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For some reason, I want to have the plural of 'grimalkin' be... 'grimalkin'. It's not (it's 'grimalkins'), but I want it so.

LOL. I agree, "grimalkin" as the plural term makes it sound eerie, as if it's a whole kind ("kin"?) of beings that are grim....thus dangerous....

Hey, here's some Fridge Brilliance:

We only hear the word "grimalkins" in-game once, in Loop III, Day 2-1, when Amoretta's cat goes to Lillet and asks for help, resulting in Bartido's "You can talk to grimalkins?" exclamation.

Now, we recall that Bartido is actually a foreigner, and speaks with an accent--it's how Advocat spotted him as a foreign spy later in that same loop!

So, obviously, "grimalkin" is the correct plural and "grimalkins" was Bartido fumbling local grammar due to following his own nation's linguistic style!

LOL. Too bad grimalkin is a real word? (It means 'old female cat') I was going to adopt an explanation similar to that... but real English got in the way.

It bothered me so much I changed the sentence to be 'a Grimalkin', since just one was sufficient to do what I needed.

A bit of a random thought:

We know that the Lemegeton exists in the world of GrimGrimoire, but there's more to it than just the Ars Goetia that everyone knows.

Specifically, my attention was drawn to the Ars Paulina, which details a variety of methods for summoning angels. Given that we were never told exactly where Dr. Chartreuse got the angel core for Amoretta from, that raises the question of whether angel-summoning Runes are possible. If that's the case, could it be possible that it was one of the spells in the Lemegeton that Dr. Chartreuse used...and if so, did he get Advocat to lend it to him? And if so...what price was paid? (And does it relate to Dr. Chartreuse's anti-devil stance in the game?)

(We can assume that Dr. Chartreuse knew Advocat had the Lemegeton because it was Calvaros's grimoire before Advocat and Dr. Chartreuse, as the Archmage's former apprentice and presumably part of the resistance against him would be aware of that grimoire.)

If Advocat was involved in some way, it might also explain why Amoretta calls him "uncle" (though part of me wonders if that's just a mistranslation of "ojisan" which was supposed to be given the "old man" reading instead? )...

There's probably a fic in there, somewhere.

Hey no stealing my (future) fics idea Dezo =P

Leaving that aside, that Ars Paulina thingy is going to be useful so thanks for the tip.

One thing I just happened to think of: the game script seems to attach titles to characters' first names instead of last names. I.e. there's "Professor Gammel" instead of "Professor Dore," "Dr. Chartreuse" instead of "Dr. Grande," "Grand Witch Lujei" instead of "Grand Witch Piche," and "Ms. Opalneria" instead of "Ms. Rain." Which, if extended, could make for some rather uncomfortable-sounding constructions for polite forms of address in fanfiction.

Are there other examples? Or any countering ones?

Here's a thought about timing:

In my story, "A Rose Forever Blighted," I assumed that Lujei's assassination occurred after Calvaros's defeat. That is, that she was about to seize the Philosopher's Stone for herself and the government was afraid of another Archmage rising and so had her killed before that could happen.

But what if it happened before? For one thing, there are no references to Gammel and Lujei founding the Magic Academy, or the government giving Gammel and Lujei permission to practice magic and train students in exchange for finding the Philosopher's Stone for them. It's only Gammel who's mentioned. Mind you, that might be a deliberate "save Lujei as a surprise" tactic by the story-writers, but there's no in-universe reason why Grand Witch Lujei should have been forgotten or an afterthought (let's face it, Lujei is no one's sidekick!!).

So, maybe it was Lujei, not Calvaros, who planned to steal the Philosopher's Stone first, and was punished for it. And to stretch that out a bit, maybe it was because of that that Calvaros (who according to Chartreuse was originally a good man) decided that he needed additional protection, and used the Lemegeton to summon Grimlet, and then fell under the devil's influence, feeding his dark side and turning his fear outward into a desire for conquest?

Hey, random question! In both GrimGrimoire Canon and Dezo's canon, what is the status of the Royal House of Magic and their Investigations magicians, and the Watch/police force? I gave a character who is both, but does that make sense in terms of the society's political give and take?

In actual game canon, there's no answer, because there's only a single reference to the Royal House of Magic, no details of its internal organization, and similarly no reference to any details of the law enforcement structure of the kingdom. So in that respect you can write whatever you'd like.

