#Neloth rambling about magic is one of my favorite things

[thana-topsy]

Hi Topsy! A Neloth prompt for you—at your leisure, to play around with as you will. [Officious looking letter, penned on creamy parchment] "To: Master Neloth of House Telvanni. I hope this letter finds you in good health. I have been following your research with unwavering interest for a number of years, so it is with great pleasure that I would like to invite you to give the keynote address for this year's "Vanus Galerion" Invited Speaker Series at the Arcane University. The year's theme is "The Theory and Methods of Summoning." I have no doubt that your insights on the subject would be of great interest to both our students and our faculty, and it is my great hope that you will consider this invitation favorably. As always with a keynote address, we would be pleased to offer an honorarium, as well as cover all travel and lodging expenses. I patiently await your response. Respectfully, ~Hannibal Traven"

[Included along with Master Neloth's letter of acceptance is a brief excerpt of his proposed lecture]:

To begin, Theory and Method (of any particular subject) I consider, at times, to be dialectically opposed. The theory of summoning in many cases does not hold even a single drop of water in comparison to the actual torrent of the practice itself. I have no doubt that you’ll find an inexhaustible stream of scholars willing to drone on about theory until they’ve lectured themselves hoarse, so I shall skip forward into the methodology to save us all time and precious mental capacity.

First and foremost, a summoner is nothing without a strong, well-honed force of Will. Any budding mage could feasibly rip a gash into Oblivion and fish out a passing scamp, but to control such a thing requires the ability to assert your Will over another’s mind. The more powerful the intelligence of said creature, the more difficult it becomes to maintain control. Low-level summoning forms, usually of the more animalistic variety—scamp, imps, clannfear, and the like—are often considered ‘beginner’ summonings. Theirs is a lower-level, more primal intelligence based on survival instinct, and one that is easily overpowered when one knows how and where to apply the correct amount of pressure.

The practice of strengthening one’s Will begins with a simple act that has set many an apprentice groaning and bemoaning my cruelty when I require it as part of their daily routine: meditation. The ability to filter one’s thoughts with needle-thin precision is nothing short of mandatory. If you cannot manage to sit still for five minutes without planning your next meal or scratching your nose, what makes you think you’ll be able to control a sentient creature with any amount of success? 

Once you have strengthened your Will, then it is simply a matter of practice. Novice summoners will find great success working with atronachs and lesser churls, as these are creatures who are predisposed to servility. However, it is important not to get too far ahead of one’s own abilities in the process. To reference one of the preeminent scholars on the matter, the current Master of Conjuration at the College of Winterhold, Falion: to wrangle with a bound summons is not unlike attempting to wrangle a very large fish on the end of a line. If you have not exercised the proper muscles or crafted a tenacious tether, you may find yourself with a snapped line and a very angry fish that will attempt to kill you.   

Now, given the namesake of your little convention, I can only assume that to delve further into the subject might very well see me in shackles in one of your fine correctional institutions. So, for the sake of adhering to the legal limitations of your country, I will state that, to attempt to bring anything more powerful than a Kynval onto our plane is unwise and unsanctioned. Hopefully that will suffice.  

We will take a brief recess, and, upon return, will discuss the Direnni method of binding, the hierarchy of summoned entities, and lastly, I will share the most common sigil forms for single entity binding, as well as second-order binding.