Solonor's Sorcery Madness! (PRIVATE)

[Eriond]

Era X Post Fractum (PF). Telath is in the First Era of the Celestine Mandate. It is the age of the Darkening, the Mageocracy of Julos The Mad. The Season is Winter

Deep within a hidden grove within a garden sacred to the forest and the water and the sky, there sat a man and an elf. The elf's name was Solonor Sunstar. The human's name was unknown to the elf.

"Solonor," the human who was to train the elf in the ways of sorcery said. "I am going to ask you some questions. Will you answer them?"

The man awaited Solonor's answer from where he sat upon a stone resting upon the earth. His simple blue robes and short-cropped black hair stirred slightly in the breeze and his dark brown eyes gazed intently at his would-be pupil.

[Solonor Gil'anar]

Solonor's bright green eyes stared deep into the man's dark brown orbs. Around them was silence, and only the sounds of nature were heard. The elf was at peace with himself.

He sat down, his legs crossed. The breeze blew his hair into his eyes, but for some reason he didn't care. Solonor didn't know the name on the man sitting in front of him, but it wasn't of any importance to him. The man spoke, and Solonor replied with a single word. "Yes."

Even by uttering a single word, Solonor felt as if he was disturbing something. But why didn't he feel that when the man spoke? Obviously, the man's spirit was more attuned to the sacred place than Solonor's was. But than again, this is what Solonor was there to learn...

[Eriond]

The man sitting atop the rock observed Solonor's reaction to his own voice and did not so much as smile, but he seemed pleased nonetheless. "Good," he replied. "That was my first question."

"My second," he continued, nodding. "Is this:

'A man comes to another man bearing a sword and a staff. He says to this other man. 'You must speak unto me. Beware, I am both mage and swordsman. If you speak to me a lie, I shall slay you with my sword. If you speak to me a truth, I shall slay you with a spell. What say you?'

The second man has niether sword nor spell. What must he say to live?'"

The insructor sits back and waits.

[Solonor Gil'anar]

Solonor pondered the question for a short while. Then, he spoke, softly, but clearly. "If that man wishes to live, than he must tell the other man this: I shall die by your sword."

Solonor knew he could explain his answer to the man, but he wanted to speak as little as he could. Once again, as he spoke, he felt himself disturbing the place's serenity. And once again, as the man in front of him spoke, that was not the case.

His instructor's eyes bore into Solonor's, almost as if the man was trying to read Solonor's thoughts through his eyes. But Solonor did not avert his gaze. He knew that if the man really did want to read Solonor's thoughts, he wouldn't have to look into his eyes. And there was something comforting about these eyes, something warm which bestowed a calm feeling upon Solonor. Or maybe it was just the grove around them again...

[Eriond]

Then man nodded in satisfaction. "Just so," he replied. He paused and seemed to consider for a moment, looking up at the sky for several moments before returning his eyes to Solonor.

"I would like you to imagine that you are in a forest. You are following a well-worn footpath when you find yourself confronted by a water course. The water flows swiftly and it's banks rise up steeply in 12 foot tall cliffs. Please tell me what your response to this would be."

[Solonor Gil'anar]

Solonor listened intently to the man's words. And he imagined. To be precise, the vision he saw of the man's description was startlingly vivid. Maybe it was the grove which enhanced the sights, but Solonor saw what he saw as if it was real. He could hear the noises of birds in the trees, smell the scent of pine, and feel the breeze on his skin. He felt somehow elated. Then, in his mind, he had reached the river. The view was awe-inspiring. The white foam on the raging waters, the sleek face of the river banks- all these loomed in front of him as if they were actually there. Solonor spoke, his voice distant as his thoughts were still dwelling in his vision: "I would walk along the river. If I don't find a place to cross, then I still witnessed the beauty of it, and if I do find a place to cross, then I both enjoyed its sight and I can proceed on my way."
Then Solonor noticed something weird. He didn't feel like his voice disturbed the place this time. As his thoughts returned to the grove, and to his instructor once again, he contemplated asking the man about it, but decided against it. He knew that if his feelings were right, he will find all his questions answered soon enough...

[Solonor Gil'anar]

OOC- Poke! I'm going away on vacation until next saturday, so I might not be able to post. If I find a computer there I'll let you know.

