RP:The Toxomancer's Cookbook
This is a Mage's Guild RP.
This is a Necromancer's Guild RP.
Part of the Pick Your Poison: A Compendium Toxicum Arc
Summary: Stewardess Quintessa speaks to Provost Odhranos about the book she is writing. He imparts a few books on venomous creatures to her and she allows him to borrow her draft to look over it. Together they improve upon the overall structure of her compendium. Part Three of Pick Your Poison: A Compendium Toxicum
Mage Tower
This room is huge, and the entire place is covered in blue and white marble, with many torches and eight pillars reaching up to the ceiling to reinforce the room above, and keep the tower standing. The columns are covered in mystical runes, probably magic to keep the pillars strong, making them able to withstand pressure that normally wouldn't be possible. In the center of the room, there is a spiraling staircase made of glass, and also inscribed with the same type of runes as the pillars, leading to the higher levels of this magical tower. Next to the stairs there is a small desk here with a sign on it. At the top the sign reads... directions for all new mages. There is a door to the south, and you now notice that it too, is covered in the strength giving runes, that leads outside and a door to the west leading to the dormitory, a place for young mages to rest after their studies here.
Quintessa Dragana's time back in Xalious had been spent doing everything except sleeping. As one of the new Arcane Stewardesses, the young spellcaster had taken upon her slender shoulders more Mage's Guild responsibilities. She even had a tiny office of her own now, one she had lazily began to decorate with macabre little creature skulls and specimen jars containing rare preserved animals or organs from magical beasts that float in a translucent green liquid. The shelves however were still nearly empty, only housing the culmination of Quintessa's research on poisons, the Compendium Toxicum. Bound in a simple, black-leather cover, this tomb was the second rough draft of the book she had spent weeks writing and the reason she returned to Xalious in the first place. As her pale fingers move to crush the clove cigarette she had been smoking in the glass ashtray on her desk, the changeling's mismatched eyes flicker up to examine her compendium for a moment before a sigh escapes her lips. "Well, I might as well speak to him about it. I've put it off long enough." Quintessa didn't even know why she was putting off talking to Odhranos. Was it because she was meant to help out with the curriculum? No, she was excided about that. Was she afraid she messed up the re-recruitment the other day? No, that went well, she was certain. The hex blade knew in her heart that it was none of these things. The real reason she had been avoiding Xalious was because of Karasu. Odhranos just happened to remind her of the simpler days of her apprenticeship, he wasn't the reason she felt so full of dread walking these halls. The ghost of her not-so-distant past still haunted this place. Still, Quintessa wills herself from her desk, grabbing her personal tome and the dossier of Enelys, the young mage she had interviewed recently, and heading out of her office in search for the Provost's. The clicking of her spiked heels would announce her arrival before her knock would. "Provost Kerrigan?" came the young Stewardess' voice, "Are you in today?"
Odhranos, for perhaps the first time in recent memory, isn’t behind his desk, buried to his bespeckled eyes in work. A rare reprieve from the endless assignments and corrections thanks to a well timed midterm break had allowed the terramancer to catch up on his backlog and Odhranos is enjoying the long forgotten taste of freedom with the sash window of his study cranked open fully, a gentle spring breeze plucking at the edges of his novel while Odhranos himself dozes in his chair. As such, he is oblivious to the Steward’s approach until she knocks on the door, rousing him from his sleep. With a jaw-breaking yawn, Odhranos uncoils himself from his seat, stretching like a cat while his spectacles dangle precariously on the end of his nose. Taking the wire-frame glasses off and rubbing his eyes with thumb and forefinger, Odhranos crosses the little office and opens the door, peeping around the frame with a quiet “Hmm?” He blinks sleepily before he properly notices who the guest is, but once he recognises Quintessa, the dozey terramancer breaks into smiles. “Ahh, Quintessa, come in, come - *yaaaaaaawn* - oh, pardon me, do come in.” Odhranos stifles his yawn with the back of his glasses-bearing hand while the other opens the door wide to let Quintessa enter. “To what do I owe the pleasure? It’s been a while. Have you been busy?”
