A time to learn (Sorcery initiate, Xyltha)

[Xyltha Thanole]

Cryxatum, Summer, Era II, PF XIV

Xyltha had donned on his drab initiate robes, as was customary he was told, and ambled in the general direction of his first class. He was excited, pumped with the thought of finally beginning to learn what he had always wanted since an era or so ago - Sorcerous magic. Vague dreams and aspirations of grandeur and glory inundated his mind, as he sauntered towards his classroom. Ah, what fools initiates were on their first brightenings.

Approaching his designateed classroom, he cautiously ventured a knock on the door, unsure whether anyone was already in.

[Skay Ravendi]

Getting to the room he was told to go wasn't that easy. The told room was 701, which meant that it was on the seventh floor of the tower, whereas his room was on the first floor. But even after climbing all those stairs that was not where the trouble ended. The tower was circular and after exiting the staircase at each level one could go both ways in a circular corridor which had rooms on both sides. Now room 701 was the first one to the right of the staircase's exit.

The problem now was that right when Xyltha stepped a few steps to the right he saw a strange view. The view of the tower from outside, from the yard. He was actually standing in the yard, no longer in the tower, no longer on the seventh floor. Sorcery was famous for teleportation and this was where his path to the training began. He still had about 20 minutes till his lectures had to start. But there was still the matter of climbing all seven floors. Again.

[Xyltha Thanole]

Xyltha lurched to a halt, surprise temporarily overwhelming his actions. It took him a few seconds to re-orient himself and realise that he was no longer in the tower, on his way to class. Then a few seconds passed before he put two and two together, and realised that he must have somehow teleported from the tower. Was this meant to be a test? Well, he was determined to beat it.

He power marched to the stairs again, and began leaping up two at a time, pausing several times to catch his breath and rest his aching legs. After reaching the sixth floor, he slowed down, as much from the ache in his legs as caution at being teleported again. Taking the last few steps towards the stairwell exit on the seventh floor, he stopped once more and peeked out along the exit to see if there were any clues as to who the prankster who teleported him was.

If turning right didn't work last time, maybe I have to turn left. Using his powers of deductions, he turned to walk along the corridor to the left, with the hope that he could circle around it to the room on the right eventually.

[Crimson]

 

Peer Moderation. This Thread has been approved for Peer Moderation, assigned to Peermod Skay Ravendi under the authority of Game Master Crimson, as per the accepted Modplan. Participants are advised that conditions and circumstances may be adjusted to ensure fairness and balance.

[Skay Ravendi]

Going up to the top wasn't as easy, Xyltha had to make stops and when he managed to reach the top he was completely out of breath. And he wanted something to drink badly. As he went in a roundabout way to the teaching room he saw a few other students looking at him. Perhaps so far he could not tell just from their robes, but they were adepts, already powerful mages and it took only a few seconds for them to determine that he was a rookie. On of the students spoke a word that held no meaning to Xyltha "Abarat." and a white ornamental staff appeared in his hand.

And then a few more steps later he reached the door. He did manage to go around and here he was, by the door. The trap either only worked once or he really did manage to move around it. And no adepts played pranks on him either. When he entered inside, Xyltha would see a woman, she was in her age already, had black loose hair with a few strands of silver and seemed to look nice and polite. However her first words of greeting were "You're late."

The room wasn't something amazing. There was a bookshelf to the left, a table with an armchair and a window behind it to the back, lots of pillows to the left as if it was a place for sleeping. A few things there and there, but nothing else. Oh and there was a glowing orb close to the ceiling, which worked well enough as a lamp. Though it was still daytime, so the effect wasn't as great or meanigful.

[Xyltha Thanole]

Xyltha was still breathless. Feth! It's times like these that I wished I had taken up running, or exercise more. All hopes that he had to arrive punctually was dashed by that incidental teleportation.

"Serale, Mistress. My apologies for being late. I was ... a bit lost on my way to your chambers. I hope I am not too late in arriving."