[Lunerith]

"Very well, an optimist I see. I have two more questions, first is, have you ever learnt magic? if no, have you ever been unbound?" The human gazed deeply into the elf's, still not having revealed his name. It was sort of strange to Solonor, at least it gave him a strange feeling. Usually the trainer would tell his student of his name, but in this case, it was different. One knew the other, but the other didn't know the first. It added a sort of mystical, perhaps druidical, nature about the whole thing, yet Solonor was to learn sorcery. There wasn't much to do about it, unless Solonor was to ask and perhaps the trainer would not appreciate that, perhaps he would even make him fail if the elf did ask.

One thing Solonor did notice, was that it was important for the place to be hidden. It was necessary that magic should be hidden at times, this was one such time. The training here was definetly something between him and this man, no one else should get involved, nor would anyone else want to get involved. Hopefully, by the end of the day he would have been unbound and by the end of the cycle, he would have learnt the very basics of Sorcery, as that was all he was likely to learn here in New Coldmoon. Solonor the initiate sorcerer, already there it would be quite an impressive name. He had question's to answer if he wanted to succeed.

[Solonor Gil'anar]

Solonor observed the man. Not knowing the name of the one who instructed him felt weird, though not uncomfortable. It didn't disturb the elf much, as it fit perfectly in the mystical atmosphere of the glade. He needed not to ask the man his name, it didn't matter. "Nay, to both your questions," Solonor replied to the man. A small shudder ran down his spine as he talked, as though the place was reminding him to spare words, and he didn't add another word, waiting for the unnamed instructor to continue.

[Lunerith]

ooc: srry bout the wait, it's up to you to RP the dream.

ic: "Then prepare to be unbound. It can be an unpleasant experience if you do not open your mind completely. Furthermore, you will go unconscious." The sorcerer stood up quite ritualistically, it seemed to Solonor that it added an air of arrogance to the sorcerer. He would soon realise that arrogance was a trait the sorcerer did not have, for a very good reason. "Please, stand still as I perform the unbinding" It was then that the sorcerer began to meditate himself. Solonor saw him closing his eyes and whispering a chant. After about roughly half a minute, the sorcerer opened his eyes again and slowly drew his hands through the air in strange patterns. Solonor then began to feel small electrical charges running across the top of his head. Furthermore, it was as if some strange force was trying to claw it's way through his claw. On top of all that, Solonor was beginning to feel slightly dizzy.

Almost instinctly, Solonor opened his mind. There was good reason to believe that if he hadn't, the dizzy feeling would get worse until the point that it he would throw up and have a horrible headache. Everything happened like the sorcerer had said it would. Solonor dizzy feeling first disappeared, but then the electrical charges and claws made their way into his mind. No pain was felt, but he did lose enough of his consciousness, so that he fell down, as if he had been struck by a flail. Fortunatly, the earth was soft enough, which meant that Solonor didn't suffer any pain or wounds, but instead slipped further into unconsciousness and began to dream a strange dream.

Shortly after the dream had ended, Solonor woke up. The dream itself was freshly embedded in his mind and the sorcerer was still standing, this time with his arms stretched out and his blue robe hanging downwards. Slowly, his arms returned back, side to side, with his body and he asked "How was the unbinding? Are you ready to continue and learn the basic rituals of the initiate?"

[Solonor Gil'anar]

Solonor nodded at the Sorcerer. Soon, he was drawn into the mesmerizing dance of his master's hands, deftly gliding through the air in strange patterns, weaving magic into Solonor's mind. Currents of energy began to crawl along his head, clawing their way into his brain, ripping his consciousness along their way. He opened up his mind further, feeling dizzy and disoriented, and began to drop backwards as he was overtaken by the magical energies.

And he fell. Darkness enveloped the elf's mind as he dropped back, and he was aware of his body's descent, knowing the inevitable blow that would ensue when he reached the ground. But the blow never came. Solonor kept falling, through darkness and light, through a sea of flashing colors of every tone in the multiverse, through an ocean of crimson blood, and back to darkness.

