Closed Unexpected Work (Koroshtoph)

[Kynier]

Only having just met Koroshtoph, Kynier could not differentiate the man’s expressions. It could have been thoughtful pondering as much as it could have been anger. The man’s natural expression made it impossible to tell this early how he had taken Kynier’s quick summarization of the Sun’s Birth. At this point he did not really care either. Mostly due to a lack of time. That caused Kynier to hasten his stride. They would have perhaps only eight bells before whatever plan they formulated would need to be put into action. Correction, whatever plan he formulated. Koroshtoph simply had a dangerous curiosity and desire for gold. This entire ordeal was not personal to the Hypnotist.

But it was to Kynier.

The man’s words about redemption struck a cord with him. A deep resonance to why Kynier had come to the city years ago despite knowing the animosity the citizens would hold for him should they ever discover the truth. To change the city for a better version of itself. One that would hopefully be an influence on the whole word. Then Koroshtoph talked about Kynier’s “employer” with a bit of venom in his tone. It was wise of him to cut himself off and apologize when asking about Kynier’s involvement. The mage had only shared that knowledge with one person and wasn’t about to reveal it to a stranger he just met.

“There’s no longer an order of Sylirain Knights in Sunberth. They’re the Sun’s Birth and only offer their services to those that can afford it. While they claim to work in an effort to better the city, they only patrol the areas they have control of. They’re no different from any of the other thug on the street, except they are better equipped and better trained.”

They took a ferry to cross the Mudway to the southern half of Baroque Bay. The docks were at their typical level of activity. Sailors were not as timid about the rain as the rest of the city and had cargos to move. Kynier weaved through the harbor while staying closer to the city’s edge. His eyes scanned the opening to the alleys for his informant. For a mile or so he led the way until he saw the old man he was looking for. With Koroshtoph in tow, Kynier approached the beggar. The old man had no cloak and seemed to have resorted to collection discarded scraps to wrap himself in.

From the array of colors of the makeshift garb, it must have smelled something aweful. The constant drizzle had saved them from experiencing it. The beggar’s eyes widened hopefully and he sat up straight. At the sight of Koroshtoph the old man procured a dagger from under the garb and held it up at the Hypnotists direction. “Put that away, Wayd,” Kynier said a bit irritably. The old man always seemed to find a reason to bring the thing out. “I have a few questions for you,” his tone more neutral.

Wayd’s eyes did not leave the other man though his head shifted in Kynier’s direction. “Silver questions?”

Kynier nodded as he reached into his coin purse. “Silver questions. There’s a shipment coming for the Sun’s Birth today. Maybe its already here. What do you know about that?”

The beggar’s eyes shifted to Kynier and the beggar actually started to laugh. “That boat came in yesterday. Them Dragoons been arguing with the harbor master ever since about taking it out. The harbor master hasn’t let them for some such reason or another. They’ve been loitering around the whole time down at Cherry Bay.” Kynier smiled and gave the old man two silvers for the information. It had taken some time but Old Wayd learned which questions the spy tended to ask. The old hand took the coin and resettled himself under his covers to stay dry.

Kynier turned and took a few steps away from the alley. “Their ‘delay’ is most likely going to be corrected before dusk. That’ll give us an opportunity to get an idea of what we face and make a plan.” Turning southeast, Kynier led them down the harbor towards Cherry Bay. It and its sister pier, Darkest Waters, were the busiest and best maintained piers of the harbor. So naturally the Sun’s Birth would have their goods come in through on of those two. That made it easy to know when one was approaching. The ships themselves were larger and of better quality as well. When they finally approached Cherry Bay, Kynier slowed his pace and started making a gradual circle to stand next to a post used for a night lamp.

At the end of one of the piers was a large wagon with several armed men. They had the look of Dragoons though it was impossible to see the brands on their hands. Armor was wet from the rain and each of them carried at least two weapons. Kynier got a quick count of those he could see. Eight of them. Shyke. It was most of a squad.

