Not So Gentle Introductions Part II

After the council finished I headed directly for Arch Magus Balthzeer’s tower.  What the hell was he thinking sending me on this venture? The King wanted this creature alive not in an urn! I found it hard to believe Arch Magus Balthzeer was this stupid after all these years I have been under him. This time I didn’t care who knew I was coming. As I approached the tower I had my magma sphere cast which kept those pesky vines at bay.  I was completely incased in flames and molten rock. The gargoyles melted and became part of my shield as they attempted to subdue me. I walked into the main floor study and chanted words of demonic orgins to erase all the rune traps on the floor walls and ceiling.

Balthzeer sat behind his desk calm as ever and spoke forcefully. “I knew you would be mad Arch Magus Coridan but I would really watch the spells you go throwing around during your trip as Croff is as religious as they come. And I’m sure he would have a hard time working with someone who spoke such vile words.  Come now old friend let us chat over some tea shall we?”

“You think a chat over tea will fix this underhandedness? If you wanted to get rid of me I sure you know a million other easier ways then sending me to this death trap of an isle with a quest about as possible as taming a phenoix or ruling the heavens!”

“Now, now, Coridan would I the one person who has covered up your indistretions and took your side every time your temper blew as a kid really send you to your death?” I was hoping you thought more of me then a teperary ally by now,” Balthzeer said with a nuturing tone.

“Let us sir and discuss this trip and why I chose you over every other Arch Magus shall we?” Bathzeer gestured in front of the fire place to a seat next to his.

I walked over and mumbled the incarnation to disperse my shield as it retreated into the fire place. It caught Balthzeer off guard as he leaned back in his seat. “What an interesting shield. Was that Fire Giant and Draconic you spoke? Balthzeer squinted his ears as to hope to hear it better.

“Umm never mind to the topic at hand. It is quite simple you see Coridan your job is not to capture this beast it is to bring Kozak, Croff, and Raddect back alive with you. I knew the only way this quest had a chance of success was if each Master of their respected art sent their most skilled and valuable men. And the only way that would happen is if someone could garentee their safe return. Since you are the only one I know capable of this in the entire kingdom I told the king I would make it so for his wish would be fulfilled. I knew you would come directly here with the will to burn down everything around you.”

“You old fool, has your age given you a wish to meet death sooner? Next time why not ask me before hand as you know I still owe you a great debt for buring my parents for me. One we will now considered paid in full I might add. Well I best be heading to gather my gear and supplies as three days is barley enough time to research what all might come in handy!” I stood up and started walking towards the door.

“You youngsters are always in such a rush. Coridan I insist you sit back down and finish your tea as I have already prepared the four books you would need as well as some other items I will be loaning you on one condition; you bring them back to me.”

As we sat there and drank our tea I have never noticed how much the old man enjoyed my company until this moment. It was like he was savoring each minute as it would be his last moments with me. And for good reason this could rightfully be our last chat for he knew what he had gotten me into and was worried. So worried in fact he had made a brand new enchanted red robe for me. It was enchanted with the highest of physical protection spells along with magic enhancing inscriptions down the sleeves and the inscriptions where in an old tongue that I even had to ask about.

“Don’t worry about the words Coridan maybe on my death bed ill pass you a hint, an old man can’t give all his secrets away now can he? Oh and one last thing. By request you should appear at the practice grounds tomorrow at day break to, let’s say learn how to interact with your party.” Balthzeer said as we stood up and walked down the stairs to the tower.

“Is there any other surprises I should know about old man?” I chuckled but im sure he could tell that I still wasn’t all to pleased with being thrown to the wolves like this.

That night seemed to fly by before I knew it I was standing in the practice grounds next to a nine foot ogre, a two foot dwarf, and a Centaur of eighteen hands. The king was so kind to capture us an armored belguwin to hone our skills on. This massive creature was close to a giant beetle with plant like tentacles. Needless to say not an easy catch, and at the same time not too much of a threat either. That is if you leave it alone.

Croff walked forward and started casting protective wards on the two melee types and him self, making sure not to catch me inside of his area spell. Kozak inherently stepped between Croff and our prey and Raddect took up Croff’s left flank. I was where I was supposed to be a few steps behind Croff. It was a relief that no one was still wet behind the ears and it appeared each already knew the part they where to play in this party. Which is something we all noticed as was made apparent when Kozak turned his head and nodded to me.  That being said at this point there was no need for this little exercise.

We quickly confounded by my flaming arc wall cutting off any retreat. Raddect had entangling barbs wrapping around its eight legs and torso. And Kozak knocked it out with the blunt side of his axe in one blow.

