Closed A job for Clyde

[Valerius Nitrozian]

Fall 3, 512 AV Valerius Nitrozian needed a magic item made – or at least some information about the creation of magic items - and thus he needed a magecrafter. He had known a young woman that was very skilled at magic and knew how to make all kinds of things once. She had given him the sentient box that still sat on his desk, but unfortunately their last meeting hadn’t ended well. ‚Not well‘ was actually a bit of an understatement. Their last meeting had ended with him threatening her and her kicking him in the groin and thoroughly embarrassing him. It was a miracle that none of his rich and famous friends had ever found out what had happened and that there had been no damage to his reputation. He didn’t dare to contact her again. The woman was completely mad. Chances were that she wouldn’t just kick him in the groin this time, but castrate him or do some other painful thing to him. No, he needed a different mage, and preferrably one that still had some amount of sanity left. But he didn’t know any skilled mages besides Tock. Maybe his sister did though. He disliked her (and she him), and she was so boring that he often had to resist the temptation to fall asleep in her presence, but she knew a lot. He had to admit that. She was more familiar with certain circles than Valerius himself who had only returned to Ravok the year before, after having spent several semesters at the famous University of Zeltiva. While she had spent all her life in Rhysol’s city, he was slightly out of touch with certain things. And thus the young man knocked on the door of her suite. As he told him that he could enter, he opened it and stepped inside. He found her sitting at her desk where she was writing somehting into a book. It probably had something to do with mathematics. Everything she did had something to do with mathematics. She was obsessed with numbers. Maybe, he thought, his dear sister was just as mad at Tock, but in a different way. No sane person could possibly spend bells just writing numbers into a book and look that happy. „Sister“, he greeted her. She turned around and looked at him. Now she wasn’t smiling anymore. They never smiled at each other unless they were in public and trying to increase their family’s influence. „Brother“, she acknowledged him. Alice as he had nicknamed her had red hair just lilke Valerius, but it wasn’t as intensely red, and her eyes were a hint darker. She was just an inch shorter than him and slender, and as far as Valerius was concerned, she was quite unattractive (although it was likely that other people thought her the most beautiful woman in the world, eben if it was only because of her money). „What can I do for you?“ „I was wondering if you knew any magecrafters here in Ravok“, the young man remarked. „Has the family ever done business with one?“ She arched an eyebrow. „Why do you need a magecrafter, Valerius? Are you up to something? Magecrafted items are rather expensive.“ He shrugged his shoulders. „No particular reason. I’m just curious about their work. And I assure you that what I need won’t affect House Nitrozian negatively. I might even tell you about it – afterwards.“ „Afterwards, of course“, she remarked and nodded. „So that I can’t tell you that you are wasting your money and that it’s a bad idea.“ „Why do you think it’s a bad idea?“ He frowned. „You always have bad ideas, Valerius – or at least strange ideas. Do I need to remind you about that woman you invited into our house? That rude, dirty woman? Or that Kelvic? Or the one time we had dinner with the Lazarins? You know what I’m talking about.“ „Doctor Montgomery. That one time with the Larks. Your little visit at the KRI. Aunt Amanda didn’t seem to be particularly fond of you, and the creatures hated you“, Valerius began to list her bad ideas. „Do you want me to continue? It seems to me as if both of us have already done things that we aren’t proud of and that didn’t work out as intended.“ His sister made a face. „Clyde Sullins“, she told him quickly. „He sold something to a member of the family once. I’ve heard that he was at the Institute of Higher Learning as well. He seems to be capable.“ „Thank you“, Valerius replied curtly. „My pleasure“, she answered. From the tone of her voice it was obvious that she didn’t mean it. ~~~~~ A few chimes later Valerius was sitting at his desk, writing a letter. Once he had finished the letter, he put it into an envelope and then called for his slave Tuuli. The young dark skinned girl appeared at once and curtsied. „Deliver this to Mister Clyde Sullins“, he ordered and handed the envelope to her. „Tell him that I have need of his services or his knowledge – possibly both.“ The slave nodded. „Yes, Master!“ ~~~~~ About a bell later Clyde found himself facing a girl that couldn’t be more than seventeen or eighteen years of age. Her skin was the color of coffee, and she had long, black hair. While her white dress was plain, it was obviously of fine quality. The girl curtsied as she did to all those that were free, unlike her and handed him the envelope. „My Master wishes to meet you“, she informed him. If Clyde opened the envelope, he would find the following message within: Mister Sullins, I have been informed that you are a magecrafter of some skill and that you have already done business with my family before. I wish to meet you and talk to you. I need a magical item made or at least some information about magical items. Please visit me at the Nitrozian Estate. Signed, Valerius Nitrozian