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[Koroshtoph Ephael Petyr]

Though Koroshtoph had apologized for his interrogation, the lack of a response on Kynier’s part was nevertheless somewhat revealing. The man didn’t hasten to give a mundane answer, nor did he reassure that the apology was misplaced. It was not enough to confirm Kynier’s personal involvement in the mission, but in Koroshtoph’s mind, it had put the final nail in the coffin of the unappealing money explanation. The hypnotist looked at his employer as they quickened their step. He wondered if he too had noted that silence was an answer of sorts, and had perhaps taken offense at the unintentional maneuver. When Kynier spoke up it was not to address this issue but to expand on the rogue knights.

No longer an order of Syliran Knights? Have they really festered so long in Sunberth that all semblance of their founding values has rotted away? And how long has it been – were there even any former knights still left in this gang? Though Koroshtoph's anger had been quick, he was now beginning to wonder about his conclusions. Kynier was not lying about the group, of that the Syliran was quite sure, but the possibility that he had a wrong view of them still remained. He thought of this as they made their way to the docks.

The thicker crowd in there might have made conversation on their current course risky. In any event, Kynier seemed to be too focused on the task to entertain any chatter. Following in his quick stride, Koroshtoph looked around at the bay rushing past them. It was much different in the light of day, its flaws more apparent under Syna’s gaze, as obscured as it was this day by clouds and rain.

Upon boarding a ferry to the southern side of the area, the recent memory of stumbling onto one of the Svefra ships entered the Syliran’s mind. His head had been pounding then, a dull headache serving as punishment for the excesses of the previous night. He was not sure that the one they took today was not the same one, and he spent the ride assessing the Svefra for any signs of familiarity. The memory was an embarrassing one, and he hoped not the have many more like it in the future. When they stepped back onto solid ground, he was very much glad of it. He looked over at his employer as they continued their march. Kynier now seemed even more withdrawn into his own focus, so Koroshtoph decided to pay the part of the silent mercenary.

They walked a while before the wretched old man came into view. At first, Koroshtoph did not realize that their approach was deliberate, and he looked at the beggar with some pity, though the thought might not have come through in his expression. He reached into his pocket for a copper miza upon seeing the man react to their approach, but his goodwill evaporated at the sight of the dagger pointed towards him. The djed had already gathered in his eyes, but he caught himself when Kynier spoke to the man as if they knew each other. Wayd, as Kynier had called him, still seemed distrustful, and Koroshtoph threw him a scowl but left it at that. It seemed that his employer and this man had some sort of arrangement and a mutual trust, given that Kynier asked him what appeared to be a sensitive question.

The answer given intrigued Koroshtoph. In what relation were the harbor master and the fallen Syliran Knights? Was it the thing they were transporting? They didn’t linger to ask for these details, which perhaps were irrelevant and of which the old man was likely ignorant. What was important was that Wayd referred to them dragoons. Optimistically that meant at least two, though it was likely to be more. Koroshtoph furrowed his brow at the thought, throwing Wayd another reproachful look before following his employer.

When Kynier spoke about the harbormaster being only a temporary obstacle for their target, the former squire wondered what exactly that meant. It seemed unwise, however, to ask for details here, so he simply gave a curt nod before following in silence. At first, he was unsure of why Kynier’s slowed his step, now walking more cautiously and seemingly without purpose. It only became clear when he saw him looking at a pier. Koroshtoph’s eyes grew wide at the sight of the well-armed men guarding the wagon they were after. A swordsman of any skill would be hard-pressed to handle such odds, but a failed Syliran squire surely stood no chance at all. In essence, this was what he was, and though he liked not to think of himself in those terms, he was humble enough to be frightened now. He tried not to show it as he looked to Kynier.

“How the petch do they expect us to...” he said quietly and trailed off though he had made sure no one was close enough to hear.

[Kynier]

The most immediate thoughts Kynier had were not in relation to the “how”, like Koroshtoph. It was the “what” that his mind had begun to consider first. What is the wagon carrying that warrants having eight Dragoons to guard it? Setting a shoulder against the lamp post, Kynier stripped his gaze away to look somewhere else in the harbor. Thoughtfully, he scratched at his jaw as his mind started running down the same path as Koroshtoph’s initial reaction. Though for him it was a matter of how he was going to discover and procure the item in question from the cart.

