Solo [The Testing Grounds] Ice Trapped Memories

[Miro]

1st Day of Winter, 512 AV

He could taste it in the air once again. Morwen was free to spread her glory across Mizahar, the day of the year Miro knew best. It was his birthday, the mark of a new year's snow and bounty of icy coldness. This would be his nineteenth winter, a year, and sadly, his first year alone. But he could not feel alone on this day, not with the planet so ripe to experience the wonders of frosting over once more.

All of the people close to him were near his heart. On this day it was customary for his mother or Kinneas to worship and pray to Morwen, and this year would hardly be an exception. None could be with him in person, but still he knew they would give the most grand praise if possible. The cold had a magical way of bringing people closer together.

To pay respect to each of his loved ones and his Winter Queen, their figures would be erected in ice, and from Miro's soul would come a bounty of love and freezing. He would cast and craft a tribute more stunning than ever before, in honor of the love and peace the season brought.

For years now he had been developing his technique for snow, and recently his Reimancy accuracy was finely tuned. His horizons continued to grow, even now, each spell dreamed up impressed him more than the last. To set the scene he would cover the area in a blanket of frosty white snow.

Such was the first necessity of creating a welcoming winter scene. A nervous thought slipped into his mind however, the daunting trial that his snow technique presented to him. It was unknown to him as to how Morwen caused rain to change into tokens of pure beauty.

Always he had assumed it to be her touch on the clouds in the skies as she rounds Mizahar. Each fluffy cloud she grazed would experience the magical change and realization that each and every Ice Reaver lived daily. A connection of the purest form to the Idea of ice.

However instead, he would have to form his res into countless small Res flakes. How many thousand particles would he have to form to dress the field in snow? It would push his limits, surely. Even with his skill, wrapping his mind around such a task seemed impossible.

But then another idea, something he could not confirm for sure. Perhaps his Ice Reaving mark would could emulate a more natural snowfall. With the ability to amass cold water droplets attracted in a cloud of res, he could tap his Gnosis to freeze the water into snow, then release them to fall at once.

If successful in emulating natural snow, he could then study it further to work on creating a new custom element, a mass of snow that he could line the ground with. It would be perfect, just the right environment to assist in prayer. The boy's mind flickered with images of his loved ones.

Truly today he felt closer to the years of yesterday than any other day. Each year back to the time he was a small child, he could recall exactly what he was doing on this day. Each and every year Morwen's grace brought new understanding to him, another experience to hold dear within his heart.

This year was different though, he could feel the winds hum with a new tune, one never head before. Morwen sang a new song meant to draw all in to the spirit of winter. Miro began to hold his hands out and build his djed behind his palms. The art that first brought him close to Morwen, Reimancy.

The wizard drew in a deep breath through his nose, then released it from his mouth with a long drawn out huff. It sounded almost like he was sighing, his mind at work as it flowed through the motions. He dearly hoped for his display to shape up as he envisioned it, he wanted to feel proud.

Miro pushed his djed out of his hand as Res. A smoky gas poured out and gathered before his hands in a cloud that gradually grew. For a larger spell, it was best to keep a calm steady stream, not too much at once, as not to overwhelm himself. What he had in mind required quite a lot of djed.

Reimancy put a familiar strain on him, something he had trained his mind to deal with. He monitored his mental state constantly as to observe the effects of casting on his mind and body. In one sitting he could only produce so much Res, though the amount was plentiful. It was a great tribute to dedicate it all to creating snow.

After a several chimes had passed he halted his Res flow. The cloud before him had grown to a massive size, a fog of blue gas that a man could get lost in. Had he been back in Avain Manor, his entire room would be obscured by the mass. A push of will sent the fog upwards to hover a few feet above.

One final time he ran through the process of creating snow. First he would transmute as many tiny droplets of freezing cold water within the cloud, then tap his Gnosis to form them into snowflakes. The cloud would then sprinkle snow across the field, almost like the real thing, if everything went right..

Miro spread the res out over the area he wishes to effect, a radius of a few dozen feet around him. It took a moment to shift the clouds to be spread evenly and positioned correctly. The boy readied himself up, placing his hands together before his chest and bowing his head.

"My dear Goddess of Winter, Queen of Ice, sweet, sweet mother. I offer my heart and soul, my praise and love, your child who yearns for your embrace so dearly. May this tribute to your name please you, and may your song lift the spirits of each man, woman and child." The wizard smiled, another stray thought entering his mind.

"There are no children here on Sahova, or at least I hope not. These undead corpses could all use a touch of Morwen's love though. I fear that not even she treads this land without caution. Such a cold dead place, surely her beauty is lost here." Though the wizard's arrival on the Undead Isle was not the only new thing this year.