[Clyde Sullins]

Apparently, Clyde's name was known in Ravok. Funnily enough, Hadrians attempt at the time at concealing his identity had worked, and no reference to him was made in conjunction with the item made... Even though he had been more of the leader on the actual enchanting of the item. Clyde had been heavily involved in the enchanting, but clearly Hadrian was the superior Magecrafter. He himself had made his main contribution in two ways. One, by putting up half of the cost to finance the endeavor, 500 gm... And the other half, had been in the conception of the items. His own ideas had been clearly used in what they had created, convincing Hadrian to use his own element for the first item, and actually coming up with the enchantment to go on the second one, which had been far different from what Hadrian had offered, not to mention cheaper... Which was a bit funny that he had come up with the superior idea against such a more experienced Magecrafter. Not to say that he was not skilled. After his practice and work he had gotten pretty good... Or at least reasonably good... Enough to know a decent bit and work on his own. He had been sitting in his room at Tarsin's, relaxing, when he got a knock at the door. He was surprised by a few things upon opening the door... First of all, that the girl at his door was a slave... And that she was actually reasonably dressed and seemed fit, or well treated. Which meant that she was not the slave of some poor family or merchant, but of someone who could afford to not work their slaves to the bone. He took the letter offered, and paused for a moment, letting it rub across his skin... He was a bit cautious of random envelopes... Maybe he was being paranoid, but what if it held a spell sealed inside, and opening it set it off? But no, he was being silly, and nothing large and reeking of djed had rubbed across his auras extremity, which likely meant anything to obvious was not there... Though something all the deadlier and hidden might be... Clyde paused for a moment upon seeing the name Nitrozian, before reading the rest of it, Valerius Nitrozian... He had not heard of him specifically, but here in Ravok, he certainly had heard of the Nitrozian name, especially to do with merchants, who had a lot of funds between them... It was interesting to see that they knew of him and recalled the items he had sold them, and that they were still satisfied... Apparently they had been able to sell the items at a decent markup, and profit, or perhaps had kept them and were in use. He was interested in what it said... They wanted him to either make an item, or to be a able to inform them on it to do with some item they wanted... Or maybe wanted him to tangle out how a item they already had worked or something, or its exact enchantment... Either way, it was good for him. Being well known by the high up, and the well to do, was especially important in his business... Clyde put down the envelope, and gestured at the slave. "Well then, lead the way. I suppose I will go see your master, and inquire into exactly what he wants from me..." Clyde picked up and put on his robes, and grabbed his wooden staff, before setting out the door, and following along behind her, to go into the Nitrozian Estate were he had not been before.

[Valerius Nitrozian]

The girl looked fairly shocked as Clyde asked her to lead the way. „You mean now?“ she nearly blurted out. „In the circles my master moves in it is customary to send the messenger back with a reply so that the host has some time to prepare everything. I’m not sure if …“ She stopped and furrowed her brow, and then she decided, „Please come with me. If my master is not ready for you when we reach the Nitrozian Estate, you will be asked to wait in the entrance hall for a few chimes.“ With that she turned around and gestured for the mage to follow her. She wondered what he needed a staff for. Was it a weapon, did he have a problem with his legs or did he use it for some obscure magical purpose? She doubted that her master would appreciate him bringing a weapon into his house, but she decided that she would let Valerius himself deal with the matter of the staff. She was just here to deliver a message (and a mage, it seemed). The girl talked very little as they made their way over tot he Nitrozian Estate. She was a slave, not his personal entertainer who made small talk with him. She just did what her master asked of her. ~~~~ It didn’t take too long, and Clyde stood in front of the Nitrozian Estate (that actually consisted of not only one, but three buildings). The girl led him to the largest of the three buildings and informed the guards who watched Clyde curiously and with some amount of suspicion, „Mister Sullins is here to do business with the Nitrozians. Would you inform Valerius Nitrozian of his arrival?“ While one of the guards went to let Valerius know that he had a guest, the girl led Clyde inside. It was very likely that the Nitrozian Estate was more luxurious than anything Clyde had seen so far. Clyde was asked to sit down on a plush chair in the entrance hall while he waited. Fortunately it didn’t take too long before the guard returned. Apparently Mister Nitrozian was ready to meet with Clyde now, and the fact that he had come with something that looked like a weapon wasn’t an issue after all. ~~~~ Valerius wasn’t waiting for ther mage in his personal suite though, but in a small sitting room where two chairs and a table stood in front of a large stone fire place where a fire burnt. The Nitrozian was dressed in a suit of black and dark green this time. His appearance was as always impeccable. As Clyde entered the room, he rose and walked up to him. „Welcome to the Nitrozian Estate, Mister Sullins“, he greeted him. „I’m glad that you accepted my invitation, and I apologize for having made you wait. I didn’t know that you would be coming with my slave right away. Please take a seat.“ He gestured towards the chairs by the fireplace and waited for Clyde to sit down before he took a seat himself. „Wine?“ he asked and gestured towards the table in front of them where a bottle of wine red drink and two crystal goblets stood. „You are probably curious what exactly I need from you, but first I would like to know how much experience you have exactly as far as magecrafting is concerned. What kind of items have you made so far, and what was the nature of your business with my family?“