Koroshtoph was a mercenary, and an unpaid one at that. The only thing keeping him around was the man’s own curiosity. Still, the challenge before them was daunting. Kynier had expected four, perhaps even five, armed guards for the shipment. Enough to deter all but a dedicated force of attack from their rivals. But eight? Unless the two of them somehow managed to acquire the services of another three our four competent fighters, the odds were simply too great for direct confrontation. At least by mundane methods of assault. Kynier’s eye fell on the Hypnotist and his gaze narrowed questioningly.

“Koroshtoph, how much are you able to influence another with your talent?” He asked in a hushed manner. “Is it strong enough to be able to turn those men on each other?” If it was then that would make a significant difference. The ability to invoke a few ticks of chaos as they turn them on each other unexpectedly. That would grant them enough time to either blindly grab something off the wagon, or at least dispatch one or two of the guards before their presence was realized. However, if Koroshtoph was not able to do that, then they would be forced to come up with a very creative plan.

Assuming Koroshtoph wasn’t smart enough to walk away. Coin was an excellent motivator, but it had its limits. It didn’t matter if it was twenty-five, or twenty-five hundred gold mizzas, both had the same value to a dead man. Kynier did not have the luxury of walking away. The only path he could take was forward. Yet none of the paths forward had any appeal. Turning his eyes back on their objective, Kynier sighed heavily. How where they going to deal with the guards?

After a moment, Kynier had a realization. One that would be apparent in his eyes and would straighten his posture with optimism. Too much focus was being placed on the guards. All they needed to be concerned with was the wagon itself. It would be impossible for more than a couple of them to ride along with he shipment. Most would be walking alongside. So, going along that thought process, how could they get the wagon to abandon the guard? There was no horse or set of ponies currently hooked up to the wagon. Perhaps that was it. Kynier shifted so that his back was facing the pier and leaned in Koroshtoph’s direction to whisper. “How effective is Hypnotism on animals?”

There was nothing else to do at the pier that he could think of. Kynier reached into his pocket to procure the map of where the “ambush” was to take place. With a gesture of his hand, he indicated for the Hypnotist to follow him as he gave an answer to Kynier’s question. The mage examined the map again and started leading the two of them towards where their efforts would take place. Once Koroshtoph finished his explanation Kynier would explain his plan in the making.

“With that many guards, it just simply isn’t possible to get past them with brute force. Not unless we are able to match their numbers, which we can’t do in so short of a time. But we don’t need to worry about all eight of them. Just the ones that will be on the wagon itself. If we can get the animals that will be hauling the shipment to panic, they’ll leave the guards walking on foot behind.” If Koroshtoph could accomplish that with Hypnotism that would be excellent. If not… there were other, more traditional ways, of making a pack animal panic.

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[Koroshtoph Ephael Petyr]

If Kynier was afraid, Koroshtoph could not see it on his face. When the man spoke up, it was not to uselessly commiserate about the odds, but to get straight to the matter of how the objective would be achieved. This was a man of action, and a slight feeling of embarrassment creeped into Koroshtoph’s mind at the thought of his own first reaction. However, he did not need much time to consider Kynier’s question. It was a tall order, and when he spoke to answer it, it was in a tone that made it clear that he thought as much was obvious.

“It’s not as simple as flicking my finger to get them at each other’s throats. If I were to do it, it would take considerable preparation.” He glanced in the direction of the dragoons with consideration. “And I would have to find some conflict that’s already there. If that were there then perhaps I could exacerbate it.” Pausing a moment, he turned back to Kynier. “To create conflict out of nothing would be impossible to do in any reasonable amount of time. Even if I somehow managed it, any manufactured conflict would hardly distract them from our assault.”

Kynier’s second question caught Koroshtoph off guard. Not only because it veered into a territory of hypnotism with which he was unfamiliar, but also because Kynier had named his skill. It seemed that the man was familiar with the art, though, judging by his questions, he was obviously not a practitioner. Was it more common knowledge than the Syliran had imagined? Another question for later. Brushing that aside, he took a chime to consider the question.

If a human mind could be manipulated through djed, he reasoned, surely a comparatively simpler mind of an animal should be an even easier target. On the other hand, the mind of an animal was also quite different to that of a human, so any suggestion would have to be tailored with that in mind. But what would such a suggestion even look like? The hypnotist furrowed his brow at the quandary. Perhaps an emotion would be easier to impose. Yes, that seemed the safer bet.

