"Sprits to Enforce, Art to Enchant" (Elmaryia)

[AGM Tempest]

The pathway to the Academy of Mind and Fire was a crumbled extension of the black mountainside. Obsidian bits crunched underfoot with pumice, ground from the volcanic peaks that were a fierce and wondrous backdrop to the academy.
Curious visitors, groundskeepers and students traveled in varied currents, hurrying or meandering around the small campus. All were dressed in the typical layers of Demiosian citizens, ready for any sudden whim of the weather. All save a shirtless young man with sandals on his feet and camel colored trousers sloppily cut at the knees.

The young man spoke to whoever cared to listen. He was possibly a half elf, but his features lacked the inherent dignity of the Elves. His sharp nose and wide smile belonged to a rascal not tempered by the wisdom that supposedly came with the age Elves could attain. Strangest of all, his chin length hair was a vivid purple. It would have been a royal hue on a gown or drape, but it was merely strange on him.
He stood behind a long piece of wood that rested flat on the ground. It was oval shaped at its edges and partially festooned in black swirls.

Another young man approached with a curious glint and the purple-haired fellow gestured him in with an expansive wave of his arm.

"Oya, come ride with the Coast Keepers. Patrol the coastline on your boards to keep Demios safe…" A small cluster of female students passed by, and the young man's head slowly turned to follow them. With open admiration he watched the sway of their hips and the shape of their backsides.
"…safe for such fine specimens as those three."
With a rakish smile, he nudged the fellow across from him with his elbow, "Especially the blonde, eh? The legs go all the way up and make a perfect ass of themselves."
On cue, a tongue of flame spirited from the distant coterie of women, scalding the young man's leg. He hopped on one foot and yelped until the burning sensation passed. He sulkily fanned his hand over the new hole in his cut trousers and a tendril of smoke rose from the spot.
"Mage women. Same reason my hair grows in this color," he grumbled. "Never show up an candlemark late to a date with a druid."

A slight chuckle slipped from a woman gliding by, as she headed towards the doorway of the academy. Her cocoa colored hair was bound in a low ponytail, and a pair of tortoise shell spectacles slipped down her pert nose. She entered the academy and left in the matter of a minute. Framed by the doorway, she muttered to herself.
"Only Elementalism, Mysticism and Druidism. It would behoove the academy to branch out a degree."

[Elmaryia Grey Leonard]

The young woman, had always been fascinated with the arcana sphere of sorcery. With season changing to winter, Elmaryia had more free time on her hands as the farm was dormant and her position of ambassador was slow.

Dressed in her velvet crimson fur trimmed cloak she approached The Ivory Wings Universitas. It was a magnificant building and for a moment she paused and looked up taking the vision in. It was a man's words that caught her attention, while she was sure that the man was a lusty cad the exchange between the woman and him was quite amusing.

A the flirtatious words of the young and randy. Laughing softly she looked at the man with the purple hair. Never in her life had she seen such a shade no doubt a result of one of his encounters. With a shake of her head, Elmaryia smiled in sympathy to the woman that casted a spark and burned a whole in the man's pants. " And to think she was not swooned with those lovely words of poetry." Elmaryia said with faint sarcastic humour. Her blue eyes glittered with humour as she approched the man. Hearing the woman and as she listed the arcana spheres offered, Elmaryia's brow wrinkled with dissapointment. Approaching the woman, Elmaryia smiled friendly. " The academy does not offer sorcey. Well that is unfortunate as I came here from Trysvale to learn the sphere. What sphere were you interested in?" Elmaryia asked the young woman with the pretty tortois specticles.

[AGM Tempest]

The scholarly looking brunette gave a crisp, answering smile.
"There is too much earthiness in the arcane offered here for my taste I was hoping to look into thaumaturgy, but sorcery also posed an attraction."

A bare un-invited arm slipped around the woman's sloping shoulders.
"Come for a swim with me and I will teach you all the sorcery you can shake a stick at."
The purple-haired young man was grinning a little too happily for the occasion as he gave her a brief squeeze.
In reply, the woman's nose scrunched and her lips pinched together, as if she had just smelled something rotten. The arm was sharply flung behind her, and she did not even see fit to grace him with a word. A look that would curdle fresh milk came stabbing from her eyes. The young man gulped and turned a bit sheepish.
"Just being friendly."
"Hmph."

This ended the attempted wooing, and the woman marched down the path, a wincing man in her wake.
"Ladies: two, Chaz: zero."
He shrugged his shoulders, and gave Elmaryia a twinkling, crooked smile,
"But I have bounced back from worse."

