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[No Man's Land] Questions and Curiosities (Anja)

Postby Kynier on August 1st, 2018, 9:01 pm

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A curt nod was his only response to the ghost hunter’s thanks. From the man’s expression it was actually appreciated though it he had been surprised. It was a small favor that required little from him. Kynier was not in need of counting his coppers though he suspected that Anja was. The man hunted ghosts. After a few years of living here Kynier had only ever seen two. Anja was also caring for a horse, or Strider as he put it. Adding in the blessing from Dira herself, Kynier suspected that Anja did not have a conventional method of income. With how dedicated the man was to his tasks, his income was probably based off his world magic. And world magics had their own material expenses.

Kynier followed the man’s lead out of the tavern. He bid Lana a good day and she replied with one of her customary farewells to him. Anja talked of heading to the market for supplies before going to the Dust Bed. Kynier had no argument against it and agreed. After that, they walked in silence. Kynier was a half-step behind the drykas and watched the man with a sideways glance. Anja had the walk of an outsider. One that indicated he was deep in thought and potentially less aware of his environment. For one that had no intention of interfering in death, he sure seemed inviting.

So he kept watch for both of them. His eyes wandering around the streets for signs of danger. After a while of walking through the city once could easily get accustomed to spotting the intent of others. To Kynier it was in how they moved. Amateurs tended to move to slowly then hasten their pace to catch up or cut off at the last instant. Others would watch too intently. These were the things Kynier watched out for. When they were in the market it was much harder. People were squeezing past each other to get their dinner supplies for the evening. Anja himself seemed to be one of them. When he was done he stepped away with flour, cheese, and eggs. Those are supplied for making souldmist?

Kynier took the bowl that had been offered to him. “Thank you,” he said inspecting it. There was nothing special about it that he could see. It was just a bowl. But it was to be used for his practice in Spiritism. Since they were in the market, Kynier purchased a few blank journals and some ink. That way he could keep note of the things Anja said in case he should forget. Kynier had the sense that Spiritism was a magic that was taught orally and wouldn’t be available in a book. At least, not in any book he’d find in Sunberth.

As they walked east Anja finally broke the silence between them. He used that word again. Eiyon. Kynier repeated it mentally a few times to commit it to memory. The Eiyon asked a peculiar question. Or at least it would’ve been to any eavesdropper. He clearly suspected Kynier was a mage and was being courteous to ask his question with some tact. A way to better understand a ghost’s mentality? Kynier dwelled on that in silence for a moment. The answer to the second question was something he didn’t know. Auristics gave the senses new perspectives and would be able to assist in determining an apparition’s mentality. Kynier had used it once to be able to see a ghost that hadn’t materialized.

“There is one method,” he said without meeting the Eiyon’s gaze as they walked. “It answers your first question, but not really the second. There’s a way for your senses to… detect things normally outside their ability to notice. I could mention more in detail, but there’s a possibility that that would be misleading. I know how to implement this method and can teach you about it in exchange for Spiritism. But it’s use is different for each person. How my instructor used it is different from how I use it. And it had a good probability that you would use it different than I do.”

Kynier turned his head to look at Anja, “There is no ‘correct’ way to use it. It’s just like a person’s hair color. Everyone has hair, but it’s just different from everyone else’s. It’s called Auristics.”

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[No Man's Land] Questions and Curiosities (Anja)

Postby Anja Nightwatcher on August 5th, 2018, 10:10 pm

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Anja’s heavy footfalls led him away from the city proper and into the decayed and crumbling edges of the city. The buildings surrounding the pair gradually grew fewer and fewer between, until finally all that surrounded them was drab land, barren of all excepting the occasional thin tree, bent against the fierce sea wind that occasionally pounded the hill leading to the cliff. After the few weeks he'd spent in Sunberth, Anja had grown more or less used to the steep walk up the hill towards the Dust Bed, whether riding or walking. His muscles burned in mild protest at the incline, but it was nothing compared to his first few trips to and from town. As they made their way up the barren hill, Anja turned the word that Kynier had spoken to him over in his head. Auristics. When Anja was confident that the pair of them were alone, he finally spoke plainly.

“And what sort of magic is this?” Anja asked. “Does it require tools? Can it be noticed by observers?”

Anja had no grudges against any type of magic, unlike the people of the Sunberth. However, he wasn't so dense as to consider using flashy magic amidst a city that hated mages so thoroughly. He had work to do, and getting lynched didn't serve his purposes. But the way Kynier described Auristics was appealing. Being able to add more information to his senses could only aid him in his mission, and if it meant using forbidden magic then it was something he was more than willing to risk. He just hoped there was a method to keep the talent on the down-low.