“I don’t see a real reason why it would not work on an animal,” he said, following Kynier. “If it isn’t particularly hardy, it should find it more difficult to suppress the influence than an average person.”

Koroshtoph deliberately omitted the fact that this was merely theory, and that he was not speaking from experience. The previous fear had given way to curiosity, and he wanted to see if this was something that could be done. More than that, he wanted to test himself. After Kynier elaborated on his plan, the Syliran spoke up again.

“I would have to be quite close to the animals to do this. When they pass me by, I can barrage them with emotional suggestion. They should not be able to rationalize what is happening to them, so that alone should be enough to spook them. Usually these suggestion are subtle, but in this case I don’t need to worry about being exposed, since the animals will have no way of knowing what’s happening to them.”

“Even in the case that it doesn’t spur them to panic, it should definitely make them more susceptible to being scared through other means,” he added with some hesitation, not wanting to overemphasize the possibility of failure. He quickly went on:

“But what do you plan to do when they run off with the wagon? Wait for them further on?”

[Kynier]

Hypnotism was a discipline of magic that Kynier could’ve learned had he dedicated his life to magic the way his instructor had hoped he would. Instead, he had left after only ten years of apprenticeship. Kynier had several disciplines at his disposal. Yet there were several others he “lost” access to from coming to Sunberth when he did. So, he was aware of what Hypnotism was but did not understand any of the nuances. As they walked he listened intently to Koroshtoph’s explanation to the circumstances for such a task to be accomplished.

As for the proposal of using it on the pack animals, the mercenary retreated to his own thoughts. There he lingered for some time. When the Hypnotist spoke, Kynier could hear the tone in Koroshtoph’s voice that indicated it was a theory. And not a theory that the man seemed to want to shy away from either. Kynier thought on Koroshtoph’s observations. This plan in the making had no certainties at all. The whole thing seemed like a shyke idea. With only a few bells to plan for a scenario that he still didn’t have the full understanding of he expected the initial plan to end in catastrophe anyway.

Almost nothing ever goes according to plan. And hastily made plans almost never work. So, whatever they decided on, they would need to formulate at least one back-up. Kynier looked to Koroshtoph while he answered the man’s question. “Possibly. First we’ll need to have a good look at the place recommended to initiate whatever it is we do.” It was then that Kynier had an uneasy feeling. Not about their scenario necessarily. There was something that caused an itch to form in the back of his mind. When the two of them made their next turn Kynier stopped to peer around the corner back the way they came.

He was looking at all the faces that he could see and did not see anyone that the recognized. “Hmph.” Stepping away from the corner he retook the lead to where they were going. After fifteen chimes Kynier looked down at the map again and compared it to their surroundings. They were in the Sunset Quarter officially. The roads and alleys were beginning their labyrinth style of organization where the two mages stood. The spacing was small and several narrow alleys were accessible. But it was not well traversed. Kynier looked up and down the street. Only the two of them were using it from what he could see.

“This is the place,” he said looking around. Kynier did not just take in the position of alleys. His eyes went up to look at the rooftops as well as down to determine the condition of the road and its clutter. They were at the beginning of a long stretch of road. Causing the animals to panic would give them the ability to see it from afar and time their efforts appropriately. Kynier set his hands on his hips as he meandered a few paces. In all honesty, he didn’t like it at all.

It was narrow, and though there were plenty of avenues of escape, there would not be much room for movement. Considering the idea from earlier, Koroshtoph would have to be dangerously close to the transport to use Hypnotism. If it worked, he’d be left standing next to all the guards that remained on foot. If they were suspicious of him, that would not go well for the Hypnotist. Getting the wagon away from the guards was still the best sounding idea, he just didn’t know how to get that done in a reasonably safe way.

A hand scratched at his chin as he mulled the initial plan over in his mind. Then with the hand he began to gesture as the mage spoke aloud. “If you’re positioned here, they would have to go right by you. The wagon is most likely too large to fit down any of the side streets. If you managed to put the pack animals into a panic, enough of one for the driver to lose control, they’d just run straight.” A hand pointed at the roof tops further down the way. “I could see them coming and drop down on the wagon as it approached. Deal with the remaining guards that are riding with the shipment.”

