RP:A Light of Hope and Magic
This is a Mage's Guild RP.
Summary: After sending a letter of application to the Mage's Guild, Galina is called for interview in the Mage's Tower of Xalious. Though lacking in practical magic ability, Galina is assessed by Odhranos, Arcane Steward of the Guild, who makes a rather promising discovery.
To Mage Recruiter,
I am looking to apply for the Mages Guild. I admit that i have had little to no interaction with magic, but i was breed for it, circumstances prevented me from being able to practice and test my ability, but i am sure i have potential, i just need a good teacher. My heart is ready to learn, i just really need a chance.
Sincerely,
Galina.
PS there is something you should know but I suppose if we meet, it can be explained then.
Ms Galina
If you could come to the Mage's Tower at your earliest convenience, we can arrange a meeting to consider your application.
Lack of experience with magic is no issue, as a large aspect of membership in the Mage's Guild is education and training in the arcane arts. However, we will have to perform trials to determine your latent capacity for magic, in order to evaluate your suitability and aptitude. These trials will be passive tests and are not a source of concern.
I will inform my colleagues, and any member of the guild will be happy to direct you to my office upon your arrival. I look forward to meeting you.
Signed
- Odhranos Kerrigan, Arcane Steward
Mage Tower
Galina eyelids were closed as she sat in the mages tower, just outside a row of offices. Whether it nervousness or a need to be calm not much could be easily visually seen by those who might have noticed her. Her humanoid half was vaguely similar to drow with pointed ears and dark ebony skin, her face was like an oval and the curves of her face and body were femine, and practically eye candy. She brushed a strand of her long white hair that flowed down her human torso of her back, out of her eyes. She wore a brown shirt that was smaller than her size, mostly covering her very generous bosom, and becoming more a crop top than anything else. Her scales were like black obsidian with the front of them a dark grey. Her eyes were like bright emeralds, and almost hypnotic if she locked eyes with anyone, which she rarely did. She waits patiently, for her name to be called, and when it was, she was directed by somone to follow him, into the study of Odhranos. Where upon she would wait for further instruction.
Odhranos peeped over the top of his glasses and smiled as Galina was lead into his study. "Ahh, Ms Galina, thank you for coming. Please, take a seat." The mage gestured towards the chair sitting before his desk before giving a wave of thanks to the apprentice that had led Galina there as they closed the door behind them. Giving Galina a gentle and friendly smile, the mage finished re-reading the letter he had received from her a few days previously. Placing it down on the broad mahogany desk between them, he steepled his fingers and settled his elbows on the desk. "So, Ms Galina, thank you for travelling here today. You needn't feel nervous, this will be a largely informal meeting. I'm just going to ask you some questions, and then I shall administer a simple test to determine your innate magic ability, so we will be able to better tailor your education here at the Guild. Does that all sound alright to you?"
Galina was quiet and nodded with a placid quiet expression. Taking a seat, well as best as a naga could she realized she would need to say something and when she responded her voice was quiet, and calm as her expression. "Yes." She said settling her hands in her (lap?).
Odhranos nodded appreciably at her answer. "I'm glad to hear it." Lifting her letter once more from the desk, he ran his gaze over the few lines written on the parchment before picking somewhere to start. Pulling a sheet from the piles that cluttered his desk, he dipped a quill in his ornate stone inkwell (hand-made, I might add) and looked up at his guest. "Might I ask your full name, or the name you go by on documentation?" When she answered, he would scrawl the offered name in tight, neat cursive at the top of the page. "And your land of origin?"
Galina nodded quietly, "Galina, Alithrya." She said. "I am not sure if I have a last name anymore." She said.
Odhranos murmured to himself as he writes. "Galina... Alithrya... Wonderful, thank you." Placing the quill in the inkpot, he addressed his attention to the letter once more. "So, you mentioned in your letter, that you were, as you put, "bred" for magical usage, yet you have little experience with the practical usage of magic, hmm?" Fixing the naga woman with a warm and inquisitive smile, the mage tilted his head in curiosity. "Would you mind explaining the nature of this situation to me? If it's not a personal matter, mind, I have no wish to pry."
Galina nodded, "Naga would selectively breed individuals of their race to ensure the maximum magical potential or warrior potential. I am, 11 mothers Mage, 8 fathers intellectually above average, 3 fathers warriors with intellect." She said rubbing her left fingers with her right hand in a bit of nervous nature. "I was given books to study of the arcane, only for the freeze to happen shortly thereafter." she added in her soft tone.
Odhranos scribbled down quick notes as Galina explained her, and by extension, the Naga people's history. He had met a number of naga in his time, but they had a tendancy to be rather secretive about the particulars of their race, it took every ounce of control in him not to quiz her on every bit of history she could offer. "I see, so through the Naga breeding process, you were to become a superior mage for your people, but you simply lack the teachings required to unlock this power? This is very promising, many of our students, though versed in the arcane and esotiric from a young age, lack the innate power required to become formidable mages. I daresay you may have an edge in that regard if you apply yourself to study and receive good tutelage. I will note that down for consideration." Considering the letter again, he re-read the last line, his brows furrowing in curiosity. "You mention here in your letter that there is "something important" you wanted to discuss?"
