PM to join (The Harbor) The Arrival (Corvus)

[Drake Kasparov]

11th Of Fall, 516AV Onboard The Saga Shooter, just off the coast of Sahova 6:46AM The steady lapping of the water against the hull of The Saga Shooter made Drake think of home. They were strange thoughts to be having here, the whole world stretched out between him and the icy walls of Avanthal. His eyes, two shimmering blue points standing in contrast to the long shadows his hood cast over his face, stared down intently into the water. He could see his father's eyes, staring back up at him; they drilled into Drake’s own eyes with an accusatory stare. ”Oi, you there. You’re one them Wizard types, ain’tcha?” Drake glanced down at the intricately woven blue robe that adorned his slender frame, trimmed in ornate arcane embroidery. ”My, how astute this one is.” He glanced up at the sailor, who was now suddenly standing next to him. “What is it that has tipped you off, tikita?” Drake responded dryly. Either blissfully unaware that he had just been insulted, or far too thick skinned to care, the sailor continued, leaning against the railing. ”I mean, I just figure, what else would bring one of you snowmen all the way out here?” ”This I will tell you, it certainly was not for the pleasure of your company.” The sailor shrugged, and then wandered away dejectedly, presumably back to his duties. If what he had been told about the timetable of this little trip was true, they would be arriving at Sahova today. Port Silence. That is what the captain had referred to it when he asked him. He could already see why. Since waking up on the ship this morning, he had already noticed the subtle shift in the mood on the ship. Sailors weren’t typically known as a quiet or reserved bunch, but on this particular morning, it was as somber as a graveyard. A foreboding mist had rolled during the night, and wafted errantly across the surface of the water, lending the morning a strange, dream-like quality as it’s pale white fingers lazy gripped and wrapped around the sides of the ship. Sighing, Drake leaned back against the railing, continuing to stare down at the water. The Harbor would be in sight soon. All he could do now was wait, and try to keep his thoughts from racing with speculation about his destination. Sahova. The name conjured certain things to Drakes mind. Ancient cities. Vast empires. Like a fragment from another time. He could almost smell the vast collection of ancient tomes, musty and sweet like long preserved flowers. He slowly brought his head up, staring across the water, pale blue as it reflected the moody grey skies above. I hope you’re ready for me.

[Corvus Bubon]

The rocking of The Saga Shooter was not something that Corvus had gotten use to, nor was it something he wanted to get use to. This was the first ship that Corvus had been on and unfortunately he was traveling to an island, so it wasn't going to be the last. Sahova being an island was a definite drawback in Corvus's eyes, but there wasn't much hope for him surviving in the wilds of Syliras. Corvus adjusted his coat’s collar, covering the lower part of his face with the black fabric. "Coming home are you?" Home, Corvus had left his home in Syliras years before, and often thought of it, the mortuary, the graveyard. He sometimes felt a yearning for the simpler days of preparing bodies for their final rest, but he quickly stopped this weakness in thought when he noticed it happening. Corvus debated in his head whether or not to respond to the sailor, fiddling with the holes worn into his sleeves. "I guess you think all Nuit would call Sahova home?" "I'll take that as a no. I s'pose that makes you a wizard then?" Sure, Corvus was a student of magic, but far too inexperienced to really consider himself any sort of wizard. Most of his life was spent embalming, and not trying very hard at it. "Not quite yet." Corvus responded, moving to the opposite side of the ship. The shore had just come into view, and Corvus wanted to see land, he would have been on the side closes to land anyway, had he known which side that was. Corvus reached his hand into his inside coat pocket, taking out a small silver pendant missing a chain and a gemstone, it was his mother’s. Corvus then traced the inside groove of his mother's pendant with his rigid fingers, he had sold the gemstone long ago when he was short on money and had always meant to replace it. Perhaps he’d make something more out of it, Magecrafting should be something that he picks up on Sahova either way. Corvus pocketed the pendant and looked to shore, he didn’t feel any closer than the last time he’d looked. He wasn’t sure if he’d survive if the ship were to sink, sure he wouldn’t need to worry about breathing, but he couldn’t swim very well so he’d end up sinking to the bottom, and walking around under the water trying to find the island didn’t seem very viable. Corvus began staring into the water tapping his fingers on the railings to a beat he couldn’t keep consistent, trying to keep the nerves at bay. He gazed into the depths longer than he should have, he saw something, or at least he thought he did, swimming near the ship. He quickly returned his eyes to the shore, still distant, then to the ship’s passengers. Nothing managed to quiet his nerves.