He turned and faced his mercenary. “But that leaves you standing here with at least five trained members of the Sun’s Birth.” Kynier thought it over and shook his head. “And if that doesn’t work, we’d need to do something else. But what could we do that doesn’t disable the wagon?” With another series of glances, Kynier considered how his own magic could be implemented to improve their chances of success. Reimancy would permit the highest chance of scaring the animals. However, the discipline was ostentatious. It was so damp that fire would not be much of a threat, making earth the more likely choice.

Voiding. The gateways he was capable of were still small and took half a chime of concentration to form. That would only be helpful on a stationary target that they intended to disable. If his Projection were stronger he could just reach from afar and lift the contents of the transport into the air. But, all those ideas would immediately alert the whole area to a mage’s presence. Creating a lynch mob that would hunt him down. Glyphing? Kynier looked around. Glyphing. Traps could be made with it. Kynier gave Koroshtoph a hard look. One that lingered for several moments as he contemplated an alternative. One that would give away the secret that he too was a mage.

But he would wait on one thing before deciding on that. “Do you have any thoughts on what we could do?” If there was still going to be a “we” at all.

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[Koroshtoph Ephael Petyr]

Was someone following them? Kynier’s manner indicated as much, but since he offered no explanation, save for a short mutter, Koroshtoph suppressed his curiosity and followed in silence. As they walked on, the streets around them became more and more familiar and a shadow fell over the Syliran’s mood. After some chimes, an involuntary scowl overcame his face. Home. The word crept into his thoughts as he realized where they were. His conscious had recoiled at the label, and a bitterness now rose up in him. The Sunset Quarters did not deserve to usurp that name from The Bittern District.

It was strange, the further in the distance of his memory the small apartment of his childhood withdrew, the clearer his nostalgia for it became. All the bad memories melted into the background and gave way to the pleasant ones. But the pleasant ones were all the more distressing for the fact that they were out of reach.

“This is the place.”

The words shook the Syliran out of his reverie. He blinked as if awakened from sleep, and forced himself to banish the unwelcome thoughts to the back of his mind. After a few moments of what seemed like careful consideration, Kynier spoke up again. As he outlined the scenario that was to unfold, it was clear that he was having doubts about the plan. At first, they were doubts which Koroshtoph did not share. How would they know? Their horses go berserk, but why would they pin it on some bystander? It was only when he remembered how easily Kynier had discovered his attempt at hypnotizing him that the idea lost some of its luster. It was not enough to deter him from wanting to try it, but it put some caution in his voice as he spoke up.

“When I directed that suggestion at you back at The Establishment, I thought it would be impossible for you to know I had done it. Obviously you did. I still don’t know how you managed that, but I don’t think they’ll be able to do the same, right? Especially since I won’t actually be targeting them directly.” He thought the reasoning solid, yet still there was some part of his more sober mind that told him things were not as simple as he made them out to Kynier. That part of his mind was losing the battle with his curiosity and ambition. “Even if they would suspect me, I can escape down one of these alleys before they gain their bearings enough for something like that to occur to them.”

The street is empty though.

“I suppose it would be safer if there were more people around, but we don’t really have that option. Unless we ambush them somewhere else. But I assume your employer had a good reason to point us to this place.” He made a motion at the street around them. Kynier’s eyes were now pointed directly at the Syliran, and he saw in them something which he could not quite place. The question he posed was met with a quick response.

“I think separating them from the wagon should be our main object. There’s no chance of getting to the wagon through force or stealth while there’s eight of them. We just need to make sure that my efforts on the animals works. If there’s something you could do that I could latch onto... something that would not be too obvious but would underline my hypnotic suggestion.”

To talk so openly with someone about his ability felt strange. It was more than he had done with anyone in Syliras with the exception of his mother. This man, however, seemed completely unperturbed by it. Of course, he had taken offense to it being used against him, but that would hold true for any other intrusion as well. There was something there, but Koroshtoph could not yet quite puzzle out Kynier’s relationship to magic.

