One with the Elements (Private, Ci'aran)

[Finnie]

Timestamp: 2nd Brightening of Aperitus, Era XIV Post Fractum, early morning

The brightening after Ci'aran paid the four hundred crowns for initiate elementalism training, Rayra the Master Elementalist and per diem instructor of the Universitas waited by the clerk area for her new student. She wore a flowing robe of light turquoise, her long black locks lying like a black river against the small of her back. Her light gray eyes scanned the room for her new student.

She turned to the clerk and casually chatted with him while she waited.

[Ci'aran Leonard]

The morning was bright and already Ci’aran could fill the heat of the sun and the geography play against him. Ci’aran approached rather carefully, his mahogany brown hair combed neatly back towards his scalp as his brown hazel eyes, alert and attentive scoured the area with an attentive gaze. He was not a studious man by nature, and though he surrendered willfully to his concentration, he was afraid that his prior devotion to the physical arts such as body conditioning, swordplay and strength training would work against him now that he was studying elementalism.

Of course, it was not fair for him to classify himself as a non-magical type person, since he had never been tested with arcana, nor given the chance to practice or understand it. His mother, to his recollection, was a mage of some sort, though the particular sphere and level eluded him, like a handful of water, ever determined to escape his grasp.

Dress cleanly, freshly showered with a spotless white shirt set against black pants and black boots, he had opted to leave his longsword, his cloak and his gloves at home, choosing to dress comfortably, and smartly for his first meeting with his teacher, Mistress Rayra the Elementalist.

It did not take him long to see her, spotting her long black hair cascading down her back, as her turquoise robe swayed with her movements. She seemed in animate conversation and he politely stepped up, bowing low to the ground as he introduced himself, “Serale, Mistress Rayra.” Ci’aran said slowly, “My name is Ci’aran Leonard. Thank you so much for your time.”

[Finnie]

Rayra spun around daintily and greeted her new student with a soft smile and a twinkle in her eyes. "Serale Ci'aran. You may call me Rayra. I thank you for being interested in taking an elementalism class." More crowns in her pockets. She should have chosen the path of a mystic, being able to cast spells making illusion/fake crowns so she could live the life of a wealthy mistress sooner.

"I see you are dressed in a comfortable manner. You are in for a treat my friend. An elementalist will deal with four essences as opposed to other arcana users. We deal with fire, earth, air, and water. We can choose to specialize in one specific element or choose to control all four elements. In this course, we will not be in one classroom-- that's a little boring and not conducive to learning. For fire we shall travel to a dormant volcano. For air we shall be in the open fields where the air is the freshest. For earth we will be in the center of Demios where the mountain ranges reside and for water we shall be at the beach. Tell me now Cia'ran, what do you know of arcana? Come follow me."

Rayra waved to the clerk and began to walk out of the Universitas. "We shall go to the open field today first, it is peaceful. Clara is easily reached when one is at peace. You know what clara is right?"

[Ci'aran Leonard]

"Thank you Rayra." Ci'aran chirruped slowly, allowing a small smile to flow freely to his face. "I am." he nodded, in reference to the statement of his comfortable clothing. His comfort, however, seemed extremely premature as the Master Elementalist began talking of traveling to volcanoes, and the very center of Demios. All of which seemed to him to be incredibly daunting in terms of both destination and journey.

It was of no concern to him, of course, the size of the task before him, rather that it touched and reflected upon areas that he did not see related until now. To be connected to the elements was more than just a psychological or mental manifestation; but rather a physical one as well.

"I know very little about the infinite world of Arcana, Rayra." Ci'aran smiled politely as he walked beside her, "Of what I do know, I know of Elementalism even less; purely through observation and rumor. What I acknowledge however, is that I realize that Arcana is to be respected at all times, that people can unwillingly endanger themselves or each other if they do not respect their own limitations, or the limitations of Arcana. I've heard stories and rumors about the different spheres, each touching on a very powerful side and by watching my beloved, Sabine, I felt compelled and influenced to walk in her footsteps and try the reins of Elementalism."

As they walked out of the Universitas, Ci'aran felt the flutter of his heart. Indeed he was nervous! Arcana to him, was far more mysterious than the simpleton mechanics of a longsword. He could see his muscles, feel his swing. With Arcana, he felt as if he was a mere babe with no direction, no sight, no sound. Merely waddling through with the guidance of another.

