[Discussion] Flying Parchment and other such things.

[Zarquon]

Additionally, this tracking by mana signature... I don't like this.

It opens a whole new world of hurt for less protected individuals that catch the eye of an evil arcanist group and has the potential to make the metagaming lynch party's day.

( Posted from phone. )

I do not like the "tracking by mana signature" thing too. Do not like. Do not. Not at all. No! For the sake of the world and all that we hold dear!

[c0rzilla]

Alright, alright. It was just a theory.

[Rosencrat]

Mail on Azeroth is mysterious.

Some posit that the mail is delivered by normal means, through a network of mounted men and women who fly and ride around the worlds to deliver the mail to specific mailboxes where their recipients can pick it up.

Some believe that mailboxes on Azeroth contain a magical space-time vortex that, once a letter is placed within, allows the letter to be in all mail-boxes at the exact same time.

All in all, the flying letter idea is rough. Instead of trying to smash the square block into the round hole, I'd suggest coming up with another means. The letters were intended for Aula Arcanum members, yes? Then I'd suggest having the head master deliver the letters via a familiar or other magically-summoned creature.

I've always had Marianna employ imps to deliver important messages. She just pitches them out of her tower and yells at them to find certain people. They wander around for days, half crazy before collapsing infront of their recipient.

Quite fun!

[Arrillion]

A mage could easily give a letter wings and have it fly to someone. But it's a rather ineffective method. Wings might only be aesthetical, as levitating would be the way to go. Teleporting the letter is a far better way, although one must now where the recipient is. You can't just teleport something to someplace unknown although you might be able to use scrying or some sort of tracking to discover his location.

[Roxas65]

Mail on Azeroth is mysterious.

Some posit that the mail is delivered by normal means, through a network of mounted men and women who fly and ride around the worlds to deliver the mail to specific mailboxes where their recipients can pick it up.

Some believe that mailboxes on Azeroth contain a magical space-time vortex that, once a letter is placed within, allows the letter to be in all mail-boxes at the exact same time.

All in all, the flying letter idea is rough. Instead of trying to smash the square block into the round hole, I'd suggest coming up with another means. The letters were intended for Aula Arcanum members, yes? Then I'd suggest having the head master deliver the letters via a familiar or other magically-summoned creature.

I've always had Marianna employ imps to deliver important messages. She just pitches them out of her tower and yells at them to find certain people. They wander around for days, half crazy before collapsing infront of their recipient.

Quite fun!

I believe in the second mailbox theory, since there actually -are- portable mailboxes.

I also agree with it being better to find an alternate idea. Sylvandre uses stormcrows when calling on the members of The Pride for example. Actually, they drop a scroll on the recipient's head. Although I quite liked the imp idea, Rosencrat.

Because even though I can totally see a mage sending a letter flying to a -fixed- destination, I have a hard time imagining it actually reaching it's destination. Paper weighs -nothing-, a simple breeze could easily push it off track and cause it to get stuck in a tree. A stronger wind will just carry the letter with it, wings or not. Because it doesn't matter if the letter would have wings or not, it still needs weight and at least be a little aerodynamic to actually be able to fly.

I also don't like the mana tracking, but it's unnecessary to go further into that since c0rzilla pretty much already dropped it.

[MadFerret]

I am sure when you first look at the concept, you'll think: "Oh, just a cute lil' spell to give my mail wings and send it on it's way! Something nice and simple, right?" Well, let's take a look. There are a few things we'll need to consider when preparing a spell to mail this mail.

1. Method - In this case, we are talking about...winged...mail.

2. Energy - If these wings are magical, they're gonna need magical energy to be channelled in order to keep them summoned...or, they're gonna need enough power to keep them summoned/spawned the length of their journey

3. Cognition - It's gonna need to be able to maneuver and adapt to different landscapes when you're not there: dodge tree branches, climb mountains, avoid cliffs. How else will it be able to avoid these things if it is unaware they exist?

4. Stopper - This letter can't fly forever, it will need to have something to signal it to stop when it reaches it's destination. Will it just keep flying even when it found it's target? Will it keep flying afterwards? That'd just be silly and annoying if it did.

5. Protection - There is no way a paper on it's own will survive cross-country travel. It will need to be able to survive the weather, animals, possibly magic, and various other things in the Warcraft universe.

6. Working Physics - Sure, you can wave this off and say "Oh, magic did it", but come on. As someone mentioned before: It's paper. It can be tossed about in the wind like...paper! It needs weight, it needs aerodynamics...reduce drag and what not.

Suddenly, it's not such a cute, lil' spell. It becomes quite complex. There is a lot that needs to be done in order to get this mail airborne! I am not even sure many (if any) mages would be able to do this sorta thing. This isn't some kind of rookie conjuring of cheap tricks, oh no.

Let this be a lesson children: Magic is not kid's stuff.

[LostStranger]

Magic is not kid's stuff.

On the contrary, spellcraft is best studied from an early age.

[Arrillion]

Well levitation could make an object impervious to winds because it's magicly kept in place and flying.
Energy, well one can enchant it, but it's rather wastefull.
Objects, if it flies through the skies it won't encounter much objects, but it's still an issue.
Stopper, a letter will be sent to a specific place, so it will arrive when it reaches said place.
Protection, I'd imagine enchanting a letter to have it protected against weather is quite an easy thing.

People, it's magic: not everything has to be explainable for it to work.

As for mailboxes I always figured they were a mere game mechanic.

[Xigo]

Well then. If magic is so inexplicable, then why do we not simply say 'the sky is the limit' with magic?

Surely if we can't explain it, then it can do everything we want it to do. What's that? Arianna has arcane wings?

I don't have to explain it. Magic doesn't have to be explained.

[Aphetoros]

I believe that Arianna could create herself arcane wings, but it'd be very taxing and easier to just ride her phoenix. ()

[c0rzilla]

Well then. If magic is so inexplicable, then why do we not simply say 'the sky is the limit' with magic?

Surely if we can't explain it, then it can do everything we want it to do. What's that? Arianna has arcane wings?

I don't have to explain it. Magic doesn't have to be explained.

The sky and beyond is the limit with magic. It can create worlds and things unkown. However, the -wielder- is the limit, not magic itself. Also, really. Attitude much?

[Rosencrat]

Ladies, keep it civil.

[muhaha8]

Ladies, keep it civil.

[Aphetoros]

Ladies, keep it civil.

^

Unless I can find an oil pit...

...adult!

[FlyingSquirrel]

I don't see why it matters so much. We have Pirate Draenei Shaman and Druids that whined their way into Druidism, so I don't see why something this (imo) small is worth such anger and such.