Ashan 110, 716 - Late Night
The Seekers, undoubtedly proficient in their mastery of arcana, were a home away from home to the Webspinner. By it's very nature, she was attracted to it like a moth to flame. Y'gel, her mentor, had scheduled an appointment for this day, the day she would learn something related to magic. Her black cloak clasped about thin, pale ankles as she strode through the halls of the location - a hideout the Seekers used for their research, in peace.
Loud, obnoxious men shouted about some discovery they had discovered, but Vera was solely interested in dabbling with what her mentor had taught her thus far. She was worried about the danger of associating with others within the Seekers, many avoided one-another, for good reason; disputes between mages were legendary ... who should gain credit for the results, who should be perceived as the greater, or the greatest. Who should be rewarded?
Useless, useless, useless. Keep your head down, and work your magic until you are well beyond the days. Aside from this, something concerned her deeply ... a certain scent, a floral one, that of her favorite flower within the lands of Burhan, had begun to hang around her faintly. At first, she thought it was all within her head, but another person complimented her about the perfume she wore ... she did not own such a thing. The scent, as it was now, disturbed her and she intended to ask Y'gel about it.
The Mirage sorcerer had a laboratory all to himself now, hollowed out of the earth and reinforced, the dust magically cleared by some unknown arcana each day to keep the air pure down in the deep, dark. Stepping through the door, Vera witnessed her mentor leaning over the papers of his research - into Mirage, his predominant discipline.
Knowing very little of his secrets, Vera raised a hand in greeting, palm outward as the Sorcerer looked over his shoulder and stood, facing her. "Ah, Vera!" he said from across the room. He seemed to stand still for a moment, and then suddenly a loud, resonant crack spills into Vera's ears, the sudden looming figure of her mentor standing above causing her to fall backward and lose her footing, "W-what?" she was sent crashing down onto her rear.
The oldish man burst out laughing, clutching his gut with a palm as he bore a wide smile, eyes shut. Something within him caused him to enjoy playing tricks upon others, an almost regal visage about him as Vera regained herself enough to stand just as the chortling subsided. "Master Y'gel-"
"Sorcerer Y'gel," he interrupted, a more serious tone to his voice. "You are an Acolyte now, you are independent. Only a Neophyte has a master."
"-Sorcerer Y'gel," Vera continued, "was that an illusion? I've seen nothing like it, and the sound it made was ... insidious."
Y'gel smiled and extended his hand out to grasp Vera's shrouded shoulder, looking into her eyes. "My dear, that was Rupturing ... the discipline that allows for travel across space."
Curiosity piqued, Vera's eyebrows raised, processing the ramifications of such a thing. "Is it ... dangerous?" she asked ... but she held her tongue after those words, knowing full well that all magic was dangerous.
"Of course, Rupturing is actually fraught with more danger than Mirage ... it requires mental precision, clear thought, and an untainted force of will," he began. "I was not adept at it enough to be confident that I could teach another, but perhaps I will initiate you into the practice ... but first I wish to explain to you some things that I did not make clear about the inner workings of magic as a Neophyte. There was certain ... information that I withheld from you to prevent you from going astray, and narrow your focus for safety." He turned around and approached a nearby table where some water was set out, picking up the mug and downing it before hissing out a refreshed breath. He turned to Vera again, "would you like to begin?" he asked.
Intrigued beyond words, Vera simply nodded as she processed the information, funneling it away into a different part of her brain. She was relatively reserved most of the time, except when she wasn't ... and she was out of her element completely. Soon, silence followed, and she broke it. "Very well, Sorcerer ... color me interested, and regale me with the knowledge I am missing, if you please." She was only slightly upset that he had obscured information from her, but this was magic ... he likely had a good reason to do so.
"A Spark," Y'gel began. "When I gave you the gift of Mirage, you were given a Spark, something that turns you into something else not entirely ... yourself, as it grows ... your studies of Mirage have come along well, what do I smell upon you, that perfume? Do you wear it by choice?" he asked, ever perceptive. He'd scented it when he had gotten close to her, and it was an unusual change.
