Closed Board Exams [Mirage]

[Annalisa Marin]

Disinterest, excellent. Everything was going smoothly so far and just as planned, as far as Anna was concerned. She needed to proceed in a rising arc, the rising action that ended in a climax which would seal the deal as it were. These scrolls were merely fodder, a show that general designs were something she could complete quickly and with finesse. The next part would need to be led into a little more carefully and with some degree of showmanship. Very carefully.

Or not. Master Markus had inadvertently just given her the right lead in she needed and it was all she could do to keep a large and wry grin from her face. Oh she would have to keep him very closely in mind later on, he was giving her plenty to work with both to demonstrate her knowledge of more theoretical aspects of magic and Glyphing itself. This couldn't be going any better for her really, though she was surprised he'd bothered to comment on the trigger of all things. Surely he of all Nuit should know it was hardly as simple or vague as that.

The former professor waited until he was done and noted with a subtle flick of her gaze that all eyes were upon her, most excellent. Amaryllis had been right, working on Markus would apparently be her best bet here as he was the expert in matters of Glyphing. Everyone seemed to differ to his opinion, so winning his vote here was exactly what she needed. It was just a matter of mixing truth and lies to get a good answer.

"Ah, I see. Your concerns are certainly well placed and accurate, as keen an eye for detail as expected from a true master of the art. To the discerning eye it might indeed seem very much like too vague a trigger to possess any form of effectiveness." Anna started, placing her arms behind her back and standing up straight.

"The sign of a good Glypher is their ability to formulate complex sigils and craft specific Triggers, to know what will work and what will not. I have found that the sign of a superior Glypher, however, is one who possesses the ability to create the same thing with limited resources, be they physical materials or information. I would have preferred to use the names of those who are on this board, however I lacked the necessary information during the time of making the triggers. Other than the esteemed Master Silverheart." The tall woman said, a polite incline of her head being given towards the Isur.

"I went through a number of possible triggers, including those you suggested but it was rather too vague as well, with all due respect. If I had put that only Nuit may touch this it would have excluded those on the board that were not indeed Nuit. I also would not have been able to touch them. Had I stated that only I may open it, then that leaves a number of factors to chance. The foremost being what direction the definition of 'open' might take. Say if one of you folded it and then opened it again, it would not be me opening it and thus the Trigger would activate." Anna continued, confident in her own reasoning.

She was no novice in the art of Glyphing, she knew how specific Triggers needed to be in order for correct functions to be had. If this Master Markus was any kind of decent at his art he would know that as well, which meant he could very well be testing her due to the rather specific examples. It was a possibility that he had indeed found nothing wrong with the wording and had simply wanted to see how closely she would stick to what she knew, under the spotlight as it were.

"Also you will note that I did not merely specify a board member holding it. The actual Trigger reads 'The members of the Board reviewing Annalisa Marin.' There is an action there, the act of reviewing and judging, gauging whether or not I possess the knowledge or skills to be advanced. Simply specifying that oneself is a board member is not enough, they must be participating in the following action to be able to possess that document." Anna stated.

"My reasoning behind it was then thus, given the limited information I possessed regarding the identities of those reviewing me and wishing to value efficiency in the creation of the Triggers, I generalized them the second best way possible. I worked with what I had and I rather find it effective. I, of course, bow to your greater knowledge and wisdom in this matter, esteemed Master Markus." She finished, inclining her head respectfully once she finished.

Now that would either work well and in her favor, or it would blow up horribly in her face. It all depended on how professionally she had stated the process of her creation and line of thinking. The fact that she had revealed the inconsistencies in the offered Triggers would definitely help, as well as identifying the action part of her Trigger. It was possible that Markus would dig deeper into it, in which case Anna steeled herself mentally for an old fashioned scholarly debate.

