Summoning Servant

by **Miro** on March 13th, 2014, 5:28 am

Ender was convinced that the Gordios was playing everybody in the room, but he would not fall for it. The dark creatures were secretive and rarely abstained from employing guile. Of course any could be unique, but none could deny one simple truth. The Summon bound to his leash had every reason to lie. It had entered the portal for one reason, as Ender had before it, for the reason only to be taken as a Familiar. The Irylid imagined that nearly all Gordios employed such trickery to be bound, and then worked to manipulate their wizard with their lies. It was for reasons like this that the wizards of the world were hesitant to accept partners.

The Familiar watched Lessomm and hoped he would be wise enough to see through the ruse, though it did not seem to happen. When the Eypharian faltered and showed some desire to rescue the creature, Ender scoffed aloud for all to hear. The question repeated to the Gordios was already answered earlier, which only furthered building frustration. Through their telepathic bond, the icy orb spoke to his partner. "Master, this Gordios is a liar! Focus on it with your Auristics and read for the deception. I assure you I am right, and this creature is manipulating your servant." It was a suggestion the wizard was not opposed to, but he would not discredit Garine. Manipulative or not, the servant would be bound to a Familiar.

Miro let out a mental sigh of exhaustion. If this was how Ender reacted to his fellow Darkface Fyrdenese, then what would happen if Lessomm were to take one of those so hated Lightfacers. The Aurist began to compose himself by closing his eyes and meditating. He shut out everything in the room, all latent emotion, subtle subconscious thought, and he began to tax his Djed. Very slowly he came back to reality with the room, able to sense the other sentient aura's in the room, but quickly focused on Garine's. At first he could sense nothing, but the more he attuned himself, the more hints of information he earned.

Meanwhile the Gordios prepared to answer the question posed to it. He had let any derisive gestures made go, though with some difficulty, and thought hard about how he would answer. "I can tell you much of Fyrden, though it will change little. The world is crowded to the point of absurdity. Were I not so nimble, so quick witted, so lucky as to have your portal open near me, I would not be here before you. And surely if you send me back, I will have made some enemies. The world was caught in a rather fierce tremor at the time, and to be spared that is a kindness in itself." Though the Summon had a suspicion the Summoner sought something more.

Miro was finally able to attune himself to the creature, and was able to discern some odd properties. There was an obvious presence of Djed within the creature, but he got this eerie sense. He sensed only a concentration of energy, like some sort of light, but nothing else. Like it had no physical body at all. And along with this the wizard was also able to get a read on the Fyrdenese's feelings. This was surprisingly difficult however, as odd as it was. In normal instances it was the easiest to read, but there was some conflict in the signals received.

"The Darkface of Fyrden is an especially horrid place for a Gordios. This room is the greatest thing I have ever witnessed in my life. Our world is contrasted by overpowering light or a complete lack of it. My kind feeds on light, but too much puts us in danger. For this reason we stay near to the border of the faces. This Darkface is cold and icy, and the Irylids take comfort in this, but it only causes us Gordios trouble. We can not hover as the Irylid, only stay to the ground, and the quakes of the world are worst at the boundaries of the world. Many of us are killed because of this."

The Summon's aura was dark and steadfast, never faltering at all. His emotions appeared steady, and revealed so little. And despite this the wizard could hear the Djed radiated from the creature ring a soft tune. A vibrant frequency that revealed only one hint about Garine's feelings. He got a true and honest enjoyment out of telling this tale, despite his sorrowful tone. There was nothing that hinted at any true deception except for this one contradiction. Even if the tale was one spoken of truth, his sorrow was a guise indeed. It seemed the Gordios was quite elated to be here with potential to be chosen as a partner, just as Ender had hinted at.

Miro ceased his Auristic focus, and as usual, he was met by a wave of mental exhaustion. It hollowed out the sound of the world and replaced it with a fierce ringing in the ears. Though short lived, the experience was entirely unpleasant. He snapped back to reality to find Lessomm staring awkwardly, and after some pause the servant spoke. It was an interesting question, for both the reason of magical validity and proof that the Eypharian had interest in the binding. As far as the wizard knew, it was not something possible. But he wasn't an expert on Summoning, and that is why he purchased the book.