Then, time stood still. Solonor floated, a copper skinned figure amidst a sea of swirling darkness and shadow, suspended in mid-fall. Suddenly, the darkness was no more. Light exploded all around the elf. Every wisp of shadow curled around itself, and lit up with a flash. When Solonor looked around him, he found himself in the middle of an endless ocean of glinting lights, stretching beyond the reach of mortal eyes to see. All around him, stars twinkled in the night sky,purifying the elf's troubled soul, and re-energizing his mind.

Suddenly, time once again kicked in. Solonor dropped from his suspended perch in the starry heavens, and plunged down through the diamond studded darkness. Eternity passed in a second, and still he fell. Telath ended and began a thousand times, and still his plummet never ceased. Through the starry void he fell, faster than thought, faster than time. No longer was he surrounded by stars, they had now become neverending lines of silver, speeding by as he fell. But no wind was rushing by the elf. He didn't feel anything at all, in fact. And it hit him- he wasn't falling down, it was the universe that was falling up... Or was it down... Or sideways... Directions seemed to hold no importance where he was, but he was still hovering in a falling starry void. Then, in the millionth of a split-second, cold water hit Solonor Gil'anar, and he was engulfed in an icy liquid.

Another second passed, and within it, all of Solonor's life was displayed in front of his eyes as if he was witnessing it from the side. His childhood flashed in front of him like a fleeting hummingbird, yet that one image contained every single experience the elf had seen. The image climated in the fateful fight, sixty three years previously. The point where the elf's life were forever changed; the night when his parents were killed, and his village was sealed forever from him, the night the Vysstichi attacked. The next image contained his life up to this point; the journey to Silrosia; the sixty-one patterns in the city, empty of meaning; the appearance of his father's ghost in his dream; the winter trek to Alleria Prime, only to abandon the city a few cycles later; his training in Primus Gaudeo; the treks in the wilderness of Carmelyn; his arrival in New Coldmoon, the city he has come to call home; meeting the unnamed sorcerer; falling down, electricity currents ripping his mind; plunging in the water. Then, the images and Solonor's life became one.

At that moment in time, understanding dawned on the Quel'anthsan elf. He realized, that his body, his mind, and his soul were not a single thing. Every one of these parts was an individual component of his very being. They all had their own wishes and needs. Solonor understood, that without one, the others would not survive, and that should he ever neglect one, his existence will cease. He swore an oath without words to every one of these parts, that he will forever heed their unspoken words. And they told him, without sound, that if he could make them all into a single thing, his life would be complete.

The water began to warm up around the form of the elf, slowly at first, but increasing in pace as first the minutes, and then the seconds, passed. After ten minutes, the water were boiling, searing the coppery skin of the elf. He realized, that his soul, his mind, and his body were being purified while the water were steaming around him. Two more minutes passed, and the water were now turning white, blinding Solonor's eyes. A shout of pain escaped his lips, dully echoing through the white, bubbling hot water, causing his mouth to fill with the liquid substance. In his mouth, the once-icy water turned into air, and around him, there was no longer any water- it had turned into white clouds, like huge sheep over a bright blue field. Once again, the fall resumed, yet, unlike the previous times, it quickly ended when the elf hit the ground with a thud, and rose up, unharmed, to his feet. For the first time in what seemed like eternity, Solonor's legs touched solid earth- he quickly surmised that he was standing on a road carved entirely from rock, without a crack in it; it seemed as if it was created from a single, colossal block of stone. Around him, loomed a thick forest, colored in every shade of green and brown, and completely, utterly silent except for the light swish of branches in the calm breeze. It was the most docile, tranquil image the elf had ever laid eyes on- the most perfect of harmonies between nature and construction; it reminded the elf of the legends about the sacred city of Carmelya, back in his ancestral homeland of Trelore- the beautiful city, which was built to combine with nature instead of dominating it- the same city which was razed by the Vysstichi legions of K'trak, sparking the great war.