[Kynier]

Silence was all Kynier gave Koroshtoph’s remark about having his Hypnotism being detected. There was an answer for that, but Kynier wanted to hear the man’s full opinion first before deciding to share that answer or not. Koroshtoph seemed of mind that there would not be anything suspicious about being next to the wagon when the animals begin to panic. Normally Kynier would agree with that. However, it appeared that Koroshtoph would be the only person visibly present on the street. Perhaps the squad was not trained enough to notice such a thing. The question was if it was worth gambling a man’s life on the assumption that they would not suspect him.

Kynier had no emotional attachment to the Hypnotist but did not feel the gamble was worth it. The fact that Koroshtoph did not seem deterred by the possibility was gratifying. The man had some spine at least to put himself at risk. Either that or an abundant lack of sense. Only the result of their efforts would be able to determine the difference. Kynier took a step back and crossed his arms as he looked down the street one way and then the other. Once he was sure no one was within hearing distance he turned his eyes back on Koroshtoph.

“That was not the first time Hypnotism has been used on me. And I would not have noticed it were it now for the faintest of a gold glimmer in your eyes when you channeled your Djed through them.” Kynier looked past Koroshtoph to the wall of the structure behind him. As Kynier walked towards that wall he withdrew the dagger that was strapped to the belt at his back, under the cloak. He turned the blade on the outside of his left forearm and made a small cut in his own skin. He sheathed the dagger and procured a quill from a hidden pocket on the inside of his vest. The Mighty Quill was ten-inch feather that was dark blue at the center and faded to white at the tips.

The tip of the quill was placed in the blood that was welling up from his cut. After wetting it with the red medium, Kynier started making a drawing on the stone wall. The Mighty Quill’s magic made the blood stick to the stone like ink to paper. It took Kynier a chime to draw, but he formed a rune on the stone in his blood. “Vasat,” he said without looking to Koroshtoph. “It can be interpreted as battle, conflict, fight, or attack. Seems fitting as you’ll be attacking their state of mind.”

Kynier set the tip in his blood again and began the next stage of his sigil and formed a chain of runes in a circle around the Focus. The chain was a repetition of the same rune until it closed the circle, which took five chimes to draw. Then Kynier tickled his chin with the feather end of his quill. They wouldn’t want to use a verbal command for activation. While he had not yet tried it, he knew the principles for conditional activations. Kynier spent another five chimes drawing a strange rune just outside the circle. Once it was done he took a step back.

“Alright,” he turned his gaze on Koroshtoph. “This is a Sigil. It can store magic temporarily.” Kynier pointed at the Vasat Focus in the center. “You can generate the spell you would use on the horses and focus on imbuing it into that rune in the center. The amount of Djed that it can hold is fairly decent. But, if that chain around the center begins to glow red you need to immediately stop imbuing it.” With a step forward, he pointed at the Trigger run with the end of the Mighty Quill. “This is what will activate the magic. ‘When a horse walks by’ is the condition.”

Kynier turned back to Koroshtoph with a slight smirk, “This way, you can use your Hypnotism without being in close proximity. Which allows both of us to attempt to jump onto the wagon and not worry about needing to rendezvous somewhere.”

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[Koroshtoph Ephael Petyr]

OOCI'm sorry for the wait!

A faint golden glimmer? Koroshtoph was more confused than he had been before. Noticing such a small detail and deducing that it was hypnotism was an impressive feat, even taking into account that the man claimed to have been targeted by the school of magic before. There was little time for that now, but he would be eager to know more. Unless Kynier had just been exceptionally lucky, there must have been something more behind it. If the ability to detect hypnotism from the outside was something accessible to anyone, it would be very useful to learn about it.

What also struck the Syliran was the fact that the man knew the word ‘djed’. More tellingly still, he seemed to be aware of how it was used. A realization hit him just as Kynier took out a blade and drew it across his forearm. The man was a mage. Strangely enough, the gesture would have been more shocking in the absence of this revelation. Still, the ostentatious quill produced shorty after had Koroshtoph raise an eyebrow. When it was dipped in the freshly opened wound, the hypnotist opened his mouth to speak, but words failed him for the moment. It was only when Kynier approached and started drawing on the stone wall that he finally managed to speak up.

