[Guest ST] A Day In The Un-Life...

[Aoren]

“What they call magic is just the tip of an iceberg, yet they all make haste towards it on a crystal ship.”- Vuld Shaik, “Magic and I”

10th of Spring, 514 AV
8th Bell

It was a day like any other on the Isle of Sahova. It was a day on which the Nuit wizards toiled away at this project or that project. It was a day where apprentices lived or died depending on their dedication or their ambition. All in all, life or rather un-life, was proceeding as normal on the island or at least as close to normal as was possible on the Isle of Wizards. The day would be special to someone though. It would be a day that started with a question and ended with innumerable lessons. Whether or not the student in question survived those lessons…well…only Lhex knew.

Annalisa Marin.

Scholar.

Sorceress.

Chaon.

This was the student to learn the lessons that would unfold in the time to come. A spark had flared in the chaotic reimancer. The undying thirst for more and more knowledge begged to be quenched for in her burned the need to understand the furthest limits of the higher mysteries. At the moment that fire sought to consume a particular brand of knowledge; malediction. It was the ancient art of turning dead things into objects of power that had captured her attention.

And there was only one place where she would find the answers she sought.

Deep within the Citadel lay the laboratory of Francheska Lee Tieh one of the most brilliant minds in Sahova. A woman consumed by her world of dark arts and research her name commanded the respect of most who knew of it. It would be this Master of Malediction who would test the Chaon Sorceress. Annalisa just didn’t know it yet.

So the question remained, how would Annalisa’s journey to either death or enlightenment begin?

Note for AnnaHello and welcome to your execu-err...thread! Post at your leisure Ms. Marin. I leave where Annalisa starts this journey up to you be advised however that eventually she should find herself at Master Tieh's laboratory. Thank you and happy writing!

PermissionGuest ST permission received from Mirage.

[Annalisa Marin]

Malediction. Zapatl. Lagacy. All words devoted to a singular art, an idea and concept that was a discipline of magic Annalisa Marin was most curious of. She had met with Master Vick and experienced what those artifacts could do for her, and then she had learned a bit about the art itself. Yet still Anna was dissatisfied and hungered for yet more knowledge on this subject, hence her exit from the magnificent halls of the Palsa Hydrasa. Amaryllis had only given her a name and where to find, the enigmatic Nuit ever a lover of her secrets. The Chief Embalmer was still her Mistress and closest ally in the Citadel, which carried much weight politically but still she needed to branch out.

Mistress Frankie Lee Tieh, though Amaryllis had referred to her as simply Tieh after giving her full name and title once. Apparently a leader in the field of Malediction, and hopefully one who could sate Anna’s hunger for knowledge regarding the subject. Of course, nothing was free on Sahova and no knowledge offered to her would likely come without a price. However Anna herself was a master of the four elements and a Glypher with nearly no peer within Sahova, as well as a decent Voider. She was confident, perhaps too much so, that she could use those abilities to carve out an arrangement.

If all else failed the sorceress had brought within one of the many pockets of her robe a certain item she had obtained last season. The clawed hand she had acquired when she had unleashed an undead trapped within the Void. If nothing else she could try and use that as a bargaining chip to the Master Maledictor. At least that was the hope, Anna herself had no use for the hand but a Maledictor might very well be interested in acquiring such a thing. A last resort, but one she was fully prepared for in order to get what she wanted.

Anna steps took her through the mist filled Courtyard, tuning out the errant whispers of the trapped spirits there. She was dressed in her finest clothing, a black silk robe trimmed with purple and a purple sash crossing down her shoulder and around her waist to bind it. Black dress slippers adorned her feet and her long black hair was pulled upwards into a high ponytail. Upon her right ring finger glinted a silver ring, which possessed the sigil of a burning scroll and was encrusted with rubies. It marked her as a full Wizard of the Citadel, a rare rank for a Pulser such as herself.