Out of the silence of the forest the elf was standing in, a voice sounded. Not a word, but a bark, loud and clear, its echoes bounding from the thick trunks of the trees. Following the bark, a jet-black dog trotted out of the dense forest, and slowed down to a stop on the path, in front of a dazed Solonor, its red tongue lolling out of its mouth. For several minutes, the canine and the elf stared into each others eyes, seemingly trying to read each other's thoughts. Then, in a moment's decision, the dog jerked his head backwards, and started off along the rocky road in a light run. Somehow, Solonor felt compelled to follow the trotting canine, as if he was being pulled by the dog's will; a moment later, he was matching the dog's pace through the forest. Gradually, the speed of the running dog increased, and Solonor matched it with his own. Only several minutes later, both the dog and the elf were sprinting alone the trail, which wound on, seemingly unchanged. The thick trees became but a mere blur of green and brown, the soft swish of the wind became a loud whistle, the road became a line of grey, and the dog became a spot of black among the earthy colors around. They bore on, breath undisturbed by the effort. Then, as Solonor rounded another curve in the road, the dog disappeared, and Solonor slowed quickly to a stop. In front of the elf stood the end of the road. At least, that was what Solonor guessed it to be. It was a solid stone arch, unadorned and roughly cut, wrapped tightly by a vine, which was spiralling along its length. But what was strange about the wide arch was what lay on the other side of it. Instead of a forest, like on both sides of the arch, and more of the path, there were starry night-skies. Gingerly, Solonor stepped towards it, peering into the darkness beyond without setting a limb into the arch. "What now?" He sighed, expecting another strange experience to suddenly occur- but nothing happened. The elf turned around, thinking to go back. For some reason, he was deathly afraid of stepping into the arch, as if it symbolized something evil. Before he managed to take a single step, a black form appeared in mid-air, uttered a single bark, and pushed the stunned elf back into the arch with a flex of powerful hind-muscles. Solonor stumbled back, knowing he was surely about to die. He fell back, and his head hit soft earth. His vision swam, and he faintly heard the sound of chains snapping in the back of his head. Solonor's almond-shaped eyes snapped shut.

When he regained focus, Solonor opened his eyes once again, and looked into the same image he saw on the other-side of the arch- the starry night sky. Slowly, he rose to a sitting position, and looked around him. The glade and the un-named sorcerer were there. The unbinding of Solonor Gil'anar was complete. His head and eyes were still tingling with surges of the currents that had ripped into his mind earlier that brightening, but the experience was over, lasting, apparently, quite a few candlemarks. The dream was fresh in the elf's mind, every little detail of it embedded in his memories. He looked up to the Sorcerer. "I am ready, but I must drink some water first." He replied in a hoarse voice, suddenly aware of how parched his throat was. Moving over to the small stream, Solonor bent down gently, and cupped his hands in the cool water and brought them to his mouth, wetting his throat. When all that was done, he glided over to the Sorcerer, and repeated his words. "I am ready."

[Lunerith]

ooc: step 1 was the testing and unbinding.

ic:
"Very well, we shall continue on to the first step in using the forces of the arcane. I must warn you to be careful at all times. Arcana is not to be treated lightly and many have gone mad, trying to go a step too far. It will be painful too. I know of three different methods that may be able to bring you into a state of clara. It'll likely take at least twenty minutes before it actually starts working, so this next step may take a candlemark before were done. When we are, then we shall stop there and continue next day. Do not expect to succeed almost immediatly, it'll usually take months, though if we're lucky then you might actually be as good as they presumed after the tests." The sorcerer stood up and took a cleansing breath before continuing.

"For the rest of this training, you may call me 'Guln' though know that this is not my real name." He closed his eyes momentarily, while he pondered the next step. "Since there are three ways to do this, you may choose in what order you wish to try the different methods I have to offer you. In basic terms, there are three things you must accomplish in order to obtain the state of clara, or the meditative state. First, you must clear your mind of all thought. Second, you must clear your mind completely. Thirdly, you will need to allow yourself to see Ara, Vis and all the astral essences before you. One method which can accomplish this is through the use of soothing substances, that will ease your meditation. I can offer you ladderstem as a herb. It is somewhat expensive, 60 crowns per dosage, but as a painkiller, it may serve it's purpose well in this case. Once you have taken it, you should begin to meditate, in an attempt to clear your mind of all thought. Rythmic breathing will be necessary." Guln sat down and bent over to his left side, where he picked up a fine glass filled with red wine. Some mauve flowers could be seen floating around inside the drink. Glun took the drink and placed it within Solonor's reach.