[Clyde Sullins]

Clyde almost smiled when the girl answered in shock to him telling her to lead him there right away. He simply looked at her with a blank stare, as she went off spouting some reasoning, but quickly conceding the point and saying she would take him to the Nitrozian Estate. Clyde simply walked along with her quietly, and without speaking, as she directed him to follow and led him along, the only sound his staff tapping on the ground every few steps as he went. Really, he did not use his staff as a weapon, it was more of a comfort item really. Something he took every where with him, and whose familiarity helped to keep him calm and from losing it completely at times of stress. He knew its every texture and grain better than the back of his hand... After all, how often did one look at the back of their hand? But he held this all the time. Of course, since it turned out the slave was also on the quiet side, and not much of a talker, she did not notice Clyde's silence. But neither did he notice hers. Soon enough though they were at their destination, the Nitrozian Estate. Come to think of it, he had seen it before, even if he had not been inside. The triple facade of its structure was familiar, at least in passing. He simply looked over at the guards with a blank stare, not trying to set them off by laughing at them, but yet finding them so silly. Really, he doubted they were anything more than a few mundane swordsmen, puffed up on their position and prestige, who had no chance at all if he chose to fight them. Really, they would fall just as easily as any other bandits or fighters he had faced. Why, he had even killed a Zith while it was a few inches away, trying to claw out his face. He had killed it by breathing down its throat and burning it from the inside out. Certainly after that he was not afraid of these little men here guarding the home. If he had wanted to, he could kill them all to easily, he thought to himself, letting the smug thought filter through his mind. Certainly they were not intimidating to him. Though he did not act upon it, that would be rude, for several reasons, even if it would be all to simple. For one, killing someones workers was not to nice. And two, it would be an utter waste to kill these men here now just to prove some point. Better they keep their lives, and lived on, to lose it at some other time, to the glory of Rhysol. Besides, he did not just kill people willy nilly, even if he could. He only killed if it was for a purpose, and required... Such as to keep him alive in a them or us situation... Or if he got really ticked off, and flipped out killing them... But that took someone being pretty rude to get him that far, and if he got pushed that far then by then they deserved to die for their idiocy with messing with a powerful mage. In the end, he was inside. Perhaps if he cared about such things, he would be amazed at the plush setting and luxurious atmosphere. But really, he was just far to pragmatic to think of wasting money on things that's only use were to look good. Nice beds he got, since you slept on them. And possibly furniture you sat or rested on... But the rest, he doubted he would ever own, even when he had a good bit of Mizas. Since their only purpose for existing was to look nice. Of course, considering what magic they were dealing with, magecrafting, one of the most expensive types of magic to deal with, it was probably a good thing that Clyde was a pragmatic wizard who did not believe in showy meaningless bits of wealth, but in content and real quality. --- Finally, it seemed, it was time to get to the point, and Clyde had come to see who he had been invited to see, Valerius. Clyde simply nodded at his greeting, and took the proffered seat. However he shook his head at the offering of wine. "Perhaps some wine after, but for now I prefer to be clear of head, to better deal with what is before us. After all, I don't think a drunk mage would be of much use to you, and probably not the safest house guest to have." He listened as Valerius began, diving right into things. Which in some ways was refreshing, instead of the roundabout ways many people approached things, wasting time being indirect. Of course, he still could have taken a small bit of extra time to make what he said sound less like an interrogation from the Ebonstryfe. But since he was being more or less civil with Clyde, and being open about his questions, he decided not to make a point of it. As for later... Well, it depended upon what exactly Valerius wanted. "I suppose, though it does seem a bit unfair, for me to tell you so much, before you even tell me a bit of what it is you are wanting of me. Your letter was rather vague." Letting out a sigh, Clyde looked up at the ceiling, before looking back down, and locking eyes with Valerius, a small smirk on his own face. "But I suppose these ones wont hurt... As far as experience in Magecrafting goes... I am by no means a master, but neither am I a new initiate to this particular magical craft. I am of decent enough ability in it, to do most any item, but the most expensive and specialist ones. I even know a few odd ones, which many of my level might not. Training under a highly skilled Magecrafter at the Insitute does have its perks." He smiled again at Valerius, choosing to pause here and take a breath, a odd trick he had learned while teaching, which helped to keep the other person focused, if there were some breaks when changing topic. "I have enchanted a decent bit of items, mostly weapons, such as for reimantic ability, or simple things like being stronger or sharper and such. I have even enchanted and imbued a Magic Staff, quite a special little bit of Magecrafting most of my trade do not know how to do." "Me and a partner ended up endowing a pair of items over a summer previous to now, and sold them to a member of your family. Though that was over a year ago. That was the extent of my business with your family. I suppose both myself and my partner, and your family, made a reasonable profit off of the endeavor." "Though I should say, that my theoretical knowledge of Magecrafting is even greater, as it was one of our focuses in class and in my time spent with the magic, so if nothing else I can tell you the practicality of an item or if it is possible, and give you a relative cost to enchant it as you wish. Or I could get you the answer. So if you could tell me what you desire, the end result, I believe I could reasonably tell you how to achieve it."

