Night In: Defiance

[Charlotte Vale]

5th of Ymiden 718

Early Morning | The Devil's Advocate

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T

he book sagged heavily against her knees, the covers open and a hard crease in the page where it had fallen on her torso and bent in her sleep. She muttered something, lost in the dreamscape, and smacked her lips. Just then, she jerked and sent the book and the notes she'd been writing to the floor with a crash. She damn near jumped from her skin at the noise, and she rubbed sleepy eyes with the back of her hand as she placed together where she was. She was prepared, of course, for the librarians to find her and return their book, but it was just her own lack of sleep and over-researching that had become her enemy. She sat straight against the chair, stretching the languish from her muscles.

She yawned again, this time dropping long legs to the floor to stand. She stretched again, then bent over to collect her gear. The notes were smeared, and a large black splotch on her shirt would have made her angry, if her shirt wasn't black. Still, the ink shone against the flickering light of the fireplace. The light that filtered through the window was scarce, and she was unsure if it was dusk or dawn. Either way, she needed something to help her stay awake. She needed this information. Pulling a warm coat over her, she walked from the room downstairs to the Devil's Advocate. Nude women greeted her, as well as one embroiled in a romance in a room with an open door. The brothel was only place she felt she could hide, and so she'd have to endure the occasional nude romp.

She burst into the cold of the morning, as she could tell it was from the freshness of the air. She pulled the coat tighter and set off towards a different inn, one that offered coffee. She hated the taste, its bitterness, but the warmth and the energy would be welcome additions to the trial. She pushed into the inn and strode to the bar, the innkeep looking her over with distaste. Her hair was tangled and the dark circles under her eyes belied her exhausted nature.

"Coffee, please. Extra milk," she asked politely, smiling tiredly. The barkeep stared in disdain for a moment before filling her request. The milk made the coffee a little less hot, but it cut the bitterness out of the coffee completely. It was a trade she was willing to make. She paid the four silver nels for the beverage and sipped it, allowing the heat from the cup to warm her hands as the liquid warmed her insides. It slowly slid down her throat, bolstering her against the cold.

"Did you hear about the ruckus in the library two trials ago? I heard that the magical section almost all caught flame. A shelf toppled over and almost into the fire. Lady Maebella said that they could have lost very important texts," she heard an Eidisi say. She was careful not to look over, but the repercussions of her mistake were evident. Viden was on alert now. She'd have to be more careful.

Ten bits later, and the coffee was gone. She set the mug back down and strode back into the cold, prepared this time and fortified with the hot liquid in her body. It would be half a break before the energy began to kick in, so she figured she'd bathe and groom before she returned to her studies. Pushing back into her room, she neatly tidied up the fallen book and paper, then set the pots of water to heating. Sighing, she sat back in the chair she'd slept in and surveyed the smudged notes. She could make some out, but she'd have to rewrite the majority of them. She realized this was a good thing, though, as she barely remembered what she'd begun to read the trial before.

“Knowledge is power? No. Knowledge on its own is nothing, but the application of useful knowledge, now that is powerful.”

- Rob Liano

[Charlotte Vale]

5th of Ymiden 718

Early Morning | The Devil's Advocate

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T

he fire crackled lazily as she stood in front of it, her nude body glistening as she stood close to stave off the chill. She stared down into the flames, entranced by how they danced over the burning logs. The heat was comfort, and she understood how someone could want to control the warmth, the safety of the fire. She watched as the droplets of her bath evaporated from her skin, and when she dressed, it was into the loose clothing of her sleepwear. The bagginess trapped the heat in it, and when she sat back down to read, she enjoyed the warmth.

On the Nature of Defiers, the book was titled, with the subline "An intellectual approach by Seeker Nolin Kaiva". The Seekers. She wasn't sure who they were, but they seemed to have their hands in a lot of things arcane. She cracked the book back open, focusing once again on the pages she had already read. Her icy eyes skimmed the first paragraph, a description of the Domain.

"Defiance is often misunderstood as a discipline. Considered to be simply hurling fireballs or making shapes in water, in reality it is a relationship between mage and the natural elements surrounding them. While not delving into the spiritual element, as Pact does, Defiance is a way of understanding the truest nature of these humble and important aspects of Idalos. Gaining its namesake for the overt means by which the elements can be manipulated, Defiance spits on the Immortal masters of the element merely by existing...or at least that was the intent when first developed. Truthfully, most Defiers have a grudging respect for how well the Immortals have controlled the element up till now. Elements are fickle things, easily roused to chaos and just as quickly given to passive silence. What begins with a spark becomes a dialogue, and the dialogue becomes a kinship. While an Immortal controls the elements imperiously, mages of this discipline Defy that. No. For them, it is the relationship that is paramount; Defiance is about the bond."

She scribbled down notes, making sure to keep them organized by the subheadings of the book. She looked up at the fire, attempting to will it to leap from its hearth with just her eyes. Of course, nothing happened, and she smiled.

"What needs to be understood about Defiance is that it is unique, even among other magics. The spark in the mage's soul affords them a real connection with the elements around them. From the moment they are inducted, rain will sometimes fall around them, fire will struggle to warm them, even in a heavy wind, and even the earth is a soft bed for them to sleep on. Defiance is a magic that is felt in minor but significant ways. For a Defier, the elements are friends more constant than those of flesh and bone. Some of the mutations involve a difficulty communicating with ordinary people. Why bother when such fragile beings only pretend to master the elements that you have come to love and cherish? A Defier is never alone and so these mages tend to be more confident than others.

