We Were Born Before the Wind [init. myst., self-mod]

[Valanthia L'Evienne]

Timestamp: Mid-Melora, Spring Era XIV PF

The window in which Val could begin her training was small indeed, but the girl figured that she had just enough time to do it before she had to return to the Palace, and then to Coldlight. Ordinarily, she didn't like rushing this sort of thing, but she was feeling pressed. The girl was continually coming up against things she could not control, obstacles she had no real way to overcome, and so the more things she could learn in order to protect herself, the better.

At any rate, she reached the appropriate classroom right on time. It was on the sixth floor of the Tower of Mind, and the plaque next to it bore the name Master Thaddeus Dircombe. After a long, and not entirely pleasant discussion, Umbrosus had agreed to wait outside, curled up in a shadow. There was nothing that he could contribute, and his presence would only invite questions that were best left unasked. Neither he nor Val felt comfortable apart, but it was just going to have to be that way for now.

The girl knocked once, then pushed open the door and walked inside. The man she assumed she was to meet was there, a short man who had the look of someone capable of a wide range of emotions. He was seated next to a red wooden desk, and he gave Val a polite smile.

"Serale. Miss L'Evienne, I presume?" he asked. "Please, sit down. I'm to be your instructor, but as you must imagine, there are some formalities we must take care of first." Val nodded, and took the proffered seat. "The questions are standard. Why are you hoping to learn arcana in general, and mysticism in particular."

There was a fairly long delay as Val formulated her answer, though Thaddeus did not seem to be impatient. Finally, she opened her mouth. "I am in an...unusual postion, sir. I am a half-vysstichi, the sister to the Regent, a low-level Imperial functionary with relatives in the highest echelons of power. It is...critically important for me to be fully prepared to defend my Empire, my family, and myself. Arcana is certainly a method of doing that. Mysticism appeals to my intellectual curiosity; I like subtlety. I like indirectness."

She thought that Thaddeus would press her, but he elected not to do so. Instead, he said, "I think, Miss L'Evienne, that you have much to learn -- perhaps more than even you believe. But this will be a sufficient starting point." Not the highest praise Val had ever received in a classroom, but she was willing to accept it.

He gestured to a sort of a couch on one side of the room, which had pillows on it. "If you truly wish to be unbound, to have the constraints that keep you from sensing arcana removed, please move over there. I will warn you that the process is not without its dangers. It will hurt, and people have died before, though it is rare." He raised an eyebrow, inviting Val to leave if she wished.

But the girl would have none of that, of course. Without hesitation, she stood up, and then placed herself on the pillows. She closed her gray eyes, and then said quietly, "I am ready..."

[Valanthia L'Evienne]

The man placed one hand on Valanthia's head. In that moment, the girl's temples began to throb. It was a dull sensation at first, but as she lay there, it picked up in intensity, becoming steadily worse for several seconds. Then there was a sudden, unexpected sharpness, as if someone were trying to ram a knitting needle through her skull. She groaned, but hardly heard the sound, because everything was turning black...

She opened her eyes. The room that she was in seemed to have vanished, for she was back in Coldlight, in the mirror room. She looked around frantically for Umbrosus, but her Virkyn was nowhere to be seen. No one, in fact, was anywhere to be seen -- she was quite alone.

She stepped closer, and looked into the mirror. Despite the fact that she did not remember starting the ritual, she saw not her own reflection, but the room in which mirror-Umbrosus was sitting. He was reading a book, the same way that he had been the first time that they had met. The girl's feelings lifted momentarily, and she took another step toward the mirror.

But as she did so, a door on the other side opened. A woman walked in, a brunette whom Valanthia did not recognize. She approached Umbrosus, and though Val could not hear them, they seemed to greet each other warmly.

More warmly than might have been expected, in fact, for Umbrosus bent down and kissed her on the lips. The woman reciprocated the gesture, which was a lingering one. The man reached out and pulled her to him, and kissed her again, harder this time.