[Mirage]

Markus stroked his chin, considering Anna's answer before returning with his own followup, "I see... but still you did not answer the most important part of my question. What if all of this were simply a deception, that all of us were impostors placed to deceive you. As you said you had no prior knowledge of any of us, save for Master Silverheart." He nodded to the Isur Magecrafter, who inclined his own head in respect. Turning his attention back to Anna Markus continued, "I see one possible flaw in this glyph, and one that I would like accounting for. With the specifications you have just given to the trigger, would this paper be readable to anyone who sat at this table, acting as the board members to 'review' your performance here, despite their true identity?"

[Annalisa Marin]

He just had to push on that subject didn't he? Couldn't have just accepted her reasoning and now he had her caged in a rather bad spot, though likely explaining her reasoning might indeed soften the blow. It was a possible loophole to the Trigger and she had to admit that to some degree as deception and lying at this point would do far more harm than good. It would only serve for Markus to push a little deeper and then expose the almost unseen flaw to anyone else. So, her options would require just a little more finesse and play on words. This was a theoretical situation after all.

"Possibly, possibly not. It all depends on intent and action in that event. What are these imposter's intentions? Are they intent upon the action of weighing my abilities or is their focus upon something else far more sinister. Have they already made their judgment beforehand? Do my abilities then matter little and its not so much a review as it is one big charade?" Anna questioned, giving a slight shrug of her shoulders at the end.

"In this no doubt strictly theoretical situation it will depend upon those factors. The action completes the requirement, merely impersonating them would not be enough. However it is a possibility that an imposter with the right intent, actions, and mindset might very well be able to read whatever is on there. Equally possible, if they are not engaged in such an action they might very well activate it." Anna said.

She hadn't confirmed it, rather stated that it was possible such an occurrence might be the needed loophole in her design. It was also possible that in this scenario the Nuit had just outlined circumstances might very well activate the Trigger. It all depended on the individuals that laid before her. She continued.

"Considering that such information could be considered sensitive, I went with what little information and resources I had access to and went with the best possible solution flawed or otherwise." She said, locking grey eyes upon his static ones.

OOCSorry for the rather incoherent and small replies. Not feeling so great atm.

[Mirage]

Markus nodded slowly at the explanation, and when he spoke it was in a simple monotone that he did so, just stating the facts, "Then by your own reasoning the trigger you have created here is a waste of time, of energy and of resources. It has far too many loose ends in its design, and may very well be a danger to the very person it was meant for." He set the paper down, looking to his fellow board members before nodding at Anna once more, "Please continue with your presentation."

Amaryllis had paused her conversation the Archwizard, eyeing Markus and Qiao alike, her face unreadable. Qiao for his part did not seem to care about this little fact, though Shorben seemed to take this information much more seriously, and not in the best of ways. All awaited the next part of the performance.

OOCNo worries! There isn't much to reply to these last couple posts

[Annalisa Marin]

Anna felt the rather strong urge to horrible curse the Master at his words, it rose in her like a great wave and whispered insidiously of the torment she could lay upon the undead filth with a mere word. She resisted the urge, her expression not changing from its nonchalant one previously held and continued as bid. She did however make very pertinent mental note she add Master Markus to her mental list, Rhysol took all forms of worship as they came after all. The Reimancer merely inclined her head graciously for the insult and moved on.

Actually, it might very well to put them at ease of being burned alive with the next part. Apparently Rhysol had been with her when she had made that little last minute preparation, as it might soften the blow that the Nuit had just placed upon her. It also would make it seem like a more deliberate action on her own part. Thank the Defiler for small mercies, she had been afraid she wouldn't be able to salvage this little blunder.

"I must thank you for pointing this out Master Markus, as it leads rather well into my next design." Anna said producing her next document.

"While those may have flaws this one does not. 'Tis currently only something I can read actually, currently. You see I had rather bit of time on my hands and I wondered how best to hide personal notes from those not meant to look upon them. So I devised this little design." The woman said, producing a quill and squeezing her previously injured digit for a little more blood. This done she carefully altered the document, eliminating her own ability to look at it.

Once she finished she carefully made certain her eyes did not fall upon the contents and put away the quill. She kept her gaze to the floor for a moment, to ensure that she had not simply set the trigger to react to blood. After about half a chime she glanced at the words on the document and thus activated the Trigger.