Quintessa gives Odhranos a cheeky smile when she realizes she has woken him up and steps inside to look around his office. "It has been quite a while. I believe we spoke briefly at the Snowflake Soiree." Quintessa places the dossier on Odhranos' desk before she turns to look for the other chair. She knew she might be here a while. "I've been very busy since," she admits, "I finally managed to earn my first promotion in the Necromancer's Guild. Actually, one of the reasons I've come here today is to show you a book I've been writing as part of my personal studies there. I figured the Mage's Guild wouldn't mind helping and yours was the first name to come to mind." Quintessa holds up her leather-bound tome for him to look at. "I call it 'The Compendium Toxicum' and it is the culmination of all the research on magical and nonmagical poisons, venoms, and other toxins that I can find. I've already scoured the Black Library and even had the personal notes of two Provectus Maluses added to my pool of knowledge." From the way she speaks about it, the odd girl seems very proud about what she's accomplished. "So I was hoping that you might be interested in looking over it too. This is the first book I've ever tried writing and I'll take any advice I can get. Perhaps you might even be able to lend me some books on venomous monsters. The section on venom is a little lacking at the moment."
Odhranos closes the door gently behind him and pulls the more cushioned armchair around for Quintessa to sit, while he himself turned the lighter wooden chair often used by guests around to face her. Ever the fan of tradition, Odhranos is already occupied with taking the teapot and teacase down from the shelf when Quintessa describes what she has been up to. “My, congratulations are in order then, two promotions in so recent a time.” Odhranos smiles kindly as he places the teapot down and begins filling it, holding the teacase out towards Quintessa for her to select from. “Ahh, I approve greatly. There’s no task as fitting for a mage to undertake like expanding our Library’s knowledge. Though, I’d imagine the Guild library hasn’t been of much help. Toxicology is a very niche subject. Was there much research in the Black Library to draw on?” Odhranos sets the water boiling with two heated stones and picks up Quintessa’s dossier as he sits down into his chair, flipping it open and running his gaze over the front page as he listens to Quintessa. “Ahh! I see we have a new recruit. And a lightning user as well. I wonder if Tezzavallia knows them, there’s been an influx of electromancers lately. Perhaps that’s the new vogue and terramancy just isn’t “cool” anymore.” Odhranos sticks his tongue out and tucks a loose strand of greying hair behind his ear as if to make a point. The terramancer is beginning to show his years, and the professorship only serves to accentuate this. “Hmm, in terms of books on toxicology, I wouldn’t have an extensive selection.” The terramancer gets up from his seat once more, setting the dossier down on the chair as he stands and faces the shelves behind Quintessa, tilting his head to read the spines of his books easier. “I specialise more in artefact analysis and geological studies, buuuut -” Odhranos stretches up to pluck a pair of leatherbound hardbacks from one of the higher shelves, dusting the slight coating of fluff off the top with his sleeve. “- I’d be a sorry academic if I didn’t branch out on occasion. These might be of help, though I don’t know if the Guild Library has copies or not. Shall we trade?” Odhranos offers his two books, the top cover reading “Basilisks; Petrification, Poison and How to avoid the Aforementioned.” in bold gold inlay, while he holds his other hand out if Quintessa would offer her own book.