In my canon, there is no formal Investigations staff within the Royal House of Magic (it isn't that regimented). If a Royal Magician investigates a magical matter, then they would do so as an administration official, not as a law-enforcement official (I guess the closest kind of comparison I could generate would be to, say, the U.S. Department of Energy, only with magic), though with certain enforcement powers within the scope of their duties (i.e., yes, they can stop the black-magic ritual and drag the sorcerer to the local jail). Janice Riesling in "The Hollow Heart," for example, is not a Royal Magician, but an ordinary licensed magician who is employed by the Watch, so her authority stems from their broad-based powers to investigate illegal acts within the boundaries of the capital.

Spawnofthejudge might have some take on this as well, since I'm sure he's thought about the issue with regard to how things are playing out in Tempus Materia.

Ah, thanks! As posted already, Seirei's Gate Chapter 2 has the character of Ed Hardy, who is both an Inspector of the Watch and a Royal Magician... I had created an Investigations branch of the Royal House of Magic, since I had already diced up the Royal Magician duties in that story anyway ...

Hm, your distinction makes sense...I agree with that, which is why in Seirei's Gate Ed Hardy is explicitly known as being part of both, which gives him the authority to reinforce law as well. It just seemed like a way of being able to cut out the middle-man for odd cases! Does it make sense though, for there to be a position like that? =O

DezoPenguin: Spawnofthejudge might have some take on this as well, since I'm sure he's thought about the issue with regard to how things are playing out in Tempus Materia.

deathcurse: in Seirei's Gate Ed Hardy is explicitly known as being part of both, which gives him the authority to reinforce law as well. It just seemed like a way of being able to cut out the middle-man for odd cases! Does it make sense though, for there to be a position like that? =O

Actually, I think it was The Hollow Heart that covered a lot of the way it might work, only with more firepower. Tempus Materia and the legal issues surrounding the events in Sallah are based on that, believe it or not. Well, that and insulated people in power forgetting their place.

Lillet was higher in the hierarchy than would always investigate such matters but The Hollow Heart had her with specific extra information on the matter, and Tempus Materia had her in the right place at the right time (... or the wrong place, depending on a few factors). In either case, it probably could have been handled by another Royal Magician working closely with Investigative forces.

I think ideally the two groups (the local law enforcement and a Royal Magician administrator) would work together to bring down rogue magicians, but it's likely that it only worked even close to well in the capital.

A Royal Magician as a member of the Watch... That makes sense if he's a bit of an odd duck in the House. I kind of see it that each Royal Magician tends to pick something to focus on that is something that they do, both for the crown and for their own further education in magic. Magical Investigation sounds a little strange for someone either newly high-ranking or long Blue Blood. But there are also likely exceptions to the rule, which Hardy surely could be.

Any further thoughts on it, Dezo?

{While we're on the subject, I'll be starting to write on Tempus come December 10-15, as once I've stopped writing on my Nano project (for now), I have to arrange an a capella piece for my sister's Senior Recital. I'm shortly into the fourth day of five on the next arc.}

(...the very wrong place, in the first arc! )

Nope, you pretty much summed up anything I had to comment on. Except that a long-Blue Blooded type might take up investigation simply out of a sense of duty to the kingdom (akin to how some RL families have traditions where sons--and in modern eras, daughters--will join the army or navy as a matter of course); I have a feeling that's why Hiram is off poking into things in the game epilogue.

{Oooh, more good news! }

I took a shower, and you know what happens when I do that...thinking!

Here's some speculation on the nature of time travel!

First, let me start with some summation of possible outcomes:

1. Lillet completes a five-day cycle. At midnight on Day Five, she returns in time to midnight on the night before Day One. She retains all memories of what has happened during that cycle, plus any magical grimoires she has collected (including artifact-type ones like the Lemegeton).

2. Lillet arrives in what deathcurse calls the Dark Room where the Philosopher's Stone is kept, and does nothing with the Stone. At midnight on Day Five, she returns in time to midnight on the night before Day One. She does not retain her memories of any previous cycles, her memory being "reset" to where it was before arriving at the Silver Star Tower. In addition, she loses all magical grimoires, they returning to their positions where they were when she actually arrived.

3. Lillet arrives in the Dark Room and tampers with the Philosopher's Stone using the spells in the Lemegeton, but fails to destroy it. All events in #2 above happen, but in addition, the "splitting" of Lillet between times is recreated, and the Lillet in the Dark Room is replaced by a version of Lillet with the memory of the one who entered.

#2 and #3 have to be separate possibilities, because the Lillet in V/5-3 states that she's given the lecture to Lillet many times, which she couldn't if she was replaced every time (in that case, she'd have received the lecture exactly once). But it also has to be possible that "new" Lillets are created on occasions. The dialogue, I believe, does not ever indicate that there were multiple Lillets "waiting" simultaneously (that is, I interpret Adult!Lillet's remarks as being, she found a previous Adult!Lillet waiting for her, and that Adult!Lillet said she found a Crone!Lillet before her...and it's possible that in early cycles, Crone!Lillet might have found a dead Lillet, or maybe a GhostLikeLujei!Lillet).

