RP:Writing Wrongs
House of Ӓra
Upwards from the river bank lays a small path to The House of Ära. The details of this place are plain and not overly extravagant. Everything seems to have a place, and everything that has a place is in its place. The well kept artifacts are random, not fitting any motif other than being of a magical nature. The items here are protected, unwelcome hands of thieves are sure to be met with a sting they will not likely forget. A large worn book lies open on a table that has seen its fair share of time and punishment. The words are not foreign or uncommon but only a person with magical ability would be able to interpret most of the endless rants hand written over the ages. You close the book to examine the bindings. A name is engraved in gold filigree on the cover. (Annabelle Ara)
Beyond this spacious yet humble room there is a long hall; several doors lead to various locations.
Lydrain was walking up to the House of Ara, rather nervous, and he wasn't sure why. He had spied on the Parasite, and had never been this nervous before. Brushing that aside, he had finally made it to the door. In that moment, he froze. What if he hadn't done enough research, what if is untestable hypothesis was completely incorrect. Would he end up like that other mage, dead, at the hands of a book? Shaking his head, now wasn't the time for doubts. If he was going to leave his mark in this book, he had to do it now, as, with the resurgence of Vuryal, there might not be a later. He knocked on the door three times, hoping Sabrina was here.
Sabrina didn’t just appear in a plum of delicate shimmering smoke, she slammed into the room with an audible force that jolted the shelved treasures and forced open the door. She was fully armored, the stench of dead lizard sticking to her form, pieces of metallic blood crusting the edges of each chaos plating- some of it still shining and oozing. She appeared down on one knee, panting heavily with endless trusses caked with blood winding about her shoulders and torso in a tangled mess. Rohk was nowhere to be seen. The only thing standing out behind the blackened death that encased her form was the iridescent glow of emerald green glint where her eyes would be. All is quiet but for the heavy labored breaths she took and she was motionless aside from the heaving that accompanied them. She pushed upward to stand, having failed executing that single movement she stumbles forward, hands grasping at nothing before residing back to the opposing knee. Just behind her, on the table was an outline of the book; opened and seemingly steaming as it issued its presence upon the table.
Lydrain opened his eyes wide, and rushed to help her up, "What happened? Are you alright?" Those words didn't seem sufficient, but they would have to do, because they were all he had at the moment. The smell of the blood made him wrinkle his nose. He had better get used to it, war was on the horizon, and, as a general in an army, he couldn't get queasy at the sight of blood. He didn't have this problem before, why would he have it now. Perhaps he was spending too much time in this form, and in this frame of mind. Pushing his own internal conflict away, he returned his concentration on Sabrina. He would attempt to locate any wounds, but that would require some cooperation on her part, and if she didn't give it, he would back off, not wanting to invade.
Sabrina gave another go at standing, this time reaching for a nearby arm to find her balance. Her first port couldn’t have been a real failure; she did after all arrive in one piece- and with all the pieces in the right place. Regardless of how it went, staying where she was would have ensured some missing pieces. “Couldn’t hold the Rex… they are starting to travel in packs.” Then, she threw up; lucky the heave was mostly water for its only refuge was at Lydrain’s feet. More disturbing than the sudden porting sickness, she said they started travelling in packs. “We had the big one cornered at the edge of the tree line, but…” Her eyes grew wide as she looked at him “ Rohk, where’s Rohk?” She pushed Lydrain away and started weaving her way toward the door. She wouldn’t get too far as the sound of trodden earth brought a very angry, very scared Hell hound barreling into the side of the House. He looked inside the open door, several scales peeling from his right eye that looked to be bleeding molten lava. At the same time Sabrina and Rohk let out a relieving sigh, slumping where they stood- t’other was safe.
Lydrain didn't even care about the pseudo-vomit on his feet, he was well past that. Upon hearing 'Rex', he was even more confused, "What do you mean Rex? What were you out hunting?" This was one of the few times he wished that the priesthood of Xalious specialized in divine instead of arcane magics. Standing here, being unable to do much for either of them, bothered him. Clearing his throat, "Is there anything I can get for you?"
Sabrina was finally able to stand on her own two feet and began assessing the damage. “T-Rex are indigenous to Venturil… they are usually sole hunters.” She pulls a wad of hair from her right shoulder making a face as it made a squashy sound when she released it to fall against her back. “We were trying to harvest a live one.” She fruitlessly tried brushing the filth off and was getting nowhere. “We are studying the methods of fear to see if we can harvest it.” Giving up on removing the gunk from her armor she simply began removing it revealing a long gash extending from the top of her left knee down to the ankle, she placed her wares on an armor stand near the long hall. She made her way down the hall taking the second door on the right, giving Lydrain no reason to follow her she simply raised her voice to be heard. There was a lot of shuffling about and straining in her voice “Problem is they aren’t travelling alone anymore- something has changed and I intend on figuring out what.” A long moment of silence passed before she came back out wearing the predictably short shorts, a clean tank and soft elven boots. She was pulling a towel through her clean hair and the gash on her leg appeared to be healing on its own quite quickly. Her eyes lost their emerald glare, simmering down to a spring-time meadow. She smiled up at him like nothing had just transpired. “Pardon me for asking…” She bites her lip cutely “… but who are you?”