"Clara..." Ci'aran hesitated, conjuring his memories on the matter. They were a state of mind, were they not? A state of mind in which a person must achieve before spellcasting? He remembered speaking briefly of Arcana to Iseult and Captain Alsaille during his first encounter with mysticism... but he could not recall exactly if Clara was in the discussion. The word however was tossed carelessly around.

"As I recall, with my memory, Clara is a kind of..state of mind?" the absolute wavering in Ci'aran's voice, and the tone in which it was said, clearly indicated that he was about as certain of his answer, as he was in holding water with a sieve. It was a faint recollection at best, and a vivid imagination at worst.

[Finnie]

"Ci'aran even I know little of the world of arcana, yet we will always be learners. And you are correct, if used incorrectly or abused, arcana can be a bane-- I've heard rumors of an arcana wielder killing himself by casting a spell whilst inside a house-- the house fell apart, with the caster inside. Now when used correctly, arcana is a wonderful boon. Yet not everyone can wield its powers-- we'll see if you are one who can be unbound to reach Clara."

Their walking led them to an open field close to the opening of the woods, to a field of abundant green, chirping birds, and clear blue skies. Rayra found a large rock and she sat on top of it, her legs crossed.

"Come join me. First we are to have you unbound. Then you will meditate and if unbound successfully, you will be able to reach Clara. Yes clara is like a state of mind, where you will be open to the Astral plane and be able to see the Ara all around us and be able to reach for elemental essence. I will explain this further but for now, sit and relax and when you are ready, I will unbind you."

[Ci'aran Leonard]

“That is horrible.” Ci’aran echoed softly. That was the one thing about arcana that worried him the most. Like a sword, if a wielder is not careful they can injure themselves. With arcana, the stakes are much higher, one mistake when delving in the magicks could result in a catastrophe. While it was comforting to know his assertions and heard rumors were correct, it periled him slightly to hear that these were, in fact, accuracies as well.

With his breath abated, Ci’aran nodded quickly, acknowledging the words of his mentor as he met her stride for stride heading out of the academy and into an open field close to the woods. While he had imagined Demios to be purely a site of volcanoes; a dark crimson mosaic of ash and brimstone, he was pleasantly mistaken as a small hamlet of emerald green nature seemed evident, even in this sulfurous environment.

“Unbound… yes.” Ci’aran nodded slowly, following slowly his mentors directions as he sat on the cool grass, cross-legged, and closed his eyes. He still found himself slightly uneasy. How does one prepare, or ‘get ready’ to be unbound? That thought however, dissipated quickly as he tried to relax, and rinse his mind of things that are unimportant and unnecessary. He was here for now, and for the future.

[Finnie]

Rayra waited for a moment before her new student completely relaxed. Then she brushed his eyebrows with her fingertip from left to right to unbind him. It was not often every one of her students could be successfully unbound-- this was not her fault, it was their own misfortune to be unable to be unbound to put it simply. Or bluntly, sucks to be them. With Ci'aran, a smile crossed the mage's lips as she watched the half human fall into a deep slumber minutes after the unbinding.

ooc: please have him dream, anything is fine, it can be past memories, psychedelic dreams, or even a dream of UFOs haha

[Ci'aran Leonard]

OOC: LoL, Ok, here goes!

IC:

The dreams came. Not willingly at first, but then it started pouring without control. It was a myriad of recollections; painted vividly in a vignette of faces, experiences, songs, and memories… it seemed unorganized, fractured and without relation when suddenly… through it all, he saw a face.

A face he did not imagine he would be seeing for quite some time.

“Cornelius.” He heard himself saying.
“Aran.” The voice replied.
“I’m dreaming aren’t I?”
“Yes…” the dark haired black-eyed man chortled, “Yes you are.”
“How have you been?”
“You know…” Cornelius considered gamely before continuing, “For being in a dream, it isn’t so bad.”
“Sarcastic goon.” Ci’aran chuckled, “I’m serious. How have you been?”
Cornelius shrugged, “I’ve been better. Missing you as always.”
“Aye,” Ci’aran nodded, “And I as well. You should’ve come with me to Jaedaxia you would’ve liked it.”
“That world is your world now Aran.” Cornelius smiled, “Like I told you when we parted ways, you have your own path to forge, and I have mine. My life was not for you, and yours was not for me… tis a great Aelyrian tragedy.”
“I do have a question though…”
“About your mother…” Cornelius nodded with great cognition, “What about her?”
“Was she ever a mage?”
Cornelius scratched his chin in thought,“She was at one point; though I don’t know how skilled. I will venture to say she probably was very skilled at one point, though when I met her, she had long retired.”
Ci’aran said nothing but kept his eyes on the ground; the grass he noticed kept changing colors, from vibrant green, to sunfire yellow, to ebony black.
“Aran.” Cornelius said slowly, “You can’t stay here you know.”

