AmigaDragon wrote: ↑Sat Sep 30, 2017 7:49 amBTW, is there any difference between different color mana crystals beyond their color? So far we've seen blue and red mana crystals, how many colors do they come in?
Based all the way back on strip 301(25 of Sep of 2006), my guess is it determines what types of magic they can power, or can power safely. Natani's question "Do they contain pure mana?" seems odd offhand; under what circumstances would the vendor answer "no"? But, if magic were divided into types, like D&D's schools, then "pure" may indicate mana that can power any magic. Crystals this color hold mana only for warding, crystals that color hold mana only for divination, but these other crystals can hold pure mana.
Rereading the comic I saw that mana crystals have a natural teal color until someone uses them to cast a spell, then they change color in response. So far I've spotted a few shades of red, white, yellow and blue. Brahn's statement that "it took a team of our best mages weeks to weave the magic" would point to that particular flawless stone having an active and permanent enchantment on it. Likely one strong enough to undo dragon magic.
The talk of purity is probably just that, a question of the crystal's purity. How much mana can a stone contain, how many times can it be recharged and expended? A lower quality crystal might be used a couple of times before it shatters but flawless crystals, which Clovis made at least two attempts to get a hold of, can be reused indefinitely which makes them near priceless.
I suppose it just makes her even more awesome, if she's powerful enough that a magical suppressor acts, not as its name would suggest, but instead as a stabilizer.
Well, it's worth noting that even when she was wearing the suppressor, she still managed to teleport group B away from the wolves. Only a few meters, perhaps, but teleportation is still pretty impressive for a completely untrained mage under the influence of a magic suppressor. In other words, the suppressor can nullify Natani and Zen's link, and is potent enough that it can interfere with the beefy wand-powered magic barrier, but Raine is powerful enough that she can burn through it. So yeah, she's got some serious magical potential. Give her a few years of training and I'd bet she'd be second only to Trace in power, assuming she can gain enough control over her shapeshifting ability to stay in human form so as to avoid needing mana crystals all the time.
So, she didn't just teleport herself, but an entire group of people, and she did it unprepared, without any incantation or components. On top of that she's untrained and was wearing a magic suppressor... So calling her magic potential "serious" is probably a bit of an understatement.