[Elmaryia Grey Leonard]

" Thaumaturgy is interesting, healing is a wonderful skill. I wish you luck and I am sure you shall find a teacher." Elmaryia said to the young woman. While the university did not offer the desired spheres of arcana it did not mean that they could not be found. Her blue eyes glittered with sympathy and amusement. It was apparant that no casanova was he. " Smooth friend, very smooth I am surprised that your skills of seduction have not given you a black eye." Elmaryia teased with a chuckle as she watched the young woman leave.

Shaking her head in amusement she approched the man with the strange hair named Chaz. " Well if you were not successful at least it was entertaining to watch. Now what you spoke of earlier do you know the arcana sphere of sorcery? If not do you know of someone that would be able to instruct me?" If he tried to get cheeky with her, he would get far worse then a wounded ego.

[AGM Tempest]

Chaz sheepishly grinned at Elmaryia's comment and tossed his head, throwing his long hair from his eyes.
"Oh it has given me black eyes," A trace of triumph graced his face as he puffed his chest proudly, "But not today."

Elmaryia's serious inquiry about sorcery washed the man in confusion.
"A whaa?"
He squinted at her, and sniffed the air around her checking for tell-talle fumes of booze. She seemed far too sober to be looking to him for guidance.
"Babe," he stabbed his finger dangerously near her chest, "You mean to tell me that you'd consider asking a shirtless stranger to guide you in one of the most dangerous and complicated events of your life?"

A hand jutted toward Elmaryia for her to shake.
"You're my kind of people: Crazy. Turns out I know a guy who is pretty gnarly at sorcery. Well maybe not gnarly, but good enough."

But the deal was not done yet, Chaz pulled his hand up, wary about making any kind of promise just yet.
"Can we get a trade going, though, Babes? Don't mean to be a downer, but I am but a humble Coast Keeper. Pleasures are few and far between, so I gotta barter with you a little."
For all his bravado, he seemed a little embarrassed to ask anything of her, and nervously rubbed the back of his head as he spoke.

[Elmaryia Grey Leonard]

Did he just refer to me as babes? No wonder he is alone. Seeing how his finger was dangeriously close to her bosom, Elmaryia firmly grabbed his pointed finger and gently squeezed. " Look here darling if your finger inches even a smidgen closer, you shall no longer have a finger. Also my name is Elmaryia and not babes or sweet pea or any such nonsense.," Elmaryia said as she released the grasp on his finger and chuckled softly.

Taking the offered hand she shook it with her own. " Well you seem to know yourself around the city. Also a trade may be plausable, if it does not involve me getting naked or any passionate kisses."

When he again refered to her as babes, Elmaryia raised a eyebrow in annoyance. She could not help but notice his nervious deminour. If he thought she was going to show him a bit of skin he was mistaken. Despite what Rougenoe thought she was not a whore from hell.

" Well what is it Chaz?"

[AGM Tempest]

A band of red arose across Chaz's face over Elmaryia's no-nonsense reply regarding getting naked. His eyes widened and his mouth opened a degree.
"Sheez, Lady! Where you from? Vortex?"
He leaned in as if trying to shield her from embarrassing herself.
"Demios isn't that kind of city and I'm not that kind of guy."

Chaz bordered on wounded and a firmness entered the joker's phrasing.
"My mum raised me right." He folded his arms across his chest with a rakish spark to his eyes, "And I only veered from that upbringing a little."

When the duty to name a price was thrown back on him, Chaz only shrugged.
"Eh, let's just say I do you the favor of taking you to the islands only sorcerer's place, and you pay me what you thought it was worth in whatever currency you like."

His ensuing smile was dangerous in that it might be catching after a time.
"Wheels of cheese are even acceptable. Chaz is willing to work on the barter system."

The young man turned around, surveying the passing students.
"Hey, let's get out of here and find you some training," he winked, "Too many squares."

As he crouched down to gather his board, he asked Elmaryia, "So, Lady, what do you know about all the fancy sorcery stuff? My friends talk about vis and minnow or some crap like that a lot."
He stood with the long board tucked neatly under his arm. It was surprising how well the doof could maneuver with it through the crowd.
"Can you explain how it works to me?"

