Beyond the city of Rharne lies the Stormlands, which is home to a number of farms, forests, fields, Lake Lovalus, and the River Zynyx. This subforum also includes the Stormwastes to the south.
If he's being honest, most of it was boring as buggery. But that was no excuse for him to skip around.
The candles provided precious light and he was not one to waste it. Nights were shorter now, days longer, but within the stone room he was allotted, Kasoria had to reply on tallow and wick to illuminate the pages. Black eyes flickered over the singed cover; so all-encompassing in their darkness now that it was impossible to tell when his gaze shifted, unless his head moved with it. He studied the steady flame in the candle.
A break. Probably less.
The Etzori turned another page by a jagged, burned corner. Burned, but no longer reeking of flaming parchment and choking smoke, he noted. It had been trials after the fire in the library, after all. The one item he'd looted, unnoticed and unremarked upon, had been this slim volume. Now he sat hunched over it before the candle, not trusting his tired eyes to stay awake if he lay in bed and tried to read. He'd made that mistake before, awaking to find a book resting across his face where his weary hand had let it lower and lower until sleep had claimed him.
The Raggedy Man licked his finger and turned a page. More fucking waffle, it seemed like. Nothing of real substance, no real knowledge... but how was he to know the difference? At this point, he wouldn't. He was greener than grass and twice as stupid. Only thing for it was to read every page, every word, then go to the start and read them all again. Kasoria sighed and rubbed his eyes, forcing some of the tiredness from them.
"Flaws an' Quail... Qualities..." he read slowly and carefully, hardly illiterate but more concerned with getting the words right. Although if he was honest, the magical twat that wrote the book surely did love his fancy words. "The Twin Aspects of Transmutation... Transmuted Items..."
The Etzori let out a thoughtful "hmm" that echoed minutely around the stone room for a moment. Ah. Substance. Definitely smelled like substance...
Last edited by Kasoria on Thu May 21, 2020 8:13 pm, edited 1 time in total. word count: 365
Common Speech | Thoughts | Ith'ession Speech | Speech of Others
All Objects and Items in the World, Consist Not just Of Material, but Qualities and Flaws. These are
What Be a Sword if Not Sharp? Such is it's Quality. Is Iron Truly Iron if it is Not Hard and Unyielding?
Quality is the Nature of a Thing; Flaws are That Which is Created When a Transmuter Alters it Into an
Getting a little better.
Not the writing; that was still fucking annoying. The tone and manner of it was a touch pompous to Kasoria's earthy eyes, but he could forgive that. No, it was the endless, almost random capitalization. Not a shred of rhyme or reason! Sometimes it seemed a whole sentence would bear them, but the next, nary a one. Were they meant to indicate import? Names? Spells? The mental state of the writer?! He was leaning towards the latter, but... the book itself, was what was improving before his eyes.
Namely, less of the pages were burned.
He was flicking further into the tome and the inner pages weren't as badly damaged as the others. If he were lucky, he guessed that he'd be treated to full and uninterrupted pages by the time the candle burned down. Wouldn't that be a treat?
Some groaned, or screamed, or roared out beyond the stone. His eyes flickered up to the square black aperture, slashed into thirds by iron bars. As if that nameless and sightless thing in the great distance would crawl between them and there, there was his hand at his sword... but of course, there was no danger. Not so close, anyway. More of these nightmarish things were out there, that had assaulted the castle before. But the patrols and the hunts and the ranging had put paid to all but those packs driven deepest into the Wastelands.
Doesn't mean you don't keep your weapons handy.
A Quality of an Item is More than Just the Base and Obvious, However. Silk is Smooth, for example, But
and One would Never Think of a Plate being, say, Round. Because a Plate, but its Nature, by its Quality, ha
Quality can Only be Found in Experience. The Literal Touching and Appreciation of an Item. Memory May
the Truest Way to Learn the Quality to be Passed On to your Altered Construct, is to Hold It In Your Hands.
Kasoria sighed and rubbed his eyes. Five words in a row. Two of them being "it" and "in". Fates knew a fucking scally from the Oh'Pee like him was hardly one to critique the written word of a great mage, but Chrien's Cunt, did the man seek to abuse the use of grammar at every turn? But he was learning, despite his reflexive annoyance. The quality of an item... the nature of it... he looked at the candle to his side, illuminating the pages. He ran his free hand across it. Wax and tallow. Firm but yielding, for it had to melt and burn and yet stand straight, too. It had to, because that's what a candle was. That was its quality.
Just like the parchment under his fingers. Soft and yet firm enough to be folded, to be pierced by bindings. Like the sword he'd touched a moment ago. Hard, straight, sharp as it was when he'd ran his stone across it breaks before... for who would need or want a blunt sword? It wouldn't be a sword otherwise.
"So dat's the one," he murmured as he supped from a half-empty glass, wetting his tongue in the dry air. "Now fer the other..."
