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Message no. 1
From: Gurth <gurth@******.NL>
Subject: Humans and the Cycle of Magic
Date: Sat, 6 Sep 1997 20:40:21 +0100
I'm sure many of you will be familiar with Ehran's speech to the Young
Elven Technologists, which has been around on the net for several years
now; I've got a copy on my HD that was posted to this list on Thu, 1 Dec
1994 20:40:13 +0800, for instance. That one is from a 1989 FASA flyer,
according to the person who posted it.

I just discovered it is not the complete speech... Recently a "Shadowrun
1990 Update" came into my possession, and today (when I first took a real
look at it) I noticed it had the Humans and the Cycle of Magic speech in
the back, but I spotted a few lines that I didn't remember from the one
on my HD. When comparing them, it looks like several lines were deleted
and half a paragraph was re-written for the 1990 flyer. Most importantly,
in the one I have Ehran talks about conversations with Da Vinci and having
created the Egyptian calendar, and the bit about the destruction of
Atlantis is said in different words, though it doesn't give any new
information.

This may or may not sit well with the anti-IE-lobby around here, but it's
a bit of a legendary piece of SR fiction so I thought it'd be aware of the
different versions of the text.

--
Gurth@******.nl - http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/index.html
Well, I have no opinion about that, and I have no opinion about me...
-> NERPS Project Leader & Unofficial Shadowrun Guru <-
-> The Plastic Warriors Page: http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/plastic.html <-

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Message no. 2
From: 96sp080 <96sp080@***.EDU>
Subject: Re: Humans and the Cycle of Magic
Date: Sat, 6 Sep 1997 14:40:40 -0700
On Sat, 6 Sep 1997, Gurth wrote:

> Elven Technologists, which has been around on the net for several years
> now; I've got a copy on my HD that was posted to this list on Thu, 1 Dec
> 1994 20:40:13 +0800, for instance. That one is from a 1989 FASA flyer,
> according to the person who posted it.
>
> a bit of a legendary piece of SR fiction so I thought it'd be aware of the
> different versions of the text.
>

so.... post both of them that we all may see.... please?

ICBreaker
Message no. 3
From: ken webb <hbphy009@*****.CSUN.EDU>
Subject: Re: Humans and the Cycle of Magic
Date: Sat, 6 Sep 1997 18:34:05 -0700
On Sat, 6 Sep 1997, Gurth wrote:

> I'm sure many of you will be familiar with Ehran's speech to the Young
> Elven Technologists, which has been around on the net for several years
> now; I've got a copy on my HD that was posted to this list on Thu, 1 Dec
> 1994 20:40:13 +0800, for instance. That one is from a 1989 FASA flyer,
> according to the person who posted it.
Yes. I posted it back then. It _is_ from the 1989 FASA "Update" flyer
(word for word) as sure as I hold that very flyer in my hand as I type.

> I just discovered it is not the complete speech... Recently a "Shadowrun
> 1990 Update" came into my possession, and today (when I first took a real
> look at it) I noticed it had the Humans and the Cycle of Magic speech in
> the back, but I spotted a few lines that I didn't remember from the one
> on my HD. When comparing them, it looks like several lines were deleted
> and half a paragraph was re-written for the 1990 flyer.
[snip]
Well, I knew the collection couldn't be complete. I have the update
flyers from 1989, 91, 92, & 93. I just thought they skipped 90. What
does the cover of the 1990 update look like?

> a bit of a legendary piece of SR fiction so I thought it'd be aware of the
> different versions of the text.
Back then I figured it was important, so I typed it in and gave it to
Paolo for the Archive. Looks like you'll have to do the same for the "new
version." (Unless you have a scanner, but that's cheating! ;) )

--
--________________________________________________________________________--
'Kenneth M. Webb |Geek} GS d->+ s++:-- a- C++ ULH+ P L++ E---- W++'
'hbphy009@*****.csun.edu|Code}N++ o K- w(--) O- M- V-- !PS PE Y+ PGP? t 5'
' Physics & Shadowrun |v3.1} X+ R+ tv+ b++ DI D++ G+ e++>+++ h? r--- y-'
''''''''''''''''''''''''^'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
Message no. 4
From: Gurth <gurth@******.NL>
Subject: Re: Humans and the Cycle of Magic
Date: Sun, 7 Sep 1997 11:57:46 +0100
ken webb said on 18:34/ 6 Sep 97...

> Yes. I posted it back then.