My theory, or my magibabble explanation is this: The original incident created by the Philosopher's Stone (perhaps the first Lillet found the secret entrance while fleeing the Archmage, possibly with an escort such as Advocat or Gammel*, who could get past the Archmage's trap runes, blundered into the Dark Room and tampered with the Stone, creating the cycle?) divided time into two separate channels or cycles, one in which everything repeats and one in which it does not; the second channel existing because of the unique circumstances of the Dark Room (which, apparently, nobody's found in the decades since Calvaros's defeat, suggesting perhaps that it exists outside of physical reality so it can't be found by simply examining every possible foot of space in the tower--after all, it's known to be a gateway to other universes as used by Lujei). When Lillet goes back in time, certain elements are connected from the ending point to the beginning point--her mental state, and her magical grimoires. However, when she is in the Dark Room, those elements cannot be connected to one another because the start point is in Channel B and the end point is in Channel A. Thus, those elements "vanish" and time is rewritten from the original "save point" (or more accurately, there's nothing to "overwrite" the original "save point" with).

Now, there's one catch there, which is that (apparently) Lillet's base magical ability ("character level") tends to go back with her. Thus, while Lillet entered the Tower as a Level 1 novice, the Lillet we play as players is actually an epic-level character who isn't aware of that fact because she has the memories of when she was Level 1 and the physical body to match. The implication suggested is that Lillet's magical ability isn't mental at all (i.e., it's not something she's pulling up from her subconscious), but is instead something that attaches to her soul** (implication: since God, being outside the cycle of time, can observe the events in both channels*, from His perspective there is only one Lillet, and only one soul, that happens to be existing in multiple existences simultaneously). In essence, the ability to work magic is a spiritual power rather than a physical one***.

The cursed 5000-character limit kicked in, so the footnotes will appear here:

*for a parallel, see, eg. Xenosaga, where Wilhelm has caused the history of the universe to be reset multiple times, but U-DO (the "God" of that 'verse), inhabiting the Higher Domain, sees each individual reset happening one after another.

**continuing, I suppose, with my ruminations on the difference between minds and souls as expressed in "Alchemy of Souls." This is also supported by the fact that Lujei, a ghost without a body, retains her magical power. Similarly, the Skullmage familiar is supposed to be the spirit of a dead magician actually called back from Purgatory, capable of casting magic. Of course, both of these examples also retain their memory, not being involved in time travel, but the fact that their power remains as well is suggestive.

***which, if true, may also relate to why devils seek to gather the souls of powerful magicians by contract, rather than just tempting them into sin. A magician can use their power to control devils via Sorcery, after all--and if that power attaches to their soul, then a devil that controls that soul may be able to use that power against other devils in Hellish power struggles.

"I took a shower, and you know what happens when I do that...thinking!"

A compelling argument to not take a shower, I believe.

"perhaps the first Lillet found the secret entrance while fleeing the Archmage, possibly with an escort such as Advocat or Gammel*, who could get past the Archmage's trap runes, blundered into the Dark Room and tampered with the Stone, creating the cycle?"

It's actually an impossibility to be Gammel at least. Remember that... that... oh god the demon he has inside, starts rampaging around on day 4/day 5 which would mean no Calvaros. And with Gammel gone, and Calvaros running wild Advocat would just flee.*

"which, apparently, nobody's found in the decades since Calvaros's defeat, suggesting perhaps that it exists outside of physical reality so it can't be found by simply examining every possible foot of space in the tower--after all, it's known to be a gateway to other universes as used by Lujei"

How did Lillet found it on 5-5 then? Or Margarita knew it was on that room? I guess you could say it was more the fact that nobody wanted to find it/gave up because tower be huge yo.

"implication: since God, being outside the cycle of time, can observe the events in both channels, from His perspective there is only one Lillet, and only one soul, that happens to be existing in multiple existences simultaneously)"

So Xenogears-like then? Makes sense since the other reading is way more creepy**

*Man I seriously gotta continue writting Point of Origin. I have the itch at least***
**Well Amoretta would be happy when she dies tho.
***Itch to write. I [killed] lost my muse years ago.****
****Footnotes, I like footnotes they are comfy and easy to use.

On another note, why was Chartreuse cursed?

It's actually an impossibility to be Gammel at least. Remember that... that... oh god the demon he has inside, starts rampaging around on day 4/day 5 which would mean no Calvaros. And with Gammel gone, and Calvaros running wild Advocat would just flee.

