Flashback Break with the past Part 7

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Built into the cliffs overlooking the Suvan Sea, Riverfall resides on the edge of grasslands of Cyphrus where the Bluevein River plunges off the plain and cascades down to the inland sea below. Home of the Akalak, Riverfall is a self-supporting city populated by devoted warriors. [Riverfall Codex]

Break with the past Part 7

Postby Karsynwa on December 1st, 2020, 2:08 am

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6th of Spring, 490 AV

Unfortunately, by the time he grabbed Zandar and brought him back down, his pea of soulmist had dissipated into the common goop of the rest of the mixture. Still, Zandar believed his earnestness or at least was to polite to contradict him with his facial expressions. Actually, Zandar seemed genuinely happy for him which left Karsynwa feeling good as he handed the book back to the librarian.

“You were right, it did help to contextualize everything by reading it through. I still need to work on how I visualize djed I think, but it was an interesting experiment” Karsynwa said, a slight grin on his face. Zandar turned the book over in his hands and returned the smile.

“What did you think of how it ended?” Zandar asked.

“Actually that is something I wanted to ask you about. Is there perhaps another journal where this is continued or is this the end of it?” Karsynwa asked.

“This is the only one that has turned up. It was brought to us by a man who claimed to have been asked to hold it by the man who wrote this journal. When the man didn’t return to ask for it, he took it to the library for safekeeping as he had plans to travel to Syliras and didn’t want to leave without leaving the book behind just in case the spiritist returned. He never has, but we’ve kept this book on our shelf in good condition and just in case he returns for it, we made two copies of it, one of which you hold in your hands right now.” Zandar said.

“But wait, if that is true, then what of the grotto? Did anyone ever go back to check it out to look for this creature the spiritist had mentioned?” Karsynwa asked.

“The desolate one? Yes. Once the book was brought back here and its contents read, the militia were immediately alerted to the danger. However when they searched the grotto they found nothing save a wayward spirit that threw rocks at them. They sent a spiritist in promptly to take care of the ghost, and closed the cave. After they dropped rocks over the entrance, we haven’t had any ghost problems with that stretch of the water, nor has the desolate one made another appearance. Hopefully it has moved on to somewhere remote where it can satisfy its cravings on zith and other beasts.” Zandar said.

“Cravings?” Karsynwa asked. It seemed a strange term to apply to a ghost. He didn’t think they could have cravings being ethereal.

“Yes, desolate ones are a different breed than your run of the mill ghost. They are marked thrice by Uldr, the god of the undead, and they serve the lieutenants for his army. If one is in the city, it usually means it has a few underlings with it, and is up to no good. Uldr is a spiteful being and so are his followers. Wherever they go, they are acting on his plan, and carrying out his orders. An you can be sure that death will follow them because Uldr makes sure of it by inflicting dark cravings on his followers that grow stronger overtime. If I had to guess about the desolate one mentioned in this journal, I suspect its craving had something to do with the water, drowning perhaps. That or it was just using the cave to lay low while it carried out its dark deeds.” Zandar said.


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Break with the past Part 7

Postby Karsynwa on December 1st, 2020, 2:09 am

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Date, Season, Year

That reassured Karsynwa somewhat that there was not a monster lurking near Riverfall. Though if he thought about it, wasn’t that always a possibility with the Sea of Grass on their doorstep. Monsters were plenty out there with more than a few straying near Riverfall during the harder Winter months. Perhaps that was the reason the people had learned how to manipulate djed. To help them hunt these creatures that were otherwise invulnerable to mortal means. It was just a shame that there was not more on the subject, but he understood the reasoning behind it. At least he did somewhat. All of the books he’d ever read were written in this style, or like a list of recipes. Never where they like how the teachers taught, which was why he found Zandar’s company invaluable as the librarian was able to feel in the gaps of his understanding. He’d have to find out some way to make it up to him beyond just doing another chore. Perhaps bring him a gift.

“I can see why so few people do it. Magic seems like dangerous work.” Karsynwa said, looking at Zandar.

“Indeed, it has its own inherent dangers that are greater than simply straining a muscle. You can do irreparable harm to yourself if you misuse it.” Zandar said.

“So is that the only book here on Spiritism?” Karsynwa asked.

Zandar nodded. “Afraid so, and we are lucky to have this one.”

“Are there any Spiritists in the city right now?” Karsynwa asked.

“I don’t know, but I would not tell you if I did. Magic users are an inherently secretive lot, and the last thing they would want is to be approached by a child with questions. They do not teach just anybody and tend to stick with their own when it comes time to pass their talents on. I am afraid books are the closest you will come to the art, but I think you have got a significant grasp of what djed is, and what it is used for. Now you can focus on your other studies, and leave this behind you. Your hands will be plenty full enough soon with the preparation for your upcoming trial so you don’t need the added distraction of a magic you can only get an incomplete understanding of.” Zandar said, his voice kind but firm.