Lydrain quirks his head to the side, partially at the quick change in clothing, partially at the harvesting... fear idea, and partially at the fact she doesn't know who he is. He wasn't exactly a forgettable person, was he, but, then again, Desparrow had told him he was boring, and people oft times forgot about boring things. He simply decided not to worry about it, " I am Lydrain, Headmaster of the Academy in Larket. We have talked before about me putting an entry into that book, " He motions to the book, "And I was hoping this wasn't a bad time, but, if it is, I can always come back at a later time?"
Sabrina snaps her fingers and points to a roll of parchment on the shelf just behind him. She picks it up and carefully unrolls it, her eyes scanned the magical note while she nodded at him as he spoke. She looks to the book and back to him. “Sorry, I forget small details on occasion, Head Master Lydrain.” Small details? That was the tip of the iceberg. She picked up a small golden quill that was lying next to the parchment on the shelf and begins writing down a short rant of her day’s happenings. She could write and listen at the same time, but it would appear she was irreverent on what he was saying until she responded politely. “I trust I explained to you what can happen if you don’t do your research?” Yes, it was a question. She makes her way past him, escorting him to the table where the book lay open. She looks down at its upturned blank pages. “It looks ready to receive, but I have never seen it done before. You are a magus… I am sure you know how its done, yes?” Rohk had since made his way to the middle of the room, exaggerating a huff as he flopped himself on the floor donning a new grey exterior and cut-blackened eye. Sabrina leaves Lydrain with the book. “Rohk! What happened to your face?” She picks up his big whimpering head, the hound milking it for all it was worth “awe my poor poor punkin.” Twin tails beat the floor in tandem.
Lydrain nods his head, "Yes, you have explained to me the results of an unprepared, or uneducated approach, and I have been researching, almost without rest. However, I believe I have come to my answer, and, in gaining that answer, I have also gained the confidence that my entry will be sufficient."
Sabrina squatted down to cradle Rohk’s massive head. The wound on her leg was finishing its healing; tiny strands of the last few layers of flesh were still weaving in and out of one another, pulling the once gaping wound to a pale smooth finish. Rohk was a different story; he was not a creature of nature and so she did not possess the ability to heal him. He was doing a fair job of it himself, having managed to cauterize and sterilize the wound due to his essential qualities. Her lack of ability to help him was evident now- if one studied the mutt long enough they would notice some of his scales had scars, and on the rare occasion a small scale is displaced or completely missing. She looked up at Lydrain in response. “You realize I can’t help you if you are not sure, right?” She wouldn’t even know where to begin.
Lydrain quirked his head to the side, "But I am sure. Perhaps a little nervous, how could I not be? As you have said, this book has the power to kill people, why shouldn't I be worried about writing in it, but, if I don't do it now, there may not be a chance to do so later, and I cannot pass up this opportunity. Though, " he motions to Rohk, "if you would rather take time to take care of him, I can return at a later time." He realized the irony in his statement, as he said there might not be a later date, but, even though Rohk may or may not like him, the Headmaster was fond of the hell hound, perhaps that was because it was the only hell hound he had ever seen, but, nevertheless, Rohk's well being was his first priority.
Sabrina shrugs saying quite frankly ”Rohk will be fine, he is a Hellbeast.” Gesturing to the book on the table she rises from Rohk and hands the golden quill to Lydrain. She would hold onto it for the first tug, staring up at him with concern. “Be careful.” If he tried to take the quill a second time she would release it.
Lydrain nods, "If you are sure." He does indeed take the quill. Walking over to the book, he stares at it for a moment, and then begins to try and find an empty page on which to write on, and, given what he has seen of the book, it shouldn't be too hard to find. If he finds a blank page, he will then begin to write about the mutation of magic and the applications of raw magical energy.
Sabrina stays away from him and the book while he scribbles away with the quill. She lightly laughs out loud as he flipped through the pages just as she did when she first acquired it. No matter where he turned the book would present him with whatever page it saw fit. Rohk had since gotten up and left the House without a word, surely he was performing a sort of patrol. Sabrina finds a comfy chair and sinks into it; turning her small body upside down so her legs stood against the backing, and so her head could hang over the cushion with length trusses piling silken on the floor. She makes sucking noises with her tongue and enjoys a private joke; it was almost child-like.
Lydrain basically ignores Sabrina's actions, as he is inveloped in the book. At first, he was frustrated, as there seemed to be no way to find an empty page. Front to back the entire thing was written in. He felt his confidence begin to wane, but then he started to look at what the book was showing him. The only thing he had been unsure of, was format, and it was almost as if it was showing him how to write it. Maybe he was imagining things, but, who knew? Eventually, he did find a blank page, and began to write. Starting off, he stated about how the Xalious tree had an immense amount of magic pouring out of it, basically at all times. he went on to describe his personal venture of sleeping near the tree every night for two months, and how the magic pervaded his dreams, warping them. Making them almost seem like a horrible drug trip, and eventually, he explained about how his magical 'polarity' had shifted due to his closeness with the tree over an extended period of time. Then he would get into the real meat of his article, the applications and attributes of raw magical energy.