[Elmaryia Grey Leonard]

No longer did the fear of Arrientus dragging her to the tunnels of Haroloth linger. Though she was determined to make it clear to Chaz that she was not interested in his wooing. It seemed that the young woman was genuinely offended by Elmaryia’s accusations. My lords I am behaving like Iseult and being all prickly. While she adored her cousin she was a frigid one and El did not wish to emulate Iseult’s social skills. “ Well Chaz a woman has to be careful when cavorting with stranger’s. No need to get your feather’s all ruffled,” teased Elmaryia with a chuckle. With a grin Elmaryia gently ruffled the young man’s hair letting him know that all was well.

Though when Chaz mentioned doing a favour in return for showing her the location where she could use the sphere, Elma raised a eyebrow. “ That shall do perhaps I pay you coin or aid you in less abrasive ways of flirting. After all Serael baby always does not work,” El muttered with a chuckle as she followed as he led her to the location.


“ You mean Vis and Ara? Well after the unbinding process you are able to see these two components which are the energy of magic. I think this is obtained during Clara which is a state of meditation to enter into the Astral Plane. Once this is done the mage mix’s the two components together which gives the energy to the spell that wish’s to be cast. I am sure there is more to it, but I believe that is a brief summary of it.”

[AGM Tempest]

Chaz laughed at Elmaryia's counter-offer, despite the reckless glint in his eye, there was something good-natured about him. He seemed the sort that would share his lunch if you had none, but would also shamelessly eat food from your pantry when he came to visit.
"C'mon, 'Serale baby' has served me well on a few occasions." Chaz scratched his chin, "However the ladies were a bit tossed at the time."

As they walked, Elmaryia explained her version of the vis and ara. Chaz spent more time watching females sashay past then listening. And when attractive females became scarce, his expression glazed over.
At the end of Elmaryia's answer there was a prolonged pause. Feeling the silence grow heavier, Chaz realized he was probably obligated to say something.
"Uh yeah, sure, I guess."

A true scholar on the subject.

Thankfully for Elmaryia, Chaz didn't attempt to delve into the mechanics of arcane again for the duration of their walk through the southern tip of the Mercantile district. Chaz's long board and shirtless state gathered them a few disapproving looks from the less strange citizens. It was like walking around with a weird kid brother that you had to make up apologies for.
Apologies like: "He's from out of town", "Oh he didn't get much sleep last night", or the simple: "Head injury".

But Chaz took it in stride, purposefully oblivious. He would even meet scowls with grins or a slight wave of his hand.
After one man spit in his direction, Chaz leaned close to Elmaryia and said brightly, "The locals love me. I'm like a little celebrity."
He then looked at the man who insulted him and added, "Hey, Tuck, you look well."
"Tuck" mumbled a response that included the word "Feth" and "die", it didn't really matter what was in-between the words as they expressed Tuck's sentiments nicely on their own.
"Alright, take care, Tuck."

Either Chaz was an idiot or excessively longsuffering.

After a little more walking, the pair reached the docks and the shanty like boathouses that clustered in ramshackle piles of moist timber around them.

Chaz stopped and turned in place, almost smacking Elmaryia with his board as he tried to orient himself. He chose a path and jerked his chin toward it.
"This way, Miss. He'll be close."

"He" was sitting on a barrel beside a boathouse, raking a knife across a fish's sides. It was a red-faced fisherman, with a cragged brow and sharp jaw. His hair was a short and tightly curled, black peppered with gray. A hand raised to his eyes at Chaz's approach, iridescent scales shimmered on his fingertips and along the edge of his knife.

"What have you brought me devil?" he asked in mock gruffness.
Chaz laughed, a trace nervously, "Always liked that nickname..." An obvious lie, "Serale, Jamus. I've brought you a student." He leaned his board against the side of the boathouse, "Needs some lessons on arcane theory. Specially Sorcery."
Jamus sat a little taller, and stabbed the knife into the dock under his feet. His large knuckled hand rested on his knee as he looked at El.
"Serale, Miss." Jamus gestured to other barrels huddled near him.
"Have a seat. And you, devil," the dead fish was thrust towards Chaz, "Do something clever with this."

While Chaz juggled the slippery fish and made various "Eep!" sounds, Jamus leaned towards Elmaryia straight to business.
"First things first, anyone in your family gem-blooded, Miss? You might not be able to practice arcane period without the proper blood."

