Khan had finished downing the rest of his medicine after his concern about Rathel’s absence was finally quelled and satisfied. The last dose tasted as terrible as those previous two. The taste changed very little by the Dwarf ale when Tyrael’s demonstration approached. The headmaster’s face reflected his dislike when he finished off the last of the horrid mess and started to feel the effects drift over him. Slowly his sluggish mind had started to adjust and to overcome the mild effect, his hand no longer hurt and even slightly nulled him to the scene about to erupt. He wasn’t surprised at strength of Sam’s herbs, his own personal reason to avoid it from the start had its own merits bite him in the tail.
It was too late now and even if he wanted to escape it, Uicle and Lucilia had proven they’d not allow him. His eyes flickered about the Demonomancer’s demonstration while it played out, fully knew the secret behind it all and remained cold to the staff that was being ‘torn’ apart right in front of him. It was all theatrics brought on by Tyrael’s own familiars and demons, dowsed over in the scene shift most Demonomancers had. It was a simple illusion in a way, enhanced by the environmental effect. For Khan, it was a small scale one that even he could perform but only on a less impressive level. His blank expression became worried when some of the students had taken to assaulting the very actors themselves. In the back of his mind, Khan idled over spoiling the truth about Tyrael’s demo yet he kept quiet. Last thing he needed to do was disrespect the teacher among the students and hinder the fallen Orc’s authority in the long run. At Tyrael’s turn’s end Lucilia mopped up the demons, using unnecessary force, then returned the room to its former state. Khan felt Rathel flinch slightly when a table sprouted roots then smashed in a Demon’s head but his demon said little. Instead Rathel stood in silence to witness the scene draw to a close at Khan’s side.
Khan for the most part had suspected the worst was over. Seemed he was incorrect and would pay dearly for it. Like the students, he too raised his glass in toast. Sadly, the medicine had hazed over his judgment and shortly after the psychomancy teacher’s toast the room spiraled into chaos again. Some of the students had reacted badly to something. Their expressions set in horror and fixed in pain, something that caused Khan some alarm. Val, Lidda and many of the other teachers sprang into action for their duties to aid those crippled and bring to serious reactions. However the damage was already done. Khan’s head turned to face Satori, his eyes slightly hardened as she finished her toast, seemingly to release her spell over them. He hadn’t made a requirement to check with him on each demo and sorely regretted it now, a mistake he didn’t aim to make again.
“I agree with Uicle, Satori. After the Feast, I would like a word with you in my office after Dinner...” Khan agreed with Uicle’s suggestion, his voice calm yet it didn’t take a Psychomancer to determine his current mood was upset by recent events. It didn’t help Sam’s medicine had started to affect him and only frustrated the Headmaster to higher degree.
Khan’s eyes flickered to the blade that now came to Uicle’s hand, hilt first, like eager pup. Likely one of many to be assassination attempts on Satori’s life after this night and something else Khan would have to deal with, much to his soured mood. Though he could request Val to determine the owner, the headmaster felt it won’t be needed as it seemed a natural reaction to such a violent event. He didn’t like the thoughts twisting in his head; the idea this night would traumatize many students into leaving or thinking twice about their current choices to learn, knowing that Twilight College wasn’t the only option but the only neutral one. At Uice’s mention about this demonstration and how it would be brief, Khan nodded.
“I’m sorry Uicle, truly as I should’ve had all the teachers check with me over their demonstrations before I let this happened.” Khan began to apologize to the Necromancer teacher, “Now I wished I had waited until after the feast to take my medicine, it would’ve made damage control easier with a clear head. I fully intent on sending the Students to bed sho-
His eyes jerked up in time to see a student draw too close for comfort. The way she moved, her steps ate away at the distance between her and Satori in a natural way yet the Headmaster seriously doubted it was going to be a pleasant thank you for the demonstration. His suspicions confirmed when the flash of steel and the Wood Elf made to leap, ready to take the psychomancy teacher’s life! He didn’t blame her but he couldn’t allow it. Mainly since it was the Elf’s safety he worried more for then Satori’s. What the Student failed to realize was if provoked, Satori could’ve left her nothing more than a mental vegetable and even worse for it to be justified as self-defense. Khan didn’t have time to react but thankfully he didn’t need to.
Rathel was quicker and had been watching her long before Khan had. The demon had stomped his hands into the ground, his mind focused upon the nearest table, and soon it had grown roots that latched upon the young student. They started off thin in their race up her leg; the roots twisted and snaked up the side. They entangled her, her struggles forced them to thicken and react until finally they stopped her completely in her tracks. In and out, they interlocked to focus most at her dagger hand where it created a thick and useless glove.
“I would suggest you calm down, Ms. Wood Elf, while we sort out what has happened. This was something… unauthorized by the Headmaster, I assure you, but we can’t allow blood to be drawn within the College.” Rathel tried to say in a soft voice.
Auriels gaze flicked about to the plant-demon the moment he started talking to her, her eyes narrowing into a glare. The look was short lived as she quickly turned her attention back to Satori, relaxing slightly now that she was immobile. Her grip on the dagger loosened and with it she felt the roots that restrained her held her far less tightly. The moment she thought she could break free of the wooden restraints she tensed again and pushed up from the floor towards Satori, her knuckles white on the dagger's hilt. Brute strength, however, was not one of Auriels virtues, and there was no way to twist from the roots entirely before they once again had her totally ensnared. When she looked around again, she realised she’d made it all of half a meter closer, and she doubted the master of her bonds would fall for that trick again.
Still she twisted and turned within the roots trying to escape, but it was no use. When it was blindingly obvious she wouldn’t escape on her own terms, she stopped and turned to glare at the Headmaster. “I’d rather get stabbed than remember her little demo!” Her voice was elevated and filled with anger, but it wasn’t wild. Bloodshed might not be allowed in the college, but even being on the receiving end was more pleasant than living your worst waking nightmare.
Rathel wasn’t stupid or he would’ve been a dead demon long ago. His many years within the inferno, a life and death struggle that made him powerful had taught him never to completely trust appearances. His suspicions were right when the Wood Elf from Xeric’s demonstration, had begun to relax, his magic loosened only to tighten again when she aimed to begin her assault once more. This time the vine and root became unyielding in their bonding even when she ceased. This time, she was suspended within the air by the thick tree branches, unable to touch the floor or get footing to aid her struggles.
The Headmaster didn’t flinch or react at first from the student’s glare. The Headmaster barely registered Uicle’s request of Lucilia and Satori, his mind centered on the Elf who had earlier starred alongside a teacher and earlier dared to provoke Zaad all within one night. He personally he believed he deserved it after allowing this to happen and breaking the students’ trust. Her anger and rage was clear in her tone causing to Khan raised upright, his hand shifted to grip the table edge when the dizziness hit him full on and threatened to topple him in his rush. He wasn’t sure how, but he managed to stay standing while he moved slowly around the table.
“Khan…” Rathel’s voice had caution against the Demonomancer’s action, his focus still maintained upon the transformed tables and wooden items to contain the Elf.
“I’m fine Rathel it’s just the medicine kicking in. I shouldn’t have taken it during the Feast, despite Sam’s stubbornness, and none of this would’ve happened.”