Compared to many living on the island she might have looked rather good, though the dark circles around her eyes and that little droop of her eyelids told a different story. The nightmares were getting worse, it was to the point where she feared sleeping at night for the horrors she witness. Sometimes they convinced her that she was actually trapped in the Void, screaming but no noise being heard. Almost every night she woke covered in cold sweat, her sleep habits suffering for it. On a good day she managed 5 bells of sleep, on a particularly bad one about 2.

The tall woman’s steps led her to the Gug Andjak, where she began to descend into the lower levels of the Citadel where her ring gave access. Her eyes danced over the labs on the lower levels, searching for the private lab of Frankie Lee Tieh and descending a bit further when it became apparent it was not on the floor she was on. No windows carried sunlight down here, only the dull glow of the magelights provided her any sight in this place.

Finally after a bit of searching Anna found her intended destination, halting at the door to smooth out her robes carefully. With that she tapped lightly at the door and slowly opened it, stepping carefully inside and refraining from drawing upon her res just yet. Her encounter with Roknus Maelstrom had made her a little leery of the labs of other wizards. Still she spoke her greeting and her purpose quickly and concisely in respect for the master that owned this lab.

“Mistress Tieh? I am Wizard Marin, I was told by my Mistress Amaryllis that you could educate my ignorance on matters of Malediction.” Anna said, her tone smooth like honey.

OOCOpted to just have her at Mistress Tieh's lab sooner rather than later to get things moving. Also, here is a list of the items in Anna's possession going into this.

-Fine Silk Robes
-Dress Slippers
-Silver Wizard Ring
-Heirloom Earrings
-Clawed Hand

[Aoren]

As Annalisa stepped into the interior of Master Tieh’s laboratory she was treated to the sight of an immense facility. The lab spanned two levels with spaces carved out to service various portions of what would appear to be different aspects of Master Tieh’s research. What looked to be close to a dozen apprentices were huddled around one workbench or another. Some of them were speaking animatedly about the art of Voiding. There were others debating a complex magical theory detailing the ramifications of crossing moderately advanced Glyphing with not just Voiding but Malediction as well. None of the immediate apprentices seemed to be paying Annalisa any attention. They were engrossed in their work. Some of them looked too tired to really care and were pouring over a grotesque specimen obviously acquired in relation to their dark craft.

The laboratory itself was comfortably lit. While the darker corners of the chamber were veiled in darkness the common areas were easy to get around. Shelves with books stood against some of the walls. Several of them were filled to the brim with what could only be assumed were tomes on magic. Some of the books looked new, some of them were tired and worn much like the people working in the laboratory itself. Candles lined the shelves and tables in various stages of life on a variety of holders. Some were upright only because of the sheer amount of wax at their base. Some were affixed to objects upon which were scrawled various arcane looking runes. Upon closer inspection their purpose seemed to be geared toward little more than amplifying the light of flames.

It was only when an apprentice looked up briefly to rub his face then perhaps devote himself even further to his work that Annalisa was noticed. He gave her a puzzled look before rising to his feet stepping away from the workbench where he was toiling away. His movements were sluggish and his skin was pale but his cheeks held the rosy tint of life. There were heavy bags under his eyes. They were slightly glazed from what one would assume to be severe lack of sleep. As he approached her it was obvious he was scanning her person for some clue as to who she was. When he spotted the ring on her finger he bowed low bending at the waist lightly sweeping his arm across his abdomen.

“Good…” He paused for a moment as if in search for something that in the recesses of his mind. A moment passed and he chuckled rubbing his face as he stood straight up. “Oh my, it seems the time of day escapes me. Do forgive me.” He bowed his head slightly.

“I am one of Master Tieh’s newer apprentices. If you are looking for her she is up the stairs in the room at the far end of the corridor. She is in the middle of reviewing some of her latest findings. If you knock on the door to her office she might take a moment to respond but she won’t turn you away.” The apprentice offered nothing more than that. He gave no name nor any reason as to why he was in the laboratory. He, like many other Pulsers on the island, likely wouldn’t even live long enough to see his hard work amount to much. It was more than likely that he would simply become a hollow shell for one of the other more skilled wizards whose life was extended only through the magic of Animation.

