Solo [Temple of Laviku] Sight To Behold

[Aoren]

4th of Summer, 514 AV
13th Bell

Aoren sat upon one of the benches within the Temple of Laviku. That morning after his studies with Professor Memry at the University he had found himself in a quietly reflective mood. It was a mood he was falling into quite often as of late. The professor was an excellent teacher and already Aoren had grown under her tutelage in ways that made him realize just how ignorant he’d been before he’d met her. While he did not begrudge his former mentor, Leoshan, he realized just how much the elder man had left out during the course of Aoren’s education. He didn’t blame him. As a boy he’d struggled to grasp the principles of reimancy. He couldn’t imagine he would have had an easy time grasping the theories and concepts that were being explained to him now.

Still, he was appreciative of the knowledge that he was uncovering. The lesson that had been discussed earlier that morning had pertained to Aoren’s most recent discipline of magic, Auristics. The Discipline of Revelation as the professor called it. It was one that resonated with the Drykas man on an innate level. So much so that he wondered why and how it was he didn’t consider learning it sooner than he had. As it stood the subject of the lesson had left him wondering just how much there was to uncover with the vision granted by Auristics. To that end he had found himself making his way to the Temple of Laviku. It was on the God of the Sea that his thoughts presently lingered.

“Laviku. How different is it, I wonder, having a city that revels in the glory of a living god? Syliras pays homage to a slain deity and thus turns to other deities to fill that void.” It was a story that every Syliran was taught growing up. Sylir, God of Peace and Civilization, had so loved humanity that in the darkest hours of the Valerrian he gave his life that the world might go on.

“Is it a world worth living for though, I wonder?”

It was a shockingly dark thought for a man given to a more optimistic train of thought. Since coming to Zeltiva Aoren had been forced to confront a number of things he’d never witnessed in Syliras. Practically the first day he arrived his gifts as a Healer were in dire need. He’d stumbled upon the unfortunate victims of a back alley brawl that turned into a near-death encounter with a crazed sorcerer. That had been followed by an expedition into the Labyrinth of Time. It had been an interesting journey to say the least. Following that he had been called upon to assist a dying man only to find that his gifts were insufficient.

[Aoren]

Insufficient.

The word struck a chord with Aoren. It had been a word used to describe him by the keeper of the Scholar’s Asylum, Bethany. It made him uncomfortable to think that he had a problem with the idea of not measuring up. Nevertheless there was a problem there that he needed to reconcile. To that end he was turning to faith. Before he spoke his prayers however, he reached for the backbone of who he was, his Djed. Gathering his djed he pulled it to the front of his eyes opening them to the world that had always been in front of him simply lingering behind a veil. As he called upon the powers of Auristics he looked not at any other aura, but his own.

Around his body glowed a curtain of many colors within which he could see the shifting of various things. He understood what these things were but to experience them through a medium other than his natural senses was fascinating to say the least. As that fascination took root within him he saw a shift in the aura radiating off of his own body. Aoren concentrated on this shift. He focused on it until he realized that the shift he’d seen was the echo of both excitement and interest being reflected in his aura. It was not a difference in color or appearance exactly so much as a feeling of knowing what mood the aura was giving off.

The perception of such things of course lead Aoren to wonder if he could effectively see these things in the auras of other people. Maintaining the hold he had on his djed he looked up. His eyes fell upon the back of another worshipper. Concentrating Aoren studied the aura that he perceived around the man seated just in front of him. It was different than his own though he couldn’t exactly place why. Immediately Aoren set to work on uncovering what he could from the aura. He felt the drain upon his djed as he expended it to better grasp the mysteries of Auristics.

“I had forgotten how clumsy handling a new form of magic can be.”

The newness of Auristics, the sheer difference in the way the magic worked compared to Reimancy, was somewhat frustrating but equal parts exhilarating. It had been a long time since Aoren had poured any real amount of effort into uncovering the powers that he was capable of wielding. Taking that into account he folded his hands together in a meditative pose to help him garner a bit more focus. With the assistance of that simple gesture he found that bits and pieces of information were making themselves evident in the aura in front of him.

[Aoren]

The largest impression he received from the man in front of him was a sense of…well…hopelessness. The emotion that radiated off of this man was one of sadness and desperation. His aura made it perfectly clear that whatever situation he was in it was affecting his mood quite strongly. Beyond that though, as Aoren continued to focus on the man’s aura he began to smell something. It was very subtle at first but the more he concentrated the more pronounced the smell became. It was sour to his nose. That sourness became bitter as the taste of it trickled into his senses which was a little surprising. Aoren hadn’t exactly expected to be able to taste or smell anything with auristics. See things? That came with his present understanding of what an aura was but to uncover this was perplexing.

As he thought about the smell and the taste that were passing through the senses he extended via the aura he likened it to what he thought the enigmatic kelp beer would taste like. According to the student population that he was exposed to at the University it was the predominant form of alcohol to be found in Zeltiva. He couldn’t be certain of that though as he’d never actually tasted the alcoholic beverage for himself. With that Aoren focused on a different aspect of the man’s aura. Though he studied the aura in front of him for a moment or two longer nothing presented itself to Aoren. He released his hold on his djed allowing his Auristic vision to fade.