"Wait!" Val called out. "What about...what about me?" And she took another step forward, but when her hands reached the mirror, they did not go through -- they merely struck the glass and stopped. Umbrosus did not so much as look up. The girl could feel her heart sink down into her shoes.

"People move on," a voice came from behind her. She spun around, and saw her Virkyn there -- standing next to the same woman from the mirror. "I'm afraid you're not going to be suitable, Miss L'Evienne. There are other people who will do much better. You can go now." She felt nothing from him, nothing at all.

"But..." Val could feel her lip trembling. None of this made sense. "But..." she stuttered helplessly. "But you...you loved me."

"Love is for those worthy of love," was the Virkyn's devastating rejoinder. He turned, the woman's hand on his back, and headed for the door. Val turned around again, and in the mirror, the same thing was happening.

"Stop! she shouted, her voice breaking. In another moment, she would cry. "Stop!" But nothing happened, except that the world started swirling, spinning, dissolving...

She opened her eyes. The mirror was gone. She was lying on the couch, her body soaked in sweat. The concerned expression of her teacher hovered over her. Slowly, very slowly, she pushed herself into a sitting position. "Are you all right?" the man asked, noting with concern Val's haggard expression and hollow eyes. "It looked like you were...having trouble."

The girl nodded. "I am...I have been better, but I'll be all right."

Thaddeus gave a half-smile, and handed her a cup of tea, which she drank gratefully. "I think you'll learn better if you come back tomorrow, rather than trying to teach you anything else today. Get some rest." His voice was gentle, and Val nodded again in agreement.

When she had finished the tea, she walked slowly out of the room, down the stairs, and outside. Umbrosus met her there, and together, they went back to Val's flat.

[Valanthia L'Evienne]

Valanthia returned to the classroom the next brightening as appointed, but she seemed to be still somewhat troubled. And indeed, this was true -- the unbinding experience was still bothering her, and she had slept terribly, even by her own low standards. But she tried to smile when she saw her instructor, and she gave a polite, "Serale, sir."

The man returned the greeting, and he and Val both sat down. "We'll pick up from where we left off yesterday," he said kindly. ""It's important to realize that a person, even an unbound one, cannot simply manipulate the arcane energies without being trained -- they'd blow themselves to bits if they tried, and probably a good many people along with them." A sort of a grim smile appeared on his face for a moment.

"What I'm going to do now is to Impart the Initiate-level spellcasting knowledge to you -- and tether you to the proper plane. This won't mean you don't have to train, but it will give you the necessary knowledge. That may not make the most sense in the world to you right away, but I think you'll see what I mean. Are you ready?" he asked.

"Yes," Valanthia said, though in her mind she wasn't perhaps as confident as she seemed. Nonetheless, Thaddeus hadn't said anything about this particular part being dangerous or painful or possibly fatal, and so it probably wasn't going to be as bad as the unbinding.

Thaddeus put his hand on Val's shoulder, and performed the Imparting. The girl didn't yet know enough arcanic theory to be entirely sure how it worked, but she did...suddenly know some things about spellcasting. Random bits of information floated into her brain, waiting for the further instruction she would receive to shape and use them.

[Valanthia L'Evienne]

"And that completes that particular phase of the operation," Thaddeus said. "Now, we can begin some of the more academically interesting subjects. Not too many at once, though. As an initiate, you're limited to three spells in any one brightening. More than three and your vis -- your internal energy -- is depleted, and you will suffer severe side effects, including but not limited to death. I wouldn't recommend it."

Val nodded carefully. She wasn't one to be particularly intimidated, but any warning that included the likelihood of her imminent death was one that she was going to take seriously.

"There are two types of arcanic energy, ara and vis. Vis is the energy inside you -- and by extension, the personal energy of any living thing. Ara is the remaining energy, the energy that fills the space in between living things. In order to access and manipulate this energy, you will need to reach a meditative state -- the state of clara. You must clear your mind of all other thoughts and focus on the energy around and inside you. This is especially true given that you are studying mysticism, and the very essence of mysticism is thought."