Quintessa takes the seat as it was offered and crosses one long leg over the other. "Thank you, Provost. Next thing you know and I'll be coming for your rank," the changeling giggles, trying to hide the fact that she had already started thinking about moving up in the ranks since returning to the tower. "Toxicology isn't so niche for the Necromancer's Guild. There's a reason I sought dual membership early in my career. The Black Library had many books on the subject, which I sited in my book. Here." Quintessa trades her tome for the other two books enthusiastically, already turning through the pages of 'Basilisks; Petrification' a book she picked up once before but was happy to be reading again. "Ah yes! When I first started taking care of Bloodbeak I read this book. Cockatrice petrification is astoundingly similar." She closes the book to keep herself from getting too distracted, her blue and hazel eyes returning to the man with the greying hair. "Anyway, my book extensively covers belladonna, hemlock, monkshood, and foxglove, as well as many poisonous mushrooms and toadstools. I still want to seek out the Healer's Guild for known antidotes or remedies too. I don't want my readers studying poison without knowing what to do if they accidently poison themselves." When the conversation shifts to Tezzavallia, Quintessa can't help but frown. "I'm not sure, I suppose on of us could ask? Young Enelys seems very promising either way. I sense within her the same drive and determination that I have myself. She'll need a good teacher to apprentice under..." Quintessa grins rather sheepishly at Odhranos before admitting that- "I might have mentioned to her that you are currently without an Apprentice." The changeling giggles, "I think it would at least get you outside every once in a while. So, I take it that you approve? I'll send the acceptance letter that I wrote up right away if everything is up to your standards."
Odhranos chuckles and fixes Quintessa with a cheeky smirk. “Ohl, by all means, be my guest, but just be warned, our superiors have a lot of classes that need lecturers and a scarce supply of teachers to fill them. You should enjoy your freedom while you still have it.” The terramancer grins as he sits once again, placing the dossier on his lap so as not to sit on it, before opening Quintessa’s book and taking a quick look at the foreword. “Mmm, a good idea. If there’s one thing an apprentice is liable for, it’s to try out anything they find in a book without taking the necessary precautions. I suspect that when our predecessors were constructing the Mage Tower, that was at the forefront of their thoughts when they constructed a tower out of solid water. Xalious knows the pyromancers would have put us out of a home centuries ago otherwise.” Having finished the foreword, Odhranos flips to the first chapter of the book, scanning the text through his wire-framed lenses as a smile tugs the corners of his lips. “Your writing is wonderful to read. You have a way with adjectives that my apprentices could do with studying. By any chance did you ever study under one of the bards?” Odhranos smiles across at Quintessa, the crows feet at the edge of his eyes crinkling happily. “I’d suggest perhaps approaching Raphaline if you’re looking for a contact amongst the Healers. She’s the most local of their members that I know of, but she does travel frequently. I’ll have to mention your work when I see her next. Do you mind if I borrow this for the evening? I’d like to read it properly” Odhranos closes the book over and places it on his desk if Quintessa permits, otherwise passing it back across, then turning his attention back to the dossier. He takes a closer look at the documentation, reading Quintessa’s notes from the interview. When Quintessa mentions the Provost’s lack of apprentice, he can’t help but laugh sheepishly. “Ahh, yes, I have been putting that off for some time. I really should take on an apprentice, but between my research and my lectures…” Odhranos pauses, then shakes his head. “No, those are just excuses. To be perfectly honest, I have been putting it off because I don’t know if I am quite ready to take on an apprentice.” The terramancer shrugs as he taps the dossier against his chin. “I still feel quite inexperienced in the position of Provost, it wasn’t long ago that i was an apprentice myself, so I fear that I wouldn’t be able to give an apprentice the education that they deserve from a mentor.” Odhranos’ expression falls a little, a rare insight into the cheery mage’s worries, but he is broken from his musings by the whistling kettle. “Ahh, the water is boiled. What’ll you have?”