“Well I don’t guess anyone is hurt?” Croff said with a joking tone.

Kozak finished cracking his knuckles then holstered his giant great axe across his back. We all stood there for a few moments staring at each other till Kozak broke the silence and informed us that he would be leader of the group and if there where any objection now was the time to settle it. Croff shrugged, I cared less, and you could tell that Roddect was hesitant to settle the leadership role the way the Ogres do. I mean Kozak stood eye to eye with Roddects a feat not many could attest to.

After I made it back to my home I finished looking over the contents of what Balthzeer had prepared for me and added a few touches of my own to the spells and tactics that might come on handy. Then I started to look over the lore of the isle. Before I knew it, it was time to depart.

That morning the King bestowed us all with a charm of safe travels. He had the finest ship in all his armada accompanied by two of the fastest war ship awaiting us at the Harbor.

“Captain Rumstow make haste on this journey and bring back my ships in one piece.

Kozak, Croff, Roddect, Coridan, Let the Captain command his ships and all of his men. But do no hesitate to tell the Captain if you need support he is here for you as are MY SHIPS. Understood?

“Yes M’lord.” Most of us answered in unison. But you could tell that the statement was directed towards the Captain.

The last of our goods where loaded on the ships the Captain approached us at the aft of the ship and said “you might as well make your self comfortable. It will be a full cycle plus one to the outskirts of the islands. One rule for you lot if your sea legs are weak puke over the edge and not on my floors. And one last thing feel free to anything aboard this vessel except the RUM got it?

Not So Gentle Introductions (Part I)

It hadn’t been three weeks in my new position of Arch Magus that I was already getting fed up with the politics that it came with. The sly old fox had this all planned out. Not only did it slow down my research it added many of dauntless tasks into the mix.

There where public appearances at every major event I was expected to attend now. Be it weddings, duels, tournaments, balls, and the most maddening was the council. A group of forty wealthy nobles, a handful of high ranking generals from the army and shadow corps, the now thirteen Arch Magus, and the king all sitting in the Ballad Chamber Room talking in circles and accomplishing nothing.

To add to my delight were the countless noblemen wanting to introduce me to their daughters. The ugliness, stupidity, and shear boredom of each of these snobby women I was introduced to almost made me wonder how the (enter race here) had survived for so many generations. Hmm, I guess it’s not always survival of the fittest, but one would think that evolution would have breed out some of these jean pools by now.

But on this day during the council meeting Arch Magus Balthzeer and King Keldar had put together a scheme to get me on a certain wild goose chase. King Keldar stood at the front of the council and beseeched the strongest and most well fit from each of his High seats for a journey to Younfeelpe Island. This quest will be to find if they existed and bring back a feelpe for him as a mount.

Legend has it the feelpe is a cross between a solid white rhino, an eagle, and panther. They are said to be the most precise hunters with there quick dives agile turns and cuts and armored scale like feathers they gave their prey no chance to know what was coming or ability to escape. Speaking of escape no one has ever returned from the island.

General Gremmik was quick to appoint Kozak as the warrior for this task. High Priest Infestelia offered the services of Croff for the healing duties. Arch Magus Balthzeer appointed none other then me shocking …. And to round out the party a Glade master Dawnspring chose Raddect as the Ranger.

“Fine, Fine, choices,” The king proclaimed! “Take three days to muster what you will need and set your affairs in order then come to the castle four days from now at a pinch past dawn and I will see you off from the harbor.”

As I stood there next to a dwarf, Ogre, Centaur I knew this would be a long journey.  One I hope we will return from.

Skin Art

Late one evening the proctor of the Great Library came to the table I had something shy of fifty books stacked on. “Magus Coridan sir, would you mind if we closed early tonight as my daughter is getting married in the morning and I would love to give her moon tip lilies from the mountain.”

“Sure Proctor Castrum, may I borrow this book here for the night to keep me occupied?”

“Why yes Coridan, but a book on tribal inscriptions is a little out of the norm for you isn’t it?”

I laughed, “It’s a book in your library what is not normal about me with a book?”

As we walked out of the building Castrum rushed towards to western gate. I headed to a new acquaintance I had made in the shady part of town. His name was Lenar Stempel; he had a hand for body art. We had been discussing the different lizardmen tribes and their shaman tattoos that summoned their spirit companions just with a touch. If the ink used was magical or the person doing the inscription was binding the companion to the tattoo. We had covered most of every topic concerning magical runes and inscriptions. I even pulled in some draconic markings on scales we had in the library to explain how the elder dragons protected themselves from dragon hunters with similar inscriptions.

