Xeric’s eyes sought for something, or someone, in particular. The young, hot headed student Zaad and Samuel had mentioned from the infirmary, one that seemed to have potential yet it took gloating from the Demon to make her stay. Something the Esyire found to be a pity as from what the healer had said, the young Elf had decent raw talent and would’ve otherwise be wasted. Not something the Pyromancer teacher liked in the least but she had a feeling, a faint one, that if the Elf saw her own potential then she might actually work to master it. Not just linger within the College.
Noting where the Elf was, the Pyromancer teacher’s eyes followed the student’s path to retrieve her dagger. It was firmly embedded into the table’s end of the teacher’s table. A small distance from the Esyire herself, which for Xeric was a convenience, as she watched the Wood Elf struggle to pull it out. Gingerly, the white scaled teacher walked towards the student while her tail shifted the helm of her skirt until she stopped just beside the Wood Elf. Her arms folded behind her, she glance towards the chaos left behind in Serge’s wake, the others either picked themselves off the ground or gathered items scattered about seemed to need a few moments. Plenty of time for her to coax the young woman into her demonstration, Xeric believed.
“Ahem… I believe you’re the young Pyromancer that was in the infirmary. I have a request of you, if you’re up to,” Xeric asked, her tone serious and firm. “Then again, you’re recovering and it might be rather much for you to attempt. I don’t want you to exhaust yourself assisting me after all in the demo.”
Auriel looked up from her failing attempt to pull her dagger from the table when the Pyromancy teacher addressed her. She had a scowl on her face, partially due to the stubborn dagger, and partially because the Esyire seemed to be acting like Zaad. She thought she'd gotten rid of him and his insults, but she couldn't help but feel that there was more fun to be had with that attitude tonight. She took a break from the dagger for a moment, not wanting to make herself look weak with her failure to pull it from the wood, then sarcastically said to the teacher. "What, did Zaad put you up to this?"
"No, if that pile of ashes had then it's unlikely he would've been able to move for long, long time. I merely overheard him mention to Khan about a bedridden...Doll Face, I think. Samuel, the healer told me about a Wood Elf that was a Pyromancer. So afterwards, with being in medical wing, I assumed it meant you would've been in worse condition then I see you in now." Her head looked over Auriel as if noting her current action as indicating otherwise.
"Bloody Inferno, he did put you up to this." She'd had enough of being called Doll Face, but it occurred to her then that she'd never actually given her name to anyone but Althalus. It wouldn't make a difference with Zaad, but at least the others might bother using it. "I do have a name you know, so you can stop calling me Doll Face if you like looking so pretty. Call me Auriel."
"Auriel, then. At least now I know who crystallized his face, about time. However, I think you could've done much more. Raw talent does need refinement but not all students are cut out to learn the true power a Pyromancer can obtain. Only those who are brave enough and sadly many lack such qualities." Xeric sighed a little and then turned, her eyes looked over the crowd. "It seems he might've been correct then and I rather not have you collapse after all. It won't do well if the one assisting in performance collapse, would it? I'll find someone else then and inform the Headmaster you might need more time to recover in the infirmary then."
She was definitely not going to go back to the infirmary, and even though she could tell the words that came from Xerics mouth were probably put there by Zaad, she wouldn't just back down now. "I'll be damned if I go back to bedrest. You've found your volunteer, I'm right here. I doubt any of these others have the stomach for it. So whats going to happen anyway? You should know I tend to burn things that aren't meant to be burned."
Xeric didn't smile, outwardly, as her words were blunt. "I won't worry about that. Pyromancy has many aspects, the one I need you for is to demonstrate how a Pyromancer can boost another's energy. You'll have more power and I'll also aid you in manipulating it into a shape, even moving the flame around. However, most the effort as well as the designed object is from you alone. I look forward to what you aim to create."
The Eysire then moved forward and tightened around the handle. It started to glow a bit, just a slight heat pulsed though, while the wood that lodge the steel blade began to sizzle and scorch a bit. Xeric held it there for a moment, then ceased and easily ripped the weapon from the table leaving behind a burnt mark. "One more thing, Auriel. For Novices to inflict damage and even crystallize a certain pest, I suggest focusing your magic into this and slice. It tends to have...effective results on contact."
With those words she placed the now cooled blade back upon the table for the student to pick up.
"I can do that." She said confidently, replying to both statements at once. She was a little annoyed at having the Esyire pull the dagger free for her, charity wasn't really something she appreciated if it made her look weak. That was all drowned in other emotions though. She wasn't really sure she could do what Xeric asked despite the confident appearance she was projecting. She was incredibly worried she'd set the building on fire. She didn't really know what to make either, especially since it'd be seen by so many people. Nonetheless, once she had replaced the dagger in its sheath she followed Xeric to the teachers table with the same subtle nonchalant swagger she usually used in social situations.
"New and old students will come to know me as Xeric Firestone, the Pryomancy teacher. Pyromancy is the manipulation of fire and aspects related to it. Currently, I've asked a new student, Auriel, to assist me in displaying one of the rarely known elements. The ability to boost another's Mage blood effect." She motioned for the Wood Elf to step forward as pointed where she wanted her, slight in front and to the right. Auriel walked to where the teacher indicated and Xeric gently rested her hand upon Auriel's shoulder.
When the tingling raced up and down, edged from the center point where it gently warmed Auriel's body, the Pyromancer teacher quietly spoke. "Hold out your hand while I transfer the flame into it. Then keep it there, focused on the center and remain calm. Flames grow power from extreme emotions. Once you feel confident enough then picture an image within your mind of anything you would like and see it in the flame."
Auriel could feel all the eyes of the room on her as Xeric gave instructions. Not quite the attention level she was looking for at the start of the night, but it wasn't anything to frighten her either. She held out her hand, and a sliver of flame from each of the nearby torches shot towards the space above it, forming into a ball. Auriel focused hard on keeping it there, creasing her brow a little as she did so. She didn't want to set anything on fire here.
It took half a minute for her to become confident that it wasn't going to end up catastrophically failing. Once she did, she began to focus on the feeling of freedom she had while running through the woods in Ghannos, the exhilaration of being chased through those same woods. Days of fun and enjoyment long passed. The flame in her hand began to grow, roiling about with speed as if trying to escape. Auriel wasn't really sure what to do at that point, she didn't have any image in mind, but she wouldn't look back at Xeric for advice.
