Open An interesting morning

[Thomas Cosa]

"Auristics is like any other magic, I suppose. I won't teach you myself if that's what you mean," his eyes narrowed suspiciously, and for the first time since their conversation began, Thomas seemed to be on the defensive. Magic had always been interesting to him -- but he hated sharing it. He'd hated the fact that most anyone with enough drive seemed to be capable of the same things he could do, and worse, that some people could do it even better. For a price, maybe he would consider, but that was delicate maybe. More than likely it would end up with him trying to trick Keene out of whatever he'd been promised, and then hiding in his lab where he was more or less safe.

"It probably depends how you learn, I'd guess. I stared at a rock for a couple of weeks till I could feel it without touching, see without seeing it, blah, blah, blah.," he rolled his hand in a wheel, a slight smile coloring his face. He wondered how Keene was taking this response, wondering if he'd someone put himself at a disadvantage without his magic. Almost certainly, he decided, since he couldn't tell if Keene was lying without it, and even worse, couldn't really direct the conversation without the magic's help. "Some people, I hear, discover it easily enough on their own. I think you can do that with personal magic. I mean, if it's coming from you anyway, right?" He asked without really expecting a response. It was rhetorical, mostly, and more him remembering how shielding had just happened for him, while auristics had taken him the better part of a season to learn.

"So what area are you assigned to?" He asked, only slightly less interested in the warderns than he was in Keene. He wondered if he could get the mage to cast something, maybe an ice statue or two with his magic. It would be interesting to see the reaction in his aura, anyway. He'd risk a little overgiving for that.

[Keene Ward]

It seemed Thomas wasn't particularly fond of Keene's question. It was understandable enough. Magic wasn't quite like anything else, and sharing it was something most practitioners seemed to stay away from. In Zeltiva, Keene would have never brought the subject up, but in Sahova it was a different matter entirely. Favors and trades were used in place of mizas. A willing test subject or capable pair of hands could get one far, while power of position and mind could take one even farther. The information he'd divulged thus far was of a value befitting Thomas' reply, and Keene had no qualm with it. He had began the day with a set knowledge on both the number and nature of the other schools of magic. Within the course of a bell or so, that number and those natures had increased exponentially. That Thomas did want to teach him out to use auristics was hardly an obstacle.

His suspicions however, were. Keene's frown matched Thomas' serpentine distrust. Intended or no, it seemed Thomas, when met with even the prospect of sharing his hard earned skills and trade in the form of mentorship, was not the instructor type. With the proper trade, Keene assumed that the social barrier that he had unintentionally had a hand in helping Thomas erect would be easily torn down, thought what that trade might be would certainly have quite the effect on whether it would be offered or not. In any case, Keene nodded along with the explanation, raising his brow some at the rhetorical onamonapia. The concept of "feeling without touching" was a bit uncomfortable to him, but the practicality of the magic far outweighed his minor reservations. And from the manner in which Thomas had done so, Keene imagined the magic was learned simply enough - time required not withstanding.

Keene wasn't sure whether personal magic could be learned on one's own without prior knowledge or not. While perhaps not the most eloquent of plausibilities, Keene didn't see any reason one couldn't spontaneously learn shielding, as the experience had been about the same for him only with a pesky tutor to draw it out of him. He said nothing on the matter, however, as speculation unless explicitly asked for was best to keep to one's self. While knowledge was certainly something worthy of seeking, sharing false knowledge was, in a word, dirty. Keene preferred to keep his academic hands as clean as possible: like begetting like and all.

The next question was a logical step in the direction Thomas had decided to head, had he not already been given the information prior. The man did seem a bit more tired than he had before, no doubt from his use of the sensitivity magic he'd been using to watch Keene's aura. Blinking, Keene decided that, as things were, it was better to just answer the question. He was losing no information and was being handed a free question, a situation in his favor and true to integrity as it were. "Mt. Merlus under Warden Atziri." Deciding to offer a little bit more, he added, "I patrol the base and a small area around it." He'd never really thought about why he guarded the mountain, only that it was his duty. His lack of desire to determine the why was due mostly to the other thousands of things that occupied his mind daily and were of more pressing matters.

Deciding to return to matters of the citadel and animation, Keene phrased his next question more around the magic. "Once an automaton is... born," He wasn't sure if there was a particular term for it, but the concept of merging a soul with a body seemed as close to "birth" as anything else. "Can they learn beyond their initial teachings?" If Drainia had become such a force to be reckoned with, he wondered if any of the other golems possessed the ability to do so. The Followers certainly could have benefited from a more extensive vocabulary like Stranger. Though he asked the question, Keene had Thomas' reply already planned in his head. If the golems could learn more, at least in the natural sense of the word, it was unlikely so many of the little wheeled creations would remain so avidly set in their jobs for so long. Of course, there was the potential that they were replaced daily to keep them from gaining too much sentience, though that seemed impractical and expensive. The point of the automata, from what Keene could tell, was for efficiency. Replacing them would just cause more hassle that it was worth.