After he rounded the table, the Esyire brought his form to stand before Auriel. His voice was steadier than his wobbling form as he spoke, “I wish that was the worst she could do to you, truly, but it’s not. She only gave you a taste of it. Not everyone uses their magic responsibly, something I’m gravely disappointed to see Satori do in the worse way. However, killing her won’t undo what’s been done. You’ll still have whatever experience she gave you and that fact won’t change, even with spilling either of your blood.”
“Oh I know it won't make me forget. I’ve been down that road before. It will make me feel better though!” She knew she was thoroughly beaten here. Revenge would have to wait. Maybe she’d just have to forget about it for a while. She put on an exaggerated look of exasperation and flipped the dagger round in her hand to a normal grip. “Fine, plant man. You win.” With that she dropped the dagger. Then she turned back to the headmaster “Just keep your damned Psychomancer Bitch on Leash!”
Despite what the student believed, Khan truly sympathized with her thinking but couldn’t allow it. He watched her flip the dagger about into a less threatening manner and submit to their decision, dropping the dagger. It fell loudly upon the floor where it stayed as she turned to Khan, warning him to keep his staff in line. Naturally that was what Khan intended to do from this day forward, not even allowing the teacher to teach her own psychomancy warden classes in a faint hope it would encourage student hurt by this experience to seek a way to defend against it. Other measures were Val and her student’s rune classes which would only seal implanted memories or control, still giving Satori the ability to acknowledge possible threats. It was counter productive to eliminate all possible ways to be notified about the likely threats on her life now.
“I’ll assure you, I will do everything in my power to keep this from happening again. Even if I have to talk to the Archmage Ovak Regdar him-
Khan’s eyes widened when a voice entered his head, one currently on Khan’s shit list. His face immediately turned up into a frown upon recognizing the owner. He listened quietly while it spoke in favor of releasing the Wood Elf and letting her kill the teacher. ‘Come on Boss, just let Dollface try to kill the Psychomancy teacher.”
The Headmaster’s voice growled a bit in his reply, outloud as he didn’t care how crazy he looked from seemingly talking to himself. “And why, Zaad, do you think it’s a good idea to allow her to kill Satori? Why the concern and desire for bloodshed to happen within these walls?”
Zaad was silent, but Khan could feel the pleasure and mirth behind it. The demon had his reasons for wanting this to happen yet Khan didn’t know why, something that didn’t settle well when dealing with Zaad. Again, Khan’s voice spoke with a little more authority. “Zaad, what would you gain from her killing Satori?”
Finally the demon smugly answered. ‘I would win.”
This time it was Rathel’s, who had been listening into the conversation, turn to speak up. His voice indicated he didn’t find Zaad’s answer satisfactory either and their current relationship certainly wasn’t friendly. “Win, what do you mean by ‘I would win’?”
Zaad merely chuckled within both Khan’s and Rathel’s heads, the later turned to Auriel for answers. “Ms. Wood Elf, you won’t happen to know what he means by that would you?”
Auriel looked on in confusion and then amusement as the headmaster ‘chatted’ with Zaad. This was just getting better and better. “Can you let me down first? This is ridiculous.” The roots were a little looser now that she’d dropped her weapon, but she was still being held above the ground in a rather awkward position.
Rathel blinked then nodded, his hands dug into the ground as the roots released and flowed back into the items they once been. He politely warned the student. “Keep in mind, I sense or even suspect you going on the attack, I won’t release this time.”
Auriel was happy to be back on the floor and in control, though she didn’t show it. “Thanks.” She said half sarcastically to the plant-man demon thing. “I don’t know what that crazy dust ball is on about. Probably thinks I can’t handle it.” She looked quickly around for him. He wasn’t there, just like she’d thought. “I can by the way you dustball!” She said loudly, hoping he’d hear from whichever plane of the inferno he was presently ‘gracing’ with his presence.
With that, she bent down and retrieved her dagger, keeping her eyes locked on the plant-man the whole time, and too forcefully sheathed it again. “Anything else you want from me?” She said expectantly to the Headmaster.
“Currently?” Khan began as his curiosity was filled. “Nothing other than try not to hurt others or yourself. I can’t allow someone who has killed to remain on College grounds, namely within them. Some mages forget that magic can be as wonderful as it can be harmful, a lesson I’ve learnt myself in the worse way.”
Khan’s eyes seemed to haze over for a moment only to be jerked back into the present, his face still fixed upon the woman. “Also, Zaad can’t hear you no matter how loudly you shout. It’s one of the many…perks of binding him in the way I did. It’s not a pleasant thing having five completely different minds in your head at all times after all.”
“Yeah whatever” Auriels response to the comments on having multiple minds was dismissive and uncaring. “You sure you want me to stay then? I don’t carry these weapons for show.” Auriel had stopped counting the people she’d killed on the job quite some time ago. Merchants didn’t usually ask for their attackers to be spared.
“You’re not the worse to have walked through those doors.” The Headmaster said and added. “We don’t turn people away because of their past, merely their present actions within the School. Since you’ve not drawn blood here, I needn’t worry you will just kill someone else because they’ve angered you.”
He started to slowly make his way back to his seat, his voice still speaking clearly and showing little evidence on his feelings towards the subject. “I doubt anyone that has weaponry here has it for show. And while we aim to provide a safe and comforting environment, it’s more difficult than it sounds. In addition to that, the College provides services to most of Tiien and in those missions and tasks you are able to apply what you’ve learned within these walls. It will show you what you can do with your magic, both good and terrible. Most have determined through these tasks if they truly want to be mages or let the magic fade from them.”
“Nice to know I’m welcome here.” She said with a half sarcastic slightly skeptical voice. “I’ll try not kill anyone unless they try to kill me first.” Auriel was genuinely happy that they wouldn’t hold her many past killings, both on the job and otherwise, against her. “So you guys do missions aye? Do we get paid? I mean the travel and the magic learning is nice, but there is nothing like a bag of gold.” And the chance for untold mischief, she added in her head. She was getting eager to get away from here though. Her demonstration was over and being around Satori without ripping her throat our was not easy. She was not the most adept at hiding her emotions and it was probably showing.
“The choice to believe my words is yours, nothing I can say or do can convince you differently. Though I believe actions are strong way to show it.” Khan answered her while he moved away from Satori, her seat at the far end of the table and in the opposite direction he treaded. A secret relief in his own opinion as he wasn’t sure what he would’ve done if he had to bypass the teacher along the way. Rathel, who notice Khan’s difficulty in walking became too obvious, had started to pull in closer to the Esyire. The larger demon pressed his form against the Demonomacer, his body separated the Headmaster from his continual scrapping over the table edge and aided him along. However Rathel had only manage to keep his Demonomancer upright, the balance was still difficult to keep while they painfully made their way towards Khan’s seat.
Khan’s words still resumed to talk to the Wood Elf, farther explained the College’s system in hopes to keep her attention and prevent her from returning back to the first task. “You would receive a small percent of it though most goes to the College as it help to keep it running. Otherwise, we have to take funding from the students monthly or a large sum yearly and another percent from each mission since we established the job in the first place. It’s not cheap keeping this place running on pure charity or donations. There are perks: free room and board, meals and a place defended from monsters in the surrounding areas.”