"No. It began this morning, and I do not have anything upon me, nor did I weave an illusion to create it. Is this a change from my 'spark'?" she asked, she herself in wonder, and also slightly uncomfortable at the revelation that magic physically changed and warped an individual.
"Correct," said Y'gel. "A Spark grows in power, and 'mutates' a magician ... our magic is called 'Domain' magic, and thus a 'Domain Magician' manipulates the 'Domain' of their 'Spark'. Because of this, some call it an infection they would rather be without it ... others call it a gift, or a valuable tool to be used as they see fit. How do you see it now? I'm curious?"
Vera puzzled out what she had just learned within her mind as silence filled the gap of time ... an infection? A gift? A tool? Her mind wandered to how she used it, how she perceived it. "Perhaps ... all three, I prefer to remain objective and understand all sides of reason. An infection, I can see that most certainly ... but also a gift, a boon that can be used to defy an ill fate ... a tool to be used to open new pathways or handle monsters, whatever form they take."
Y'gel simply cooed, "ahh ... Vera, you always amaze me with your thorough thought and unique view. I wonder if you will surpass me one day? Your talents grow and grow with each passing moon, and you already bear your first 'Witchmark', that mutation of your Spark. You give me a sense of pride, to know that I will have had a hand in rearing you from infancy in our art..."
A sharp, short-lived laugh left Vera. "Do not flatter me, Y'gel," she said, jovially. "I work as hard as any other, within my limits."
"But you are careful, as a mouse."
"Perhaps..." she said.
Y'gel drifted nearer, "a Spark is peculiar, Vera..." he said. "You can only bear, within your body and soul, four in number. I currently possess two - Mirage, Rupturing ... and you already have Mirage. It is a choice you must not take lightly, for if you expand into different Disciplines within the Seekers, you will find your options great, but limited," he continued.
Vera's mind was set ablaze ... limitations? There were limits on which domains she could bear within her? But which ones should she choose? She didn't know the others. "Y'gel, I am intrigued by Rupturing, but what are my options ... what other 'Disciplines' exist that you know of?"
The man cupped his chin and pinched his beard, stroking it. "Well, I hardly know them all, only what I've learned from my colleagues and the books here; there's Attunement - divining information about magic from others ... what Disciplines another possesses, perhaps information on the magical qualities of an item." His voiced quavered as he reached out internally into the depths of his knowledge. "Defiance, the manipulation of elements and natural phenomena ... Graft, the repair of that which is broken ... healing wounds, mending objects, I assume. Abrogation, the Discipline for negating other magic..." his words were churned out in idle ramblings, but the selfish nature of a mage shined through. "I am most interested in branching off into that one myself, perhaps Attunement for my fourth," he mused, before letting out a sigh. "And then there's ... Necromancy, raising the dead. Devouring, consuming flesh for power and knowledge - those two I've only read about. Understandably, its practitioners keep it a secret."
Vera quietly listened, trying to pull at those strings of information and weave them into a ball that she could readily unravel within her mind. It was a lot of knowledge to take in ... and there were many choices. "There are ... a staggering amount of choices that you know of alone. There are more, I assume?"
"Yes," Y'gel said. "Perhaps an unknowable amount, Disciplines so very rare that few possess them ... or simply uncommon to this part of the world, perhaps in secret. I nearly forgot ... Ensorcellment, it's a Practice that anyone can learn, for it involves using materials of the world, such as 'wells' from 'fractures', but we will get into that at a later date. Wells are also used in a Discipline known as 'Dustforge', the creation of magical artifacts ... I only pursue knowledge within the Disciplines that I control, Vera."
So many options roiled through her mind ... all of them perfectly reasonable and sound, delightful tools, gifts, and 'infections' to bear ... but she could only have four? How frustrating ... Rupturing was readily available however, and ultimately useful - traversing space instantly, what ill could come of it so long as she took care to use caution? "Y'gel, initiate me into Rupturing. I will worry about my dwindling options when they become relevant, and I would much rather learn from you than another ... your kindness defeats me, it really does." Her well-placed compliment was a sting of lovely venom into the mage opposite her, eliciting a wide smile.