The stairs the apprentice had referenced were nothing impressive. They were simple wrought iron stairs that lead up to the second floor of the facility. There was a noted lack of activity to be seen as one grew closer to the staircase. The upper floor seemed to be shrouded in darkness that absorbed light as opposed to being dispelled by it. If Annalisa had nothing further to direct at the apprentice he would bow slightly and take his leave returning to his work.

[Annalisa Marin]

The laboratory, more a lair really, was massive to the degree where Anna stared around in open eyed shock at the amount of space that Mistress Tieh was permitted. A pang of jealousy shot through the sorceress’ heart, annoyed that she had once again been outdone by another wizard. Her own abilities were worthy of the title of master, her prodigious Glyphing skills a marvel to behold and her Reimancy nearly unmatched but for the greatest of masters. Yet she was overlooked in favor of her lesser, those so far inferior to her as to be beneath her notice under normal circumstances. It burned her but she bit back the anger and instead glanced around.

The lab was well lit and possessed a number of apprentices working on this task or that one, her eyes cutting over the lesser ranks quickly in her search for the Mistress of the lab. Her grey eyes found a number of Glyphing designs, impressive to some degree but still limited by lack of true understanding of the art in Anna’s opinion. Her ears caught wind of Voiding and Glyphing combinations beings discussed, earning a derisive snort from her as she had already been there and done that many times over.

Rather than Mistress Tieh she was approached by an Apprentice, living by the looks of him that appeared rather miserable all things considered. Anna drew herself up to her full six foot height, staring her composure seeming to speak that she thought herself superior without having to speak a single word. Amaryllis had taught her a thing or two about appearances in the course of her Apprenticeship to the Nuit, to impose superiority upon those around her without saying anything was an art in itself really. The tall sorceress had trained herself in that art well.

“Many thanks Apprentice, you may return to your work.” Anna said with dismissive wave of her hand, striding towards the stairs as she had been directed.

She didn’t give the man a second thought after that, in Sahova one was either good enough to survive or they were weak and fell by the wayside. Anna was not weak; she had no intention of falling by the wayside anytime soon as she had too much that needed doing. Rhysol’s work upon Sahova as not yet done and it fell to her to complete that work, so she strived beyond what most would see as her station. Just over two decades old and the sorceress had become a vaulted practitioner of her chosen magics.

Anna’s steps carried her to the door directed to her, eyes trailing over the Glyphs and sigils arrayed through the room. She was able to pick out a number of them and at least theorize their purpose, though further examination would be needed before she could comfortably feel as though she could replicate them. The symbols were different than her own, however the tall sorceress knew well that the symbols were unimportant compared to the functionality of the sigil itself.

The black haired woman came to the door indicated and she smoothed out her black silk robes, brushing her bangs to the side a bit. It wouldn’t do to meet a Mistress looking anything but her best; they were the upper class of Sahovan society after all. Anna was half hoping Tieh knew nothing of her, as her knowing her rather volatile rivalry with the Sahovan Master Goron Silverheart would put her at a disadvantage. Of course, knowledge of her abilities would better help her sell herself to the Mistress of Malediction so it was a double edged sword. Such was the way of Sahova.

“Mistress Tieh, I am Wizard Annalisa Marin, I was hoping to speak with you.” The tall woman called out from behind the door, rapping lightly at it three time.

[Aoren]

“Come in.” That was the reply. The voice that called from within the office was slightly hoarse most likely from under use. Upon stepping into the interior of the office Annalisa would be greeted by a spacious chamber lined with shelves upon shelves of books. It was likely that the author of most of those tomes was the very woman Anna was about to meet. The room was sparsely illuminated with the eerie glow of magelights. The glow from the lights did little to detract from the forbidding appearance of the chamber. There were tables upon which rested grizzly objects no doubt the product of very advanced forms of Malediction. There were skulls lined with painted runes in red ink that told stories in a language well beyond Annalisa’s grasp. There were circles of small bones with symbols drawn upon them centered in complex Glyph patterns scrawled upon the surface of bare tables.