[Valerius Nitrozian]

„I agree, a drunk mage is probably not safe“, Valerius replied. „I’ve met one, and she was fairly unpleasant. No wine then. If you getthirsty at any point during our meeting though, let me know, and I will ask one of the servants to bring you tea or coffee.“ Since Clyde had refused the wine, Valerius decided not to drink anything either. It would have been impolite. Instead he simply leaned back in his chair and listened to what the mage had to say. „Letters can be read by people that aren’t supposed to read them“, he explained as Clyde complained that he had been rather vague. „What I want you to do, isn’t illegal, but I still prefer my business to remain a secret, for no reason in particular. It’s just a quirk of mine. As for that skilled Magecrafter you trained under, would you be willing to tell me his or her name? I have to admit, I’m curious.“ „I’ve been gone from the city so long that I’m not familiar with the important mages here anymore.“ As Clyde mentioned reimantic ability, the Nitrozian smiled. The staff though confused him. „What kind of properties did you imbue your staff with?“ he wanted to know. „I do not only want to buy a magic item from you – or several, if I’m content with our first collaboration – I want to know how it works. Using magic items without understanding the principles behind them is unwise at the best of times as far as I’m concerned.“ „As for what I’m desire … can you make a lamp that burns without a candle? I don’t appreciate wax dripping on my notes. A dagger that can pierce metal? And …“ He went over to his desk to pick up Tock’s box. „… would you be able to replicate this, given enough time? It is a magical box that only opens for a certain person. A woman that went by the strange name of Tock made it for me once, but she unfortunately left the city and is unlikely to come back. We had a … disagreement.“ „I watched her make it, but she never explained what exactly it was that she did.“

[Clyde Sullins]

