Masks and Mimics (Clyde)

by **Sayana** on July 12th, 2016, 2:40 am

Summer 30, 516 AV

When they first arrived in the fair city of Alvadas, Sayana had been ecstatic. She relished in the colours, the delightful illusions, and even the not so delightful ones. She seemed to take it all in stride even when she got her foot stuck in a sudden patch of quicksand in the middle of the street. “It’s okay, I’ll catch up.” By this point they had learned of the multitude of pilgrims visiting the city and even Sayana was surprised that they would need to find real permanent housing unless they wanted to sleep in the Temple. Though off-hand, she thought it might be rather interesting meeting new people in the make-shift living quarters. But the mage had other ideas.

She was up to her waist in the quicksand when a swarm of butterflies passed through and many landed upon her head and arms. For several ticks she was grinning in delight at the array of colours and patterns… that is, until they turned into a swarm of bees. The Eypharian suddenly leapt up and dove into the thick of the quicksand. It was oddly like swimming in water and then swimming in nothing at all as she tumbled into the darkened streets of the Underground. “Beautiful,” she murmured softly with a smile.

While she could have tried going after Clyde right away, she trusted that he’d at least figure out the very basics of the city. Plus, there was nothing like experiencing things first hand. Besides, since she was already in the Underground, she had a few errands to get to. Firstly, she began planting a rumor with different people of the Underground, particularly shopkeepers. With a silver rimmed miza here and there, she let it be known that “Six Daggers is looking for her Scaly Friend.”

Next she took a quick stop at the Crook. It was different but also the same. New actors and new performances but still the magical illusions that accompanied it. Slipping backstage she managed to meet up with a colleague from the Fall whom she had lent a few masks, thinking that she would not be returning to Alvadas. “I just need one. That is, if you didn’t use them all up.”

From there, she focused hard on the massive Alvadas bazaar that was like no other. She found herself following a trail of bees, then ants, then… zippers? Apples, apricots, rats… At last, the Bizarre Bazaar. She wasn’t sure if Clyde had put much thought into the more domestic side of having a house, so she took it upon herself to pick and choose a set of plates, bowls and mugs along with cutlery for four. She also added in a pot and a simple washbasin. Just before leaving the bazaar, she collected up three steaming hot meat pies (with rather exotic, if questionable meat like elk and glassbeak) and a variety of fresh vegetables, fruits, seeds and nuts.

Heavily laden, Sayana stopped by the Sanity Center before getting directions, or at least a good description, of Clyde’s new house. Perhaps a bell after he purchased the new dwelling, she arrived knocking on the front door of the common room.

“Meat pies,” she spoke up cheerfully as she entered. “Just don’t think about what kind of meat it is and you’ll be fine.” She passed around the treats then set about preparing a basic salad. There was no table currently, so she made do and juggled it all in her lap. There were several vegetables she chopped up including some lettuce, tomatoes, carrots and even some apples and seeds thrown in.

As she worked away, she glanced up at the mage. “So Clyde, you said you wanted a guide while in Alvadas? I can give you a quick rundown of the main things to expect. Obviously there are the illusions. They can change by the day, the bell or the season. Though often they tend to shift about by the day or at least every couple of days. Some places are more ‘stable’. Though not the Unstable Stables.”

She paused briefly with a grin and started tossing the salad together. “If you’re ever stuck with a particularly nasty or annoying illusion, sometimes it’s just better to go with it and play along. And even if you might want to get to a place on time, you should never count on it. Alvads won’t think any less of you and would be far more thrilled to hear your entertaining tale than fuss about the fact you showed up a couple bells late.”

Receipt :

OOC Note :

by **Clyde Sullins** on July 12th, 2016, 11:49 pm

30 Summer 516

Clyde had been busy inspecting a piece of art on one of the walls, when he heard a knock at the door and noticed someone enter.

The painting had particularly taken his interest, as he was fairly certain it hadn't been in the room when he'd first entered it. He'd gone through throguh to stow his gear in his room he'd picked out, the the right door of the pair of doors leading into bedrooms on the right wall, and then exited back out into the common area. At the back of the common area was his small office, where he'd be keeping his writing things.