The strain of using the magic had begun to take its toll on his djed. He could already feel himself weakening to the point where he might be able to get one more good use out of the magic. It was another point that Aoren found he would have to get accustomed to once again. Having been an adept user of reimancy for so long it had been years since he was forced to wade into the waters of new magic with such caution.

With those things in mind he pondered on the things he’d just observed using the magic. There were several things that were becoming evident to Aoren when it came to Auristics. The first was that he was able to discern emotions within a person’s aura. Some emotions were a little more difficult to uncover than others but they were there. In the times that he’d utilized the discipline to look at another person’s aura there had been things he simply didn’t understand at all. Emotions were not always easy to discern. He was beginning to think that the stronger a person felt in a particular instance, the more that emotion drifted to the surface of the aura.

The second thing that was becoming evident to him was the fact that he very well might be able to perceive things with more than just sight. Using the example of what he’d just experienced concerning the sour smell and bitter taste there was no doubting it. He wondered how far such a method of observation would be able to go? Could he taste a food using his auristics or was the fact that he was able to perceive such a thing only because it had been part of the person in front of him? He would have to put that theory to the test when he got the opportunity. It would be a subject to look into in the future.

[Aoren]

Deciding to put his abilities to use just a little bit more he collected his djed once again directing it to his eyes. It was more difficult than before due to the fact that he was drained from his first undertaking with the magic. To assist himself in the effort he took a deep breath bringing up his hands passing them over his eyes as a means to direct the flow of his djed. As his hand passed in front of his vision once again he was treated to the sight of his own aura. This time Aoren concentrated on a particular area on his body, specifically the back of his right hand.

The difference in his aura there was immediately evident. It was there that the blessed Mark of Avalis rested. The light that shone forth from that region of his aura was different when compared to the rest. It was as if a hole had been punched in his aura only to be filled with a substance not his own. As the feeling of it began to pervade his senses he was filled with a tingling sensation that told him on an instinctual level that what he was staring at was magical. The exact purpose and power of what he was staring at he couldn’t quite get a feel for using his auristics alone. Given that it was his gnosis mark however he knew what it was capable of doing without magical assistance.

“Am I seeing this difference in my aura because I know the mark is there? Or is it there because it is inherently different from my natural aura?”

It was a question that warranted asking. The only surefire way of finding the absolute answer was to observe a Gnosis mark in another person’s aura to see whether or not the same thing was reflected. It was also worth noting that perhaps since he was looking at his own aura more things would be inherently easier to perceive since he was experiencing what he was looking at both magically and naturally. The questions only seemed to continue to arise.

“So much I don't understand. So much to uncover.”

Aoren released his hold on his magic observing the world with his own two eyes once again. The feelings that had risen in him while using his auristics still lingered which made him even more pensive. Studying his mark had made him reflect on the fact that he was now the bearer of not one but two gifts from two different deities.

“In the grander scheme of things I wonder how much of an impact I can truly make in service to them both? What makes me stand out as more worthy of their grace than say the man who seems to filled with sadness in front of me? What makes me worthy? How can I continue to be worthy?”

[Aoren]

Without a shadow of a doubt, Aoren believed that to have garnered the attention of a god was something to cherish as sacred. There had been a period in his life where he had nearly resented the gift that had been bestowed upon him but as he’d grown he’d come to understand what it was he could do with it. Avalis had been the quiet, unseen force in his life since the moment of his birth. Her mark had been with him since as far back as he could remember…but why?

In what way did he benefit the Goddess of Foresight? How best could he serve her? He knew that the Konti women of Mura were her chosen children, the prime recipients of her favor, what made him so special? Perhaps it was her gentle influence that drove him to be a pillar of support for others? Was it her will that he be the quiet word of peace and wisdom amid a storm of confusion? Or was he simply there to be a bearer of her gift to whomever sought it? Rak’keli had made her purpose for Aoren very clear. To Heal without bias. To treat the sick and the injured to the best of his ability no matter who it was. Avalis, however? Her motives were rather aloof to Aoren. Time would tell.

Rising from the bench Aoren clasped his hands behind his back staring up at the portrait of Laviku. Was the Lord of the Sea watching him? Did he view Aoren’s use of his temple to ponder the motives of other deities as sacrilegious? Calling on the last of his feasible djed reserves he peered at the portrait of the Sea God. As he stared at the depiction of Laviku with his auristic vision nothing stood out to him to suggest that the deity was watching or listening.

“Laviku probably has bigger things on his mind.”

Aoren smiled letting his auristic vision fade as he released his hold on the magic. Immediately his head felt dizzy and a throbbing formed behind his eyes. He had pushed himself with the discipline that day. No doubt there would be a consequence for it later. Such was the price of growing with magic. Closing his eyes he pinched the bridge of his nose waiting for the dizziness to pass. When it finally did he sighed turning to exit the temple. His vision was a little blurry but he could see well enough to make his way home to the University dorms.

[Shai]

However hopeless the situation appears to be There yet always exists the possibility of putting up a stubborn resistance Aoren : Auristics 3 Observation 3 Philosophy 1 Auristics: Introspection Auristics: Can be a Smell or Taste Auristics: Can Detect Emotions Auristics: Need to Examine Another’s Gnosis The Discipline of Revelation Recollections of Struggles and Lessons Check : If there are any concerns with my grading please feel free to toss me a PM. I am more than happy to explain my reasons or reevaluate them if you feel I've been unfair.