When Kynier had provided his answer, the pair would reach the apex of hill. The bleak landscape was dreary and imposing to the outside viewer, but as the chill of death washed over the pair and settled against their skin, Anja felt himself relax. The tattered landscape hosted all degree of rocks and inhospitable terrain, and towards the east a massive cliff rose and overlooked the sea.

A whinny of greeting pierced the silence, and a brief scan of the horizon revealed the ghostly figure of the ever vigilant Maisa charging at a full gallop in the pair’s direction, kicking up dirt in the wake of her charge. The mare braked at the last moment, sending a cloud of dust up into the air, and thrust her head directly into Anja’s chest. Anja chuckled, gently stroking the mare’s pale forehead with one hand and twining his fingers through her pitch black mane with the other. She bumped his chest several times with her nose, snorting in his scent, then turned to look at Kynier. The glance was questioning at best, and suspicious at worst. Anja didn't miss the mare’s pinned ears or the scrape of her hoof.

“He’s a friend,” Anja told the mare in Pavi, making the gesture for friend. Maisa glanced at Kynier again, dipped her head, and let out a loud snort. Anja sighed.

“I know you already met, but not formally. This is Maisa, my strider companion. Maisa, Kynier.” Anja gestured 'name’ in Pavi, along with saying Kynier’s name aloud. Maisa snorted again and dipped her head. She would now be able to associate the name with the man, whether she liked him or not.

Although she lacked her usual yvas style saddle at the moment, Anja still lifted himself up onto the mare’s back. It was more natural to ride than it was to not. Maisa held still patiently, and once Anja was situated she calmly started off in a slow walk that was easy enough for Kynier to keep pace with, as well as for Anja to balance.

“My people, the Drykas, are not at home unless they are seated atop a strider,” Anja explained to Kynier with the faintest of smiles. The Drykas whispered a few words into Maisa’s ear, and without complaint she started across the rocky landscape back towards home.

Anja scanned the landscape as the pair walked, searching for the telltale figure of his employer, but Jeb didn't seem to be around at the moment. Perhaps he was hard at work somewhere in the city. Anja spotted a small cluster of familiar faces a good distance away, body buriers also under Jeb’s employ, hard at work digging graves. They made no attempt to acknowledge either him or his companion, and Anja ignored them in turn. They were far enough away to not get in the way, and they knew Anja well enough by now to leave him alone.

Their short, rough walk finally brought them to Anja’s tent. It was a humble home; a simple four person tent set up on a flat section of land. The most imposing of rocks had been cleared away to reveal simple dirt with a few patches of grass and brush that was gradually getting picked clean thanks to Maisa’s boredom. There was only one descriptor in the area that provided a glaring contrast to the simplicity of Anja’s home: a long string of large beads connected by string surrounding the entirety of Anja’s camp.

The moment the three stepped over the string of beads and into Anja’s small encampment, the unsettling chill that had permeated the air vanished. Anja slid off of Maisa’s bare back and patted his friend’s neck before turning back towards Kynier. “These,” the spiritist explained, gesturing to the beads surrounding the tent. “Are ghostbeads. They are used to prevent ghosts from entering an area. They are very heavy, so as to prevent angry ghosts from tampering with them. It allows spiritists to create safe areas. They are created by putting soulmist on spirit beads. You will find that most things in this profession is done with soulmist.”

Maisa immediately trotted over to a section of bushes and began snuffling her way through it. Leaving his companion to his own devices, Anja walked towards a section of flat ground beside his tent, and eased himself into a crouch until he was seated on the ground. He made a simple gesture beside him, offering Kynier to join him. As he did so, the man began pulling the bought objects out of his sash and placing them in the bought bowl, which he set before him.

“I have told you a few things about Spiritism,” Anja told the man calmly. “Tell me some more things about Auristics, and I will show you a method to make Soulmist.”

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[No Man's Land] Questions and Curiosities (Anja)

Postby Kynier on August 6th, 2018, 10:40 pm

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Almost on a daily bases Kynier had to walk around nearly the entire city. Whether it be part of his work, or part of his own research, he had grown quite accustomed to walking. But most of it had been kept to the interior of the city. The Dust Bed was up by a ridge and Kynier’s legs felt no burn like his companion as they climbed the hill. During that time Anja had felt bold enough to ask his questions openly. Kynier didn’t immediately answer. During the pause he called forth for his djed. Mentally willing the power into his eyes and to open his Sight. Unable to feel the usual rush of energy into his eyes, Kynier had to wait until auras appeared in his vision be sure he managed to use the magic.