Xeric easily keep her eyes upon the flames. They danced and flickered within the student's palm while she kept there rather well by herself. The Pyromancer teacher was a little impressed, a uncommon thing even among older and more experienced students. But she didn't let an ounce spill out into her face. It won't help the student and likely risk making Auriel more smug, something Xeric hated within her students. It made bigger fools in the end.
"Now, you might want to give a shape. An animal would be ideal as you can move and manipulate it. Not to mention gives you a feel for the flame's essence. Is there animal you're fond of or remember best?" Xeric asked, trying to stay firm yet gentle so not to draw away Auriel's focus. "I'll keep the flame small but you have to give it the shape."
That was more useful for Auriel. She knew a few animals in Ghannos, and the forest was filled with birds. One bird in particular she'd seen quite often, and she pictured it in her mind. It was one of her favourites, and one she'd spent a lot of time watching when she wasn't being chased or doing something to get people to chase her. The fire began to take shape, following the image in her mind, stretching out to create a colossal construct with a wingspan almost as wide as the room.
The moment it was fully shaped, it leapt into the air and swooped down at the crowd just like the real bird did back in Ghannos. Auriel was barely in control of the roiling bird-shaped conflagration and was hoping against hope that Xeric would make sure it wouldn't hurt anyone.
Xeric had a vague notion of what was about to happen, herself done something similar during her school years and with much more painful intentions. The young man from her youth did deserve his rump roasted when he commented on her 'ugly' mug. A fire bird, beautiful and graceful as the flames that made it, took off. Immediately when the bird was in mid flight towards someone in the crowd, it's path unchanged, her hand rose right at it. The size quickly shrank within moments until it was merely a palm size of what it had been. It's figure glided around others on it's path towards the man that had earlier been well on his way to the roof during Serge's earlier magnetizing and now had made a dive for his face! At first Xeric thought it would certainly burn him, her face glanced at Auriel to see the Wood Elf intently focused. The girl was up to something (a familiar display in her body of exhilaration and fun, something Xeric could easily tell) or at least had the sense not lose her control yet. The bird had nearly been close to clipping the man's face, it's wings pulled up at the last moment only to fade. That was when Xeric noticed Auriel's face cracked into a smile.
"Did you have fun?" Xeric couldn't help but ask, her eyebrow inquired. "If you're done, I think we should take a bow."
Auriel had enjoyed the experience rather more than she would admit. Magic, when controlled, seemed to be rather the amazing experience. She didn't let her surprise show though. Instead, she did as Xeric suggested and bowed for the audience, not as low as she could of, but enough. With that, she jumped off the raised platform that the teachers table rested on and walked casually back into the crowd of students, making her way back to the barrels. She was having trouble believing she'd just done what she did while sober. It was probably for the better, but she really wanted to fix that now.
Sundered Echo Member
- Last Seen: 5 yrs ago
- Joined: 12 yrs ago
- Posts: 1068 (0.24 / day)
- VMs: 2
-
Username history
- Sundered Echo 12 yrs ago
-
Latest 10 profile visitors:
-
Most recent →
Forsythe
Status
User has no status, yet
Bio
User has no bio, yet
Most Recent Posts
Ponders
No-one else had come to speak with Ponders since the Foreas Coco had left. He was beginning to wonder if perhaps the students believed him to be one of the Colleges Golems. That, or they were afraid of him. He hoped that wasn’t the case, as he had no ill intentions. He had remained in the same place, continuing to watch the events with curiosity.
He had noticed that Coco had returned, and she was making her way around the room fairly quickly. He listened for her voice amidst the sea of noise, and with a few moments focus was able to pick out the distinctive tone. She was asking questions of a lot of people it seemed, not just him. He listened to the questions and the answers that were given to them, making use of her as a sort of free information gathering tool. Eventually however, she seemed to be accosted by a very loud, grating and obviously drunk woman. Ponders quickly noticed that the conversation didn’t go like Coco’s conversations normally seemed to, in fact, from what he could tell the woman seemed to have something against the Foreas. Or plants in general. That seemed strange to him, plants were such innocuous things. Why would one hate them?
Ponders attention was snapped suddenly back to reality when Coco seemed to threaten to call out for ‘Rocky’ the name she’d given him. His form moved subtly, shifting to a shape that could move quickly across the many beings in the room without interfering with them. A few moments later though, and it became evident that he would not be called to any action, a fact for which he was pleased.
A short time later, there was a rather unpleasant screech from the headmaster's chair, followed by his voice booming across the room, explaining that the demonstrations of the masters of each mageblood were about to begin. Ponders was quite looking forward to this, in fact, it was the main reason he was at this feast, given that he could not eat. He wasn’t just interested in Geomancy either, but all magebloods. He was here to learn of all that it meant to be mageblooded after all, and he would never let it be said that an Awakened Harmony was narrow minded in his learning.
He felt a slight awe at the sight of the controlled lightning flying high towards the roof, even as he watched the other students and noted the danger that that mageblood could be to him. he then noticed all the metallic objects floating upwards. This did not bother him, but he soon noticed that a few of the students themselves were floating upwards, clad in enough metal to be drawn up. The Red-headed elf he’d noticed before Coco had found him seemed to be having an interesting reaction. Her axe had rushed upwards first, and she was holding onto its haft with both hands, being lifted off the ground with it. Suddenly, her dagger shot out of its sheath and, to her credit, she was fast enough to catch its hilt. She seemed quite put out by the whole experience, struggling to pull the weapons down, vainly of course.
After a moment more, the dagger slipped from her grip and she was left hanging by one arm, spinning around a little as she did so. She seemed to catch sight of something, maybe one of the armoured students floating, and she started laughing. In that state, there was no way for her to retain her already tenuous hold on the axe, and she fell, rather suddenly and awkwardly. Luckily, she wasn’t very far off the ground at that point, and she seemed to land with more grace than one would expect, though certainly not perfectly. The Axe shot straight up once it was free of her weight before promptly falling down and embedding itself in the top of one of the large barrels next to her. Her dagger, however, had flown far across the room, landing in the end of the table closest to the teachers own table.
The elf rapidly climbed atop the barrel and pulled the axe out fairly elegantly, leaping down as if the distance were nothing. Then she cast about, looking for the dagger. Ponders considered pointing it out, but before he could come to a decision she had spotted it herself and was rushing across the room to retrieve it.