Sabrina righted herself after some time and meandered over to a very concentrated, if not frustrated Lydrain. She peered around his shoulder to glean what he was on about but her action caused the flow of ink to run dry and the words jumbled indiscriminately on the page. She frowns and steps away. “Must be some pretty big stuff.” She was almost starving for his information, hoping the book would let her read it later. If not she could probably always ask real nice and maybe he would tell her anyway.
Lydrain laughed, "You would be surprised at how little information there is on the base element of magic. Before it gets twisted and contorted into the more precise forms." Looking down, he squinted, and continued writing. This was developing even better than he had hoped. Writing might be something he does as a hobby in the future. Shaking his head ,now was not the time to be musing about what is yet to come. So he fell back into his stride, and continued to write. His research and application over the past couple of days were coming to fruition. He explained about the amount of power in magic, and the amount of power that was lost when it was refined. Unfortunately, it seemed that if you had a talent with primal magic, it was much much more difficult to refine it. He went on to explain the amount of strain it took to create lightning was immense. Like trying to make a hammer out of imperfect iron. Every once in a while, he would stop, and read what he had written, but not once did he regret anything that he put down. It was obvious the amount of work he put into preparation for this.
Sabrina thought he looked overly handsome writing in the book like a well practiced scholar, she toyed with the idea of what she could do to him but shook off that nonsense before she could get caught staring at him with that ridiculous smile on her face. Chances are, even if she could manage to harness Fear, a human was too easy to scare straight to death. There was something about him though, they way he moved and the way he lent little to shock value that said he was far older than he presented himself as. “Exactly how long have you been Head Master?” The fact that he was writing did not sway her even a little about talking.
Lydrain paused for a moment, to catch his thought, not to mention to answer her question, "Not very long, by headmaster standards, almost two months, I believe." He was obviously very intent on finishing his article, as he went back to writing. Between sentences, he managed to ask, "Just out of curiosity, how long have you been in posession of this book?" He was infernally curious. If it hadn't been for his dedication to his current cause, he would likely be doing everything in his power to acquire this book, but, as Larket currently could not afford any more conflict, he was refraining from asking if he could have it, and he already knew the answer to that question anyway.
Sabrina’s brows furrowed at his response. It told her nothing. She let him scribble on giving just as vague an answer as he. “ A few cycles, more or less.” She walked around the table and propped herself up, locking her elbows and for once stared at something more interesting than the book. Him. She leans on top of the book, trying to keep him from becoming too absorbed in his work. “Your eyes…” She had a similar effect when the book was waning on her; dark and glimmering, like a starving hound in a butcher’s shop. Humans rarely became this infected by magic… or information. She pried even harder, something wasn’t right; it could have been a lot of things, with all hope he wasn’t writing wrongs. “Maybe you should take a break.”
Lydrain cocked his head to the side, "I could take a break. It might be for the best, so I can plan out how to finish it. Like I said, there isn't much information out there on what I can do, but I've compiled all that information, and added quite a bit more, from my own experience." He didn't realize it, but he was being effected by the book as well. Not necessarily in the same way Sabrina was, it was more likely due to the proximity of such a powerful magic item. His eyes were startlingly blue, they almost seemed to glow, and, perhaps, every once in a while, lightning would streak across them. Lydrain, of course, didn't notice this, because he just attributed his high energy mood to adrenaline, due to his excitement about this task.
Sabrina had no realizations about the effect the book had on her. If one would ask she would have nothing to tell. Any effects the book had on her were likely a cause of magical differences and compatibility with actual ability. She leans back from the table, satisfied with his answer. “The book is always here if you need it. Provided it lets you read it, but you probably won’t be able to leave the house with it.” Even when she appeared to have it the many times she was seen elsewhere with it, the Book was always here. That was the secret she was after, the spell that allowed her to be in two places at once. She smiles, making her way to the East wall and reaching for a very elegant reflex bow that hung there. It almost looked ornamental- having been made small for her size and so delicately engraved. The ends glowed purple as soon as she touched it, an enchantment no doubt allowing for easier use by its wielder. She pulled the bowstring open and slipped the weapon to hang slanted off her form. The string appeared to be made out of spider’s silk, wet with morning dew- also likely enchanted, probably from Archmosia if one were to describe its finer qualities. She picked up no arrows and there didn’t seem to be any hanging with the weapon. “I trust you can let yourself out, it is time for breakfast.” She taps the chord of the bow smartly.
Lydrain went back to the book, ready to finish his entry, "Just let me finish this up, and I will be out of here." He yawns, "It has just dawned on me that I haven't slept in almost two days. So perhaps it is time to do some of that." Of course he wasn't going to. He was going to go home, and begin his day, but no need to let Sabrina in on the fact that he was horrible at taking care of himself. Nevertheless, he began writing again, with renewed vigor. Only pausing to say to Sabrina, "Thank you for this opportunity, and good luck hunting."
Sabrina smiled at him, writing things down like a maniac. She produces an apple out of nothing and tosses it at his head. “Most important meal of the day.” She gleams, and gives him a friendly wink before exiting out the door.