Resting in the center of the room, suspended on spiked chains was the grotesque corpse of what appeared to be a freshly deceased woman. Half of her flesh was stripped away and was drying on a nearby rack. The strings of muscle still clinging to her bones dripped fresh blood that was being collected in a crystal decanter situated at the center of a large circle of runes. Her eyes had been ripped from their sockets along with several of her vital organs all of which were situated in the center of smaller circles adjacent to the central one.

“Welcome, Wizard Marin.” The hoarse but feminine voice from before emanated from behind a large ornate wooden desk. There sat Mistress Francheska Lee Tieh ensconced in darkness. The magelights shed very little luminance into the far end of the room where she sat. Their dim light reflected off the surface of a pair of half-moon spectacles situated on Mistress Tieh’s face. The only sign that she herself was not a statuesque corpse was the fact that she held in her hands a saucer and teacup which she promptly sipped from.

“Come in, come in. I do love company. Have a seat though, I ask that you excuse the mess. I am in the middle of a very pressing project and am on the verge of a breakthrough.” Never mind the corpse suspended in the middle of the room she gestured to a chair near her desk. It was situated next to a table directly across from a chalk board. The slate surface was covered with algorithms detailing a very precise ritual crossing some of the blackest forms of several crafts. The end-goal of what this project might be was terrifying to behold but whatever it was the dark instruments around the office all certainly played their part.

“Now then, dear Anna, may I call you Anna? Such a pretty name. You have come because you want something. Everyone comes because they want something.” She brought her teacup to her lips taking another light sip. Her movements were slow. They seemed sluggish almost as if she were on the verge of falling into a deep sleep. The darkness still obscured her face save for the light reflecting off of her spectacles. They appeared as two sinister eyes slicing through the shadows, illuminated with nefarious purpose bearing down upon the ambitious sorceress with ill intent.

“The question is not what that something is but rather, what are you willing to do to acquire what it is that you want?” Mistress Tieh gave a light hearted chuckle as she lowered her teacup back to the saucer held primly in place. Her laughter was cheerful and friendly enough but it rang with very little warmth. “I know what you have. I am not so blind to the business of the citadel that I don’t know of rising stars.” She gave a dark laugh.

“Willful. Ambitious. Powerful. Yes, you fit right in with the crowd that makes their home within the bowels of this wretched earth. Gone and made yourself a few enemies haven’t you? Come looking for new allies, perhaps? Or is it simply knowledge you seek? Is it power? Of course it is. You came here for power. Everyone comes to Sahova for power.” Mistress Tieh took another sip from her teacup. Her skeletal hands were briefly illuminated enough to show the ring on her finger denoting her as a Master of the Citadel. A title she rightly deserved if her grim laboratory was any indication.

“But, I digress. Here I prattle on about this or that and you’ve barely said a word. Speak, girl. Speak, so that I know just how much you don’t know.” With that Mistress Tieh leaned back in her chair content to drink whatever concoction was within her cup quietly observing Annalisa from the shadows.

[Annalisa Marin]

Upon the invitation from within the tall dark haired woman opened the door to the office, striding inside with confident movements and stormy grey eyes scanning all about. For a moment Anna was reminded of the Wright Memorial Library, tomes and books scattered and stacked all about the room and lining shelf upon shelf with doubtlessly invaluable arcane lore. Then she noted the rather grizzly trophies and items about the room, skulls and other assorted bones that were likely productions of Legacy were scattered about. The purpose of the sigils on them looked unfamiliar to Anna’s eyes, though they made her think of Master Vick’s work.

In the center of this spacious room was the suspended corpse of a woman, flayed and laid bare for Anna’s viewing pleasure. The tall woman crinkled her nose in disgust, but by this point was rather used to working with dead things. The Nuit and her former duties in the Palsa Hydrasa being notwithstanding, she had gained something of an unfortunate familiarity with the dead. The thing was no doubt another subject of research for Sahova, a piece of meat to be used in all manner of ways until its purpose was dried up and it could be cast aside. Rather like most Wizards that toiled away on Sahova.