No-one else had come to speak with Ponders since the Foreas Coco had left. He was beginning to wonder if perhaps the students believed him to be one of the Colleges Golems. That, or they were afraid of him. He hoped that wasn’t the case, as he had no ill intentions. He had remained in the same place, continuing to watch the events with curiosity.
He had noticed that Coco had returned, and she was making her way around the room fairly quickly. He listened for her voice amidst the sea of noise, and with a few moments focus was able to pick out the distinctive tone. She was asking questions of a lot of people it seemed, not just him. He listened to the questions and the answers that were given to them, making use of her as a sort of free information gathering tool. Eventually however, she seemed to be accosted by a very loud, grating and obviously drunk woman. Ponders quickly noticed that the conversation didn’t go like Coco’s conversations normally seemed to, in fact, from what he could tell the woman seemed to have something against the Foreas. Or plants in general. That seemed strange to him, plants were such innocuous things. Why would one hate them?
Ponders attention was snapped suddenly back to reality when Coco seemed to threaten to call out for ‘Rocky’ the name she’d given him. His form moved subtly, shifting to a shape that could move quickly across the many beings in the room without interfering with them. A few moments later though, and it became evident that he would not be called to any action, a fact for which he was pleased.
A short time later, there was a rather unpleasant screech from the headmaster's chair, followed by his voice booming across the room, explaining that the demonstrations of the masters of each mageblood were about to begin. Ponders was quite looking forward to this, in fact, it was the main reason he was at this feast, given that he could not eat. He wasn’t just interested in Geomancy either, but all magebloods. He was here to learn of all that it meant to be mageblooded after all, and he would never let it be said that an Awakened Harmony was narrow minded in his learning.
He felt a slight awe at the sight of the controlled lightning flying high towards the roof, even as he watched the other students and noted the danger that that mageblood could be to him. he then noticed all the metallic objects floating upwards. This did not bother him, but he soon noticed that a few of the students themselves were floating upwards, clad in enough metal to be drawn up. The Red-headed elf he’d noticed before Coco had found him seemed to be having an interesting reaction. Her axe had rushed upwards first, and she was holding onto its haft with both hands, being lifted off the ground with it. Suddenly, her dagger shot out of its sheath and, to her credit, she was fast enough to catch its hilt. She seemed quite put out by the whole experience, struggling to pull the weapons down, vainly of course.
After a moment more, the dagger slipped from her grip and she was left hanging by one arm, spinning around a little as she did so. She seemed to catch sight of something, maybe one of the armoured students floating, and she started laughing. In that state, there was no way for her to retain her already tenuous hold on the axe, and she fell, rather suddenly and awkwardly. Luckily, she wasn’t very far off the ground at that point, and she seemed to land with more grace than one would expect, though certainly not perfectly. The Axe shot straight up once it was free of her weight before promptly falling down and embedding itself in the top of one of the large barrels next to her. Her dagger, however, had flown far across the room, landing in the end of the table closest to the teachers own table.
The elf rapidly climbed atop the barrel and pulled the axe out fairly elegantly, leaping down as if the distance were nothing. Then she cast about, looking for the dagger. Ponders considered pointing it out, but before he could come to a decision she had spotted it herself and was rushing across the room to retrieve it.
Is this still happening or what?
Oh wow, that man is horrible. I think he missed his calling...
He should've been a System Lord.
He should've been a System Lord.
Excellent... I'm looking forward to seeing some of the meddling and politics from the Doc.
Auriel / Althalus
Taking Auriel's hand and shaking it, he snorted at her comment about her and Zaad's 'friendship'. "Poking a demon in the face with a candlestick. Can't say that I've ever felt the need to do that, personally. Getting you back, however, I suspect might involve a heavy degree of lethality." He liked this girl. Still grinning after shoving a candlestick in a rather angry demon's face. Not many could claim they would do that. Whether it was the act itself or the grinning afterwards, Althalus wasn't sure.
As she leaned down, Althalus took full advantage of the offered view, saying his usual response to anyone he didn't know recognizing the mask. "Have you? I took it from a corpse on the side of the road. Poor thing had gotten himself hung from a tree by the neck, somehow." She didn't seem like someone who would kill him because an enemy paid her too, but one could never be too careful, could they? Chuckling gently he added, "You could just ask and skip the games. But then again, the games are half of the fun, aren't they?"
Auriel laughed as she sat back up again, having noticed where Althalus' eyes went. "You've obviously never met him. Zaad really does deserve it. And his boss wont let him get away with anything that drastic." She took on a mocking skeptical look as he related the story of how he had come by the mask. If the reputation was anything to go by, it seemed very unlikely.
"Did you really? I heard the masked Assassin was a big, strong and handsome man. The stories say he would take three maidens after every kill, and once he was done with them several days later, he would rob a bank and give the money out to the poor and helpless. He sounded amazing." Her face suddenly changed to one of disappointment. "But if he's dead hanging from a tree, I guess I'm not interested." She turned sharply away from Althalus and pointedly focused on her food.
"I never said he didn't deserve it. And, even if his boss doesn't let him get away with it, if he suceeds you won't be in any position to benefit from that punishment will you?" Althalus pointed out. As she went on, he smirked. There had been many tales of his mask and the man behind it. Stretching from claims that he was actually a woman, to that he was seven feet tall and feasted upon Esyire flesh. Not a single one of them, however, had included any kind of generosity or charity. "Three maidens you say? From what I hear he was a very successful assassin. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the fathers of those Maidens finally caught up with him. A man can be the best warrior or assassin in the land, but if a mob gets their hands on him..." He drew a finger across his neck, following the path of the scar.
As she turned away, he shrugged. Not his problem that she was disappointed with the lie. "I apologize for not having known the man pre-death. It's disappointing that you lose interest so quickly. I had thought this was the beginning of an earnest and worthwile friendship. But, I suppose it was never meant to be." He let out a theatrical sigh, before resuming. "So, what mageblood got you into this College? The one that manipulates water? The one that sets things on fire? My own where you can manipulate shadows?" While waiting for her response, he reached into his armor to look for his old, faithful, never misplaced, coin.
It was gone. It has to be there. He thought, pulling out the contents of that pocket. Which consisted of: the Rune Mar requested(which he kept one finger protectively on), the note from his brother all those years ago with it's list of names, and a couple of loose change coins. For a moment, Althalus stared in disbelief. How had he lost it? Then, he remembered. Mar. She had stolen his coin during their conversation, and had never given it back. "Son of a bitch."