...Continued in The Rupturing - Part 2
The Seekers, undoubtedly proficient in their mastery of arcana, were a home away from home to the Webspinner. By it's very nature, she was attracted to it like a moth to flame. Y'gel, her mentor, had scheduled an appointment for this day, the day she would learn something related to magic. Her black cloak clasped about thin, pale ankles as she strode through the halls of the location - a hideout the Seekers used for their research, in peace.
Loud, obnoxious men shouted about some discovery they had discovered, but Vera was solely interested in dabbling with what her mentor had taught her thus far. She was worried about the danger of associating with others within the Seekers, many avoided one-another, for good reason; disputes between mages were legendary ... who should gain credit for the results, who should be perceived as the greater, or the greatest. Who should be rewarded?
Useless, useless, useless. Keep your head down, and work your magic until you are well beyond the days. Aside from this, something concerned her deeply ... a certain scent, a floral one, that of her favorite flower within the lands of Burhan, had begun to hang around her faintly. At first, she thought it was all within her head, but another person complimented her about the perfume she wore ... she did not own such a thing. The scent, as it was now, disturbed her and she intended to ask Y'gel about it.
The Mirage sorcerer had a laboratory all to himself now, hollowed out of the earth and reinforced, the dust magically cleared by some unknown arcana each day to keep the air pure down in the deep, dark. Stepping through the door, Vera witnessed her mentor leaning over the papers of his research - into Mirage, his predominant discipline.
Knowing very little of his secrets, Vera raised a hand in greeting, palm outward as the Sorcerer looked over his shoulder and stood, facing her. "Ah, Vera!" he said from across the room. He seemed to stand still for a moment, and then suddenly a loud, resonant crack spills into Vera's ears, the sudden looming figure of her mentor standing above causing her to fall backward and lose her footing, "W-what?" she was sent crashing down onto her rear.
The oldish man burst out laughing, clutching his gut with a palm as he bore a wide smile, eyes shut. Something within him caused him to enjoy playing tricks upon others, an almost regal visage about him as Vera regained herself enough to stand just as the chortling subsided. "Master Y'gel-"
"Sorcerer Y'gel," he interrupted, a more serious tone to his voice. "You are an Acolyte now, you are independent. Only a Neophyte has a master."
"-Sorcerer Y'gel," Vera continued, "was that an illusion? I've seen nothing like it, and the sound it made was ... insidious."
Y'gel smiled and extended his hand out to grasp Vera's shrouded shoulder, looking into her eyes. "My dear, that was Rupturing ... the discipline that allows for travel across space."
Curiosity piqued, Vera's eyebrows raised, processing the ramifications of such a thing. "Is it ... dangerous?" she asked ... but she held her tongue after those words, knowing full well that all magic was dangerous.
"Of course, Rupturing is actually fraught with more danger than Mirage ... it requires mental precision, clear thought, and an untainted force of will," he began. "I was not adept at it enough to be confident that I could teach another, but perhaps I will initiate you into the practice ... but first I wish to explain to you some things that I did not make clear about the inner workings of magic as a Neophyte. There was certain ... information that I withheld from you to prevent you from going astray, and narrow your focus for safety." He turned around and approached a nearby table where some water was set out, picking up the mug and downing it before hissing out a refreshed breath. He turned to Vera again, "would you like to begin?" he asked.
Intrigued beyond words, Vera simply nodded as she processed the information, funneling it away into a different part of her brain. She was relatively reserved most of the time, except when she wasn't ... and she was out of her element completely. Soon, silence followed, and she broke it. "Very well, Sorcerer ... color me interested, and regale me with the knowledge I am missing, if you please." She was only slightly upset that he had obscured information from her, but this was magic ... he likely had a good reason to do so.
"A Spark," Y'gel began. "When I gave you the gift of Mirage, you were given a Spark, something that turns you into something else not entirely ... yourself, as it grows ... your studies of Mirage have come along well, what do I smell upon you, that perfume? Do you wear it by choice?" he asked, ever perceptive. He'd scented it when he had gotten close to her, and it was an unusual change.