The hill itself excreted an aura, one that Kynier promptly ignored. He glanced over at the Eiyon and watched the man’s aura. There was an unusual extension that led away from the rest of his aura. “It is a personal magic. All you need, comes from within. You provide the djed to empower it yourself.” At that point the reached the apex and Kynier heard the whinnying. The white horse with a dark mane he saw yesterday was quickly approaching them. As the creature drew near, the Sight showed Kynier that there was a connection between the two of them. One that was mystic in nature.

Kynier set his focus on the strider and her aura. Rarely did he focus on beasts, mostly because there was a lack of need to do so. Apart from that it was difficult to understand their aura in comparison to humans, or even magic artifacts. When he did focus on it, he felt in his chest a sense of pleasure. The strider buried her nose in the Eiyon’s chest and the feeling increased in Kynier. These two weren’t owner and pet. They were companions and friends. And when the mare looked at Kynier the happiness dissipated. A sense of unease clawed at the back of his mind. Anja said something in a strange language and made a few hand gestures.

During the formal introduction Kynier took his auristic focus off Maisa. He gave a nod to the horse and watched Anja mount her back. As he walked beside the pair he took in the landscape. The ridge in particular held his interest more than the other figures in the distance. But towards the end of their walk he noted the solitary tent. It was in a small clearing of rough rocks with a few remaining patches of grass and brush. Around it was a long string of beads. Kynier looked at them with his auristics and saw an off-white mist emanate from them. The ghost hunter must have noticed his stare for he explained how they were a means of protection from apparitions. The concept seemed a bit strange, but only due to his lack of understanding Spiritism. A ghost had no difficulty shoving him to the ground, so he failed to see how a bead could be too heavy to lift. Given time he may understand.

When Anja took a seat on the ground, Kynier joined him. He watched the Eiyon set the bowl down and begin removing the contents of his sash. When he asked for more information about Auristics, Kynier smiled a bit. “To answer your question earlier, about whether an observer can notice it. No, unless they are very close and looking hard.” Kynier set his auristic infused eyes on Anja’s. The hazel irises would be rotating very slowly. Too slowly to be noticed by a simple glance. “I’m using it right now, and have been since we climbed the hill. With it, I can see the connection between you and Maisa. Not through your actions and gestures. I see a tangible connection.” He looked back to the strider with a bit of a smirk. “She distrusts me despite your assurances. I can sense it just by looking at her aura.”

Kynier closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again his Sight was gone and his vision returned to normal. “The outer most layer of a soul is the Aura. Even inanimate objects have one, though it is not as strong as a living creature’s. By focusing on an Aura you can determine many things about the subject that you observe. But as I stated before, everyone uses Auristics differently. My instructor had his Auristics strongly tied to his sense of smell, while mine focuses more on feeling.”

He looked off into the distance at nothing in particular. “But there are some auras that are too strong to observe. The divine, as well as a few magic artifacts.” Kynier didn’t feel the urge to share how on the sixth day of summer he looked at the artifact in Baroque Bay and lost his sense of tough. Among the personal shame, he suspected Anja had no interest in using it that way. “The ghost that invaded my home. At first I couldn’t see her. But with Auristics I could see the aura she produced even though she had not materialized.” Kynier looked at the Eiyon. “Does that sound like something of interest?” he asked sarcastically.

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[No Man's Land] Questions and Curiosities (Anja)

Postby Anja Nightwatcher on September 7th, 2018, 4:33 pm

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Kynier’s explanation of Auristics set Anja to silence as he considered the man’s words. Anja had never used personal magic before, so he didn't know what it was like to take djed from your own body and use it to empower yourself. To Anja, it sounded dangerous. It was one thing to draw djed from your food, or blood. There was no risk there, as it was the objects taking the strain and being converted for power. But to draw it from yourself? Risky, certainly. “Are there dangers to using magic in this fashion?” he asked.

Kynier went on to mention that the magic was difficult to notice. Anja peered closely at the man’s eyes and saw the very slight movement of his irises. It was very subtle; Anja would have not noticed it if he were not looking for it. There was a risk, it seemed. But only a very small one. This city did not expect there to be magic, but if it was assumed to be there then the penalty would undoubtedly be quite harsh.