His mind turned back to the sight of the gang of adepts he saw a moment ago. He was sure now that they had something to do with his tardiness.

"Will there be other students joining us?"

[Skay Ravendi]

"No, not too late." She looked at a strange liquid-sand clock on her desk. "About three minutes late. So you're forgiven." She even flashed a more cheerful smile at that. Then she opened a book and scribled something into it, closing it right after that. There was no other chair in this room, therefore the elf had no choice but to stand or slump down to the ground.

"Ah, no, not today. This is your first lesson, so it's very different. But before we begin, I'd like you to tell me what you know about Arcana, why you chose to spend so much money on this path? And why did you choose sorcery and not say... elementalism or necromancy?" There was a stretch on the last word and the Mistress remained serious. Her question was not a joke and that suggested sphere did not seem to be a joke either. Now everything depended on Xyltha's answer.

[Xyltha Thanole]

Xyltha's breathing had by now settled to a more relaxed manner, his memory of the arduous trip upstairs fading into the vaults of his memory; only to quicken once more at the seemingly innocuous question posed by his new tutor. His mind went blank, or perhaps more accurately, churned into a sea of chaotic emotions and thoughts. He couldn't even begin to piece together an sentence containing the remotest intelligence. A thready nervous tension rose in his mind, a new feeling which he found unsettling.

He took a deep breath, and with it cleared his mind of all extraneous thoughts. And began to compose together a reasoned sentence as to why he did indeed want to learn magecraft, and not just any sphere, but specifically Sorcery.

"Learning magic has long been a goal of mine. I freely admit, I have no deeply secretive reasons nor altruistic motives to learn magic, specifically Sorcery. I do have a personal selfish reason: Sorcerors can travel with impunity. I have longed to traverse every land in this Empire, and perhaps even beyond, and the thought of teleporting across the expanse of the Empire and returning within one Brightening has a certain appeal to it.

I hope you don't take offence to my honest, sincere answer to your question. As for the other spheres, especially the two you mentioned, well I don't know too much about Elementalism other than it's mages playing with the elements - which I find quite interesting in its own way, just a bit... raw and too uncouth for elves like me. As for necromancy, I don't think playing around with dead corpses all day would do me too much good. For one, I'd have to stay up all night to play with them without other people finding out..."

He hoped that his touch of humour at the end would alleviate the sombre environment of the chamber.

[Xyltha Thanole]

OOC: Selfmodding with kind permission from Crimson and Skay

An elegant smile alighted on the Elf-Sorceress' lips once more. She would have an interesting time tutoring this student, she could tell. His honesty was refreshingly frank, and indeed the perks of Sorcery didn't go unnoticed by her in all her Patterns involved in magecraft. His keen interest in ascending into the ranks of the mages excited her - here before her stood the next generation of leaders in Arcana, a fresh injection of new blood to uphold the virtues of Sorcery. It was well and truly time to start teaching this young elfling the nuances of magery.

"Well, it is true that we Sorcerors can indeed flit about the realm as you so flippantly put it; but even the most vaunted of Sorcerors have their limits. And the joys of expedient magically-enhanced travel is not solely limited to the practitioners of Sorcery, for mages in other Spheres of magic have their own forms of travel. However I do understand your point, and agree with you to an extent."

Pausing for effect, she motioned the elfling to seat himself in an empty stool in front of her. The door creaked open. A pot of amber-coloured tea, hovering in mid-air, slowly drifted in, a veil of steam drifting in its wake. In short order, two cups held by equally invisible hands followed suit.

"Tea?" She bade the pot to pour itself into the two cups, and offer a cup to Xyltha. Then she launched into her next spate of lecturing.

"To cast magic, firstly a brief understanding of the nature of the Arcane is necessary. This world of Telath, it is made up on Essences. Think of essences as the building blocks of this realm, that make up all the substances that we can see, feel, hear and touch. In general, there are two types in the Material Plane: The Vis and Ara. Vis is organised, it is the cumulative organised essences that make substance. Ara, on the other hand, is disorganised, with no material form or presence - it is the Essence that flows all around us and through us.