"There are three other techniques that you must know to help you adjust and control the spells that you will be casting," Thaddeus continued. "The first of these is called Focus. There's a book called the Primer to Arcana, 2nd edition, which has something of value to say about it." He picked up a book that lay on the red desk.

"With the essence of a person's intellect now floating freely in a meditative state, one can attempt to interface directly with the arcane energy of spells. This technique is called Focusing. One focuses directly into the nexus of energy, and upon successful interface, can begin to call upon the energy. Focusing becomes useful for when one wishes to cast spells at a faster rate by improving the exchange rate of mental energy for magical energy." He looked directly at Val. "Essentially, one uses one's mind to increase the level of energy one is using."

"Now, the second technique is called Channel. Again, to quote from the Primer, 'Also called cantrips, channelling controls the rate at which energy enters and departs a spell. By channelling, a spellcaster can magnify/amplify the effects of her spell or alternatively demagnify/deamplify these same effects. With extreme practice, gifted channellers are able to cast multiple spells in the same continuous stream of energy.' Now, you won't be casting multiple spells for some time, but by concentrating on the energy, you can make the spell more or less powerful."

Val nodded thoughtfully. So far, it all seemed pretty reasonable. Thaddeus continued, "The final technique you need to know is called Dispel. Quoting again, 'Initiates can undo non-permanent effects of a spell by channelling on the original energy configuration of an aura afflicted by the offending magic, but this skill usually only works on spells cast by mages of the same proficiency level or lower. Over time and with practice, mages can become gifted and attuned to advanced dispel techniques and develop countercurses that are capable of undoing the work of spells that were seemingly permanent, but in actuality had just long-lasting effects.'"

Thaddeus cleared his throat, then continued. "Now, when you are in clara, you will find that you are less aware of the physical world, but have a heightened awareness of the arcane realm. You must simply clear your mind. You'll see what you mean when you try it. At any rate, I'd like you to attempt this technique, Miss L'Evienne -- clara. You may begin when you are ready."

[Valanthia L'Evienne]

Valanthia did the best she could to follow Thaddeus's instructions. There was an awful lot in Val's head, and it was hard to clear away. She tried to focus herself on the arcane energy around her, but it was still difficult. She wasn't used to it, and it kind of made her head hurt -- though, as she grimly reflected for a moment, everything that she did lately seemed to make her head hurt.

Perhaps half a candlemark passed like this. And then...it was as though the world suddenly snapped into focus. Or out of focus, depending on one's perspective. The physical world seemed far away from Val, but the arcane energies were real and close and tangible. She could see the ara around her...it was hard to describe, but it was something like spinning purple ropes. Her favorite color...

Then her instructor spoke, and Val lost hold on it. What he was saying was, "Now, I'd like you to go home and practice. Come back in five brightenings, having practiced clara carefully, so that you can hear instructions without being distracted out of it. It'll also help you attain it faster."

Val, slightly disoriented but otherwise all right, nodded and left slowly.

[Valanthia L'Evienne]

And of course, when Val returned, having practiced her assigned task with what even for her was unnatural diligence, the first thing Thaddeus wanted her to do was enter clara. The girl took a deep breath and did it. It still took time, but not as much time as before.

From what seemed like a long way away, Thaddeus said, "Now that you're in clara, I'd like you to try a simple spell. To do this, you take some of the energy inside you -- your vis, and mix it with some of the ara around you. When this happens, something called arcalysis will occur. How exactly it works isn't important just yet, but it will bring your mind to the Astral Plane. I'll warn you now, it may not exactly be comfortable. You can then focus on one of the essence planes: the mental plane in your case, since you're a mystic now. You will then channel that essence to create a mixture called mana. Then, I want you to focus this energy on your own senses and cast Awareness. This will enable you to sense any illusions around you. I'll leave you to do this," he added, and walked out the door, closing it behind him.