Ender was now with him, somebody to join in on his celebration. Surely if anybody could appreciate Morwen, it was Ender. He was an Irylid, a creature made of ice. "Ender, I am nineteen years old today. Out of the four seasons, winter is my favorite. My birthday marks the beginning of the new season, the most beautiful and magical of them all."

Miro began to transmute his Res into tiny droplets of cold water, first only few at a time, but the rate increased steadily. Each bit formed separate, held in place by his Res that attracted the water to hold firm. He began to mouth words and focus harder on the spell at hand. Slowly the ratio of Res to water shifted.

About one third of his Res became water, prime to make the transformation to snow. He tapped his Gnosis and began to freeze the droplets directly above him and radiate outwards towards the end of the Res cloud. Tiny white crystal flakes began to rain down onto the Mixed Blood's head. The success forced a grin across his face.

All around him on the ground were a few incehs of fluffy snow. Miro knelt down and swiped his hand through the substance and looked it over.. It appeared in every way to be snow, a collection of tiny flakes meshed together. While it would be difficult to produce each snowflake as to simulate snowfall, a mass collection of snow would be easy to Reify.

Again the boy began to transmute tiny droplets of water, further reducing the ratio of Res to half. He tapped his Gnosis once more, doubling the snowfall. It brought a joy to his heart to experience the sensation of snowflakes melting on his face. The coolness always tingled in the most exciting way.

The remaining Res would be used for practice in transmuting his new custom element, snow. Miro once again took in a deep breath and thought deeply about snow. He imagined the way it looked and felt as it fell upon his face, or the cold shock of holding it his hand. The way everything smelled so brisk and fresh on a snowy morning.

A single snowflake, holding a less than random pattern, always a unique design and impression left. And together how their beauty multiplied, like the icy white surface before him that glistened in the sun. Miro adjusted the substance of his res to thicken and become a gel. He imagined water chilling and freezing like the droplets after he tapped his Gnosis.

Now with his attention over the entirety of his remaining Res, he willed it to change once again. His mind fixated on the image of thousands of water droplets freezing over and over. This final change transmuted the remaining mass of res into a fluffy pile of snow.

It was a large amount to fall all at once, and it fell hard. Hard enough that it knocked the boy off of his feet. Now buried, he could only find his lack of foresight charming and comedic. Such an obvious consequence, overlooked so carelessly, he was lucky to be alive.

Such mistakes did not often yield such soft recoil. Even now, if it wasn't for his Ice Reaving mark, he could find himself chilled and unable to get get air. The ice child grinned and tapped his mark to melt the snow covering his face. He shook the water off of his face and climbed to his feet.

"Doesn't it will you with excitement? The feel of snow all around you, Morwen near to you, it brings me such joy. I have a connection to the Winter Goddess, her mark is proof. Connected to the Idea of ice, though you won’t understand what that means. Ice, snow, winter, they are a part of me, just like you are."

Miro in the past had a lot of trouble getting through to Ender, even going so far as to scar their relationship on occasion. Their partnership had taken a turn that caused him some concern, but there was also something more. Lately he felt closer to his familiar, like there was some sort of change in the bond.

"That is how you are capable of melting snow, and even being attuned to the cold. It was confusing for me at first, sorting that out. This and your magic that you are so fond of. This, how do you describe it, godly mark, it grants you your ability. Most of your kind are like lightfacers, clinging to their precious heat."

A mix of emotions flooded into Miro. He felt proud, understood, and most of all, he felt relief. Finally he felt his familiar had leveled with him, to try to adjust to and understand his partner's life. "Yeah, curse the lightfacers, we are all calm cold and darkness. You know, Ender, you really impressed me there. Do you understand my magic as well?"

Immediately the boy was greeted with a response. "Yeah, I've got it by now. The main magics you use are what you call, is it, personal magic? Reimancy, your ability to create ice and other elements, and the Flux, your ability to be strong. The magic of drawing runes, it's a world magic. Glyphing, it allows you to interact with magic in various ways."

Again, it was impressive to see how much he could learn for himself just by observing. Yet there were things he didn't know, hidden things that could not be found simply by watching. He held secrets still. Some were tools like hypnotism he relied on to temper the relationship, and others only Miro knew about.

"Very impressive Ender. Now, take time and watch, join in and praise Morwen. Hell, just be happy and enjoy the day. I am happy you are here with me, it means a lot. But don't worry, we are not alone." Well, they wouldn't be alone. To celebrate and show Ender of the important people from Miro's past, he would carve them in ice and tell him of their importance.