Galina nodded slowly, "I learn all you desire to teach me," she said. "Yes, um, there's being a naga, and then there's this." she added, showing her the inside of her left arm, where a tattooed number was and would occasional illuminate in a flash. "I um, uh, if there is some way this can be removed, I'll dedicate myself to whatever you want me to."
Odhranos leaned across the desk to observe the presented arm, raising his glasses to get a better look at the flashing number. "Hmm, can I ask what it is I'm looking at?"
Galina sighed, "Its a tracker, when I awoke after the freeze I found myself in a mine, I along with other formerly frozen naga were used as slave labor to mine a secret mine for a somone for the past five years, they knew how to break a naga, they had been doing it for longer than i had been there. Each of us was marked with this magical tracker tattoo, and a number, signifying what the number of slaves they had, I was slave number 772, I escaped, but they still track me, and at the Masquerade ball yesterday, they nearly got me." She said speaking more words together than she had in the past five years.
Odhranos frowned; Slavery, the concept was utterly detestable to him. "I see." Sitting back in his seat, the mage took a moment to mull over this information. "Let me offer my deepest condolences that you were subjected to that treatment. I assure you, the Mage's Guild looks after it's own, my colleagues and I will ensure that these assailants will not bother you in the future." Taking up his quill and scrawling a series of notes at the end of the page, the mage continued to talk without looking up. "Once this meeting is completed, I will refer you to one of my colleagues, he is an expert in hexes, curses and magical applicants, he should be able to remove that tracking device from you swiftly." Finished his writing, Odhranos set down the quill and graced Galina with a broad smile. "Now, the more interesting aspect of this meeting. Ms Galina, I am going to help you cast your first bit of magic, how does that sound?"
Galina nodded slowly. "That will be a relief, thank you." She nodded in reply to having to show her a bit of magic. "What do you need me to do?"
Odhranos stood up from his desk and reached up to take something down from one of the shelves. When he returned to his seat, he held in his hands a small wooden box, reinforced around the seams with banding of iron. Pulling a key from his pocket and unlocking the box, he tilted back the lid to show Galina the contents. Nestled in the silk-lined interior, was a small spherical crystal, about the size of a clenched fist. The crystal was perfectly clear, and at it's center there glowed a faint white light. "This crystal is a relic I recovered on one of my missions for the Guild. It was lent to me for this meeting due to it's particular property. The light you can see within the crystal - " he indicates to Galina, "- glows in response to the magic energy of those it encounters. Like so." The mage reaches into the box and gently touches the crystal. Suddenly, a bright white glow beams out of the box, as if suddenly a small star had been created. The glow died down again when the mage removed his hand, and he offered the box towards Galina. "Feel free to try."
Galina looked into the sphere, as she did the familiar voice in her head spoke again. *Hold it,* its soft voice in her mind said. As she place her hand on the crystal, she waited wondering what if it was bright enough, she was going to let the divines decide, whatever they decided was what she would accept.
Odhranos had to shade his eyes at the burst of light that streamed from the box, surprising him as he stared into it's silken interior. "Sven above!" He swore, as he turned his eyes away, blinking sunspots from his vision. "That... That is more than enough of a demonstration, Ms Galina, thank you." The mage beamed happily, turning back when Galina removed her hand again and the crystal went dark. The mage fixed the naga with a curious smile and tapped his quill against his chin thoughtfully. "You have a wealth of untapped power residing within you, quite a significant wealth, I might add. Many initiates struggle to elicit a candle's worth of light from the crystal with the magic within them, whereas, judging from that display, you have several times that amount residing within you. That is quite fantastic." Odhranos seemed genuinely happy at this discovery and adds more notes to his page. "Most fantastic indeed." He comments, while closing the box and returning it to it's place. Once seated again, he reviews his page of notes and comments, before steepling his fingers once again and regarding Galina with a smile. "That just about completes this meeting. Do you have any questions you'd like to ask?"
Galina a small tear of joy escapes, the naga's eye as she observes not only the brightness, but the way Odhranos reacted. She removed her hand, as the crystal went dark. "I have only what the divines permit me to have, but thank you." She said, her eyes smiling more than her face, but even then her smile despite its small size had plenty of meaning behind it. "When do i begin?"
Odhranos laughed warmly at Galina's enthusiasm. "Soon, I'd wager. I shall be passing my comments and assessment on to my superior; Magister Daath. It is his right and duty to make the final decision on all applications; it is likely you will receive a correspondance from him regarding your application within a number of days." Standing up from his chair, Odhranos extended his hand across the table and offered it for Galina to shake. "I wish you the best of luck, Ms Galina, and I hope that you are successful, the Guild always needs bright, talented apprentices, willing to learn "
Galina nods a trembling smile on her face but she manages to offer her hand, "thank you." shaking his when he does. She waited for him to tell her to go, and when he did she would leave. "thank you."
Odhranos wasn't as rude as to simply eject a guest from his office, once the relevant pleasantries and ceremony had been settled, he left his interviewer mode and instead took on a more gentle and polite approach. Offering to walk Galina to the door of the tower, Odhranos would see her off with a friendly wave, before returning to his office to formulate his letter to Magister Daath.
Galina would slither on her way afterward, more appreciative that somone saw her out, then just told her to go.