Auriel turned back to face Althalus as he asked about her mageblood. For a moment she considered lying, but there wasn't much point in it now. "Oh I burn things. Trees, Taverns, I even set someones cloak on fire once." She said fairly cheerfuly, telling the truth for once. She noticed quickly when Althalus failed to find what he was looking for in his pockets. She didn't care about precisely what he had lost, that was his problem, but when he pulled the contents of his pockets out there were some interesting things. A small rune he seemed to be trying keep a good hold of, some boring looking coins and a rolled up piece of paper.
As the man cursed about having lost what he was searching for there was a sudden commotion nearby, many students gonig quiet and standing quickly, the kind of reaction people generally had when a fight was about to start. Also the perfect distraction for Auriel to get up to some mischief. Althalus looked away for a moment, probably to search for the source of the sudden disruption, and while his focus was off her she quickly leapt up and snatched both the rune and the piece of paper from Althalus' hand.
She skipped back a step, out of his reach and started to unroll the paper to see what was on it. She didn't believe that he had just found the mask, and if he was an assassin, this might be the order to kill she'd just found. She couldn't resist finding out what his orders were. Or maybe it was the promise of reward. Regardless a massive grin was plastered on her face as she did this. This was too much fun.
In hindsight, turning his head on someone willing to shove a candlestick in the face of a demon was a bad move. At the unnatural silence and scraping of chairs that took over an area, Althalus had glanced over to see what was the matter. Apparently, someone had drawn a knife on another student. An accident, maybe. The next thing he knew, the rune was being yanked from beneath his finger, and the paper was gone. Auriel was skipping backwards, a grin covering her face, unrolling the paper.
Althalus was less amused. Standing up, he held his hand out. "Come on now, give them back. There's nothing to be gained from a list of names and an old, broken rune is there? Just sentimental value to me. They're both really junk. Give them back, please." The rune bit was an obvious lie. He wasn't going to go to Mar and say he lost the damn Rune and listen to her remarks that would at least imply the words 'I knew it.' Nope. Not a chance. This was a matter of professional pride now, and he wasn't going to fail. Not when he was so close to sucess. But, he wasn't going to lunge for the paper. It was obviously old, and he didn't want to rip it in half. Or rip it at all for that matter.
And thus, stalemate. For him at any rate.
Auriel was both disappointed and happy to find a list of names written on the piece of paper. It was probably a target list. From the look of the paper though, it was probably also old. Really old. Everyone on it was probably dead. So no use to her. She rolled it up and again and threw it back to the man. It was boring, no fun at all.
The Rune though, she could use that. If it was really broken, she didn't have to worry about accidentally triggering it. She held it up teasingly, taking another step back, keeping light on her feet. "You want this?" She said, trying to keep a straight face. "Hopefully I wont drop it, i'm very clumsy sometimes you know." Her already jovial expression was becoming even more mirthful as she spoke. She threw it in the air and caught it once, then in the same motion dropped it down into her shirt, the cold rune slipping between her breasts. "Oh No!" She mockingly exclaimed. "I've lost it! You'll have to help me get it back!" she said, looking down as if to try and spot the rune.
Althalus snatched the paper out of the air as it was tossed to him, checking to make sure it was still relatively intact. Thus assured, he glanced back towards Auriel, seeing her teasing him with the Rune. As she stepped back, he stepped forward. The Rune was far sturdier than the paper, after all. Judging from her expression, she was going to plan on doing something, and somethign soon. If he could just get close enough before she..Althalus's planning was abruptly derailed as she tossed the Rune in the air and then dropped it down her shirt. For a moment, Althalus groaned. Then, as the full implications of what had just happened began to click, he began to smile. Which turned into a grin.
Walking towards her, he said, "I can either expansively search for the Rune myself, and eventually get it, or you can get it for me. Honestly, I would prefer the former. Far more interesting of the two options." He was within armsreach now, and fairly certain of which one she would pick. "But, it can never be said that Althalus Marik doesn't give people a chance." He raised one hand in preparation. "Well, which shall it be?"
Auriel didn't bother retreating anymore as the shorter man approached her. Everything was going perfectly. Auriel just looked at him and put on her best innocent face. "I don't think I can do it myself..." She said quietly, leaning forward just a little.
Taking the invitation, as it so clearly was one, Althalus reached up, and then down. It didn't take long to find the Rune, all things considered. But, when one is presented such an opportunity as this, one doesn't just make it go by as fast as possible. So he prolonged the operation of retrieving his rune by a few long moments. Long moments that were perhaps more than strictly necessary, but oh so worth it. When he had finally retrieved his Rune, he pulled it out and stuck it back in his pocket.
With an illustrious bow(still grinning), he said, "Thank you for your..cooperation. Let me know if I can help you with anything else."
Auriel was amused at Althalus' highly theatrical bow, but for the moment she couldn't think of any more ways to take advantage of him. At least none she could do publicly. Still, now he'd had a taste of her, she would have to make him work for the rest. After all, the games were half the fun. "No. Nothing else you can do for me here. I'll be seeing you another time though. I'm sure." She winked at him before turning and walking away to find something alcoholic to drink. It looked like there were barrels of something over by a strange winged girl.
Taking Auriel's hand and shaking it, he snorted at her comment about her and Zaad's 'friendship'. "Poking a demon in the face with a candlestick. Can't say that I've ever felt the need to do that, personally. Getting you back, however, I suspect might involve a heavy degree of lethality." He liked this girl. Still grinning after shoving a candlestick in a rather angry demon's face. Not many could claim they would do that. Whether it was the act itself or the grinning afterwards, Althalus wasn't sure.
As she leaned down, Althalus took full advantage of the offered view, saying his usual response to anyone he didn't know recognizing the mask. "Have you? I took it from a corpse on the side of the road. Poor thing had gotten himself hung from a tree by the neck, somehow." She didn't seem like someone who would kill him because an enemy paid her too, but one could never be too careful, could they? Chuckling gently he added, "You could just ask and skip the games. But then again, the games are half of the fun, aren't they?"
Auriel laughed as she sat back up again, having noticed where Althalus' eyes went. "You've obviously never met him. Zaad really does deserve it. And his boss wont let him get away with anything that drastic." She took on a mocking skeptical look as he related the story of how he had come by the mask. If the reputation was anything to go by, it seemed very unlikely.