However when he came out he noticed that there was a painting on the left wall as one entered the house. Oddly enough it was a painting of a bowl of fruit, a bowl of rotting fruit.

When he heard the door open he turned to see who it was, and then turned to look back at the painting only to find it was gone. Pointing a finger at the now bare wall, Clyde exclaimed out loud for Sayana to hear “Ack! Did you see... Never mind.”

Shaking his head, he looked over to see what Sayana had, noticing the food right away.

Taking the offered meat pie Clyde dug in, quickly eating his way through it at the speed most inhaled air.

In no time at all Clyde would have eaten it, apparently no more full than before he'd touched it.

Clyde listened as Sayana gave some basic details about the illusions, taking a moment to glance at the spot on the wall that didn't have a painting on it any more.

“So... Are the illusions aware? If you can interact with them, play along, they'd have to be, right? Where do they come from? What is their source? ”

“I know there is some aspect involving a gnosis, which would imply god power. But are all of the cities illusions created by those with this gnosis, or do some act on their own?”

Looking about the check that it was just Clyde and Sayana, Clyde continued on, as he didn't want to speak certain things with anyone un-oathed about.

“Magic is magic, no matter the source. In my experience, most things have a logic to them, even if that logic is purposely illogical. I learned that in Ravok. Chaon logic. The logic of seemingly chaotic and nonsensical things, if looked at from the right perspective makes a sort of logic. I imagine Alvadas and its illusions also fit into this.”

“Things are only confusing or nonsensical if you try to use traditional logic and normality to define them.”

“So... What else of these illusions can you tell me? Their source? Their types? Where they come from or where they go. Anything might be of help. And also... You said you'd been here before. Is there anything I should know about you or your prior stays, that might affect our current trip, for good or bad? Bearing in mind that my goal is to acquire some Isur made weapons and items.”

by **Sayana** on July 13th, 2016, 3:10 am

“Aware…? I’m not sure if you’d call the illusions ‘aware’.” Sayana answered after a long pause while she thought about it. “You can interact with them to a certain extent. Just like you would a dog, or a door, or a waterfall…” Her examples probably didn’t help with her explanation as they might have been viewed as contradictory in terms of their level of awareness. But in a grander scheme they represented the illusions quite well since an illusionary dog might interact like a dog and an illusionary waterfall would interact like a waterfall.

“Yes, yes. There are illusionists and there is the city itself. Ionu’s city.” Sayana replied when he began questioning the source of the illusions. “I mean, unless someone has a very very powerful connection with Ionu and is creating all the illusions here, or it is a very well-coordinated, or uncoordinated, group of illusionists then I think it comes from the god and goddess of illusions themselves.” For a moment she scratched her head in thought, considering the various possibilities. “I mean, there are the Speakers, but they would be awfully busy to keep up all these illusions and all the time. Even Fabel, who is pretty good at what he does at the Crook, would be hard pressed to conjure more illusions than just the ones at the Playhouse.”

She noticed his quick glance around and his slight but noticeable change in tone as he proceeded to topics of magic and various ‘logic’. Then the mage spoke two words which she didn’t recognize: Ravok and Chaon. She noted the place name and considered the describing word while she let him carry on with his explanation. She liked the way it sounded and in many ways this ‘Chaon logic’ seemed to resemble the general feel of the illusions.

“Alright, one thing at a time,” she said after his flurry of questions. “As far as illusions, I’d say there are three main ones. Illusions that come from people, illusions that are part of the city and change with the city’s mood – oh and also the building ones – and then the other illusions, like ones that are part of objects. I’ll get to that in a chime. I never really thought of where they go but they are around and they change. The city illusions that is. You know what, if you’re really curious you could always ask Doddel. Doddel Asperenus. He might know the answers to those sorts of questions… or is still trying to find out those answers.”

“Anyways, yes I’ve been here before. I’d suggest you don’t mess with the Speakers if you can help it. Unless you like being bound and tortured… but there are probably easier ways of achieving that.” By this point she had finished her salad with the vegetables, apple chunks and sprinkled seeds. She split it in thirds and passed one bowl to Clyde and left the remaining one for Terag whenever the Isur returned.