You did, I just wasn't sure if I'd seen your name on the list recently.

> It _is_ from the 1989 FASA "Update" flyer (word for word) as sure as I
> hold that very flyer in my hand as I type.

In that case they changed the text later on...

> Well, I knew the collection couldn't be complete. I have the update
> flyers from 1989, 91, 92, & 93. I just thought they skipped 90. What
> does the cover of the 1990 update look like?

It has the motorcycle from the DMZ box on the front, and an ad (game
world, not for the product) for The Universal Brotherhood on the back.

> Back then I figured it was important, so I typed it in and gave it to
> Paolo for the Archive. Looks like you'll have to do the same for the "new
> version." (Unless you have a scanner, but that's cheating! ;) )

I've got a scanner, but OCR just doesn't seem to work :( However, what I
can do is take your version and change the things FASA changed... It
follows below.

----------
This is Ken Webb's transcription of the 1989 Update with the changes FASA
made in their 1990 update added; the text is credited to Jordan Weisman.

------------------------------------------------------------------
Humans & the Cycle of Magic

The Humans are confused.

This is their normal state of being. Their lives are so short, they never
have time to think things through. I know this is a gross
over-simplification, that there have been many brilliant Human scholars
throughout the ages. Even the Da Vincis and the Einsteins, while
brilliant enough to see a glimpse of the larger pattern, and imaginative
enough to visualize a complex and interconnected world, still did not have
the time to analyze their own thoughts. In my conversations with Da Vinci,
I saw the glint of perception in his eyes but he never could express or
believe what he had visualized. It takes years, sometimes hundreds
of years, to get the correct perspective on ideas, even your own ideas.
Humans just do not have the luxury of that time. They are also limited by
their devout belief in not believing. Since the earliest recorded Human
history they have had stories of magic, great unexplained ancient
civilizations, and other mysteries. The Humans chose not to believe these
and thus, when the mother returned the magic to us, they became
disoriented and confused, their normal state of being.

What I am about to tell you must remain an elven secret. I know that the
Humans will eventually discover it, but it should be delayed as long as
possible.

All things that the great mother gives us, she also takes away. Nature, as
the Humans call it, moves in cycles: the rising and setting of the sun,
the seasons of the year, the flowing of the tide, it is always a cycle.
Magic also runs in a cycle, it comes and goes from the earth, as does the
warmth of the summer sun. Its cycle is measured not in hours, as the sun's
is, but in thousands of years.

From a scientific viewpoint, magic, when charted, is a semi-regular wave
form moving through the history of the earth. There are slight
fluctuations throughout the wave, and the wave itself is not completely
uniform.

The point in the cycle at which the world becomes magically alive or magic
falls dormant is called the Threshold Level. Every magical race and, in
some cases, each individual within a race, has its own specific magical
trigger point for metamorphosis to occur, thus the transformation of the
world takes place over a period of time. Traditionally, the Threshold
Level has been set as the date of the awakening of the first Great Dragon
on the upswing and the hibernation of the last Great Dragon on the
downswing. The average time between Threshold Levels is approximately
5,200 years.

As the last age of magic came to a close, Atlantis was readying itself for
disaster. The Atlantean culture was a Human/Elven hybrid that had achieved
both scientific and magical wonders, but in its later years, it turned
against itself by fighting nature to maintain the island. As the end came
near, a migration of technology and culture spread from the isle to the
rest of the world. This is the reason mankind's ancient calendars all
start within 100 years of each other. The Hebrew, Egyptian, Chinese, and
most importantly, Mayan calendars all show the direct influence of
Atlantean culture.

The Mayan calendar is the most amazing, as it contains a complete
description of the magic cycles, including this current crossing of the
Threshold. The Mayans described the cycles as "worlds", and stated that
only certain life forms made the transition from one world to the next.
The calendar, written over 5,000 years ago, predicted the exact day the
Threshold Level would be passed. Converting the Mayan dates to the
current Christian calendar, it correctly states that the Threshold would
be passed on December 24, 2011. On that day, the first Great Dragon was
seen in Japan. The precision is amazing. When I advised The Pharoh in
creating the Egyptian calendar, I thought I had been as precise as
possibl, yet my calendar missed the Threshold date by over two years.

Atlantis sank on August 12, 3113 BC, thus marking the end of the Fourth
World and the beginning of the Fifth. The Sixth World has begun, and will
end, according to the Mayan calendar, on April 4, 7137 AD.