The undead moved to the tome and flipped through the pages until he found the section on certain types of circles. He recalled something that might have provide the answer Lessomm looked to hear. The wizard read and found the section. "That is an excellent question Lessomm. I will expect that our time with Garine will come to an end very shortly. A circle can only be maintained for so long, and despite my Glyphing, we are quite limited by our skills and knowledge. However I do see some potential to bring back Garine in a technique of focusing a circle." There was only a little information given on this, but it seemed to hold promise.

"By performing some variation to a circle's design, one can add conditions to a gateway. These modifications in the circle can cause a gateway to open in a more controlled location, or even to do other things. One of the few mentioned here are to attract or avoid a certain kind of creature. Even with these mentioned traits, there is no promise of finding Garine, as there are many Gordios on the world. Even if you were to find one claiming to be him, there would be way to be sure. However world magic is never limited by the writings of a simple book. With enough skill and practice, I promise you Lessomm, you will be able to bring him back."

The wizard hoped such a speech to be of comfort to those in the room, but Garine was not comforted at all. He was instead quite upset at Miro for the words spoken. They took away the urgency to bind immediately, and likely sealed the creature's fate to return to the miserable world. He gave one last attempt to plead his freedom, and could feel the stability of the circle begin to fade. The despondent hiss of sheer desperation was somewhat grating on the ears, but never did the creature sound more genuine. "No, Lessomm, please don't send me back! I won't survive, you will never find me again! I have found salvation in this world, in you, my only friend. I will serve you however you wish as your Familiar. But please don't make me go back. Please master."

by **Lessomm** on March 13th, 2014, 10:29 am

Lessomm was starting to like the Gordios more and more as it spoke. It had a certain sense of humor that the Eypharian could appreciate, considering its current predicament and the state of the world it was to be sent back to once the portal failed. Having set up the portal as the summoner, Lessomm knew exactly how many chimes and ticks the portal would last still, creating in him a certain sense of urgency as he listened to the summoned Gordios. While it was interesting to get a glimpse of Fyrdenese mentality it was shocking to Lessomm how simply entering the portal would make Garine enemies.

Lessomm looked around the small but well kept room the Gordios enjoyed so much. As Garine had mentioned before, Being bound with a shackle of Djed into a small space surrounded by a shield that would try to prevent the creature from coming through on its own was the best case scenario of its life so far. Lessomm felt more and more for the little ball of darkness. While he could understand a dislike towards other races, having lived a long time in Ravok as a non human, Lessomm found it difficult to grasp how Ender and Garine had been at each other from the very beginning.

Lessomm tried to surpress the thought that had shamed him so. He wondered why he hadn't realized it before. Why would he not jump in the deep end with Garine? Had he not done exactly the same with his master now? What made the creature so different from his master that Lessomm wouldn't bond with it as he had done with his master. What gave Lessomm the right to discriminate against this tiny orb of darkness when he had accepted as a master the walking enbodiment of darkness and the daily struggle against it?

As he watched the black orb of darkness in the portal, Lessomm felt the magic starting to unravel, the djed losing its potency and ability to keep the portal in one piece. But before all that, the portal was starting to push Garine back to its own world. Turned towards his master Lessomm had one hand still stretched out towards the portal. Through it he channeled more of his Djed, pulling it up from deep within as he reinforced the constantly failing links in the portal. The reinforcing Djed he sent crumbled almost as quickly as he put it into place as most of his master's explenation faded out for Lessomm. All in all, Lessomm understood that Garine could be resummoned but not by one of his skills.

While the Gordios was in no way linked to Lessomm, at the moment it cried out the servant's name in an attempt to keep himself on Mizahar, the future familiar and the future familiar owning wizard-servant felt exactly the same. Heart wrenching sadness and loss passed through the Eypharian as his master's image mixed itself with a flash of memory. A much younger Lessomm, although his name hadn't been Lessomm at the point in time the memory had been created, was sobbing and holding the hands of two dead Eypharians in his own. The sound of Garine's despondent hiss mixed with the image and the words managed to reach through to the servant. Out of seemingly nowhere, Lessomm's eyes teared up and tears started running down his face.

"Please master. Make him my familiar!" Lessomm's words overlapped perfectly with the creature and in that one moment Lessomm felt wrong. He had liked Garine from the start, unsure at first but convinced by the end of it. The creature had been desperate and Lessomm had understood why. But as the word left the creature's mouth, Lessomm suddenly lost all his pity for Garine. The word had sounded wrong, spoken in the tone it had been spoken in and spoken to the person it had been spoken to. No, the tears stopped as suddenly as they had appeared and Lessomm turned to face the darkness. An unfamiliar and uncharacteristical tone of disgust lined Lessomm's voice as he spoke. "What did you call me?"