“Why not?” Ci’aran countered, “When I came to Jaedaxia I had no friends. Now I’m finally getting some but they’re all splitting up again… why can’t I just stay here with you? With my good memories forever?”
It was a long silence before Cornelius spoke, his figure disappearing as tumultously as the words that rolled from his lips.
“Because.” Cornelius smiled, “That was how your mother lost you.”

With a sudden shake, Ci’aran opened his eyes, beads of sweat formed on his face and scalp as he glanced around. Was it all just a dream? It seemed so ethereal as he gazed around his surroundings, at his hands, at the grass blades of emerald green, and then finally on Mistress Rayra.

There was a lot to be explained.

[Finnie]

"Congratulations," the master whispered, her lips forming a sweet smile. "You have been successfully unbound. And you've been asleep for quite a while. I've gathered flowers."

Resting next to Rayra were flowers freshly plucked from their flower bed. Rayra closed her eyes, entered Clara, and then performed a spell to manipulate the air around them, making the flowers dance, providing a beautifully soothing backdrop for Ci'aran.

"Now what you are unbound, you will be able to reach Clara, where your eyes will be open to the astral plane. Your next task is to meditate Ci'aran. For an initiate, it will take five to ten minutes to meditate successfully to reach Clara. As an initiate, casting a spell I suggest should not be for immediate measures against an enemy. By the time you are ready to cast a spell, your enemy will have long since struck you with his/her attack. Forgive me if I am assuming you will need to use elementalism to protect yourself against enemies, it is just an example." Rayra smiled again.

"Now once you have reached clara, in the astral plane, all time stops for you until you return to this plane, the material plane. You will be able to mix ara with your vis. Ara is all around us. Vis is within all of us. You mix enough ara and vis to focus on the essence plane, to mix in elemental essence with the mixed ara and vis. Then you channel this mana into the material plane and shape it into a spell I will impart to you. For now this is confusing but I will explain further-- you will see once you are in clara. So your task at hand is to learn to meditate, to clear your mind completely and embrace the astral plane. Are you ready?"

[Ci'aran Leonard]

So that was what being unbound felt like. It was a strange feeling. One that was a combination of pleasure and pain. The pain at having to reveal a very naked part of his soul yet overshadowed by the pleasurable knowledge that he was indeed his mother’s son, and that arcana existed in him as it did in her. That was certainly comfortable to him.

Listening to Mistress Rayra, Ci’aran nodded solemnly as he closed his eyes once again.

To meditate. He thought to himself. To cleanse yourself of the unnecessary and the unimportant.

“Yes.” Ci’aran barely whispered as his eyes remained closed, “I am ready.”

[Finnie]

Rayra smiled at her student and nodded, telling him to relax his body, to allow his shoulders to drop and to take deep breaths in through his nose and out through O-shaped lips. Exactly ten minutes later, a calm like a deep slumber that complete soothed his muscles and stole his consciousness from the material plane.

Unlike sleep and a standard dreaming sequence however, Ci'aran soon became completely aware of his surroundings, swirling colors like a light show around him. Power around him, he could wield upon summoning a thought, upon reaching out for Ara all around. Blue colors, pinks, yellows, and reds. The vis within him could mix with the ara around him, then lure the essences of the elemental plane. Clara this was and Ci'aran had meditated successfully.

ooc: please have him experience something similar and then...

"Wake."

[Ci'aran Leonard]

OOC: I do apologize for the wait. I'm in the process of moving/packing stuff.

IC:

Ci'aran was born skeptical; it was in his nature to be cynical about things unknown and unseen but it was no more. After being unbound and experiencing a recollection like anyother he could not bring himself to deny the obvious power that flowed and fluttered through Aelyria. It was a new world. A new Universe.

Willingly, without question or hesitation despite the surge of excitement and enthusiasm, Ci'aran settled and stilled his breathing, enhancing a calming sense of purity as he closed his eyes and relaxed his muscles. It was time to see what the broken gate revealed..

And it was beautiful.

It seemed almost a new world had erupted within his mind. Like a child understanding the first time the bright new world around him, Ci'aran felt a pang of shame and guilt that he had tried so willingly to ignore what had been bestowed to him and all mages. A gift. The magicks were what separated humanity from being mere sentient creatures, and the realization brought much optimism and enthusiasm.