“Do you mean to leave them a message in blood? You know, I’m beginning to wonder if I picked the right side here.” He said the last words with a half chuckle, trying to make the joke clear. Eventually an answer came in the form of a word he had not heard before. Its meaning seemed to have something to do with what was expected of the hypnotist within this ever-changing plan. He gave a curt nod, and looked with interest at the blood traced rune that now occupied the previously empty patch of wall. The way it had stuck to the stone seemed unnatural. So this must be some sort of magic. The strangeness of the whole thing combined with Kynier’s knowledge of djed made this a likely conclusion. However, the question of what sort of magic this was remained unanswered. Though his mother had mentioned some other ways djed could be manipulated, Koroshtoph could not map any of them to this one. He continued to wonder at it as Kynier returned to his work. Not much came of the wondering.

It was only when the other mage finished drawing an intricate chain of runes that he deigned to explain himself further. Apparently, the drawing on the wall was meant to hold magic. “Good thinking,” the Syliran said tentatively, stepping closer to the runes. “I haven’t done this sort of thing before,” he added, taking a breath.

The bloody wall before him was unlike any of his previous targets. It had no eyes to see or ears to hear, and when the hypnotist focused the djed to his eyes it felt as if it had no target. It was much like trying to speak to an inanimate object. Nevertheless, Koroshtoph searched his mind for an emotion that would fit the purpose. Glancing at his employer, he was reminded of the sword at his side, now sheathed, had not long ago been pointed at his neck. The memory shot a chill through him, and he infused it into the djed, which he channeled towards the rune. In the state of focus, the moments passed as chimes, but he was determined to make the spell as potent as possible. It was only when the red lines began to softly glow that he averted his gaze. It was then that he became aware of a slight sharp pain in his eyes. If Kynier looked, he could see that they were bloodshot, and as Koroshtoph spoke his voice betrayed a hint of tiredness.

“Ok, where shall we wait for the ambush?”

[Kynier]

It would not have been the first time Kynier had left such a message. Early last Summer, he had a confrontation with three brothers of the Daggerhand when he was inquiring about the Night of Masks, and they did not appreciate his curiosity. None of his questions had been answered, and he left them in an alley burned with a message in blood above the bodies. It had caused some unrest among the lower ranks of the gang for a time. It was all but forgotten by now. Though it wasn’t a message that he was leaving here. Merely a Sigil for Koroshtoph to infuse his Hypnotism into so that his abilities could be used without standing right next to the shipment when it came.

His concentration on drawing the Sigil only permitted him to snort in amusement with a half smirk at Koroshtoph’s jest. It wasn’t exactly a choice though was it? Kynier had promised him gold in exchange for his services. From what he knew, Koroshtoph wasn’t likely to stay with he Sun’s Birth for very long if he had sided with them. The Hypnotist had a presence about him. It would have been easy to call it arrogance, or even pretentious, given how he had addressed the citizens of a city that he had not been present in for very long. It was more than that though. Koroshtoph seemed to cling to the ideals of the Sylirian Knights, which made him a terrible fit for the Sun’s Birth. But desperation could cause people to do anything. Kynier hoped that the Hypnotist never got desperate enough to make that sacrifice.

Koroshoph admitted to not knowing how he was to imbue his magic into the Sigil. Before Kynier could give a more elaborate explanation he noticed how intently the Hypnotist was staring at the Sigil. He remained quiet as he suspected that the other mage was harnessing his Djed and didn’t want to disturb the man’s concentration. After a moment, the Randjaq runes that made the Barrier of the Sigil began to glow red. The Hypnotist quickly averted his gaze and Kynier could see the pained expression. “Are you alright?” he asked. Slouching to get a better look at the other man, Kynier saw that Koroshtoph’s eyes were bloodshot.

“Hmm.” A minor sign of overgiving. “Looks like you’ve reached your limits.” Any more would only cause the Hypnotist to display the more unpleasant symptoms of overgiving. “I guess I’ll just have to rely on your sword from this point on.” When Koroshtoph asked about where they would lie in wait, Kynier looked down the street. “I’m not sure,” he said quietly before looking up at the sky. The rain was still coming down in a gentle drizzle and the clouds were a light gray color. Another idea suddenly came to him. “First, we should make a secondary plan,” he said taking ten steps down the street in the direction that the shipment would be going.

