Master-words

From ErrantryWiki

Not normally single words -- more usually phrases or sequences of concept syllables in the Speech -- spells of this type give temporary control or "mastery" of a given class of living beings or substances. The control is temporary because of the somewhat coercive nature of the spell.

Substance-specific master-words are typified by the Mason's Word, which -- depending on the form used -- either reminds free elements of what it was like when they were stone, or (in its more complex forms) gives stone or metal the appearance of life. There are many other wider-spectrum and tighter-spectrum words of this kind, giving brief control over specific chemical elements: probably the best-known of the narrow-spectrum words is the Tethyc Word which gives mastery over a volume of water limited only by the power of the wizard implementing it. (Management of this difficult word is one requirement of the wizardly exploit known as Taking in the Sea.)

Master-words specific to living beings tend to be at least genus-specific, like the Horseman's Word which gives the invoking wizard mastery over members of the species Equus. The broader-spectrum a master-word or control sequence is -- in other words, the higher up the "structural tree" of lifeforms it is, and the more species, genuses, etc. it covers -- the more difficult the word will be to implement, the shorter a time it will function, and the higher the price for using it.

This is because master-words are some of the least "cooperative" spells a wizard can use: they enforce compliance on an element or being, rather than achieving it by persuasion -- the preferred method for any spell. Master-words (especially the broad-spectrum ones) are also one of the types of spell most likely to be used incorrectly, or to produce unusual and unexpected side effects. For these reasons, the wise wizard keeps their use to a minimum, and makes very sure before speaking them that enough power is available to fuel them for the necessary time. (SYWTBAW et al)