We have the intervening time to enjoy what the Great Mother gives us. We
must use both the energy of nature and the power of technology to try to
fix the damage done by our short-lived relatives.

Speech given by Keynote speaker, Ehran "The Scribe" at the YET (Young
Elvan Technologists) dinner.
--------------------------------------------------------------------

As Ken said, the 1989 version is somewhere in the SR Archive, and with a
bit of luck Paolo will add this 1990 one next to it so everyone can
compare the two.

--
Gurth@******.nl - http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/index.html
Well, I have no opinion about that, and I have no opinion about me...
-> NERPS Project Leader & Unofficial Shadowrun Guru <-
-> The Plastic Warriors Page: http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/plastic.html <-

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Message no. 5
From: Ray & Tamara <macey@***.BRISNET.ORG.AU>
Subject: Re: Humans and the Cycle of Magic
Date: Sun, 7 Sep 1997 21:28:37 +1000
> This is their normal state of being. Their lives are so short, they never
> have time to think things through. I know this is a gross
> over-simplification, that there have been many brilliant Human scholars
> throughout the ages. Even the Da Vincis and the Einsteins, while
> brilliant enough to see a glimpse of the larger pattern, and imaginative
> enough to visualize a complex and interconnected world, still did not have
> the time to analyze their own thoughts. In my conversations with Da Vinci,
> I saw the glint of perception in his eyes but he never could express or
> believe what he had visualized. It takes years, sometimes hundreds

Doesn't this sort of make the novel 'Black Madonna' incorrect? I have not read
it, but isn't Leo the elf meant to be Leonardo DaVinci?

NightRain.

-----------------------------------------------------
| The universe is a big place, and whatever happens,|
| You will not be missed |
-----------------------------------------------------

EMAIL: macey@***.brisnet.org.au
Message no. 6
From: Jaymz <justin@******.NET>
Subject: Re: Humans and the Cycle of Magic
Date: Sun, 7 Sep 1997 22:42:27 -0500
At 09:28 PM 9/7/97 +1000, Ray & Tamara wrote:
#> This is their normal state of being. Their lives are so short, they never
#> have time to think things through. I know this is a gross
#> over-simplification, that there have been many brilliant Human scholars
#> throughout the ages. Even the Da Vincis and the Einsteins, while
#> brilliant enough to see a glimpse of the larger pattern, and imaginative
#> enough to visualize a complex and interconnected world, still did not have
#> the time to analyze their own thoughts. In my conversations with Da Vinci,
#> I saw the glint of perception in his eyes but he never could express or
#> believe what he had visualized. It takes years, sometimes hundreds
#
#Doesn't this sort of make the novel 'Black Madonna' incorrect? I have not
read
#it, but isn't Leo the elf meant to be Leonardo DaVinci?

Yes, you ar correct!
--
/--justin@****.mcp.com----------------------justin@******.net--\
|Justin Bell NIC:JB3084| Time and rules are changing. |
|Simon & Schuster | Attention span is quickening. |
|Programmer | Welcome to the Information Age. |
\------------ http://www.mcp.com/people/justin/ ---------------/
Message no. 7
From: Gurth <gurth@******.NL>
Subject: Re: Humans and the Cycle of Magic
Date: Mon, 8 Sep 1997 11:52:56 +0100
Ray & Tamara said on 21:28/ 7 Sep 97...

> > In my conversations with Da Vinci,
> > I saw the glint of perception in his eyes but he never could express or
> > believe what he had visualized. It takes years, sometimes hundreds
>
> Doesn't this sort of make the novel 'Black Madonna' incorrect? I have not read
> it, but isn't Leo the elf meant to be Leonardo DaVinci?

It does contradict other SR material, yes, and I doubt that Ehran was
somehow unaware that DaVinci was an IE. I haven't read Black Madonna so I
can't be sure, but I think Carl Sargent (who wrote BM, IIRC) and whoever
edited the book weren't aware of the 1990 update, or chose to ignore it.

