Why I Wear Real Clothes

Why I Wear Real Clothes

Being the most recognized scholar on Arcane Conjuration, the fact that I wear real clothes may come as a surprise to many. Yes, I wear real clothes made of real fabric and I do need to do laundry. My students keep asking me why I don’t cast a simple manifestation or binding spell to clothe myself and stop worrying about getting my clothes dirty and what not. To answer this question I need to explain a few things.

First of all, those uninitiated to the art of Arcane Conjuration may be unaware of the difference between manifestation spells and binding spells. A binding spell is when a transdimensional artifact (genuine or manifested) is used to summon another item or beast from another dimension and bound to stay on the overworld indefinitely. A binding spell takes an immense amount of magicka. The sorcerer must use their magicka to excite the hellstone and to scry and locate the target. Once the target is located, the magical energy must be converted to kinetic energy to literally pull the target through the portal into this world, and quickly reconverted to magical energy to nullify the artifact, trapping the target in the overworld.

While this does take an immense amount of magicka and immense control over one’s arcane pool, it does not have a permanent effect. Magicka can be restored. The reason sorcerers do not bind clothing but manifest them instead, is because there isn’t any clothing in most dimensions known to humans made of a fabric not corrosive to human touch. Some cultists will wear bound clothes, but no self respecting sorcerer would sink to such a level.

Manifestation on the other hand, is a very simple conversion spell and the amount of magicka it takes depends on what’s manifested. The act of converting a certain amount of magicka to matter and altering that matter into a desired object is manifestation. Anything can be manifested from a small ring to a large tower. Thing is, when a certain amount of magicka is converted into matter, that magicka can not be used as long as the manifested object still exists. So using a manifestation spell will limit your arcane pool by how much magicka you’ve converted.

As a senior Conjurer, I cast large spells that use most of my arcane pool on a daily basis. Having practiced for hundreds of years, I have quite a large pool. Still, as a senior Conjurer, my responsibilities are many and I use up a huge portion of my pool every single day. A lesser mage or a student of Conjuration who casts minor kinetic conversion spells or simple trinket binds will not use most of their pool on a daily basis. As such, they can spare the magicka needed to manifest a full set of clothes or even pens, notebooks and other stationery. I have no such luxury. I must reserve as much of my pool as I can for the large spells I cast, and any emergencies that may arise. While it is inconvenient to do the laundry, I’d much rather wash a couple robes than be left with a dry pool.