“Sounds alright to me I guess. You know you don’t look so great. You sure she didn’t get to you too?” Auriel said with a quick, sharp gesture towards Satori. She really didn’t want to be there right now though, and while sleeping was probably out of the picture with her brand new set of unpleasant memories, getting away from the dining hall certainly was. “Actually, nevermind. I’m getting out of here. Have fun with the crowd.” She said before he could reply turning away and stepping off the teachers stage. It was only once she was in the crowd again that she realised her words were ambiguous concerning whether she was simply leaving the hall or the college. Maybe Zaad would be surprised to see her again the next day. She laughed quietly to herself at that little irony.
Rathel merely chuckled as the Wood Elf was already on her way out, he knew it wasn’t Satori’s doing because it was an old healer named Sam getting even for Khan’s stubbornness. A fact the demon found rather funny in a light hearted way while he clumsily guided Khan to his seat. The effects would lessen later as he just finished taking the last dose not long ago and the fact this current, brash event would be one Khan refuse to allow to shimmer over, the Headmaster’s night was likely to be a long one.
“Sam’s meds knocked you on your ass, Khan. Likely best you not stand while Uicle finishes his demonstration and we send the Students to their rooms. Some might be unaffected but others seemed to have taken this to heart. I only hope the damage is minimized or there might be funeral before long, the only question I have is simple: whose corpse will I be burying, Satori’s or a student’s?”
Khan’s hand merely came up to shoulder his head, his face hidden from sight and likely mulling over his unsavory task later this evening.
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The exciting finale coming soon from Sep...
Miller moved off his plate being hit by a gust of the gas as it pushed it off the vent as he moved towards the door. Instead of trying to push in and grab the door like the other two were he picked up the staff weapon Ariadne had deposited on the ground when she moved to open the door and moved it through the door to act as leverage. He then pulled back on it as the door began to open even more and he could feel the sterile air from earlier begin to intermix with the gas from the small control room and he presumed from other life support vents elsewhere in the ship. As the door finally budged open he moved out into the corridor, after trying to hold his breath for so long once in the corridor he gulped down the, mostly, clean air of the corridor as he looked down it to see at least one additional bulkhead closed ten metres down. Obviously all Milton had managed to do was unlock the door and the other bulkheads moved up so that would be interesting.
He looked over for any sign of a gas coming into the corridor and sighed slightly as he saw a small vent putting the gas out into the corridor. “On the bright side it will take slightly longer for this corridor to fill up, what we need is a way off this ship, it will take too long to raise those bulkheads even if we get the power back online that could only make things worse.” He looked around the corridor before turning to Ariadne.
“How do those… ring thingies work? Not the Stargate I’ve used them before the other ones. That the Goa’ulds use. I’ve seen them but not used them before.”
Ariadne was slightly surprised at the mention of using rings. She’d seen no Ring platforms here so far and they usually weren’t used by any but the Goa’uld or a few Ancient facilities. The corridor was filling with gas however, slowly but surely, and it seemed that all the possible exits were sealed off. She turned to Miller and hurriedly explained. “Rings would be of little use here, they require either a second platform, of which I see none, or fairly close proximity and an unobstructed path to the receiving platform. They can punch through some things but I do not think they could break through this hull.” She didn’t have any useful ideas to contribute though, so she simply took back her staff weapon and continued looking around for a way out, trying to keep Idalia calm as she did so. One thing was certain: time was not on their side.
Miller checked his rifle, and the staff. The staff was out of sight and out of mind in terms of the plan simply because it wasn’t going to be possibly to use it without the gas going on and everyone getting killed which would be detrimental. But his rifle, technically shouldn’t cause enough ignition to set it off, as it didn’t create great excess of heat. “We’re what, a couple of decks from the hull, surely we will be able to get up a couple of levels in order to get to the hull and then try and weaken it from our side? Would that allow the rings to punch through the hull?”
“It shouldn’t be that hard. I wouldn’t recommend the staff weapon or our P90’s for it though,” Milton said. “Bullets bounce, even if they are AP. I’d recommend putting C4 (or Semtex.. not sure what the brits use) in a diamond pattern,” Milton said. “The C4 is more of a sharp hard punch rather than a big fireball like they show in the movies. It does have a fire event but it’s pretty short. The blast wave should push the gasses out of the way. We can deliver the force right where we want it, to serve our needs,” he suggested.
Ariadne was not entirely familiar with the explosives suggested by Milton, but the idea he was suggesting sounded viable. Rings would be able to punch through a sufficiently weakened hull. There was still a problem with the idea though. “I hate to be the one to point this out, but how will we get to the deck closest to the hull? I do not imagine the elevators will co-operate. They are probably already filled with gas anyway.”
He looked over for any sign of a gas coming into the corridor and sighed slightly as he saw a small vent putting the gas out into the corridor. “On the bright side it will take slightly longer for this corridor to fill up, what we need is a way off this ship, it will take too long to raise those bulkheads even if we get the power back online that could only make things worse.” He looked around the corridor before turning to Ariadne.
“How do those… ring thingies work? Not the Stargate I’ve used them before the other ones. That the Goa’ulds use. I’ve seen them but not used them before.”
Ariadne was slightly surprised at the mention of using rings. She’d seen no Ring platforms here so far and they usually weren’t used by any but the Goa’uld or a few Ancient facilities. The corridor was filling with gas however, slowly but surely, and it seemed that all the possible exits were sealed off. She turned to Miller and hurriedly explained. “Rings would be of little use here, they require either a second platform, of which I see none, or fairly close proximity and an unobstructed path to the receiving platform. They can punch through some things but I do not think they could break through this hull.” She didn’t have any useful ideas to contribute though, so she simply took back her staff weapon and continued looking around for a way out, trying to keep Idalia calm as she did so. One thing was certain: time was not on their side.
Miller checked his rifle, and the staff. The staff was out of sight and out of mind in terms of the plan simply because it wasn’t going to be possibly to use it without the gas going on and everyone getting killed which would be detrimental. But his rifle, technically shouldn’t cause enough ignition to set it off, as it didn’t create great excess of heat. “We’re what, a couple of decks from the hull, surely we will be able to get up a couple of levels in order to get to the hull and then try and weaken it from our side? Would that allow the rings to punch through the hull?”
“It shouldn’t be that hard. I wouldn’t recommend the staff weapon or our P90’s for it though,” Milton said. “Bullets bounce, even if they are AP. I’d recommend putting C4 (or Semtex.. not sure what the brits use) in a diamond pattern,” Milton said. “The C4 is more of a sharp hard punch rather than a big fireball like they show in the movies. It does have a fire event but it’s pretty short. The blast wave should push the gasses out of the way. We can deliver the force right where we want it, to serve our needs,” he suggested.
Ariadne was not entirely familiar with the explosives suggested by Milton, but the idea he was suggesting sounded viable. Rings would be able to punch through a sufficiently weakened hull. There was still a problem with the idea though. “I hate to be the one to point this out, but how will we get to the deck closest to the hull? I do not imagine the elevators will co-operate. They are probably already filled with gas anyway.”
I think Satori has just made (another?) enemy for life.