--
Gurth@******.nl - http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/index.html
Well, I have no opinion about that, and I have no opinion about me...
-> NERPS Project Leader & Unofficial Shadowrun Guru <-
-> The Plastic Warriors Page: http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/plastic.html <-

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Message no. 8
From: Stefan <casanova@***.PASSAGEN.SE>
Subject: Re: Humans and the Cycle of Magic
Date: Mon, 8 Sep 1997 23:08:40 +0000
> > > In my conversations with Da Vinci,
> > > I saw the glint of perception in his eyes but he never could express or
> > > believe what he had visualized. It takes years, sometimes hundreds
> >
> > Doesn't this sort of make the novel 'Black Madonna' incorrect? I have not read
> > it, but isn't Leo the elf meant to be Leonardo DaVinci?
>
> It does contradict other SR material, yes, and I doubt that Ehran was
> somehow unaware that DaVinci was an IE. I haven't read Black Madonna so I
> can't be sure, but I think Carl Sargent (who wrote BM, IIRC) and whoever
> edited the book weren't aware of the 1990 update, or chose to ignore it.

I'm not 100% (but I have passed the 90 mark) on this since it was a
while ago since I read "Black Madonna" but as I recall it mentions
that Leo is/was infact Leonardo ..

Mayby Ehran has something against Leo and that is why he left that
part out ? even if he know Ehran is not exactly the most trustworthy
and friendly fella so who knows what his dark plan about this is.

/Stefan

------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Frag you and the datastream you came on!" - Sinjin the decker
------------------------------------------------------------------------
... E-Mail .............................. casanova@***.passagen.se ...
... HomePage .............................. http://hsl.home.ml.org ...
... ICQ .................................................. 1403212 ...
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Message no. 9
From: Ray & Tamara <macey@***.BRISNET.ORG.AU>
Subject: Re: Humans and the Cycle of Magic
Date: Tue, 9 Sep 1997 10:25:09 +1000
> > > In my conversations with Da Vinci,
> > > I saw the glint of perception in his eyes but he never could express or
> > > believe what he had visualized. It takes years, sometimes hundreds
> >
> > Doesn't this sort of make the novel 'Black Madonna' incorrect? I have not
read
> > it, but isn't Leo the elf meant to be Leonardo DaVinci?
>
> It does contradict other SR material, yes, and I doubt that Ehran was
> somehow unaware that DaVinci was an IE. I haven't read Black Madonna so I
> can't be sure, but I think Carl Sargent (who wrote BM, IIRC) and whoever
> edited the book weren't aware of the 1990 update, or chose to ignore it.

I never did like the idea that Leonarda DaVinci was really an immortal elf, so
I guess I can just happily say that I'll ignore the novel, and go with the
flier's interpretation.

NightRain.

-----------------------------------------------------
| The universe is a big place, and whatever happens,|
| You will not be missed |
-----------------------------------------------------

EMAIL: macey@***.brisnet.org.au
Message no. 10
From: Steve Kenson <TalonMail@***.COM>
Subject: Re: Humans and the Cycle of Magic
Date: Tue, 9 Sep 1997 10:23:24 -0400
NightRain <macey@***.BRISNET.ORG.AU> wrote:
>[Ehran's speech snipped]
>
>Doesn't this sort of make the novel 'Black Madonna' incorrect? I have not
read
>it, but isn't Leo the elf meant to be Leonardo DaVinci?

Maybe... maybe not <grin>. In fact, my upcoming Shadowrun novel
"Technobabel"
deals with this question, since the ending of Black Madonna was something of
a personal pet peeve. I figured what happened couldn't help but have
repercussions in the Sixth World and went from there...

Not to spoil anything, but who says Leonardo the Elf is telling the truth or
is anywhere near what we would call sane?

Steve K.
Message no. 11
From: Glenn Robertson <Glenn.Robertson@***.EDU>
Subject: Re: Humans and the Cycle of Magic
Date: Tue, 9 Sep 1997 11:49:25 -0700
On Sun, 7 Sep 1997, Jaymz wrote:

> At 09:28 PM 9/7/97 +1000, Ray & Tamara wrote:
> #> have time to think things through. I know this is a gross
> #> over-simplification, that there have been many brilliant Human scholars
> #> throughout the ages. Even the Da Vincis and the Einsteins, while
> #> brilliant enough to see a glimpse of the larger pattern, and imaginative
> #> enough to visualize a complex and interconnected world, still did not have
> #> the time to analyze their own thoughts. In my conversations with Da Vinci,
> #> I saw the glint of perception in his eyes but he never could express or
> #> believe what he had visualized. It takes years, sometimes hundreds
> #
> #Doesn't this sort of make the novel 'Black Madonna' incorrect? I have not
> read
> #it, but isn't Leo the elf meant to be Leonardo DaVinci?
>
> Yes, you ar correct!