[Thomas Cosa]

Thomas shrugged at the question, sucking in his lips as he turned his way back to the TAR. He wondered briefly if he would ever see it awake again, if he'd ever find out the who and the why, or if anything he'd been looking for would be worth the result. He'd allow whatever happened to the TAR to consume him, take him away from his reasons for coming to the undead isle, and now, there were rumors that they'd begun banishing the less accomplished from the isle.

Would the TAR's distraction cost him his dream?

"Not all. Only some can really overcome what they were, at the beginning." His back to Keene, still looking at the marble goliath. "It takes time, to create something that'll learn like we do, like we're suppose to -- something like Dranira, though," he paused, even considering the amount of time and effort put into a Supervisor made his head dizzy. "She probably took years, decades maybe to fully animate. To create something human, to create something that can learn though? Most animators here I imagine to be capable of that -- to create something better than us, though. That's the mark of a master."

He supposed he'd answer the question, but he wasn't really in the game anymore. Thoas sighed, massaging his temple, the low buzzing of overgiving threatening behing a low dull. Still, he would use once more -- if and only if Keene agreed to his terms.

"My next question is a request. Would you mind casting something? A fireball or whatever. I want to understand how your magic works.

[Keene Ward]

It seemed Thomas had lost interest in his proposed game, returning his focus back to the initial piece that had stared their discussion regarding the magic of animation. Keene waited patiently, arms loose at his side and eyes steady on the messily cropped black head of the wizard before him, allowing him all the time he wished for to answer with more than the noncommittal rise and fall of his shoulders. He had no reason to doubt Thomas wouldn't elaborate, as he'd adhered to the rules prior and gave every indication that he would continue until it was done. After enough time for the animators reminiscence or whatever it was he seemed to do with such dark wistfulness, he spoke.

The reply was much what Keene had expected, and while he nodded his head in understanding, it was more an instinctive response than a true unspoken reply to the man who's back was turned to him. That some golems were better suited than others towards later learning wasn't surprising. He imagined, with a slight flick of his eyes, that the more time and effort put into teaching the mechanical beings, the better the intellectual results. The estimated time frame for Dranira's completion, however, was impressive. His lips turned down in a slight frown as he considered just exactly how long the creature had been in the works, the amount of work put into her creation, and the heights to which she was able to rise.

To create something better than humans, than life itself, was disconcerting. Keene found the concept disturbing, if for no other reason than it implied that there were creatures below the gods that could still stand upon mountains above him. While perhaps not so frustrating as it was disappointing, Keene found himself skeptical. If a master animator could create a life to surpass those of his kin, a master of another magic - or perhaps all magics - could surpass even that. His hands had unconsciously tightened over the course of his musings, and when Thomas asked his question, Keene blinked back to the conversation, a small haze of daze fading from his features.

"I wasn't aware requests were a part of the game." Either way, Keene had agreed to the terms without truly knowing the extent of the limits and rules. If Thomas asked, Keene answered. It was more simple that way. As Thomas had not asked him to explain, Keene remained silent as he lifted his hand upwards, palm facing the vaulted ceiling. Pale blue liquid drifted upwards from the exposed skin, gathering into a ball that he adjusted with the twitch of his fingers, mimicking the appearance of the little box-and-wheel design of the typical Follower golems. When it was done, Keene snapped his fingers, transmuting everything save the core that he kept as res to keep the crude sculpture afloat. Turning his hand downwards, the ice golem touched lightly onto the ground before the rest of it became ice, where it sat in its benign chill.

Gazing back at Thomas once the spell had been completed, Keene tilted his head slightly to the left as his hand fell back to his side. "I also have a request, though I don't expect you to fulfill it here." The chill of the corridor combined with the numbing cold that tended to present itself when he transmuted res into the frosty element had begun to get to him. With the knowledge he had gained and the request he intended to make, the morning had been well spent. Still, it was taking a sizable amount of effort not to shiver. "I would like to watch your animation process. At your discretion and convenience within the next year." Out of all the magics Thomas had spoken of, animation seemed to possess the most innate power. While Keene doubted he could learn it by example, a better understanding of how it worked had benefits in and of themselves. Knowing how something like Dranira was created, even if it was in the most base of senses, had the potential to give him an upper hand against similar creatures if ever he needed it. He kept his stare steady, eyes lacking little more than a small undercurrent of expectation.

[Thomas Cosa]

"You didn't ask," Thomas shrugged, rebounding in the warmth of magic. The world glowed and shinned in a familiar comfort, his spell showering the mundane away from Keene, the cold stillness of his aura materializing under his gaze.