[Elmaryia Grey Leonard]

Indeed while the young man was a flirt and had a mischievous nature, Elmaryia had grown to enjoy his company. He did not take life seriously and did not give a feth what others thought of him. Though it seemed that the city of Demois did not fancy Chaz. Perhaps he had tried to swoon and get under the lacy breeches of too many of the men's daughters. Though Elmaryia bet that he was virgin or did not have as much experience with woman as he professed. A highborn lady may have been embarrassed of Chaz’s state of undress or how his bored had come close to knocking
a citizen.
“Ah yes they seem to love you Chaz,” Elmaryia said with a chuckle as she shook her head, and playfully nudged him with her right shoulder. “ I like you and who cares what others think. If everyone wore suits and walked with their noise in the air a boring empire this would be. “

A curious woman Elmaryia Leonard was, and she wondered why Chaz was so disliked in the city, he seemed to be a likeable sort. Quickly she stood back as Chaz almost sent her tumbling with that bored of his. “ My lord Chaz can you not control your piece of wood? You almost sent me tumbling on my backside. Also there is no need for formalities Elmaryia is what I prefer.”
After sometime Elmaryia and her escort were before an older man scaling fish. A few times when she was a slave she had been forced to gut fish and it was an awful task. A pretty frown curved her lips upon hearing the nickname that Jamus had given Chaz. She had recognized the displeasure in Chaz’s tone even if it was masked with good humour. In comfort Elmaryia gently placed her hand on Chaz’s shoulder. After giving him a comforting squeeze she released him.

Taking an offered barrel Elmaryia perched herself on top of it and smiled at Jamus. “ Sereal to you as well sir, you may call me Elmaryia if you wish. I was never one for formalities.” The question was an odd one and Elmaryia was not educated on the term, but still she answered as truthfully as she could. “ I do not know Jamus. I was not raised by my parents and know little of my immediate family. What is this term gem blooded? My husband is a skilled druid if that is helpful. Is their a test to see if I am gem blooded or not?”

[AGM Tempest]

As Chaz clumsily struggled with the slick fish and bore Jamus's insults, Elmaryia squeezed his shoulder in consolation.
And there it was, a crooked smile, like he was a mutt so used to getting kicked, a pat made his day. A few kind words in the face of public opinion and he was ready to fetch her herald and slippers if she wanted.

Even Jamus noticed and swatted at the lingering Chaz before he addressed Elmaryia's question.

"Gods, devil! Go somewhere else with those moony eyes. If she knew you better, she'd break your knees."
Chaz's shoulders lurched forward and his head bowed, but this did not endure. Drawing himself up, he shook his purple hair from his eyes and laughed.
"Maybe. Maybe not."
Tossing the fish over his shoulder, Chaz took a bow as the fish made a splash in the water flowing beneath them.
"But I will give you some space."

Jamus huffed and muttered something darkly in response. Dismissing Chaz, who was wandering a few yards away, Jamus began to address El's question.

"It means if you've got arcane in your blood Miss Elmaryia," the 'Miss' was going to stay whether she liked it or not.
"Arcana use usually runs in families. Your husband's ability only means your children might possess the ability."
Jamus leaned back, making his barrel creak beneath him.
"Only way to know is trying to unbind you, Miss Elamryia." A rough chuckle, "It's not a kind transition, but it's clear."
A ruddy finger jutted towards her.
"Now a warning here. This is no light thing. Many people get sick and toss their plaken all over the floor, or some come out irrevocably altered. Like they saw the face of the gods, and they're eyes just roll over white..." A shrug as he stuck out his lower lip.
"Can’t say I'll know what you'll have, but whatever comes it will be sumthin' ruthless and grand. And if you're fortune's whelp, you"ll be able to sense the essence of things when you keep Clara."

[Elmaryia Grey Leonard]

It was evident that their was more to Chaz and the young woman was curious why so many disliked him. Perhaps once her training was done she would discuss this matter with him. " I would not break his knees please do not speak for me sir," Elmaryia said crisply.

Upon seeing Chaz's actions in answer to the man's brashness an amused smile curved her lips. " Chaz once I am done perhaps we can spend sometime together. I am fascinated about what that bored of yours does. I have never seen such a thing, and I am most curious," Elmaryia said in a friendly tone as the young man left.

A man of formailty he was and Elmaryia let him call her Miss chalking it up to a lost battle. " Then unbind me and let us see then, I am not afraid of a challenge. I will also try not vomit a most unpleasent thing that is. Nay I shall not be discouraged I long to learn sorcery. It shall ease time for travelling and I will be better equiped to aid the province of Carmelyn with my Consul duties. Let the unbinding begin that is if you are ready because I am."

[AGM Tempest]

"Oh ho," a laugh gravelly as the sea bed came from Jamus, "She's a bold one," he called out to Chaz, who nodded happily in affirmation. Jamus's look was suddenly darker and he spoke beneath Chaz's hearing.
"I liked her better when she was polite and pretty."