Karsynwa nodded slowly. “I understand, thank you for your help. I’ll try to come back again soon to read more of those speeches.” Karsynwa said, wearing a light grin. It wasn’t an answer he truly felt in his heart, but it would be disrespectful to gainsay the librarian after the man had helped him so much. It just meant he couldn’t come here again for that sort of information and that he would have to start looking elsewhere for his answers if this was something he wanted to continue to pursue. He wasn’t even sure that was the case really. Better to let it sit for a few days to see how he ended up feeling about it. Zandar wasn’t wrong when he reminded him he still had plenty of preparation to do.

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Break with the past Part 7

Postby Karsynwa on December 1st, 2020, 2:10 am

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Date, Season, Year

He managed to put it out of his mind as he went about the days lessons, learning more about the wide world around him. It had been easy before to think of Riverfall as all there was, but as he grew there was so much more to know. Around every corner there was yet another thing to learn which was in turn connected to another in an endless string. It was encouraging in a way because it meant there was room for change in what he knew now. That the world was ripe for more than a few adventures. He longed to see it now, to go out there and explore. To meet these races he only read about in his studies, though he knew he would have to have patience yet. He was still too young for that. Would be for a long time, and that meant he needed to focus on his training so he would be ready when that day came. For it was all he could do to keep his mind off the fact that he wasn’t out there already, doing the things these tales suggested.

After the class with Felaris was over he approached the instructor about his extra curricular studies. With a small inward smile, he noted that Felaris seemed somewhat pleased by this development by the fact that he was talking a good deal more than he usually did.

“Did you know there is a race that survives because of magic?” Felaris asked, a curious twinkle in his eyes.

Surprised, Karsynwa shook his head. “No, who?” Karsynwa asked, not remembering reading about such a race in his studies.

“The Nuit. They were once people as you or I before they became what they are now. Undead beings that must constantly switch between dead bodies because they rot overtime. They’re rare to see this far out because our weather is not the best for one of their condition. It would either freeze them solid in the Winter or rot them to pieces in the Summer. I suppose that is fortunate for us, because really who would want to tolerate their smell or risk the trouble their strange magic might cause. I actually wrote on them before I became a teacher here as part of an in depth study on Arcanology.” Felaris said, leaning back against the wall as he crinkled his nose.

“Really? Could I read it sometime?” Karsynwa asked.

Felaris mulled over his question for a tick before responding. “I suppose I could try to dig it up sometime. We’ll see how you do with your lessons. If you keep doing a good job, I’ll see about producing the book for you.” Felaris said.

“Thank you, I will do my best.” Karsynwa said, tipping his head low for a moment.

“See you tomorrow then.” Felaris said, turning around to sort his pile of papers.

“See you.” Karsynwa said, taking the clue and making his departure out of the classroom. He found himself mildly intrigued about the possibility of reading Felaris’ work on the subject as his teacher had always been a hard man to read. Perhaps his writings would yield some insights into his character. For now, he was satisfied with the promise of it.

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Break with the past Part 7

Postby Karsynwa on December 1st, 2020, 2:11 am

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After school Karsynwa met up with his friend Zerous for the walk back home. The rest of the day had gone well enough. His mind needed a break, but his body felt invigorated after the recent spar. An perhaps some of his excitement was from the other parts of the day where he had learned a great deal. It was hard to tell. His mind was unsorted after this recent flood of information, and he needed something beyond meditation to clear it. Turning to Zerous, he had an idea.

“What do you have to do when you get home?” Karsynwa asked, careful to try an keep his voice within its normal range. He didn’t want to leak his idea too soon.

“I’ve got to help with the washing, and then scour some pans for da.” Zerous said. From the tone of his voice, Karsynwa could tell he hadn’t been half as clever with his question as he hoped so he decided to come right out with it and hope that the goal was persuasive enough.

“What do you say to a race? You beat me, I’ll do your chores. I beat you, you’ll have to do mine.” Karsynwa asked, grinning slightly.

Zerous gave him a suspicious look, then shrugged. “Sure, we’ll start at the fountain then?” Zerous asked.

“Sure.” Karsynwa said. The fountain in question was just ahead of them about ten feet away. When they got alongside it, they stopped and Karsynwa put his foot on the line.

“3. 2. 1.” They said together, and then darted off once they reached zero. Karsynwa’s first strides were long as he stretched his legs out to eat up the ground beneath him. He kept his arms bunched close to his chest, and did his best not to sway too much from side to side as he moved. Almost immediately he felt an ache along his chins as his feet beat across the hard cobblestones. The leather of his boots chaffed at the back of his heel, and his backpack made it awkward. It heaved like a pendulum, forcing him to shorten his strides in order to keep it from throwing him off balance.