Anja was surprised to hear Kynier mention that he could see Maisa and his connection, as well sense Maisa’s distrust of him. The second part made the man snort with laughter. “I believe that Maisa’s distrust is something that anyone can see if they have eyes,” Anja replied with a smile. Somewhere behind him, Maisa snorted. “But your ability to sense a connection between myself and Maisa is interesting. We Drykas are bound to our striders, and they to us. It's a very intimate relationship, often stronger than that of siblings or even lovers.” Anja felt Maisa’s nose push at his back, and he stroked her cheek for a moment before she went back to her foraging. “It is very interesting,” the man said, not rising at Kynier’s sarcastic and biting tone. “I suppose you have satisfied my curiosity. I would like to know more, but first I will show you how to make soulmist as I promised. You can follow along with me with the materials I have provided for you. Afterwards, I would like to know how to use this Auristics.”

Anja moved half of the materials he had bought over beside Kynier. Once more, the materials consisted of an egg, soft cheese, and a small bag of flour. Anja set the bag of flour between the two of them, then placed the egg by Kynier and pulled the cheese in half with his hands, giving half of it to Kynier. “You’ll need your bowl for this,” Anja told the man.

Anja first started by cracking the egg into the bowl. His hands moved with an expertise arisen from countless hours of repeating the same task over and over. Typically, such tasks were performed in silence, but today he had a listener to teach. “You likely already know, but everything in this world is full of djed,” the man said. “There are certain rituals that can pull the magic out of ordinary objects and turn them into something extraordinary. For this ritual, we take three different types of food from three different sources. I use these three because they mix well. Soft foods, or those with liquid in them are the easiest to turn into soulmist.”

One by one, Anja added the three pieces of food into the bowl. After he had done so, he mixed them all together with a single hand until the concoction was a single syrupy mixture.

“Next we take blood,” Anja told Kynier. “It can be your own, or somebody or something elses. If you are a talented spiritist, it works best with your own blood. Otherwise, those with pure hearts are said to have the best blood to use.”

Anja unsheathed his bastard sword and set it on his lap. Then, without flinching, the man drew his hand across across the sharp side of the blade. Close observation would reveal a number of scars pockmarked all across his hand. Anja held his hand over the bowl and allowed the blood to drip into it. Once he was satisfied by the amount, Anja kneaded the blood into the concoction.

“Once it has been mixed, it must spend time within your body. I chew the dough for some time. My grandmother would swallow and regurgitate it. As you do so, you must concentrate and focus on the djed becoming the soulmist.”

Just as Anja had described, the spiritist scooped the dough into his uninjured hand and put it into his mouth. He chewed it slowly and focused, willing the djed into it's form. Soon he could feel a sickly coolness on his tongue, and he spat it into the bowl. As Anja had said, the dark colored dough had turned an off-white color and now glowed faintly. “As so,” Anja said. “Soulmist.”

Anja took a cloth from his sash and tied it around his still bleeding hand. “Now you try.” Anja said, leaning back with his hand against the ground to watch Kynier work.
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[No Man's Land] Questions and Curiosities (Anja)

Postby Kynier on September 10th, 2018, 9:37 pm

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It was apparent that Anja knew no forms of personal magic. Any mage that had knowledge of at least one knew that all of them carried the same risk. Overgiving. And that the danger varied depending on what discipline one was using at the time. Now knowing that little scrap of Anja, it was going to be a little more involved of a process to instruct the man on Auristics. “Every discipline of Personal Magic, carries risk. Auristics is one of the safest to learn and to practice. There are clear indicators of when to stop using the magic, which normally occur.”

When Anja began sorting the materials he had gotten from the market, Kynier already had his bowl before him. While he had a minor interest in Spiritism, and it’s very specialized usage, he was much more interested in World Magic in general. Glyphing was a World Magic by definition, and Kynier was fairly competent with it. Yet the discipline of runic patterns and sigils was in its very nature a non-magical discipline. It served to augment. So the mage nodded along as Anja explained what Kynier already knew. That everything had djed and it was possible to draw upon that energy from other sources. His curiosity truly lay in how to procure that djed from other places… without Leeching.

After a couple of taps, one a bit harder than the one prior, the egg he held finally cracked enough for his fingers to pry the shell apart. Dropping the yolk into his Spiritism bowl, he then watched Anja mix the flour and cheese into it was a bare hand.

That seems a little barbaric. Would mix better with a fork or a spoon, wouldn’t it?