Clyde simply shook his head, at the words of Valerius. Apparently he did not see the distinction between drinking, and getting drunk. Admittedly, he barely ever drank, and if he did it was ale, which was low on alcoholic content, more of a food really than something to get you drunk in normal quantities. But he would not argue the point, as even he admitted to himself he rarely drank and felt no need to. "Water is fine. Or possibly tea. Nothing to strong though." He nodded as the Nitrozian pointed out that letters could be read and intercepted, which was not good when dealing with such things as magic. The less people that knew of things the better. "I can respect that, privacy is important, and so is not letting half of the city knowing your private matters. I simply meant you informing me more in person once I got here, before launching into the questioning." He purposely kept from saying interrogation, due to the negative connotation that it brought up. Though really, his series of determined questioning had been a short interrogation. He smiled at Valerius question, seeing that it was rather open ended. But he answered it quite honestly, as the only magecrafter he had trained under was at the institute, with his instructor there. Hadrian had been his partner, and he had certainly not been his underling. "Of course, but I think you should know of him, Thadeus Lazarin. He is the Magecrafting instructor of the Institute. He is the only teacher that I have studied under. I should think you would have heard of him, being of another large Ravokian family. But he is the one that has taught me most of what I currently know of Magecrafting." He simply nodded, as he made his point of saying he had been gone from Ravok, and did not know of all the people. "Perhaps so, but I believe he has been the teacher at the Institute for some time. Though I am not exactly certain how long. But surely before you left." Clyde looked over at his staff, sweeping his hand down it once, before turning back to Valerius. He supposed it was a simple miscomunication, to think he had imbued his staff with Magecrafting. But he had not. Though he did have plans of getting a magic staff, one of much better make than this old staff. "This? Oh, it is not enchanted. Even with me being able to make items for myself at cost, making a magic staff is no simple undertaking, and certainly would be done on a fresh staff of the finest qualities, and the best wood. This is just an old one I have had for years. And certainly if you wanted a decent magic staff, it would be quite a long endeavor, and expensive than just the minimum enchantment required to make it into a magic stave. I plan to take my time and make one truly good, so that when I do have one it will be worth the wait and my skill." He was interested in what he said... It would not be to hard to explain the principles of magecrafting to Valenius, but at this time he had no incentive to do so. "I could certainly explain to you the workings of how magecrafting goes, at its basics. Perhaps if this deal works out. Thoughv bear in mind, only actually working an enchanting a item through magecrafting will truly give you experience in it. Just telling you of it will do little." He told him this, wanting to make sure that he understood he could not use him in such a way, getting him to tell him how to do things, and then doing it on his own. It would take Valerius years of practice to get to Clyde's skill... Which would be prohibitively expensive for even a Nitrozian, or anyone besides the Institute. As he told him of the items he had in mind, Clyde simply smiled... This is what he excelled at, this talk of items and theoretical magecrafting... Figuring things out... This is what he was good at... He thought for a moment, before giving his answer. He was fairly certain he knew how that box worked... And thought it had nothing to do with Magecrafting... But he would need to inspect it to be sure. "Well let me see... The lamp would be simplest, a simple behavioral enchantment to make it shine and light without being fed or using oil. Quite a common thing in days of old. Probably could be done as a level one enchantment." "As for the dagger, well that would be much trickier. It would need to have its sharpness enhanced to quite a degree. To what exactly, I cannot say, only trial and error could tell... But it would certainly be a high level item... Not to mention prohibitively expensive... It could perhaps be done by a behavioral enhancement, to specifically allow it to cut through metal... But that to would be expensive, and I cannot be sure of the level of enchantment required. And then you would only have a ordinarily tough dagger. It would be damaged as easy as any other... So you would want to also enchant it to be more durable... Very expensive." "As for the box... Are you sure that is magecrafting? It could certainly be done through it, by making it more intelligent... But from the sound of it, it might also as easily be another magic I know of... I can tell you for more certain if you let me look at it, and inspect it for a moment." Clyde held out his hand for the box, ready to inspect it with auristics... Its aura should tell him if it was a creation of animation, or magecrafting. It also would probably tell him what was inside. "By the way, what is in it?" He asked, wondering if he would tell him without him having to check himself.

[Valerius Nitrozian]

„A moment please“, Valerius said as Clyde accepted his offer of tea or water. He rang the small, golden bell that stood on the table between them, and a chime later one of the many slaves of House Nitrozian appeared. „My guest wants something to drink“, Valerius informed the man. „Bring him tea and a glass of water.“ „Yes, master“, the slave replied and left the room again to do as he had been told. As soon as he was gone, Valerius turned back to Clde. „Ah, yes, I’ve heard the name before“, he remarked as Clyde told him the name of his instructor. „The Lazarins are one of the other powerful families in Ravok besides my own. What did you think when you met him? Did he seem capable to you? I’ve never studied magic – only the Ancient Tongue – and thus my experience with people that teach it is comparatively small.“ „I see“, he murmurred as Clyde told him his staff was not enchanted. „Forgive me for making the assumption then. As I said before, I’ve never studied magic, and I have to admit, I don’t know why one would want to enchant a staff anyway. Would a sword not work better? I’m also aware that just hearing about magecrafting will do little, but I’d still like to know about it. Maybe I will start really learning it in the future though.“ He shrugged and proceeded to listen to Clyde’s next words. As the man said the lamp would be simple, he smiled, but as he talked about the dagger, he furrowed his brow. „Why is making a dagger of iron or steel more durable and sharper so complicated?“ he wanted to know. „To me making a lamp that burns without a candle seems more complicated. As for the box, I don’t know. The young woman who made it for me called herself a gadgeteer first and foremost, although she also had some experience with magic. I’m not sure which kind of magic she practiced though.“ It was just then that the slave returned with a cup of tea and some water for Clyde. He bowed to both men, and then he left the room again without a word so that he wouldn’t interupt them. „I’m not sure if you can find out anything by looking at the box“, Valerius said. „It only obeys me and sometimes not even that.“ Regardless he retrieved the box and put it down in front of Clyde. „It contains some of my notes, mostly on my studies of the Ancient Tongue. I’m a graduate of the University of Zeltiva. Wait a moment, I’ll show you how it works. Maybe that will help you.“ He looked at the box, and in an almost sickeningly sweet tone he said, „M’lady, would you please open?“ The box opened at once, and Clyde could see that it did indeed contain papers that were filled with words upon words in the Ancient Tongue. Valerius looked at them, pleased that the box had decided not to embarrass him in front of his guest, and then he remarked, „I apologize if the tone of my voice offended you. Miss Tock – the woman who made it – was, while she had agreed to work for me, not particularly fond of me and insisted that I ought to be a little more polite. This is the result.“ OOCThe box is a combination of gadgeteering and animation, but Val doesn’t know or has forgotten. As he said himself, he doesn’t know a lot about magic and probably thinks animation and magecrafting are the same.