This macabre display of brutality leaving her slightly unhinged her attention was pried away from the eyes that had belonged in empty sockets to the side, a greeting prompting her attention. A woman, gaunt and rather dead looking greeted her and was sipping lightly from a teacup behind an ornate desk. Well, already her meeting was better than it had been with Roknus Maelstrom as there was no fire being flung at her. Though she reminded herself to attempt to avoid ending up as a subject for this Mistress’ study.

The tall woman spotted a pair of spectacles upon the living woman’s face, an odd thing really though Anna herself was not one to judge for physical deficiencies. The metaphysical nature of magic wore at the body and mind rather easily, devouring the physical in its hunger. The Mistress of Malediction looked rather like she could pass for a Nuit, the only signs of her life being the fact she was actually drinking something. At this Anna felt only slightly more at ease, a pulser rather than a Nuit at the very least was better to deal with.

The sorceress inclined her head in a display of difference and sat down carefully in the chair offered, her eyes dancing about the room to drink in what the dim magelights allowed. Anna blinked at the chalkboard, pondering idly what the diagrams on it could mean before mentally shrugging and returning her attention to Mistress Tieh. The words that flew from the woman’s hoarse throat almost seemed too hurried and excited and the babbling left Anna feeling a bit stunned, on more than one occasion did Anna’s lips part only to close as the Mistress babbled on.

Anna opted to slice apart bits and pieces, dissecting what she could manage based off of the information she was being given. From what she could tell at least, Mistress Tieh seemed to know of her at the very least which was both advantageous and not as far as the sorceress could tell. Her notoriety likely meant that the Mistress of Malediction knew well her connection to Amaryllis, as well as the sway that granted the already powerful sorceress. However it also meant that the woman knew her abilities, her control over the elements and her nearly unmatched Glyphing prowess. Which meant she would need to be even more careful in this, as she was a known quantity.

“Worry not, Mistress Tieh, I have long since grown accustomed to lending my ears to discussions or monologues of varying degrees of import. The Nuit certainly like to fill the air with words, especially when given the proper degree of prompting. And feel free to call me Anna, familiarity is a rare blessing in Sahova.” Anna said in turn.

“As for what I seek, it is often said that knowledge and power are interchangeable with one another. For to have knowledge another other seeks is to hold some degree of power over them. As I come seeking knowledge from you, it is then you that possesses the power in this situation. Tis a simple truth of life no?” Anna continued, crossing her right leg over her left and leaning forward with a slight upturn of her lips.

“My desire is rather simple; I seek illumination in regards to your respected and vaulted craft of Zapatl, Mistress Tieh. As for what I can give you in turn, I suspect if you know of me then you know of services I can provide as well as possible items in my possession that might hold interest to one with your craft.” The tall woman finished, referring easily to the incident in the Common Labs where she had unleashed an undead creature from the Void and taken its hand as such an incident was rather high profile. Of course, the lacing of flattery and fawning was kept carefully balanced in as well as referring to Malediction with its Ancient Tongue label.

Her cards lay on the table well enough Anna simply stared at Tieh with grey eyes that almost seemed to possess a chaotic flicker in the magelight, though it could have been dismissed as a trick of those lights. She was no weak minded or weak willed Apprentice; she had been trained by Chief Embalmer Amaryllis and taught how to hold her composure. After her initial meeting with Roknus Maelstrom Anna was not about to turned away out of fear.

[Aoren]

“If that is what you think of power, then you know nothing of it.” The Sahovan Master set down her saucer with the teacup situated perfectly in the center. With languid grace she rose from the chair stepping out from behind her desk. For a gaunt figure who appeared to be on the very precipice of death the elder woman moved with surprising elegance. Her motions were slow but purposeful. An insightful individual might be able to glean meaning in such actions. As Mistress Tieh stepped into the light her face was revealed. Once, she might have been beautiful but the price of her rise to power had taken its toll. Dark circles hung low under baggy eyes. Her cheeks were gaunt. Her hair might have once been a lustrous brown but it had since become brittle and dotted with steel grey.