Normally, we mortals cannot directly affect the flow and rhythm of these essences, even should we be able to sense them. Thus, we need a third type of Essence: that of the Essence Planes. The Essence Planes are located elsewhere, out of our reach in this Aelyriaverse. We mages can access these planes, and thus channel these essences into the Material Plane. There are various Essences in these Planes, however only a few have been able to be accessed, each defining their own respective spheres of Magic. For us Sorcerors, we access the Essences in the Plane of Force."

She paused to sip her tea. Xyltha frowned in concentration, trying furiously to memorise every word she uttered.

"In order to bring out these Essences into the Material Plane, an equal amount of Vis within us must be sacrificed. Recall I said before how Vis is the organised Essence of all that is substance? Well, each of us have a certain amount of Vis within us, and we sacrifice a certain amount in order to use the corresponding amount of Essence, in this case Force Essence, in our spell casting. Our efficiency at using our Vis will increase with experience and practice."

Another sip, her throat was becoming parched. She smiled, as she saw how hard her younger counterpart appeared to try and take in her words. It looked like he was trying to go poop in her stool; she hoped he wasn't.

"Now, in order for us to access the Essence of Force, mages have to enter a meditative state called Clara. All mages, regardless of sphere, undergo the same process in order to access their respective Essences. Once in this state of Clara, we are able to sense the presence of Vis and Ara in and around us. Using our Vis in this state, we initiate a reaction with the Ara surrounding us. This allows us access into the gateway of the Planes of Essences, called the Astral Plane. Our mind exists in the Astral Plane outside of time, and all our actions in this plane act as if instantaneous - for in truth it is. Therein, we focus on finding the Essence of Force, and channel an amount equal to our Vis we have invested in this spell back to the Material Plane. Some call this amount of Vis we have channeled back with us, Mana. It is with this Mana that we cast our spells. We are limited by the amount of Vis we can invest in spells each brightening, and with experience and promotions we can increase this amount, and subsequently the amount of spells, or level of spells we cast. For an initiate like you, three Initiate-level spells is the limit. Any more, and I would fear for your life."

A hard edge entered her tone. She did not want to frighten him, but she wanted to have it made clear that she would brook no arguments in that regard. It was dangerous exceeding one's limits in the Arcane, often with disastrous results. Xyltha gulped, anxiety setting in. He wasn't aware of this limit to magecraft, but he was still determined to learn. After all, as long as he didn't exert himself too much, he would be safe, right? It didn't sound too hard.

[Xyltha Thanole]

Once she was satisfied that she had impressed upon the young elf the dangers of over-exerting oneself in matters of the Arcane, she rose from her seat. With the grace of an elegant swan, she approached Xyltha. Stopping a few inches from him, she smiled and lovingly brushed his unkempt hair with a swipe of her hand. Ah, he is but a child, she thought. Probably too young to even know of the pleasures of the flesh.

"All mortals are born bound to the presence of the Essence in this world. It takes a mage of Master status to unbind others, to enable them to sense and subsequently access the Essences. Now, I shall Unbind you, to allow you such a privilege."

She paused, taking a few moments to slip into Clara. It wasn't too long before she undertook the routine casting, as she had done with countless pupils before this, and unbound the elfling in front of her.

At first, Xyltha stared blankly at the Elf-sorceress, not knowing what to make of her advances. His heart quickened, and excitement coursed through his veins. Was she about to caste some fantastical magic right before his eyes. They were wide open, not daring to blink lest they miss the magic.

A moment passed, then another, before the Elf-Sorceress snapped out of her trance, and cast the Unbinding spell. Her student, though, was yet to feel the effects. Retreating to the comfort of her own chair, she watched emotionless when her student suddenly fell backwards into a deep trance-like sleep.

