Completed Spiritism 101

A reminder of one's talents is a good way to prove your set for the job ahead

(This is a thread from Mizahar's fantasy role playing forum. Why don't you register today? This message is not shown when you are logged in. Come roleplay with us, it's fun!)

A lawless town of anarchists, built on the ruins of an ancient mining city. [Lore]

Moderator: Morose

Spiritism 101

Postby Anja Nightwatcher on August 5th, 2018, 11:07 pm

Image
Summer 5, 518
20th Bell
The Dust Bed, Home

Anja and Maisa were weary after their first trip around and about the city of Sunberth. Anja had found the Seaside market not far from the Dust Bed and taken some time to browse the stalls while Maisa hovered suspiciously nearby, eying the rampaging crowds with untrusting eyes. Anja had purchased some simple black gloves, a second shirt, pants, and pair of boots, a sash to store his vials of soulmist, feed for Maisa, and a cowl in case there was trouble with the weather. The crowds had been dense, irritable, and entirely unconcerned with him. It had been hard to shake the impression of being swallowed alive, and the pair had returned to the quiet of the graveyard with relief. Anja left his horse companion to much her meal happily while the Drykas carefully folded his new clothing in a corner of his tent and pulled on his gloves and sash. All three glass vials fit comfortably in the sash against Anja’s thigh, and the sash served doubly as a makeshift belt to hold his bastard sword.

Pleased with the day’s events, Anja emerged from the tent and breathed the death-tinged air. Already the man could feel his tight nerves beginning to relax. Much like his strider companion, Anja did not do well with close quarters. Besides, graveyards were comforting, haunted or no.

Anja sat himself cross-legged in front of his tent, himself and Maisa safe in the confines of the safe zone Jeb had helped them put together. A few ghosts drifted lazily through the sky, or flickered and vanished, but none of them made any effort to trouble the pair. Just when Anja was dilberating taking a nap then having a look around the graveyard after dark, Anja heard the clack of Jeb’s shack open and watched the man stride towards the tent.

“Good evening,” Anja told him as he approached. The first meeting with his fellow Eiyon had endeared Anja to his new Boss and he was happy to greet him.

“Oy,” Jeb replied, crisp and to the point. “Now that you’re back, I need to make sure you know your shyke. Come on back to the shack with me, and let’s make sure you know what you’re doing.”

Anja clambered to his feet without protest, and cast a quick glance to his strider companion. She seemed content enough with her face full of grain. Anja turned from her and followed his employer back across the rocky terrain and towards Jeb’s makeshift home. The spiritmist felt the familiar shift of haunted, death tinged air, to that of calm as he stepped over the ghostbeads that signaled the threshold of Jeb’s ghost free home.

A familiar scene from earlier that day met Anja’s eyes. A simple shack, with not much more than a bed, table, and a couple of chairs. Anja seated himself at the table at Jeb’s gesture, and the older and more experienced spiritist began shuffling through a bag of objects laid up against the wall. A moment later the man firmly set a group of items on the table: a small bowl, a bag of flour, a small hunk of soft cheese, and a single egg.

“Alright Anja,” Jeb said in his usual gruff tone of voice. “Make me some soulmist.”

(Words, 547)
Last edited by Anja Nightwatcher on August 6th, 2018, 2:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
Anja Nightwatcher
Ghost Hunter
 
Posts: 262
Words: 298384
Joined roleplay: February 15th, 2018, 3:26 pm
Race: Human, Drykas
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Plotnotes

Spiritism 101

Postby Anja Nightwatcher on August 6th, 2018, 12:04 am

Image
Anja reached for the objects in front of him without any hesitation. By now, Anja was so used to the ritual that it came to him as naturally as breathing. The rickety shack was a dark and confined contrast compared to scenery of swaying grasslands where he had practiced and perfected his craft under his grandmother’s firm but gentle eyes. But in the end, the gestures and feelings were the same no matter where he went. There was something comforting about the fact that some things never changed.

Anja first took the egg into his palm. The man popped a hole in the shell with the nail of his middle finger and pried the shell apart into two pieces, allowing the yolk and the white of the egg to fall cleanly into the center of the bowl. He picked the few shards of egg shells out of the bowl and set them, as well as the rest of the egg shell to the side. The spiritist paid no mind to the bits of egg yolk that stuck to the tips of his right-hand fingers; he would be dirtier than that by the time the ritual was complete.

Next, the man reached his undirtied non dominant hand into the bag Jeb had provided, scooping out a fistful of coarse rye flour. It was cheap, but Anja knew the soulmist wouldn't mind. Back in Endrykas, his grandmother and himself had often hand-ground wild grains themselves with stones and bowls when there was no trade to be had. The quality of materials mattered less than the intent. Anja dropped the scoop of flour into the bowl on top of the egg and watched as the brown flour gradually grew darker as it soaked into the wet of the egg. A moment later, Anja pulled a portion of cheese off of the base. Although already soft, Anja kneaded it in his hands for a moment, allowing his warmth to make it even more pliable. Once he determined it soft enough, it too was added to the bowl. Finally, for the last step, Anja drew his bastard sword from his sash, and sliced it across his palm. Jeb made no reaction as Anja held his hand over the bowl and allowed the blood to leave dark red spots in the concoction before him.

Jeb watched, arms crossed over his chest and expression intense and unreadable as Anja put his hands into the bowl and began to knead the mixture together, ignoring his injury for the moment and allowing it to continue to bleed into his craft. Anja paid little mind to his fellow Eiyon as he worked. Anja was, as so often happened during this ritual, reaching a state of only partial awareness in the force of his concentration. The ritual was slow, methodical and rhythmic. Anja’s pattern of kneading the dough matched a certain drum beat pattern he held in his head, which in turn matched the rhythm of his heart beat. Slow, steady, methodical. There was no need for thoughts or words.

