Reading Up on Magic

The Order of the Red Erisim is a community of magic-wielders in Neopia, perhaps most famously Jerdana of Altador. We're not talking about sleight of hand and pulling Snowbunnies out of top hats. We're talking real honest-to-goodness magic, like the type Xandra used to bring down Faerieland a couple years ago. This is serious business, and Katherine felt she was rusty on magic ever since the new Battledome rules prohibited the use of magical faerie abilities. Therefore, she selected several books on magic that she thought would help bring her up to speed, and she's sharing the list with all of you!

Katherine wants to warn all young mages to study up like she did before waving your wands around. We wouldn't want anyone losing an eye now, would we? This is a war after all, not complete barbarism.

(Prices courtesy of the Shop Wizard JubJub... probably a member of the Order as well if our intuition serves us.)

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Now, when dealing with something as powerful and dangerous as magic, it's always best to start with the basics. Make sure you've got that all down pat before you dive into something you might not be able to handle. So let's start with two beginner tomes:

Simple Spells - Rarity: 70

Easy spells to start you on your way to mastering magic.

This is a great book for a beginner and also a great reference to keep on your shelf if you're already somewhat adept at magic. A lot of complex spells have their bases in simple spells, or are simple several basic spells combined together into a larger spell. With the knowledge in this book tucked safely in your mind, you're well on your way to becoming a notable member of the Order.

This book can be found at the official Faerieland Bookshop in Faerie City for a very reasonable price. Many other Neopian shops also carry this title, and most of them price it at under 1,000 NP, again quite reasonable. There's no reason for any beginning mage to skip this purchase.

Price: 800 NP

Basic Potion Brewing - Rarity: 88

Based on notes Kayla made during her first few months in Meridell.

While Kayla is not a confirmed member of the Order, she is definitely a well-known and highly-skilled potion maker. She is successful enough have her own shop inside Meridell Castle where she sells her hand-brewed potions. She graciously allowed an anonymous author use of her notes to write this book, and it is highly acclaimed.

While potion brewing may not have the immediate excitement of other types of magic, potions can be very useful in battle if prepared properly beforehand and used strategically.

Price: 19,000 NP

Once you've finished these two beginner books, you're ready to start on more heavy material. This section includes four books which cover a variety of situations. After reading these you should have a good repertoire of spells under your belt. The first is a natural next step from the beginner books:

Kaylas Spellbook - Rarity: 75

Top tips from Meridell's leading spellcaster and potion mixer.

This book is significantly cheaper than Basic Potion Brewing, but still contains a plethora of knowledge. I believe it is cheaper because the information contained in this book is not as specific as the potions book, which includes actual brewing recipes that you can follow. Kaylas Spellbook does contain a few minor spells which can be used as written, but mostly the book contains general advice on a wide variety of topics from how to choose a wand to common tricks for mastering notoriously difficult spells.

Price: 2,000 NP

1002 Spells For You - Rarity: 86

A spell for every occasion, last minute birthday gifts, that must have outfit and turning your little sister into a Mortog!

While the rhyming title of this book does seem a bit juvenile and the description even more so, the spells contained within actually are quite useful. There are a few downsides to using spells for creating matter and I highly recommend you buy your birthday gifts and outfits, however in a pinch, a spell will usually do fine and the techniques here can be applied to many battle situations. So read up!

Price: 30,000 NP

Mage Spells - Rarity: 97

Traditional spells that no mage could be without.

Just like the description says, this book contains spells that no mage could, or should, be without. For a high rarity book, it is extremely competitively priced in Neopian shops, I would even say it may be easier on your bank account to buy this from a Neopian shop rather than Brightvale Books!

Price: 1,800 NP

Modern Spells - Rarity: 99

Full of all kinds of helpful spells to help you in your day to day life.

Another very reasonably priced, high rarity book. Modern Spells and Mage Spells actually look quite nice together on your bookshelf if you're a rare book collector, with their gold Brightvale sun symbols and sparks of magic practically flying off the pages. This book may not contain as much information that will be directly beneficial to you during battle, as it mostly focuses on streamlining daily activities, but the spells here can lay a strong foundation for battle magic as well.

Price: 2,000 NP

The last three books I want to mention are more specialized and are also a bit more dense, therefore they may not be for the casual reader. If you have not joined the Order but have read this article anyway, and have taken my advice and read the preceding books, bravo. However, you may want to stop now as these are probably not for you. If you have joined the Order but are thinking of shirking your studies and skipping these last three books... shame on you!

Advanced Magic - Rarity: 90

Just like advanced algebra, but for magic.

Well we all know how easy algebra is. And advanced algebra, well that's just a walk in the park, right? Anyway, if you're the type that loves math and logic puzzles, you'll probably digest this book just fine. For the rest of the world though, it may take a bit of work and a lot of patience. Remember to take it in small bites and make sure you fully understand each section before moving on. Don't skip ahead or skim because you'll very likely miss key points and the results can be truly devastating if something goes wrong.

Price: 35,000 NP

Lost Spells of Neopia - Rarity: 89

This ancient book tells the history of many long forgotten spells.

The Obelisk of Tyrannia seems to be an old relic of some sort. We don't yet know what sort of power or magic it may hold. It's time to brush off this dusty tome of forgotten spells and really dig into the knowledge of the past, because we might need it when push comes to shove. It's a good thing scholars of the past put this book together because without it we may be facing ancient magic that we don't know how to deal with. And if it's a completely new type of magic that we're dealing with now, well... we'll just have to wait and see.

Price: 28,000 NP

Morguss Spell Book - Rarity: 180

This book contains all her favourite spells. This was a prize given out by the advent calendar in year 6.

Morguss is a Moehog witch and confirmed member of the Order of the Red Erisim. She fought on the side of Lord Darigan and Lord Cass in the Battle for Meridell, so she has extensive battle magic knowledge. This book is now out of print, although copies can still be found relatively easily tucked away in corners of Neopian shops. Get it now while you still can at a relatively affordable price! This book has been out of print since Y6 and will only be more and more difficult to find.

Price: 25,000 NP

The Morguss Spell Book seems to be the perfect note to end this article. However, this is not at all a complete list of magic-related books. If you've plowed through all of the books on this list and are hungry for more, visit the Magical Bookshop in Neopia Central, Brightvale Books in Brightvale, Faerieland Bookshop in Faerie City, or Booktastic Books on Kreludor. I'm sure the friendly and literary shopkeepers at these fine establishments would be happy to direct you to the relevant titles you're seeking. Happy reading!