RP:The Wizard Meets the Mage

This is a Mage's Guild RP.

Xalious Tree

Svilfon was standing with a bloodied hand resting upon the wood of the Xalious Tree. The wizard has been busy of late; stealing powers for his book while facing off against his Coterie family. But this was a rare moment of peace; a quiet time to share with the tree that marks his talent; the living symbol the binds him to Xalious. Though even here, in the shadow of the tree, within eyesight of the guild, he isn't fully relaxed. He is, however, as relaxed as a wizard can be.

Veronica had been studying the arcane arts long before she had been given the gift of immortality. She knew well the Xalious tree and the power housed within the ancient wood. She had sat here as a child, so long ago, and dreamed of the day she could turn its power into her own. Now, three hundred years later and awakened again, she returns to find another with his hand upon the mighty symbol. Crimson eyes widen within a pale pixie-like face. Her midnight black hair falls well down her back to the curve of her waist. Veronica is the beauty and danger that the vampires of her time represented and she knows it. "Lovely, isn't it?" she purrs as she comes upon Svilfon as silent as a cat. Not even her gown rustles with the vampire's gliding steps. "All that power inside that tree, just waiting for the right person to draw it and use it as it was meant to be."

Svilfon makes no sudden reaction as Veronica's voice permeate's the air with its sweet tones. Whether or not he knew she was there before the vampire spoke isn't clear, but when his pale gaze does lift to the woman he is curteous enough to pause for a second to admire her beauty. It was a habit he picked up while being married to a psychotic dragon, and he finds it often advantageous. "Lovely is not a word I would use to describe it." The wizard gives the tree an affectionate pat before turning to fully regard the woman. "But it rings true." He offers Veronica a tip of his hat and a small, crooked smile. "It's powers are great, but only for those who are worthy..." He smiles again, flashing gaps and fangs in equal measure. "Are you worthy...?"

Veronica turns her gaze from Svilfon to the tree and a sense of affection arises even if it doesn't soften her expression. One cool hand raises as though to touch the tree before the vampire's fingers curl into her palms and that hand drops elegantly against the skirt of her gown. Her own smile is turned onto the other vampire, just as fangy only with better teeth. Veronica's crimson eyes seek to meet Svilfons, the irises swirling and changing different shades of red, crimson and scarlet in a hypnotic fashion, "I have been worthy for hundreds of years." Her eyes widen seeking to draw in the other, to mesmerize him. To a small extent her voice rings with a hint of the same magic as it lowers, almost forcing the other to have to lean closer to hear. "Soon, very soon, I will have it, yes. And when I do--" Abruptly, she looks away and to the tree again to speak softly to it, "When I do, dear Xalious, no one will put me to sleep again."

Svilfon watches the woman's eyes with just the smallest hint of humour flashing within the pale depths of his own. The wizard has encountered this magic before; he has even used it to illicit the breath out of a dragon. But even knowing it is happening he cannot quite resist that urge to lean a little closer, to take in her every word, to allow her to lead him onwards... no! With a slight shake of his head the wizard extends his hand and draws from the very air his Xalious wood-wand. He uses the powerful weapon to begin tapping against his robes, ensuring his true focus remains on the unsteady rhythm and not on this woman's enchantments. In a voice that rings with a faintly authoritive tone, the wizard speaks again, "I am Svilfon the wizard, Magister Templi of the Mage's Guild. I guard this tree with more than my life, as it guards me. Perhaps it is unwise to speak of domination around one who could so easily squish your dreams." Svilfon can't help but flash an entirely crooked grin at the woman; with the gesture he seems to remove the undertones of menace from his words and make it seem he was discussing something as simple as the weather. "But then, I am perhaps the last person you should seek for advice about wisdom."

