Flashback [The Valkalah Library] Study, Study, Study

[Vanari]

Spring, Day 40, 510AV

"I swear to the Goddess, Kor, one more complaint out of you and you can kiss my end of the deal goodbye."

"All I heard was something about kissing your end, and now I'm hooked. Care to elaborate?"

Unable to shout her frustrations, Vanari threw a heavy book at the Akalak's head instead. He caught it, of course, and grinned as though she'd merely tossed it to him in a gesture of friendly camaraderie.

They had been sitting in the Valkalah library for at least three full bells now, cramped and exhausted from searching through book after book for any shred of information regarding The Inverted. Korin, in all his glorious magnanimity, had offered his help, on the condition that he be allowed to treat the obsessive Vantha to dinner. Though, Vanari suspected he did this just as much out of boredom as he did out of genuine concern.

"Why don't you take more time to enjoy yourself?" Korin suggested for the umpteenth time. "You're in Riverfall, for cryin' out loud. Girl like you ought to pamper herself more. Go dancing. Kiss an Akalak. Know what I mean?"

"No," Vanari had replied flatly. "What did you find in that one?"

The Akalak shook his head, his mohawk swaying slightly from side to side, and gave a giant shrug. "Nothing. Just more gobbly gook on Djed. Seriously, why do you need to know so much about The Perverted anyway?"

"The Inverted," she corrected through clenched teeth. "And I already told you, it's my life's dream. So are you helping me or not?"

Korin held up his hands in mock defeat and picked up another book, leafing through in a most lackluster fashion. Vanari squinted at him from the other side of the table, then returned to her own tome, carefully scanning each page for any mention of the most famous theater troupe in all of Mizahar. One would think, what with them being so famous and all, that there would be a tad more information regarding who they actually were and what they were all about.

The Vantha sighed. It was going to be a long day, and she could already tell she was going to need that meal from Korin after all.

[Vanari]

Vanari froze. She read and reread the lines, almost not daring to believe she had at long last come across something of substance.

"What? Did you find something?" Korin blurted, noting her sudden change in expression with concern.

"Not something. Lots of things. Look," she beamed, all prior frustrations forgotten, "It says here that The Inverted are not only incredibly talented performers, they are also the most devoted followers of Ionu the Trickster."

"Who the petch is that?" the Akalak interrupted, clearly not the religious type.

Vanari hushed him, eager to keep reading and unwilling to have the great, purple oaf insulting Ionu before she'd even the chance to prove herself worthy. "Show some respect, or you might regret it. Apparently, Ionu is a master of the art of Illusion and not to be trifled with. The tome says that, due to this entity's enigmatic nature, little is known of him or her, neither of their gender nor their agenda. However, Ionu is also a weaver of sorts and will often grant a mark to those who have proven themselves capable of great success."

She paused, frowning. It was somewhat disheartening to find out, after all her searching, that scholars had so little to say about such a powerful deity. Still, she supposed gender wasn't terribly important, and neither were politics. Her dream was to become one of the best performers and storytellers known to modern Mizahar, not overthrow someone's lousy government.

"What's more," she continued, "Each time Ionu manifests, they take on a new form--male, female, hideous, unearthly beautiful, or sometimes even something so monstrous it has no name. One of Ionu's favorite forms is a crow or raven of all colors at once, not simply black like the god or goddess may appear at first glance."

Korin stared at her incredulously. "All colors at once? What does that even mean? A rainbow crow?"

Vanari glared daggers at him, effectively smiting any laughter threatening to erupt from his expansive chest. The Akalak still wore a smug grin on his handsome face, though, and made no effort to hide it.

"So, how about that dinner?"

[Vanari]

Vanari ignored him. There was still so much more to be absorbed from this tome, and she excitedly turned the book around, pointing at one of the few pictures on the page.

"Look! Apparently this is what a mark of favor from Ionu might look like. Some sort of...inverted triangle, very intricate. Similarly, a cursed mark is a normal triangle--I don't suppose that's a clever trick to twist your brain around a bit, don't you think?"

The Akalak frowned, looking as though his brain had received ample twisting all day without the aid of her childishly eager questions. "Does this mean we're finally done?"

"Hold on, give me a few more chimes."

Korin grumbled, but acquiesced and began helpfully putting away the material they had stacked sky high on their table. Sitting in quiet thought, Vanari mulled over her options. She longed to take the book, but tomes on magic weren't allowed to be checked out. And she couldn't very well steal it, not with a city guard following her everywhere she went. That left copying, which she was relatively sure wasn't illegal, even if it might upset the libraries should they find out she brought wet ink anywhere near their precious work.

Grabbing a blank parchment from the stack she'd purchased earlier, Vanari smoothed it on the table. Then she set pulled out the rest of the supplies from her morning shopping spree: a quill, a bottle of ink, and a skin of leather to keep the parchment safe.

Carefully, she dipped the quill in ink, then began jotting down quick notes on all that pertained to Ionu. There were even excerpts on the subject of Illusionism, which fascinated the Vantha to no end. With a favorable mark from Ionu, one could, in theory, alter a person's very perceptions of reality. No wonder The Inverted were so incredibly famous; they were all marked, and could therefore all perform this intriguing bit of magic on their audience!

Vanari tried to imagine the wonders she could do should she, too, one day find favor with Ionu. She was a good storyteller, to be sure, but oh, how infinitely better she would be if she could harness the power of illusions. Great Morwen, what wondrous, thrilling magic...

She froze, a dark blob pooling beneath the nib of her quill. Morwen...would her goddess be offended if she took to worshipping another deity? Surely, the Vantha could worship both with equal respect; it wasn't as though Morwen and Ionu had any kind of rivalry or unpleasant history--or, so she hoped. In any case, it didn't seem like it would pose a great problem, Vanari reassured herself, even though she still felt a twinge of uneasiness at the thought.

By the time Korin returned, she had just finished the last of her notes, tapping the end of the page with a satisfied flourish before blowing over the parchment to dry the ink. The guard quirked an eyebrow, but much to her relief said nothing of the matter. He waited patiently for her to pack her writing supplies, then slowly moved the precious tome away from her greedy eyes until it was out of sight and she was forced to return his steady gaze.

"Alright, we're done with this. Now, it's your turn to keep up the bargain. Tavern, or something fancier?"

Vanari couldn't help but smile, spirits significantly improved by the priceless information she now possessed. "Fancier," she replied, and together they walked out of the library, each a victor for the day.

[Caelum]

Thread Award Name: Vanari. Skills: Research +2 Writing +1 Lores: Religion: Ionu The Inverted: Followers of Ionu Ionu: Gnosis Mark Appearance Notes: A pretty little thread. The byplay between Vanari and Korin was entertaining. Please delete or edit your post with this thread link in the grade request thread if able and, as ever, don't hesitate to contact me with any questions, concerns, or cobbler.