Of course, this relationship applies to ALL Defiers. Many Defiance mages truly loathe to fight each other. In a way it's like forcing a generous lover, a true friend, to turn against someone they care about. The elements hate to be manipulated and with the protection Defiers receive, most fights between Defiance mages tend to rely on secondary magics or physical skills rather than their strength in this discipline to fight each other. Of course, the superior Defier can overpower a lesser one but equally skilled masters will warp their environment before they do any damage to themselves.

Some mages fancy a romantic relationship with the elements, a kinship men of flesh and bone would not understand. It is not uncommon for those who can see spirits to see the spirits of elements following and clinging to such mages. Even powerful Induk show deference to a mage of elemental precision. Of all the magics, Defiers are the least likely to become unraveled and insane. Their power comes from the support of their friends around them, and that place of nurturing promotes a healthy and sharp mind. While Defiance can certainly be used for evil, there are few, if any, who would consider what they do harmful to the elements around them. Despite loyalties, many Defiers can put aside their differences to hunt down a rogue Defier who has taken to hurting or manipulating the elements in truly horrific ways. This solemn hunt, called the Severing, always ends in the rogue's death."

Charltote scribbled about relationships, noting how a Defier commands the elements. The Severing was of particular interest to her, and she made a star next to the words to remind her to study that ritual more in depth. The next section was titled "Brands and Mutations". She created a new space for notes.

"Defiance brands are often easily identifiable and rather hard to hide, such as skin that appears as stone or a breeze when one enters the room, even if there are no windows. Those whose Kin is Water may have damp hair..."

She paused and gasped. Essa was a Waterkin. It made sense, especially as she pulled her son from the water. Her hands started to shake as she scribbled her notes, the coffee's energy finally kicking in. She steadied her hand.

"Mutations in Defiance tend to be a little curious. One might suddenly lose the ability to heal without the assistance of their kin element, a Defier slapping mud onto a laceration to aid in the healing process. Some others may find their Brand expands so that they're always covered in dirt, or their entrance is punctuated with a brisk and very noticeable wind. Some may find they can only eat when the food has been utterly charred by fire, but can still gain full nutritional benefits. Stranger mutations as stones inlaid within the skin or eyes that burn with real heat and fire are rarer, but not unheard of."

She had heard that one of the Seekers in the Vhalar Massacre had mutated to have gouts of flame bursting from his eyes. She hadn't seen him, having evacuated, but she could only imagine how terrifying that might have been. She flicked through more about how Defiers handle their elements, but she came to the most important part next... The Exemplar.

"The Revelation of a Defier is one baptized in their kin element. The moment of merging with their Spark is full of action and movement, and the few recorded often transformed during combat or deep in Dancing with their elements. The Exemplar eschew mortal society entirely and their former body, becoming beings of fire and stone, or transforming into a strange creature of water and wind, easily merging with both as they travel across Idalos. Of all the Revelations, Defiers tend to have the most trouble masking themselves. By the same token, most Exemplar have no interest in hiding their true nature. As their relationship grows with the element, they tend to become defensive of hiding that connection. After all, most can only simply interact with the elements, desperately relying on them for life. An Exemplar IS the elements and thus easily above the others.

When an Exemplar is revealed, they often retain many of their goals, personality traits, and memories of their time as a mage. Whether the Spark wins dominance or not, an Exemplar is the hardest revelation to tell the difference between. Both versions, Spark, or Mage, tend to have similar shared goals and ideas about what their new existence means. For those few Exemplar that try to blend in with society, often masks, other obscuring magic, and heavy clothing can cast a disguise on who they truly are beneath. The Exemplar is a combination of kin elements cosmetically, their body painstakingly reformed with the elements that are alive and moving within them. Although they retain an internal system, the importance of the heart and the head, mystically speaking they are more akin to the raw elements than anything they were before. When an Exemplar is born, they become capable of learning Coexistence, the truest expression of a completed relationship. For an Exemplar, this goes beyond the separation of self that is ordinarily maintained throughout the Defiance relationship. Instead, this ability takes the element into the self and merges it. An Exemplar who invokes this ability will merge with one of their Kin elements, drastically increasing all manipulations of the element they are capable of. It is difficult, truly difficult, to harm a Exemplar while in this state. As an elemental manifestation, everything that element is capable of becomes second nature to the Exemplar. Soaring through the air at immense speed while merged with wind is no trouble, just as one merged with earth can carve out new geological features with their command. In areas where the element is occurring naturally, this ability is remarkably powerful. Twisters can be called up from nothing, fires encouraged into raging infernos, and earth will shatter and churn throughout the battlefield. This form can only be maintained for five to six breaks before risking Overstepping."

She paused, goosebumps running over her arms. The Exemplar literally IS the elements, and that thought scared Charlotte. She wrote her notes and slammed the book closed, staring into the fire once again. She needed to kill the Water mage before she could literally become the sea. She had to move.

Or they would all die.

“Knowledge is power? No. Knowledge on its own is nothing, but the application of useful knowledge, now that is powerful.”

- Rob Liano

[Zip]

Overview

These may be 'research' threads, but I really enjoy the perspective of a (relatively) unpowered mage hunter reading up on the juggernauts she has to take down in her quest to rid the world of the spark. Good read. Enjoy your rewards.

Points

XP: 10

Loot/Injuries/Overstepping

Nope
Loot: Nah
Fame: 0

Knowledge

Discipline: Staving off exhaustion
Discipline: Combating the effects of coffee
Intelligence: Gathering data on an enemy
Intelligence: Preparing for a mission
Research: Reading the proper text
Research: Making connections

NON SKILL
Domain Magic: Defiance: Elemental magic
Domain Magic: Defiance: Connection with the elements
Domain Magic: Defiance: Can name Kin elements
Domain Magic: Defiance: Revelation ( The Exemplar )
Domain Magic: Defiance: Overstepping consequences
Domain Magic: Defiance: Witchbrands

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