PM to join [The Undeniable Interests] Meeting the Dark Lord

[Shane Wallsly]

Timestamp: 60th Day of Fall 513 AV Ah, it was a slow day. Slow days were the best. Even Avira eventually ran out of tasks to make him perform (though not after exhausting all types of tasks he could imagine of course) and he could find a chair or a spot to sit and read a book. There were loads to pick from and, as long as he didn't take them outside the store and put them back in the exact place he found them, Avira didn't seem to mind him reading them. Today Shane had picked out a book entitled “Kelwyn's Most Extraordinary Gnosis: A Collection of Folk Tales Surrounding the Mysterious Hapchance Gnosis” Brun had mentioned the Twin Gods Kel and Wyn as the only Gods who might be interested in him at this stage so the name had caught his eye when he had been browsing. The Readable Tale of Argos the Giant : The Tale of Argos the Giant In the Suvan Empire there once lived a man named Argos. He was a giant of a man standing well over twelve feet in height he towered over every man he met and was persecuted quite profusely for it. Whenever anything bad happened around the Giant he was always suspected. One day he was passing through a great city when the daughter of an important Noble was murdered. 'Twas not he of course but 'twas he that got the blame all the same. He was promptly sentenced to death by hanging. So the next day Argos was brought out before the peoples of the city. They pelted him with rotten fruit all morning while the executioner secured the extra thick rope to the hangman's post. The rope, created by the best rope weavers in the city, had been assured to hold up the heavy Giant. When all was set up the giant climb the small steps and stood before the city stinking of rotten vegetation. The executioner looped the rope around his neck and read him out his crime before asking if he had any last words. Argos declared “Nay but the great Gods Kelwyn do!” and held up his arm. A tattoo upon his arm, of a four pointed star could be seen. Before their very eyes one of the points of the star disappeared and the rope around Argos neck suddenly changed... into a great, thick white snake! The executioner shrieked and pulled the lever in panic dropping Argos down suddenly. The snake too panicked by it's sudden existence and the dropping of the creature it was wrapped around tensed up and constricted crushing Argos throat instantly. And thus ends the tale of Argos the Giant. “The Tale of Argos the Giant In the Suvan Empire there once lived a man named Argos. He was a giant of a man standing well over twelve feet in height he towered over every man he met and was persecuted quite profusely for it. Whenever anything bad happened around the Giant he was always suspected. One day he was passing through a great city when the daughter of an important Noble was murdered. 'Twas not he of course but 'twas he that got the blame all the same. He was promptly sentenced to death by hanging. So the next day Argos was brought out before the peoples of the city. They pelted him with rotten fruit all morning while the executioner secured the extra thick rope to the hangman's post. The rope, created by the best rope weavers in the city, had been assured to hold up the heavy Giant. When all was set up the giant climb the small steps and stood before the city stinking of rotten vegetation. The executioner looped the rope around his neck and read him out his crime before asking if he had any last words. Argos declared “Nay but the great Gods Kelwyn do!” and held up his arm. A tattoo upon his arm, of a four pointed star could be seen. Before their very eyes one of the points of the star disappeared and the rope around Argos neck suddenly changed... into a great, thick white snake! The executioner shrieked and pulled the lever in panic dropping Argos down suddenly. The snake too panicked by it's sudden existence and the dropping of the creature it was wrapped around tensed up and constricted crushing Argos throat instantly. And thus ends the tale of Argos the Giant.” Shane couldn't help but chuckle a little. He knew it obviously wasn't funny for people when things like that happened but in hindsight it was too pecliar not to be funny. After all the man had secured his death by trying to prevent it. Shane also very much doubted the event happened exactly as described. The details were lacking and the Suvan Empire was too long ago for the story not to have changed since.

[Wrenmae]

He found his way to the bookstore mostly by chance. It had been some time since he had taken refuge among the towering shelves laden with old lore. In Sahova, such things were common, and even the Wright Library in Zeltiva was another leviathan of collected pages. But since then and on the road, that little bastion of civilization was lost to him. Perhaps, then, it was a sense of nostalgia that paused him before the swinging sign for Undeniable Interests.