"Did you really? I heard the masked Assassin was a big, strong and handsome man. The stories say he would take three maidens after every kill, and once he was done with them several days later, he would rob a bank and give the money out to the poor and helpless. He sounded amazing." Her face suddenly changed to one of disappointment. "But if he's dead hanging from a tree, I guess I'm not interested." She turned sharply away from Althalus and pointedly focused on her food.
"I never said he didn't deserve it. And, even if his boss doesn't let him get away with it, if he suceeds you won't be in any position to benefit from that punishment will you?" Althalus pointed out. As she went on, he smirked. There had been many tales of his mask and the man behind it. Stretching from claims that he was actually a woman, to that he was seven feet tall and feasted upon Esyire flesh. Not a single one of them, however, had included any kind of generosity or charity. "Three maidens you say? From what I hear he was a very successful assassin. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the fathers of those Maidens finally caught up with him. A man can be the best warrior or assassin in the land, but if a mob gets their hands on him..." He drew a finger across his neck, following the path of the scar.
As she turned away, he shrugged. Not his problem that she was disappointed with the lie. "I apologize for not having known the man pre-death. It's disappointing that you lose interest so quickly. I had thought this was the beginning of an earnest and worthwile friendship. But, I suppose it was never meant to be." He let out a theatrical sigh, before resuming. "So, what mageblood got you into this College? The one that manipulates water? The one that sets things on fire? My own where you can manipulate shadows?" While waiting for her response, he reached into his armor to look for his old, faithful, never misplaced, coin.
It was gone. It has to be there. He thought, pulling out the contents of that pocket. Which consisted of: the Rune Mar requested(which he kept one finger protectively on), the note from his brother all those years ago with it's list of names, and a couple of loose change coins. For a moment, Althalus stared in disbelief. How had he lost it? Then, he remembered. Mar. She had stolen his coin during their conversation, and had never given it back. "Son of a bitch."
Auriel turned back to face Althalus as he asked about her mageblood. For a moment she considered lying, but there wasn't much point in it now. "Oh I burn things. Trees, Taverns, I even set someones cloak on fire once." She said fairly cheerfuly, telling the truth for once. She noticed quickly when Althalus failed to find what he was looking for in his pockets. She didn't care about precisely what he had lost, that was his problem, but when he pulled the contents of his pockets out there were some interesting things. A small rune he seemed to be trying keep a good hold of, some boring looking coins and a rolled up piece of paper.
As the man cursed about having lost what he was searching for there was a sudden commotion nearby, many students gonig quiet and standing quickly, the kind of reaction people generally had when a fight was about to start. Also the perfect distraction for Auriel to get up to some mischief. Althalus looked away for a moment, probably to search for the source of the sudden disruption, and while his focus was off her she quickly leapt up and snatched both the rune and the piece of paper from Althalus' hand.
She skipped back a step, out of his reach and started to unroll the paper to see what was on it. She didn't believe that he had just found the mask, and if he was an assassin, this might be the order to kill she'd just found. She couldn't resist finding out what his orders were. Or maybe it was the promise of reward. Regardless a massive grin was plastered on her face as she did this. This was too much fun.
In hindsight, turning his head on someone willing to shove a candlestick in the face of a demon was a bad move. At the unnatural silence and scraping of chairs that took over an area, Althalus had glanced over to see what was the matter. Apparently, someone had drawn a knife on another student. An accident, maybe. The next thing he knew, the rune was being yanked from beneath his finger, and the paper was gone. Auriel was skipping backwards, a grin covering her face, unrolling the paper.
Althalus was less amused. Standing up, he held his hand out. "Come on now, give them back. There's nothing to be gained from a list of names and an old, broken rune is there? Just sentimental value to me. They're both really junk. Give them back, please." The rune bit was an obvious lie. He wasn't going to go to Mar and say he lost the damn Rune and listen to her remarks that would at least imply the words 'I knew it.' Nope. Not a chance. This was a matter of professional pride now, and he wasn't going to fail. Not when he was so close to sucess. But, he wasn't going to lunge for the paper. It was obviously old, and he didn't want to rip it in half. Or rip it at all for that matter.
And thus, stalemate. For him at any rate.
Auriel was both disappointed and happy to find a list of names written on the piece of paper. It was probably a target list. From the look of the paper though, it was probably also old. Really old. Everyone on it was probably dead. So no use to her. She rolled it up and again and threw it back to the man. It was boring, no fun at all.
The Rune though, she could use that. If it was really broken, she didn't have to worry about accidentally triggering it. She held it up teasingly, taking another step back, keeping light on her feet. "You want this?" She said, trying to keep a straight face. "Hopefully I wont drop it, i'm very clumsy sometimes you know." Her already jovial expression was becoming even more mirthful as she spoke. She threw it in the air and caught it once, then in the same motion dropped it down into her shirt, the cold rune slipping between her breasts. "Oh No!" She mockingly exclaimed. "I've lost it! You'll have to help me get it back!" she said, looking down as if to try and spot the rune.
Althalus snatched the paper out of the air as it was tossed to him, checking to make sure it was still relatively intact. Thus assured, he glanced back towards Auriel, seeing her teasing him with the Rune. As she stepped back, he stepped forward. The Rune was far sturdier than the paper, after all. Judging from her expression, she was going to plan on doing something, and somethign soon. If he could just get close enough before she..Althalus's planning was abruptly derailed as she tossed the Rune in the air and then dropped it down her shirt. For a moment, Althalus groaned. Then, as the full implications of what had just happened began to click, he began to smile. Which turned into a grin.
Walking towards her, he said, "I can either expansively search for the Rune myself, and eventually get it, or you can get it for me. Honestly, I would prefer the former. Far more interesting of the two options." He was within armsreach now, and fairly certain of which one she would pick. "But, it can never be said that Althalus Marik doesn't give people a chance." He raised one hand in preparation. "Well, which shall it be?"
Auriel didn't bother retreating anymore as the shorter man approached her. Everything was going perfectly. Auriel just looked at him and put on her best innocent face. "I don't think I can do it myself..." She said quietly, leaning forward just a little.