“Oh right, and you said you wanted something Isur-made? There is the Kitrean Krafts. Nice place. Nice Isur. Just don’t use magic there. Unless you’re really discrete. And I probably shouldn’t join you. That’s another thing about Alvadas. It may seem odd, but despite all the illusions the Alvads don’t actually think very highly of magic. They are all hush hush about it, and a couple of them would make faces at me when I tried. And not just because it was hypnotism. It’s something more. Like a personal offense, or a patriotic offense. People here use tricks and illusions, costumes and acting, paintings and dance… but not magic. Not openly. I know you’ve got more, even if you haven’t told me, so just keep that in mind.”

She finished up her last bite of salad, then produced a blank white stage mask. “And back to illusions, I have a demonstration to show you. The reason why Alvads are so enchanted by this city and why they love it so much.” She strode over to the mage, hardly stopping as she got close to him. “Now see that blank piece of wall?” She asked as she pointed approximately to where the painting used to be. With her other high hand she reached up quickly and yanked a couple strands of hair from his head.

Before he could protest, she already had her back to him and pressed the hair to the blank mask. As the mask began to react to the stimulant, she quickly thought it wiser to put on her black robe to achieve a better effect than red feminine outfit she wore. In about a chime, the mask was ready and she put it on with a slight flicker to her features. As she turned around, Clyde would see a thin skinny figure looking back at him with bright blue eyes. Curly brown locks framed a face full of freckles with a longer larger nose. Gone were Sayana’s feminine curves and feminine features, and her skin was now a ghostly pale, apart from the cartoon-like freckles. The only trace of her additional arms were faint wisps of movement from under the robe. Otherwise, she now looked like an exaggerated version of Clyde Sullins.

“How do I look?” She asked with a twitch of a smile. However, her voice was still rather high and feminine, which almost completely broke the illusion. “Sorry, how’s this…” she amended while attempting as low a voice as she could manage while still getting the words out.

by **Clyde Sullins** on July 13th, 2016, 2:07 pm

Clyde listened to everything Sayana said, filtering it all through his unique brand of Chaon logic. It seemed if nothing else the illusions were real, but the degree you could affect them and interact depended upon the illusions. But not always the illusion and their appearance, but on the underlying illusion. So perhaps a door might sit there like a dead door, or it might be as active in responding as a dog would be. Considering what she'd said about illusions, and the painting from before, he imagined some were more active than others.

He was interested to finally hear the name of the god, Ionu, who ruled this city and whose power gave it existence.

He wondered it any of the illusions could be carried out of Alvadas and still work, or if they only existed and functioned within the twisted existence of the city.

“I wonder if I could acquire the seed of an illusion, and plant it somewhere not Alvadas, and grow a permanent illusion somewhere else? Somewhere open and loose enough to accept such a thing... I wonder...”

Clyde pondered for a few moment more about planting and growing illusions before returning to the conversation at hand.

From her lack of a response to the words Chaon and Ravok, he assumed she wasn't familiar with them. Which in hindsight Clyde realized wasn't so odd, as she'd only recently moved to Syliras.

“In case you didn't know, Ravok is a city in northern Sylira. Up a ways past Nyka. In the same way this is Ionu's city, Ravok is Rhysol's. A Chaon is one marked by Rhysol. After my time in Ravok I've come to perhaps understand a bit of how his mind works, by this Chaon logic of sorts.”

When she mentioned the Doddel man, he had a feeling going to him wouldn't be of much help. He wasn't sure how he was approaching understanding the illusions, but if he'd been doing it as long as her words made it seem he didn't have much hope for sudden insights and knowledge.

It appeared the speakers were the protectors of the city, at least in a sense... Though from the way she spoke of them he wasn't sure in which exact way. Probably not int he sense of the knights of the stryfe.

As Sayana spoke somewhat offhandedly and jokingly, Clyde suddenly took on a serious face and demeanor as he met her eyes and stated quite simply in response to her words “No, I do not enjoy being bound and tortured.”

For a moment more his memories fell to Ravok, his eyes going far off to that confusing day, before he broke his line of thought and pulled himself back to the now. His face calmed back to his normal more passive expression, not quite smiling or frowning.

When passed the bit of salad Clyde began munching away at it, putting the entire bowl away in rapid order as if he wasn't quite aware he was eating, nor that being full was a concept he understood.