Xyltha was caught in a whirlwind of colours, waves of colours that ripped through the fabric of his being. Rainbows impossibly regal in their millions of composite colours arching across his head. Ripples of amorphous, homogenous ambiant glows that seemed to come from a closer source surrounding him. Wait... was it; was it coming from him?

A few candlemarks passed before Xyltha regained his consciousness. With a start, he bolted upright from his seat, eyes open in consternation. His first thought was: Oh no! I must have slept through my lesson! What will she think of me!

A familiar face was in front, staring at him in a kind manner. The lady sorceress was smiling.

"I have unbound you. What you experienced is quite normal for those uninitiated who have been unbound, so do not be alarmed. The next step in your lesson is to try and attain this state of Clara, to be able to sense the Essences of Vis within and Ara around you. Often, novices are unable to attain such a state immediately, so do not be disheartened should you fail."

Xyltha nodded, and relaxed back in his chair. He breathed a sigh of relief. Thinking back to his vivid dream, the pleasant after-glow sensation still wrapped around him. His attention was soon back on the Elf-Sorceress' instructions.

"Before we continue, however, I shall cast another spell, to Impart the basics of casting a spell to you, and a few spells for you to start your repertoire."

Her face smoothed over, as she slipped into Clara again. This time, as Xyltha waited politely for her to finish, he felt a shower of knowledge descend upon it. It was as if he had just finished studying a whole book on spells. Suddenly he knew things he did not a moment ago. He finally understood all that she was explaining before, about the Essences of Vis and Ara, of Clara and the Planes. Furthermore, he now knew, at least in theory, how to cast a spell and dispel it. What caught his attention the most, however, was his newfound knowledge of a whole new array of spells, ranging from conjuring orbs of light to invisible projectiles of force. His face awestruck, he eagerly awaited for further instructions from the instructor. He could feel it; soon he would be casting his first spell.

[Xyltha Thanole]

It was time; the elfling seemed ready to proceed with casting his first spell. The Sorceress judged that he was equipped with enough knowledge, and possessed the right amount of determination and willpower, to succeed. Thus, she allowed him the opportunity to prove himself.

"Right, you have been imparted with a little of my knowledge on the basics of Arcanomechanics, which I had already explained to you early. I wished only to reinforce that knowledge. But further to that, I have also imparted a few spells I thought would befit your level. Perhaps now would be a good time to start practising.

First, you must enter the state of Clara. Attempt to meditate with a clear mind, and focus on attuning your senses to the essences around us. Once you have entered that state, mold a portion of your Vis with the Ara; Focus on the Essence of Force, and Channel a portion of that Essence back, to enable you to cast a spell." She smiled sweetly, a glimpse of pearly white showing. "I want you to conjure a Sphere of Light, if you can."

It was a challenge. Xyltha grinned back at his Mistress. Now, armed with the knowledge recently bestowed on him, he closed his eyes and focussed on the task at hand. The room was quiet, not even the sound of playing students outside in the courtyard would disturb his concentration. Not even the smallest insect could be heard buzzing in the room. And the gaggle of mischievous student he had encountered outside would dare play any more pranks - that room at least. No-one messes with a Master Sorceress unscathed.

The elfling cleared his thoughts, allowing himself to be wrapped up in his loneliness. It was a familiar feeling, he had been lonely for so long, it was near to second-nature. He filtered out the annoyances, his emotions, the cramps in his legs, until he descended into a state of ... nothingness. Nothing seemed to reach him. At first, nothing did reach him, and nothing happened.

Then, like a fresh wind blowing through the window, he felt it. At first, he didn't know what he was feeling, then he crystallised his thoughts on this new sensation: It was like being reborn! A vibrant aura seemed to emanate from him, and around it. Manifest as luminous lights of dazzling brilliance, he could only observe and note that it was magnificent. Such was the Essence of Ara and Vis.