She reached up taking the spectacles from her face revealing even darker eyes that held very little in the way of discerning deeper emotions. Gesturing with those same glasses to the corpse suspended in the center of the room the Maledictor began the process of educating the woman seated.

“Her name was Julia. She was a Wizard skilled in the arts of Projection and Spiritism. Three days ago she was seated in the very chair that you are in now and spouted much the same flattery that you are. So I heard her. I heard what many come to me blithering on about. Always the same song, never a different tune.” Mistress Tieh began walking the perimeter of her circles. Her eyes were downcast flicking over the details of her work. The inner mechanics of her mind were ticking away. Her tone was flat. The elder woman spoke almost as if the topic were akin to speaking about the weather or the latest trends in Sahovan fashion. Both very bland and uninteresting topics.

“She came to me offering to regale me with her prowess. She came to me with dreams. She wanted power, so I gave it to her.” A thin smile touched the Maledictor’s lips. “I gave her three tasks. Tasks similar to the ones I will give you. She breezed through the first test with hardly a thought. She overcame the challenges of the second. The third however, the third task was a test to discern her true nature. A test to see if she could withstand the Art of Malediction.” Mistress Tieh lifted the hem of her dark robes stepping into the circles making her way over to the decanter filled with blood. The elder woman leaned down picking up the crystal container examining the contents for a moment. Her face was impassive. She could have been staring at an insect for all anyone knew. The Maledictor cast a cursory glance toward Annalisa.

“She failed. Julia failed not because she wasn’t powerful. She was very gifted. Julia failed not because of what she didn't know. She knew many things. In fact, she possessed all of the knowledge she needed to succeed. By that logic...” She nodded to Annalisa. "..and yours, she should be one of my apprentices at this very moment."

The Sahovan Master stepped out of her circles still carrying the decanter of blood. The woman made her way back to her desk slowly. She placed her spectacles back onto her face pushing them slightly up her nose only to have them fall down to the very tip. Her dark eyes peered at Annalisa from over the rims. Without much preamble the Master Maledictor poured some of the blood into her teacup. The dark liquid sloshed into the white china, thick with vitality. When she was satisfied with the amount in the teacup, Mistress Tieh set the decanter on the surface of her desk. With a tired sigh she seated herself then picked up the cup and saucer. The woman then fixed Annalisa with a stern stare.

“I am going to be frank. I care not for baubles. If you have them, you can keep them. I don’t know how many times I’ve had apprentices or other upstarts waltz in here believing I would pawn off the slightest bit of knowledge for a paltry trinket. Besides, if you want to Master this Art then you will need to start working on something.” She brought the teacup to her lips and took a polite sip. A grimace touched her lips before she seemed to resign herself to some fact and drank a bit more deeply. When she was finished she set the cup down and folded her hands in her lap.

“What I want from you, dear Anna is simple. Very simple.” Mistress Tieh inclined her head to the corpse in the center of the room. “Tell me why Julia failed. If you can do that, I may consider giving you a second task and from there a third.”

With that Mistress Tieh gave the sorceress a dismissive wave of her hand. She picked up a quill pen and an ink well then began writing on a scroll turning her attention to her work.

[Annalisa Marin]

Anna frowned visibly at Tieh’s remark, annoyed that she had been rebuked in her definition of power but opting to let it slide at the moment. No reason to get too upset visibly, letting the Mistress get under her skin would display weakness and weakness was something Anna could ill afford. Instead she merely followed the older woman with stormcast eyes, eyes that could generate res at a moment’s notice. The sorceress was not in a safe place most certainly, but she took comfort in her abilities. The Mistress here could possibly match them but the tall woman was confident, she had matched Roknus Maelstrom spell for spell. Her whole body was a weapon, the pores that could leak res on a whim.

She followed Tieh’s form, noting the grace in which she moved towards the corpse in the center of the office. The Mistress introduced them and Anna’s first instinct was that she was being subtly threatened, the second that she was leading up to something else. Nothing upon Sahova was as it first seemed so the sorceress merely regarded the macabre scene blankly, listening intently. A projectionist… Anna was unfamiliar with the art; though spiritism was something she was very familiar with, her daughter being a ghost.

