Completed Sharai Panic

[Izuyanai]

40th of Spring 516AV One particular grey morning on the Sharai Peak revealed a raven strutting along the edge of fountain. The surface of the outer stone basin was dry, however, water continued to trickle down from the statue into the clear pool below. Izuyanai had heard many rumors about these waters and had come by to investigate. It was said that a sip from this fountain would bring about magical effects. However, so far, nothing seemed too out of place. The fountain was not extraordinary though it was quite elegant. The stone woman seemed to beam happily as she watched over her domain and it was clear to Izuyanai that this was the work of a skilled craftsman. Izuyanai peered closely at the waters. She craned her head over the ripples and tried to discern anything out of the ordinary. Other than the early morning light that danced at the bottom of the basin, there was nothing unusual. The coloring was not suspicious and nor was the smell. Sitting back, the raven shrugged her wings in the human equivalent of a sigh. What troubled her was that none of the whispers seemed to be consistent. From what she gathered there was at least a Shinya who's skin had been turned to that of an Akalak and a farmer who now had flames shooting from his fingertips. Since there was no telling what the results might be, testing the fountain would be risky indeed. Izuyanai didn't want to be burdened with permanent disfigurement just from a curious endeavor, but at the same time the mystery of it called to her tauntingly. What would happen to her if she took a sip? Calling her magic to her with a nudge of the mind, Izuyanai started to weave an Auristic spell that would hopefully allow her to see through any malevolent tricks. She guided the strands of magic into the water and around the fountain. Threads of djed allowed her mind to focus on the true nature of the structure. Unfortunately, not much revealed itself from her still shallow pool of magic. At the same time, Izuyanai didn't sense any foreboding and ended her spell, taking it as a good sign. Still, just because she didn't find anything dangerous, didn't mean the fountain's magic was harmless. Sending a quick prayer to Akajia to watch over her as she undertook this mission, Izuyanai dipped her beak forward and scooped some water into her mouth. The water tasted no different than she expected. It was cool and refreshing, as if it had come straight from the mountains. Now that she thought about it, it probably had. Even if she had no knowledge of the pipe systems, the water source had to be somewhere nearby. Izuyanai gulped the water and repeated the process two more times. After she had finished, she stood perfectly still and cocked her head to the side. She felt no different and after she confirmed her reflection in the water, Izuyanai knew that she didn't look any different, either. Letting out a disappointed croak at the anticlimactic result , Izuyanai kicked off her current perch and flapped powerfully until she was high in the air and headed toward the Respite.

[Izuyanai]

Soon, Izuyanai arrived at the window of her room. She balanced herself carefully and reduced her flying momentum until she was clinging to the narrow ledge with her talons. Folding her wings smartly, Izuyanai pushed on the panel she had left cracked open and hopped inside. Her room wasn't very impressive. There was just one simple bed, a table and a chair, and a compact chest to keep the majority of her belongings. Not that she had many. The room was quite suitable for a single Kelvic. Izuyanai changed back to her human form in a flurry of lights and checked her reflection in the glass of the window. Even though she turned around twice in the nude, there was nothing about her that had changed. Shrugging in a confused manner, Izuyanai dressed herself and headed down to the common rooms to study. It was getting slightly bothersome to don clothing. Especially since the weather had been getting warmer. However, the raven knew from experience that going out without the proper attire was much more tiresome. People gawked and it drew too much attention even to cross the hall. So she had concluded that abiding by the rules of society was usually worth it, as long as it was a means to an end. As she descended the stairs to where a few students were chatting and reading by the tables, Izuyanai had her prized notebook in one hand and quill and ink in the other. She settled herself at a desk in the corner of the room and glanced about to get her bearings. A fire was still burning in the hearth, though it was a mere formality rather than an actual source of warmth. Spring had brought with it a much more bearable weather, and the dull red of the coals was merely a reminder of the sometimes chilly rainfalls. A small group of younger students was gathered around the cushions not far from Izuyanai's current desk. Occasionally, a burst of laughter and giggles filled the otherwise peaceful common room. She had just been about to resume her studies when Izuyanai felt a curious sensation around both her palms. It was as if she had dipped only her hands in the cool morning mists of Lhavit. The sensation was barely there, swirling around her fingers, constantly in motion. Thinking, she had accidentally spilled the ink, Izuyanai raised her hands to eye level. What she saw she couldn't quite explain. The thing pouring from her hands certainly wasn't ink. It wasn't any rain water that she might have come into contact with while she was outside, either. Izuyanai blinked her widened eyes and quickly analysed the strange phenomenon. What her sense of touch had told her earlier hadn't been far off. Silvery smoke tinted with the lightest blue was now coiling and spilling out of her hands. As the source seemed to be her own body, moving them away didn't have any effect whatsoever. If anything, even more of the substance leaked down to the floor, pooling like heavy fog. Izuyanai bit her lip at a loss. If this wasn't a prank, then surely it was magic. What was more, it had to be her magic. The problem was, she had only Auristics, and as far as she was aware, no Aurist cast spells in this manner. It was all in the mind. It had everything to do with the senses and emotions. Nothing like this. Then, suddenly, a bright image of the fountain flashed across her mind. The stone statue of the woman smiled directly at her in an almost playful manner, and Izuyanai realized. The waters from the fountain hadn't been without power after all.