Remember that we are talking about Ehran here. I could easily see him
lying to protect the identity of other immortals if it suited his goals.
After all, this is a semi-public speech. He does not mention the names
of any other immortals so it may have been prudent at the time to keep
Leo a secret. In addition, he may be trying to prove that even the
greatest of human thinkers are not up to par by elven standards.

Glenn
Message no. 12
From: Mike Bobroff <AirWisp@***.COM>
Subject: Re: Humans and the Cycle of Magic
Date: Mon, 15 Sep 1997 07:21:34 -0400
In a message dated 97-09-06 14:38:16 EDT, you write:

> I'm sure many of you will be familiar with Ehran's speech to the Young
> Elven Technologists, which has been around on the net for several years
> now; I've got a copy on my HD that was posted to this list on Thu, 1 Dec
> 1994 20:40:13 +0800, for instance. That one is from a 1989 FASA flyer,
> according to the person who posted it.
>
> I just discovered it is not the complete speech... Recently a "Shadowrun
> 1990 Update" came into my possession, and today (when I first took a real
> look at it) I noticed it had the Humans and the Cycle of Magic speech in
> the back, but I spotted a few lines that I didn't remember from the one
> on my HD. When comparing them, it looks like several lines were deleted
> and half a paragraph was re-written for the 1990 flyer. Most importantly,
> in the one I have Ehran talks about conversations with Da Vinci and having
> created the Egyptian calendar, and the bit about the destruction of
> Atlantis is said in different words, though it doesn't give any new
> information.
>
> This may or may not sit well with the anti-IE-lobby around here, but it's
> a bit of a legendary piece of SR fiction so I thought it'd be aware of the
> different versions of the text.

Is there any way I could get a copy of it from you ?

Mike
Message no. 13
From: Brett Borger <bxb121@***.EDU>
Subject: Re: Humans and the Cycle of Magic
Date: Mon, 15 Sep 1997 08:35:47 +0000
> > I'm sure many of you will be familiar with Ehran's speech to the Young
> > Elven Technologists, which has been around on the net for several years
> > now; I've got a copy on my HD that was posted to this list on Thu, 1 Dec
> > 1994 20:40:13 +0800, for instance. That one is from a 1989 FASA flyer,
> > according to the person who posted it.
>
> Is there any way I could get a copy of it from you ?
>
Ditto!

-=SwiftOne=-
Brett Borger
SwiftOne@***.edu
AAP Techie
Message no. 14
From: Edward Poe <hedley@********.COM>
Subject: Re: Humans and the Cycle of Magic
Date: Mon, 15 Sep 1997 08:21:21 -0500
> Is there any way I could get a copy of it from you ?

How about posting it to the list for all to see?

Hedley
Message no. 15
From: Jaymz <justin@******.NET>
Subject: Re: Humans and the Cycle of Magic
Date: Mon, 15 Sep 1997 12:27:34 -0500
At 08:21 AM 9/15/97 -0500, Edward Poe wrote:
#> Is there any way I could get a copy of it from you ?
#
#How about posting it to the list for all to see?
#

OKOKOK

It was posted to the list last week!
--
/--justin@****.mcp.com----------------------justin@******.net--\
|Justin Bell NIC:JB3084| Time and rules are changing. |
|Simon & Schuster | Attention span is quickening. |
|Programmer | Welcome to the Information Age. |
\------------ http://www.mcp.com/people/justin/ ---------------/
Message no. 16
From: Mike Bobroff <AirWisp@***.COM>
Subject: Re: Humans and the Cycle of Magic
Date: Mon, 15 Sep 1997 14:41:42 -0400
In a message dated 97-09-15 09:20:42 EDT, you write:

> > Is there any way I could get a copy of it from you ?
>
> How about posting it to the list for all to see?
>
> Hedley

I agree with this completely.

AirWisp
Message no. 17
From: Mike Bobroff <AirWisp@***.COM>
Subject: Re: Humans and the Cycle of Magic
Date: Mon, 15 Sep 1997 14:45:05 -0400
In a message dated 97-09-15 13:35:44 EDT, you write:

> OKOKOK
>
> It was posted to the list last week!

Would you consider reposting it again. As I don't remember seeing it.

Please !!!
Message no. 18
From: Jaymz <justin@******.NET>
Subject: Re: Humans and the Cycle of Magic
Date: Mon, 15 Sep 1997 13:47:49 -0500
At 02:45 PM 9/15/97 -0400, Mike Bobroff wrote:
#In a message dated 97-09-15 13:35:44 EDT, you write:
#
#> OKOKOK
#>
#> It was posted to the list last week!
#
#Would you consider reposting it again. As I don't remember seeing it.