[Clyde Sullins]

Clyde was not to surprised that Valerius had heard of his instructor at the institute. After all, they were in the city of Ravok, where his family and the Lazarin family were well known. Most people would have either heard of him, and definitely of his family. But being of another such family he had surely expected him to know. He smiled as the Nitrozian once again sent out probing questions, always trying to find out things about him and sneak in little questions. Luckily he had not asked anything that was not really public knowledge, or that was close to him, so he felt no need to not tell him, or to shut off. But it seemed at this rate it was only a matter of time till he asked some private question to which he was not privy to, and Clyde would have to get onto him. Probably as a Nitrozian, he would not be used to that, people not doing exactly as he wanted, when he wanted. "He is well skilled. If he was not, I would not have been able to learn from him, now would I? As an instructor and a person he is blunt and unapproachable, but he knows his stuff. I just would not try calling him out on something like this, I do not think he would react to well. He does have a temper, if things do not go his way, or our work is less than perfect. But I learn a lot from him all the same." Clyde actually smiled when he asked why to enchant a staff, and not a sword. Obviously he did not understand the underpinnings of the magic, or would not have said so. But he would have to live with the fact that everyone did not know what he did, which was the reason he was here. But it looked like he would have to explain something else to him. "One would enchant a Magic Staff, as it becomes a different creature when done properly, than other Magecrafting products. You can of course do other things with it, make it more durable or lighter, or other odd additions and spells to its enchantment like with anything else. But the basic Magic Staff enchantment does something different, in which it makes it more open to djed, and really an extension of the mage who uses it. Like another arm or limb, it is especially open to Personal Magic. A odd quirk of Magecrafting, a World Magic, which enhances, and focuses Personal Magic. So obviously it would be especially useful and helpful to a practitioner of Personal Magic." Clyde smiled, as he had fell back into his lecture style teacher mode, as he explained things to Nitrozian. He was not a bad teacher himself, having taught many people many different things. He might even be a better teacher than his teacher, even if his magic skills in Magecrafting were lesser. "But due to its inherent nature, you cannot use just any substance or material to make a Magic Staff. As it becomes an extension of the mage, a living extension, it must once have been alive. That is why you do not see any metal staffs, or, as you said, a 'Magic Sword', as it would be incompatible. You can use wood which is most common, or bone, or some other thing that was once alive and part of a living thing. Otherwise, the particular enchantment would not work." But he was all questions was he not? Question after question. He barely finished with one, before another was being asked. Which was a bit annoying. He seemed to hint and manipulate, trying to get things from him, and offering possible things, but so far nothing concrete had really been shown to say this was worth his time. He would carry on for a bit more, but not indefinitely. "As for the dagger and the lamp, well they are on different levels. It is all a matter of perspective, and to what degree you are changing the item. For example, a lamp already burns and gives light. That is a behavior that it has, and does, and is made for. So a slight deviation on that behavior, is to make the magic enchantment imbued in it, the Magecrafting, to be the fuel for that lamp. It becomes a mage light, fueled by magic alone. But it is only a small change really. You could even for a bit more, perhaps one step additional, make it so it was smart enough to react to a voice command, and so light itself whenever a certain command word is spoken." "It would probably take two levels of enchantment, if you fuel the fire in the lamp by imbuing it with reimancy. You would imbue it with the specific reimantic ability to light itself as a normal lamp, while the reimancy magic is fueled by the enchantment... And the behavior is to light itself in the same fashion that a normal lamp flame burns. That behavior would be ingrained into it and made permanent. So I could certainly make the item as a level two enchantment, and possibly as a one, though I do not know for sure until I try if the one would work. But I can for sure do it as a level two as I just mentioned with the reimancy. Though if you wanted to turn it off and on, that might require another third enhancement... Which as I mentioned before, could be a vocal trigger." Clyde smiled once more, beginning to enjoy himself, as he did enjoy teaching, and thinking of such things which were odd and new Magecrafting ideas, once it had been settled... But he did not like teaching for free... Which is what this seemed to be... "However, a dagger already has a set level of sharpness. If you want to increase its sharpness incrementally, to the level that it can cut metal, it would require many levels of enchantment on it to do so. It would need to be much much sharper. I do not know if such a thing is even within my capabilities. And the opposite is to change its behavior, so that it cuts specifically through metal... Which might require just as many enhancements to its behavior, if not more. I would not know till I tried." Clyde looked at the box next, inspecting it, looking it over. It seemed simple enough, and certainly not a powerful item thats djed presence was pressing upon him. He would have to inspect its aura, to tell for certain. Clyde took a sip of the tea, and then stroked one hand across the top of the box, giving a smile at Valerius. "Who ever said I was going to look at it with my eyes? I do have a few other magical tricks up my sleeve, which I do not generally advertise. It is not my greatest magical skill, but certainly enough for this." Tapping the side of his head, right next to his right eye, he winked at him, and grinned. "Obviously mundane little human eyes cannot detect anything... But mages have a few abilities at there disposal for detecting such things, which others do not. If I could just have a moment..." Having said that, Clyde set his hands on either side of the box, and closed his eyes, clearing his mind and blocking out all outside annoyances and troubles... Focusing on an image in his head... Of a single flame burning in isolation, without any troubles... Burning in the blackness alone, without casting any light... He watched as it flickered, built up the image, watched it flow as he created it and pictured it in his mind... He let out a deep sigh, and prepared to do a bit of auristics.