Pooling together a portion of his Vis like soaking a sponge in water, as he imagined it, he squeezed this arcane equivalent at the surrounding Ara and awaited for a reaction. It came. A whole new dimension of emotions and sensation buffered him, and he could only watch helpless and endure the onslaught of a tidal wave of brilliance and sensation crashed upon him. Was he in the Astral Plane? He remembered the lessons, or rather the lessons he imagined having, thanks to the knowledge imparted upon him, and Focussed on the Plane of Force. He sought it out, and called to it. It answered.

He pulling at the essence, a pool of radiant light that bathed him in its unearthly glow. A sliver enveloped him, replacing his stores of Vis. Sated, he ascended the depths of consciousness and back to the Material Plane of solid substance. Opening his eyes, his mind traced out the Shaping of the spell, as was passed on to him magically. Willing his sliver of mana to flow out from his fingers, it coalesced into a globe of cool blue light. Xyltha was immensely happy.

"How did I do, Mistress?"

"Not too bad, my little elfling. Not bad at all. In fact, I'm so proud of you, I want you to practice further by banishing this globe via dispelling it."

Xyltha groaned. He had enjoyed casting his first spell, and wanted to revel in the moment and glow of his creation for a few moments longer. But his mistress was not to be disobeyed. Obediently, he recast his concentration into attaining the sacred state of Clara. This time, using a thread of his remaining Vis, he concentrated on pulling apart the weavings of the Sphere of Light he had created. Sweat trickled down his face, and a steep frown marred his otherwise pretty face. Perhaps a candlemark passed, but soon the globe wobbled, then disintegrated into nothingness under the relentless focus of its creator. Exhausted, Xyltha slumped back into his chair. All this was hard work indeed.

[Xyltha Thanole]

Seeing that her student was beginning to wear out from all the exercises that brightening, the Elf-lady decided to call a halt to the lesson. It was time for the little kid to have a rest.

"We may as well stop here. I doubt you have the stamina to continue for another lesson."

Xyltha nodded in agreement. Much as he was eager to continue the lesson, he doubted he could. Thus, the two bade each other farewell.

The next brightening, awaking early and eager to continue his lessons, Xyltha showed up at the door, puffing and panting as the brightening before. He had bounded up the stairs, full of enthusiasm for all the new brightening would bring.

"Serale, Mistress. Are you ready for the next lesson? Sorry for showing up early, I thought I'd make up for being late last brightening."

The Elf-sorceress nodded, her ever-present smile warmly greeting him. Once the two were in her chambers and settled in, she began the brightening's lesson.

"Well, now that I'm confident in your ability to cast the simpest of spells, I just wish to ensure you have the capability to cast the remaining few spells in your repertoire that I have imparted."

She motioned at a figurine that floated to alight in front of Xyltha. It was a small statue of an elf-maiden, beautifully sculpted by a master artiste and replete with the minutiae of details.

"Your task, is to construct a spell of deflection around this statue. Once you have succeeded, pit your powers of defence against your powers of offense by launching a bolt of Force at the statue. I wish to gauge as to what your arcane inclinations are - whether you are defensive or aggressive."

The elfling nodded. Though he didn't really understand the older elf well, he just followed her commands. Recasting his mind to the lessons from yesterday, he duly went through the customary procedures, to acquire Clara, and fashioned a spell of Deflection to surround the petite statue. It was such a dainty little thing; that Xyltha hoped it would be able to the test. After a few false starts, Xyltha manage to repeat his performance from yesterday, gleaning some essence of Force and channeling them back into Mana.

Once his first spell was complete, he once more sought to cast the second spell. Focussing his energy of constructing a bolt of pure Force, it manifested in front of him, and was sent spiralling at the statue. The two spells collided.

With an audible snap, the statue rocked to and fro. Then rested in its original position. The first spell had triumphed! Xyltha grinned foolishly, happy at the result. He didn't see the raised eyebrow his teacher awarded him. From his childish behaviour, the Elf-sorceress was sure the offensive spell would be the victor. She shrugged, it didn't matter either way. Now, it was on to the last spell - for the brightening at least.