[Drake Kasparov]

Drake had been humming softly to himself, the songs his mother used to play after dinner helping to fill the vast silence that had descended on the ship this morning. It had been some time since he had heard real music. He knew such things were now, or for the very least the time being, a luxury he could not afford himself. But with the near absolute stillness of the water beneath him, he could hear it clearly in his mind. Mother’s voice, carrying soft notes that could stir one paradoxically to both the heights of ecstasy, and the pits of despair. The word's eluded him after all these years, but he could still recall the melody, and held it just under his breath as gentle winds from across the ocean lightly tugged and pulled at the loose fabric of his robe. The young vantha’s humming paused, as an arrhythmic tapping assailed his ears, mixing in his head and throwing his own timing off. He scowled, glaring down the railing until he spotted the source. It stood out from the crewmates like a sore thumb. Clad in all black, the figure clearly was no sailor, and what little skin he could see had the pallor of a corpse. A Nuit? The irritation on Drake’s face faded, and his lips flattened out into a wiry smirk. The creature was staring down at the water, and from the uneven tap, tap, tapping of his fingers on the wooden railing, was in a state of obvious unease. A Nuit headed to Sahova was likely another hopeful Apprentice, or perhaps a returning Wizard. In any case, his apparent distress might as well have been a bullseye painted on the back of the creatures black cloak. Drake’s icy blue eyes slowly shifted, cascades of bright, energetic orange cascading around his pupil as he slowly walked down the length of the ship, pushing past several of the sailors to stand right by Corvus. ”Well, hello there, friend.” Drake began, the heavy accent on his common-tongue an obvious indicator of his northern origins to any with the ear to perceive it. ”Forgive me my uhm…”He stammered a moment, searching for the right word. ”Interruption. But you seem nervous.” Casually, Drake leaned into the rail next to Corvus as he continued, gesturing dismissively to the sailors that surrounded them on the deck of the ship. The only speaking they were doing was the occasionally shouting of orders, followed by the sounds of men rushing around, ropes being pulled on, and the like. ”Of course, so are these ones, but I expect as such from those with… Tiny minds, as we are coming near to the Port Silence.” He flicked his eyes back to Coruvs as he finished. ”So what is your excuse, deadman?”

[Corvus Bubon]

It had been a long time since he had even been this close to a great amount of water, the last time he was near was when he was going with his father to retrieve his mother’s body, it had washed up along the coast of the Suvan Sea after she slipped off the dock. When they arrived to claim the body there were rats all over her, his father said to him “Hurry let’s move her body into the cart, we need to preserve her body as best we can and those rats aren’t helping.” He helped his father move her corpse into the cart, heavy from the water, heavier than he thought possible, some water spilled out of her mouth and nose when they had gotten her over the cart, from all the jostling. Then a small rat crawled out of her mouth, and in surprise Corvus dropped her legs roughly onto the cart. “Careful!” his father shouted before grabbing the rat and throwing it as far as he could into the sea. Corvus didn’t really have the stomach for over-water travel after that but Sahova was too good of a chance to pass up over a fear of the seas. Corvus stopped tapping the railing, he hadn’t meant to be outwardly nervous, and now he had drawn attention, great. Turning his head to look at who had approached him, he immediately noticed the robe; blue, intricate, embroidered, a wizard no doubt. Of course the stranger didn’t look dead, so he probably wasn’t a Sahovan, maybe an apprentice. The thought occurred to him that it might be beneficial to get to know some of the people he’d be seeing regularly. Corvus slowly reached his hand to his collar, pulling it down to reveal his face and neck, “I never learned to swim, there wasn’t any cause for me to enter water before now.” Corvus looked back into the water, trying to face his fear, but turned his head back to the stranger after a few moments. “I don’t suppose you're a sailor, so why are you coming to Sahova? You seem more alive than I’d expect for an apprentice.” His eyes drifted back to the sea, this time he slid his hand into his coat pocket, clutching his mother’s pendant, running his finger along the groove, it brought him a little bit of peace. He then reached into his backpack, leaving her pendant in his pocket. Corvus withdrew a wheel of cheese and a knife, carving off a slice of it and offering it to the man standing before him.

