FREE WAND

A large mirror in front of you shows the world you're standing in. Pick up the wand, draw a spell in the air, and fire, water or wind runs through that world. It's the motion of your own arm that sets the magic off.

1. I

   Swing the wand, and it becomes magic

   Swing the wand and draw a sigil in the air. That motion is read, and cast as magic into the world in the mirror.

2. II

   Nine spells

   The grimoire holds three spells each for fire, water and wind. Pick the sigil you like, and draw its shape in the air.

3. III

   The mirror answers

   Once a spell is recognized, the mirror casts it. The reflected world catches fire, floods, and is swept through by wind.

Three spells each for fire, water and wind. Every sigil is drawn in a single stroke — don't worry about size or tilt. Just move your arm as if tracing the grimoire's shape.

Fire

FIRE

Fire's sigils all have sharp corners. Draw each in one breath, and turn back firmly at the arrow's tip.

1. 

   Sparks

   One arrow, straight up. Embers lift off trailing tails of fire

2. 

   Pillar

   An inverted mark beneath the arrow. A tongue of flame climbs, wavering

3. 

   Vortex

   A great triangle laid over the mark. Three flames spiral as they rise

Water

MIZU

Water's sigils have no corners. A smooth, single-stroke curve becomes the water's own motion.

1. 

   Droplet

   Close the line. From the point where it lands, a ring of spray opens out

2. 

   Wave

   Repeat the same sway. Water runs left and right, and floods the floor

3. 

   Whirl

   Wind inward from the outside. Arms take hold of the image and drag it under

Wind

KAZE

Wind's sigils are lines that keep turning. The wind you loose doesn't stay where you drew it — it races around you, in the mirror.

1. 

   Slash

   One open arc. It winds around the person, then unwinds and cuts

2. 

   Updraft

   Gather low, spring up. It rises from the feet and carries the person with it

3. 

   Ring

   Cross the line and bring it back. A ring lies flat and keeps turning — the wind that stays longest

Once you've picked a spell, only four movements remain. Nothing is explained on screen, no score appears — just follow the tremble of the wand and the colour of the light, and let the magic go.

1. I

   

   Draw a circle

   Turn a slow circle with the tip of the wand. Magic begins to gather.

2. II

   

   Wait for the tremble

   When the wand trembles, it's ready.

3. III

   

   Draw the spell

   Draw the sigil you chose from the grimoire, straight into the air.

4. IV

   

   Swing it down

   Once you're done, swing the wand down. The magic is let loose.

The sigil you draw is drawn into the light at the foot of the screen, and loosed into the world from there. The magic appears where that light is — not where you drew it in the air. To start over, lower the wand along your body.

No words appear on screen. No score, no gauge. All you have to go on is the tremble in your hand and the colour of the light at the bottom of the screen.

FREE WAND reads motion with the wand, reads the spell with the mirror, and answers with an image. Keeping input, judgement and effect apart means the wand's feel and the world's reaction can each be tuned on their own.

1. I

   The wand only sends motion

   All the wand sends is the direction and amount it moved. Building the image is left to the mirror, so what's in your hand stays light.

2. II

   The mirror decides the spell

   On the PC side, the stroke it receives is read as a single line and matched against the nine spells. Once matched, the fire, water or wind effect is layered on.

Questions, thoughts, or anything else — feel free to get in touch.

Or write to us directly contact@l4na.com