Val was a little surprised at the man's departure, but she tried to focus anyway. She manipulated the energy until she thought she had it right; Thaddeus was right in that projecting her mind into the astral plane was not yet comfortable and was even less explicable. She could do it, but she hardly knew how, a fact that was a little frustrating to one of Valanthia's academic bent. At any rate, when she was done, she then turned her attention to the room around her, scanning each part of it in turn.

When she reached the place where Thaddeus had been standing, she noticed that there was a noticeable concentration of arcanic energy. Behind that concentration was her instructor himself! He hadn't left the room at all -- instead, he had merely created an illusion. This realization was enough of a surprise to Val that she was knocked out of clara and returned to her normal state of awareness.

"Very satisfactory," Thaddeus said. "That will be enough for today -- I don't want to overextend you. Please return tomorrow at the same candlemark."

Still somewhat weak, Val nodded in assent, and then made her way to the door.

[Valanthia L'Evienne]

When Val arrived the next day, looking if possible more world-weary than she had the day previous, the class began exactly as it had before.

Thaddeus looked with some tenderness a the girl, but seemed to realize that she didn't really want to be asked about it. Instead, he greeted her, and then said, "I'd like you to enter clara. Then prepare yourself to cast Awareness -- but first, listen for my instructions."

It took the girl a long time to reach Clara, though not as long as she had taken the previous brightening; the process was beginning to become familiar. As she did so, Thaddeus stretched out his hand. A bird suddenly appeared on it. Val knew that this was the illusion that she was going to have to detect.

She reached clara. As she did so, Thaddeus called out, "I want you to cast Awareness. Utilize Focus to cast the spell quickly. Then use Channel to increase the power of the spell" Val reached out into the nexus of energy and poured more of her mental energy into it. Then, channeling, Val added more power. It was like pushing on a wall that didn't want to budge, but she added still more energy and continued. Suddenly, she broke through. At that point, the half-vysstichi finally cast Awareness. Quickly, she detected the illusion. Indeed, the process happened more quickly than she expected -- though it still took a rather long time.

"Although I'm a much more experienced mage than you, and so would normally be able to overpower you, I have cast this spell very weakly, for practice purposes. I now want you to try something different and Dispel it," the instructor said.

Val was feeling drained by now, but she channeled in the energy that would destroy the illusion. For a moment, the bird wavered; then it vanished back into the nothingness from whence it came.

"Good," Thaddeus said. Noting the girl's haggard eyes, he added, "That concludes today's lesson. Rest well, and come back tomorrow"

[Valanthia L'Evienne]

Val wasn't much less exhausted when she arrived in class the next brightening. Under normal circumstances, Thaddeus would have been tempted to give her the brightening off, but the look in her eyes was so intense that he elected simply to continue with the lessons.

The next spell is titled Enfeeblement," he began. "To quote from a text called the Spells of Mysticism, 'A Mystic can instill a psionic inhibitor into the mind of a single opponent, effectively hindering that opponent's strength and dexterity, affecting endurance and making them appear sluggish, clumsy and weak.' Normally, you wouldn't be able to cast this spell on me, but I'll reduce my defenses to make this possible. Shape the mana and insert the spell into my mind."

This sounded rather more difficult than the others to Val, but that wasn't a deterrent. Entering clara took a long time, but when she was there, she reached out and manipulated the energy, causing the arcalysis, trying to add the inhibitor to Thaddeus's mind. As she did so, she noticed a change come over her instructor. He looked lethargic and tired -- almost as tired as Val felt.

"That'thh enoffpff," the man mumbled. Val turned the energy off and snapped out of meditation.