Well, Gurth originally posted it.
--
/--justin@****.mcp.com----------------------justin@******.net--\
|Justin Bell NIC:JB3084| Time and rules are changing. |
|Simon & Schuster | Attention span is quickening. |
|Programmer | Welcome to the Information Age. |
\------------ http://www.mcp.com/people/justin/ ---------------/
Message no. 19
From: Gurth <gurth@******.NL>
Subject: Re: Humans and the Cycle of Magic
Date: Tue, 16 Sep 1997 12:31:26 +0100
Brett Borger said on 8:35/15 Sep 97...

> > Is there any way I could get a copy of it from you ?
> >
> Ditto!

I posted it on the list about 1 1/2 weeks ago; I don't know if it's up on
any web pages, but it should be in the logs of that week.

--
Gurth@******.nl - http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/index.html
Go see the profiteer
-> NERPS Project Leader & Unofficial Shadowrun Guru <-
-> The Plastic Warriors Page: http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/plastic.html <-

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Message no. 20
From: Gurth <gurth@******.NL>
Subject: Re: Humans and the Cycle of Magic
Date: Tue, 16 Sep 1997 12:31:26 +0100
Jaymz said on 13:47/15 Sep 97...

> #> It was posted to the list last week!
> #
> #Would you consider reposting it again. As I don't remember seeing it.
>
> Well, Gurth originally posted it.

Okay, okay, since there seems to be a big demand for it, here's the 1990
version of Humans and the Cycle of Magic again:

----------
This is Ken Webb's transcription of the 1989 Update with the changes FASA
made in their 1990 update added; the text is credited to Jordan Weisman.

------------------------------------------------------------------
Humans & the Cycle of Magic

The Humans are confused.

This is their normal state of being. Their lives are so short, they never
have time to think things through. I know this is a gross
over-simplification, that there have been many brilliant Human scholars
throughout the ages. Even the Da Vincis and the Einsteins, while brilliant
enough to see a glimpse of the larger pattern, and imaginative enough to
visualize a complex and interconnected world, still did not have the time
to analyze their own thoughts. In my conversations with Da Vinci, I saw the
glint of perception in his eyes but he never could express or believe what
he had visualized. It takes years, sometimes hundreds of years, to get the
correct perspective on ideas, even your own ideas. Humans just do not have
the luxury of that time. They are also limited by their devout belief in
not believing. Since the earliest recorded Human history they have had
stories of magic, great unexplained ancient civilizations, and other
mysteries. The Humans chose not to believe these and thus, when the mother
returned the magic to us, they became disoriented and confused, their
normal state of being.

What I am about to tell you must remain an elven secret. I know that the
Humans will eventually discover it, but it should be delayed as long as
possible.

All things that the great mother gives us, she also takes away. Nature, as
the Humans call it, moves in cycles: the rising and setting of the sun, the
seasons of the year, the flowing of the tide, it is always a cycle. Magic
also runs in a cycle, it comes and goes from the earth, as does the warmth
of the summer sun. Its cycle is measured not in hours, as the sun's is, but
in thousands of years.

>From a scientific viewpoint, magic, when charted, is a semi-regular wave
form moving through the history of the earth. There are slight
fluctuations throughout the wave, and the wave itself is not completely
uniform.

The point in the cycle at which the world becomes magically alive or magic
falls dormant is called the Threshold Level. Every magical race and, in
some cases, each individual within a race, has its own specific magical
trigger point for metamorphosis to occur, thus the transformation of the
world takes place over a period of time. Traditionally, the Threshold Level
has been set as the date of the awakening of the first Great Dragon on the
upswing and the hibernation of the last Great Dragon on the downswing. The
average time between Threshold Levels is approximately 5,200 years.

As the last age of magic came to a close, Atlantis was readying itself for
disaster. The Atlantean culture was a Human/Elven hybrid that had achieved
both scientific and magical wonders, but in its later years, it turned
against itself by fighting nature to maintain the island. As the end came
near, a migration of technology and culture spread from the isle to the
rest of the world. This is the reason mankind's ancient calendars all start
within 100 years of each other. The Hebrew, Egyptian, Chinese, and most
importantly, Mayan calendars all show the direct influence of Atlantean
culture.