The wizard held his hands out once more and readied himself to cast Reimancy. Miro lifted his hands and poured out a stream of Res. As the substance flowed, he shaped it with his hands into the vague shape of a person. This one was thin and considerably shorter than Miro.

He began to define the form more. First, he shaped a head with long hair, then he trailed down to the body where he added two arms with hands clasped together before its chest. The figure donned a long flowing dress that drifted down to the ground.

Miro transmuted his Res to ice. It stood firmly planted on the ground, suddenly translucent and leaking cold into the air. He had only just started on crafting the details however, the figure only vaguely resembled the person it was to represent. He focused now on the dress and melted several indents and chasms to represent the folds. It added a level of realism he admired.

Then his attention shifted to the arms next. He melted away a slight amount to shape the arms, shaped the curve of the elbow and the details to separate and line the fingers. The hair fell down across the shoulders, to which he added ripples and indents to define it. Now the hardest part, the face.

It had been almost seven years since last he gazed into his mother's eyes. Yet he could still remember every last detail of her face perfectly. First he started by shaping her eyes, he melted away indents into the flat surface with a slight curve. Her eyes were closed to focus on her prayers.

Miro now held his hand out and emitted a small amount of Res which he formed into a petite nose and transmuted to ice. Under it he shaped the slight indent and continued to define the lips. First he shaped around them, then separated and put the finishing touches on. It only took him a few more moments to shape the more minor details of her face..

"There, it is perfect! This is my first magic teacher, and the person who brought me into this world. She is my mother, and when I was young my every day was spent with her. I, uh, well, she isn't alive anymore. Magic has consequences, and sometimes what we love most is taken away."

It was not something he was proud to admit, or even comfortable to talk about, but Ender needed to know. Especially when he would embrace all that Miro held so dear. "I can tell you still treasure your mother. Though I can only imagine how you lost her. I am truly sorry she is gone."

Miro turned and walked a few paces back and found another acceptable space. These next two, he would form them side by side. For all of their differences, they belonged together. The two people who were closer to a father than anybody else in his life.

Kinneas and Rayage, his best friends, now and then. He held out his hands and began to pour out Res once more. The shape slowly began to appear, and by now the use of djed was taxing his mind. A few times he batted his eyes to fight away fatigue. He had not taken a break yet.

After a few chimes their forms had been cast. The Res began to put the finishing details on the basic shapes. Rayage on the right stood with an erect posture and his arms crossed and head bowed, wearing his ratty robe. It was just how he remembered him. Kinneas the larger form on his left bowed his head in a similar manner, but held one fist in his hand before his eyes, while long hair fell to his back.

Again the substance was transmuted, and the boy wasted no time in channeling Morwen's gift. On Kinneas he added detail to his hair, and then on his hands. His hands obscured most of his face, so he would only need adjustments to his garb and body. Rayage on the other hand needed quite a bit of work.

Miro began to chip away the ice on his arms and defined the strong muscles on Kinneas’ bare arms. He then formed the outlines of his pants and shirt, even some details on his boots. Then went back through and added chasms for wrinkles, yet another statue completed.

"This man you have heard me speak of, my best friend Kinneas. After my mother passed, he found me and took care of me. Some of the best years and winters of my life were spent with him. I lost him too, just before I found you. I had hoped that someday I might be able to introduce you to him."

There was a pause for a moment, Ender observed the crystal form for some time. "He took care of you, huh? Kept you in line, stopped you from being too reckless? I can only imagine the courage it would take to try to raise you. I admire these people."

Miro once again focused his efforts on tapping his Gnosis, but for Rayage now. This time he started with the robe. He went though, melted patches and added deep tears and wrinkles throughout. Some minor details were added to the hands and arms before moving onto the face. He could remember the details, for the most part.

Rayage was a Nuit, an undead residing in a borrowed body. The details on his face defined little, for his robe was his true face. It had seen more days than any living person he knew had experienced. But still, his visage, it hardly looked human. Miro melted away the roundness of his bald head and developed his eyes, nose and mouth.

For one final detail, he created several deep creases on the man's forehead and under his eyes. It was complete, Rayage formed of ice, praying in the only way he knew how. The boy smiled and placed a firm hand on the icy shoulder. "Yes, this one I know. Your beloved professor, Rayage. I shall never trust him, he offers but deceit and pain."

"Yes, my beloved professor. His knowledge on magic, he along with the rest of these undead, it is truly priceless. Not only that, but he is a friend, I do believe he cares for my safety.." Though the words would never mean anything to the summon. Rayage had left an impression that does not wear off so easily. One of the scars left by Miro's shortcomings.

One statue was left to create, but its time was not now. All of his attendees were present, the scene was fully set, it was time for his prayer. "We gather here for one purpose on this special day. It is a unique happening, only once a year does such an occasion come along."

