Solo A Throne of Thunder

Elias faces the storm

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While Sylira is by far the most civilized region of Mizahar, countless surprises and encounters await the traveler in its rural wilderness. Called the Wildlands, Syliran's wilderness is comprised of gradual rolling hills in the south that become deep wilderness in the north. Ruins abound throughout the wildlands, and only the well-marked roads are safe.

A Throne of Thunder

Postby Elias Caldera on July 23rd, 2017, 2:33 am

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68th Day of Summer, 517

Elias stood alone upon a hill that windswept day, the air around him thick and choking with the impending force gathering upon the horizon.

A storm was coming, all could tell as much, but only one soul had decided that he would go out and greet it.

He thought he had sensed it early this morning, before even the sun had her chance to rise; the taste, the feel, the promise of power unbridled. It had been enough to draw him up and out of his comforts in Ravok to this lonely place in the wilderness, a place all his own, a place to meet the maelstrom. Here he could feel the wind's desperation to be unleashed, pent up in the sky and teased just short of release, it growing madness was palpable even now. There was an agitation in the very air he breathed, but also such a trembling sense of anticipation that Elias could barely contain his own overwhelming excitement. There was to be a storm unlike any other he’d seen in recent memory, and already the skies had all the makings of bedlam unprecedented.

It was perfect.

It was with an odd feeling of exhilaration that kept him there upon that hill instead of fleeing to any shelter he could find like a sensible man. For whatever reason the Caldera stood upon the edge of the precipice, staring out into the darkened pallor of the world beyond with resolution that showed in his smile. The waiting -the dreaded prelude to something so gargantuan in size and scope- inevitably gave birth to many a wild and dangerous thought within his troubled mind; those of crippling doubt in his mad plan, right alongside with those of delight in its imminent success. Each was a wind that swirled within him like the storm that the charged horizon promised, twisting and tugging at his heart, coloring his views of what was to come next in bewildering hues of apprehension and exultation. They were both entirely unwanted and utterly coveted at the same time, and as the thunder boomed across the sky, so too did it shake within the man struggling to contain his emotions.

The preamble itself was exhausting, but Elias found it strangely sweet, somewhat comforting even. When was the last time he’d felt such enthusiasm over something that wasn’t in service to his faith or his nation? The answer was, of course, too long. His torturers and handlers had beaten and instilled in him something fierce and painfully deep-seated that he knew would always be there regardless of how much he tried to fight it, but at times it was... incomplete. Not false per say, but sometimes merely lacking in a purity that could not even begin to compete with what he felt then and there as he faced the burgeoning clouds that now loomed above. In his mind whispered many voices, each with a dark task, each with a wicked promise, and none ever granted him a moment of quiet.

That was until today.

Until the storm had drowned them out.

As the first spikes of blue and white lashed out from behind the blackened skies and preceded another boom, Elias closed his eyes and allowed the res to begin drifting from his fingertips.

The rain struck first as a light mist, drifting from the pregnant clouds like an ethereal curtain. Then, with an abrupt hiss, it began to fall in earnest, as if signaled by the next crashing blow of thunder that sent shivers down his spine and filled the world with its unparalleled power. The waters drenched him in a matter of ticks, and the wind, in its jubilation, whipped the droplets about him in tumultuous fashion while his res began to spread. The air had held a chill before, but it was absolutely freezing now, battering against pale skin with a harshness belied by the crazed grin of the one it assaulted. The mage’s fingers tightened, pressing against the old scars on his palms, in turn his res heeded the voiceless command without tarry, swirling around him more fervently now, mirroring the pattern of the gathering winds that playfully threatened to throw him from his perch atop the hill. He remained resolute however, bathed in the blue tint of his own creation and only partially aware of the storm that had surrounded him. When the thunder sounded again, Elias roared with it, his arcane conjuring whirling around him as it gathered the rainfall, pulling each drop from its natural path before adding it to the massive vale of water that now wrapped around his form.

He could feel the storm responding, throwing more and more of its fury his way. The powerful, ethereal entity was no doubt curious to see what the single mortal creature might do with even a fraction of its strength, and so it humored the prideful mage. I can control it. I can tame it! The thunder crescendoed, beckoning the tiny creature to do what it could with its magic lest the winds carry him away like so many scattered leaves. Throwing his arms to either side of him in a sweeping motion, the pale blue res slithered away in response, the water following behind like two swirling serpents illuminated by the flashes of light that descended from the churning firmament above. I can wield it. Control it! He stepped back, arms arching upwards and the watery construct responding eagerly, tendrils wrapping themselves around him, swirling about his pale frame. I will make it mine and mine alone. With a thrust, the reimancer launched his hands forward and the res shot skywards, carrying with it the water it had collected as it rocketed up.

