Vampire Hunter: Corey Crowgarden's guide to killing vampires for fun and profit.

Lesson 5

Let's talk about magic.
There is a theory that things work a certain way because so many people believe that they work that way. This is called "consensus reality", and it explains a lot of things.
Science is trying to figure it all out so they can explain it to us. However, there is this thing, "observation bias" that shows that watching something occur, can often change the outcome. Are we seeing consensus reality at work? Where there is no consensus is reality... malleable?
Science would tell you NO!, but older, different traditions would say..
well, maybe.
The universe (or God, gods, deities, spirits, ancestral beings) all hear "I want". By the way, they also hear "I don't want" but "don't" is a function of language, not thought, so it sounds like "I don't WANT", since your thoughts are the energy that creates the consensus (okay, along with everyone else's thoughts) you are creating the thing you don't want... all the universe (et all) hears is want.. something.
I know, you are saying you want to know about magic, not all this 'mumbo jumbo'. Hey, I told you before, I'm not a writer, I'm a vampire hunter. You should look up Tim Hill's books at your fine, local occult bookstore. Tell them I sent you.
Actually, leave my name out of it. It's not liked in a few circles.
There are as many "systems" of magic as there are practitioners. When you get down to it, it's about your connection to the universe, whether that connection is viewed through a microscope or a crystal ball.
So, I have explained a whole lot of nothing. It's like I'm running for Congress.
A teacher can show you two things. How it works for them and that it does work.
So, step one.
Believe it will work.
It sounds pretty simple, doesn't it? However you have a billion people saying it won't, so don't stress. Use your foci. Start small.
Me, I focus on mind magic. After all, I have one and most people say I'm out of it. Hypnosis, hyper observation, reading thoughts, forcing my thoughts on someone. Playing in their memory and maybe altering them slightly.
The mind is pretty malleable, when you know how to pull the levers and push the buttons.
What I do is handy, but small potatoes.
What Tim does is truly frightening. I can look someone in the eye and get them to pick my card.
Tim can control dead bodies.
So the question I have been skirting and the one you're waiting for...
Is Necromancy evil.
I don't think so, but many would disagree. It takes a lot of balls for you to look death in the empty sockets and say "let me drive for a bit."
Excessive balls can lead to a bit of hubris, and death... well, he can afford to be amused. He always gets the last laugh. Almost always, I think he isn't a big fan of the fangers. They owe him one that they are trying to Welch on.
I think he has fudged the roll for me a number of times when I had to roll the bones and by all rights they had me. I pay him his due respect, but I know he is pretty capricious. I can't rely on him to save my bacon. Eventually he's going to want a sandwich.
So how is being a necromancer any different than being a fanger?
Necromancers can control zombies more effectively. They can help a vampire control their hunger. Not get rid of it, but help keep it in check.
I've been told they can change the nature of their unlife.
Change you to something called "a lich", maybe even end the curse.
Sounds like wishful thinking,
But everything is just thinking.. right?