[Drake Kasparov]

Drake carefully watched the corpse’s face as it turned and glanced at the water. He wondered, passingly, if most Nuit shared a similar fear of deep waters. Drowning probably wasn’t a major concern, but there was something uniquely horrifying about the prospect of wasting away, consigned for the rest of your short existence to the abyss, so far beneath the waves that Syna’s light could no longer reach you. Drake paused his train of thought, and gave the Nuit a sly smile. ”Perhaps. But you were alive before you were a dead thing, yes?” He shrugged. ”But, no, friend, I am no sailor, for I neither share your fear of Laviku’s domain, nor the reverence these ones do.” He motioned casually to the men mulling around the deck of the ship. Next, the Nuit did something that caught Drake mildly off guard. Of all the things he would have thought a corpse to be carrying around in a backpack, food was certainly near the bottom of the list. As it cut off a chunk of the cheese and offered it to Drake, he eyed it curiously, hesitating a moment before deftly taking it in his hand. He wasn’t terribly hungry, and eating food given to him by a corpse seemed less than appetizing. Slipping it into one of the pockets, he turned his attention back to Corvus. Some part of his mind burned with new questions now, and they raced through his mind quicker than he could take each into account. Why is this deadman carrying around food? Does he have more? If he came at me with that carving knife how long would I need to- Drake shook his head softly, almost imperceptibly, as the bright orange of his irises began to soften and fade back to an icy blue. No. All in good time. Focus. He was on the hunt, and a slew of irrelevant questions would only complicate the process. He gave Corvus the most genuine smile he could muster, and extended a hand to him, whilst simultaneously giving a half-bow, making a sweeping gesture with his other hand. ”Drake Kasparov, future Wizard of Sahova, at your service, friend.”

OOCSorry about the wait on this one. Next one wont take nearly as long, pinky swears.

[Corvus Bubon]

Friend? It's always a surprise when the living don't back away in horror. Corvus considered it for a moment, it might not be such a bad thing to get some people on his side, Sahova will surely prove to be dangerous, living or dead. He didn’t eat the cheese. Could he tell it was for the rats? It has been awhile since I’ve eaten cheese...or anything...maybe it smells bad. Corvus would have to check his cheese when he got off the ship, but regardless of how fresh it was he suspected the rats wouldn’t care. ”Well Drake, future wizard of Sahova...you sound very confident in yourself.” Often Corvus wishes that he was as confident in himself as this man was, but a life of unenthusiastic embalming and traveling the outskirts left him without much to call upon. This was something he needed to rectify, and perhaps he could get some help from this man, Drake. Corvus cast his eyes back to the water, checking to see if something was in the water again, although not really hoping for it. First step...I need bones, from what he knew of his chosen craft, Malediction required the remains of something that was once alive to draw djed from. He had nothing in the way of remains, but he did have some snares and some cheese, so he might be able to capture a few rats over time. Corvus needed more than he could hope for from the snares, and he didn’t even know where he’d set them up. Moving his eyes back to Drake, he adds “The name’s Corvus Bubon, not really sure I’ll ever call myself a wizard even if I get the robes.” Corvus opens his coat enough to reveal the very simple clothing beneath. Releasing his coat, he takes out a small snare from his backpack and presents it to Drake asking ”Would you know of a better way to get your hands on rodents or other animals, living or dead?” Corvus grins ear to ear, ”I could even pay you, if possibly malicious engraved rodent skulls are your thing.”

[Drake Kasparov]

Details. Drake was young and knew little, and had the wisdom to acknowledge such. But one thing he did know was that details were everything. Especially to a Hypnotist. It was all part of the game. He leaned against the railing of the deck casually, ostensibly far more relaxed than Corvus, or anyone else on the ship for that matter. But he was listening as Corvus spoke. And watching him very, very closely. Trying to maintain constant eye contact. ”You could say this. Less confident in Drake and more confident in future Drake, you know? What is done that is worth doing that does not take time, hm? But as Nuit, you likely know this better than most…” The Blue Wizard trailed off as Corvus broke eye contact, his attention shifting momentarily back to the water. His fear of the sea is certainly genuine. Fear was one of the easiest starting points. It seemed few things motivated people more. Of course, it wasn’t always a straight line, connecting people's fears to the things Drake needed of them. But then, that was part of the fun. Drake stiffened slightly as Corvus made eye contact with him again, the corpse finally introducing itself properly. Corvus. A Good Ravokian name, perhaps. Perhaps too far a leap to make, but the more details he could fill in, the better. He stared the Nuit in the eyes, absorbing the rest of what he had to say. ”Do not mind the robes. A side effect of selling one's abilities to the ignorant.” Drake’s eyes flicked away from Corvus’ just a moment to eye the snare. ”Engraved rodent skulls, you say?” Drake considered it a moment, his eyebrows furrowing. Explains the cheese, at least. He was genuinely intrigued now, beyond his original interest in attempting to gain a new asset. ”What exactly is it that you do, Corvus Bubon?”

