Magic can be frightening (solo)

[Library] Fiera meets her Auristics professor.

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Center of scholarly knowledge and shipwrighting, Zeltiva is a port city unlike any other in Mizahar. [Lore]

Magic can be frightening (solo)

Postby Fiera on February 11th, 2012, 4:55 am

Timestamp: 72nd day of winter, 512 AV
Following the familiar path towards the Wright Memorial library, Fiera reached up to touch her hair. The usually frenzied strands of hair were woven neatly into a plait and pulled tight by a bright red ribbon. Her loose clothes were tastefully set on her petite frame, and a pair of leather slippers adorned her feet. It was not often that Fiera spent so much time on her appearance, preferring to use that time to explore wherever she was living at that moment, but today Fiera needed to look her best.

Today, Fiera would visit Professor Stonemiller; who spent more time in the library than in his office. The Professor would decide whether or not she was suitable to take Aurtistics. Fiera was rather doubtful that she would be accepted into such a difficult course, but refused to back down from the challenge. As she stepped casually through the doors of the library, Fiera cast her eager gaze around the library. The dim light and enormity of the building that surrounded her was rather intimidating, but Fiera did not slow her step.

Fiera had visited the Wright Memorial library almost daily since she had discovered its existence, she had even seen the Professor on more than one occasion - buried in a thick volume or sitting at a table with a university student, explaining something. It was difficult to forget the first of these visits, when Fiera had learned the history and creation of her race. She neared the table that Professor Stonemiller often sat at, but he was not there.

Shrugging, Fiera continued down the middle of the library, looking down each isle. She found the Professor in the Malediction section, browsing the books. His hunched form was silhouetted against the morning light pouring in from the window. Clearing her throat, Fiera called out to him.

“Professor Stonemiller? I am Fiera Aeriem, I have enrolled in an Aurtistics -” Fiera was interrupted by the professor pressing his finger to his lips.

“Quiet, young lady, this is a library, not a bar” his strict voice was hushed as he hobbled nearer to Fiera. Wrinkles hid a face that must have been handsome in previous years and the bright green eyes that peered at her sparkled with mirth, “yes, yes, I know who you are. Registrar Sanderson notified me that you might come to visit me today”

The old man led Fier to a table near the window and gestured for her to sit down before lowering himself into the armchair across from her.
Last edited by Fiera on April 8th, 2012, 1:08 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Fiera
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Magic can be frightening (solo)

Postby Fiera on February 29th, 2012, 11:39 am



Taking a deep breath, the professor continued, “Now, I take it you understand the risks and dangers of undertaking this course?”

“I understand perfectly.” Always the over-achiever, Fiera had read about the basics of the course, and now, as if to show off her knowledge, she listed them, “Although Auristics is generally one of the safest disciplines of magic, there is always a chance that someone will not use such a gift in moderation. Focusing on one aura for a long period of time or focusing on too many auras at the same time can result in physical, mental or spiritual damage, and the severity depends on the amount of time the Aurist has spent straining their powers.”

The professor chuckled lightly to himself, “Good, now you should know this. What powers, exactly, would an Aurist have once he has reached Master level?”

“Although sentient creatures have the most complex auras, all items that exist also have one. Thus, an Aurist can establish the physical properties of an object or creature, the internal structure, feelings, any magical activity and …” [/i]Fiera trailed off, blushing. She had completely forgotten what she had read about just yesterday! Fiera tried to recall the page in her mind, but the words were blurred.

[i]“Residual activity and Intent are the words you are looking for. As a simple example, I can tell that you have a rather deep scratch stretching from your shoulder to your elbow”
The professor watched, amused as Fiera glanced down at her arm - which was covered to the wrist by her sleeve. She had indeed cut herself while roaming the mountain forest in her beast form. Unable to think of a proper response, she nodded.

“And what is djed?” probed the professor.

Fiera paused, trying to find a way to phrase the answer, “It is the essence of all life. It cannot be destroyed. The word means ‘backbone’ in the ancient language. It is almost synonymous with magic itself, yet I don’t understand the concept”

“How so?”