A small, almost imperceptible tuft of air blew past her face and the parchment itself crumbled to dust. Anna flicked her hands to clear it from them and looked at the board with a raised eyebrow. All about recouping her losses at this point.

"All it really requires is one possess an advanced grasp of Glyphing and minor abilities in reimancy. The scrolls you possess have the same amount of harmless reimancy. Though it could very well be repurposed into being activated should a certain person look at it or touch it, and then given a decidedly more deadly amount of reimancy, say lightning for instance." Anna said, nodding slightly.

She abruptly clapped her hands together, a slight smirk on her face. Now that was out of the way, she needed to display the real thing she was here to display. The little brass balls tucked into the pockets of her sleeves, each one possessing enough destructive power to level a small building or kill a large group of men.

"Bah! I've wasted enough of your time with these mere trinkets and traps, I believe I promised to produce weapons. Sadly however, my implements would likely cause more than a little destruction to this room. Perhaps I might beg your indulgences and request that part be taken outside when we are done in here? For safety reasons." Anna said, slipping her hands inside of her sleeves and having them at rest there.

This was really where she needed to shine, these parts were really the deciding bit of her presentation. Her demonstrations thus far were certainly more than the average Glypher could accomplish, but not exactly destructive enough. These little things were pretty much bombs, together they were powerful enough to destroy most anything caught near them. Weapons by any definitions of the word.

OOCNot moving too fast am I?

[Mirage]

As Anna further explained her reasoning for the trigger, none of the judges seemed to show any greater interest. Amaryllis was quietly watching the board members, the Archwizard sat in a relaxed position, as if he might dose off at any second. Markus did not say a word, or give any inclination of whether he approved or disapproved of the design and function of Anna's work.

At the mention of stepping outside for the last of the presentation the board members all looked at one another, a brief discussion passed before Qiao stood and waved a had, "Very well then. We shall move to the area just outside the Vestibule. There you may give your demonstration and we will return here to complete your evaluation."

All would stand to follow Annalisa where she lead, outside the Citadel. Amaryllis stayed with the Archwizard, as did Qiao, though one of them spoke with one another as they followed to see the next part of the presetation.

OOCYou may position them wherever you want outside, just keep the Archwizard, Qiao and Amaryllis together

[Annalisa Marin]

Anna was pleased, this was the last part of the whole thing and while everything else had been rather underwhelming up to this point the Sorceress had just the wake up call for them. With her hands in her sleeves the tall woman would lead them out of the room and through the halls of the Citadel, towards the Vestibule. As they walked Anna noted that Amaryllis, Qiao, and the Archwizard remained rather close together. Idly she wondered just what the Embalmer was planning, and what schemes were going through her ancient mind.

As they crossed into the Vestibule Anna started thumbing one of the brass ball, a smirk forming on her face and her steps confident and measured. She did not break composure, not for a single moment and simply moved as though she were the bitch-queen of the entire universe. Really, with her reimantic abilities she might as well have been in her own opinion. She was a master on par with Maelstrom, formerly a lesser but now one of the greatest wizards to walk this world. At less than twenty two winters as well.

As they exited the Citadel Anna smirked, pleased at the wide open space for her to destroy with little care. The others hang back just down the stairs, but Anna walked out a bit further and turned her gaze upon an open spot a good distance away. She turned her gaze back to those who would judge her, considering which ball to throw first. Which one was the more impressive?

As quick as possible Anna's hand exited the folds of her sleeves, her hand clutched around something small and gleaming. Her arm drew back and gave a toss with all of her strength, the lighter metal of brass sailing easily through the air because of the hollow core. Osd had certainly known his metal, she'd have to remind herself not to kill him as horribly if this thing ended in her being named a Wizard.

It landed a good distance away and when it did the result was instantaneous. The air crackled loudly and malevolently as purple sparks of lightning burst forth, filling the air around it in a five yard diameter with a veritable storm of lightning. It was a furious and chaotic dance that created large gashes in the ground and shattered and stones in the area, leaving the ground blackened and charred. A scar of pure power of reimancy.