Gammel can still be active if Grimlet is destroyed (see, eg. Loop III, when Amoretta's suicide destroys Grimlet on Day 4, and Gammel is involved on Day 5, fighting Calvaros, although he falls from his wounds). So if Grimlet is defeated, either by Amoretta or by Opalneria using Lujei's spell, then Gammel might still be able to act. Also, Advocat would do whatever suits him--it's a matter of finding a motive for him (such as, if Gammel is dead, then he can't collect Gammel's soul...).

How did Lillet found it on 5-5 then? Or Margarita knew it was on that room? I guess you could say it was more the fact that nobody wanted to find it/gave up because tower be huge yo.

Margarita told Lillet where the entrance to the Philosopher's Stone's hiding place was (Loop IV, I believe, or possibly III...Sora might know offhand, if we don't want to go searching through it....man, someone really needs to compile a game script that's quickly searchable).

On another note, why was Chartreuse cursed?

He turned Lujei down. Apparently, she's not good with rejection.

I was idly thinking about Glamour magic last night in writing the witch-hunter fic, and it struck me that we're given a pretty important "Glamour is Different" clue right from the start in I/1-1 and it's never mentioned again because it's not in any way relevant to the plot.

That is, Glamour seems to work because of a "contract" between the magician and the summoned creature. Now, Lillet isn't running around signing contracts, so it doesn't appear to be personal to the magician, and magic in general doesn't appear to be contract-based (Alchemy, for example, has nothing to contract with, and Sorcery involves forcing devils to obey unless a contract is specifically made with them, something that comes back to bite Lillet hard in Loop IV).

So what is this contract?

Since I went to the trouble of introducing the existence of Faerie in the witch-hunter story (and also in "She Heard the Fairies Singing") as the home of elves, fairies, and whatnot Glamour familiars, and since other worlds exist in canon as we know Lujei traveled to one, I have kind of a nebulous speculation that the "contract" in question was created way long ago between the ancient human magicians and the rulers of Faerie. One suspects that early on, magicians were throwing their summoning magic out into the green void and snatching up creatures willy-nilly, even forcing them to service in the same way that Sorcery does to devils, but unlike devils, the Fair Folk were not imprisoned in their world the way devils are in Hell, and so could strike back. Thus, I envision the "contract" as, in essence, a treaty between human magicians and Faerie rulers, defining how Glamour magic would be used. Thus, for example, summoned Fae include lesser races like elves and fairies, rather than capital-E Elves in the sidhe sense, as well as animal-like creatures. (Similarly, Morning Stars seem to be more manifestations of nature than people...) The magicians get the free service of these beings without having to waste power and time on forcing them to serve (and permitting the benefits of a free-willed, independent familiar instead of a bound slave), and the rulers of Faerie know that human magicians won't be reaching out and snatching powerful servants (or attempting to snatch them!) away to risk their lives and waste their power in matters that are none of Faerie's concern but may end up messing with the political balance due to the sheer randomness of the events.

What do you think?

@deathcurse:

I just had an odd thought this evening while writing...when you wrote "King in the Mountain," were you meaning to imply that Bartido became Archmage Bleu specifically because of what happened to Amoretta and Lillet? That is, given how I (and, I suspect others!) felt at reading that, I could easily see Bartido, who'd loved Lillet, and who'd assisted in creating Amoretta, could very easily be motivated to go off on a Roaring Rampage of Revenge, particularly if he were still anything like the reckless hothead who'd, in Loop III, sold his soul to Advocat to carry Lillet safely away from Calvaros! Then when you toss in a devil or two fanning his wrath, and you get a man who's motivated to obliterate a kingdom (or at least its government) that Did His Friends Wrong, quite possibly extending that anger to other, former friends like Hiram who failed to act on their own...

So, was that what you meant to imply all along, or is it only coincidence?

@Dezo: Hm...my answer to that is slightly complex .

My original intention when creating Bleu was to play off of Bartido's rashness and ambition, but for him to have made his pact with devils out of an altruistic "I want to help people" mentality. I hadn't exactly thought of what specific incident had prompted him to take such drastic actions, so your idea would fit well with what I had planned for Bleu/Bartido's intentions ^^.

Although I did take out all reference to Bleu being Bartido in the end, because it hadn't been especially necessary for the plot and might have jarred the reader out of the main focus of the story (given that the reader would have been wondering and trying to justify how Bartido could turn on his friends and teachers like that, etc). So since Bleu's background wasn't particularly necessary for the story, I didn't spend a lot of time working out the details of how that could have come about.

TL;DR, no I hadn't implied it, but it's a happy coincidence that I wish I had thought of .