To Chancellor Alastric Emmannulas Noens pel Colophon the Grey, XVIIth Gryphonhorn Magus, Th.M. M.Ex. O.S. Esq.
Chancellor,
It has been some time since we last had the chance to speak. I hope that you are well, and that next week’s unseasonably cold weather will not trouble you overmuch.
With the selection committee for this year’s Clarinet Lochrian Award for Thaumaturgical Ingenuity convening soon, I would like to nominate one of my students in the College of Temporal Magick, Dev Malim. Dev has consistently demonstrated an aptitude for devising creative solutions to challenging temporal problems, using finely-honed instincts to supplement his skill at complex divinations. However, it is his performance in the recent mid-semester tournament of my Paracausal Tactics course, in particular, which compels me to make this nomination.
One of the things I enjoy most about teaching Paracausal Tactics is the opportunity to work with students from the College of Martial Magick, and observe their exchange of ideas with my Temporal students. These sorts of interdisciplinary courses are where Aletheia’s students shine brightest, and it is always fascinating to see Martial students’ approaches to the field of Temporal Magick.
In this year’s course, one Susan Surn has particularly stood out among the Martial attendees. Senior Professor Blatchley has spoken quite highly of Susan at intercollegiate luncheons, and her performance in Paracausal Tactics has indeed been astonishing. While I must admit that I am unsure how much I can teach Susan from a thaumaturgical standpoint, she has aptly followed my lessons on the nature of Time and its role in combat, and her fighting instincts are truly impressive. Moreover, her presence has been highly instructive for my Temporal students. She has provided many of them with object lessons in the limitations of mere foreknowledge, and has inspired some to far greater heights of tactical creativity.
In the early rounds of the mid-semester tournament, each student paired against Susan spent their allotted preparation time performing increasingly frantic divinations, before conceding the match without a fight. While I always encourage my students to know their limits, I admit I was inwardly disappointed that none of them were willing to face Susan in actual combat. The final match of the tournament, however, exceeded all my expectations.
Dev Malim began his preparations for his match with Susan by drawing a sizable Paradox Ward in a corner of the Training Hall. The reason for this quickly became apparent, as three time-shifted copies of Dev appeared, bruised and bloodied to varying degrees. After taking a moment to rest and breathe, the four of them began conversing animatedly, performing rituals and calculations and drawing twisted diagrams on a chalkboard. Susan, meanwhile, simply stood and waited impassively for the preparation time to end, as she had done in each of the previous rounds. Dev concluded by working in parallel to set up six intricately-crafted Kinetic Wards at various points all over First Dev’s body, their locations appearing random but seemingly chosen with great care and precision. Then, First Dev time-stepped away, along with Second and Fourth, leaving Third Dev to enter the Dueling Ring and begin the match.
Third Dev, looking somewhat the worse for wear, deftly dodged Susan’s first kick, jumping directly into the path of a punch into and through the Kinetic Ward on his shoulder, the ward shattering as Susan’s fist connected and sent Dev flying. Third Dev time-stepped out before he hit the ground, while Second Dev appeared behind Susan, in better condition and with more intact wards. Susan, combat senses sharp as always, immediately arched backwards to headbutt through the ward on his forehead. Dev collapsed to the floor, perfectly timed and positioned to fall underneath Susan’s roundhouse kick, and managed to complete his time-step incantation just before her followup punch made contact after shattering the ward on his solar plexus. As Susan’s fist passed through empty air to hit the ground, Fourth Dev appeared in front of Susan, who immediately recovered her stance and punched through the ward on Fourth Dev’s stomach. In the same moment, First Dev time-stepped in behind Susan to deliver a flying kick to the side of her head, shattering the ward on his foot and leaving Susan surprised but unaffected. First Dev disappeared before Susan could counterattack, leaving only Fourth Dev sprawled out on the floor.
After a 10-count, to see whether Dev would get back up and whether additional Devs would appear from anywhere, I declared the match over. Dev began awkwardly sitting up, to the riotous applause of his classmates, and I helped him to his feet. When I asked him where his strategy had gone awry, he replied that it hadn’t. He told me he had seen immediately that he had no possibility of winning, and instead found a path that would get him through the fight with no major injuries, a perfect grade, and a new friend. As I began to interject that the middle part was rather presumptuous, Susan came up to congratulate Dev, telling him “You put up a good fight, shorty”, and giving him a friendly slap on the back which shattered his final still-intact Kinetic Ward, leaving him coughing but still on his feet. At this, I had no choice but to concede the point.
I hope I have sufficiently illustrated why I feel Dev Malim is a suitable nominee for the Lochrian Award. I appreciate your time and attention, and I look forward to speaking with you in person soon.
Sincerely,
Professor Ada Liril, Th.M. C.C., College of Temporal Magick