[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/hSbxgyH.png[/img]
[sup][@Pyromania99][@Rune_Alchemist][/sup][/center]
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[b]Coinage:[/b] 8 Silver, 5 Copper
[list][*]The (shredded) clothing on his back.
[*]A fur cloak.
[*]Untanned boar skin.
[*]Leather Belt
[*]Knight's Shield
[*]Knight's Dagger
[*]Knight's Longsword
[*]Dwarf's Polearm
[*]Rope
[*]Some preserved food
    Enough for two people to last a few days.
[*]Roll of what seemed to be a mat of thick fur, likely for sleeping on
    Comfortable, but only one.
[*]A heavy looking fur/cloth blanket.
    Cozy, warm and heavy. Good for sleeping in colder climates.
[*]Communication horn
    Made from bone, hollow and likely used for communication.
[*]A small pot and a ladle
[*]Frozen canteen of water
[*] Map of the Under roads.
    A map detailing some routes used by the Dwarves and Shadow Elves to travel in their subterranean homes. Its not entirely complete, but it at least shows the routes to the two most notable settlements and several other places of note. Unless you travel off the paths, you probably won’t get lost.
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The raw force of creation that the ancient Gods once made the world and universe out of.

That was an interesting way to phrase it. Isidore wasn’t much of a scientist himself, but if the very fundamentals of the world around him wasn’t understood in terms of the building blocks of atoms and the origins of the Big Bang, then that certainly changed many things. More importantly, however, was the revelation that such power could be granted just as easily as it could come from within. Sorcha came to mind, with her ‘unique’ ability of electromagnetism. The Urutha, with their demonic ties, must have the same roots then. Gifted the power to survive in a world that had drastically changed due to the Moonless Era. And as for arrogance…

That got a smile out of Isidore.

The arrogance of childhood, believing the world centered around one’s self. The arrogance of adolescence, believing in one’s own invincibility. The arrogance of adulthood, believing in experience and strength. The arrogance of age, believing in wisdom and connections. Mellowed out as he may have been, he always was an egotist, and considering Augusta’s own predilections, she must’ve been one too.

Though the lack of a unifying theory was disappointing, and Rullphana’s general rule seemed like a rather intuitive one, that addendum about the Elder Beasts was useful. Powers not bound by the concept of magic, nor constrained by the consumption of mana. What difference was there between that and the gifts of the Storyteller? And how would the Stieneter’s power clash with the crystalline growths that emerged from Isidore’s own body when encountering physical trauma? Questions he wouldn’t voice until he exhausted other sources. And as for the grand mage’s assessment of Augusta’s powers…well, that too was a nice bonus. What applied to the reincarnated Sirithen applied to himself as well, after all, and the little display from Raezel helped as well, in offering a view of ‘magic’ as an energy in and of itself, capable of existing outside one’s body.

[b]“Thank you,”[/b] he intoned after some contemplation. [b]“It was enlightening.”[/b]

The nature of magic was that of creation. Creation of flame, creation of flesh, creation of restraints. So everything around him, in some way, possessed magic. Which meant that his visualization of a furnace wasn’t wholly correct. Which meant…

Isidore re-imagined his core, burning bright, burning hot. There had never been a real fire in his stomach though, nor real coals that searing blue and white. Rather, it must have all taken the shape of that strange light that passed from that Urutha apprentice’s hands. And the fuel it took in must not have been oxygen, but some form of atmospheric mana. Connections were made more and more easily now, synapses forming in a brain unfettered by age or scientific sense. Augusta’s physical form was still merely a construct of mana. That was why she became translucent, fragile when the demon flower tried to draw her into the depths. What was magical could create the physical, and what was physical could return to the magical. In which case, it was only natural that the magical could also [i]augment[/i] the physical.

The dark-haired man tightened his stomach, focused his will…and did not take a breath.

Slowly, his body relaxed. He let go of that image of a furnace within his stomach. It was rude for an observer to participate in a lesson that someone else had paid for, after all. Instead, Isidore reached into the folds of his ragged outfit again, and this time handed the seed of the demonic plant to Rullphana. [b]“It’ll be a privilege to witness the work of a professional, if you'll allow us.” [/b]