The room was quiet. No windows, but plenty of warm and soft light. The walls were covered in book shelves and other knickknacks of varying origin. A feint smell of incense hung in the air. A sturdy love seat and single chair were on opposite sides of the center table. On it, a small kettle was brewing tea. “Taking in the scenery I see?” Coira leaned over the shoulder of her guest, giving her usual smile. “Its not often that anyone takes the time to discuss magic.” Moving around to the single chair, Coira sat down. As a changling, she is thin in figure and her beauty was impressive. One of her kinds notable features were their mismatched eyes. Her left eye was a deep emerald green while her right was a sharp magenta. Her pale skin seemed flawless until it came to her hands. They seemed… off somehow. Her blackened nails were not painted, but were filed to a point. Today she was in her usual purple dress and thigh boots. In the days since meeting her, it became clear that she was some kind of seductress. She always dressed in a subtle yet provocative manner. “I’ve never been the best student, or the greatest spellcaster, but I can safely say, were it not for my skill at Enchantment, I would have never gotten in to the academy.” Moving the tea off the hot plate, Coira poured two cups. It was dark with a full flavor, but a slight bitter after taste. “So I would assume that we should start at the basics.” Taking a sip of her tea, Coira smiled at the cup and gently placed it down.
“The School of Enchantment is one of the eight recognized schools of magic. Specialists of this type of magic are called Enchanters. Enchantment magic itself directly affects perception and the thoughts of its targets.” Putting her hand up, Coira stops any incoming questions from her guest. “I know… it sounds evil. This has been a terrible misconception since history started being recorded. Take a moment to consider; A wizard using a fireball, is that evil? Not in its inherent function. After all, it is the wizard who chooses what the fireball is being applied to. Is he clearing a spot for camp? Perhaps he is defending some civilians from attackers, or maybe he is trying to gain the attentions of someone or something. In this case, a damaging, concussive blast can be used for various purposes. But what about affecting ones mind?” Putting the teapot back on the hot plate, the changling began to brew a second cup. “In my experience, Enchantment can be applied in the same way. Enchanters can alter the perceptions and thoughts of those they target, but not once will you hear a warrior complain about being targeted by helpful spells like Heroism or the like. The moment you cast Terrible Remorse on his enemy? The suspicions and side glances come out. ‘Oh your terrible for making people do that, or people shouldn’t have their thoughts manipulated…’ If that is true, then its equally a warriors fault for killing someone with the weapon he has trained with.
Strumming her fingers on the table, Coira pondered for a moment. “I should also point out that their are a couple of types of enchantment spell. Compulsions and Charms. Both of these subtypes are exactly what they sound like. Charms improve the attitude of the target towards you and Compulsions compel a target to do something.” Taking the cup from her guest, Coira poured another fresh cup for the pair. “In the past, I actually made a decent living as a councilor and therapist of sorts. People would come to me with their fears and doubts, I would do the best I could to understand the root of their mental plights and aid them. Not all my customers were as… wholesome as the others, but in my terms of service, we covered several guidelines and rules for what I would and would not do. After all, if you cant trust your confidant, who would you trust?”
Taking in the aroma of the tea, Coira looked around the room. “Enchantment also has an inherent stigma for not being a ‘combat’ style of magic. We’ve already discussed fireball and its application, so lets continue the example. A fireball is a great method for dispatching your enemies in groups… or a single enemy if you really want to be flashy. But how does Enchantment stack up?” Coira sighed and put down the tea. “To be honest, its pretty awful. Controlling someones mind in a combat situation is pretty tricky and if you are fighting more powerful monsters or someone of a strong will, its nearly useless. In a combat situation, its very common to see fireball, or someone using Mage Armor, and most popularly, Cure spells. A lot of these other schools have direct applications; they either heal your allies, or they kill your enemies.” Coira rolled her eyes and waved off the notion with her open hand. “Barbaric. Its all ego stroking. Conjurers can kill people with gravity, Transmuters can enhance themselves, Abjurers can defend from nearly anything if they have the time to prepare, Diviners can just outright avoid any situation if they have enough skill. At least Illusionists have some creative flare. Its quite impressive to see someone flailing about because they think that they are now falling through the sky.”
Putting her now empty cup down again, Coira looked hard at her guest. “You know what I think? I think that Enchanters get a bad reputation because everyone else is afraid of us.” Locking eyes with Coira the rest of the room grew dark. The soft light snuffed out and the table and walls all faded away. “That’s it, isn’t it? You fear that I might make you hurt a loved one, or walk off a cliff?” Moving off her chair, Coira took her pointer finger and cut away a small notch of her dress, allowing some of her chest to show. “But why would I do that?” Crawling up the love seat, Coira sat down on the lap of her guest. Her breath was hot and her loving voice had feint traces of desire. “Its so much better to give you what you want. You want to feel safe, and happy right?” Taking her guests hand, Coira placed it on her lower back and began to cut away at her guests shirt with her nails. “I could make you my slave you know. Make you an addict to my commands and get you off whenever I showed you my gratitude. Everyone has a fantasy, and yours is to be in control. But that’s what makes Enchanters so dangerous. You think you are in control, and by the time you think that something is wrong, its already too late.” Placing her hands on her guests chest, Coira smiled and pushed them back. The sensation of falling suddenly ended with a hard smash against a cobblestone floor. The room was gone and all that was left was a prison cell and the steel bar door. On the other side, Coira stood with a smile. “Thank you for the conversation. The plans for your empires movements will be quite helpful. And you can keep the rain water.”
As she walked away, her guest looked confused at his surroundings. Checking himself, he found that his shirt was still intact. On the floor was a kettle, cold to the touch and nearly empty with clear water.
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