Jamus reclaimed his knife and slowly began his rumbling and woodsy cadence of speech. His voice was weathered as his skin, and took sufficient warming up to produce intelligible phrases. But once he began, the salty dog could churn out a yarn.
"Now, you see, Miss. Everything is made up bits and pieces that we can't see, smell or feel without being in Clara. Those bits and pieces are Vis and Ara."
He used the blade of the knife to clean under his fingernails.
"You see, it starts with essences. Like a mass of colored threads. When they tangle and twist together they can form something. So you get all sorts of essences in a thing. When they combine just right they can huddle together and make something we can sense. Like this here knife. It has essence of earth and mineral and wood, that altogether knit its 'Vis'."

The blade was suddenly pointed directly at Elmaryia, behind her she heard Chaz's footsteps hasten then halt. Jamus's grin was a half snarl, he enjoyed making Chaz squirm. But the knife was only to indicate her person.
"Like you, Miss. You're made up up essences and you have a Vis. Mages get an arcane Vis that grows as they do, but that is a matter for a later time."

The edge of the knife was swirled in a tight circle towards the skies, once clear but now threatening rain.
"And through all this runs a wild stream of essences. This river of energies is called Ara. Wrangle a Clara calm and you can sense this wild invisible world. However you can't do nuthin' with it."

He returned to grooming his nails and Chaz meandered further away.
"For that you need Mana. Think of it like a pair of hands thrust in a loom where the threads are Vis and Ara. Mana can torque them about and rearrange things how you please when you reach your brand of arcane's plane."

Janus shrugged his heavy shoulders.
"It's a coarse but good explanation. Better then what that fool there," indicating the now distant Chaz with his chin, "Could give you. He has little wit for science unless it's predicting the tides for good surf."
From a stretch of sand a small version of Chaz waved, seemingly oblivious to Jamus's conversation.

Now a new graveness settled on Jamus, the knife was sheathed and a cutting look was unsheathed.
"Best unbind you." A laugh, surprisingly malicious, "Mebbe you will lose you innards and the fish below will get another lunch. Despite your protests."

He flexed his ruddy hands near either side of Elmaryia's head with a leering grin.
"Unbinding is a rather intimate act, as I get to rumble about your thoughts a bit. I hope I find something worth seeing."
As his rough hands were closing in to manhandle her innermost parts a juvenile exclamation broke in.
"Hey! Look what I found!"
A gelatinous blob was hastily deposited on the fisherman's lap. A limp clear thing, with trailing limbs.
"Diana's tit, devil!"

Chaz smiled vacantly at Jamus, who was trying to expel the toxic jellyfish from his lap, and keep its burning touch from his skin. Jamus stood and stomped the already dead creature, kicking it into the sea.

"Gods you git! I have to clean this off unless I want my crevices to burn all to Aeternia."
Feigning sincerity, Chaz began profuse apologies and hasty little bows.
"I thought it was one of the nice ones, Jamus. The kind you like to eat. I'm so sorry. Forgive me, I'm not as clever as you when it comes to the fishes."

Jamus was still fuming and turning the air dark with cussing as he vanished into his the boathouse.

Chaz, however, was nonplussed, and plopped down in front of Elmaryia on Jamus's old seat.
"Well I'm glad he explained the academic swill."
A happy flash of his white teeth as they shared a joke of Jamus's misfortune.

And then the rascal's puckish looks mellowed to something gentler.
"Jamus is smarter and all, but too…" he searched for a term but settled on "… rough."

Kindly, Chaz rested his hand on Elmaryia's head and closed his eyes. Before she could say anything, one of his eyes opened and he said:
"Trust me."

Then it crashed on her, a wave summoned from depths. It stripped her eyes of scales and washed her clean of what impurities ignorance had left. Foreign but gentle fingers respectfully began to undo latches and locks in her mind, releasing buried hues and sending a cleansing gust through her perception.

Her eyes blinked open but saw all things reduced to spectral threads of energy, still-life fireworks and writhing rays of color, rainbows pulled asunder. In the center of it all brooded a ghastly form. A body scorched by black flames that lingered on its skin still. The oily fire had charred the flesh and turned human features molten, but it never consumed its host. A red serpent's eye slowly opened on the blackened body's forehead and its formless maw stretched open. The creature was still, though, its hideous red eye considering her.
Its black hand raised and pressed over her eyes, blinding her to the overwhelming cacophony.

What remained to be seen was Elmaryia's choosing…

[Elmaryia Grey Leonard]

Their was