Veronica slowly, so slowly as though this male's declaration was worth nothing more than a gnat buzzing in her ear; something to be swatted away, turns her attention back to the wizard. "Svilfon the wizard. I shall remember that name," she promises with a saccharine smile to match the false-honey that dripped from her very words. She drifted closer, undaunted by the brandished wand set tapping to his robes. She raised one hand, around her wrist appeared an aquamarine cuff that seemed to swirl and flow like liquid. "My dearest, darling Svilfon. When the time comes I shall have no need of wisdom. Neither from the tower nor of your guild." If he hadn't backed away the tips of icy fingers will trace a frigid path across the homely face before her eyes. Such an abomination, she thinks to herself. Her right hand raises, the wrist circled by warm amber and the fingers of that hand, should the wizard remain sedentary, score a burning path down the opposite cheek. "You see, darling, I will have all the power I will need and the wisdom to use it shall be mine as well."

Svilfon makes no move to stop the woman tracing her fingers across his cheeks. He allows her to trace a path of cold down the first, then a warming one down the next. All the while, his gaze never leaves the woman. Nor does his wand stop its tapping. If anyone happened to stroll by, it'd almost appear two lovers were simply sharing a moment beneath the beautiful tree. But those more perseptive may very well notice the rising danger that seems almost tangible in the air all around the shadow of the Xalious Tree. "My dear lady," He would not ask for her name, not yet. "I do not think you quite know who I am." The smiles then, before stepping back a pace - creating if she'd let him a gap between them that is almost an arm's length away. "Nor, do I think, your apparent education has been complete." The grin begins to melt, then. And the dangerous undertones of Svil's personality - an anger he hides well beneath his joviality - begins to rise unchecked within the vampire. "I have fought against this land's greatest mages. Leaders in this hollow world; those held in fear and awe by their enemies and allies alike. Yet here I still stand..." With a lazy almost casual grace the wizard lifts his wand and taps it against his check. "So if you wish, my dearest lady... I am all yours." He ends the words with a short, eloquent bow - his challenge is clear.

Veronica barely restrains the hiss that pushes past her clenched teeth. "You are an impudent rodent, Svilfon the Mage. I am Veronica de la Morenae. I have no care for whom you have bested with their milksop teachings and endless lessons on why something cannot be done. Before I was forced into sleep I almost -almost- had the ultimate power in my grasp." Insanity glowed from the vampire's crimson eyes as she stepped back and raised the amber braced hand. Flames licked at her palm, up her pale arm and circled lovingly around spread fingers. The aquamarine bubbled and expanded. Rivers traced the fragile veins beneath translucent skin and burbbled over her fingers held at the ready. "I will -not- be nay-said again .!" Veronica's voice grew in volume and ferocity as the fiery appendage is thrust forward and guttural archaic commands in a dead language send a tongue of fire flailing towards the wizard. Half way there, a globe of water joins the inferno. Being that the two mages were so close, it's really a mere two or three feet and a jet of steam is sent towards the vampire. Is that all? Oh no, Veronica is nothing if not absolutely egotistical and thorough in her own depravity. Strain lines her mouth with tiny brackets to mar the porcelain complexion as she turns her attention towards the Tree itself. She could feel the surge of energy within the roots and trunk, the way the leaves seemed to move about of their own accord and it is to that power she calls in that ancient language to feed into the fire and water she joins to create a twisted amalgamation of elements that should not be able to be combined. Liquid fire follows the steam, intent on swallowing the wizard and leaving nothing behind but charred and ruined bones. And maybe that hat, too. Veronica thought she might like it for herself on the occasion she felt like being silly.