Clyde was almost always hungry, and he recalled few times if any when he'd been full. But then, he was also almost always using magic, which expended djed to some degree, which meant he was always in need of replenishing his energy even if only partially. So perhaps this was the reason.

“Not so odd, most places don't like magic, at least not openly used.”

Clyde took a moment to puzzle away at her statements, adding together everything she'd said about illusions, pulling together what he knew of magic, filtering it through his Chaon logic, and looked for a not so obvious answer to the question seemingly without an answer.

“Perhaps it is because of what magic is. Magic is using djed to remake the world, to do the impossible, to make changes. With personal magic in particular it is done in an instant for the most part. Illusions do the same, but in a different manner. If they are as loyal to Ionu as you say, perhaps doing this by a simpler method and without power given by their god is then seen as heresy. After all, not everyone is given the ability to make illusions, so perhaps their seeming special-ness is also lessened when someone else does magic without being chosen by Ionu. Or perhaps it is simply the fact of doing it without Ionu's permission, and not the more personal and petty aspect. Or something like that.”

When Sayana came over to give a demonstration, his distrust immediately rose. When she tried to distract him by getting him to stare at a wall he simply met her eyes, watching as she snatched some of his hair in an attempt at being surreptitious.

His breath caught in his throat for a moment at the action, before he recalled the oath and he began breathing once more.

He said nothing as she walked away, though if she tried to leave the building with his hairs he'd stop her.

Clyde watched as she prepared, clearly the focus of her efforts being on the mask she'd taken out.

When she suddenly appeared vaguely as him, he wasn't overly surprised, assuming it had something to do with the mask and the stolen hair.

He simply stared blankly as Sayana took on her facade, and asked him of her appearance.

Distracted for a moment, Clyde pondered over her attempt at shifting and hiding her voice, going from her own one to one attempting a more deep and masculine voice, though not with much success.

It had never occurred to him before, but while more physical things could be changed, he'd never pondered voices. Could he use morphing to shift his own voice and to sound like another? It was certainly something he'd have to try.

Breaking back to the current situation, Clyde pulled his focus back to Sayana as she tried to copy him, though in a odd way involving the mask.

“Fine. I suppose that's me? Also just bear in mind, should you try to leave with those hairs, I will consider it a serious threat to my person. The last time someone tried to acquire some of my hairs, it was to attempt to craft a special poison to kill me. Needless to say I was less than happy to hear this. I believe his shop burned down in an unfortunate... Accident... Awhile later. Regardless, when you are done we'll be disposing of those properly, or you'll be giving them back to me.”

While perhaps his initial response seemed a bit over the top to the simple action of someone simply stealing a few hairs, perhaps it would make a bit more sense when she learned that a similar thing had been used in an attempt to assassinate him.

by **Sayana** on July 14th, 2016, 3:47 am

Ionu and Alvadas, Rhysol and Ravok and Chaon…

“Oh lighten up Clyde. It’s just a few hairs. Here you can have them back.” She held out the two strands of hair that she had managed to take from him. “But don’t you comb your hair? Or brush your teeth? Or shave?” For a moment she was suddenly curious if any of his bristles had worked their way into the illusion and her hands went to her chin. However, all she could feel was her own smooth skin beneath the illusion.

As if remembering her own higher feminine voice, she suddenly grew a more serious face and a deeper tone. “I am Clyde Sullins and I am terrible at blending in with the native Alvads since I do not laugh or smile. Maybe I am one of those silly pilgrims.” She spoke was as serious an expression as she could muster.

Just as suddenly, she decided to take off the mask for a moment, which would surely cause the illusion to shift and stutter, only to replace the mask an instant later. “I could be two people at once, wouldn’t that be lovely?” She commented brightly as she reverted to her normal voice. “Except I only have two other masks like this. And they aren’t the most… fool proof.”

With the mask firmly on her face once more, she started walking around the common room trying to mimic Clyde’s gait and mannerisms. With her right hand she held an imaginary staff, while her left was raised as if reading a book. Every so often she would swirl her right thumb as she looked out distantly, lost in thought.

Breaking character, she looked promptly at Clyde. “So there you have it. A true Alvad welcome. On my first day at work at the Crook, I had a similar experience. Except a little more realistic and by an actual illusionist.”