"Then we have another method. It relies on chanting to clear the mind, along with rythmic breathing and a good sitting position. Once the mind has been cleared by this first step, you must end your chanting and everything else along with it, including your breathing. Do not force yourself, because everything must come naturally at the second step of this method. Lastly, we have a method which adds in some material as well, but in another shape and form. The idea is that you focus on one thing for so long that it is the only thing left in your mind. In this case, it must have some association to the astral essence of force, because when that item is everything left in your mind you should close your eyes and when you open them again then, if you are successful, you will have reached a state of clarity." A slight pause followed as he took yet another cleansing breath.

"You will know when you've done that. I have here a minor object, which might be enough for this third method and to make you sit more comfortable, I have this soft linen cushion... When you are more proficient with arcana I will advise you to meditate in tougher places, such as I. This rock here is much harder to meditate on than on that cushion." Reaching behind him without looking back, Glun picked up two items. One was the soft linen cushion he talked about. This he also placed within Solonor's reach. The other was a small figure representing a star of some kind. He placed this just in front of the rock outside of Solonor's reach.

"Choose whatever method you want to, but do not stop until I say so, for it can take quite a while before you are succesful."

[Solonor Gil'anar]

It had begun. The second step in the long, tiresome road that the elf would undertake was taken, leading to the next section of the path. This section, contrary to the first, was arcane, not martial, and Solonor suspected it would also be harder, mentally and physically. But it had to be taken, and the elf was never one to give up easily. And, as it was with the first step, full and undivided attention was given to 'Guln', as the unnamed sorcerer had called himself. Three methods to be considered, and the sorcerer spoke in terms that were unfamiliar to the elf- Ara and Vis, which were words the elf had not heard many times, and essence- essence of what?! All will be answered, in time, he concluded, and returned his attention to the different methods.

It was pretty clear to Solonor, what he needed to do. Clearing his mind of everything, though he assumed would sound easy to others, was certainly not, as he had found out during his tests. He knew it was going to be hard, possibly harder than when the tests occurred. But, with time, the elf would succeed. And time he had, that much he did know. The first method, using the substance, Solonor quickly eliminated. One thing he did not want was to rely on such materials in order to meditate, at least not while he was learning how to do it. Perhaps, once he had mastered the technique, but certainly not when he was only trying it for the first time. The next two methods, however, sounded good to him, and he decided that, while he would try both, the last method will be easier for his first attempt. Without a word, a copper-skinned hand reached for the bronze star figurine, and another went for the linen cushion.

Comfortably seated on the cushion, star on the ground in front of him, Solonor eased his breaths. Soft, long and silent these breaths came, without a sound. The green orbs were transfixed upon the star, noting its every curve, point and glitter. The lithe body was as still as a rock. It was difficult, not paying attention to the things around him. The elf, who had always been as alert to his surroundings, now had to do the exact opposite, forcing himself, his constantly-racing mind, to be completely unrelated to what he heard, smelled, touched or saw. All, except for the bronze star, glittering on the ground before him. It took him time. The eyes did not move for a split second from their stare. Though he failed to realize it, the elf, the aspiring sorcerer, did not blink for over five minutes. Gradually, thoughts began to ebb away from his mind. One at a time, and each took over a minute to vanish. Solonor was no longer aware of the breeze around him, the singing of the birds, the gentle swishing of the stream. He delved deep into his own mind, seeking thoughts in distant corners, and relieving each as he found it. The eyes were watery, but the elf to which they belonged didn't feel them anymore, they still stared blankly forwards. Minutes passed, and Solonor found no more thoughts, no more feelings. Only the star, the twinkling bronze star, remained branded into his eyes, into his mind; into his consciousness. Somewhere, deep in the reaches of his subconscious mind, the elf knew what he had to do. He closed his eyes, still seeing the star, branded in white into the back of his eyelids, and, after no thought came, no feeling or idea, he opened them again.

OOC: Boulder, if you want me to describe how Solonor sees the Astral plane, say so and I'll do it in my next post.