Zerous started to peel away from him around that time, with Karsynwa left panting as he tried to keep up. His friend’s strides had a better form to them he noticed as watched him keep the same steady pace he started with. Karsynwa was breathing heavily through his mouth now, sucking down air as quickly as he could. Only belatedly remembering he should be breathing in through his nose which he did for the last leg of the race. It improved his pace somewhat but not nearly enough to catch up to Zerous in time to make it back home before him. Knowing this, Karsynwa decided to keep pushing. That was all he had, and the run had done wonders to clear his mind already. As he crossed the final short distance that spanned between him and the apartments he tried keeping his arms from bunching tight to his sides and making his strides more even. Then as he reached the outer perimeter of the apartments, he stopped beside Zerous to catch his breath. Putting his hands on top of his head, he stared at Zerous wide eyed for a few ticks till he could speak.

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Break with the past Part 7

Postby Karsynwa on December 1st, 2020, 2:12 am

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“Well” Karsynwa said once he had caught his breath, shrugging his shoulders in certain defeat. Win or lose it felt like he did well in a way. He had plans for this evening beyond the chores ahead of him, and he would need an extra pair of hands. What better way than a friendly bet to get the conversation started.

“Well, good luck with my chores. I’ll be playing in the back if you need me.” Zerous said, laughing as he went to his apartment to let his parents know. The chores ended up eating his whole afternoon for after he had finished Zerous’, he had his own which involved cooking as well. While he cooked he was reminded of his little experiment early and stowed some materials away for later so it wasn’t all bad. After dinner was over he rejoined Zerous at the back of the complex to find him pretending to hunt in the garden.

Karsynwa set down the bowls he was carrying and called out to him. “Hey, come over here. I want to show you something.” Zerous came at his call, looking curiously at the bowls Karsynwa had brought. In each was an egg, soft cheese and a sprinkling of flour.

“What are these for? Odd snack Karsynwa.” Zerous said warily picking up one of the bowls.

“Actually, its something I learned how to make today called soulmist. You mix these together and chew it for a while to make something that will attract ghosts. I was thinking we ought to try it here in the back garden while its dark to see if we attract anything.” Karsynwa said. He started to immediately squish the ingredients together with the flat back of a spoon while Zerous looked at him skeptically.

“This is some trick of yours, I’m not falling for it.” Zerous said, sticking his tongue out. Karsynwa shrugged.

“Suit yourself.” Karsynwa said, popping the mixture into his mouth. It was the third time he had done this today, and by now he knew it was never going to taste any better. He weathered it with a slight grimace that provoked a laugh out of Zerous. Karsynwa did his best to put his friend out of his mind for the moment, focusing instead on what he wanted to create with this soulmist. A soulmist that would strength a ghost, and nourish it like any meal would the living. On creating djed that it could readily consume into its incorporeal form. He imagined the djed flowing from his body into the substance binding it together to transform into something new. Remember what it had looked like before, he imagined that as the product, and tried to will it to be so. After it had been several chimes longer than his previous attempt, he had to spit it out. His jaw was getting sore.

Zerous made a disgusted face as it plopped back into the bowl. Karsynwa grinned, and the same as last time, rooted around in the substance to fish out a small pinch of soulmist the glowed in the center of his palm.

“Go on, touch it.” Karsynwa said, extending his hand out towards Zerous. His friend immediately shook his head.

“You can’t be serious” Zerous said as he was stepping forward to peer at it. “Why is it glowing?” Zerous asked.

“Because it has been converted into soulmist. A ghost can consume this now to gain energy.” Karsynwa said.

“Where did you learn this?” Zerous asked.

“The library. I read a journal about a spiritist who used to work in the city.” Karsynwa said.

“Yeah right” Zerous said, extending a finger to gingerly poke the mass. “Oh that is cold.”

“It is, now you try.” Karsynwa said eagerly. Zerous just shook his head again.

“I’d rather not.” Zerous said.

“Okay, well lets go into the garden and see if there are any ghosts about.” Karsynwa suggested, stepping over the low wall with the little ball of soulmist balanced in his palm.

“Wait, we should go to the bridge.” Zerous said, grinning mischievously.

“The bridge? Ohh, you can’t mean that one.” Karsynwa said, frowning slightly.

“Yes, we are sure to find a ghost there if there is one. We could be the first boys of our class to confirm it.” Zerous said, his voice going a little higher with the excitement. Karsynwa hesitated. He knew what his parents would do if he went there to play this little game, but then again that was only if they got caught. They still had a bell before he was expected back so maybe they could take the chance on going there. An it would be nice to rub that in the other boys faces. With a sigh, he slowly nodded.

“Alright, lets go.” Karsynwa said.

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