Quintessa laughs at the prospect of her giving lectures in the classrooms. "Oh, you know they'll never give me an apprentice to boss around. I've got a ways yet before I'm someone worthy of teaching. It's something to daydream about though." The changeling cheerfully nods her head as Odharanos reads over the pages and she can't help but blush a deep red when he complimented her on her use of words in her writing. "Oh my, you flatter me. N-no I...," she's doing her best to maintain her composure but doesn't know how to handle compliments from older men. "I just read a lot of vampire poetry. They spend hundreds of years picking out the best way to describe things- I simply incorporated their style into my own." Slowly, her embarrassment fades away and her mismatched gaze returns to him. "Yes, Raphaline, of course! I did not realize she was a healer! I knew some bards dabbled but... This is great news!" Her excitement soon gives way to the solemn moment Odhranos was having. "That's the thing, we are never really ready for it. Teaching someone else is also a learning experience for the teacher. You don't feel ready for it because you've never tried it, anything new is going to feel foreign at first." Quintessa clears her throat as the kettle starts to whistle and she thinks a moment about how tired she is. "Oh, do you have Xalious Breakfast? I need a strong, black tea right about now." The changeling offers Kerrigan a gentle smile before adding. "And it's not like these apprenticeship things are set in stone. Master Kasyr's teaching methods are... er- questionable... I'm certain you can do just as well as he did when Karasu and I apprenticed under him."
Odhranos smiles broadly as he opens the teacase and sets to making two steaming mugs of tea. “I don’t think I’d be able to function without it. I never did get a taste for coffee, it’s more of a Cenrilian beverage anyway, but I need the caffeine from somewhere if I’m to keep working. There’s a small shop in Xalious village, opened about two months ago. They stock imported tea from Enchantment and Frostmaw, but they also have all the regional blends.” Odhranos pours a heaped spoonful of sugar into one mug, before raising an eyebrow to Quintessa, asking if she would like some. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say the store owner makes half his profits from myself alone. I used to shell out half my weekly stipend just to get imports from Cenril, as there was no local merchant.” Once topped up with milk, the mage offers Quintessa one steaming mug before he settles down with his own, cradling it in both hands and savouring the scented steam that rises from the tea. He contemplates Quintessa’s insight into teaching and he mulls her point over as he sips the tea. “You make a good argument. I suppose, I’ve already had to make the leap with running lectures, and it wasn’t half as bad as i thought. I suppose my concern with taking an apprentice was that in choosing an apprentice, I was taking quite a large responsibility for their development. In lectures, there isn’t as much of a personal involvement; one lousy lecturer amongst many won’t ruin a student. But I would worry that I wouldn’t have the experience to take on such a large responsability.” The Provost lapses into silence for a moment, supping his tea, before a wan smile tugs at the corner of his mouth. “Then again, I suppose if I were truly awful, the Guild wouldn’t be pressuring me to take on an apprentice. Which also brings me to think that the Guild wouldn’t be so opposed to you taking on an apprentice as you might think.” Odhranos offers Quintessa a kind smile. “The Guild is a meritocracy after all, and an up and rising academic with a publication under her belt would be in great demand, not to mention being a spellblade, which the Guild are still lacking many teachers in; I suspect when you are promoted to Provost, you’d be surprised that Guild wouldn’t ask you to take on an apprentice or two.”
Quintessa takes the mug of tea graciously, blowing the steam from the top occasionally as she brings it closer to her face. "Well, if his tea is that good he might have a second customer competing for his supply. I'll be staying in Xalious for a while until I finish my book. Tensions in Vailkrin have grown too distracting although..." She chuckles as she relaxes back in her chair, "Coming up with the spell blade curriculum has been tricky without any other other instructors. Kasyr and Karasu were meant to help me but trying to pin down Kasyr is like catching a leaf in the wind. And Karasu?" Quintessa shrugs, "At first I thought she was avoiding me, but nobody has seen her since we got our promotions. It's made me a little worried..." The hex blade sighs before testing her tea with a sip, "But the show must go on. I just wrote down the katas and training drills that I do every day. Mastery through repetition. The new spell blades will adapt soon enough." Quintessa almost blushes again when Odhranos comments about her being an up-and-rising mage and she hides her smile behind her mug. "It's not published -yet-," she says as she comes out form hiding behind her cup, "You can borrow it while I'm staying at the tower. This is my second draft and I'm sure they'll be a third before I'm through. My next step is completing the section on toxic monsters like we spoke about before." She pats the two tomes that he'd let her borrow. "These I'll read tonight and return to you in the morning."