Yet the mage gaze no pause in mirroring the process, despite his mental criticism. It was unusual dipping his numb-struck fingers into the mix and squeezing his hand to pulverize the clumps of flour. After several chimes they both had the same syrupy mixture in their bowls. That’s when Anja took out his bastard blade and willingly cut his hand across the edge. Kynier arched an eyebrow at how the Drykas did so without flinching. “Pure hearts is a rather vague concept isn’t it?” he asked with a tone suiting a scholarly debate. “Exactly how are you supposed to know the degree of pureness of your own heart, let alone others?” Kynier was under no delusions. His heart wasn’t pure. No matter how noble his goals were for the world. So he didn’t hesitate to pull out his own short sword.

Like Anja, he didn’t flinch when cutting the skin across the pad of his finger. Unlike Anja, Kynier had not tactile sensory perception, thusly he didn’t feel the pain. With a thumb he pinched the cut to draw blood from it faster and dripped it into his own mixture. When Anja explained the next stage Kynier stared at him blankly. “Does… regurgitation… actually prove more effective?” he asked a bit skeptically. Anja said that he made soulmist every day. But Kynier couldn’t imagine waking up each morning knowing you would eat something and deliberately vomit it back up.

Kynier watched as Anja took the coagulating dough and set it in his mouth. For a while the man chewed on it with a look of concentration that didn’t befit the look of someone trying to “eat” something. But once the man was done, he spat all of it out. It was unpleasant to watch. But the concoction was now that off-white and looked like the soulmist that Anja had shown him earlier that day. Then Anja indicated for him to try. Kynier looked down at his bowl. The dark brown mixture from flour, blood, cheese, and an egg looked very unappealing. For a moment he wished he had lost his sense of taste rather than his sense of touch.

With a steadying breath he took the ingredients and set them in his mouth. Unable to feel the texture only made the taste much more prominent. The coppery taste of his blood with the clumpy flour soaked with egg yolk, and thickened even more by cheese. Kynier made a sour face and groan to match as he worked his jaw in mashing the mixture between his teeth. Closing his eyes he concentrated on the djed that lay within the substance he chewed upon. Though his body might be numb, his soul and sensitivity to djed had not been hindered so. After a pair of chimes longer than what it took Anja, Kynier spat the substance back into his bowl.

Though not as off-white as what Anja had produced it… sort of looked like soulmist. Kynier scooped a small section of the soulmist from the bowl and held it in his hand. With a deep exhale he closed his eyes and calmed his thoughts. Once his mind was empty he reached for his djed pool at the base of his soul. Taking a piece of it for his magic, he brought the power forth and started creating a weave with his mind. The shield in making would not be of sufficient size to encompass the entire camp, but Kynier would stretch it as far as he could.

After a moment, he opened his eyes partially and looked upon the soulmist in his hand. The substance started to disintegrate as the weave of the shield took it for itself as part of a Task. Once the invisible energy had fully consumed it, Kynier stood up and waved his hand in the direction of the strange line of beads that circled Anja’s camp. For a half instant, a bright off-white sheet of magic expanded from the mage’s hand and settled itself on the other side of the beads, before stretching itself around by command of his will. Once it had thinned as much as it could, the shield settled and vanished from sight.

Only about a third of the camp was protected by it. Kynier sat back down and offered Anja a small smile. “It will only last for six days or so, but that portion of your camp should be shielded from ghosts during that time. If it works, they won’t even be able to approach those strange beads without being impeded.” Kynier set the bowl down and situated himself to sit cross legged in front of Anja.

“Personal Magic is in fact fueled by the caster’s own djed. It comes from their soul and there’s a limit to how much an individual can use. It varies depending on the individual. And the soul takes time to replenish what is spent. The risks involved are referred to as Overgiving. The initial signs for Auristics, are a metallic taste on the tongue, headaches, and hearing voices that urge you to use more magic. Those voices are referred to as Sweet Whispers. Whenever any of those signs appear, stop immediately. After that comes physical pain or psychological damage. After that, permanent alterations to your mental state. Those are the risks involved.”

“Meditation is helpful in the process of summoning your djed. Focus on your breathing, and clear your mind of mental and emotional distractions. Mentally reach for a place so deep in your body, that it doesn’t physically exist. You should feel the energy of the djed. Only draw upon a piece of it with your mind, and channel it to your eyes to engage Auristics.”

