In a message dated 4/5/04 1:37:20 AM Mountain Daylight Time, 
vesanto@cc.hut.fi writes:

>  Well, let's go through this step by step:
>  
>  call: this should not be too difficult, although it may take a while
>         for the summoned to hear and answer the call. I don't see any
>         way to compel someone to answer the call, unless you
>         have some direct Authority.
>  entering Celandra: making a gate between Celandra and Dreaming is not
>         easy - it takes considerable effort, actually - but it's not
>         impossible, and of course one can use existing portals

Creating a temporary gate possible with one experienced mage-type (espiri) 
and 25 assistants working over 10 to 30 minutes?

>  bind: this is something you would have to do with Authority; Authority
>         over the creature so that it can be constrained. Of course you
>         can always imprison the creature, and thus constrain it
>         physically.
>  command: again, authority. But as has been pointed out, direct control
>         of mind is both hard and potentially very dangerous. Typically,
>         threats and bribes work better.

Well, the entities I'm thinking of are minions of Feroze, and thus friendly 
to summoning espiri.  Of course, misunderstandings are always possible.

>  banish: you just have to force the creature back across the portal/gate.
>  
>  As to the power level of these creatures; you can have anything
>  in the Dreaming. But the creatures of the Dreaming are *not* at home
>  in Celandra. It's a difficult environment for most of them, especially
>  initially.

Well, that's why I figured that anything that can do _something_ is going to 
be on the powerful side.

>  All in all, your example would require:
>    - preferably a specific place, where the gate can be easily
>      opened/exists already

Sanctified ground / Devove.  OK.

>    - authority over the summoned creature, as well as some detailed
>      knowledge of it so that it can be called

Available from the Book of Travels.

>    - bribes / threats / authority so that the creature obeys the command

The assumption was that the divine hierarchy wouldn't allow access unless 
they approved of the caster's request.

>    - a powerful creature, with its own environment close enough to
>      Celandra to make it functional - or enough time for it to adapt

That's a bit more on the problematic side, but as god of discovery Feroze has 
an amazing variety of minions.

>   > What about using the rite to summon a dreaming entity to teach
>   > spell effects or other forms of knowledge?
>  
>  Knowledge transfer is easier. But as you pointed out in an earlier
>  post, all magic is different from all other magic. The best knowledge
>  of essence magic, for example, can be found from Celandra - or somebody
>  who has been a long time in Celandra - not from the Dreaming.

Well, I was thinking in terms of a minion of Feroze to teach espiri-based 
magic.  Then I realized that as god of discovery Feroze would never give 
information like this outright.  At best a minion would supply hints; he wouldn't 
provide the answer.  So the point becomes somewhat moot.

------

Now, having established that its at least possible, there's the question of 
how _likely_ an espiri is to develop this effect.  From what I can discern from 
the history this isn't an effect that's particularly common.  So, in all 
likelihood, this isn't an effect that Exquaestio is likely to develop 
deliberately.  OTOH, it might still happen if the circumstances are right, but that's a 
long shot.  (The one espiri [of 12] with the skill doesn't have an appropriate 
site or trained assistants.)

Jefferson (Exquaestio)
http://www.picotech.net/~jeff_wilson63/rpg/
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