“Why can’t it be destroyed, and when it is transformed, what form does it take?”

A piece of parchment materialised on the small table, causing Fiera to flinch at the unexpectedness of the occurrence. Oblivious to her reaction, Professor Stonemiller took out a graphite pencil from his pocket and with deft strokes of his hand, drew a square on the parchment. He held it up for her to see, “This Square has its own djed. I transferred some of my own djed into it when I drew it. Without the djed that I transferred into it, there would be no square, would there?”

Fiera shook her head and the professor continued, “Now, djed can have many forms, and some are purer that others. Let us take, for example, this square, and compare it to a human soul. Which one would contain the most pure djed?”

“The square”

“Why is that?”

“Because the square is simpler. It uses its djed to exist, and nothing else.”

“Incorrect, yet I understand how you came to this conclusion. Purity is a measure of the power of the djed, not the simplicity. The djed belonging to a person is more powerful because the person has free will, which allows them to, without external pressure, transform their own djed. Just like I did by drawing the square.Oh. And also, some transformations are irreversible”


To demonstrate his point, the professor ripped the parchment into two pieces.


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Fiera
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Magic can be frightening (solo)

Postby Fiera on April 8th, 2012, 1:02 am



Professor Stonemiller reached into a large bag that Fiera had not noticed previously. He drew out a wooden box with a lid. It was fairly big and ornately carved. The professor placed it in front of Fiera, “This is a difficult task for such an inexperienced Aurist, but I believe that with enough concentration, you may be able to succeed in telling me the contents of this box

“Really, the most difficult part is gaining a good sense of your djed. You must have exceptional control over it to achieve success in any form of magic. What I want you to do now, is to try to feel the djed inside of you. Do you know how we gain and lose djed?”
She shook her head, “then listen carefully. You are hunting. The animal that has just become your meal was, a few minutes ago, full of djed. Where did that djed go, you ask? Most of it went to you, since you ate the animal. The rest seeped into the ground before you had time to eat it. Now you are hunting again. Every time you run to catch up to your prey, some of the djed you gained from eating that animal earlier is lost. That is why you feel tired afterwards. As you grow older, your ability to absorb the djed from your food lessens and this eventually leads to death

“With this new understanding of djed, it should be easier for you to complete the task.”

Task? It took Fiera a few moments to remember what was required of her. Uncertain, she delved deeper into her being in an attempt to find the source of her djed. Upon first contact, she almost lost her concentration. It seemed almost like a deep pool of power and energy. Drawing out what seemed like a strand of the djed she projected it towards the wooden box, fumbling to keep control over its direction.

The box presented a challenge as it had its own aura which Fiera fought hard to ignore. Her concentration wavered as she noticed a slight presence. A smooth, uniform and seamless surface. It was the only impression Fiera gleaned before withdrawing from the box out of exhaustion.

The armchair on which she was seated seemed very inviting after her short venture outside the confines of her body. With a feeling of slight satisfaction at what she had just achieved, Fiera let her overused consciousness slip out of her reach.


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Fiera
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Magic can be frightening (solo)

Postby Fiera on April 8th, 2012, 2:35 am



Fiera awoke from her lethargy but could not find the energy to sit up. Across from her was an empty seat; the professor had gone. The carved wooden box still stood on the table in front of her, reminding her as to why her head ached so badly. A hardly noticeable tremor racked her body, but apart from that slight movement, Fiera felt entirely immobilized. She had obviously overgiven, although it could not have been too severe since she was still alive. This provided some comfort while she searched for the willpower to sit up. What had that aura been of? So smooth and flawless. Some kind of rock possibly? Maybe marble.

After a while, the professor hobbled into her view, a stack of books in one hand and a cup in the other. He held the cup out, “Drink this, you will feel much better”

Trustingly, Fiera put the cup to her lips and felt the djed seep back into her body, it was some sort of tea. After her first conscious contact with it, Fiera seemed to have gained a higher awareness of the djed around her. Then, the professor slid the stack of books towards her, “These are for you to read by next lesson. We will start more difficult practical projects then, as well as theory, so they will help you prepare.”