"Very well done. Perhaps you can rest a while. The next spell I wish you to perform is to cast the Gate spell. To do this, as you would no know be aware, requires the Sorceror to have charged a location of their choosing beforehand, in order to teleport back there. Now, charge this chamber with your spell, then run all the way back down the tower. Your task is to ascend to my chambers using that spell. Go."

Xyltha nodded. It seemed all rather straightforward enough. Entering Clara, he gathered his energy, and charged the room. Arcane flows of power emanated from him, casting the room in an aura of bluish glow. Once done, he excused himself, and descended the tower. once out in the courtyard, he cast the last spell that would send him zapping straight back to the room. Sucked into the whirlpool of magic, he felt a tight crushing band around his chest, as if trying to crush him like an insect. The unpleasant sensation lasted for a moment, and his surroundings changed. He was back in the floral chamber of his teacher.

[Xyltha Thanole]

The next brightening, as the sun was ascending to its zenith, Xyltha paced himself as he ascended the flights of stairs in the tower to his teacher's chambers. He was feeling elated - he was halfway through his lessons in his Arcane class, by his own reckoning. As he knocked on the door, he contemplated on what he would be doing this brightening. There were still a few more spells he needed to get straightened out, with the help of his teacher, of course. As he was bidden to enter, he saw his teacher - regal as ever - awaiting him. He slipped inside.

"Serale, little Xyltha. So good for you to come on time, again. Take a seat and we'll get started."

She handed him a little lacquered box, a container that wouldn't seem too out of place in a lady's chamber as a means to contain necklaces and other keepsakes of worth. A tiny intricate lock adorned the front.

"Try opening it. With all your might."

A tight smile shaped her delicate cherry-red lips.

Her student complied. Puzzled, suspecting a trap inside, he tried to open it slowly. It wouldn't budge. He applied more force, and the box resisted his attempts. Finally, with a burst of strength, he applied the full might of his elven frame at ripping open the box. It remained closed.

Frustrated, the elfling placed the box back in front of him. His hands were throbbing, but he wouldn't show his discomfort and pain in front of the Sorceress. It would only serve to further his embarrassment. Thinking more upon it, a sudden realisation came upon him. He could use magic! In fact, there was a certain spell that would be of benefit in this situation.

He slipped into Clara. Gathering enough Mana, he fashioned the weave for the spell to Open the box. A small click brought a satisfied smile to the elf's face. He turned to his instructor with delight.

"I opened it. Did you want something inside?"

The elf-sorceress simply rolled up her eyes. Was her ruse so easily seen through? She shook her head.

"Now, if you wouldn't mind locking that box for me please."

Xyltha nodded. Seeing as the box hadn't opened with his physical might, he twigged that perhaps it had been magically sealed. And likewise it would have to be thusly sealed - with his spells. Holding the box firmly closed, he entered Clara and fashioned the spell to Lock the box. Another click. And the box was sealed. He tugged at the box to make sure his spell had worked, and it resisted his attempts to open.

"Good work, Xyltha. Now, your next task is to create a Star of Force, and send it spinning towards me. Your lessons are nearing their end, and I just want to make sure you have the means of protecting yourself. It's a dangerous world out there."

Xyltha nodded. Why not? It wasn't like the Master Sorceress was in any danger of being hurt. He complied with the otherwise odd request. Slipping back into the familiar feel of Clara, he shaped the weaving to summon a spinning blade composed of fluid Force. It manifested in front of him, a sinewy blade of glowing blue; and spun towards the Elf-sorceress. She barely even flinched. The magical blade shattered in front of her.

"Congratulations. You have successfully completed your lessons. I am now confident that you have proven your ability to cast those spells. In this short period of teaching you, I have grown somewhat fond of you. Take care, and put your magic skills to good use."

Then the two parted, probably never to meet again. Only time would tell.

Secrets : OOC: Sorry for the lameness, especially in the end.