There was a muted fwip of a page turning, parchment slapping parchment, light as leaves in the breeze. A hate twisted and forlorn howled out in the distance, but the Raggedy Man paid it no mind. He read on.
word count: 646
Common Speech | Thoughts | Ith'ession Speech | Speech of Others
In the Art of Transmutation, a Flaw is Both the Same and Different to its Meaning elsewher
A Flaw in, say a Diamond, is an Imperfection. A Mistake in the Otherwise Perfect Symmetry of
In Transmutation, a Flaw is, Simply Put, That Which Does Not Fit the Item Created. A Flaw is
Nature of the Crafted Item, that Expresses itself through Cracks, Fissures, or Pulsing Waves of
A bell tolled from beyond the stone room. Not an animal bellow from beyond the walls; from within, deeper into the keep. Kasoria was familiar enough with the routine of Storm's Edge to know what it meant. Late supper, for the men about to change guard duty. Those leaving would get a bowl of stew and perhaps half a loaf. He remembered when they were rationing... well, more strictly. Everyone got fed, but for a while it was on a knife's edge. Yet the sheer will of the garrison, the Knights, the volunteers, leaders like Vega and the Lord Commander... they had built the castle into a fortress. Reinforced not just in stone and wood but food and training. Now supplies were not a problem, and now they had only to...
What, exactly?
Kasoria sighed and rested a hand on the pages, keeping his place as he settled back for a moment. No point trying to focus until this mood had passed. The question had been itching and gnawing at him for trials now. Why remain? Why stick around? Take up their food and water... or, if he was being more himself, allow them to waste his time? He had a son waiting for him, thousands of leagues and a quick hop through a Crossing portal away. But still he stayed in this castle, this fortress, now redeemed and yet still menaced by an unseen, lurking evil.
Better to let Vega and the heroes handle that shite, he told himself, reinforcing the idea that had been taking root for quite a while. You've done your bit, and now you've got something out of it. A bow. A book. Skills and an idea... of what to try next.
His fingers tensed atop the parchment, as if to reassure him it was still there. Singed paper and blackened binding. Pompous words and flowery calligraphy... but the information within was invaluable. The concepts and teachings were all solid, as far as he could tell. This would be something he could use, something he could latch onto... here, or elsewhere. The Raggedy Man smirked softly. Ah, and now he'd come back full circle. Allowed the mood to pass, like a man sticking out a storm under a canopy, and now it was gone...
As One Improves in the Art of Transmutation, Flaws will becomes Less Pronounced, and May Disappear Entirely.
However, when a Transmuter attempted to Imbue Qualities that are Intrinsically Counter to an Item - Say, a Flat Cup or a Glass Shield - These Flaws become more Obvious and Egregious.
They Weaken what is Crafted, and Will Reduce the Lifespan of it. Flaws are Also Merely Mistakes in Concentration and Reformation. Much like how Rushing the Forging of a Sword or the Baking of a Vase can Result in Shoddy Workmanship.
Kasoria pursed his lips as he processed what he'd read. That, too, was a requirement of this self-teaching, he realized. Not trying to gobble down too much at once. A quality was an... element of an object. The accepted facet of it. A flaw was when one attempted to give something qualities it had no business possessing, or you just rushed and created shitty work. But... he frowned deeper... that meant qualities could be given to things you would not expect.
He thought of his gladius. Shadow-Slayer. The burning, scorching blade it produced. White-hot edge and lightning-spitting. Transmutation... that must have been how it was made. And once he was initiated, he would be able to touch the blade and-
The old man snorted, carefully marked the page, and closed the book. Ah. So it was decided, then. With no discussion involved, despite his Spark growling softly at the implied future. He shushed it mentally, getting to his feet and stretching a body cramped and weary from long repose. Food was in the offing, and he could smell the rich, dense aroma of pork and potatoes in the air.
Research x3, Discipline x1
Transmutation: Flaws
Transmutation: Qualities
Non-Skill Knowledge:
Shadow Slayer: Likely the Result of Transmutation Rituals
Storm's Edge, Early Ashan 720: Fortified Yet Still Menaced
Storm's Edge, Early Ashan 720: Safe to the Point that Kasoria is No Longer Needed
Renown: none
Skill Usage: Appropriate to level
Loot/Losses: none
Injuries/Conditions: none
Consequences: none
Comments: I didn't expect to enjoy reading this thread when I went into it, to be honest. Research can be a bit of a bore. But Kasoria's attitude and self-reflection made it worth it. I found his disdain for the language of the old wizard to be amusing, and fitting. Really why don't they hire the guy who writes dummy books to write magical treatises?
At first I was wondering if Kasoria was looking into transmutation in order to figure out how to combat it, but then at the end he references initiating into the magic. Well this is interesting. I wonder how his very fully developed abrogation spark will react to the introduction of another magical spark? I look forward to seeing where Kasoria's evolution as a great old wizard takes him.
If you have any concerns about this review, please PM me about them.