[Valerius Nitrozian]

„That is good to hear“, Valerius remarked as Clyde informed him that his instructor was well skilled and smiled. The man sounded a bit like himself, sometimes blunt, with a bit of a temper and a perfectionist. Maybe he would contact him. It sounded as if they would get along well. Maybe he should ask him instead. But no, Lazarin would likely not be interested in such an easy and comparatively boring job. „He seems like a capable man. How long have you been studying under him?“ As Clyde claimed that a magic staff became a different creature once enchanted, he furrowed his brow and shook his head barely noticeably. Did Clyde really want to make him believe that the staff became alive, after a fashion? How could a piece of wood become an extension of its owner? All that talk about the staff becoming like an additional limb reminded him of Tock’s strange magic. Had she had a magic staff as well? Maybe she had hit people with it. She had always had bad manners. „That makes sense“, he replied as Clyde informed him why you couldn’t use a sword instead of a staff. „So it could be any kind of material as long as it comes from a living source?“ Question after question. Valerius wanted to gather as much information as possible. Information meant power. He wanted to understand the way the things around him worked. „That makes sense as well“, he replied as Clyde explained why the lamp was easier to make than the dagger – even though he hated the fact that he was saying almost the same sentence twice within a chime. He preferred a little variety. „What is the difference between level one and level two enchantments? And what is the difference as far as the price is concerned? That is what interests me the most.“ „Let us forget about the dagger then“, he decided as Clyde explained why making the dagger would be so much more complicated. „I’d rather not waste you or my time. How much would the lamp cost with the vocal trigger and how much without it?“ „Ah, forgive me. Since I’m not a mage, I’ve never looked at things with anything but my eyes. Please feel free to inspect the box with whatever magic you want to use for it.“ He put the box a bit closer to Clyde so that he could look at it better. He even stopped asking questions so that he wouldn’t distract the mage.