With his eyes closed, Ci'aran explored the world in his mind. The vis within him swirling moving almost upon command and reaching for the ara that surrounded him in a litany of colors. It was bright, beautiful, ethereal and for a moment beyond any other Ci'aran could not believe his eyes.

This was clara. This was his.

.... and then he woke.

[Finnie]

ooc: welcome back. no need to apologize lol

Rayra clapped her hands, congratulating her student for reaching clara the very first time in his life. Like a rite, a mark in his life, a milestone-- not everyone could successfully be unbound and then reach clara-- Ci'aran would be one of the few in the realm to wield magic at his fingertips, for good, for bad, that was up to him.

"In Clara, you have within your grasp the vis within you and the ara around you. Once you mix ara and vis, this is arcalysis. Upon mixing the two, you will reach the Astral Plane and time freezes, giving you an opportunity to draw the essence of all the arcana planes," Rayra explained. "You shall then focus on the elemental plane to channel elemental essence. The channeled essence mixes with your ara and vis arcalysis product to become mana. The astral plane shall then disappear, bringing you back to this plane, the material plane where you shall then shape mana into the spell I shall impart upon you."

Rayra gave her student a chance to digest this new information and ask questions before she continued.

"First I shall impart upon you a spell. Initiates all learn the very same set of spells. However if you wish, I can teach you my original set of initiate spells."

ooc: u can choose learning the initiate spells here http://www.playbypost.com/forums/wiki/7...mentalism.html
or rayra can teach you a set of different initiate spells or a mix

[Ci'aran Leonard]

As Ci’aran stumbled upon his awakening he cast a long look at his surroundings before realizing where he was. The state of Clara was ethereal, almost a world of its own and Ci’aran felt immeasurably more experienced after realizing that there was a light after the end of the tunnel, it was incredibly reassuring.

Focusing his attentions back to the task at hand however, Ci’aran nodded quickly and attentitively at Mistress Rayra, eagerly absorbing her pearls of wisdom as he committed as much as he could to memory. The words that would have sounded incredibly foreign to him not more than a candlemark earlier seemed to make perfect sense and he could almost envision this happening as Rayra described.

“Understood.” Ci’aran nodded, very slowly at first and then repeating what Rayra had instructed him. “In clara, I use the vis within me to interact with the ara around me… which is known as Arcalysis…Then I will reach the astral planes in which I draw elemental essence from the Elemental plane which mixes with the mixture of Ara and Vis to create mana which is then converted into a spell in the material plane.”

While Ci’aran understand, very very faintly the basic set of instructions within the sphere of elementalism, he had grown surprisingly fond of Rayra’s teachings. Her wisdom and obvious insight was vital if not absolutely essential to his success in being ‘broken’ and in understanding clara.

“I am at you will.” Ci’aran smiled at Rayra, “I would like to learn your original set of initiate spells.”

OOC: I’ll go with Rayra’s choice!

[Finnie]

Rayra clapped. "Oh you won't be disappointed. I've been working forever to craft some initiate spells to replace the boring ones I've had to teach all these brightenings. You're in fact the first student who wishes to learn my spells. In fact I've plenty to teach, but you can always come back to learn the original set of initiate spells if you wish. The very first spell I shall impart is the Water Dragon."

Rayra slipped into arcana to meld her vis with the ara around her, before entering the astral plane to harvest and channel the element of water to mix with the ara/vis arcalysis. She created mana with the mixture and the astral plane disappeared as the material plane reappeared. She shaped the mana into a spell, the Water Dragon, a small dancing dragon of water, pretty as it was and useful when one needed the use of water. The spell, she explained, could last for thirty seconds for an initiate as a companion-- the dragon seemed to have a life of its own or it was just her wicked imagination. The dragon spell could be used to attack an enemy, slapping an enemies face with the tail of a dragon, enough to knock out some teeth and poke out an eye with more practice.

"Go ahead, Ci'aran and try this spell."

The other spells:

The Fire Dagger: Small daggers of fire shooting out from one's fingers to stab and burn an enemy-- the more practice, the more power, only one dagger at a time for an initiate.

The Air Dance: a dance of air around the caster, to lift the caster an inch off the ground, a shield of wind around the caster- 15-30 second effect, depending on the practice and the amount of mana created.

The Earth Stomp: This spell gave power to one's feet to stomp mud, earth, and kick a small boulder. It also wrapped one's feet in hard mud so if one wanted to kick an enemy, there will be an extra umph!

the Icy Fingers: Fingers of ice, burning others with a mere touch of ice.
And pick one original initiate spell to learn from the lore section.