Dreams… Anna had dreams certainly, but she suspected this Mistress could not fathom the heights of her ambition or the strength of her conviction. She did this all for Rhysol, the Defiler being the most important force in her life. Personal power was nice, but it was all a means to the end of pleasing him the most chaotic of gods. Malediction was merely another tool to be employed in his holy service, another weapon to arm herself with. Tieh, she doubted, could begin to understand what that meant, Anna doubted the dead woman before her could have either.

Anna snorted; if she had failed it was because she had been weak in some manner or form. The weak fell by the wayside while the strong thrived, it was a basic truth of life and one Anna herself believed with all her being. Still she kept to her silence; Amaryllis had trained her well to be somewhat respectful and conscious. After all, her actions reflected upon the Chief Embalmer. If she could get out of this with learning more of Zapatl, the Anna would take that. However if she could leave here with a future contact, that would be even better. So she swallowed her pride and listened.

Tieh’s next words caused her to set her jaw, that hand was no mere trinket by any means considering what troubles she had gone through to get both it and her staff. She had nearly died trying to get it, nearly lost her very life in the process of attaining it. Still, if the other woman’s dismissal allowed her to keep it the sorceress was not about to complain. The hand was a useful thing no doubt, something for her to try her magic upon if it advanced to such a stage.

Three tests, three trials, after having survived a place none before had Anna was getting rather irritated at being so tested by others. The first sounded simple enough, find out while the corpse had failed and was now a corpse. Whatever was to come Anna was confident in her ability to weather the storm, to survive and thrive where others would falter. The sorceress was a mere Wizard, though that title rightfully should have been Mistress considering her power. The tall woman intended to display that here today regardless of the cost or sacrifice.

“Very well then, Mistress Tieh. I bid you a pleasant afternoon then.” Anna offered with a slight incline of her head, honey coating her words as she rose from her chair easily.

From here the tall woman exited the office at the dismissal, her eyes searching out the Apprentices milling about the area. Likely Tieh had meant there had been some factor or flaw besides obvious weakness to why the dead woman had failed, so thus she should seek out those that might have known her. Anna strode down the stairs and started looking around for that apprentice that had first approached her, grey eyes scanning about the massive lab. If she managed to find him she would approach him with a simple question, if not she would attempt to pull aside another Apprentice.

“Excuse me, Apprentice. Does the name Julia ring any bells?” She would ask, the honeyed quality of her voice never leaving her voice.

[Aoren]

As Annalisa exited the chamber Mistress Tieh ceased her scribbling. She sat back in her chair musing over the conversation that had just transpired. It had been a long time since she’d seen one such as the Zeltivan woman come into her labs. The Maledictor picked up her teacup, filled with blood and teeming with unanswered questions and took a light sip. She wondered if perhaps the young sorceress was so blinded by her pride and power that she could not see the answer in front of her, for it was quite obvious.

It didn’t matter. One way or another Francheska Tieh would impart a lesson to the grey eyed woman. It was only a matter of whether it would be applicable in this life…or the next.

-----------------------------

As Annalisa strode back down the stairs she would find the Apprentices milling about much like they had before. There were a few of them now jotting notes down upon flimsy pieces of parchment. Each of them were observing the work of a single apprentice who was in the middle of carving out symbols upon the surface of what looked like a femur bone. None of them were the apprentice she was looking for however. She would spot the young man from before sitting quietly at a desk far removed from the rest of the Pulsers gathered in the lab. The others didn’t seem to be paying him much attention. It appeared that the sentiment was mutual as he was sitting in front of a diagram studying its contents.

The young man looked up at being approached. He rose to his feet when he realized it was Annalisa but there were no outward signs of panic or discomfort. He gave the sorceress a bow then straightened running a hand through his hair. Upon hearing the name of Julia there was a slight arching of his eyebrow but he was otherwise calm.