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[No Man's Land] Questions and Curiosities (Anja)

Postby Anja Nightwatcher on September 25th, 2018, 6:26 pm

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It was a bit relieving to know that Auristics was among the safer of magics to use. The Spiritist had guessed that personal magic could have damaging consequences, and he did not find it appealing to risk himself both physically and mentally. He certainly wasn't the type to learn strange magics simply for the thrill of it. He only planned on learning what he needed to do his job as efficiently as possible. “So one must be cautious,” he said with a slow nod. “I understand.”

Although Anja would never let Kynier know, whether by word or expression, watching the mage learn what was required for Spiritism was highly entertaining. The spectrum of expression crossing the man’s face ranged from confusion, surprise, shock, and disgust. Anja had to hold back his mirth. The reactions reminded him a lot of when he had first learned Spiritism from his grandmother, all those years ago. He had been disgusted at the time too, so the man could sympathize, although seeing the reaction from Kynier for something he did every day was still quite funny. Maisa was not as polite as Anja was. She nickered as she picked at the grasses, the rumbles coming from her sounding much like human laughter. As Kynier worked, Anja answered his questions in a businesslike manner, ignoring the mage’s snappy and sarcastic tone.

“You don’t have to know the pureness of one’s heart, and I suppose there’s no real way to determine it. But it's easy enough to guess. A child or a rabbit would likely have a purer heart than that of a murderer or an abused dog, yes? I prefer to use my own blood, unless it's willingly given or taken from a freshly caught animal. There is no shortage of blood should it be needed and my employer is capable of keeping me well supplied if I need time to heal.”

Anja was unable to hold back a laugh at Kynier’s incredulous expression as he asked about regurgitation. “I have tried it both ways and never noticed a difference in the effectiveness. The most important part I think is that it spends time in the spiritist’s body. Regurgitation always made me nauseous, so I prefer to chew. Besides, I’d rather not lose that fine meal you bought for me.“

Anja observed closely as Kynier repeated his the actions Anja had shown him. It took him a bit longer but understandably so considering it was his first time doing it. Anja winced sympathetically as the man cringed at taking the mixture into his mouth. “I comes easier with practice,” Anja reassured him. When Kynier spat the soulmist into the bowl, Anja nodded with approval. “It is a very weak soulmist,” Anja told him. “But it did not take you more than one try. That is very encouraging.”

Then Kynier did a very peculiar thing. Anja watched as the man scooped the soulmist into his hand and closed his eyes. When the mage flung his hand outwards, a sheet of off-white flew from his hands, making Anja flinch and causing Maisa to rear onto her hind legs and whinny with surprise. Anja jumped to his feet and reassured his companion with a few gentle words in Pavi and strokes of her head until he felt the tension leave her body. By then, the magic had vanished. Anja returned to Kynier’s side, noting his strider’s flattened ears and glare in Kynier’s direction.

“That was very flashy. I assume that was not Auristics?” the spiritist said dryly. “It was certainly not just Spiritism. Thank you for that, although I suppose we would both appreciate a warning next time.” Anja bent over and scooped the soulmist from his own bowl, then walked over to the section of his camp that had not been warded. The ghost beads still glowed a soft white from protections Anja had cast on them days before, but the light was beginning to fade. The Drykas bent down to the ghost beads and tossed the soulmist on them. Gradually, one by one, the began to glow with that same off-white light and spread from bead to bead, slowly circling the camp. Anja watched as the glowing beads entered the section that Kynier had cast his magic on. The blazed a bright white as they hit the source of power, and spread rapidly until they had surrounded his entire camp.

“Spiritism is not normally so flashy,” Anja chuckled as he returned to Kynier and sat down beside him. “That was an interesting reaction.”

Anja listened intently as Kynier spoke to him further about Auristics and its dangers and he ingrained them on his heart. He would take no risks. He would learn this magic carefully. Anja listened to Kynier’s instructions carefully. Then he closed his eyes.

He focused carefully on his breathing, in and out. He was suddenly very aware of the way that the rocky ground pressed against his legs and how muggy and thick the summer air was. He pushed those distractions away. He felt the warmth of Maisa’s head press against his back, and somehow it helped him to concentrate. To focus deeper upon within himself. And as he fell deeper within himself, supported by the weight and heat of Maisa’s head at his back, Anja could see something flickering at his core. It was like the light of a fire that had dimmed nearly to embers, but cast a faint violet and blue glow around it. So this was what his djed looked like, eh? Anja touched it gently and watched it flare up, casting light in the darkness surrounding them. Anja took a piece of it; just a small piece of that flickering flame. And he envisioned a pathway for it, from the center of his body up the back of his spine, into his skull, and out through his eyes. Then he opened his eyes.

