Elias
Mage Knight
The Crimson Mage
I'm just saying that the problem isn't going away, no matter how good we get at stabbing them.
Posts: 451
Etruria Fame: 1
Sacae Fame: 2
Lycia Fame: 1
Profession: The Crimson Mage
Affinity: Fire
Profile: Profile (updated)
OoC Alias: Elias
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Post by Elias on Jan 16, 2014 17:20:50 GMT -6
"Be quiet!" A bony finger shushed at him violently, it belonged to Elias' greatest foe to date. "People are trying to read." He added, silencing the magic knight. He opened his mouth to retort, but the man just widened his eyes and gave a fierce look to the hero. So he slowly closed his mouth and looked down at his book in shame. Geez, what a killjoy. He watched out of the corner of his eyes as the aged man slowly ambled away, as if he was just waiting for the moment the man was out of earshot.
Santuraz was hotly debated at the second largest territory in all of Lycia. Or, rather, it was, nowadays it's the largest now that Ostia is a pit of desolation and death. And lava. Also demon wolves. Actually it was basically messed up in every sense of the word, which was a shame really. The Ostia in his memories was such an incredible, expansive and beautiful place. Not as wonderfirous as Santuraz, but definitely splendificous in it's own right. It was a place that exuded raw power, of strength. Now it was just a hole in the ground, a fate worse than death one might say. The land wasn't just dead, but decimated entirely. The land had been salted and no life could live there, likely for decades. Maybe even hundreds of years.
Now Santuraz was the de-facto capital of Lycia, the city was once known as the crown jewel of Elibe. It was a city of great beauty, something that could not be seen elsewhere in all of Elibe. Ilia and Bern were hardy nations, who cared more of practicality as opposed to things like beauty, and to be overly vain is a sin in Elmine's eyes. Sacae was closer to wilderness then a civilized nation (no offence Mana, you guys rock but you really lack unity) and Nabata was just a friggen desert. With perhaps dragons, maybe. It was hazy, he wasn't sure if he was supposed to know if there was dragons or not. Santuraz stood out in stark contrast with all these places. It was a land of art, music, sculptures, and knowledge. It was little surprise that the largest library in all of Lycia found its home there.
The building, at least compared to every library he's ever been to, was gigantic. Books books and more books, more than you could read in a thousand lifetimes. This wasn't his first visit to this place, nah, he was a regular customer back when he was younger. Him and his parents once lived in Santuraz, and they visited the library every day. The librarian seemed to remember the boy, because the first thing he did when Elias entered was shush him into a near comatose submission. The ceilings stretched up high, and books lined the walls. They even had those giant ladders and stuff that Elias used to play on when he was younger. It was in Santuraz that his father was born, so in a way it was him hometown or something. He never viewed it as such, since he moved several times a year when he was young so if anything the road was his home. Ah, nostalgia. What a silly and useless emotion. If only he could focus it into something more useful, like awesomeness.
He sat at a table with a hearty pile of book stacked up besides him as he dove into book after book. You see, he was studying something, something that may not be of the most tasteful nature. Theses... monsters. Whatever you'd call them, he used the term loosely. They seemed unnatural but at the same time... it was too early to draw any conclusions. Mostly because he had none to draw, so instead he just scribbled around hoping he'd hit something true. He had always had a invested interest in these things, but only just now had he really had the time to tackle them. He spent so much of his life being a glory hound, desiring attention, feeding off of renown... It was only now that he realized how... pointless that was that he could finally focus on things like this.
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Post by Augustus Nacht on Jan 16, 2014 17:50:56 GMT -6
Nacht sighed as he placed another book back on the shelf he'd plucked it from. He was an odd sight in Santaruz, looking like a wild man fresh from stepping out of the woods rather than the usual folk that lived there. But still, he was there for a reason. All these books that dealt with the history of Elibe and yet he hadn't come across one that included anything about the Monsters yet. He walked back to the table he'd seated himself at, looking at the two books that still remained. One was a more specific history of Lycia and the other was one for Ilia. With the sudden and random appearance, he'd started to wonder if perhaps they had started as a centralized problem that became larger, resembling what was happening in recent years.
After a time though, those books were find their way back to shelves too.
Nacht grumbled, ascending the ladder. He started to pick out a couple of books on the history of Bern and Etruria now. He also plucked up another book on the history of Elibe, and even a couple that were based on The Scouring. The Druid also briefly considered a couple of the books on Pre-Scouring Theory. Most were trite pieces of fantasy, but some seemed to be able to follow logical patterns that were perhaps more likely than you'd think. Still, those could wait a while. The green-haired man walked past another dressed in garish red as he returned to his table, not really caring if the other overheard his muttering about the trouble of finding Monsters as he did so.