Svilfon stands very still for a long moment as the air around his body begins to wave and shimmer, as if it were growing hotter and hotter. Though his body no longer requires it, the vampiric spell-caster draws in a deep a breath before speaking through clenched... well... not teeth... tooth? But yes, he speaks. "I am not a damn mage!" Suddenly he snaps his wand forward and slowly a languidly dancing ebon sphere, no bigger than an acorn, dances into existence. It twists around up and around the wand, and down its length Svilfon glares. "I am a WIZARD!" It seems he is uncaring of the rest of her words; she spoke those magical ones that really set the vampire off his rocker. "You will address me as such, or you will die!" With the last word spoken, the shimmering air around the wizard's body suddenly snaps out and forms a transluecent fire that devours the air like a ravening beast. It consumes the steam headed his way, though the wizard isn't entirely sure he wants to test himself against the liquidine flames that flow in its wake. So with a whispered word that releases the small ebon sphere from its confinement around the wand, the wizard enacts his teleportation and snaps out of existence. He appears again in the lowest branch of the Xalious tree and this close he can sense the woman's insidious commands to it; seeking a power that is not her right to use against him. This would not do. So with a harsh word the wizard stabs his wand into the wood. It would stop both himself and her using the tree's power, as well as costing him his most favoured weapon and his means of easily teleporting. But at least he had left a surprise for her... that small sphere of ebon-hue darts about like a pissed off pixie, before flying towards the female mage. As it does it begins to expand; it stretches outward like it were made out of rubber and flies right at Veronica; its intent to wrap around her head and deny the undead sorceress the ability to see and breath - hopefully that is enough to stop her magical assault before it ever really began.

Veronica just laughs at the 'wizard's' indignation. She drew joy from his reaction and would have inflicted more insult had he not suddenly disappeared. She felt, to her bones, the disturbance in the Tree which cut her off from its power. A sound of rage built and she looked up into the branches just as that sphere expanded to the size of her head and flew at Veronica. "N'it riech'on frosahn!" she managed to throw at the wizard crouched in the tree above just before the expanded and flattened orb finds its target. The spell was not meant for the wizard, rather for the branch upon which he perched. Just in that limb alone, despite being cut off from Xalious, it takes the brunt of her spell and begins to shake and quake in an attempt to throw Svilfon to the ground hard enough to break bones. However, vampires have no need to breath and beneath the flexible binding, where her mouth is, it continues to move and writhe with each muffled incantation spoken until, at last, it turns brittle and flakes away from her face. Fury reigns in the vampire's scarlet gaze as she glares up at Svilfon. "A -wizard- you say? You are a child." Those words spat, the enchantress steps away from the tree and the fight; rather fond of her own skin more than she is of flaying Svilfon alive, or as alive as a vampire can be. Oh, now wasn't that a wicked though? "I look forward to getting you in my mercy -wizard-. You will beg me to kill you when I do." Yes, she wanted nothing more than to wring every last drop of suffering from him, now. And she would enjoy every last eon of it. "Until we meet again, pet." Blowing him a kiss, she winked out, gone and escaped to -somewhere-. 

Svilfon isn't quite what people would call graceful. So as the branch begins to rock he can only manage to hang on for a few moments before he's unceremoniously dropped to the ground below. He lands in a heap of robes, hat and curses; though the impact could well have broken the bones of a human, it seems the wizard's undead body has evaded anything too serious. Though he is covered in dust and will probably ache for a week, much to the citizen's of Frostmaw's delight. With a disgrunted groan he gets up as quick as he can and can't help but smile amidst it all at the woman's accusation... "The two are not mutally excuslive, you know." Wizard and children, that is. "And in all honesty, Vonny... I can call you Vonny, can't I?.." He was about to continue, when she suddenly winked out of existence. For a long moment the wizard remains still, silent, before he casually bends down with a groan and picks up a rock. He cannot resist the urge to throw it as hard as he can where Veronica once stood, just in case she went invisible instead of teleporting, though if he was wrong he'd soon be about climbing up the Xalious tree and taking back his wand... even though he is entirely bound to the weapon, not even Svilfon can summon it when it is so imbedded into the wood.

Svilfon retrieves his wand in time, and after sitting beneath the Xalious tree for a long time, he eventually wanders back to the Mage Tower to find out quite who this Veronica woman is.