Odhranos smiles and raises his mug appreciatively. "We'll keep his business afloat between the two of us then. If you ever feel like taking a break from the Tower, I'd be happy for the company on a tea-hunting expedition." Odhranos' eyebrows furrow in concern when discussion turns to Karasu. "I had thought I hadn't seen her in quite a while. I do hope she's alright." Worry is writ large on Odhranos' face, of the many apprentices the Provost has worked with, Quintessa and Karasu are perhaps the two he has grown closest to, and the terramancer has felt a sense of uncle-like affection for the pair as he witnessed their rise through the ranks. As such, he is greatly upset to think that something might have befallen Karasu. "I might stop by Provost Tsuji's office later on and ask if he has heard from her at all. Hopefully she is just off travelling." Much as his words were comforting, the mage's expression remained unsettled until Quintessa's discussion turned back to her book. "Thank you very much, I shall set into it as soon as I can, so I don't keep it from you for too long. Also, feel free to hold onto those two for as long as you need. If any of my books can be of use to you, you are most welcome to peruse them at your leisure." Odhranos smiles and taps his fingers against his mug in thought. "Have you focused your studies in any particular region of Lithrydel, or are you working on a comprehensive overview of all species? Oh, and how do you plan on structuring your typologies? By toxin genus or species? Or regional perhaps?" Though Odhranos wasn't particularly well versed in the topic, the topic of writing was a universal one, and of great interest to the terramancer with his own work.
Quintessa nods her head slowly, "Yes, Provost Tsuji..." The teenaged crush she had on Karasu's father hadn't been forgotten. "Perhaps I should pay him a visit too." The hex blade takes a long sip of her tea as she imagines how that conversation might happen. Last time she stormed Tsuji's office to confront him and ended up becoming a victim of his charms. She wouldn't let that happen a second time. "My book covers all of Lithrydel and Rynvale Island but I did not think to categorize them by region, or toxin genus or species. I'm still trying to figure out the most efficient way to do it. My first draft just had everything in alphabetical order, but it was too cluttered so I broke it up into poisons, venoms, and miscellaneous toxins. Feel free to write in the margins too. I'd love to have your input."
Odhranos wasn't aware of Quintessa's history with the other Provost, so he was oblivious to her pointed sipping while he flipped through her book. "I think that was a good idea, it makes sense to structure your writing into groupings of poison and toxin, since what you are analysing is more focused on the toxins themselves rather than the creatures that produce them. Having your topics arranged first by the groupings that your readers will be looking for primarily makes a lot of sense. You could then break the groupings down further into regional or species, depending on which tends to correlate better to similar toxins. If creatures in similar regions tend to exhibit closer venom and toxin traits with other regional creatures than they do with similar species in other regions, break the groupings down by region first, then species" Odhranos flips to the back of the book to take a gander at Quintessa's references. "Are you planning on doing firsthand research, or are you just going to be compiling existing knowledge into an easier-to-manage format?"
Quintessa continues to drink her tea as Odhranos scrutinizes her work, nodding her head every time she agreed with something he'd said. Already he was a huge help with helping her build a better structure for the information she had compiled. "I'm thinking about including a proper bestiary," she tells him, "When I get to the venom section in my book I can divide it up into regional categories. That makes the most sense." Quintessa leans forward to point at the page the Provost was on, "Oh, I've included my own research in this book. Down at the bottom paragraphs I write a short summery about the toxin and detail my personal verification of the info. Not everything has been tested but I'm slowly experimenting with everything in my book personally. I started this endeavor because the existing information was so scattered and I wanted an easier-to-manage format like you said. Publishing it, however, ensures everyone can benefit from it."