Anja was facing Kynier as the two sat cross-legged on the ground, so he was the first thing that the Spiritist saw. A faint off-white glow surrounded the mage, vastly eclipsed by a deep and murky crimson, like muddied paint. Anja turned to glance over his shoulder, and saw that same off-white light he had seen before, it’s invisibility now gone. It was a weave, like that of fabric. Anja could also see the glow surrounding the ghost beads, far brighter and more intense than that that could be seen with bare eyes. Finally he looked at Maisa. Within her burned an indigo fire eclipsed with violet. And between the two of them, Anja could seen a bright violet and indigo link, braided together like the aesthetic rope weaves that the Drykas took so much pride in. At that moment, Anja felt a sharp stab between his temples. Hastily, the man cut the link between his eyes and his djed and the colored lights instantly faded. The moment the did, the sharp pain faded only to be replaced by a dull ache.

“That was interesting,” Anja said. “Very interesting.” He took a moment to rub his temples, but the ache remained. Maisa rubbed her head against his arm. Little did the newly born mage know, much like Kynier his eyes had briefly changed. In addition to the slowly moving irises, his normally blue eyes had shifted slightly in color, until they were nearly purple in color, though not so dramatic as to draw undue attention.
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Anja Nightwatcher
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[No Man's Land] Questions and Curiosities (Anja)

Postby Kynier on October 2nd, 2018, 1:48 am

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There are many times in a mage’s life when they suffer from hubris. This had been one of them for Kynier. As a novice Shielder there were many things he still needed to learn about the discipline. One of them being that shields were useless against ghosts, even with adding soulmist to the task. It would have the opposite effect and operate as more of an attraction to ghosts for the shield’s limited duration. Because it had been fused with soulmist, as weak as it was, ghosts would find the shield as a delicious snack instead of a barrier.

The mage had considered dividing the soulmist he had formed again to encircle the camp entirely with shields infused with the substance. However, the material was already losing its potency. The off-white coloration was dulling to gray. Kynier sighed very softly in disappointment. Though he wasn’t really surprised by the expiration, he had hoped that it would’ve lasted longer. Anja had given him encouragement, but this felt like a discipline that was going to be less intuitive than what he was used to. That was probably just how it was with the World Magics.

Kynier dropped the decayed product of his first effort back in his mixing bowl. By then Anja had closed his eye. Hazel eyes watched the ghost hunter’s chest rise and fall in a relaxed fashion. He could’ve activated his own Auristics to observe the older man’s efforts at reaching for his personal djed source. Doing so would only impose a greater risk on his current overgiving scarification. So he silently watched, even as Miasa came around and set her head against the man’s back. Kynier arched an eyebrow at that. How close did their connection make them exactly?

When Anja’s eyes opened there was something very unusual about them. Kynier looked in closer and could see the slight rotation of the irises that some Auristics had when using it. The mage knew that it was one of his tells, but Anja had another that Kynier had never heard about. The man’s eye color had changed. From blue to purple. It was so slow of a change he almost didn’t notice. The ghost hunter first looked at Kynier before turning his gaze to his Strider. Then it happened. The first mental pain of using Auristics. Though the Eiyon did not cry out in pain, despite its sudden formation, the discomfort was written in his expression.

It was not something to find enjoyment or mirth in. Kynier sat quietly as Anja collected himself and commented on the experience. He nodded in agreement. “Those headaches will be common as you first begin. Your mind in not used to seeing the world in that way and needs to acclimate to the experience.” Kynier pointed a finger at his own eye, “Something happened with you I’ve not heard of before with Auristics. Your eye color changed gradually, to an almost purple color.” Anja had asked about obvious signs of the discipline’s usage. It was only right to inform him about the unusual characteristic.

“What you say was only the beginning. When your tolerance for using the Sight is higher, you can focus on an aura to learn more about it. Focusing allows you to decipher what the subject is feeling, temperature, texture, and many other things with advanced learning.” Kynier looked up at the sky to note Syna’s position. The bells were getting late and it would take several to return home. Kynier stood from his seated position. “Auristics is fairly intuitive. But some auras are more powerful than others, and focusing on them for too long can have… undesirable results. Unless you discover specific questions, you wish to ask, it is a safe and simple discipline to be able to practice on your own.”

Kynier bent down and gathered his spiritism bowl to set in his pack. “Thank you Anja, for this first lesson. When we can, I would appreciate learning more about Spiritism. It does not feel as though it will be a natural learning process.”

