Solo A Sensation of Sensing

[Clyde Sullins]

10 Spring 514 It had only been a day since Clyde had first experienced sensing his staff, sensing it without even being in contact with it. At first he had been unsure what was going on, perhaps thinking some other magic was at work, but even though the staff was only a few paces away he came to realize it was more than that. Admittedly his understanding of all the inner workings and abilities of Magic Staffs was limited, but he could only assume this was another aspect of binding to it. It wasn't Auristics. If that had been the case he would have seen the staffs aura, which was always easily detectable as powerfully magical. Instead he had seen the staff, along with the dirt under it and Rye his dog sitting next to it. If he had been seeing it via Auristics he would only have seen the staff, not its surroundings. However he was also unsure if this was simply a fluke, or something more, something he could repeat. Ever logical, Clyde approached it in a simple manner. To test it, he had left the staff in his master's lab, laying on a table full of Magecrafting hammers. Now he was across the citadel near the front entrance. But more than that, he was far above it, since his masters lab was underground. Concentrating on the staff, on Cha, on its blue body and well cut form, Clyde tried to reach out with his mind and sense the staff. As he did... Nothing happened. Clyde let out a sigh. Perhaps he had attempted to great a distance for the first test. Or perhaps it only worked when he was close to it. But surely that was not it. Clyde refused to give up, and willed his staff to call to him, for it to sound off and reverberate through his being. He had worked with it, had run his djed through it, had held it in his hand day after day. After all that the staff was close to him, close on a deep level. Once more Clyde called out, trying to picture Cha in his mind, while thinking about its magic, of it exuding his res, of the remnants of his own djed that likely still lay inside of the staff through his crafting and his spells. After a moment Clyde felt a slight tug, one that was pulling downward and behind him. As he turned around to find the source of the tugging sensation however, it dimmed and died off.

[Clyde Sullins]

Clearly Clyde had yet to master this skill. Otherwise every time he felt out for it, extended his will to sense for the staff, he would see it. That was not the case. But as with any skill it needed to be worked no and perfected. He could not expect to grasp it immediately. He did not that he had the skill and innate ability to in time grasp its nuances. Focusing once more, Clyde willed the staff to appear, to hone in on it. He focused on himself, on his djed, on the remnants of it reverberating inside of it, of the influences he had left upon it, let the feeling saturate his being... Along with that he focused on the staff, of its impact on him, of its feeling strong and smooth and supple in his hand. He imagined it as if it was right there were it should be, in his hand. As he focused, a hazy image appeared in his mind. At first it was indistinct, vaguely elongated and bluish hued. As he continued to focus it slowly became more clear, until he saw it was indeed Cha. As he focused more his view of it expanded, showing a vague image of its surroundings. He could see the hammers he had laid it with, could see the table, and a vague image of the ground and surrounding room. However the further he pressed from the staff, the hazier and less distinct the view became. He could see the staff clearly, but the surroundings it was in was ever more vague as the distance from the staff increased. If he had not known where it was, he likely would have had trouble figuring out its exact place. But then that was not all it could do, he had sensed a vague direction before, the direction where the staff lay. Surely he could also feel out and activate that ability if he tried.

[Clyde Sullins]

Clyde was unsure how exactly to activate that aspect of sensing the direction of the staff in relation to his current position. Often enough with magic it was less about a specific ritual or action, and more about the importance one placed upon said action in their mind. Often willpower alone was enough, but it could be aided by such rituals, which acted as a means of focusing one on the task at hand. So knowing that more likely than not the ritual meant nothing, Clyde would need to set out upon finding a meaningless ritual that had meaning in his own mind. Thinking about what had worked for picturing the staff, Clyde had focused on the image of it, along with its importance to him. He had focused on their connection, upon the things Clyde had left in it, his djed over time that had coalesced and worked its way deep into the structure of the staff. But finding it, more than just seeing where it was but finding it and knowing which way it was... That was less about understanding it, or so he reasoned, and more about wanting to find it. Perhaps desire was the key here. Did Clyde desire the staff? Yes, yes he did. Clyde was so used to carrying the staff about, it was odd to not have it with him. His hand felt oddly empty without Cha curled up snugly in it. Clyde focused on his longing to hold the staff, to go to it, to find it and return it to its rightful place in his hand. As he did, a vague ache rose up in him, a longing need. After a moment this ache took shape, pulling Clyde downward at an angle behind him. Focusing on this desire to hold his staff, Clyde faced the direction of the pull. He could feel it was THAT way, could sense that if he were to go there he would find it. A genuine longing filled Clyde, as he felt oddly vulnerable without his staff. A new thought occurred to Clyde. Though he had been excited to make Cha, had been excited to own his own staff, particularly such a powerful one, he saw perhaps it had some of its own innate downsides. If he grew used to fighting with Cha it could affect his magic without it. Would he be able to weave his magics as well if he no longer had it in hand? Would he not only grow attached to it, but grow to need and rely on it just as he grew to more fully understand it. Perhaps having a staff was a good thing, a true Magic Staff... But perhaps it was not all upsides.

[Clyde Sullins]

85 Spring 514 Closing his eyes, Clyde held out his open palm and imagined Cha sitting in it. He'd been working on his connection to Cha all season, and felt he was slowly acquiring a better working relationship with her. He'd spent time with Elaine testing it out, along with time on his own. He'd assigned Cha a gender, female, and had used her quite a lot. Finally Clyde felt he had finally reached a new level of awareness, of truly being able to truly sense Cha no matter where he was, and mo matter where she was. As he imagined Cha, her length of blue wood fitting snugly into the palm of his hand, a image appeared of her. He could see the room he had left her in, the bed, the side table, and the robes he had left sitting out. Along with that he could feel a tug, a tug in THAT direction, over and down, pulling him to her. Finally after much work he had done it. Now he was ready to begin on the next step of the process, whatever that was.

[Ink]

Let me see what you have done with your ink. Clyde Lores Cha: Testing Distance of Sensing Cha: Sensing the Staff Notes Sorry Clyde, but you were right I didn't see any skills to award here. Between Black and White If there are any concerns or problems with my grading please feel free to toss me a PM. I am more than happy to explain my reasons or reevaluate them if you feel I've been unfair. Also please remember to edit your grade request as graded or delete it if possible. Thank you, Ink