[Corvus Bubon]

“What is it I do?” Corvus thought for a moment. Malediction wasn’t the most trusted of arts and he’d hid it from most people he’d come across, though he suspected he did not have to do so with Drake. In truth he didn’t feel comfortable claiming to be a maledictor, as he wasn’t very good at it yet. Still, “Maledictor” sounds better than “Out of Place Mortician,” and if embellishing a little could lead to enlisting Drake in his effort to become a better one it would be worth it. “I preserve the bodies of dead things, then call upon their djed, I am a Maledictor.” Corvus spoke with false bravado. I’ll not mention the part about dabbling in poisons, I’m not sure I will be able to trust anyone with that. Corvus then retrieved the engraving toolkit from his bag, and fished out a utensil with a fleck of sharp diamond on the tip. After finding a relatively smooth spot on the railing, Corvus begins to draw a small circle on the ship, watching for sailors or anyone else who may take offense at the marking. He continued by drawing connecting lines from points within the circle, one every 15 degrees, connecting to another point 45 degrees in a clockwise rotation. The whole process didn’t take very long, as it wasn’t particularly intricate, or even completely accurate, lines jump with the unsteadiness of the ship, and the circle was a bit more of an oval. ”Just an example.” Corvus sighed. ”I wouldn’t be able to draw any djed from this ship anyhow.” “It’s the reason I’m making the journey to Sahova, to learn more, to better my craft.” That, and the poison. “I’m sure I’ll be able to find what I need there.”

[Drake Kasparov]

Drake leaned casually against the banister, patiently observing Corvus as he waited for him to answer his question. The pause interested Drake immensely. People rarely paused before answering a question if they were answering entirely honestly, and this seemed to indicate that Corvus had just as much interest in playing Drake, as Drake had in playing him. Good. Drake smirked, so softly it would be nearly imperceptible. Means he's no fool, at least. Thinks before he speaks. Drake nodded slowly as Corvus spoke. "Maledictor, you say?" He folded his arms over his chest. He was actually a little upset he hadn't thought of it already. He only had a rudimentary understanding of Djed, as imparted to him by his father, but it seemed like a brilliantly simple idea: A body is made of Djed, alive or dead, and Djed is power. As he pondered this, he watched with intense focus as Corvus began to carve into the wood of the ship. Drake grinned as Corvus finished, clasping a hand on the nuit's shoulder. "Well, well, well, not even yet at Sahova, and already I learn new things." He nodded, eyeing the arcane inscription closely as he continued. "For your earlier question, friend, I know little of Sahovan animals, as I've not been to the island before." He shrugged, spreading his hands out. "But should you be needing help, I am certain arrangements could be made..." The blue-robed mage trailed off as a low bell began to chime, somberly pushing through the fog as the echoing voice of the sailor from up in the crows nest rained down on the crew: "Land, ho!" Drake's entire face brightened, and still beaming, he brushed past Corvus and half a dozen somber-faced sailors to stand closer to the front of the ship, peering out at the fog as Port Silence began to slowly form, still little more than an inky black outline against the grey background of the mists. "Sahova," He breathed, gripping tightly to his arcane staff. He had waited a long time for this. Bled for this. And he knew he would do plenty more bleeding still in all likelihood in this far away place, so very removed from Tanroa's influence. And it was for that very reason that the grin that spread from one ear to another stayed plastered to his face. "I'm coming for you."

[Corvus Bubon]

If you don’t learn anything more than what you’ve learned from me once we’ve arrived, well frankly you should feel cheated, as that was barely anything. Corvus gave a toothy grin, he didn’t know too much about the various kinds of magic, but from what he understood, djed was central, and he didn’t know anything about magic that didn’t require it. Corvus watched as Drake moved to the front of the ship, and as the fog began to give way to Port Silence, he moved to Drake’s side. “So Drake, what do you hope to learn on the island? Do you actually know any magic, or is that staff for show?” Corvus thought it a fair question to ask, after all, he barely knew his own magic. It seemed strange to him that he would find comfort in the sight of a dark outline growing larger, more foreboding, but “Land Ho” was fairly easy to understand. Corvus’ eyes stayed firmly on the slowly growing outline of the port, as the crew hustled around, presumably preparing to dock, but for all he knew of ships they might as well be preparing it to crash against the coast. His nerves were on edge, but became significantly less so the closer the ship got to the port, he was home free, provided he didn't slip and fall on the docks. As the ship drew nearer, many thoughts struck Corvus that he had never considered before. Would a Sahovan nuit be able to tell that I’m an outsider? Would they care? Should I be preparing myself to face their ire? Corvus glanced to at the vantha next to him, He seems an agreeable enough sort for now, but I best watch who I ally myself with, there’s no telling what kinds of grudges are being held in a den of nuits hundreds of years old.