Taking the invitation, as it so clearly was one, Althalus reached up, and then down. It didn't take long to find the Rune, all things considered. But, when one is presented such an opportunity as this, one doesn't just make it go by as fast as possible. So he prolonged the operation of retrieving his rune by a few long moments. Long moments that were perhaps more than strictly necessary, but oh so worth it. When he had finally retrieved his Rune, he pulled it out and stuck it back in his pocket.
With an illustrious bow(still grinning), he said, "Thank you for your..cooperation. Let me know if I can help you with anything else."
Auriel was amused at Althalus' highly theatrical bow, but for the moment she couldn't think of any more ways to take advantage of him. At least none she could do publicly. Still, now he'd had a taste of her, she would have to make him work for the rest. After all, the games were half the fun. "No. Nothing else you can do for me here. I'll be seeing you another time though. I'm sure." She winked at him before turning and walking away to find something alcoholic to drink. It looked like there were barrels of something over by a strange winged girl.
I agree with Ellri on the count of there needing to be... more. You're a good writer Sep, you can manage more detail than that.
Not sure about the gray thing Ellri, most of our Jedi are quite Lightsided already, Xid, Viera and Strago being exemplars of Light and the others only looking gray mostly because we've made them that way with torture.
I do have to say the reason for being there in particular is lacking. Until the sacking of Coruscant the Jedi were embroiled in open war, a war which, incidentally, they were losing. Unless you started acting like a Sith or went totally rogue, the results you got on the battlefield would be what were considered, not your apparent gray nature. Research into the old ways is hardly a point to alarm the Jedi at this point as they, like the Republic, were searching for every edge they could get over the Sith.
Also, I agree with Ellri on the idea of why exactly you would be kept alive. While it is nice to see some more exotic aliens, the Sith empire is (like it or not) quite racist right now. They'd leave a heavily injured Besalisk to die unless he really impressed someone important first, like Nyiss or Jewel, who both took direct part in the sacking and capture of Jedi. That right there is a possible connection, maybe one of those two captured you personally.
Not sure about the gray thing Ellri, most of our Jedi are quite Lightsided already, Xid, Viera and Strago being exemplars of Light and the others only looking gray mostly because we've made them that way with torture.
I do have to say the reason for being there in particular is lacking. Until the sacking of Coruscant the Jedi were embroiled in open war, a war which, incidentally, they were losing. Unless you started acting like a Sith or went totally rogue, the results you got on the battlefield would be what were considered, not your apparent gray nature. Research into the old ways is hardly a point to alarm the Jedi at this point as they, like the Republic, were searching for every edge they could get over the Sith.
Also, I agree with Ellri on the idea of why exactly you would be kept alive. While it is nice to see some more exotic aliens, the Sith empire is (like it or not) quite racist right now. They'd leave a heavily injured Besalisk to die unless he really impressed someone important first, like Nyiss or Jewel, who both took direct part in the sacking and capture of Jedi. That right there is a possible connection, maybe one of those two captured you personally.
Well, working on the worlds idea, I know Ariadne can 'bridge worlds' because she doesn't belong to any one department and has some skills in most of them, but she cant do that while there is a ground mission going on unfortunately.
I'm personally looking forward to seeing Dr. Ishpetyrs machinations forcing the crew to interact more....
I'm personally looking forward to seeing Dr. Ishpetyrs machinations forcing the crew to interact more....
Xyden / Leith
Xyden listened to the humans introduction. He seemed unphased by Xydens appearance or manner, something that seemed uncommon among humans. That on its own immediately made Xyden respect him more than most Surface Dwellers. "I am known as... Xyden." To the best of his knowledge, it was custom among humans to exchange names upon meeting. He did find it strange that the human would speak of knowing the Naga as he did though. Few people knew of the Ocean Naga, and that did not surprise him, but after his encounter with Marya, he was wondering quite a bit about what other Naga might've survived. Hydromancy forgotten for the moment, he instead focused on this new potential source of information.
"I did not know of Naga anywhere... other than the depths of the Ocean. Tell me what you know... of the other Naga." Xyden asked probingly. He doubted he'd get quite as much as he'd like from this human, but any information was good at this point.
Leith sighed at the question. "I don't know much about the Naga, just from stories I heard as child. All I know is that the ones that I've heard of look like they're half snake, half human. The illustrations I've seen aren't exactly..." he paused as he searched for the correct word. "Becoming, to put it nicely." He chuckled.
"Actually, you're the first Naga I've ever talked to, and until today, I'd never even saw one. Esyire's for that matter, too." Leith shook his head as he took a sip from his cup. "This has been quite a day for me, and it's just the first one."
It was a shame that this Leith Land Strider didn't know more of the other Naga. He'd have to find someone else to ask, but he didn't know where to start, so he simply left that subject for now. His head and shoulder fins twitched slightly with his disappointment, but he shrugged it off. "Most humans... seem to fear speaking to me... You are the first brave enough. Tell me... What do you know of... Hydromancy?" Xyden cut to the chase, largely uncarring for the Land Striders observations about what he hadn't seen until now. He was still unconfidant even of the word, and he hoped it wouldn't show too much.
Leith leaned back in his chair as he thought about what he knew about Hydromancy. "Again, most of this is through stories, but I've heard of and experienced more with Hydromancy than I have with Naga. I've heard that water isn't the only thing we can manipulate. But I haven't tried with anything other than water because I don't know what'll happen if I try. I know what I can do with water, and until I get some training, I don't want to experience what I did when I tried moving too much water. From what I heard, Hydromancers can control blo-" he paused for a second as he fought down the urge to gag.
Leith frowned. He wasn't sure why that had happened, but he had the feeling that if he tried saying it again, he would have the same problem. He decided to change the subject.
"As for your earlier comment. You gave me no reason to fear you. Sure, you look intimidating, but looking intimidating shouldn't be what causes people to fear. The actions behind the look should generate the fear. Unfortunately, most people don't think that way, and you've probably seen what fear can do to some people."
A shiver ran down Xydens spine at the thought of using his power to control substances other than water. From the human's reaction, it seemed he also found the idea somewhat disturbing. On the one hand he found it strange that anyone would consider controlling anything other than water when there was so much of it around. On the other, it was repulsive and sickening to use anything else as a weapon or utility. People should be more civilised than that. Still, he nodded respectfully at the description given. It was useful information.
He did, however, have words on the subject of fear. "Being dominated fear... is the domain of lesser beings... animals. Thinking beings do not allow themselves to be ruled.... by emotion. You are stongest... when your mind is calm." It was the wisdom of the Naga, taught to them by their Goddess. He doubted the human would be able to follow it once the situation became murky though. Even some Naga had trouble with it, much less a mere Surface Dweller.