Auriel lives up to at least one stereotype in that her temper is as fierce as the colour of hair.....
Fallen we'll need a little collabing to finish off that scene.
Cant wait to see Satori's reaction to the attempts on her life XD
Auriel lives up to at least one stereotype in that her temper is as fierce as the colour of hair.....
Fallen we'll need a little collabing to finish off that scene.
Cant wait to see Satori's reaction to the attempts on her life XD
Auriel Lavai
After her own part in the demonstrations Auriel was feeling somewhat drained. It’d been a harrowing day and she wasn’t used to using her mageblood at all, much less for something so impressive. She immediately made her way back to the barrels to get something strong to drink, only loosely paying attention to the other demonstrations.
By the time the demonmancy demonstration arrived, she’d downed a tankard of Dwarven ale already. For a moment she wondered if it was the drink affecting her vision as the room shifted to the appearance of the Inferno, but she wasn’t normally so much of a lightweight. No, it had to be the demonmancy teacher, and the crazy bastard seemed to have lost control.
Her thoughts were distracted quite suddenly as an Imp leapt over her and turned to make a face, sticking its tongue out at her. Her hands immediately went for her weapons. The demons expression changed quite drastically as Auriels axe swung at its neck. It ducked barely in time, but that didn’t save it from the lower slash from her dagger. Its infernal blood poured out of the deep gash for a moment before it was sucked screaming back into the inferno. Moments later, all the other demons were being torn apart by roots and tree-creatures, and when Auriel looked around the room again, she saw that none of the students were harmed by the demonstration.
She decided to pay a bit more attention to the teachers table then, and sat down just in time to see a pink haired teacher raising a toast. Auriel, of course, went with it, raising her own tankard in the air before bringing it to her lips. That turned out to be a mistake as the moment the golden liquid passed her lips the world around her changed and shifted.
She was on her knees in chains in the centre of her village in Ghannos. Every house and tree nearby was charred and blackened from fire, yet still retaining their shape perfectly. A crowd formed of all the people of her village surrounded her, forming a circle around her. Every one of them was silent, directing cold, accusing looks at her. She tried to say that she didn’t do it, that it wasn’t supposed to be like this, but instead felt her face twist into a satisfied smirk.
With that, Siala stepped out of the crowd and strode slowly and purposefully towards her, clad in the ceremonial armour of a Warden of Ghannos and bearing a heavy recurve bow almost as tall as her, a viciously barbed Shrieking arrow already knocked. She bent at the waist and brought her face close to Auriels, to whisper in her ear. “Run prey, run.”
Auriel lept up then, her chains seeming to fall away. She broke into a sprint and the crowd parted before her. In moments she was clear of the village and among the burnt husks of the trees. The moment she thought she was not being followed, she heard the sound of a Shrieking arrow as it sped through the air towards her.
The first arrow sped past her arm, the barbs grazing over the scars left from the first time she ran. This time, instead of cutting her lightly, a great and deep gash was torn into the flesh of her arm. She cried out and stumbled, but kept running. The second arrow skimmed over her leg, tearing at her clothes and flesh. She cried out again and kept running, now with an uneven gait. Once more, an arrow swooped past her, this time its barbs cut her ankle down to bone. She screamed in pain and fell, the ash covered forest floor rushing up to meet her.
She slowly managed to roll over, sending sharp jolts of pain through her body as she did so. Now on her back, she could see Siala standing over her, disappointment etched into her face. The huntress-warden raised her bow and slowly drew back the string, this time with a simple straight-headed piercing arrow knocked. Siala released the arrow once it was fully drawn, the massive dining hall swimming back into focus as the arrow pierced her breast and cut to her heart.
The snap back to reality was sudden and jarring. Auriels free hand went straight to the faintly visible thin scar on her arm, feeling for wounds. To her immediate relief she found none, and even though she could not feel any injury her hand also quickly checked the spot the final arrow had supposedly impacted. Nothing. It had felt so real, but she knew that events had not come to pass in that way, and given that she seemed unharmed now, she determined that it was an illusion of some kind.
An extremely unpleasant illusion.
Auriel glared at the pink haired woman on stage even as the illusory memory competed with the real thing, throwing her thoughts into disarray. As if to add a final insult to the injury the psychomancy ‘teacher’ Satori then wished everyone a long, happy life.
Auriels tankard came down hard on the wooden table, a good amount of liquid sloshing out as it did. She stood slowly and with measured movements before walking up towards the teachers table, light on her feet but fairly naturally. Only once there were only a few meters between her and the pink-haired bitch who’d decided to make her live out her worst nightmares did Auriel act. She whipped her dagger out of its sheath in a reverse grip even as her feet left the ground in a bounding leap, animalistic rage in her eyes. She intended nothing less than to spill Satori’s lifeblood across the stage.
No sooner had she begun her leap, however, than she felt the familiar sensation of bark against her skin, combined with the unpleasant feeling of all her forward motion being suddenly and completely arrested. She cast her head about quickly to locate what exactly was holding her back and saw roots twisting about her arms holding her in position. Mages. They’d be the death of her.
After her own part in the demonstrations Auriel was feeling somewhat drained. It’d been a harrowing day and she wasn’t used to using her mageblood at all, much less for something so impressive. She immediately made her way back to the barrels to get something strong to drink, only loosely paying attention to the other demonstrations.
By the time the demonmancy demonstration arrived, she’d downed a tankard of Dwarven ale already. For a moment she wondered if it was the drink affecting her vision as the room shifted to the appearance of the Inferno, but she wasn’t normally so much of a lightweight. No, it had to be the demonmancy teacher, and the crazy bastard seemed to have lost control.
Her thoughts were distracted quite suddenly as an Imp leapt over her and turned to make a face, sticking its tongue out at her. Her hands immediately went for her weapons. The demons expression changed quite drastically as Auriels axe swung at its neck. It ducked barely in time, but that didn’t save it from the lower slash from her dagger. Its infernal blood poured out of the deep gash for a moment before it was sucked screaming back into the inferno. Moments later, all the other demons were being torn apart by roots and tree-creatures, and when Auriel looked around the room again, she saw that none of the students were harmed by the demonstration.
She decided to pay a bit more attention to the teachers table then, and sat down just in time to see a pink haired teacher raising a toast. Auriel, of course, went with it, raising her own tankard in the air before bringing it to her lips. That turned out to be a mistake as the moment the golden liquid passed her lips the world around her changed and shifted.
She was on her knees in chains in the centre of her village in Ghannos. Every house and tree nearby was charred and blackened from fire, yet still retaining their shape perfectly. A crowd formed of all the people of her village surrounded her, forming a circle around her. Every one of them was silent, directing cold, accusing looks at her. She tried to say that she didn’t do it, that it wasn’t supposed to be like this, but instead felt her face twist into a satisfied smirk.
With that, Siala stepped out of the crowd and strode slowly and purposefully towards her, clad in the ceremonial armour of a Warden of Ghannos and bearing a heavy recurve bow almost as tall as her, a viciously barbed Shrieking arrow already knocked. She bent at the waist and brought her face close to Auriels, to whisper in her ear. “Run prey, run.”