The wind, the rain, the lighting and the thunder themselves, all of it would soon be his to command, he just needed more control. As his res spread out into the sky above him in search of just that, Elias's fingers splayed, swirling the magical, water, and air into a spiraling vortex above him. The clouds drifted from their course, confusion and furor filling the air as nature's course was altered. He felt the heart of the storm skip a beat, yet it still beat to a rhythm unknown to any mortal man. The clouds gathered above him now and Elias let himself become immersed in the sway of the motion, eyes shut against the bite of the rain, mind as one with the raging power of the maelstrom's might.

He would conquer this force of nature soon enough, but first he had to understand it.
Last edited by Elias Caldera on August 18th, 2017, 12:37 am, edited 3 times in total.
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Elias Caldera
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A Throne of Thunder

Postby Elias Caldera on July 23rd, 2017, 2:34 am

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The clouds of his own soul seemed to twist and turn with the influence of his res as much as the ones glowering above him. Fear, exhilaration, rage, loss, power, regret... The emotions boiled up from within him, guiding the movement of his res as the sky hungrily wrapped itself around it. Then, there was a heat. A blinding, awful heat heralded into existence by the piercing sound of cracking wood snapping beneath the force of the lighting's touch. Elias's eyes snapped open, icy blue gaze hypnotized by the licking flames of the storm's fire flitting over the trees below him, defiant even of the rain's dousing caress. He released his hold on the elements, water crashing down around him, finally free of his influence. The storm above him roared with appreciation, taking delight in the deluge as it continued to throw more and more of itself into the downpour. His res remained however, drifting just above. Heat and air, a supercharged line of destruction. He saw it, staggering through the sky, the air near bursting as it careened downwards, smashing into the muddied ground with a scorching blast.

Lightning.

The reimancer was far from unfamiliar with the element, but the in the past had been only lucky enough to ever summon it from the storm, never conjure it himself. To have such power in the palm of his hands… that was why Elias was out here today. That was why he refused to leave until his crazed task was done.

The res above shivered, the mad mage’s intention clear and poignant in that moment. With a hiss of effort that was mirrored by the now crashing tumult of the rain around him, Elias's res lashed out. Fire, the temporary state of being, mixed with the ever-present breath of air, swirled through his mind. The passing nature of fire could cling to its existence through its partnership with the air, filling the ethereal element with a new purpose, a new, more perfect structure. Another flash of lighting, a roar thunder, then his own hands clapping together. As the res descended, the hair on the back of his neck rose with static anticipation.

An explosion of the light filled the skies, lighting flying all directions, illuminating the clouds with its twisted grandeur as the entirety of the res he'd created blossomed into a pure white tangle of superheated glory. He could feel the tingle throughout his entire body, his skin near bursting with the rush of energy.

The storm returned in like, thunder filling the world as if the sky itself was quaking. The winds howled a cry of wild fervor, sweeping over him and sending him staggering back for the first time. The storm was pleased, but it demanded more. Elias helplessly obliged, res sizzling from his fingertips as he charged back towards the top of the hill, the winds wrapping themselves around him as he pressed onward. His hands were thrust forward, the magic substance zigzagging ahead of him and out into the darkness of the maelstrom. It started with the tips most far from him, a white-hot fizzle that erupted into the crackling of lightning that stopped a foot from its origin. He could feel the storm, its powerful charge both all around and deep inside him, the lightning filling all of his senses from the burning buzz of its flavor to the overwhelming roar of its bellow. Both he and the tempest delighted in it.

Lost in the moment, his plans and goals were all but discarded. The whisper of the winds and the roar of the storm held more sway over the mage than mage himself, and he could feel Elias Caldera melting into the wild ferocity of the forces of nature. When his back slammed onto the ground however, Elias was pulled back into the howling reality, water crashing down around him as thunder and lightning filling the sky above.

The mud pressed cold against his flesh, but he remained there, rain flooding his vision. He could still feel the buzz of the electricity in the air and snaking through his own body. His heart thumped and thudded like the fluttering of a humming bird's wing, but the exertion of his magic kept him from rising for the time being. Breathing came slowly at first and his eyes were still shut against the advent of rain. The storm raged on above, his contribution well received, but as was the nature of the weather, it was in the past and the storm was in the present. It pressed onward, and so too needed Elias. The exile raised himself up from the ground, the wind relentless pulling at his sodden figure the entire time. As he stood, Elias let the storm whip around him. He could feel it searching out his magic, looking for the taste of the beautiful blue lightning he'd managed to produce. The element had been simple now that it was clearly defined by the storm's example. If it requested more, it was a gift that had been freely given, and now that it was his to give as well, the reimancer would all too gladly oblige.
Last edited by Elias Caldera on July 23rd, 2017, 9:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Elias Caldera
Playa
 
Posts: 901
Words: 1255799
Joined roleplay: September 14th, 2013, 1:28 am
Location: Ravok
Race: Human
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Medals: 7
Featured Character (1) Featured Thread (2)
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A Throne of Thunder

Postby Elias Caldera on July 23rd, 2017, 2:37 am

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Streaks of blinding white and blue danced around the charred skies as Elias moved them as he saw fit, not daring to touch that which was the storms, but augmenting the display of lights, drawing his own lighting along the canvas in wild explosions of light. His arms and body moved in unison with the magic, feet splashing into the few puddles that held against the rush of water that slid from the hilltop. He danced in the rain, his spells flitting through the drops, hissing snakes of impossible heat that lasted merely a tick or two before fading into the darkness that reclaimed the sky. He allowed himself to let loose his frustrations with each crackling snap of lighting, the air whizzing around it with a hungry excitement before rushing back to him, tugging impatiently at his fingers to bring fourth the element once more.