The illusion of Clyde paused for a good while, looking off distantly in the small common room. One, two, three… Sayana slowly counted in her mind to mimic a good length of time akin to the mage’s occasional lapses. “Traveling within Alvadas can be challenging at times,” she spoke and once more broke out of character. “But there are usually clues, strange ones, but usually something. And sometimes you just have to have faith that you’ll get to where you’re going, even if it takes a while. And don’t ever lose your house key. It helps a lot to find your way back.”

There was one more thing she had yet to explain fully. The Underground. However, it was something better shown than explained, and she hadn’t decided if she planned to go out just yet. Plus, she was rather enjoying the illusions of the mask.

OOCIf I'm teasing too much with Clyde's caricature boxcode, I'll switch it out. Just let me know.

by **Clyde Sullins** on July 15th, 2016, 12:58 am

Clyde took the proffered hairs, gazing at the woman with a blank stare as she carried on in her usual manner.

He allowed her to carry on, not stopping her, instead letting her finish herself out as she would before responding.

“You speak of illusions, of facades, but you don't truly understand them. No more than you understand me. Things are more than the face of things, more than their outer seeming. That, the outer seeming, the thing you see, that is the true illusion, whether of person or thing. This is but a lie we put before others, in order to hide our true self.”

Clyde canted his head just so as he gazed at Sayana, a small smile in his eyes as he looked at her. A smile that didn't seem to reach his lips.

“Perhaps that simply means that my facade has been a good one, a believable one, enough to fool you.”

Extending the hand holding Cha, Clyde focused on a point just above her tip, a single spot in the air, and focused his djed. Within his mind he emptied away his thoughts, focusing instead of the idea of nothing. Of nothingness. Of less than nothing. Of air pulling and emptying from a jar, leaving nothing but void within.

Focusing this thought on the single spot of air above Cha's head, he willed it to empty, to become void, blackness, and nothing.

For a few ticks nothing happened, and then that single point in space became less than empty air, instead becoming a tiny prick of nothing.

Willing it to expand, Clyde fed djed into the small portal, willing it to grow. His power flowed along Cha, up his arm and through her, and into the point above her surface. At a steady rate the portal expanded, until a few more moments later it was big enough to shove ones fist into without touching the sides. Once it had grown to this size he focused on a secondary manipulation of the void, willing it to pull inward from all directions.

At first it was but a whisper of air, but after a few more moments it grew in power and gave a steady suck. Enough that Sayana's hair would likely be pulled gently by the force even from the short distance away she sat.

In his hand the hairs stood on end, with the tips dragged and pulled towards the hole in space leading into nothing.

“Perhaps when you've been a mage as long as I have, perhaps when you are as skilled as I am, perhaps when you've had as many people and monsters and things and ideas try to kill you, perhaps when you know what it is to be a mage, perhaps when you learn the truth of the lie, you too can decide when to be comical or when to take death threats seriously.”

“Perhaps on that day you will have earned that right, assuming you live long enough to so foolishly dismiss death threats and things I take seriously. Or perhaps on that day you will see the wisdom of not making such assumptions, and not taking things for granted.”

As he had spoken, Clyde had slowly continued feeding djed into the portal. By then the hairs in his hand were whipping about as if in a tiny gale. At that moment Clyde released the hairs, watching them as they instantly were sucked into the portal and vanished within the void.

His demonstration done, Clyde cut off the feed of djed to the voiding portal. It would last for a short time, though with the heavy pull it was generating, enough at this point to disturb his clothes somewhat, it would soon dwindle and fade away as it shrank to nothing.

The more powerful the portal, particularly the more powerful pull it generated, the more djed it consumed. As he wasn't feeding it any more djed, within a chime or two it would collapse upon itself, shrinking and growing smaller until it vanished out of existence.

“Truth is but an illusion we cloak our self in. You have yet to see but the tiniest grain of my truth. Let alone of who I am, or what I can do, or what I have seen. It is wisdom to not judge those who have the wisdom to act appropriately.”