The woman had already produced yet another brass ball and wound up her arm to release it, sending it sailing in the same direction and area. It didn't hit the same place but it's effects were quite drastic, even at this distance a wave of heat being created. It looked almost like a small scale eruption occurred from the projectile as soon as it hit the ground, staining the ground with molten liquid that was Ivak's lifeblood. Rather than throw the last one she approached the Master, displaying the brass ball before her. Hopefully that little display had caught there attention.

"Brass is the material used with the creation of this particular item, a small, easily concealed projectile that when filled with enough reimantic power can easily level a small building. The trigger is a two part thing which requires the action of throwing it-" Anna said, turning abruptly to throw the item as hard as she could.

Once it hit the ground purple flames sprang up from it, expanding from the ball with frightening speed as the area of effect was further added to by the air element behind it. The ground would be blackened and charred, vestiges of the power used in its creation. Anna turned back to the group with a look of ease upon her face, her hands slipping back into her sleeves as she finished her explanation.

"-and making contact with either the ground or a wall. Simply dropping it cannot set it off, I have tested this myself. The second part of where it impacts is required so that it doesn't blow up as soon as it leaves a persons hand. My first test with these involved Glyphing rocks, while the initial trials were rather a failure it was from them that these were created." Anna said, nodding towards where she had thrown the items.

Anna had not cast a single spell in the presence of the board, but the results alone no doubt spoke volumes about her abilities not just as a Glypher but as a reimancer. They hadn't even seen her wield water and ice really, so they were only getting most of the whole show. The tall woman inclined her head to the Masters.

"That as they say is that. I believe this concludes my presentation and offer my worthiness, or lack thereof, to your better judgment." Anna said, indicating that she was very well finished.

[Mirage]

Amaryllis smiled her approval from where she stood, but from the rest there was not direct sign of their thoughts. Mashaen stroked his beard and looked interested in the display, Qiao by contrast maintained his bored demeanor. If Markus thought anything he was keeping silent for now.

They would soon return to the lecture hall, everyone resuming the same placement as before. Though Annalisa may think that it was finished, the true review was just about to begin. Markus was the first to speak, "Certainly that was a brilliant display of power. Have you any more of those devices on hand for me to examine?" If she did he would accept the device and silently look it over, if not he would simply fall silent and allow for the others on the board to speak.

Nemora Tepest straightened in her seat, clearing her throat, "While this display was impressive, what other plans do you have for your research? Where do you want to go as far as rank and your future in the Citadel? Have you any plans for the possibility that you will be denied entry into the Wizard Ranks?"

After Anna answered Shorbren would speak up, "What do you think you will require as far as accommodations go? What possible problems do you expect to run into in your research, and what do you believe is an appropriate sum of Miza's per season to properly fund your research?"

Qiao came next, sitting back in his chair as he did so, "What other applications for your research can you think of? Do you have any other projects nearly completion that we may examine?"

As Anna would soon find, this part of the review was the most trying. Everything she knew, all she had ever done or would expect to do would be picked apart piece by piece, examined thoroughly to determine if she truly WAS worthy to become a wizard.

[Annalisa Marin]

Amaryllis had looked pleased, and for once the Archwizard looked almost intrigued though Qiao seemed rather bored with it all. Most satisfyingly Master Markus seemed to have no looks of disapproval or words to share at this stage. Anna was most very pleased as they walked back into the Citadel, that had gone very well in her opinion. It had showed a taste of what she was capable of, of just what she could do as a service to the Citadel. Hopefully the hard part was over, but as she soon discovered the true test was only just beginning.

First Markus paid compliment and inquired as to her possessing any other such devices, which unfortunately she did not. Out of the five brass balls she had inquired after, only three had managed to actually be Glyphed as Etching was certainly not her best field. However best to leave him with better than a no.

"Not with me, no Master Markus." Anna said.