His hand lowered towards the ground, his focus and Djed both faltering, the portal suddenly cracking as the degrading of the Djed that created it sped up.

by **Miro** on March 16th, 2014, 1:52 am

Garine lit up with excitement as his speech came to and end in unison with a cry of defeat from the Summoner. Lessomm called out for their bond to be established, but then realized something was wrong. In a nasty voice he questioned the Fyrdenese as if issued the worst of insults. The Gordios wondered what he had said wrong. What he called the wizard? "Master," the Gordios thought to himself. "Wizards take issue with the being called master?" It was an odd discovery. On Fyrden it was common knowledge that you were supposed to refer to your wizard as such.

The creature hesitated, unsure how to react. He could not mess things up now. He had performed once already, just shy of perfection too. There had to be something he could say to fix things. There was a philosophy the Summon's kin had taught him. When interacting with the people of this world, say the opposite of the truth. Only say honestly what benefits you. "I only wish for me to serve you Lessomm. I would be so grateful of being rescued that I would only think of living to make your life better. I would see that you never regretted taking me."

Though Miro would not leave this to chance. He wanted to see Lessomm with a Familiar immediately. He began to channel Hypnotism through his voice and push emotional responses as well as make his words suggestive. His Djed flew into his throat and saturated his voice. His throat tingled as he spoke the magical words. "Yes, good, I like this Fyrdenese. Another Darkfacer, and this one seemingly quite interesting. It appears made of darkness, and is so well mannered. Ender is just jealous, but the two Familiars will become friends."

Behind these words were pushed feelings were initially confidence and excitement. A sense of compassion and longing finished the effect, and the undead turned his attention to Ender. "Tell me Ender, you know how to draft the Familiary contract, right?" The Irylid replied aloud, "You know I do." A response to which the wizard grinned. "Draft one then, and do be hasty about it. We haven't much time, and failure will not be accepted." Hopefully Lessomm would be able to sustain the circle for a little while longer.

Ender went to an empty piece of scroll parchment and began to use his Res to draft the words of the contract. It was a technique that most every being in Fyrden was taught the basics of, but the Irylid had only seen put into use in his own Binding. The contract was drafted in Fyrdenese, though the Common Tongue could be considered the primary language on his home world. It was likely the technique of drafting it was quite the old bit of knowledge though. Its history was something seemingly lost, but its purpose was their salvation. It was supposed to be an honor to save a brother, but this felt wrong.

It was not as if the Irylid cared for Lessomm, but he did not care for Garine. There was no reason for a Gordios to be bound when an Irylid would match the wizard so better. But an order was an order, so he made haste to finish the magical document. So badly the Familiar wanted to protest, but could not. He would serve his master, as his forced obedience told him to. The Summon was quite worried however, because he could feel the instability in the portal grow. He needed the Summoner's focus not to waver, so he held his tongue. It was going to be a close call.

Miro approached the desk where the Familiar drafted the document just as it was coming to a finish. The Res was transmuted to ice, and at the bottom of the document were two blank lines left for signatures. One the wizard, one the Familiar. If performed successfully the contract would disappear and take effect, and the duo would be forever joined. A shared life, Djed, mind, and souls that would grow closer as the bond gained depth. Lessomm had made his choice. The undead spoke in a jolly voice to his servant before grabbing the document. "You know Lessomm, it was the same for me. First Familiar I saw, I just knew. When you know you've found the one and take that chance, you wonder how you ever lived without a Familiar."

The Chained One finally was able to get his servant to complete a Binding. Or at least it looked like he would be successful. He set the contract before the Gordios and returned to the desk to grab quill and ink for Lessomm. When the wizard returned Garine had already signed the contract with a tendril of darkness by some odd feat. Now came the time for the servant to sign and finish the act. The moment so drenched in anticipation. Miro spoke one last hypnotic line to push things along. Words to inspire confidence once again. "I am so proud of you Lessomm. You are making Garine's dream come true. But that is not what is best. Once you have completed his dream, you can share new one's for the rest of your lives."

by **Lessomm** on March 16th, 2014, 2:29 am

Lessomm regarded the soon-to-be familiar with a worried look. Something was off about Garine and the first impression Lessomm had had of the creature had been dented, if not shattered entirely. He hadn't liked being called master, even if the familiar had thought it normal. He shook his head but quickly refocused himself on maintaining the portal to the world. He drew back the Djed that had been used to create the shield around the summoning portal and applied it directly to the summoning circle, mending cracks as they appeared.