When the mixing was complete, the substance before him had a dough like texture to it. The blood had darkened it’s color, leaving it an unappealing rust brown. Anja turned the dough around in his hands a few times, pulling it apart and kneading it back together to check that it was still consistent throughout the entire mixture. Once satisfied, Anja pulled the mixture into two halves and put one half into his mouth and began to chew.

This part of the ritual was the most important. Anja allowed his eyes to close and his focus to tighten, once more reaching that state of mind where thoughts and words had no meaning. He drifted, the pattern of chewing the same as his kneading had been. The sour, coppery taste of the dough went unnoticed, as used to it as Anja was. Anja focused on the djed in the dough, in his blood and food. As he did so, Anja felt the substance cool in his mouth. With a sigh, Anja spat it out into the bowl. Before him sat soulmist. Anja prodded the substance a moment to determine it was done, then put the other half of the dough into his mouth to repeat the same process for the second half.

(Words 720, Total 1267)
User avatar
Anja Nightwatcher
Ghost Hunter
 
Posts: 262
Words: 298384
Joined roleplay: February 15th, 2018, 3:26 pm
Race: Human, Drykas
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Plotnotes

Spiritism 101

Postby Anja Nightwatcher on August 6th, 2018, 12:48 am

Image
Once finished, a portion of off-white gel substance sat in the bowl before him. Jeb nodded at Anja with approval, then fetched a wetted cloth which he offered to Anja. Gratefully, the spiritist used the cloth to clean his hands. Jeb held out a bandage to Anja next, and bound the man’s bloodied hand. The wound wasn't deep, and Anja didn't expect it would take very long to heal.

“Not bad,” Jeb said. Anja had a sense that this was high praise from his new employer. “You lack the finesse of an expert, but that's something you’ll learn with practice. That soulmist isn't half bad. It'll last you maybe a week.”
Jeb scratched his chin and looked Anja up and down for a long moment. “Who taught you? Your technique is good.”

“My Grandmother,” Anja replied. “She was a highly valued spiritist back in Endrykas. I strive to be as capable as her.”

Jeb paused another long moment and scratched at his scruff of a beard. The look in the man’s eyes was truly piercing. “I don't have any right to be asking you this since I ain't gonna tell you my story, but you feel like telling me how you got marked by our lady?”

Anja found himself puzzled by the man’s words. “I don't mind saying,” he replied. “My family was killed by a group of nuits who were desperate for bodies. They took the bodies of my family members. I killed the one who inhabited my wife, and was injured by one who took my son’s body. I only just survived. Dira found me, and asked me to continue to destroy nuits and save the restless wandering dead.”

Jeb was quiet for a moment. Anja had the sense that he had accidentally breached a subject of discomfort for the man. Jeb didn't seem the type to enjoy discussing feelings.

“Well mate, I’m sorry,” he said. “Dira’s gnosis stories aren't usually all that happy. You’re here and you’re doing her work though. Guess that’s all that matters.”

Anja nodded in agreement, and stood up. “Am I to assume I passed the test?” he asked with a small smile. Jeb smiled back, clearly pleased with the change of subject. “Aye, you passed well and good. I’ll be happy to send you ghost hunting now.” Jeb stood as well, and clasped Anja’s uninjured hand in a friendly hand shake.

“You got plans for the rest of the day?”

“I’d like to get to know the Dust Bed better,” Anja replied.

“Aye. You and your horse be careful of the cliffs. Hard to see at night.”

Anja nodded, and as before, he turned and parted from Jeb without a further word. Regardless of the differences between them, Anja was confident that the pair of them had a mutual respect for each other and would work well together. Feeling relaxed, Anja stepped back.into the haunted wasteland of the Dust Bed to see what his strider companion was up to.

(Words 498, Total 1765)
User avatar
Anja Nightwatcher
Ghost Hunter
 
Posts: 262
Words: 298384
Joined roleplay: February 15th, 2018, 3:26 pm
Race: Human, Drykas
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Plotnotes

Spiritism 101

Postby Anja Nightwatcher on August 6th, 2018, 4:01 pm

Image
Grades Have Arrived



Anja Nightwalker

XP Award:
  • +1 Observation
  • +2 Socialization
  • +1 Spiritism
  • +1 Meditation

Lore:
  • Location: The Seaside Market
  • Spiritism: How to Make Soulmist
  • Lore of Dira

Rewards and Penalties:
  • +1 Black Leather Gloves, 5sm×2×1.5= 1gm5sm
  • +1 Simple Linen Shirt, 1sm
  • +1 Simple Leather Pants, 8sm×2= 1gm6sm
  • +1 Simple Pair of Leather Riding Boots, 1gm×2= 2gm
  • +1 Yellow Linen Sash, 1sm×1.5=1sm5cm
  • +1 Season Worth of Horse Feed= 20cm Per Day = 910cm or 9gm,1sm
  • +1 Black Linen Cowl= 2sm×2= 4sm
  • - 14gm, 4sm, 5cm Total
  • Cut Left Hand Lasting 14 Days (Summer 5th- Summer 19th, 518)

Note:N.A.
User avatar
Anja Nightwatcher
Ghost Hunter
 
Posts: 262
Words: 298384
Joined roleplay: February 15th, 2018, 3:26 pm
Race: Human, Drykas
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Plotnotes


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest