Solo The Song Of The Wind II

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

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The Song Of The Wind II

Postby Kelski on December 1st, 2018, 3:49 am

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Timestamp: 72nd of Fall 518 A.V.

Continued from: The Song Of The Wind I


Kelski had never taken a ritualistic bath. When she stepped foot into Gilthas’ bathing chamber, she was surprised. The stone walls were a warm honey brown and the beeswax candles that lined the chamber, gave it a gracious glow. Steaming water from a copper tub added to the ambience. It looked rather like magic felt. There was a mystical quality to it, something sacred perhaps, and she disrobed with abandoned and gently slide into the still steaming water. There were things to wash with – cloths and soaps – and she used them like he had described, picturing the dirt and decay and the filth of Sunberth washing from her skin, drifting away. Two steaming buckets of water sat next to the tub and she used one to rinse shampoo from her hair and after she pulled the plug in the bottom of the basin, she stood up in the draining tub and used the last of the fresh water to rinse off her body.

She toweled herself dry and stepped out of the now drained copper tub, finding more things at a vanity to use. She combed out her hair, added a perfume she liked the scent of, and slipped into the gossamer robe. There was a mirror over the vanity and it struck her how pale she looked, how unusual, even with her hair damp. It was her eyes. They were inhuman and looked a little cold, though her heart was not. Staring into the mirror, she saw that the robe revealed her whole form, but it didn’t worry her. Nudity was not Kelski’s hang-up. Skin was only skin.

Before she left, Kelski carefully snuffed all the candles one at a time. With the light falling out of the room, so too did the shadows. She missed them enormously, for they kept her constant company. But here, perhaps, was not their place. When the last candle was snuffed, Kelski quietly slipped out the door.

The Sea Eagle went to find Gils’ Master Circle. She wasn’t sure what one was, but following Gilthas’ vague directions earlier, lead her in a direction that caused her to pad barefoot down one stone corridor and past an arch that ended up in a circular room that was dominated by a circle etched into the floor. It was lined with runic writing and once she was closer, she could see the image was a serpent that was eating its own tail.

Gilthas stood there, in the center of the circle, wearing a similar robe to hers. His was black whereas hers was white. He saw her studying the symbols on the floor and nodded. “It’s an Ouroboros. This symbolizes the cyclic Nature of the Universe: creation out of destruction and life out of death. The ouroboros eats its own tail to sustain its life, in an eternal cycle of renewal. It also symbolizes the djed we have within us all, and the djed that fills all things.” The Eth said softly, beckoning her forward. Kelski paced ahead at his urging, but paused at the line of the serpent’s body.


Last edited by Kelski on January 5th, 2019, 5:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Kelski
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The Song Of The Wind II

Postby Kelski on January 5th, 2019, 5:20 pm

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He smiled in pleasure at her hesitation. “Good.” Then he paced forward and met her at the edge. He studied her with his piercingly violet eyes for a moment, his horns gleaming with a similar sheen.

“Kelski… stepping forward into this Master’s Circle means accepting my tillage and teachings. It means respecting my word, doing your best to follow my lead, and to perpetuate the learning in students of your own one day. If you step forward, entering my domain, you agree to unite with me in a djedline that has remained unbroken from the beginning. You will become my daughter in truth, for though we won’t have blood in common, we will have the same res which will unite our djed. If you accept these terms, step forward and enter my world and my circle.” He said solemnly. Gilthas was serious about magic, but he was also serious about repaying debts. Kelski didn’t think he owed her a debt, but he insisted there was one.

The Kelvic thought over his words a few chimes, breathing in and out, not in a hurry and finally nodded. “I’ll agree to your terms and heed your teachings, leadership and experience.” The Sea Eagle said, then stepped forward. She stepped over the Ouroboros and entered Gilthas’ domain. He walked backwards, beckoning her forward and when they reached the center, he gracefully sat down and folded his legs beneath him. He gestured at the place before him and she did the same. Their knees touched lightly and he reached forward and took her hands in his.

“Welcome daughter.” He said softly, a secret smile on his face.

She met Gilthas’ smile with one of her own. “Thank you. I feel welcome.” And it was true, she did. Kelski studied him and he studied her and somehow it felt special siting with him in this space, talking gently, him in a robe, her in a robe and the air somehow charged around them.

“There are three types of magic, Kelski. Well, four really, but we’ll touch on three mainly. There’s personal magic, divine magic, and world magic. You know several sorts of personal magic. Auristics is one. You are marked by Akajia twice… hence you know divine magic. And you also know world magic because you’ve told me of the things you’ve heard.” Gilthas started out, smoothly slipping into the role of instructor.

“Personal magic is fueled by your own djed. You borrow from your own being, your own essence, to manifest power. This power requires no tool but your own body and your own source of djed, which I will talk about in depth in a moment. Personal djed has its costs and its risks, which are higher than most. In many ways it is driven by your own ego and confidence. If you are overconfident and think your djed more than it is, you tend to use too much of it too quickly which results in overgiving. Overgiving can be just fatigue and a mild headache, but it can result in nose bleeds, brain bleeds, and even death. It can also lead to awful side effects like parts of your body changed permanently or such horrors and blindness or a voice in your head that won’t go away. If you are a mage using personal magic, you must be humble about it, Kelski.” Gilthas said, looking softly at her, hoping she was understanding.


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The Song Of The Wind II

Postby Kelski on January 5th, 2019, 5:21 pm

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“I… don’t know how I know but I’ve seen it before…. this overgiving. And I understand. My body is the only one I have… I won’t abuse it or its essence.” Kelski affirmed. “At least not on purpose or intentionally.” She added, knowing that sometimes mages went to far. There was a fog of memory that rose, but it wasn’t in clear view, as if someone had smudged the face of it so she could never clearly see it again.

“Divine magic is easier. It’s granted by the Gods themselves, so the djed is borrowed djed. You can’t overgive or tap out or hurt yourself from using too much gnosis. It is by far the safest form of magic out there. But there is a cost to it as well. As long as you wear that God’s mark, they can find you anywhere. It is the ultimate tracking device. And you are beholden to them, especially if you are like us and bear multiple marks.” He said firmly. “It is by far more prudent you worship the God or Goddess that has marked you than naught. If you do not, you do not refuel their djed. And even in the old times we know their power came from followers, at least to a certain extent.” The Eth admitted, moving on.

Kelski nodded. She worshiped Akajia – loved the Night Mother even – so there was no conflict at all in her eyes.

“Now the third type of magic is world magic. It requires very little of your personal djed, just a bit to power up a spell or two as in Summoning or Glyphing. So instead, the user tends to draw from the world itself, exploiting the secrets the world holds. It might be less risker than other forms of magic in regards to overgiving, but in the long run it takes on more risk because sometimes you are dealing with forces you don[‘t understand like The Void or Worlds apart from Mizahar as you summon. Until you are well versed in Personal Magics, Kelski, I would steer clear of world magics. And I also suspect there are more world magics than we know. I think there are races and bloodlines that hold magics the mage community has never seen or dreamed of. And we don’t know of them because we don’t know where or what to look for.” He said suddenly, smiling slightly.

Kelski nodded. “You said there was a fourth though?” Her question was forthright, but she was certain Gilthas would answer it.

“Yes. There are things called Lost Disciplines. From what you’ve told me of your home, I suspect you know one of them in the Structural Magic you know. Never use its real name. Never tell anyone about it unless you are willing to caretake it with them. Sometimes magic is its own living thing, real and sentient, and it will guide us to teach others, to reproduce itself, so that it can live on and doesn’t die with the frail humans hosts that know it. It is why others, even Kelvics like yourself, end up learning.” He added.


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They laugh at me because I am different.
I laugh at them because they are all the same.


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The Song Of The Wind II

Postby Kelski on January 5th, 2019, 5:22 pm

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Kelski nodded. “We aren’t always taught. Sometimes magic is stumbled upon. I know with me, I learned Shielding from exploring The Temple of The Unknown. I could see some of the ancient shields in the Temple and taught myself to build them. They actually weren’t hard.” Kelski said, looking somewhat hopeful this would please him.

“That is good. It means you have a knack for magic. But Kelski, a knack isn’t enough. You must be both Mage and Arcanologist. You must study magic as a science for it is a science. And you must know it intimately like a lover, for it becomes as one to you. This is much like your Jewelcrafting. There are standards we understand and follow. And at its core is Djed. Djed is the backbone and fuel of all forms of magic. It is the light and energy of the world. Mages that learn from a book will say there are laws to magic. I laugh at that. There are only limitations that mankind has discovered and think are hard firm rules. But the truth is, there are no rules. Djed is the single most powerful thing in the world because you cannot create it or destroy it. It is the thing that fills The Gods and the thing that fills your soul, and each and everything you touch in the world. And those that understand Arcanology understand that djed can be changed. It can be controlled. It can be molded and shaped and woven. Those that do these things are then called Mages. That is why they are so dangerous, so powerful, and can be so feared.” The Ancient Eth said softly.

Kelski nodded. “And Prayers? What are those?” She asked, curious, knowing that sometimes prayers were directed at Gods and sometimes just spoken into the world.

“Along with Djed from yourself, there is djed loose in the world untasked. It settles on the land, collects on the wind, and floats in the very air around us. It runs through the streams and falls with the rain. Prayers are ways to gather this loose djed and concentrate it into a will... for isn’t that what tasking djed is anyhow? We can take our own djed from our forms and infuse it into wishes and manifest them into prayers. But they can and do gather loose untasked free floating djed. So it depends on the will of the one who prays and the force behind the prayer. Free djed will be taken up eventually… absorbed through the water, eaten through the plants its settled upon… and the best of those who use auristics can see it like dust motes in the very air.” He said, smiling softly at her, for the conversation had taken a turn he had not expected.

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They laugh at me because I am different.
I laugh at them because they are all the same.


Painted Sky Jewelry (The Wildlands) | Crossroads Jewelry (The Outpost)
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Kelski
Freedom is earned. Fight for it.
 
Posts: 1598
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Joined roleplay: July 3rd, 2014, 11:08 pm
Location: The Wildlands of Sylira & The Empyreal Demesne
Race: Kelvic
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The Song Of The Wind II

Postby Kelski on January 5th, 2019, 5:24 pm

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“And Wild Djed? Is that like free djed?” She asked, glad to find him in this sort of receptive mode, willing to talk and to teach. It was a rare thing in her world.

“Wild Djed is something wholly different. It is concentrated, powerful, and in many many ways randomly tasked to the point it is all but sentient. The truth is, no one has figured out how to pick it apart to the point we can tell where it comes from – for each bit of it might be sourced from anywhere and everywhere – and we cannot figure out how it is tasked. If we knew these things, we could have a chance to control it. It often feels random, violent, and it washes over the world changing it. But I suspect there is a truth to it we have just not passed through our fears of it to see yet. There is a science gestating there too, one that is just budding and blooming. But someday we will have mages that know it intimately and can do those things for it. Those mages will be the ones to explain it and, in many ways, do the final healing of the world.” Gilthas said softly, dreams in his eyes, and Kelski could tell he wanted to be one of those mages… someday. And he very well might, if he lived long enough. For the Eth never aged and to survive the world as an immortal, Kelski suspected they needed long term goals and even for a Dreamwalker they needed dreams.

“Gilthas, how do we acquire djed?” She asked suddenly, curious, knowing he had just taught her it could be acquired. She wondered if it was as she’d had it happen earlier in the year when something had welled out of her and she’d swallowed it all back up again, hurting herself in a way she still didn’t understand.

“We acquire djed as we acquire other things – food, water, air. We eat and drink it, for weak sources of it are found in the food, water, and air. But we could never get enough to thrive that way. Instead, we are born with wells of it inside of us. Depending on how deep your well is, that matters as to what your potential for being a mage can be. I suspect too that it makes a difference in how successful and driven you are in your life. Those that have deep wells, Kelski, often find success. They are driven to be skilled at something, anything, and to build security around them. Those with shallow wells tend to languish in self defeat, waste away in drink and women, and never go anywhere in their lives. Great warriors often have deep pools of djed, even if they don’t know it. Such sources of energy can drive their studies and hone their mastery of their blades in ways they don’t understand because they don’t understand the source of their power. Great scholars, writers, and lovers alike have deep pools. Poetry can be a form of magic you know. And we often, Kelski, don’t understand how deep our pools go. In ancient times, when I lived before I fell, mages would do a thing called sinking. They would cease practicing magic, but instead focus on their pools. They would sink deep down into their djed wells, falling further and further down the longer they sank. One could sink while living life, meditate on the wells as they slept, ate, drank, even petched. A mage in full sinking is hard to pinpoint, but for their eyes. The deeper they go, the more luminous and intense their gaze becomes.” He said softly, then paused, letting the question on her lips come forth.


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They laugh at me because I am different.
I laugh at them because they are all the same.


Painted Sky Jewelry (The Wildlands) | Crossroads Jewelry (The Outpost)
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Kelski
Freedom is earned. Fight for it.
 
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The Song Of The Wind II

Postby Kelski on January 5th, 2019, 5:31 pm

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“But why sink?” She said softly. “Why do that?” The Kelvic questioned.

“They sink because they can tap more of their power. It is often in preparation of a great working. They sink so they can pull more of their djed pool without overgiving. They sink to learn the extent of their power, to find the bottom…. and when they do that, they can indeed combine magics. They can weave personal, divine, and even world magics together and craft something bigger, something deeper. They… they were the mages whose names have survived through the ages.” He said, smiling at her.

Kelski had no more questions. Her mind was full to overflowing, and there was a lot to think about.

Gilthas smiled slowly, in his soft patriarchal way. “I tell you these things, Kelski, to give you tools for your toolbox. To teach you Arcanology, not just magic. For they go hand in hand. If you know the why of things, you will understand so much more than just a spell slinger burning out his djed mindlessly.” The Eth said even as Kelski nodded. “I don’t want you to be that kind of mage. I don’t want you in it for the power. Be in it for the wisdom. Be in it to become more of a part of the world.” He urged softly, then nodded.

Kelski nodded. He was a good teacher… such a good teacher. She was understanding more about magic in these last few moments than she'd known the whole of her life. And she grew up around the svefra who often openly practiced it.

“Am I ready?” She asked, knowing instinctively they’d come to a juncture.

He bowed his head. “We are never truly ready. But you are a pump well primed to receive the waters of the well below it. Let’s get started.” He said softly, then rose, taking her hands and bidding her to rise too.

Kelski unfolded her legs and rose gracefully as well. She stood before him, head tipped back and watching his face. She knew this was a turning point in her life, one that was important to her and one that she would look back on and weigh the value of.

“This won’t be without pain. This won’t be without risk. But it will not be a crude barbaric introduction to something that should be beautiful. Agree to become my daughter in truth, Kelski, and we will say the words, make the cuts, and introduce you to one of the most powerful personal magics out there.” He said firmly.

Kelski nodded. She wasn't afraid of pain. So much had been put on her at one time or another. But pain that was

“Then remove your robe, toss it outside of the circle, and bring me the twin set of daggers impaled in the snake’s eye. They must be given to me freely, Kelski. For they will be both your doing and undoing.” He added, gesturing.

It was then the Kelvic noticed the two daggers sticking up form the earth at the point of the snake's eyes. She'd seen the snake's form but failed to notice the daggers. She swore they hadn't been there before. Walking over, Kelski bent down, picked up both daggers, and slide them from the floor with a slight pull and twist. She turned, walked back to Gilthas' side - who was also disrobed now - and offered them to him hilt first. He took one, leaving her the other.



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They laugh at me because I am different.
I laugh at them because they are all the same.


Painted Sky Jewelry (The Wildlands) | Crossroads Jewelry (The Outpost)
User avatar
Kelski
Freedom is earned. Fight for it.
 
Posts: 1598
Words: 2015452
Joined roleplay: July 3rd, 2014, 11:08 pm
Location: The Wildlands of Sylira & The Empyreal Demesne
Race: Kelvic
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The Song Of The Wind II

Postby Kelski on February 12th, 2019, 11:14 pm

G R A D E S
Kelski

Reimancy: +2, Arcanology +5, Interrogation +4, Logic +3

Arcanology: Ritualistic Baths, Arcanology: An Authentic Master’s Circle, Arcanology: Ouroboros Symbolize The Cyclic Nature Of The Universe, Arcanology: Symbolism of Accepting A Mentor And Becoming Someone’s Learner/Becoming A Mentor And Receiving A Learner, Arcanology: Accepting Initiation From Gilthas Means She Becomes Part Of His Djedline/His Daughter, Arcanology: Djedlines And What They Are, Arcanology: Four Types Of Magic: Personal, Divine, World & Lost, Arcanology: What Fuels Each Type Of Magic, Arcanology: Overgiving, Arcanology: Stresses Secrets To Lost Disciplines, Arcanology: How Magic Is Learned, Arcanology: The Study of Magic – Must Be A Scholar To Be A Good Mage, Arcanology: The Nature of Djed, Arcanology: Wild Djed – What It Is/Does, Arcanology: How Djed Is Acquired, Arcanology: Personal Wells – Their Depths And How To Draw From Them, Arcanology: Sinking Into One’s Well,
Image
They laugh at me because I am different.
I laugh at them because they are all the same.


Painted Sky Jewelry (The Wildlands) | Crossroads Jewelry (The Outpost)
User avatar
Kelski
Freedom is earned. Fight for it.
 
Posts: 1598
Words: 2015452
Joined roleplay: July 3rd, 2014, 11:08 pm
Location: The Wildlands of Sylira & The Empyreal Demesne
Race: Kelvic
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Plotnotes
Medals: 11
Featured Character (1) Featured Thread (2)
Mizahar Grader (1) Trailblazer (1)
Overlored (1) Donor (1)
One Thousand Posts! (1) One Million Words! (1)
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