His focus was so much onto the circle and on keeping Garine on Mizahar that Lessomm barely heard his master's words. But barely hearing them was enough for the effects of the hypnosis to plant themselves into the servant's mind. He couldn't let Garine go back to Fyrden, no matter what she called him or even if she was tricking him. It would be a crime to do so. Nobody was so evil to be punished as such. Whichever god had created Fyrden, Lessomm cursed then and there. The first and only time the Eypharian ever directed any thought towards a god.

As the chimes passed, Lessomm could feel Garine fading away and hoped he could keep her here. Through the focus, Lessomm found himself smirking at the darkness. At which point had he decided Garine to be a her? He found it odd to think of a blob of darkness as her but at the same time it seemed to fit. He wondered for a moment if there were he's and her's on Fyrden. As another crack appeared in the portal, Lessomm turned his focus back and stored the question away for a later time.

When his master spoke again, Lessomm listened intently while directing Djed to the back of the portal where an unseen crack had opened up most of the magic. He applied his Djed to it, feeling more and more of himself slipping into the circle. For a moment, Lessomm turned to regard his master, an undead, powerhungry, possibly mad wizard. And yet, he had the same feelings as Lessomm, the need to bond and the feeling of connection when finding his first familiar.

When the contract was presented, Lessomm watched the Gordios' darkness sign it. But he didn't move yet. In that particular tick where Lessomm hesitated, the entire portal cracked over and shattered. His gaze spun back towards the Gordios and, with a last act of Djed and will, he pulled the familiar-to-be into Mizahar, unleashing it entirely into the world of the Eypharian. The crackling and popping stopped almost immediately, althought the scent remained behind with the familiar.

Knowing the inability of the Fyrdenese to live on Mizahar without a bond, Lessomm turned and reached for the quill, knocking over the inkwell and spilling the ink all over the floor. With hasty grasping hands he pulled the contract away from the encroaching blackness and put it on his knee. In the worst act of writing the Eypharian had ever performed, he signed his name under the contract, next to Garine's. Whether the contract would hold under Lessomm's assumed name, a name he had given himself after waking up one day without a name, remained to be seen.

His attention turned back to Garine and, although weary, he could do nothing but worry over her.

by **Miro** on March 20th, 2014, 7:44 am

Miro, Ender and Garine all watched in suspense the actions of the Summoning servant. The transition from decaying circle to contract in the switch motion unnerved all three onlookers. Ender was met with an eager surprise, sure they were too late. Garine was filled with a mix of fear and excitement unlike anything ever felt in the creature's life. Only one of two things could happen now, live or die on Mizahar. Miro watched in reverence for Lessomm however. Never had the servant before made a commitment and fell through on it, and this would be no different. The man was one of honor and his word, and whether spoken plainly or not, a vow was made to save Garine, and so Garine would be saved.

The ability shown with a circle was quite impressive. Without doubt the Eypharian had a knack for world magic, and he was a natural at Summoning. The Glyphing helped the longevity and stability of the circle, but only to an extent. The rest of the work was done by the practicing wizard's will and focus. For an initial practice of a magic, such a level of affinity was quite uncommon. Perhaps this was even unparalleled in the undead's existence. The Reimancer himself was a prodigy of magic, but never so immediately. Though in his defense, he was but a child when introduced to many of his magic. And even then he took to them quite quickly. But for an out of the book magic display, this was somewhat a miracle.

And finally when the ink was spilled, the contract signed, it was the moment of truth. The parchment written seemed to defy nature for a moment and move of its own accord. It drifted hazily toward the center of the room while seeming to glow with a vague white light until the movement ceased. In an instant the parchment vanished in a cloud of black wisps that dissipated just as quickly. Garine watched in awe, and then felt it, a sensation beyond any description. The soul of the Gordios, the being's very existence, it was bound to his new masters. The Djed link to the wizard warped the Summon's sense of being entirely, now a Familiar.