"No. It began this morning, and I do not have anything upon me, nor did I weave an illusion to create it. Is this a change from my 'spark'?" she asked, she herself in wonder, and also slightly uncomfortable at the revelation that magic physically changed and warped an individual.
"Correct," said Y'gel. "A Spark grows in power, and 'mutates' a magician ... our magic is called 'Domain' magic, and thus a 'Domain Magician' manipulates the 'Domain' of their 'Spark'. Because of this, some call it an infection they would rather be without it ... others call it a gift, or a valuable tool to be used as they see fit. How do you see it now? I'm curious?"
Vera puzzled out what she had just learned within her mind as silence filled the gap of time ... an infection? A gift? A tool? Her mind wandered to how she used it, how she perceived it. "Perhaps ... all three, I prefer to remain objective and understand all sides of reason. An infection, I can see that most certainly ... but also a gift, a boon that can be used to defy an ill fate ... a tool to be used to open new pathways or handle monsters, whatever form they take."
Y'gel simply cooed, "ahh ... Vera, you always amaze me with your thorough thought and unique view. I wonder if you will surpass me one day? Your talents grow and grow with each passing moon, and you already bear your first 'Witchmark', that mutation of your Spark. You give me a sense of pride, to know that I will have had a hand in rearing you from infancy in our art..."
A sharp, short-lived laugh left Vera. "Do not flatter me, Y'gel," she said, jovially. "I work as hard as any other, within my limits."
"But you are careful, as a mouse."
"Perhaps..." she said.
Y'gel drifted nearer, "a Spark is peculiar, Vera..." he said. "You can only bear, within your body and soul, four in number. I currently possess two - Mirage, Rupturing ... and you already have Mirage. It is a choice you must not take lightly, for if you expand into different Disciplines within the Seekers, you will find your options great, but limited," he continued.
Vera's mind was set ablaze ... limitations? There were limits on which domains she could bear within her? But which ones should she choose? She didn't know the others. "Y'gel, I am intrigued by Rupturing, but what are my options ... what other 'Disciplines' exist that you know of?"
The man cupped his chin and pinched his beard, stroking it. "Well, I hardly know them all, only what I've learned from my colleagues and the books here; there's Attunement - divining information about magic from others ... what Disciplines another possesses, perhaps information on the magical qualities of an item." His voiced quavered as he reached out internally into the depths of his knowledge. "Defiance, the manipulation of elements and natural phenomena ... Graft, the repair of that which is broken ... healing wounds, mending objects, I assume. Abrogation, the Discipline for negating other magic..." his words were churned out in idle ramblings, but the selfish nature of a mage shined through. "I am most interested in branching off into that one myself, perhaps Attunement for my fourth," he mused, before letting out a sigh. "And then there's ... Necromancy, raising the dead. Devouring, consuming flesh for power and knowledge - those two I've only read about. Understandably, its practitioners keep it a secret."
Vera quietly listened, trying to pull at those strings of information and weave them into a ball that she could readily unravel within her mind. It was a lot of knowledge to take in ... and there were many choices. "There are ... a staggering amount of choices that you know of alone. There are more, I assume?"
"Yes," Y'gel said. "Perhaps an unknowable amount, Disciplines so very rare that few possess them ... or simply uncommon to this part of the world, perhaps in secret. I nearly forgot ... Ensorcellment, it's a Practice that anyone can learn, for it involves using materials of the world, such as 'wells' from 'fractures', but we will get into that at a later date. Wells are also used in a Discipline known as 'Dustforge', the creation of magical artifacts ... I only pursue knowledge within the Disciplines that I control, Vera."
So many options roiled through her mind ... all of them perfectly reasonable and sound, delightful tools, gifts, and 'infections' to bear ... but she could only have four? How frustrating ... Rupturing was readily available however, and ultimately useful - traversing space instantly, what ill could come of it so long as she took care to use caution? "Y'gel, initiate me into Rupturing. I will worry about my dwindling options when they become relevant, and I would much rather learn from you than another ... your kindness defeats me, it really does." Her well-placed compliment was a sting of lovely venom into the mage opposite her, eliciting a wide smile.
...Continued in The Rupturing - Part 2