Miro walked away from the other two statues and knelt down in the snow and bowed his head to the ground. He raised his hands together above his head and clasped them. "Winter's start, the coming of Morwen, my birthday. This day has always been special in setting the stage for the greatest changes in my life, always bringing in new joys, even if at the cost of old ones. We embrace and cheer for these changes, and we accept Morwen's love wholeheartedly."

The young wizard opened his eyes and spread his hands, and once again forced Res from his hands. This figure would be much larger than the previous ones. It was special, even amongst the most beloved people from his life. It was of somebody he had never met, yet felt so constantly.

Yes, of course his celebration could not finish without Morwen, the Goddess who had protected and watched him his entire life. And even though he had never had the chance to see her face, he knew exactly how he imagined her to look. The picture formed in his head, her loving smile and benevolent eyes hypnotized him, how he longed to embrace her.

Miro finished casting the last Res for the day, ready to stave off fatigue after his celebration was complete. He would likely find a place to reflect on his life, talk with Ender, and before he knew it the sunrise would snatch away his birthday. It was always such a peaceful day, though winter was not always a peaceful season.

The sculpture was indeed special, as was the care put into every detail. That image of her presence burned into his mind, it was almost instinct to form the Res into place. He started at the bottom, his res split into several small triangles that trailed away from her form. Moving up to her hips, the Res was shaped around her. Her dress that dangled off of broad hips gained several deep folds and lines..

From there he pulled his Res much tighter as he molded her torso. The excess from forming her stomach was brought up to form her bosoms and arms that reached out, ready to hold her child. Her dress was extended to cover the length of her arms, again, leaving only the face to be crafted.

A goddess would surely tower over the mortals, as reflected by her size. The statue stood nearly ten feet tall, easily able to tower over all present. Miro then took the remaining excess and used to to form her hair, while keeping a very slight amount aside for her face. It would be difficult to capture this part accurately.

Being able to see the detail with his eyes would be difficult, so he would rely entirely on Reimancy skill. Once more he looked over the body and made slight adjustments to bring out the slightest details before he returned to the front. He had it well in mind just how he would do this.

Miro pulled the outer layers of her hair down in a snaked pattern until it reached the middle of her back. The waves and length had to be just right, the boy taking care to place her locks properly. He now closed his eyes, for this part took intense focus. For each part of her face he would use will to mold his Res to the form.

First came her forehead, her hair already pushed away from her face and to the sides. He applied a minor shape change, then moved on to her slight eyebrows. The wizard willed a small amount of res to fold and thicken in a thin line that protruded out on each side. Under them, two eyes. He began to form them, a small round area where Res began to reshape into large round gems.

All of the details of the eyes started to flood in mind. He continued on, forming a slight alteration to define an iris, eyelids, even eyelashes. It had to be perfect, down to the very last detail. The set aside Res was moved under and between her eyes to create her nose. It was the most simple to form, he only knew how to make one kind of nose.

From there he focused on the rest of her face at once, from the cheekbones, to her lips, and from her lips down to her chin. It was easier to manipulate and even out the Res from all parts at once anyways. He started by moving away slight amounts from the chin to give raw materials for the cheeks and lips.

Miro examined closely the picture inside his head. He started by defining the chasm between her lips and pulled it to a slight smile, then he finished the details around it. A slight indent under her nose and the boundaries to show the ends of her mouth. Most of the work was done now.

That left only her cheekbones, a simple change. He pulled his Res thicker to one spot, once more defining the shape of her face to look more real. And with that it was perfect. He had his Winter Mother with him, just how he always imagined, and now he only longed for her arms around him.

The wizard began to transmute the form into a crystal statue of ice. The body transmuted from the ground up as the boy approached it. He came close and wrapped affectionate arms around the frozen form. He willed the arms to reach down and wrap about his back as they froze to stillness. The crackling of freezing water came to a still and left only the calm winds.

Miro closed his eyes and grinned, so happy to have her in his arms, to be held back. He felt closer now than ever before to her, to ice, it brought him bliss. "And this is your Queen Morwen. I can enjoy today, for you, Miro. Congrats on surviving another year. Let's see you defy fate a twentieth time and do it all again next year."

[Mirage]

Miro

Experience

Skill	XP Earned
Familiary	3
Reimancy	3
Storytelling	2

Lores

•	Lore Earned
•	Reimancy: Para Element Snow
•	Reimancy: Don't stand under the conjured snow
•	Reimancy: Sculpting with res and Ice Reaving
•	Reimancy technique: Ice Scupting
•	Ender: Understands Miro's Magics
•	Teaching about your past

It's Not What You Think...

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