Oh gods. Oh gods. No. I refuse. I forbid

It's a bookstore, Zan

Precisely! If you think you can take me hostage again and force me to play bored puppet to your sitting and doing nothing, you are sorely mistaken.

Have you ever considered reading, Zan?

Have you ever considered being less boring?

Books are our history, stories immortalized in pages. Do your people not keep records?

That depends, Wren. Why, with the over abundance of paper in our magically magma-hot homeworld, it's any wonder why we WOULDN'T keep detailed histories of...nothing. I mean, especially with our hands and ink!

Alright. You made your point. I won't be long.

Long enough.


Wren walked into the shop, triggering the little bell to ring. He, the shopkeep and one other young man were the only ones in the shop at this hour. Nodding to the shopkeep, Wren swept into the room and busied himself along the shelves. Most of the books were stories and, while entertaining, were not something Wren had time to get involved in.

He settled on 'Gods and their Servants, By Millicent Brosh' and tugged it from the shelf.

Sitting across from the youth, Wren was careful not to disturb his reading. Laying the book on the table, he flipped to the section marked for Vayt and began reading.

"-The servants of Vayt are reputed to be those who can control poison and disease at will. These savage scions hide among the good and hearty folk of Mizahar and spread malady and ill will. The Great Plague in Syliras during the winter of 332 AV is a perfect example of such an event. The number and markings of these servants is unknown, a well guarded secret by the dark god himself...but I postulate it will come in the tattoo of a skull of some kind. Avoid poisoners and those who seem to thrive in spite of disease, surely, one of their number is sent of Vayt."

Wren chuckled to himself and flipped through a few more pages. Not entirely false but mostly conjecture...typical of the inexperienced.

[Shane Wallsly]

Not many people came into the shop to read. It wasn't against the rules or anything but people seemed to refrain from doing it. Probably because Dominac was known as a bit of an eccentric around town and the store itself had magical items and books in it. A combination of those facts, and probably others, were enough to scare the average Syliran into doing their business quick as a whistle and leaving just as promptly. The man looked sort of dark and rugged. There was something really... really cool about him. Shane didn't know whether it was the man's gait or his Rhysol-may-care five o'clock shadow that made him think this but he couldn't help but believe the man was just beyond cool. Perhaps that was his teenaged side talking. When the man came to sit across from him Shane allowed himself a sneaky glance at the book he had chosen. He hadn't read 'Gods and their Servants' yet though he'd seen it a few times sitting on the shelf. He'd always either been too busy or looking for a different book. It sounded interesting to be sure. Gods, by their very nature, were a trhing to be worshipped and some took it upon themselves to go further than simply worship. Some decided to do their God's bidding or, at the very least, their perceived bidding. Shane was sure some people were directed by the Gods themselves but he didn't think every organisation claiming to be serving a God was taking direct orders. Whether the book spoke about every acclaimed servant or whether it sought to explore the true servants only it was likely worth a read. Shane was quite interested in the Gods. He followed Rule #2 religiously of course. The Gods were not going to save him and, the more he read about Gods, the more he was starting to like this fact. Shane's true interest in the Gods lay in a sort of perceived rivalry. Every great person in History seemed to have both friends and enemies among the Gods and, if Shane was ever to be great, he had to know whom to trust and whom to keep at arms length. After all Ignorance is Weakness (Rule #5), Propping up his book slowly, using every effort to try and make it seem like an unconscious movement. He peered up over the book so only the eyes and top of his forehead was visible. Glancing over at Dominac to make sure he wasn't looking he began to focus in on the stranger. His aura hung about him like a cloud of pestilence and there was something just not quite right about it. Whatever it was Shane knew his skills were way too basic to perceive or understand it.All that he could infer was that the man must have one hell of a story...