Lener finally agreed he would do the tattoo if I could aquire everything needed to do it. His list was extensive at first glance impossible. I mean where all of HADES was I to aquire fire mephit blood?

It took about two total years of research and bargining to finally acquire the ink and needles needed. The Arch Mage gave me a lot of help aquiring the items needed for project. I might even said his connections where invaluable to getting this project completed. But he was getting curious why I needed the items I had requested. I had held him off for the two years it took to aquire everything and get the patterns drawn for the tattoo.  I had told him in three days to visit me at Leners place.

I had the needles made in the dwarven lava mines, the hottest kilns of all of Keldar. The ink had a crushed red dragon scale, claw, salvia gland, elvish fire water, blood of a fire mephit, and the ink base from Galentula the giant octopus of the western sea.

We were to start the inscriptions on my hands that night. The process was going to last three days and nights. When it was over I would have sleeves cresting onto my breast and back. The knotted flames with inscriptions written in draconic where going to be a first of its kind. I had only tested it on a few mice most of which would die due to the heat of the ink.

Lener put the neddle into a cedar handle to protect him from how hot the needle would become. As he dipped the needle in the ink Lener said, "Lets begin shall we?" As the needle crossed over my skin for the first time the ink burned deep into my body at times it felt like my soul was being assulted. This is what the men I have burnt to dust must have felt in their last moments. As the needle started to glow from the heat of the ink I relized  I had to bare this pain for three days. I dont know if i was prepared for this, but its to late now lets just hope I can endure this smeldering pain.  

Lenar was amazed at the lack of blood, but it seems the ink was innately sealing the wounds with its heat. He was amazing during these three days his hand was as steady as it was on the first day. Although he has a very small grasp of what he is marking my body with. He grew  attach to the project as though it was his very own. And this simple attachment to his own work made my piece of art even better due to his heart and soul being poured into it.

When the third day dawned the Arch Magus visited me in Lenar’s shop to see how close the final result was. And the look of fear came across his face. “Coridan, do you realize the depths of what will constantly grow on you body now?” He said as he backed up estonished.  

Weakly I said “Yes I do, not only will this grow across my body as I grow. It has the power to amplify my power by the same increment.  Hence the reasoning of why I did it. This will be one of the only things in my life time that will ever be able to keep pace with my level if I can survive the rest of it."

This night was the night the Arch Magus knew how far ahead of him in the realm of magica I was. He took me into the council the next week and showed them my work. Explained it to those who where completely lost. Some where amazed, others frightened. To add to the ordeal he then he put my name into the the air to be promoted to Arch Magus. With all the responsibility and status that come with such a title.

One thing the Arch Magus Balthzeer always will have over me will be the foresight of wisdom.   This status upgrade would seal my alliance to the Kingdom and put me in my place as a protector. A wise move on his part.

For a Good Cause!

* * * W A R N I N G *  *  *

!!! >Out of Character ON<!!!

If you happen to stumble across my blog over the next few days I figured I would post this as its for a good cause. UNICEF is holding a Halloween blog party  in hopes to raise donations for this great cause. So swing by and join in the fun.

Next through a mutual friend another All Hallows Eve Blog fest will be happening at My Literary Jam & Toast. I Demand you get all dolled up for the occasion and join in the festivities. Oh, well I guess I could extend the invitation to the gents also.... Please no tights or spartan costumes gents, thanks no telling what might set me off into a raging inferno.

>out of character off<

Relentless Father Time

Time waits for no man. That’s why I am glad I am an ELF!!!

The days come and go in the blink of an eye. It seems for every one thing I accomplish on my list of things to learn or do I add forty more. I will never have enough time to accomplish all the things I have or will have my hands in. This compulsiveness of always staying busy is unhealthy says the elders of the academy. I need to face what it is I hide in these books from. This one fear is expressed on all of my evals to the Arch Mage. The evals worries me very little, as the Arch Mage understands why I find solitude hiding in the Great Library.

It was my second year at the academy when I learned how precious time really is, even for elves. It was barely morning when I had gotten the word that my parents where dead. Two guard where sent to escort me to the funeral that would be on the following full moon to allow me  time to get home to pay my respects.  On the carriage ride back to my homeland I question the two guards who where sent to accompany me home why I deserved so much protection? How two elves as strong and young as my parents had passed so early in their lives? I really don’t think the questions ended for the whole three day trip to the old woods. Alas they never answered any of my relentless questions, come to think of it the last words they spoke where to the Arch Mage saying I was to accompany them back home. Their silence drove me mad but I held my composure.

I will preface this with the Arch Mage knew me well by this point. As from the night I followed him to his tower till this day I had spent every moment he allowed to picking his brain. So with the news he had gotten he knew what I would do when I found out.