"Very good," the man said, snapping back to his old self as though nothing had happened. "Now, I'd like you to try Objectify. This is an illusion-creating spell that makes you appear to be 'a simple, inanimate, inorganic object of same or lesser mass. The illusion is a temporary one, whose duration increases with the caster's proficiency. Illusions generate the same sensations of touch, feel, smell, sight and sound that they are intended to emulate' -- again, that's from the Spells of Mysticism. So, the trick is to think of an object, something about your size, and shape the mana to create that appearance around yourself, so to speak."

Val summoned up the energy she had remaining and reentered clara. After this was done -- and it took a while -- she elected to try for a simple stone column. There were some at various places in the Imperial Forum, so it wasn't a stretch for her to come up with the idea. She shaped the energy around and inside her, causing the arcalysis, creating the mana, then weaving a web of illusory magic. It took a long time. Minutes dragged by. But finally, she felt everything snap into place. The illusion was complete.

"Well done, Miss L'Evienne," Thaddeus said as Valanthia dropped out of clara. "Now for your final spell of the day. This one is called Invisibility. Again, to quote, 'Using the power to bend the rays of perception, a Mystic can cloak herself or her companion in a field that will render the target invisible to the naked eye.' Your energy then should be focused on deflecting the perceptions of others."

Val was feeling very, very tired by this time, but the determination inside her spurred her on. So she entered clara again. The process took even longer this time, given her state of exhaustion. When she reached it, she reached into the energy again, trying to create a field that would deflect detection by sight. This weave was challenging for her, and she almost lost clara twice -- practice, it seemed, was going to be the key to navigating the Astral Plane. But finally, she felt the spell succeed, and she knew she was out of sight, if not out of mind.

"Good," Thaddeus said. Val dropped clara quickly. She felt so tired that she could barely stand up.

He looked at her with empathy. "That's all you can do for today, Miss L'Evienne. Go home, and return again in the morning."

[Valanthia L'Evienne]

To be honest, Val didn't feel anywhere near refreshed the next brightening -- although she wasn't in quite the same condition as she had been the day before. But she looked well enough for Thaddeus to continue, which is exactly what he did.

"Your first spell for today is Psionic Orb. To quote again, 'Focusing her own neural energies, the Mystic can launch a small sphere of psychic shock in the form of a psionic orb. When the orb strikes an opponent at close range, it delivers a stun that deals both damage and immobilizes the creature.' Hence, the energy of your own mind is expelled outward in a controlled, forceful, disruptive blast. I'd like you to try this on me -- trust me, Miss L'Evienne, you can't actually hurt me."

Val was sure this was true, though she didn't really want to admit it. Instead, she tried to relax and enter clara. The process got easier as she practiced it more, although it still took several minutes to do it. When she reached the meditative state, she tried to focus her mental energy, to get the essence, then to shape the mana into an orb charged with psychic energy. For a long time, nothing happened. Then, without warning, a blue orb shot away from her toward her instructor. It sped towards him, then dissolved six inches from his face. He did not so much as blink.

"Good, Miss L'Evienne," he said. "With practice, you'll be able to aim better and perform the spell more quickly."

"The next spell, Reveal, is something of a tricky one. Quoting again, 'The Mystic has the capacity to read the thoughts of others. By using this spell, the caster will be able to discern the true feelings, emotions or thoughts of the target. The success of this spell is based upon the level of intelligence of the target, the caster's proficiency with the spell, and the proximity to the target.' It takes practice to be able to discern what you're looking for. We'll start easy. Come here, take my hand in yours, and tell me what I'm thinking of."

Valanthia complied, taking Thaddeus's hand and clearing her mind. When she reached clara, she went through the whole process again, shaped the energy, using it to probe her instructor's mind. At first, there was nothing but confusing emotions, random words that vanished before she could remember them. Suddenly, without warning, a clear image popped into her mind, the image of a bird with red wings. "It's a bird, one with red wings," Val said quietly.