Leith listened to the Naga's thoughts on fear. It made sense, and while Leith didn't quite agree with some of it, it was good advice. He looked over at the head table and smiled when he got an Idea.
"How about we have a friendly wager? Nothing big like money. Just like... a favor. Within limits, of course, but it'll help pass the time. What do you say?"
Xyden was confused by that. He didn't know what a wager was. He wondered if it was a human custom of some sort, though, to him, the time seemed to passing just fine without help. "What... Is a wager?" He asked, curious to find out about this new custom the human expected him to participate in.
Leith smiled at the question, then frowned as he tried to figure out how to explain it. When he figured it out, He went to a nearby empty table and grabbed three empty cups and a vine of grapes from it. He went back to the table and placed his aquired items on the table. He looked at Xyden and started explaining what a wager was.
"A wager can be seen as a game of sorts," he said as he took a grape off the vine and covered it with one of the cups. He then put the other two cups on either side of the cup with the grape. "It can be between two people, or many." He started to slowly move the cups around and made it so that the cups were mixed up. "But before the wager can take place, there has to be a cost. Be it money, food, or whatever. The winner will get something, and the loser will lose something. As you can probably assume, not many people like to make large wagers. Mainly because they might lose, or, depending on the game, it was fixed for them not to win. In this example there is a winner, and there is a loser, but because this is an example, we don't need to have something to give the winner." Leith gestured to the cups.
"Pick a cup."
Xyden watched with curiosity as the human retrieved some grapes and three cups and began explaining, placing a grape under one of the cups. He followed the grapes cup carefully as it was moved around the table. It was not unlike watching a small bottom dwelling fish move rapidly from rock to rock to avoid detection. His tongue flicked out to taste the air, but with the many strong smelling foods around he couldn't detect a single grape that way. That was unfortunate. He kept his eye on the cup as the Leith Land Strider finished explaining. It seemed this custom was meant to revolve around chance, something Xyden, and indeed all Ocean Naga, were not fond of. Taking chances in the depths usually got you killed.
This time though, his hunters reflexes seemed to be proving true. He reached out and picked up the left hand cup. Under it was the grape. He looked back at the human then and spoke "I... Understand. What is the... Wager... you wish to make with me?" He was uncertain as to wether he would accept whatever the human said, but he couldn't decide without knowing.
Leith smiled. "The wager will be this," he said as he pointed towards the head table. "We pick who we think will do the Hydromancy demonstration, easy enough. In this wager, we can both lose, which will mean that neither of us will have to pay. As I said before, would a favour, within limits, be an acceptible trade off to the winner?"
Xyden looked at him with slight concern at the mention of a favour. He didn't like the idea of being beholden to anyone here on the surface, particularly for something so vague as a favour. He did have many of the gold circles the surface dwellers valued though. To him, all the staff looked much the same - none of them looked able to swim. How could any of them understand how to control water if they could not be enveloped by it first? He would be guessing in this, but the reward of having the human beholden to him was possibly useful. "I will play this game. If I win... I will take your favour... If you win... I will give you... coins. I have many."
Leith nodded at the Naga's terms. It didn't really matter to him what was wagered. He just wanted to have some fun. "Alright, I guess we have a deal." He held his hand out to the Naga.
Xyden looked down at the offered hand in confusion. Was this another human custom? It seemed there was much he did not understand about the Surface Dwellers. Then he turned away to examine the front table, the one with the teachers. He looked at each in turn. The Short one was not the Hydromancy teacher, he knew that, because she was the Rune Master. He doubted any of the winged creatures could be masters of water. That left the armoured dark one and several humans and some more short beings, these ones much slighter than the ones he'd seen before. Small things generally were able to swim easier, less to weigh them down and stop the water. Maybe that one was the best choice then. "That one." He said, pointing to the Snow Elf woman at the teachers table.
Leith chuckled silently to himself as he brought his arm back. He watched as Xyden made his decision, nodding and making a mental note to himself. He looked at the head table and tried to see who could have what ability. He looked at the intimidating looking man with hair that made is seem that he had been struck by lightning and shook his head. That wasn't the Hydromancer. Leith had no clue who the Hydromaner was, so he just made a guess.
"I'll say it's that guy," Leith said as he pointed to the youngest looking man at the table. He looked back at Xyden and smiled. "And now we wait."
Xyden listened to the humans introduction. He seemed unphased by Xydens appearance or manner, something that seemed uncommon among humans. That on its own immediately made Xyden respect him more than most Surface Dwellers. "I am known as... Xyden." To the best of his knowledge, it was custom among humans to exchange names upon meeting. He did find it strange that the human would speak of knowing the Naga as he did though. Few people knew of the Ocean Naga, and that did not surprise him, but after his encounter with Marya, he was wondering quite a bit about what other Naga might've survived. Hydromancy forgotten for the moment, he instead focused on this new potential source of information.
"I did not know of Naga anywhere... other than the depths of the Ocean. Tell me what you know... of the other Naga." Xyden asked probingly. He doubted he'd get quite as much as he'd like from this human, but any information was good at this point.
Leith sighed at the question. "I don't know much about the Naga, just from stories I heard as child. All I know is that the ones that I've heard of look like they're half snake, half human. The illustrations I've seen aren't exactly..." he paused as he searched for the correct word. "Becoming, to put it nicely." He chuckled.
"Actually, you're the first Naga I've ever talked to, and until today, I'd never even saw one. Esyire's for that matter, too." Leith shook his head as he took a sip from his cup. "This has been quite a day for me, and it's just the first one."
It was a shame that this Leith Land Strider didn't know more of the other Naga. He'd have to find someone else to ask, but he didn't know where to start, so he simply left that subject for now. His head and shoulder fins twitched slightly with his disappointment, but he shrugged it off. "Most humans... seem to fear speaking to me... You are the first brave enough. Tell me... What do you know of... Hydromancy?" Xyden cut to the chase, largely uncarring for the Land Striders observations about what he hadn't seen until now. He was still unconfidant even of the word, and he hoped it wouldn't show too much.