Auriel lept up then, her chains seeming to fall away. She broke into a sprint and the crowd parted before her. In moments she was clear of the village and among the burnt husks of the trees. The moment she thought she was not being followed, she heard the sound of a Shrieking arrow as it sped through the air towards her.
The first arrow sped past her arm, the barbs grazing over the scars left from the first time she ran. This time, instead of cutting her lightly, a great and deep gash was torn into the flesh of her arm. She cried out and stumbled, but kept running. The second arrow skimmed over her leg, tearing at her clothes and flesh. She cried out again and kept running, now with an uneven gait. Once more, an arrow swooped past her, this time its barbs cut her ankle down to bone. She screamed in pain and fell, the ash covered forest floor rushing up to meet her.
She slowly managed to roll over, sending sharp jolts of pain through her body as she did so. Now on her back, she could see Siala standing over her, disappointment etched into her face. The huntress-warden raised her bow and slowly drew back the string, this time with a simple straight-headed piercing arrow knocked. Siala released the arrow once it was fully drawn, the massive dining hall swimming back into focus as the arrow pierced her breast and cut to her heart.
The snap back to reality was sudden and jarring. Auriels free hand went straight to the faintly visible thin scar on her arm, feeling for wounds. To her immediate relief she found none, and even though she could not feel any injury her hand also quickly checked the spot the final arrow had supposedly impacted. Nothing. It had felt so real, but she knew that events had not come to pass in that way, and given that she seemed unharmed now, she determined that it was an illusion of some kind.
An extremely unpleasant illusion.
Auriel glared at the pink haired woman on stage even as the illusory memory competed with the real thing, throwing her thoughts into disarray. As if to add a final insult to the injury the psychomancy ‘teacher’ Satori then wished everyone a long, happy life.
Auriels tankard came down hard on the wooden table, a good amount of liquid sloshing out as it did. She stood slowly and with measured movements before walking up towards the teachers table, light on her feet but fairly naturally. Only once there were only a few meters between her and the pink-haired bitch who’d decided to make her live out her worst nightmares did Auriel act. She whipped her dagger out of its sheath in a reverse grip even as her feet left the ground in a bounding leap, animalistic rage in her eyes. She intended nothing less than to spill Satori’s lifeblood across the stage.
No sooner had she begun her leap, however, than she felt the familiar sensation of bark against her skin, combined with the unpleasant feeling of all her forward motion being suddenly and completely arrested. She cast her head about quickly to locate what exactly was holding her back and saw roots twisting about her arms holding her in position. Mages. They’d be the death of her.
The plot is thickening...
Darth Nyiss waited several hours after the Dark Council agent entered the prison deck before continuing with her plans for the day. He couldn’t be allowed to discover what she was doing, at least not yet. Once she deemed enough time to have passed, she unlocked the prison deck elevator and descended once more, giving orders remotely for the Jedi Allanar to be brought to the cell were her equipment was presently stored. Equipment that would now need to be moved off the prison deck after she’d finished. She sighed then, the company of this newcomer was irksome. At the very least he might provide a distraction and an outlet for passion.
Walking through the winding corridors she quickly reached the room allocated and entered. She felt the desire to have the Kaminoan Tolun Fi watch again as she stepped inside, but unfortunately that would probably not be wise. He was now studying fragments of some of her older notes in an isolated area on the prison deck. Or at least thats what he was supposed to be doing, he’d proved uncooperative thus far. No, this time she’d work alone.
Allanar was already in the room when she arrived, and it wasn’t difficult to force him onto the operating table given the weakness that had apparently overcome him. She’d hoped, indeed expected more from him after the fight he’d put up when she captured him, but it seemed the experiment was taking a greater toll on him. She’d continue anyway, but even without the diagnostics her hope for total success with this trial was fading.
It seemed he did retain enough strength to remain awake for the moment, that was good. She looked down at him with an almost sympathetic expression and spoke reassuringly “Don’t worry, it will be over soon. You’ll be much better. Improved in every way. You’ll see.” A cheerful smile broke over her face for just a moment before she turned away to get started on the next phase of the experiment.
Darth Nyiss knew that for future subjects, she would have liked more of the Kaminoan’s research, so that perhaps she might even be able to strengthen the patient’s connection to the force. But that would have to wait. One step at a time. She walked gracefully over to one of the tables, picking up several tools, then depositing them beside the patient. From a tray, she picked up several small, round objects with a small needle in the middle. These she pressed into the patient at various points. When she had inserted the tenth and last, she pressed a small button on a remote, and within seconds, the patient’s DNA appeared over one of the computers, with it being measured from each of the sensors. With a quick command, she had the patient’s original DNA from last test pulled up beside it. The differences were miniscule, but they were there. Her process appeared to be working, for there were, so far, no signs of the body rejecting itself.
“Excellent, my little pet. You may yet survive the process.” She spoke sincerely with no hint of malice. The patient did not respond or react. Using the force, she tore the sensors out of his body, depositing them in the tray, where they would be sterilized by one of her droids. She would not have herself contaminated by contact with his impure blood.
Darth Nyiss then lifted up an empty injector, attaching it to a machine on one of the side tables. Inputting a long series of commands, she let it work. Even with the new genetic data from all over his body, it would take a while to sequenze out the right serum. Some twelve minutes later, the machine chirped, indicating that the serum was almost ready. “Just one more step…” she murmured, and channeled lightning straight at the injector and into the dark red serum within. Unlike most machines, this one had been built to withstand even Force Lightning. Expensive, but more than worth it.
She did not bother informing the patient when she would inject him. Instead, she simply pressed the injector against his skin, injecting a little here and a little there, spreading it fairly evenly throughout his body. Once the Injector was empty, she placed it to the side, and channeled lightning straight at his body for exactly thirteen seconds. He writhed from the energy his body was being subjected to, but not as vigorously as last time. Now all she would have to do is wait.
She was turning to leave when she heard a murmur of sound from the prisoner. She looked back for a moment and was surprised to see that he’d managed to turn his head to look at her. He spoke slowly and with obvious effort, but she could understand the words. “Why… are you… doing this?”
Darth Nyiss blinked in surprise at that, she thought it was obvious. “I’m making you… better. You’ll see.” Then she turned and left, leaving her droids to clean up and take the prisoner to the guards outside.
Walking through the winding corridors she quickly reached the room allocated and entered. She felt the desire to have the Kaminoan Tolun Fi watch again as she stepped inside, but unfortunately that would probably not be wise. He was now studying fragments of some of her older notes in an isolated area on the prison deck. Or at least thats what he was supposed to be doing, he’d proved uncooperative thus far. No, this time she’d work alone.
Allanar was already in the room when she arrived, and it wasn’t difficult to force him onto the operating table given the weakness that had apparently overcome him. She’d hoped, indeed expected more from him after the fight he’d put up when she captured him, but it seemed the experiment was taking a greater toll on him. She’d continue anyway, but even without the diagnostics her hope for total success with this trial was fading.
It seemed he did retain enough strength to remain awake for the moment, that was good. She looked down at him with an almost sympathetic expression and spoke reassuringly “Don’t worry, it will be over soon. You’ll be much better. Improved in every way. You’ll see.” A cheerful smile broke over her face for just a moment before she turned away to get started on the next phase of the experiment.