The Mayan calendar is the most amazing, as it contains a complete
description of the magic cycles, including this current crossing of the
Threshold. The Mayans described the cycles as "worlds", and stated that
only certain life forms made the transition from one world to the next. The
calendar, written over 5,000 years ago, predicted the exact day the
Threshold Level would be passed. Converting the Mayan dates to the current
Christian calendar, it correctly states that the Threshold would be passed
on December 24, 2011. On that day, the first Great Dragon was seen in
Japan. The precision is amazing. When I advised The Pharoh in creating the
Egyptian calendar, I thought I had been as precise as possibl, yet my
calendar missed the Threshold date by over two years.

Atlantis sank on August 12, 3113 BC, thus marking the end of the Fourth
World and the beginning of the Fifth. The Sixth World has begun, and will
end, according to the Mayan calendar, on April 4, 7137 AD.

We have the intervening time to enjoy what the Great Mother gives us. We
must use both the energy of nature and the power of technology to try to
fix the damage done by our short-lived relatives.

Speech given by Keynote speaker, Ehran "The Scribe" at the YET (Young
Elvan Technologists) dinner.
--------------------------------------------------------------------

As Ken said, the 1989 version is somewhere in the SR Archive, and with a
bit of luck Paolo will add this 1990 one next to it so everyone can compare
the two.


--
Gurth@******.nl - http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/index.html
Go see the profiteer
-> NERPS Project Leader & Unofficial Shadowrun Guru <-
-> The Plastic Warriors Page: http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/plastic.html <-

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Message no. 21
From: Spike <u5a77@*****.CS.KEELE.AC.UK>
Subject: Re: Humans and the Cycle of Magic
Date: Mon, 15 Sep 1997 21:45:11 +0100
|In a message dated 97-09-15 13:35:44 EDT, you write:
|
|> OKOKOK
|>
|> It was posted to the list last week!
|
|Would you consider reposting it again. As I don't remember seeing it.
|
|Please !!!

Alternatively, you could alway look in the shadowrn archives.
--
______________________________________________________________________________
|u5a77@*****.cs.keele.ac.uk| "Are you pondering what I'm pondering Pinky?" |
|Andrew Halliwell | |
|Principal subjects in:- | "I think so brain, but this time, you control |
|Comp Sci & Electronics | the Encounter suit, and I'll do the voice..." |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|GCv3.1 GCS/EL>$ d---(dpu) s+/- a- C++ U N++ o+ K- w-- M+/++ PS+++ PE- Y t+ |
|5++ X+/++ R+ tv+ b+ D G e>PhD h/h+ !r! !y-|I can't say F**K either now! :( |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Message no. 22
From: Mark Steedman <M.J.Steedman@***.RGU.AC.UK>
Subject: Re: Humans and the Cycle of Magic
Date: Tue, 16 Sep 1997 13:43:42 GMT
Gurth writes
>
> Okay, okay, since there seems to be a big demand for it, here's the 1990
> version of Humans and the Cycle of Magic again:
>
ok i am trimming this down to the one vital bit as having read this i
have only read the other version before and one vital bit stands out.

> This is Ken Webb's transcription of the 1989 Update with the
> changes FASA made in their 1990 update added; the text is credited
> to Jordan Weisman.

> The Mayan calendar is the most amazing, as it contains a complete
> description of the magic cycles, including this current crossing of the
> Threshold. The Mayans described the cycles as "worlds", and stated that
> only certain life forms made the transition from one world to the next. The
> calendar, written over 5,000 years ago, predicted the exact day the
> Threshold Level would be passed. Converting the Mayan dates to the current
> Christian calendar, it correctly states that the Threshold would be passed
> on December 24, 2011. On that day, the first Great Dragon was seen in
> Japan. The precision is amazing.
This i think is the same as the other version.

> When I advised The Pharoh in creating the
> Egyptian calendar, I thought I had been as precise as possibl, yet my
> calendar missed the Threshold date by over two years.
This is the extra bit, 'Ehran advised the Pharoh', proof from the
horses mouth Ehran is more than just a little ancient! I suspect that
the bit carefully trimmed from the other version as giving away too
much.