I arrived in Wolven Valley early the night of the full moon. This was to be the place my parents would return to the circle of life. I walked up to the two huge stumps left from the great red woods they had cut down for the passing of my parents. My Father and Mother laid on the stumps peacefully with an expression on their faces that they knew they would be leaving the world at the same time and this brought them contentment. This calmed the fire raging inside me until the elders a hill away spoke in the wind not knowing I had arrived yet.

The wind whispered as it did when I was young heading out to hunt with my father. The message this time was not much different.  "Make sure Coridan doesn’t find out about his parents death being ordered by the elder council."   As with elvish custom you state what was not to be spoken from this point on in a last whisper by the High Seat of the Council. Here is where the flame inside me raged giving the elders awareness of my presence.

“The details are irrelevant you old fool, for you have already said to much.  I warn those that murdered my parents you are as good as dead. Protecting them is an intangible thought! And those attempting to stop me from be rectifying this dishonor are as good as dust!” I shouted across the wind as I couldn’t stay quite any longer the rage had its grasp on my mind, emotions, soul, and the bottomless amount of power within.

 I didn’t even notice that the guards that had escorted me had already been burnt to asunder from my fire shield. As I walked into town my anger grew into rage and my rage into hatred.  The guards and archers feeble attempt to quash my assault ended many lives needlessly. I was consumed with blood lust at this point and not even the ocean could put out these flames. The oldest town in Keldar burned to the ground that night along with generations of elves.

From this, the stories that spread around the survivors is if you ever do wrong to another of your kind the elf with burning eyes and palms who is encased in blue and red flames will come and justify your injustice ten fold as a cleansing flame of a phoenix. So be kind to your fellow elf as we are all linked in this circle and rest assured what comes around goes back around.

Oh, surprised there where survivors? So was I, But remember earlier I told you the Arch Mage knew me well. He managed to get to town before I did. He saved most of the young elves and the some of the others who had nothing to do with the conspiracy to kill my parents for their position in the council. Let it be known he save as many as he could before he had to start protecting himself from the cords of flames streaming from the rage of my assault as no matter how strong you where none where safe. And he knew the only way this helix of fire would calm down was if it burnt itself out.

I woke up back at the academy knowing exactly what I had done.  I had my hands bandaged and a salve on my chest to help with the minor burns. Nothing was ever spoken of that night between us as I knew he kept me from ruining the rest of my life and no one at the academy but us knew what had transpired.

For the next seven months all I heard from my peers, mostly the females, was why did I cut my long silver hair it was so beautiful.  Id just smile and say, “I honored my parents passing with my most prized hair that they passed to me woven in a eternal knot that binded their hands together forever in death.”  

Blind Addictions Part II

As I was frozen, burned, and electrified by the gargoyles. At the same time the Arch Mage was chanting spells that penetrated my mind. The psychological torture was almost unbearable. It felt like millions of shattering a mirriors inside my head. I saw visions of my power being drained from me. Dreams of my innate fire abandoning me in my hour of need, many others came when I would fall unconscious. The Arch Mage wasn’t holding back in the least. As time passed the assault progressively got worse. This was one of the worse situations I had ever been in during my two hundred some odd years. It was horrible he was breaking me down physically, mentally, and as the night continued my anger level was rising rapidly.

 I still had four hours before the silence spell or any of the others that I had cast would wear off. I had to think of a way out of this situation. A way to let the Arch Magus know I wasn’t here to harm him. Was this fear? I started to what you would call panic. But here is what seperates the great men from the average, we take the reins and take a hold of the issue. "Adapt or go extinct Coridan." 

I remembered the thorn that was in my arm, this allowed me to formulate a course of action. I pulled the thorn out of my arm and started to create a seal on what was left of my robes. Writing with my right hand proved to be very difficult as the seal I was attempting to create had very little margin for error. And to make matters worse I was writing with  thorn tip dipped in blood, not the greatest of ink. I timed the shock of cold and heat blasts with the small needles hitting me as the Arch Magus’s traps continued to harass my senses and nerves. I think I even passed out a few times due to the rapid cooling of my body temperature. Being who I am I used my internal flame to keep my body at a regulated temperature which solved the stupid freeze ray. When I was finished with the seal to break the silence spell. I figured I had one chance to survive this.

I only had one usable arm thanks to the vine trap earlier so I couldn’t activate the seal and cast a spell at the same time. But I had already thought of a way around this. I added some forbidden text I had came across years ago to dispel the restraint runes I was standing on. Also inscribed an old elvish phrase that confuses golems, lets just hope it works on gargoyles. Now I only had to worry about the Arch Magus’s response.