Leith leaned back in his chair as he thought about what he knew about Hydromancy. "Again, most of this is through stories, but I've heard of and experienced more with Hydromancy than I have with Naga. I've heard that water isn't the only thing we can manipulate. But I haven't tried with anything other than water because I don't know what'll happen if I try. I know what I can do with water, and until I get some training, I don't want to experience what I did when I tried moving too much water. From what I heard, Hydromancers can control blo-" he paused for a second as he fought down the urge to gag.
Leith frowned. He wasn't sure why that had happened, but he had the feeling that if he tried saying it again, he would have the same problem. He decided to change the subject.
"As for your earlier comment. You gave me no reason to fear you. Sure, you look intimidating, but looking intimidating shouldn't be what causes people to fear. The actions behind the look should generate the fear. Unfortunately, most people don't think that way, and you've probably seen what fear can do to some people."
A shiver ran down Xydens spine at the thought of using his power to control substances other than water. From the human's reaction, it seemed he also found the idea somewhat disturbing. On the one hand he found it strange that anyone would consider controlling anything other than water when there was so much of it around. On the other, it was repulsive and sickening to use anything else as a weapon or utility. People should be more civilised than that. Still, he nodded respectfully at the description given. It was useful information.
He did, however, have words on the subject of fear. "Being dominated fear... is the domain of lesser beings... animals. Thinking beings do not allow themselves to be ruled.... by emotion. You are stongest... when your mind is calm." It was the wisdom of the Naga, taught to them by their Goddess. He doubted the human would be able to follow it once the situation became murky though. Even some Naga had trouble with it, much less a mere Surface Dweller.
Leith listened to the Naga's thoughts on fear. It made sense, and while Leith didn't quite agree with some of it, it was good advice. He looked over at the head table and smiled when he got an Idea.
"How about we have a friendly wager? Nothing big like money. Just like... a favor. Within limits, of course, but it'll help pass the time. What do you say?"
Xyden was confused by that. He didn't know what a wager was. He wondered if it was a human custom of some sort, though, to him, the time seemed to passing just fine without help. "What... Is a wager?" He asked, curious to find out about this new custom the human expected him to participate in.
Leith smiled at the question, then frowned as he tried to figure out how to explain it. When he figured it out, He went to a nearby empty table and grabbed three empty cups and a vine of grapes from it. He went back to the table and placed his aquired items on the table. He looked at Xyden and started explaining what a wager was.
"A wager can be seen as a game of sorts," he said as he took a grape off the vine and covered it with one of the cups. He then put the other two cups on either side of the cup with the grape. "It can be between two people, or many." He started to slowly move the cups around and made it so that the cups were mixed up. "But before the wager can take place, there has to be a cost. Be it money, food, or whatever. The winner will get something, and the loser will lose something. As you can probably assume, not many people like to make large wagers. Mainly because they might lose, or, depending on the game, it was fixed for them not to win. In this example there is a winner, and there is a loser, but because this is an example, we don't need to have something to give the winner." Leith gestured to the cups.
"Pick a cup."
Xyden watched with curiosity as the human retrieved some grapes and three cups and began explaining, placing a grape under one of the cups. He followed the grapes cup carefully as it was moved around the table. It was not unlike watching a small bottom dwelling fish move rapidly from rock to rock to avoid detection. His tongue flicked out to taste the air, but with the many strong smelling foods around he couldn't detect a single grape that way. That was unfortunate. He kept his eye on the cup as the Leith Land Strider finished explaining. It seemed this custom was meant to revolve around chance, something Xyden, and indeed all Ocean Naga, were not fond of. Taking chances in the depths usually got you killed.
This time though, his hunters reflexes seemed to be proving true. He reached out and picked up the left hand cup. Under it was the grape. He looked back at the human then and spoke "I... Understand. What is the... Wager... you wish to make with me?" He was uncertain as to wether he would accept whatever the human said, but he couldn't decide without knowing.
Leith smiled. "The wager will be this," he said as he pointed towards the head table. "We pick who we think will do the Hydromancy demonstration, easy enough. In this wager, we can both lose, which will mean that neither of us will have to pay. As I said before, would a favour, within limits, be an acceptible trade off to the winner?"
Xyden looked at him with slight concern at the mention of a favour. He didn't like the idea of being beholden to anyone here on the surface, particularly for something so vague as a favour. He did have many of the gold circles the surface dwellers valued though. To him, all the staff looked much the same - none of them looked able to swim. How could any of them understand how to control water if they could not be enveloped by it first? He would be guessing in this, but the reward of having the human beholden to him was possibly useful. "I will play this game. If I win... I will take your favour... If you win... I will give you... coins. I have many."
Leith nodded at the Naga's terms. It didn't really matter to him what was wagered. He just wanted to have some fun. "Alright, I guess we have a deal." He held his hand out to the Naga.
Xyden looked down at the offered hand in confusion. Was this another human custom? It seemed there was much he did not understand about the Surface Dwellers. Then he turned away to examine the front table, the one with the teachers. He looked at each in turn. The Short one was not the Hydromancy teacher, he knew that, because she was the Rune Master. He doubted any of the winged creatures could be masters of water. That left the armoured dark one and several humans and some more short beings, these ones much slighter than the ones he'd seen before. Small things generally were able to swim easier, less to weigh them down and stop the water. Maybe that one was the best choice then. "That one." He said, pointing to the Snow Elf woman at the teachers table.
Leith chuckled silently to himself as he brought his arm back. He watched as Xyden made his decision, nodding and making a mental note to himself. He looked at the head table and tried to see who could have what ability. He looked at the intimidating looking man with hair that made is seem that he had been struck by lightning and shook his head. That wasn't the Hydromancer. Leith had no clue who the Hydromaner was, so he just made a guess.
"I'll say it's that guy," Leith said as he pointed to the youngest looking man at the table. He looked back at Xyden and smiled. "And now we wait."
What I found in space combat, in short, was that any ship the players face off against with crew skill of 40 or below is gonig to get absolutely taken to pieces.
I'd really prefer to run ground combat in the free-form manner that it usually is run as on the Guild. I feel like waiting for rolls and maps will slow things to crawl, not to mention it limits our creativity somewhat in this medium.
Anyone planning to be the Rogue Trader? It is a kinda important role...
I'd really prefer to run ground combat in the free-form manner that it usually is run as on the Guild. I feel like waiting for rolls and maps will slow things to crawl, not to mention it limits our creativity somewhat in this medium.
Anyone planning to be the Rogue Trader? It is a kinda important role...
© 2007-2026