Darth Nyiss knew that for future subjects, she would have liked more of the Kaminoan’s research, so that perhaps she might even be able to strengthen the patient’s connection to the force. But that would have to wait. One step at a time. She walked gracefully over to one of the tables, picking up several tools, then depositing them beside the patient. From a tray, she picked up several small, round objects with a small needle in the middle. These she pressed into the patient at various points. When she had inserted the tenth and last, she pressed a small button on a remote, and within seconds, the patient’s DNA appeared over one of the computers, with it being measured from each of the sensors. With a quick command, she had the patient’s original DNA from last test pulled up beside it. The differences were miniscule, but they were there. Her process appeared to be working, for there were, so far, no signs of the body rejecting itself.
“Excellent, my little pet. You may yet survive the process.” She spoke sincerely with no hint of malice. The patient did not respond or react. Using the force, she tore the sensors out of his body, depositing them in the tray, where they would be sterilized by one of her droids. She would not have herself contaminated by contact with his impure blood.
Darth Nyiss then lifted up an empty injector, attaching it to a machine on one of the side tables. Inputting a long series of commands, she let it work. Even with the new genetic data from all over his body, it would take a while to sequenze out the right serum. Some twelve minutes later, the machine chirped, indicating that the serum was almost ready. “Just one more step…” she murmured, and channeled lightning straight at the injector and into the dark red serum within. Unlike most machines, this one had been built to withstand even Force Lightning. Expensive, but more than worth it.
She did not bother informing the patient when she would inject him. Instead, she simply pressed the injector against his skin, injecting a little here and a little there, spreading it fairly evenly throughout his body. Once the Injector was empty, she placed it to the side, and channeled lightning straight at his body for exactly thirteen seconds. He writhed from the energy his body was being subjected to, but not as vigorously as last time. Now all she would have to do is wait.
She was turning to leave when she heard a murmur of sound from the prisoner. She looked back for a moment and was surprised to see that he’d managed to turn his head to look at her. He spoke slowly and with obvious effort, but she could understand the words. “Why… are you… doing this?”
Darth Nyiss blinked in surprise at that, she thought it was obvious. “I’m making you… better. You’ll see.” Then she turned and left, leaving her droids to clean up and take the prisoner to the guards outside.
The Awakened Harmony
Name: The Awakened
Lifespan: 729 years to the day.
Brief Description: To the eyes of many, an Awakened resembles a golem formed of transparent crystal. Unlike a golem, however, an awakeneds form actually consists of a number of unattached pieces of crystal, bound together through an unknown force, believed to be some form of ancient magic. Awakened usually shape themselves into a roughly humanoid appearance, revolveing around a single central piece. Their colouration ranges from grey to pale blue, with transparancy varying, usually dependant on the size of any given crystal.
Location: The Harmony can be found in a valley in the Spine of the Forest mountain range, along with the majority of the Awakened.
Mageblood Rates: 1/1 - All Awakened possess the capacity to manipulate magic, as it is a core aspect of what they are. Almost all of them are limited to the Natura blood, with the majority knowing only Geomancy, which comes naturally to them.
What is the Harmony?
Physically, the Harmony consists of 9 immense crystal spires. They are situated above a series of lakes in the mountains near Ironstead. The Harmony is far more than a series of constructs however. Within each of the spires exists a vast consciousness as old as the world itself. These 'minds,' for lack of a better term, do not think or comprehend as those of the fleshy mortals do. Rather, a single thought can take a year or more to form and a decision can take a century or more. None can say what it is the Harmony thinks about, only that the nine spires do communicate with each other. They can emit soft sound across the entire spectrum, and the often beautiful tones formed when they speak their years long words are what gave them their name. Not even the Awakened know precisely what it is the Harmony speaks of, as the mind of an Awakened is far too fast to comprehend them.
Attempts to study the Harmony have been fruitless, and attempts to damage their physical forms fatal. When their form is damaged in any way, the damaged Harmony emits a piercing scream loud enough to strike any race deaf, and shortly after kill him. This is no magical effect, but rather a physical one - the sound waves first burst the ear drums of the victim, and then reach sufficient intensity to burst all the blood veins in the witless being, as well as eyes.
What is an Awakened?
Every 729 years a process known as 'the awakening' occurs beneath the Harmony, marking the beginning and the end of a cycle. First, those Awakened of the previous cycle who have returned to the Harmony stride purposefully into the lakes, disturbing the otherwise perfectly still surface. Their forms dissolve as their life comes to an end. Only rarely do all 81 of the Awakened return to the Harmony, but after only a few minutes, the water begins to bubble as 81 new Awakened Harmony are formed, bound together and given life by whatever ancient magics the Harmony wield. These 81 will rise from the waters when they stop bubbling and take the place of the last set of Awakened.
An Awakened Harmony resembles a golem in many ways, but it is clearly not one. They are formed of the same crystal as their much larger namesake, which is transparent where it is thin, but the most striking difference between an Awakened and a Golem is that the Awakened is comprised of multiple free floating stones, as if a powerful Geomancer had assembled a display of power. These varying pieces all forma roughly humanoid shape, and there is always a central piece with what most would call a 'head' around which the other smaller pieces form.
These pieces of crystal appear to have no bindings to each other, and indeed they do not, but no one part of an Awakened Harmony may travel further than its 'arms reach' away from it. It is most simple to for an Awakened to retain its original humanoid arrangement, a task that requires no magic or thought on its part, but with focus a Harmony can re-arrange itself, limited only to its imagination and the 'arms reach' in which its immaterial bonds function. This requires no magic on its part, only focus. Material Hardness remains constant, though Geomancy can affect this aspect of their form.
An Awakened Harmony is capable of magic, and almost every one is a natural Geomancer, finding the stone and metal around it most familiar. Their magic is that of the blood, though they do not have blood in the sense of an organic creature. Every individual part of an Awakened possesses at least one set of lattice-like 'veins' in which an Arcanite solution resides. This is the 'blood of the Harmony' and while within an Awakened, functions much like an organic creatures blood would. In addition, this substance is what maintains the unliving physical form of the Awakened - any damage inflicted on one great enough to break into a 'vein' will cause the substance to slowly leak to the surface, where over time it will harden into more of the crystal that is their form, plugging holes, sealing cracks and re-finishing surfaces. In the right light, an Awakened Harmonies 'veins' can be seen within it, and the sight is almsot always described as beautiful and entrancing.
The 'head' of an Awakened Harmony emits a soft light, usually pale blue in colour, though other colours, always pale, have occured on occasion. This is their sensory hub, and this is where an Awakened sees from. They feel touch on any surface of any of their component pieces, but they do not have a sense of taste or smell. Covering their 'head' will render them blind just as it would any race with eyes. They see a wider field of view than humans, roughly 180 degrees in their front, relative to the central piece on which the 'head' is located. They hear by feeling the sound on their form, and thus it is very hard to deafen an Awakened Harmony or block out all sound from it. Replacing the senses of organic races is a sort of 'mineral sense' in which an Awakened can sense any unprocessed stone or metal within thirty or so meters. This includes the type and location of the mineral, and has made Awakened an incredibly valuable asset to mining operations when one can be persuaded to work in such a line.