"Very good," Thaddeus said, giving his pupil a chance to rest for a moment. After this pause, he continued, "Today's final spell is Spell Nullify. Quoting again, 'The Mystic is able to counter a spell that has yet been cast by creating a field of psionic energy that is imbued with the spirit of coherence, for this field will anticipate the type of spell to be cast, and shall counter it. This spell functions only for spells cast at the same level, or lower, of proficiency as the Mystic caster.' You must create a field, a coherent field from the mana, one that will dissolve any spell I attempt to cast. I'll let you cast then try a weak spell to test how effective it was."

"Yes, sir." Val closed her aching eyes and concentrated on reaching clara. When it finally happened, she took the energy around her, created the arcalysis, and gathered the necessary essence. Then she began shaping the mana as a sort of preemptive shield. When she thought the field was ready, she softly said, "I'm ready, sir."

Thaddeus elected to try Objectify, mimicking the column that Val had made earlier. For a moment, his image wavered; then, the spell vanished. Val could feel the energy dispersing, and the unaltered, undisguised form of her teacher remained before her. The spell had been nullified.

Val dropped out of clara, exhausted. Gently, Thaddeus said, "That will do for today."

[Valanthia L'Evienne]

Again, Val dragged herself into the classroom the following brightening. This time, however, she took some comfort in Thaddeus' first remark. "Two more spells to learn, Miss L'Evienne, and then you'll be finished with your initiate-level studies. After that, it's just practice until Apprentice."

"Your first spell for today is Suggestion, one of the most useful initiate spells. To quote, 'This spell will enable the Mystic to implant a short, brief suggestion in the mind of the target. The suggestion is usually a one-word feeling, sensation or thought that will likely cause a natural reaction. For example, the suggestion of 'hot' might cause an enemy to drop a weapon.' Again, I'd like you to try this on me. Try it with...'cold.'"

Val closed her eyes. Clara came more easily this time, and she (relatively) quickly began manipulating the energy. Form it into a suggestion, put it in her teacher's mind. Cold. Cold. Cold. Nothing happened for a minute. Then, Thaddeus shivered involuntarily; as soon as he did, he said, "Excellent, Miss L'Evienne."

The young woman dropped back out of meditation and waited attentively as he continued. "Your final spell is Terrify. Quoting again, 'Activating the emotion of fear, the Mystic can implant a sensation of terror into the heart of her desired target. If the target responds, it shall panic and attempt to flee, though this sensation of terror only lasts for a brief period of time.' As you can tell, the process isn't much different from that of Suggestion, but it's more specific. Go ahead and try it."

By this time, Val, sensing the end, was ready. She dropped into meditation, performed the arcalysis and obtained the mana, then performed almost precisely the same weave as before, but altering it as Thaddeus had said. A look of vague unease passed over her instructor's face. Then he said, "Very good, Miss L'Evienne. If I were not a high-level mage, I would have been quite frightened."

As the exhausted Valanthia sank back out of Clara, Thaddeus said, "That concludes the initiate mysticism class. I shall hope to see you for apprentice in the near future."

"Thanks," Valanthia managed.

[Valanthia L'Evienne]

Done? Was she really done? The answer was yes...and no, Val reflected as she walked slowly home, Umbrosus at her side. She was an initiate, that was true. But it was already clear to her -- though she had known it before -- that she was going to have to do more.

What she had done now was interesting, but hardly useful. Everything took too long, and she felt her hold on clara was too tenuous to rely on in case of an emergency. Though of course, that was the issue with arcana in general; a beginning swordsman could make short work of an initiate mage -- but there was no swordsman in the world who could stand up to a Master in the arcane arts. And so, for Val, there would need to be more practicing, more study, more lessons.

She didn't rightly know whether she would come back to Nexus, or whether she would be able to convince Niravia or one of the few other Sanguine mages to teach her. But that would be something that she could settle when she went back to Coldlight in another cycle or two.

The girl was tired, but a determined burned within her. She would succeed.

[Heartbreaker]

OOC: Initiate Mysticism Approved!