[Clyde Sullins]

Clyde inspected the box, keeping his hands on it... It took him some time, but now that he had meditated, he had to a reasonable degree calmed, and was ready to do his auristical magic... He flowed djed into his forehead, pooling it there... Already he could taste the sweet tang on his tongue, of magic, and djed... It was always so delicious for him... It was a wonder he kept himself in check, and did not give in to the pleasure of magic, considering how good it felt... With another pooled, he shunted it to his eyes, and exerted out his aura vision. Focusing on the box, its aura slowly extended out in his vision, a thin little grey thing, which most non-living objects had... But as he focused more, the aura changed slightly, which was something a mundane item did not do... It stayed the same dull grey, however with hints of a swirl of darker and lighter grey, even a single patch of black... These swirls were something he only ever saw in something that was alive with thoughts... Though from how slow they were flowing, and how thin they were, it did not seem to strong... Certainly not a true sentient being... But as he looked further and closer, he checked on its djed pathways... That was something he had learned by watching the aura of an object while it was magecrafted. He had learned to see the djed pathways, were they had been expanded, and extended... Were they were deeper than a normal mundane item, due to the enchantment working on the item at a deeper level than the physical... This object had no such deepened pathways, which would have been bright in his aura vision. This was but a dull grey... "I am fairly certain this object is not Magecrafted. It has only been, or at least I believe, Animated. Which is where the object is given a degree of sentience and intelligence, through magic. It is a different art than that of Magecrafting. It is not truly alive, and certainly not enchanted in the sense of Magecrafting. But I have a small degree of skill in Animation, and am fairly certain that is what this is. That is how it does what it does. A much more limited art than Magecrafting, but in its own right its focus allows it to do things Magecrafting does not, within its specific area of use. Certainly not an expensive thing to replicate, beyond the bit of time it takes to make it. Though I am not sure how it hears your voice to react, do you? But moving on." It was probably a good thing that Valerius did not mention his thought of undercutting Clyde, and going to his teacher instead. There were few things worth than having a mage as an enemy. Even worse than that was a powerful mage. And if he were to do such a thing to circumvent him, after calling him here, and Clyde being so helpful... Well his name as a Nitrozian would only do so much to keep him safe... But luckily he did not mention it to him, and it turned out to be only a passing thought. "Of course he does work for the Stryfe, but yes he is a good teacher. I have been studying under him for a year or so, maybe a bit longer. I am not exactly certain." He did notice a bit on the next question, nodding, and thinking about what he said. "Well to an extent. Bear in mind it must be stable enough. You could not use an arm or something for one. It would decay, after time. Which would not be worth the investment. The important factor for it is djed. It must have been alive, so that the djed can move through it, in the same way that it moves through your body, which is also alive. Things like metal and stone do not have the right pathways, making it unsuitable for what is required." Now back onto enchantments... To be honest, Clyde was getting ever more annoyed... He seemed to be giving an amazing amount of information to the man, and was being given nothing in return except promises, which could easily be empty. He did not like being used. His nostrils flared unconsciously, but he kept on, explaining the next bit. "Think of levels of enchantments like bricks for a wall. Each brick is separate, and adds to the total height of the wall. In this case, you can commit levels of enchantment to one task, or many different things. But the more you focus it on one thing, the stronger it gets. At lower levels that is not much. In fact, many times when it comes to improving the item, level one enhancements are barely noticeable, with the level two only being odd when compared to mundane versions in its capabilities, but somewhat noticeable by anyone. Once you hit three, that is were it starts to become more drastic, and clearly enchanted. But three units of enchantment in one thing is also were the cost goes up dramatically, as that much power into one thing can make the item unstable. That is why more focused or higher level items require reagents to stabilize it." Clyde thought a bit on the next words... How much... How much... Cost was an important factor... But to be honest, peoples pockets were not endless, not even the Nitrozian. "Usually they gain more than half again on each higher level in enhancement. Every two levels they triple in price. So a level 3 costs 3 times that of a level one. So as you get higher in level, it dramatically increases in price." Clyde quickly did the numbers, doing a bit of math, taking out a piece of parchment from his pack, and a quill and ink, to work it all out... He knew the basics in his head, but if he wanted to get it right, he needed to write it out... Of course, math was not one of his strong suits, beyond the basics... But he knew most of the low level amounts well enough... "Lets see... For the lamp without the vocal trigger, which means it is always on, that would be a level 2 enchantment... With the trigger, it would be a level 3..." Clyde worked out some math on the paper, adding up figures... A MC 2 item would cost 1,700 to make... Which would sell for 3 times that... And a MC 3 item would cost 3,000 to make... Selling for thrice that... "I could make and sell you the lamp without the trigger for 5,100 Gold Mizas... And with the trigger for 9,000 Gold Mizas... Which includes costs to make, and my fee. Those would be the regular going rate for such an item to be made, for about any Magecrafter. Of course, I might be willing to give some kind of a discount, to a degree."