Just as the Harmony emit sound, so too can an Awakened speak. They do not come into the world with knowledge of any language of man, elf or dwarf but once they learn it they can form the sounds perfectly. Their voices come from their own resonance, and always have a deep, distant sound to them, like the earth itself was shifting far away. Normally they are softly spoken, but can generate sounds somewhat louder than even the roar of an Esyire when they choose too.
It is possible for an Awakened to float, just as the Harmony itself does, rather than walk with its legs on the ground, however they cannot fly, and must, in normal circumstances, keep the ground within their sphere of influence (arms reach) when they do. This ability to defy gravity does negate almost all instances in which an Awakened would be damaged from falling, however they may still impact the ground before floating if they were falling fast enough. They do not move quite as fast as a human, but their strength can easily match that of an Orc, and their grip in particular is described as 'having a boulder hold you.'
The mind of an Awakened Harmony is driven by one thing: curiosity. When they first awaken, it is all they can think of, all they can comprehend, and they immediately set out to leave their place of origin and learn all that they can of the world. Initially they learn quickly, especially with languages and sounds. After the first few years they learn slightly slower, coming more in line with the rate at which the short lived fleshy races learn. They will often be strange conversation partners, ever driven to find more knowledge and sometimes forgeting or ignoring the strange customs of the flesh-beings in their pursuit. As creatures made essentially of rocks, their thought process and decision making is not swift, and while they are not necessarily patient by nature, they may seem it to those unfamiliar with the time it takes for a rock to decide on something.
The reason for their thought speed is that they are essentially miniature, accelerated versions of the Harmony. Those learned in the nature of the Harmony have suggested that the 'Awakened' should instead be called the 'Quickened' as that is essentially what they are in comparison to their inanimate cousins, the spires that hover over perfectly still lakes.
at the end of its 728th year, an Awakened will feel an undeniable urge to return to its orgin. All 81 will try, though not all will make it. Should an Awakened not reach the Harmony by the end of the last day on its 729th year, it will cease to exist as a conscious entity. The constituent stones that make it up will fall to the ground and lose their glow, clouding over within minutes. In the coming days the clouded crystals will begin to grey and become stone from within, until they are naught but oddly shaped greystone chunks. Their Arcanite solution 'blood' will begin to deteriorate the moment they cease to exist, and by the time they start becoming stone, it has completely hardened within its veins and will become stone along with the rest of the form.
When an Awakened pushes itself magically, it will deplete the Arcanite in its 'blood' just as an organic being would. The affect this has on the Awakened, however, is somewhat different, as much of the Awakened Harmony is not actually alive, and so cannot suffer from Arcanite depletion. An Awakened will feel nothing of the depletion until it reaches a much lower state than normal, but when the Arcanite levels in its form are depleted to this extent the mind and consciousness of the Awakened will slow significantly. If it continues to push even at this stage, it will drive itself into a dormant state. In their dormant state, an Awakened Harmonies form will simply stop moving, the many component parts of it gently rotating around the central. This state can last anywhere from days to months, and during it the Awakened cannot sense the world arround nor act upon it in any way. It is, for all intents and purposes, a pretty rock formation during an Aracnite defficient dormancy. A side effect of this dormancy is that the fluid that would normally repair major damage to an Awakened Harmonies physical form will act much slower, and it is during this state that they are most vulnerable to physical destruction.
As creatures of stone, the means by which an Awakened Harmony can be damaged or destroyed are somewhat different to how one would go about killing a human. The stone of an Awakened is harder than skin or even the scales of Esyire, but while that attribute means it will easily turn a blade, it suffers other vulnerabilities. The stone is fairly brittle and will crack or splinter under a heavy impact, even shatter if the force strikes hard enough. Against magic, they have only marginally more defense than a flesh-being. Lightning will still shatter them, heat may melt them. Fluid exists within them that can be manipulated, and acts as water for the intents of magical attacks. They suffer a particular vulnerability to Geomancy, as their entire form is made of unprocessed crystal, a substance that is not difficult for Geomancer to manipulate. Vitamancy is of much less use against them, however, as they have no flesh to manipulate. The blood analogue that exists within them can still be manipulated by a vitamancer in the same manner as regular blood.
Punching a Harmony will be ineffectual. Punching with a Gauntlet may scratch it.
A warhammer will crack and splinter a Harmonies form.
The average Geomancy propelled boulder will cause a partial shatter if it impacts.
Any impact stronger than that will completely shatter the section it strikes.
An awakened does not feel physical sensations like hunger, tiredness or pain as an organic being does. They do feel higher emotions though, albiet slowly. If they suffer damage they will feel a fear of death and loss, just as an organic being would.
Name: The Awakened
Lifespan: 729 years to the day.
Brief Description: To the eyes of many, an Awakened resembles a golem formed of transparent crystal. Unlike a golem, however, an awakeneds form actually consists of a number of unattached pieces of crystal, bound together through an unknown force, believed to be some form of ancient magic. Awakened usually shape themselves into a roughly humanoid appearance, revolveing around a single central piece. Their colouration ranges from grey to pale blue, with transparancy varying, usually dependant on the size of any given crystal.
Location: The Harmony can be found in a valley in the Spine of the Forest mountain range, along with the majority of the Awakened.
Mageblood Rates: 1/1 - All Awakened possess the capacity to manipulate magic, as it is a core aspect of what they are. Almost all of them are limited to the Natura blood, with the majority knowing only Geomancy, which comes naturally to them.
What is the Harmony?
Physically, the Harmony consists of 9 immense crystal spires. They are situated above a series of lakes in the mountains near Ironstead. The Harmony is far more than a series of constructs however. Within each of the spires exists a vast consciousness as old as the world itself. These 'minds,' for lack of a better term, do not think or comprehend as those of the fleshy mortals do. Rather, a single thought can take a year or more to form and a decision can take a century or more. None can say what it is the Harmony thinks about, only that the nine spires do communicate with each other. They can emit soft sound across the entire spectrum, and the often beautiful tones formed when they speak their years long words are what gave them their name. Not even the Awakened know precisely what it is the Harmony speaks of, as the mind of an Awakened is far too fast to comprehend them.
Attempts to study the Harmony have been fruitless, and attempts to damage their physical forms fatal. When their form is damaged in any way, the damaged Harmony emits a piercing scream loud enough to strike any race deaf, and shortly after kill him. This is no magical effect, but rather a physical one - the sound waves first burst the ear drums of the victim, and then reach sufficient intensity to burst all the blood veins in the witless being, as well as eyes.
What is an Awakened?
Every 729 years a process known as 'the awakening' occurs beneath the Harmony, marking the beginning and the end of a cycle. First, those Awakened of the previous cycle who have returned to the Harmony stride purposefully into the lakes, disturbing the otherwise perfectly still surface. Their forms dissolve as their life comes to an end. Only rarely do all 81 of the Awakened return to the Harmony, but after only a few minutes, the water begins to bubble as 81 new Awakened Harmony are formed, bound together and given life by whatever ancient magics the Harmony wield. These 81 will rise from the waters when they stop bubbling and take the place of the last set of Awakened.
