In our years upon the world, we as a
species have learned much about the world around us. From the primal teachings
of the Gods (especially learning how NOT to behave like idiots), to the wonder
and beauty of the natural world. We have come to understand that pure light is
composed of all the colors in existence, and that blackness and darkness is
simply an absence of light.
We have long known that what we see is not
all that there is. We have known of this since time immemorial. With this
knowledge we have conjured, and for our power we have abjured. We have calmed our primal selves, and have
created a (relatively) peaceful existence within the city. We no longer
shamelessly hunger for power, and our massive tower at the very center of the
city is a testament to beauty and grace.
Gentleman, we have achieved mighty things.
We are standing upon the shoulders of giants, both those of our ancestors, and
upon the shoulders of the giants that our ancestors ruthlessly destroyed, back
when we wizards got up to such shenanigans, which no one should do of course, I
myself would never dream of doing such horrid things as amassing huge
armies to do my bidding, or learning the ways of magic such to match the Gods
themselves, no of course I wouldn't.
But we have yet to answer one simple
question: Why is it purpley green? We know that only a few select individuals
such as we can even see this, the eighth type of light. But what sets us apart,
what allows this extra ability? Why do we perceive things as we do, and why is
it the color that it is?
Gentlemen, I present to you today my answer
to this ancient question. As you know, the visible spectrum is but a line, and
what we see as color is but a fraction thereof. In truth, the spectrum extends
far above and far below what we can see. And yet there is a paradox. I present
the color wheel.
.jpg)
The important word here is wheel, as in circle.
I have never, not once, have I ever seen the color spectrum presented as
anything but a circle. Have you? I doubt that you have. To perceive the visible
spectrum as a circle of colors is ingrained in the very mechanisms by which we
perceive the world. In truth, the wheel is just a straight line segment cut
from a larger one, and stitched into a circle. We even know where this incision
takes place, between red and blue.
But hold on, you may say. There is no
distinct line between those two colors, there's even a whole nother color in between
them; Purple! And therein lay half the answer to our question. In order to
perceive a small segment of the spectrum as a circle you need something to
stitch the ends of that segment together. What we perceive as purple is nothing
less than that which binds the world together. The eighth color of light is
what holds the color wheel together, just as that which produces that light
holds the disc together.
Gentlemen! I now know a great secret of the
world. We all know that this special light has itself an eightfold spectrum.
This is because there are in truth, Two Spectrums! What is generally seen as
purple to others is the intersection of the magical spectrum and the regular.
Our octagonal cells, in addition to the standard rods and cones, can perceive
both.
But why green? The answer to that is a bit
trickier. We have thus far been concentrating on our conception of color as
being circular. But now we must exam the two spectrums as they really are,
straight lines. Now, purple exists in this conception at either end of the
spectrum. For the eight colors of magic, we see the same thing except that this
time the color in question is seen between green and yellow. The division point in the magical color wheel
lies at a sort of yellow-green color. You see gentlemen, that the two spectrums
intersect at blue/red (visible light) and yellow/green (magical light), and can
be conceived of as two color wheels intersecting each other at right angles.
That intersection happens to be at purple & green, and that, gentlemen, is
why octarine is a sort of greeny-purplish.
This draft letter submitted to the Arcane
University Peer Review on this date by:
[Editor: Illegible, looks like an R, or
maybe a P followed by squiggle. Does anyone know a P or possibly an R
Squiggle?]