The storm above roared with approval, and the pale skinned figure atop the little mountain he had so arrogantly claimed darted and dipped over the grassy terrain, lighting both natural and arcane sending flashes of clarity that outlined his thin frame and revealed the wildness of his eyes. Elias Caldera was a storm all of his own, res drifting around him like the winds that moved at the behest of the darkened heavens, lighting at his command as much as the rolling thunder above. He could feel every last part of his body, charged as it was with the invigorating side effect of the lightning's influence. More, more, more. He had to create more, to make his mark on the air before him, around him. To shine one last brilliant expression of his existence that neither he nor anyone else might forget.

...

He wasn't sure when he had lost consciousness, only that when he woke, the storm had reached a point at which the winds had been worked up into a frenzy, their attentions wholly focused on the wild, fervent flow they followed. His mouth tasted of metal, and the surges of energy that had careened through his body had been replaced by a heavy sluggishness. Moaning quietly enough that the sound was instantly swiped from his mouth to be carried away on the frantic breeze, Elias pushed himself up into a seated position. Elias had not doubt that he had overgiven. Losing himself to magic like he had was incredibly dangerous, he knew this all too well, and yet, despite his own chiding against such childish foolery... he felt unburdened. In a way, he wondered if he had not transmuted his own weighted memories into the brilliant displays of magical prowess. They were still there, of course, but more distant now when he tried to think of them. It made them more manageable, if nothing else. He had at least withered them down enough to store them away again, for there was nothing he could truly forget. His mother, his father, Torian, Redd. They were a part of his life, his history. Pain, in all of its unwanted majesty, was more than suffering. It was knowledge gained through the sacrifice of one's own comfort. It was a driving force, pushing and pulling one towards an end perhaps unforeseen, but there waiting none the less. His pain was not to be forgotten, nor was it to be cherished. It was a tool, like anything else; a tool to shape him, if he allowed it, to become more than he was. That was what he had learned in the dungeons beneath Ravok, and it was a lesson he would never again forget.

He drew his legs up towards his chest, huddled against the rage of the storm which acted as the stage for its shivering guest and his tantrums. As he turned his eyes to the seething skies, Elias's stare glimmered in the flash of lights that tore across it. Progress could not be made without sacrifice. He had held to his ways, and those ways had nearly shattered him. He did not require regrets nor the mistakes that had birthed them, but he would not ignore them any further. They were a part of him as much as anything else, regardless of what he'd been told. To display them was unnecessary, but to allow them outlet every once in a while was. As the thunder rumbled above him, Elias let his back relax against the soggy earth beneath him, the winds still unceasing as they whipped around him. He was stronger now than he'd ever been, better than he'd ever been, but more conflicted and restless these days than almost ever before. He had been exposed to so much change, he supposed it was just surprising it was taking him this long to adjust. They had promised it would all make sense in the end, all his suffering and sacrifice at their hands, and perhaps it had for a while, but now, without a purpose to nourish his thoughts and a goal focus his hands at every given moment, just waking up some days were proving a trial in and of itself. Never the less, he was here, loyal and ready to serve.

The answers were there, somewhere, they would just require more time, more searching, but Elias believed he would be stronger for it, and for the time being, that would have to be enough.
User avatar
Elias Caldera
Playa
 
Posts: 901
Words: 1255799
Joined roleplay: September 14th, 2013, 1:28 am
Location: Ravok
Race: Human
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Scrapbook
Journal
Plotnotes
Medals: 7
Featured Character (1) Featured Thread (2)
Overlored (1) One Million Words! (1)
Ravok Seasonal Challenge (1) 2018 Mizahar NaNo Winner (1)

A Throne of Thunder

Postby Karyk on September 4th, 2017, 3:53 am

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Elias Caldera
Skills
Reimancy: 3
Philosophy: 1
Lores
Personal Pride: I can conquer the storm!
Reimancy: Creating Lightning
Strength comes through sacrifice
Miscellaneous


 
Notes and Comments
CS Checkmarked: ✓
CS Reviewed by Me: ✓
Season Request was Submitted for Grade: Summer 517
Season Thread was Started (IC & OOC): Summer 517 & Summer 517
Is that Season's expenses paid?: ✓
Eligible for grade? Yes





A fun thread, a lovely well done high level reimancy thread. This is a fine example of pushing the boundaries of a magic at such high levels is done. I greatly appreciate the overgiving too. Please mark your post in queue as graded.
Follow your heart, and the plot will follow.
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Karyk
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