Ley Lines

[Wyrdrune]

let's talk about ley lines.

in the RPG they are under sponsored magic. and there is an example of a line which gets its power from a spirit in the nevernever. that works like standard sponsored magic. I see that.

are all ley lines in the dresdenverse powered by entities slumbering somewhere in the nevernever, or are there some 'free' lines with no color or agenda? (ok. I am GM, I can do whatever I like, but I want to hear your ideas.) I am thinking of putting a line in the main city of my future campaign - Vienna (Austria). I am thinking of making it free of any taint, making it highly valuable to mortal and immortal spellcasters alike, making it a focal point for many struggles.

what kind of debt could such an unaligned ley line plant on a user?

[KnightFerrous]

Well if i recall correctly all ley lines follow some form of magic. Ley lines come from places of power and spread out across the world so they are "tainted" to use your vernacular with that type of energy, earth magic, dark magic, fire, light, ectomanctic, divination, etc. Even in game terms i wouldn't just have a carte blanche leyline of pure power unless you ranked up it's refresh cost to at least that of soulfire. That being said my suggestion is to make it a ley line of Spirit and leave it at that.

As for compels, rememeber ley lines have no conscious aspect to compel you, it is all unconscious. A ley line of earth magic might make you slower to come to conclusions, more worried about testing the stability of your theories. You might become reluctant to go to high places or leave terra firma for any length of time. and you might start avoiding air magic as it is your elemental opposite.

[Moriden]

As for compels, rememeber ley lines have no conscious aspect to compel you, it is all unconscious. A ley line of earth magic might make you slower to come to conclusions, more worried about testing the stability of your theories. You might become reluctant to go to high places or leave terra firma for any length of time. and you might start avoiding air magic as it is your elemental opposite.

Keep in mind that Kemmlerian necromancy is a bestowed power and doesn't have sentience no less an agenda, it simply warps you to think and act in a slightly different way. a ley line could do the same or similar things.

[Wyrdrune]

As for compels, rememeber ley lines have no conscious aspect to compel you, it is all unconscious. A ley line of earth magic might make you slower to come to conclusions, more worried about testing the stability of your theories. You might become reluctant to go to high places or leave terra firma for any length of time. and you might start avoiding air magic as it is your elemental opposite.

hmmm... *slaps forehead* why didn't I think of that? yes, yes, that's what I wanted to hear.

and yep, you're right, about the lines too, I forgot that they could be in favor of elemental magic, I just do not like to have one linked to a sentient being/entity.