More by instinct than by conscious thought, Clyde activated his gnosis, lacing his words with its power and laying a curse of Chaon power upon her. A tiny seed, that eventually would grow and sprout, as all such curses did.

by **Sayana** on July 15th, 2016, 3:10 am

Facades, illusions… clearly he wasn’t all that impressed by the illusion of the mask. He spoke as if he was beyond such trivial things. Like there was something much greater at play. He was also equally unimpressed by her casual attitude towards his hairs. He began speaking rather seriously about what it was to be a mage, death threats and…

Sayana’s attention suddenly wavered from his words as a hint of movement attracted her eye. She had not noticed it when it had been but a pinprick, but now that it was the size of a miza and steadily growing, her eyes widened as she stared at the dark empty spot just above his staff. It’s just an illusion, it’s just an illusion, it’s just… It was definitely not an illusion. He was doing something to it. It was some kind of magic. It…

Her hairs on her arms stood on end as she felt a cool phantom breeze pulling at the strands of her hair. Her nerves started to waver and she could feel her heart pumping as her eyes darted from the black black hole in the air to the door of the house. Unfortunately for her, Clyde was situated roughly in between her and the escape of the door. Keep it together Sayana. It’s just a trick. It’s just…

But when the unseen breeze stirred just a little more strongly and sucked away the two hairs the mage held in his hand, her nerves finally broke.

The Eypharian bolted for the front door. Even though Clyde and his gaping hole was in between her and her destination, she was counting on a quick and nimble side step to get out of the way and past the dark magic. What she wasn’t counting on, was when she neared the dark void of emptiness her hair gusted up around her, being pulled towards the depths. Fruitlessly, she ripped the mask off and flung it at the magic hole, only to miss and have the mask clatter to the floor.

Regardless, she had made it to the door. She fumbled, trying to find the handle so she could escape the cursed house. Except… Her heart clenched painfully and her mouth widened in shock. What a sick, sick joke. The handle of the door was gone. Illusioned gone. Unless Clyde was playing her with that too. No, he couldn’t be doing that too. As the realization hit her full in the face that she was unable to leave the house, she stood transfixed as the mage finished the last of his rant.

For several moments she was at a complete loss, and it was certainly long enough for him to plant a seed. A true seed. During that time, there was also a distinct and rather piercing feeling of being watched. Had the disappearing door handle been a coincidence of the city? Except city illusions didn’t usually affect indoor places. When she regained her senses, her flight instinct was no less diminished.

She made a mad dash past the mage to one of the doors near the back of the room, only vaguely aware that the dark deep pit in the air seemed to be gone. At last luck smiled on her when she opened the door to a pair of bedrooms, rather than Clyde’s study room. As she sprinted into a bedroom, she slammed the door behind her and held it tight. Her eyes darted about the room and in less than a tick she determined the most important aspect of the room. It had a window. She was more than a little anxious standing behind a door with a mage on the other side, but the moment she detected anything unusual, she would yank open the window to serve as her escape route. It was also in that moment that she was glad she hadn’t had the chance to tell Clyde the details about the Underground. She had hidden there once before, she could do it again.

by **Clyde Sullins** on July 15th, 2016, 9:14 pm

Clyde intent had been to startle Sayana. However he had perhaps achieved more than he'd wanted or expected.

He'd wanted to throw her off, to show his dominance and power. Not have her scurrying around like a frightened rabbit, nearly getting herself killed.

Of all of the reactions she might have made, running around at random wasn't one of them. He inwardly shook his head at how stupid she had been. One didn't react randomly to an unknown threat, not if they didn't want to end up much worth off, he thought to himself.

Clearly Sayana had never heard this. He knew quite well what might have happened if she'd by accident run into the portal. It probably would have killed her, or at least injured her as the portal attempting to empty out the space while also colliding with her flesh, thereby eating away at her or whatever it met until it collapsed.

This annoyed him more because had it happened he would have lost all of the time, energy, and money, he had invested in her. An annoying outcome. She was useful, and he didn't want her dead, at least not right then while she was of use.

“What are you doing? Your acting like a squirrel in a tree as the woods flood. Only he panics at the sight of the flood, and jumps from his safe spot far up in the tree and in his attempt to escape puts himself into danger.”

Clyde of course wasn't aware of the door handle vanishing, nor that such a thing would happen. He had seen the painting pretending to be a wall, or the wall pretending to be a painting, but that had been only an aesthetic change.