Odhranos looks to where Quintessa was pointing. "Ahh, yes, indeed. That's good, adding new firsthand information is always desirable, a number of publications just rehash old information in new formats. Which, has its own necessity, to keep the information fresh and accessible, but new knowledge is ultimately what we want to encourage." Odhranos' eyebrows raise when Quintessa mentions experimenting with the contents of her book personally. "I wouldn't dare to lecture you on the dangers of poisons, because, to be perfectly honest, I couldn't, you'd lecture me into the ground; but please do try to be careful. There have been too many incidents of mages who went that bit too far in their search for knowledge. The important thing to remember is that you need to be around to impart that knowledge, or it simply becomes lost again." Odhranos raises his hands and shrugs, a smile on his face. "But don't mind me. You are the leading researcher in this topic, so you know better than anyone the risks and how to negate them. Plus, when you do have the book published, it will serve to bolster everyone's knowledge of the risks and precautions to be taken with poison and toxin. Though, I'd hazard you might end up putting some of the assassin's community out of business. Not that that is a bad thing at all."
Quintessa slowly sips her tea when Odhranos warns her to be careful experimenting with poisons silently and then smiles smuggly into her mug when he calls her the 'leading researcher, on the topic. Her daydream at the Black Library of young spellcasters reading her book replays, but this time it's the library at the Mage Tower. 'She wrote the book on poisons,' the voices echo in her mind. "Yes, the subject is very dangerous. The wyverns and giant spiders I've been researching have been a bigger problem than accidently poisoning myself, however. But anyway, I agree with your cation. That's why I want to add a few paragraphs going over safe handling and possible antidotes or anti-venom." At the part of putting assassins out of business she raises an eyebrow and smirks. This was a more accurate statement than he knew. "Once I speak to a proper healer and complete my research his book will be a masterpiece."
Odhranos nods approvingly. "I think that's a fantastic idea. Anything that can prevent potential future harm is worthwhile in my eyes." Odhranos rubs his chin thoughtfully when something occurs to him. "Hmm, now here's a thought. When you publish this book, what would you think about putting together a reference book of antidotes and poison treatment techniques? You would have most of the groundwork covered; and I'm sure that the insight you will get from the Healer's would be geared towards that aspect of the topic. You would be uniquely qualified to put together such a book, and I'm sure it would go a long way towards improving the knowledge of the Healer's Guild. It's the sort of thing that the printing presses in Cenril would jump at the opportunity to produce, as it's a universally experienced danger." Odhranos grins as he holds his mug up in toast. "Either way, I'm sure your work is set to have a great impact. Though I fear for the titles that you might earn from it. There's a tradition of nicknames and titles being given based on publications. You may yet become renowned as the Toxomancer" Odhranos sticks his tongue out in jest.
Quintessa grins at Odhranos, flashing him her unnaturally sharp teeth. "Yes, 'Quintessa the Toxomancer' has a very nice ring to it." The changeling finishes her tea and places the empty cup on the desk before scooping the books off and resting them on her lap. "Did you say that there are printing presses in Cenril?" Quintessa was in need of a printer and this was a good lead on where to hire one. "Printing a reference book of antidotes would be an even easier task than putting together my compendium. I would be willing to undertake that task."
Odhranos returns the grin as he sets his own mug aside. "Well, it certainly has a better ring than 'Odhranos the Theoromancer'. I should really have considered that when picking my research topic." The Provost chuckles as he squares Quintessa's book and Enelys' dossier on his grey-robed lap. "Mmm, there are a few to choose from, but there are a few that deal frequently with mages. I haven't contacted them much, but I know some of the other Provost's recommended Gutenberg's Press, it seems to be the one most frequently used for printing jobs for the Guild. Half the books in the library were printed and bound there, and they usually cut a fair deal with academics. I'll get the details and drop by your office when I'm returning this." Odhranos pats the book on his lap.
Quintessa stands and readjusts the books she was holding to tuck them between her hip and her arm. "Oh, I think that title is fine, although I'm usually speaking of your talents as a Terromancer than Theoromancer these days. That reminds me, once I finish reading these books I need to talk to you about a series of strange earthquakes. I can't speak much of it now but I will be seeking you out about it later." Quintessa gives a slight bow to him before heading for the door. "Good evening, Provost Kerrigan."