Kynier paused in the middle before taking a few steps to the side opposite of where the Sigil infused with Hypnotism was. He rolled the Might Quill’s tip in his blood again to refresh its writing material before kneeling down to the ground. For a tick he tried to imagine it in his mind before he set the blood to the ground to draw another Sigil. One that was much more complicated than the last. Kynier took over five chimes to draw a larger, more sophisticated rune. Ruwe Alapechi. A combination of three runes to assist in generating the desired effect.

It was more complicated due to the nature of the runes as how Kynier knew to illustrate them. Ruwe and Ala were both three dimensional in design. They represented “that which is above” or more commonly interpreted as “heaven”, which was Ala; and Rwue which was “that which is below” or “underneath”. Pechi was “to unite” and connected the two three dimensional runes together. Kynier said the meaning aloud to himself when he was done, “To unite heaven with that which is below.” Dipping the magic quill in more of his blood, Kynier took another pair of chimes to create his Randjaq chain Barrier again. For the Trigger, he established the condition of activate to be “when a wagon passes”.

When it was all done, Kynier stowed the Might Quill back to its designated secret pocket inside his dark green vest. He gave the Hypnotist a glance over his shoulder. “This Sigil should go off regardless of the success or failure of the first one. By itself, it may be enough to scare the horses into a panic run. Should the first Sigil be successful, then this one will simply compound the desired effect.” Then he turned his attention back on the Sigil and took a deep breath. Kynier willed his Djed to rise from his soulcore. When it approached the surface of his body he reached out and set his hand an few inches above the Sigil. The Djed transmuted itself into res which permeated from his hand to drift down to the glyph.

It was translucent and confined itself to within the Barrier. Kynier willed his power to fuse itself with the ink. In his mind he was willing the res to mostly transform into Air before immediately igniting it with Fire’s energy. The remaining res was harnessed to develop attraction. As the spell was formed and infused with the Sigil, Kynier smiled. The Barrier had a faint red glow to it as he stood up. After a moment it settled back to the dark color of dried blood. “If this does not work either, then it’s going to get very interesting,” he commented aloud.

Continued In...

NaNo Post: 954

Boxcode credit goes to Gossamer!

[Kynier]

Grades!

 

Kynier

Skill Rewards

• Detection +2
• Drawing +1
• Glyphing +2
• Interrogation +4
• Intimidation +1
• Investigation +2
• Leadership +5
• Logic +4
• Planning +5
• Projection +2
• Reimancy +1
• Socialization +5
• Stealth +2
• Subterfuge +1
• Teaching +2

Lores Learned

• Drawing: How to draw Vasat Glyph
• Drawing: How to draw Ruwe Alapechi
• Glyphing: Forming a Sigil for another mage’s use
• Glyphing: Combining three runes for a Focus
• Hypnotism: Noticing the golden flare of the irises
• Hypnotism: Not as simple as flicking a finger
• Koroshtoph: A Hypnotist
• Koroshtoph: Had tutelage from a Sylirian Knight
• Leadership: Hiring some help
• Location: Cherry Bay
• Logic: Almost nothing ever goes according to plan
• Logic: Hastily made plans almost never work
• Planning: Have a back-up plan
• Projection: Deliberately causing pain during attachment to break from Hypnotism
• Reimancy: Infusing a Sigil to attract Lightning
• Stealth: Regulating your breath
• Subterfuge: Hard to see the whole board when one was only a pawn

 

Koroshtoph

Skill Rewards

• Hypnotism +2
• Interrogation +3
• Investigation +1
• Land Navigation +1
• Logic +3
• Observation +5
• Rhetoric +1
• Socialization +5

Lores Learned

• Glyphing: Vasat, meaning battle, conflict, or fight
• Glyphing: Sigils can store magic
• Hypnotism: Imbuing a spell into a Glyphing Sigil
• Kynier; Not a Sunberth Native
• Kynier: Claims to have been targeted by Hypnotism before
• Kynier: A Mage
• Location: The Establishment
• Location: Cherry Bay
• Self: Envy is not an admirable trait
• Self: Did view himself as a mage
• Self: Curious to know if Kynier is a force for good or ill
• The Sun's Birth: Originated from the Sylirian Knights
• The Sun's Birth: A corrupt organization

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