easy to learn Alteration because of this.

If you haven't ever cast a spell before, no worries! I'll include a tutorial in each of my three beginner books for Alteration. To cast a spell, you must be in touch with your inner magicka, which is what powers all spells and magic on Nirn. Everyone has some level of potential to harness their magicka, and it may be tapped with careful meditation. To cast a spell, you need to know what you want to do, and really feel it. After that, it's just a matter of pointing your arm in the right direction.

Now that you know how to cast, let's go through what to cast. In this lesson, I will cover oakflesh, the lesser of the "mage armours" I mentioned earlier. This spell is not a targeted spell, but one to be cast and applied to the caster. This is also known as a "self" spell. To cast this, imagine that your skin is as hard as the toughest oak. Once you've done this, you can make it happen. By casting this spell, you are changing reality. Arrows and blades will have a harder time cutting into your skin, and you will be more resistant to scrapes and bruises. Keep in mind that this spell requires a slight connection to be held, and if it cannot be, the spell will end. Also know that this is the easiest of the flesh spells to create, but the least protective.

That's all for this lesson, but if you enjoyed learning, please pick up my other tomes meant for beginners, Candlelight, and Equilibrium. Of course, don't forget to pay for training at a respected institution.