[Wrenmae]

"If you're trying a spell, you should know all mages can sense the presence of magic." Wren glanced up from his book when he felt the acrid shift of magic shift and sizzle through the air. Not that he could tell what form of djed manipulation the boy was using, only that with the focus on him, the ordinary nature of his thoughts, and the lack of other visible phenomenon, he guessed it might be Auristics.

"What do you sense, boy? Is it worth rousing my attention?" Placing the book down on the table and closing it, Wren folded his hands over the cover and looked the fellow up and down. Not so different from him when he was younger, and there was wide curiosity there...a dangerous thing that could grow into obsession or ambition depending on how it was tempered.

Reaching out a hand across the table he paused inches away from Shane's hand, extending his own to shake.

"The first rule of being a mage is to never let someone know you're a mage...and if you must break that first rule, be damned sure they don't know what you're capable of." He smiled, a flash of white teeth, "Since we're both breakers of the first rule, there's no sense in not introducing ourselves. I call myself Wrenmae, and I'm a traveler from across the seas. I gather magic is a bit more heavily relegated here than there, so one wonders why you're not more careful with its use."

[Shane Wallsly]

Shane's eyes betrayed him from the fist word out of Wrenmae's mouth. They grew wide in fear and darted over at Avira repeatedly. The man didn't seem to rouse. He probably couldn't hear the level words of the cool-headed man in front of him. Shane didn't, or couldn't, respond to the man. He was rooted in place petrified by utter fear. He had been found out. It was all over. He might as well run out into the wilderness and take his chances there among the ark and deadly beasts of the unknown. As usual Shane was completely overreacting and after some moments his logic floated back to him. It washed over him uncoiling every muscle in his body just enough so that he might form a simple smile and reach forward to shake the man's hand. He blinked the petrification out of his eyes and drew them level with the young man. He spoke of rules and magic. He eased confidence and cool. For a moment he felt a pang of envy which was quickly replaced by a spot of longing and a dash of hope. Rules and magic; maybe some day he would be a man like this who brashly spoke of magic and cared little about young boys using magic on them. He liked that prospect. “I am Shane.” He said in a whisper loud enough for the man to hear but not for even the best eavesdropping of Avira to pick up unless he really tried. “It's nice to meet you... Mister Wrenmae.” Despite all that was going on he couldn't seem to get past that little barrier that prevented him addressing those he believed above him with a respectful prefix even if it made him sound like a silly kid. He knew that by referring to him in an honorific, one which most likely was wrong for Wrenmae sounded like a silly second name, would dash any chances he had of an upper hand in this conversation. By doing this he was, as the book put it, 'relinquishing the command of conversation'. He silently chastised himself. The mysterious stranger, who already had so much in his corner being that Shane knew nothing of him other than that he was also a mage, was almost completely in control. Shane would have to resort to the submissive role in order to attain any kind of information or persuade him. “I'm sorry for disturbing you. I was merely hoping to practice the most benign of magical arts. I... I didn't know you could sense... I... I'm just a beginner.” He stumbled over his words attempting to appear nervous and flustered. He was a bit nervous but, for the most part, he was trying to do exactly what the man had just said. To conceal 'what he was capable of' was something he had been doing for a while now and he always found it best if anyone ever caught any inkling to pretend to know as little as possible. It was all about damage control. “I surely don't know as much as yourself.” and flattery of course. “Can we speak more privately?”Shane didn't want to let on that Avira didn't know his secret but he couldn't keep talking about magic all out in the open like this. “ At the back of the store perhaps?”

[Ball]

And the grades come rolling in.

 

Overall Comments

Man another short thread. Not much to go off of. Sorry guys!

 

Shane Wallsly

Experience Points.

Auristics	+1
Socialization	+1

Lores.

• Wrenmae: Mage from across the sea

 

Wrenmae

If I am reading your CS correctly you need to update your seasonal expenses (it is hard to tell the years on your CS, could you fix that?) Thanks! PM me when completed, your grade will be given then.

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