She had been accepted into the course! Was this her dismissal? Fiera rose to leave and then paused, “Professor Stonemiller? Could you tell me what is in the box?”

“Ah yes” the aged man opened the box to reveal a coloured glass sphere; green and blue and clear glass, all interwoven in a beautiful pattern, “This is an Inartian glass paper weight. The Inarta are famous for their complex glass work, but sadly, their designs are quite rare in these regions. I managed to buy this of a trader many years ago”

Fiera stared at the glasswork. It did seem very rare. She heaved the books up from the table and wandered out of the library. Despite the tea, Fiera still felt exhausted and the books seemed to weigh twice as much. Luckily the walk back to her dormitory was not a long one.

END

Live by what you trust, not by what you fear.
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Fiera
the incredibly talented cat
 
Posts: 139
Words: 70482
Joined roleplay: January 8th, 2012, 10:34 am
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Magic can be frightening (solo)

Postby Echelon on April 8th, 2012, 9:00 pm

Adventurer's Loot

Image
A Gift
Experience is it's own reward.

Fiera's Loot :
Fiera Aeriem

Skill XP Reward
Auristics +2XP
Anthropology +1XP
Sociology +1XP
Philosophy +1XP
Teaching +1XP

Lore:
Library: A Place For Quiet, Auristics: Risks, Auristics: A Master's Potential, Learning: The Value of Asking Questions, Djed: "Backbone" In Ancient Tongue, Djed: "Purity" is Potency, Djed: Some Changes Are Irreversible, Overgiving, The Ease Of, Inartian Glass Work, Beauty Of


Items or Consequences:
A small collection of personal journals of previous academic instructors at the university, ranging from the topics of meditation, to sociology, to rather obscure reference so Auristics themselves.

Notes: Books - Really rather rare in Mizahar, and even so in Zeltiva. Most of the books in the Library are personal journals written by students and teachers of the past, with very few published books still accessible to the public. Keep this in mind in the future. There is likely not a "malediction section" for example. A maledictor would have to scour the library for some time to truly find every reference to the art. What is more common is collections of journals on more mundane subjects, such as sailing, or travel logs.

Now, let me explain why you got some of those funky skills. Philosophy - For contemplating why one dies, and how it relates to Djed. Sociology - For realizing it was good to dress nicer/fix yourself up for the encounter, and for learning how unacceptable it was to speak loudly in the library, learning to be a good scholar is one of the hardest parts of learning for a Kelvic. I advise you don't let the teachers know you are a Kelvic, they might look down upon it. Teaching - from witnessing a great teacher, really great job on that. Anthropology - For learning about the paperweight.

Lastly, Auristics: One was for listing basic knowledge, the other was for all the talking about the Auristics. I didn't, however, giver you a third point for practicing it. I felt that you rushed it at the end, like you were getting bored with your own writing. An Aurist needs a writer that can take their time and really explain what their character sees. You didn't do bad, just wasn't quite in depth enough for 3 points. Also, it will be a little easier to rise in your next attempt, since you will have the basics under your belt.

(Languages - in your CS you have two languages listed as Fluent. Unless a founder gave you specific permission for this please make one language fluent, one basic, and the last poor. Writting - I really love your writing, it's good and fluent, but still down to earth and accessible. You don't try to out due yourself, or write over anybodies head. That's cool, keep it up. But, don't be afraid to get a little weird when it comes to Auristics. Remember, it's subject to misinterpretation, your mind and subconscious get in the way sometimes, especially at first. You don't only have to weed through the outside world to see Djed flow, but you have to weed through your own mind and emotions as well. I suggest your next training thread be focused more on meditation then Auristics, it will still count as an Auristics class. Classes - This does count as an Auristics lesson. Well done.) - if you have ANY questions or concerns about this grading, don't hesitate to PM me.
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