Boxcode credit goes to Gossamer!
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[No Man's Land] Questions and Curiosities (Anja)

Postby Anja Nightwatcher on October 2nd, 2018, 7:36 pm

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The dullness of the headache still pounded at Anja’s temples and was more than a little distracting, but the spiritist nodded as Kynier explained that headaches were a natural part of auristics. He raised an intrigued eyebrow at Kynier’s mention of his eye changing color. Even if it was subtle, it could still be a problem if Anja didn't take care. “Thank you for the warning,” Anja told the mage.

Anja again nodded as Kynier offered further information about Auristics. That would be something to practice with, eventually. Slowly. Anja would take his time with these magics and learn at an easy pace. There was no need to rush things.

Anja noted as Kynier studied the sky and when he rose to his feet he followed in suit. “I would be happy to offer you more lessons if you wished for them,” Anja told Kynier. “You can stop by the Dust Bed whenever you wish. If I’m not here, than either Maisa or Jeb will be able to point you in my direction.”

Anja extended a hand to shake Kynier’s. “I appreciate the lesson you gave me as well. I expect I will find it very useful in my endeavors from this point forward.”

With that, the conversation between the two mages was complete. It had been closer to a business transaction than a conversation between new friends, but Anja felt that at the very least he had gained an ally here, if not a full time student.

And for a man as secretive as Kynier was, that was as good of a place to start as any.
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[No Man's Land] Questions and Curiosities (Anja)

Postby Kynier on October 9th, 2018, 8:10 pm

Grades!


 
Kynier
Skill Rewards
  • Auristics +1
  • Interrogation +5
  • Investigation +4
  • Logic +3
  • Organization +1
  • Rhetoric +2
  • Shielding +1
  • Socialization +5
  • Spiritism +1
  • Storytelling +1
  • Tactics +1
  • Teaching +4

Lores Learned
  • Anja: A Ghost Hunter
  • Anja: A Thinker
  • Anja: A Spiritist
  • Anja: An Eiyon, marked by Dira
  • Anja: Respects the cycle of Death
  • Anja: Was taught Spiritism by his grandmother
  • Anja: Has a tent in the Dust Beds
  • Auristics: Can change eye color during usage
  • Drykas: Not at home if not seated atop a Strider
  • Location: The Dust Beds
  • Shielding: Tasking a Shield with Soulmist
  • Spiritism: A well respected profession
  • Spiritism: Has recipes for making Soulmist
  • Spiritism: A World Magic
  • Spiritism: Ghostbeads protect an area from ghosts
  • Spiritism: Making soulmist with flour, cheese, an egg, and blood
  • Striders: Much more than Horses
  • Soulmist: What Ghosts are made of
  • Soulmist: Can be applied to items to interact with Ghosts
  • Soulmist: Can be given to Ghosts to give them more power
  • Soulmist: Is stronger if made with blood from “Purer Hearts”
  • World Magics: Less intuitive


 
Anja
Skill Rewards
  • Auristics +1
  • Deduction +1
  • Interrogation +4
  • Investigation +2
  • Logic +3
  • Meditation +1
  • Negotiation +1
  • Observation +5
  • Rhetoric +3
  • Riding +1
  • Socialization +5
  • Teaching +4

Lores Learned
  • Auristics: Let’s senses detect things normally outside their ability to notice
  • Auristics: Is different for each user
  • Auristics: A Personal Magic
  • Auristics: Difficult for an observer to notice
  • Auristics: Is used to sense a person’s aura
  • Auristics: Can be used to see ghosts that haven’t materialized
  • Auristics: One of the safer Personal Magics
  • Auristics: Can change eye color during usage
  • Kynier: Gives the impression of not caring, but contradicts that
  • Kynier: Gathers information for his employer
  • Kynier: Has dealt with ghosts before
  • Kynier: Is a Mage
  • Kynier: Says he intends to use Spiritism for Self-Defense
  • Location: No Man’s Land Tavern
  • Meditation: Helpful in summoning personal djed
  • Overgiving: The result of using too much personal djed
  • Overgiving Effect: Metallic Taste on the tongue
  • Overgiving Effect: Headaches
  • Overgiving Effect: Hearing whispers urging further use of magic
  • Overgiving Effect: Physical Pain
  • Overgiving Effect: Psychological Trauma
  • Overgiving Effect: Permanent Alterations to your mental state
  • Riding: Riding a Strider without a yvas style saddle



I'm glad we managed to get this thread going. Looking forward to the future interactions. If you have any questions or concerns about your grade please feel free to PM me.
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