An Awakened Harmony resembles a golem in many ways, but it is clearly not one. They are formed of the same crystal as their much larger namesake, which is transparent where it is thin, but the most striking difference between an Awakened and a Golem is that the Awakened is comprised of multiple free floating stones, as if a powerful Geomancer had assembled a display of power. These varying pieces all forma roughly humanoid shape, and there is always a central piece with what most would call a 'head' around which the other smaller pieces form.
These pieces of crystal appear to have no bindings to each other, and indeed they do not, but no one part of an Awakened Harmony may travel further than its 'arms reach' away from it. It is most simple to for an Awakened to retain its original humanoid arrangement, a task that requires no magic or thought on its part, but with focus a Harmony can re-arrange itself, limited only to its imagination and the 'arms reach' in which its immaterial bonds function. This requires no magic on its part, only focus. Material Hardness remains constant, though Geomancy can affect this aspect of their form.
An Awakened Harmony is capable of magic, and almost every one is a natural Geomancer, finding the stone and metal around it most familiar. Their magic is that of the blood, though they do not have blood in the sense of an organic creature. Every individual part of an Awakened possesses at least one set of lattice-like 'veins' in which an Arcanite solution resides. This is the 'blood of the Harmony' and while within an Awakened, functions much like an organic creatures blood would. In addition, this substance is what maintains the unliving physical form of the Awakened - any damage inflicted on one great enough to break into a 'vein' will cause the substance to slowly leak to the surface, where over time it will harden into more of the crystal that is their form, plugging holes, sealing cracks and re-finishing surfaces. In the right light, an Awakened Harmonies 'veins' can be seen within it, and the sight is almsot always described as beautiful and entrancing.
The 'head' of an Awakened Harmony emits a soft light, usually pale blue in colour, though other colours, always pale, have occured on occasion. This is their sensory hub, and this is where an Awakened sees from. They feel touch on any surface of any of their component pieces, but they do not have a sense of taste or smell. Covering their 'head' will render them blind just as it would any race with eyes. They see a wider field of view than humans, roughly 180 degrees in their front, relative to the central piece on which the 'head' is located. They hear by feeling the sound on their form, and thus it is very hard to deafen an Awakened Harmony or block out all sound from it. Replacing the senses of organic races is a sort of 'mineral sense' in which an Awakened can sense any unprocessed stone or metal within thirty or so meters. This includes the type and location of the mineral, and has made Awakened an incredibly valuable asset to mining operations when one can be persuaded to work in such a line.
Just as the Harmony emit sound, so too can an Awakened speak. They do not come into the world with knowledge of any language of man, elf or dwarf but once they learn it they can form the sounds perfectly. Their voices come from their own resonance, and always have a deep, distant sound to them, like the earth itself was shifting far away. Normally they are softly spoken, but can generate sounds somewhat louder than even the roar of an Esyire when they choose too.
It is possible for an Awakened to float, just as the Harmony itself does, rather than walk with its legs on the ground, however they cannot fly, and must, in normal circumstances, keep the ground within their sphere of influence (arms reach) when they do. This ability to defy gravity does negate almost all instances in which an Awakened would be damaged from falling, however they may still impact the ground before floating if they were falling fast enough. They do not move quite as fast as a human, but their strength can easily match that of an Orc, and their grip in particular is described as 'having a boulder hold you.'
The mind of an Awakened Harmony is driven by one thing: curiosity. When they first awaken, it is all they can think of, all they can comprehend, and they immediately set out to leave their place of origin and learn all that they can of the world. Initially they learn quickly, especially with languages and sounds. After the first few years they learn slightly slower, coming more in line with the rate at which the short lived fleshy races learn. They will often be strange conversation partners, ever driven to find more knowledge and sometimes forgeting or ignoring the strange customs of the flesh-beings in their pursuit. As creatures made essentially of rocks, their thought process and decision making is not swift, and while they are not necessarily patient by nature, they may seem it to those unfamiliar with the time it takes for a rock to decide on something.
The reason for their thought speed is that they are essentially miniature, accelerated versions of the Harmony. Those learned in the nature of the Harmony have suggested that the 'Awakened' should instead be called the 'Quickened' as that is essentially what they are in comparison to their inanimate cousins, the spires that hover over perfectly still lakes.
at the end of its 728th year, an Awakened will feel an undeniable urge to return to its orgin. All 81 will try, though not all will make it. Should an Awakened not reach the Harmony by the end of the last day on its 729th year, it will cease to exist as a conscious entity. The constituent stones that make it up will fall to the ground and lose their glow, clouding over within minutes. In the coming days the clouded crystals will begin to grey and become stone from within, until they are naught but oddly shaped greystone chunks. Their Arcanite solution 'blood' will begin to deteriorate the moment they cease to exist, and by the time they start becoming stone, it has completely hardened within its veins and will become stone along with the rest of the form.
When an Awakened pushes itself magically, it will deplete the Arcanite in its 'blood' just as an organic being would. The affect this has on the Awakened, however, is somewhat different, as much of the Awakened Harmony is not actually alive, and so cannot suffer from Arcanite depletion. An Awakened will feel nothing of the depletion until it reaches a much lower state than normal, but when the Arcanite levels in its form are depleted to this extent the mind and consciousness of the Awakened will slow significantly. If it continues to push even at this stage, it will drive itself into a dormant state. In their dormant state, an Awakened Harmonies form will simply stop moving, the many component parts of it gently rotating around the central. This state can last anywhere from days to months, and during it the Awakened cannot sense the world arround nor act upon it in any way. It is, for all intents and purposes, a pretty rock formation during an Aracnite defficient dormancy. A side effect of this dormancy is that the fluid that would normally repair major damage to an Awakened Harmonies physical form will act much slower, and it is during this state that they are most vulnerable to physical destruction.
As creatures of stone, the means by which an Awakened Harmony can be damaged or destroyed are somewhat different to how one would go about killing a human. The stone of an Awakened is harder than skin or even the scales of Esyire, but while that attribute means it will easily turn a blade, it suffers other vulnerabilities. The stone is fairly brittle and will crack or splinter under a heavy impact, even shatter if the force strikes hard enough. Against magic, they have only marginally more defense than a flesh-being. Lightning will still shatter them, heat may melt them. Fluid exists within them that can be manipulated, and acts as water for the intents of magical attacks. They suffer a particular vulnerability to Geomancy, as their entire form is made of unprocessed crystal, a substance that is not difficult for Geomancer to manipulate. Vitamancy is of much less use against them, however, as they have no flesh to manipulate. The blood analogue that exists within them can still be manipulated by a vitamancer in the same manner as regular blood.
Punching a Harmony will be ineffectual. Punching with a Gauntlet may scratch it.
A warhammer will crack and splinter a Harmonies form.
The average Geomancy propelled boulder will cause a partial shatter if it impacts.
Any impact stronger than that will completely shatter the section it strikes.
An awakened does not feel physical sensations like hunger, tiredness or pain as an organic being does. They do feel higher emotions though, albiet slowly. If they suffer damage they will feel a fear of death and loss, just as an organic being would.
Sounds good Sep, progress is progress.
Alright Sep, Tearstone, one or both of you are up over in Chappa'ko, Ariadne has done what she can for now.
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