Mark
Message no. 23
From: Mike Bobroff <AirWisp@***.COM>
Subject: Re: Humans and the Cycle of Magic
Date: Tue, 16 Sep 1997 14:13:29 -0400
In a message dated 97-09-16 06:43:33 EDT, you write:

> As Ken said, the 1989 version is somewhere in the SR Archive, and with a
> bit of luck Paolo will add this 1990 one next to it so everyone can
compare
> the two.
>
Gurth,

Thank you,

AirWisp
Message no. 24
From: "J. Keith Henry" <Ereskanti@***.COM>
Subject: Re: Humans and the Cycle of Magic
Date: Tue, 16 Sep 1997 21:31:55 -0400
In a message dated 97-09-16 08:50:29 EDT, M.J.Steedman@***.RGU.AC.UK writes:

> > When I advised The Pharoh in creating the
> > Egyptian calendar, I thought I had been as precise as possibl, yet my
> > calendar missed the Threshold date by over two years.
> This is the extra bit, 'Ehran advised the Pharoh', proof from the
> horses mouth Ehran is more than just a little ancient! I suspect that
> the bit carefully trimmed from the other version as giving away too
> much.
>
This is interesting guys. I looked carefully at the copy that was re-posted,
and came up with a thought. Could there have been more than one copy of the
original story that came out? I had a copy from Gen Com a few years ago.
The story I read ist he same as what I just read here.

I know this from the comments. I remember the pharoh remark and I remember
that when I read "Black Madonna", I thought "but Ehran called Da Vinci a
humna." Ah, but the fun of incomplete information

-K
Message no. 25
From: Gurth <gurth@******.NL>
Subject: Re: Humans and the Cycle of Magic
Date: Wed, 17 Sep 1997 12:31:54 +0100
Mark Steedman said on 13:43/16 Sep 97...

> > The Mayan calendar is the most amazing, as it contains a complete
> > description of the magic cycles, including this current crossing of the
> > Threshold. [snip]
> This i think is the same as the other version.

It is.

> > When I advised The Pharoh in creating the
> > Egyptian calendar, I thought I had been as precise as possibl, yet my
> > calendar missed the Threshold date by over two years.
> This is the extra bit, 'Ehran advised the Pharoh', proof from the
> horses mouth Ehran is more than just a little ancient! I suspect that
> the bit carefully trimmed from the other version as giving away too
> much.

What surprised me is that this was added in later, rather than removed
from an earlier version... I doubt someone would say this sort of thing in
a dinner party speech, because it gives away so much to anyone who just
listens that the other EI's would be mighty displeased with Ehran, IMHO.
There's no way this could be kept secret for any length of time, I think.

--
Gurth@******.nl - http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/index.html
Zijn generatie twijfelt, maar weet niet eens waaraan.
-> NERPS Project Leader & Unofficial Shadowrun Guru <-
-> The Plastic Warriors Page: http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/plastic.html <-

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Message no. 26
From: Gurth <gurth@******.NL>
Subject: Re: Humans and the Cycle of Magic
Date: Wed, 17 Sep 1997 12:31:55 +0100
J. Keith Henry said on 21:31/16 Sep 97...

> This is interesting guys. I looked carefully at the copy that was re-posted,
> and came up with a thought. Could there have been more than one copy of the
> original story that came out? I had a copy from Gen Com a few years ago.
> The story I read ist he same as what I just read here.

There are at least two versions: one from a 1989 flyer, which can be found
at the Shadowrun Archive I think, and the one I posted, which is from a
1990 flyer. They differ in that some bits were added to the 1990 version,
and IIRC a few lines were removed.

--
Gurth@******.nl - http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/index.html
Zijn generatie twijfelt, maar weet niet eens waaraan.
-> NERPS Project Leader & Unofficial Shadowrun Guru <-
-> The Plastic Warriors Page: http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/plastic.html <-

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Message no. 27
From: Mark Steedman <M.J.Steedman@***.RGU.AC.UK>
Subject: Re: Humans and the Cycle of Magic
Date: Wed, 17 Sep 1997 13:44:05 GMT
Gurth writes
>
> What surprised me is that this was added in later, rather than removed
> from an earlier version...
yeah.

> I doubt someone would say this sort of thing in
> a dinner party speech, because it gives away so much to anyone who just
> listens that the other EI's would be mighty displeased with Ehran, IMHO.
> There's no way this could be kept secret for any length of time, I think.
>
I believ that its noted somewhere that a copy of that speech is on
Shadowland :)

Mark

Further Reading

If you enjoyed reading about Humans and the Cycle of Magic, you may also be interested in:

Disclaimer

These messages were posted a long time ago on a mailing list far, far away. The copyright to their contents probably lies with the original authors of the individual messages, but since they were published in an electronic forum that anyone could subscribe to, and the logs were available to subscribers and most likely non-subscribers as well, it's felt that re-publishing them here is a kind of public service.