Letting out a sigh Clyde knocked Cha on the ground in a slow rhythm, a slow gentle tap, as he sat un-moving from his spot.

“Sayana, you always want to know more. Always asking questions, trying to get to my secrets. And here I show you a bit of my truth, a bit of my power, and you run away like a frightened squirrel.”

“Perhaps if you listened to me, instead of acting without thinking like a frightened child, you'd learn something. But if you don't want to learn anything, then feel free to go hide away and forget about magic. I've no interest in students without any backbone, nor ones who run at the first sign of something unnatural or unexpected. What exactly did you think magic was? Pretty words and seeing things? Magic is magic, no more, and no less. Don't go making assumptions about it.”

by **Sayana** on July 16th, 2016, 3:08 am

He didn’t continue to threaten her, nor did he offer up magic as a bartering tool, even if he did mention it in an indirect way. Both would have likely sent her disappearing into the illusions of Alvadas. Instead Clyde took a jab at her pride. It was enough to keep her listening, even if it was through the bedroom door.

“I will speak with you tomorrow. Or the day after.” Sayana spoke tight-lipped, raising her voice as she opened the window in her room. “I have some errands to do in Alvadas.”

She was forgetting something. Something needed to be done. It was like an itch and it was bothering her. Just like that eerie feeling she had earlier of being watched.

Indirectly or through inaction…

“Clyde. I think we are being watched. Tread carefully.”

She swung her legs out the window and landed a few feet down with a light thud as her boots hit the ground. Her mind was a swirl of thoughts. First the magic, and then the realization that the magic could be considered one of his secrets. Not to mention the eerie feeling she had been having. Was she supposed to babysit him now? Keep him from doing any other sort of magic after she had specifically stated that Alvads frowned on that sort of thing? She hoped her warning would be sufficient. It was perhaps a little exaggerated, since she couldn’t really confirm or prove her suspicion, but it seemed appropriate for the grand oath. Perhaps she would also trail him the next day so that she would notice if someone else was trying to trail him.

If he proposed any future training sessions, she would strongly recommend that they be held away from prying ears and eyes. But for now, she made her escape into the city of illusions. Her first destination: the Underground.

OOCI'll have to see what I can do to get her off her stubborn streak. It'll help once she's had time to cool down. This will be my last post for the thread. Until next time =)

by **Kaleidoscope** on August 31st, 2016, 2:17 pm

Sayana

Skills

Organisation: +1
Cooking: +1
Teaching: +2
Disguise: +1
Impersonation: +2
Acting: +1
Running: +1
Planning: +1

Lores

Alvadas event Summer 516: A pilgrim city
Cooking: Preparing a basic salad
Alvadas location: Clyde’s lodging
Chaon logic: The logic of chaos
Ravok: A city in northern Sylira
Ravok: Rhysol’s city
A Chaon: Someone marked by Rhysol
Clyde: Mage with dark magic

Comments
Please remember to take away the cost of your purchases from your ledger if you haven't already.

Chaon curse: Sayana will start to doubt everything from the 30th until the 33rd. Reality becomes a mystery, even her own place in the world might come into question. After the 33rd, the curse will gradually fade back into normality, culminating on the 35th, unless Clyde chooses to curse Sayana again, or she comes into contact with another Chaon.

Clyde

Skills

Planning: +1
Intimidation: +2
Voiding: +1

Lores

Alvadas event Summer 516: A pilgrim city
Alvadas illusions: Can last from a day to a season
Alvadas location: Clyde’s lodging
Ionu: Deity of Illusions
Alvadas: Ionu’s city
Fabel: Owner of the Crooked Playhouse, Alvadas
Speakers: Law-keepers of Alvadas?
Doddel Asperenus: Someone who might know something about illusions
Alvadas location: Kitrean Krafts
Magic is offensive to Alvads
Sayana: An investment

Comments: A neat thread. I especially enjoyed Sayana's reaction to Clyde's void. I'm interested to see more of these two.

Enjoy your grade, and please don't forget to delete/edit out your grade request, and keep your ledger up to date! If you have any questions, don't hesitate to send me a PM.

Closed Masks and Mimics (Clyde)