Next came Tepest, who asked a series of question she was indeed rather better equipped to answer. She certainly couldn't answer 'ruling all of you fools with the power of Chaos', while it was true and very much amusing it would likely be taken poorly. So she mixed in truth and lies as she was always good at, really it was like filling in boxes on a checklist.

"I have plans for possibly creating more generalized forms of weaponry. Scrolls are merely a stepping stone, I could see modifying existing weapons with Glyphs possibly if need be. Daggers, swords and the like. Might yield some interesting results. I envision perhaps expanding my research to encompass other offensive based personal magic disciplines. I have dabbled in Voiding, it could provide not only an excellent means of disposal but a new realm of weaponry." She started.

"As far as rank goes, I am an ambitious woman. I wouldn't doubt that I could become a Master one day, with the proper displays of both loyalty and worth to the Citadel. As for if I am denied, I suspect the Chief Embalmer might still have use for me so I would likely end up serving her as needed." The Sorceress answered clearly and without hesitation in her voice.

Shorben was the next to speak, asking her about resources and costs associated with what she needed. Accommodations she already had down what she would need, general workspace, possibly a range for testing, a room someplace for her to sleep on a real bed. Problems would likely include hazardous crafting for the most part, Glyphing wasn't really that dangerous all things considered. Costs would be a little more tricky, given the rather fluctuating nature of personal magic.

"As far as accommodations, likely a general work area that can house both glyphed projects and research notes in the form of books. Possibly with a reasonably large space for light testing for smaller weapons. Larger ones could be handled in the Testing Grounds most likely. A bed and small office would be rather nice." Anna stated.

"As for hazards... Glyphing is a reasonably tame discipline. However due to the introduction of Reimancy as advanced as mine the results could be rather explosive. I possess the ability to place wards around any workspace I might be granted, meaning that the outside risk is lower. If I were to mess up, I could very well end up dead but progress demands sacrifice." The tall woman said, shrugging slightly as though the thought of her own death was a mere after thought.

"Seasonally I have worked out the proper figures to the range of 1,800 to 2,000 Gold Rimmed Miza's. I intend to work with very advanced designs, so I'll likely need to make large draws of mundane resources and materials that will add up. Likely I'll need a few slaves to act as proper test subjects to witness the effects on living targets." Anna stated confidently.

Qiao was the last to ask his round of questions, they were the more difficult ones by far and the ones she paused to consider for half a chime before finally answering. What other applications? Well there were plenty including assassination, binding others with Glyphed restraints set to kill, and a plethora of others merely limited by imagination. As for other projects... none that were really worth mentioning, unless you counted plotting someone's demise a project.

"The chosen field and my type of magic means I am fairly flexible, as would by my research. If need be I could easily switch to providing new trap designs, Glyphing animated constructs with new offensive capabilities, or building devices of torture or execution. Weaponry is only a main service I'm capable of providing. Glyphing provides much capability for overlap. As for any projects I have... nothing of any worth or note at this point in time." Anna stated.

She steeled herself for further questions, hoping that everything was still going smoothly. So far Silverheart had remained silent, though that blessing from Rhysol couldn't last forever.

[Mirage]

Markus once more sat up in his chair, steepling his fingers before his eyes, "Now, I would like you to give a very detailed explanation for the process you used to create the devices in your demonstration. You said that you wanted to find a way to combine your arts with other forms of weapons as well, such as swords, daggers and the like. Does that mean you have an idea of how this could work? If so please share with us how you think it would be possible, and other possible applications your weaponized glyphs could serve for in and around the Citadel. Could what you wish to research be applied to more diverse disciplines such as Animation and Alchemy?" He paused for a momet, "Also, I would like to see your process in action here and now. Your demonstration tells me you have some knowledge in both reimancy and glyphing. Prepare for us a sigle that will combine the elements of fire and water in such a way that they do not cancel one another out. The paths must cross in some way, but you are free to be as creative and use whatever materials you have at your disposal."

At this everyone in the room turned their full attention to Anna. Mashaen himself leaned a little farther in his seat to get a better look, and Qiao was watching intently.