It shook, destabilizing, the ice cracking as a clear blue crept out. His skin glowed, touched by magic, steaming, flowing, becoming. The animator watched as it flowed, curling into a small blow -- he noticed how similar the auras were, Keene's and his magic's. The both hardly moved, a clear blue veiling the two. He wondered if perhaps all reimancy looked like that, and could he connect res to the reimancer?

He watched as the initate shaped and transformed the res, a sharp feeling overtaking him as it transformed into ice. He allowed a smile to escape him -- "You made a follower," he said, his voice soft.

"And that sounds reasonable," Thomas nodded, "And I'll send for you." He sighed, releasing his grasp on his spell. "But I'm tired now. It was good to meet you, initiate Ward. Thanks for playing," he smirked, and walked back to the cold of the Citadel.

[Orin Fenix]

Grades are Served

 

Thomas Cosa

Skill	XP
Observation	5
Intimidation	3
Interrogation	5
Auristics	5
Socialization	5
Teaching	5
Investigation	4
Negotiation	3
Persuasion	3
Intelligence	2

Lores

• Location: The Vestibule
• Keene: Powerful Mage
• Keene: Cold and Smokey Aura
• Keene: Warden Initiate of Mount Merlus
• Keene: Physically and Emotionally Cold
• Auristics: Determing Physical Traits
• Auristics: Reading Surprise
• Keene: Reimancer
• Animation: Automata Can be Given Sentience
• Auristics: Using Smell to Sense an Aura
• T.A.R.: Marvel of Modern Animation
• Reimancy: Initiation Theory
• Auristics: Aura Theory
• Negotiation: Giving to Receive
• Keene: Curious Person
• Reimancy: Potential Overgiving Effects
• Keene: Master Perished
• Keene: Incredible Mental Control
• Keene: An Enigma
• Sahova: Wardens Protect the Island
• Investigation: Using Autistics
• Interrogation: Using Autistics
• Keene: Patrols Near Mount Merlus
• Warden Atziri: Keene's Master

Extras :

Thomas is a fascinating character. His constant changing of techniques to try and read Keene was fascinating and he was a strange balance of devious and well-meaning. Can't wait to see more of him in the future.

A few notes. First, overgiving. For the next sixty days Thomas will be driven to use Autistics more often. He will also be plagued by dizzy spells and will have spots in his vision at all times. I know it's a lot, but the use of Auristics was pretty extensive so I tried to make it appropriate. Beyond that, be careful about revealing knowledge that Thomas might not have. For instance, there is no mention of Dranira in your lore that I could see, so how does Thomas know so much about her? There were a few other examples of this. If it's a case of the grader at the time not awarding you appropriate lores, let me know and I'll happily help sort it out with you.

 

Keene Ward

Skill	XP
Land Navigation	1
Observation	5
Socialization	5
Interrogation	5
Investigation	3
Intelligence	5
Philosophy	3
Teaching	1
Animation	4
Negotiation	2

Lores

• Interrogation: Wizards Don't Share Secrets
• Thomas Cosa: Pulser
• Sahova: Isle of Secrets
• Thomas Cosa: Wizard and Ambassador Underneath Archmage Mashaen
• Animation: Objects Can Talk
• T.A.R.: Aura Reader
• Animation: Overseer Golems
• T.A.R.: Former Source of Judgements
• Philosophy: Do Automata Have Free Will?
• Animation: Potential for Growth in Higher Level Creations
• Animation: World Magic that Creates Automata
• Auristics: Reading Auras
• Animation: High Level Animators Can Create Sentience
• Animation: Programming a Task
• Auristics: Aura Theory
• Auristics: Auras Have a Core Base and a Mercurial Surface
• Animation: Follow Golems
• Animation: High Level Creations Can Use Magic
• Reimancy: Potential Long-Lasting Overgiving Effect
• Auristics: Less Serious Overgiving Effects
• World Magic is Distinct from Personal Magic
• Thomas Cosa: Likes to Play Games
• Magecraft: World Magic
• Alchemy: World Magic
• Wanda: World Magician
• World Magic is Ritualized Magic
• Animation: Create Soulcore and Persona from Source
• Auristics: Initiation Theory

Extras :

This was a really wonderful read. As always, it's a pleasure to see your work. Seeing Keene trying to navigate the political world of Sahova is always so fascinating to me. He just doesn't seem like the type to be good at it, yet also so many people find him an enigma. I can't wait to see where you go with him.

I gave you Animation XP, but I don't think he can actually Animate anything yet without more lore. Any attempts are doomed to failure. If you'd like to discuss this with me further, I'd be happy to.

Don't forget to edit or delete your grade request in the grade request thread.

If you have any questions or concerns about your grade please feel free to send me a message.