What exactly had changed was hard to tell at first, but the way Garine felt had changed entirely. Like there was more to her, like she felt unknown to herself. The Gordios felt connected to Lessomm and could sense his Djed, but there was more. The Familiar could sense her master's soul as an extension of her own. Their lifeblood, minds and so much more were joined together, but the connection was untrained. But without doubt it was absolute, and the creature was free from Fyrden. Though now the Fyrdenese was left with a new goal, a new dream, and only his people's rules to achieve it. If Lessomm would not be the master Garine would.

There was a second rule taught to the Gordios for once bound to a wizard. The key to controlling a wizard was to wither away their sanity. Magic made this easier, as the disciplines of personal magic were known to cause varying forms of psychosis and insanity, but this wasn’t enough on its own. Garine was taught to prey on this weakness of the wizard, to use lies and doubts to further paranoia. To encourage magic use, to sow seeds of mistrust, and most of all to abuse the wizard. To demean and belittle them whenever possible, but also to keep them close. Sever all outside relationships so that only the Familiar was left, and so that their word was reality. It was obvious what would come first.

Lessomm would have to have be won over first. This would be simple, as already shown, the wizard was an easy manipulation. What came next was much harder though. The isolation was a much more gradual process, but completely necessary for the next step. It was obvious the first thing that would have to go. The other wizard and Familiar pair in the room. The person that Lessomm referred to as his master, and his little Irylid pet. They would be gotten rid of as quickly as possible. If not shunned, then killed. Things from here on in got complicated, but Garine was ready for it all. There was nothing that would stop her from getting what she wanted.

”Thank you all. For bringing me here, giving me a chance and most of all for saving me. Lessomm, I can not thank you enough. Truly there could not be a better match for me in all of the world. And I too am thankful for your master who has seen our union through to the end. And truly I am thankful to you too Ender. You put aside your doubts and drafted the contract for us. You saved me from a tragic fate, and for that I am more thankful than you know.” Spoken outwardly the Gordios intended to show only displays of kindness, but through telepathy whisper doubts. To play innocent and reserved, as if to spare the feelings of others.

Ender did not reply, and instead moved to his master and resealed himself. Now in the form of his Icy bracelet, the Irylid could not speak. Miro however could feel his discontent and gently stroked the creature with his hand. ”Thank you Ender. Truly we could not have done it without you. You will see though, Garine will make a fine partner.” The comment made for a perfect chance to encourage doubt. Through telepathy the creature spoke as she made her way towards her master. ”I do not think Ender will ever care for me. I have seen it before, the way the Irylids treat us Gordios, it isn’t right. They are racist and untrustworthy beings. It frightens me.”

Though Miro, unused to anyone else having a Familiar to interact with, hardly gave his servant a chance to reply. ”There we are Lessomm. Finally you have a Familiar of your own. If ever you need any guidance with the bond you share, consult me. For a while now I have been with Ender, and we have been through it all. I can answer any questions you have, and of course I can give you both advice. Even some counseling, if you need it. I have learned a thing or two about Hypnotherapy from Alric, and am sure i can solve any problem you may have. If I have one bit of advice now, it is to learn the way your Familiar thinks and find what role they will play in your life. Your bond is so deep that one's pain is the other’s pain. Like most things, balance and discipline are key.”

by **Nemesis** on April 10th, 2014, 10:15 pm

Lessomm

Knowledge :

Micellaneous :

Miro

Knowledge :

Micellaneous :

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Notes

*Loved it!
*So much happened and I really, really want to say, "here, have all the XP" and just fling it at you, but I can't, because you do all of the actions that deserve XP in one post. If you were to spread it out over more posts, I could award more XP for all the amazing things you did. The descriptions are so in depth, you especially, Miro... and I wish I could give more.
*I really wish you luck with that little Gordias, Lessomm! You're a braver man than I xD

Feel free to PM me with questions, comments, or concerns, if you have any.
Also, remember to either delete your grade request or edit it as 'graded'.
Thank ye!

Skill	XP
Cleaning	+1
Familiary	+2
Glyphing	+1
Observation	+5
Shielding	+2
Summoning	+3

Skill	XP
Auristics	+1
Familiary	+2
Hypnotism	+2
Observation	+4
Rhetoric	+1
Summoning	+2
Teaching	+3