[Izuyanai]

"What are you doing?! Reimancy practice in the common room is strictly against the rules!" The voice rang out alarmingly close and Izuyanai startled badly. The result was a sudden gust of wind the caused loose papers to flutter around the common room. Izuyanai's hair blasted back from the air before resettling haphazardly. This mist had momentarily vanished, but there was still more rising from her hands. In addition to her predicament, an angry looking girl from the group nearby was bearing down upon her with impressive fury. Izuyanai pushed the loose strands of hair out of her eyes using the back of her hand. After all, she wasn't sure if she wanted the mist anywhere nearer to her face. Turning toward the girl pointing to her accusingly, Izuyanai stood, keeping her hands held away from her body. "Reimancy? I'm afraid I don't know what you mean,” she started. “However, if you could..." The rest of her sentence was drowned out by the angry tirade of her fellow student. "Of course you know what I mean! It's unbelievably irresponsible of you to be practicing such dangerous magic without the necessary precautions! You shouldn’t be practicing in the common rooms. Not to mention you have no shields or glyphs drawn!” “That’s not…” Izuyanai tried to cut in. “You should be more concerned for the safety of those around you! Reimancy can be so destructive if not handled properly.” It didn’t seem like she would stop anytime soon. All the while, more and more mist collected around the raven’s palms and Izuyanai narrowed her eyes at the student. She was usually quite patient, but if only this girl would let her finish. They wouldn’t have to waste precious time on such a pointless argument.She didn’t have time for this nonsense and needed to get her point across one way or another. Izuyanai’s hand darted out, closing around the wrist of the girl in front of her. The strange mist swirled madly and she could see the other flinch slightly. If it was fear or surprise, she couldn’t really tell. Dragging the girl closer to her, Izuyanai spoke in a cool tone, her smile looking like more of a smirk. “As I’ve been trying to tell you, this isn’t intentional. If you would only listen. Now, if you haven’t a way to help me, kindly go find a person who can.” Izuyanai abruptly released her grip and stepped back a pace to examine the effect. The girl looked sheepish and her eyes darted nervously between Izuyanai and the silvery mist now spilling out onto the floor once more. “Oh,” she finally said. “I’ll go find a tutor.” Satisfied that they had finally come to an understanding, Izuyanai flashed a disarming smile and nodded. “Please, do.”

[Izuyanai]

It wasn’t long before the girl returned with Remni in tow. To Izuyanai, it couldn’t have been any sooner, as she was already starting to feel the drain of djed caused by this new magic. The remaining students were shooed out of the room for their own safety, though a few of them hung about the stairs, watching curiously. “Sudden Reimancy issues? That’s a surprise, even for a school like this,” Remni commented. He looked calm but went about the manner in a brisk fashion that was oddly reassuring. “First of all, we have to identify your element. Do you have any idea what that might be?” he asked. Even as he spoke, he seemed to be weaving a spell of his own. Perhaps it was a diagnostic auristics, or no, a shield. “My element? Do you mean this?” Izuyanai offered, cautiously indicating the mist. “Mm. Not quite,” he answered. “Alright, listen closely. What you are now producing is a physical manifestation of your djed. We call this Res. In Reimancy, mages use this to transmute into four elements. These are fire, water, air, and earth.” Izuyanai quickly spoke up, “Then that would be air, in my case.” “Good,” Remni clapped his hands together, looking pleased. “At least we won’t have to take into account that you’ll burn down the building. Alright, now what you need to do is control your djed, shutting it down from creating anymore Res. I remember you’re an Aurist. Focus on the physical flow of djed to your hands. It’s a little different from when you try to read auras.” Nodding in understanding, Izuyanai took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She blocked out the shuffles of eavesdropping students and focused on her orientation. She could feel the djed running down to her palms, but it felt oddly disconnected from her will. It was as if she weren’t holding the reins to a carriage and was instead being pulled along for the ride. Keeping Remni’s advice in mind, Izuyanai did her best to focus on the physical flow of magic. She reached out trying to connect herself with the wild magic. Instead of satisfying control, however, she fumbled. As a result, another gust of wind swept along the room. Izuyanai’s eyes snapped open and turned toward Remni for advice. While the rest of the room seemed windblown, the tutor himself was immaculate. Most likely thanks to the shields he had put up. “It looked like you had the right idea. Try again, more slowly this time.” Izuyanai closed her eyes once more and tentatively reached out for the rogue magic. She managed to work out the very end of it and felt her way blindly toward the source. Once she gained a firm hold of the djed, Izuyanai imagined drawing the power back within herself. Calming the magic and gradually letting it ebb away. When she cracked opened her eyes, the last of the silvery mist was dissolving into nothing. “Good work!” Remni praised. “I don’t advise experimenting with Reimancy until we’ve found you a proper tutor, but now you know the basics of control. Alright, you should get some rest. Res production is the same as throwing out your djed in physical form. You’ll likely drain yourself if you use it too much.” Indeed Izuyanai did feel quite tired. However, there was no headache incoming as when she went a little too far with Auristics. Instead, she had a feeling that the fatigue had to do with the unexpected excitement.

[Estrellir Konrath]

Izuyanai

Investigation +1
Auristics +1
Reimancy +2
Intimidation +1



Lhavit Seasonal Event: Cursed Fountain
Cursed Fountain: No signs of magic
The Fountain’s Curse: Reimancy
Reimancy: Volatile magic
Res: Physically manifested Djed
Reimancy: Basic control

Slight fatigue (to be cured by a little rest)

Notes

An interesting read, although I had some problems with it. First, I thought Remni would put the shield around Izu instead of himself, to protect everyone if her magic got out of control. Only shielding himself isn’t something a teacher would do. Second, I expected Remni to take her sudden initiation into Reimancy more seriously. Surely he’d try and teach her more about control and dangers as soon as possible? Apart from that, it was a good thread.