“So, Mistress Tieh has given you your tasks then?” He nodded in acknowledgement whether Annalisa answered or not. “Yes, ma’am. I remember Julia. She was…interesting.”

The way the apprentice spoke of the deceased woman begged the question of whether he believed that or not. He glanced over to the other apprentices then gestured for Annalisa to follow him with a sweep of his arm and a bow of his head. He walked up to one of the more obscure sections of the lab. This quarter was most obviously reserved for projects Mistress Tieh was assembling. The apprentice touched nothing but he pointed to a stone table upon which resided the skeleton of what appeared to be a ghastly, monstrous creature. The surface of the bones were covered in malediction circles of all sorts but there appeared to be pieces missing.

“Julia was skilled. She could nearly Project her entire body and waltz around the halls of the lab unseen save for those with the skill to see her. She could command the dead with her spells in Spiritism but for all of her power…” He shook his head then pressed a hand to his chest. “…she might as well have been me.”

That was an odd thing for an apprentice to say. By his and Mistress Tieh’s estimation this Julia had been quite gifted. Such a brazen accusation was likely not without reason. The apprentice quirked his head slightly.

“Tell me, ma’am, do you know the difference between a Knight and a Knave?”

NoteKnave, in this instance would be defined as "a man of humble position".

[Annalisa Marin]

Anna quirked an eyebrow at the Apprentice’s words, smirking ever so but otherwise not confirming or denying the inquiry as likely he knew that was the case. Irritated though she was by being given menial tasks the powerful sorceress merely went about her assignment, the paths to power were often not as obvious as they seemed. Soon enough she intended to outshine this paltry lab, to go beyond what would normally be defined as her station. She had solved more difficult puzzles than the one before her, had survived a place where no other was said to be able to survive. She would survive this as well, the tall woman was sure of it.

Their path was taken towards a rather vacant section of the large lab, where the skeleton of some strange beast existed. Master Vick had shown her the power those bones could hold, however the tall woman wanted more and more. The more power she amassed in terms of the arcane, the more potent a political opponent she could become against her enemies and the more the Citadel itself would have to recognize her worth. Malediction was but a single stone that was too be refined into a gem in her mind.

Anna had no knowledge whatsoever about Projection so she simply kept her expression blank regarding Julia’s skill in it, though her abilities in Spiritism were something she could respect. She herself commanded a particular ghost, though Kouri was made loyal through means other than those of Spiritism, rather it was through a Grand Oath she ensured her loyalty. The dark haired woman was pleased by that manipulation, one of her finest and most beneficial on Sahova. However it was clear that despite the other woman’s abilities she had failed rather terribly, enough to bring about her demise and a path that threatened to be over her own head.

The measure of the Apprentice’s statement was not lost upon the sorceress, that Julia might as well have been him. Weak, was the first thing that came to Anna’s mind. Though perhaps it went a little deeper than just weakness, something far more likely to bring about the downfall of wizards perhaps. Perhaps she was much as the sorceress had been, blinded by the desire for knowledge and power and thus consumed by it. Anna sought it for a purpose now, for the further glory of Rhysol while others were not so fortunate.

Then came the question, an odd one that seemed rather out of place and seemed straight of a literary course at the University. The Chaon quirked an eyebrow at the man, chuckling as she leaned easily against the table with a smirk that didn’t quite reach her eyes. She had learned to grow tired of riddles after being the Apprentice to Amaryllis, as well as speaking with a mad man like Roknus Maelstrom. Still there was no harm in it so the tall woman opted to answer the simple, yet infinitely complex riddle set before her.

“This is that part where I say the difference is a knight always tells the truth while a knave will always lie, followed by perhaps being told that the two are one in the same. Where I would then accuse the knave of lying by claiming to be one that always tells the truth.” The sorceress responded, shrugging slightly.

“It’s an interesting riddle and the possible different answers are myriad depending on one’s own interpretation of it. So, to flip your question around, why are Knights and Knaves one and the same?” Anna inquired in turn her voice holding the quality of smooth honey.