[Lunerith]

Solonor tried. He tried very hard to focus only on the figurine. Eventually, he stopped trying so hard to focus because it became a very natural thing to do. It came to the point that he didn't blink for a very long time. Finally, he closed his eyes and once he thought he had cleared his mind, he opened his eyes. Unfortunately, Solonor's eyes were met with disappointment. He was back in the same old world. No matter how hard he had tried, he had failed, although there was no way of telling where he had done this. Guln though, did not seem quite as disappointed, almost on the contrary, he seemed rather uncaring as to whether or not Solonor had just succeeded. There was probably a reason behind his lack of care for Solonor's failure, one that Guln might even reveal.

"It is very natural, Solonor, that success does not come early. It usually takes months. You though, show promise. Great promise. Try again, without the star, it might help. Remember, nothing in magic usually succeeds the first time you try it. It's like the warm up before doing athletics and the like. That's why we have the meditation period." Guln stopped speaking to him and gently removed the figurine. Solonor was left without anything but himself and a linen cushion to sit on. Of course, his surroundings were still there, but they had to be eliminated mentally, not physically, so that he could observe everything as it was meant to be observed by mages and especially sorcerers. A thought struck Solonor, which was that physically eliminating everything around him would probably mean that he wouldn't be able to cast magic, as magic to a certain point seemed to be relative. Afterall, that's how magic was always explained; as affecting something else, rather than creating something in it's own right, excluding summoners and the like of course.

Meditation was probably something Solonor was used to. More as a cultural thing than as anything else really. Of course, there was the chance that he hadn't meditated very much, but for such a pure elf as he was, for so much spirituality of some kind fused into him, it seemed unlikely to the whole wide world that he had little practice with some kind of meditation. He was being put to the test though, with his teacher, Guln, watching over him and of course, teaching him the methods that he was to learn. Patience would be important as nothing came immediatly, after what Guln had said at least. Afterall, one first had to learn how to warm up, before being able to do without making a mess of everything.

[Solonor Gil'anar]

A moment before he opened his green eyes, Solonor didn't know what to expect. What would it look like, when it happened? Would it be some other world, different completely than his own? Would it be similar, interlaying with magic? Would it be his own magical world, where he had the power to draw magic? The eyes opened, and disappointment struck Solonor like a boot in the face. He had failed. Guln's words did good, but little of it, to improve the elf's feeling. He never did take well to failing, in whatever it was he tried to do. All of a sudden, a phrase popped into his mind, a shadow of a memory, but he knew who had said it. "I'malle a'lakilea naa tuupe yassen lantaie." His father had always said these sort of things. Without a further word, Solonor, determined to do better, closed his eyes. He had meditated several times during his childhood, instructed by his father, usually before one of their journeys through their wilderness, but this- this was so much harder, the need not only to relax, but also to completely clean his mind, be oblivious to everything...

Once again, the dreary, difficult work of clearing his mind started. Without the star, it was even harder for the elf. He steadied his breath, setting into a slow rhythm of inhaling and exhaling long breaths, before he set to work inside his own mind. He knew that a mistake he might have done was failing to calm himself, his expectations of success. These needed to go. If he didn't succeed now, he would later. And if he didn't succeed later, than he would try again. As much as he needed. But that desire for immediate success was so un-neccesary, he suddenly realized. He had all the time he needed. The desire vanished, so abruptly that it caught Solonor by surprise. The rhythmic breaths resumed as the elf calmed himself down again, free of the desire to succeed immediately. Completely calm now, he set to work, alienating himself from his surroundings. Again, it proved exceedingly difficult. The steady breaths came and went, and with each, vanished a sound, a feeling, a scent. Solonor had failed to realize, previous to that moment, how many of these nature actually held. Slowly, outside sensations vanished, in what seemed quite close to eternity. Then, came the more grueling task of eliminating inside sensations, thoughts and emotions. Solonor delved deep. He scouted the insides of his consciousness for every speck of feeling, and, when he found it, he pondered it, and it vanished. How many of these were inside his mind, he did not know, but they seemed like thousands. It was difficult, mentally, do be devoid of so many emotions, which, as he realized during his dream, were what made us. After a long while, Solonor simply couldn't find anything else in his mind. It seemed an empty shell, which would resonate if tapped on. For another minute, Solonor pondered the last thought- the search for thoughts. He was amazed that it was actually possible, delving so deep into one's mind, discovering the most intimate secrets that person held even from himself. It vanished. There was nothing except for blackness, darkness; void. Upon instinct, Solonor opened his eyes.