It was now or never. I timed the pressing of the rune to the timing of the flame trap for obvious reasons. As I pressed the rune I had created it activated with a shear blue light and a loud screech.  My invisibility dropped and as I expected the Arch Magus threw a spell worthy of his level. I narrowly escaped it by using the flame from his trap to create a deflection wall to bend his spell to the other side of the room. I was lucky that both these spells where the same level or that could have hurt.

Laughter broke out. The Arch Magus was very happy with himself.  “Coridan what a surprise,” he grinned knowingly.  I was confusseled, angry, tired, sore, but I was alive so I was relieved. The Arch Magus started to walk towards his shelves on the wall he pulled a few items off of the shelves and started to mix them together in his alchemy set sitting on his desk.

“So Coridan I realized that the only way you would understand what you where after was to allow you to complete this journey in full circle.”

Speechless I thought how did he know.

“Let me guess how did I know is what you are thinking right about now? Well let me explain, you observed your entire class, most of the professors and a few people in high positions with the spells I placed in that book for you.” The Arch Mage grinned as he started to mix some ingredients together.

“What I want to know now is if what you learned tonight was the same conclusion I came up to many years ago?”

Astonished by what I was hearing I gathered my thoughts. “I have come to the conclusion that we each have our addictions or seductions that directly or indirectly affect the road or choices we make in life. Some we can see, others lead us blindly through our lives. The addictions that lead those blindly are the dangerous ones. The ones that drive me make me excel ahead of those called my peers which is fortunate for me.”

The Arch Magus smiled and began walking towards me with a salve in his hand. “ I was hoping you would say that. Also I hope this brought to light that we all need to put all of our addictions aside once in awhile and stop to enjoy life, as you only get one my young Coridan.”

Now as I walk through the hall I try not to pay any attention to these irrational thoughts projected at me. As we all have our addictions, mine just happens to be endless nights in search for lost secrets hidden in the books of the great library.

Blind Addictions Part I

Walking through the halls of the academy I notice every emotion being projected at me. Among the strongest is resentment or jealousy, envy, fear, and a few others that most women of no virtue have.  It has been this way since I moved to the academy. In the beginning I couldn’t understand why people I didn’t even know hated me. It wracked my brain for many of nights in the library as I was studying. Being as obsessive as I am I had to know what sparked these emotions from these people so I sat out for a way to get these answers.  

One night in my first year here I had came across a few spells of stealth and silence that allowed me to follow what started off a few classmates around. That first night was a very long and interesting night. One of the people I followed hated me with such a passion he ended up dropping out that year. As I sat and watched him from the shadows he drank until he couldn’t drink another drop. He then picked a few fights and got himself blistered by his own spells. I then understood how far behind he was then the rest of the class. Much to my dismay that morning I was almost late for class as the spells didnt wear off until I almost had the be at class. A minor over calculation on my part.

My targets of surveillance over the next few weeks consisted of a wide range of races and positions inside the academy and kingdom. I was obsessed with the amount of information I was learning and I wasn’t even in the library. One of the professors studied every night due to me being ahead of her in the class she taught on minor remidies.  This pushed her to feel incompetent. I had no idea I had made her feel this way as I always found her classes a great challenge and the presentation even kept my interest.

As the weeks passed I became even more bold on who I would follow and observe. During this time in my life I learned so much about families and household responsibility. Some of the peers in my class had such pressure from their parents status or expectations it would ruin their chances of success.

The night I attempted to see what drove the Arch Magus outside these walls is the night all my research came to an end.  Not before I was exhausted, beaten, and shown more then I ever intended to gain from of observing my peers. That night started off like any other, I cast four spells rewritten in the draconic tongue with a few other alterations that allowed them to all take hold at the same time without breaking the others. As if you cast silence first then you can cast the rest of the spells or if you cast shadow invisibility then any other spell your invisibility drops. Enough showing off back to that night.  

I followed the Arch Magus to his home on the outskirts of the campus. He bypassed his house and went into his back yard where his personal tower is. The path to the tower had tangling vines that go after anyone not grown from the persons blood who planted them. They have razor sharp thorns and the ability to paralyze anything they catch in their grasp. I was already in their grasp when the Arch Magus light the latern outside the tower. This created a shadow inside the tower which allowed me to fade out of the vines grasp.  I had just barely made it as the stupid plant had already paralyzed my left arm. I followed him up to the highest part of the study where he sat behind a huge desk, As I walked into the open room the Arch Magus spoke, “Is your journey after me worth your life shadow?” As the words finished I was surrounded by gargoyles and four seals of restraint.