Why do Nightingale and Varya reverse age?

[buckyball]

I suppose the answer to the question really is, to allow the story to have wizards from WW2. But if we want to write scenarios that involve aging/reverse aging magic, it would be useful to know why these two characters reverse age. Alternatively it might be nice to know that the secret of their particular reverse aging will remain a secret and game masters can just create explanations without concern about going against future revelations

It might also be helpful to know why some materials are better at retaining vestigium. Although here the gm could say there are conflicting theories about this. And there might be possible exceptions to the rules surrounding the phenomena. For instance it could be that wood actually retains vestigia quite well; so well that new vestigia interferes with old vestigia in wooden objects. This would make specific vestigium hard to detect. The wood might seem to retain vestigia poorly when in fact it is retaining it too well

 

  buckyball

[Lynne H]

There are answers to these questions but, as Ben always says, the characters don't know them and the books are told from their perspective.

I'm also pretty certain Peter discusses why he thinks certain plastics retain vestigia better than others but, for the moment, I can't recall which book that's in.

[WisdomOfWombat]

What I noticed in the books, not all practioners are reverse-aging. Certainly neither the first Faceless Man nor the retired practioner from Foxglove Summer are doing this. I suspect (without having anything to base that on) that the German director of the BKA KDA is also reverse aging and might be a Night Witch. I think it has something to do with actively practicing magic as opposed to simply knowing spells and not using them. I suspect that the second component you need is the rise in the general level of magic that has been observed. So a rising level of magic (cause unknown) and practicing your magic leads to reverse aging.  That's my working theory.

Edited December 9, 2022 by WisdomOfWombat

[David Scott]

1 hour ago, WisdomOfWombat said:

That's my working theory.

Don't forget that we know exactly when Varvara stopped aging  - August Bank Holiday 1966 (the 29th to be exact). It's very precise. From Moments One, we know that Mama Thames also appears that year, and Nightingale develops a spring in his step. Hugh's meeting with Nightingale is around that time as it's after the gypsies came for harvest. My theory is that is the aging link, the thames is reborn and her magic is causing the effect. 

[WisdomOfWombat]

22 minutes ago, David Scott said:

Don't forget that we know exactly when Varvara stopped aging  - August Bank Holiday 1966 (the 29th to be exact). It's very precise. From Moments One, we know that Mama Thames also appears that year, and Nightingale develops a spring in his step. Hugh's meeting with Nightingale is around that time as it's after the gypsies came for harvest. My theory is that is the aging link, the thames is reborn and her magic is causing the effect. 

Also the day of the last official Beatle concert... 😉

[David Scott]

12 minutes ago, WisdomOfWombat said:

Also the day of the last official Beatle concert... 😉

More importantly it was the very first Notting Hill street festival (which became the Notting Hill Carnival), this was also a revival of Notting Hill Fayre of a 100 years previously. If you are looking for a Russian connection, the organiser Rhaune Laslett was of Russian heritage. Likewise the local watercourse is Counters Creek which passes through Notting Dale, where part of the procession runs, which had a small tributary running in to it from the area. Lots of Rivers of London themes in there.