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Edrick
Shaman
Even in darkness one can devote themself to the light.
Posts: 114
Sacae Fame: 1
Profession: Jack of all Trades
Affinity: Light
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Post by Edrick on Jan 16, 2014 18:19:58 GMT -6
It was quite tiring to scour the library for a single book on the topic he was looking for. It seemed that books on dark magic weren't exactly the most popular topic in these big city libraries. He could have swore that he had have to been around the library twice by now looking for books on the topic, he was about to give up when he just happened to notice something. Looking up at what seemed to be the very top of the bookcase were a couple of tomes, two to be exact, that seemed much older and worn than those around them. Grabbing a ladder he precariously climbed up to the very top, and even them he had to climb a little to reach them. Pulling them off of the shelf it turned out that they were book related to what he was searching for, oh joy! Balancing them on his head he began his decent to the safety of the floor.
After reaching the floor Edrick decided to pick a table, he walked over to a grouping and settled down, there seemed to be two others nearby, someone clad in red with a hat that made him stand out, and another with unkempt green hair and a black overcoat. Oh well, time to dig in, and with that he opened up the first of his two tomes and it let out a puff of dust making him cough a little bit.
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Elias
Mage Knight
The Crimson Mage
I'm just saying that the problem isn't going away, no matter how good we get at stabbing them.
Posts: 451
Etruria Fame: 1
Sacae Fame: 2
Lycia Fame: 1
Profession: The Crimson Mage
Affinity: Fire
Profile: Profile (updated)
OoC Alias: Elias
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Post by Elias on Jan 16, 2014 19:39:29 GMT -6
This was a giant library, and such a thing would entail a giant amount of people, right? Well you'd think that at the least, it was kind scarcely populated. Maybe thirty or so people in it's hungry maw, knowledge simply wasn't as valued in this day and age as it should be. Considering the size of the library that was almost no one, still it made things quiet. Too quiet for Elias' tastes to be honest, he couldn't focus that well like that. It was too silent, it was sort of overwhelming. It kept distracting him, making him think that wow it's quiet. Elias seemed to work best when he was ignoring something or someone. Which is kinda funny in a way, it seemed procrastination is what helped him get work done, as opposed to the other way around.
Still all these books were of no real help, and this was written in doodles and not words! How was anyone supposed to read something like that? He was looking in animal catalogues, history books, magical theory texts, he's been at this for what felt like days on end now. He's not found anything of interest, well that was a lie. He's found a LOT of interest, the way his pack was bulging was testament to that. The books in his pack had what looked like bits of paper sticking out of them in odd angles and whatnot, a very haphazard system of bookmarks. These were books that interested him, but were what he was currently researching. Things to come back to later, when he wanted a break or had the time. Still it was hardly the point, what it meant really was that he was finding nothing about the monsters. Outside of a few reports that were sketchy to begin with and weren't really much to go on. There were so many books in this library, countless tomes, it had to be here somewhere right?
If he couldn't find it now, maybe he could find it back then? There's over 1000 years of recorded history. Or semi-recorded at least. Old things usually were smarter than new ones, maybe he could find a hint in the past? He had a few books on mind to begin with, ones his father used to own, as she scribbled down the names on a small piece of parchment he brought the list to the old librarian. "Excuse me b-"
"Shhh!" The man hushed him.
"Sorry." Elias said, several decibels lower than his usual loud and cheery voice. "Excuse me, but I'm looking for these tomes. Would you have them?" He handed the list to the old man.
He looked at the names for a few moments, nodded and pointed at a row of books near the ceiling over on the wall. "You can find a few of them over... there." He said. Then he pointed at a man sitting on a table none too far away with wild green hair. "While he's already gathered many of the ones on your list."
Huh. History nut, was it? Elias waved at the man as he trotted over to the older green haired guy with a disturbingly ladylike face. Elias held a few books in his arms as he sidled over. "Excuse-" He started, but cleared his throat and then tried again quieter. "Excuse me. You have some books I'd like to check out." He placed the books in his arms on the table. "You're looking in history, right? These are some of the history books I had over there with me." Mostly useless, but maybe it'll be useful for him. "If you don't mind I'd like to take a quick look at some of them. I'll pass them right off to you if you need them, won't even know I'm here."
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Post by Augustus Nacht on Jan 16, 2014 20:02:34 GMT -6
Nacht sighed, placing another book aside on his growing stack. That one wasn't much help either. Though he never knew that one of the former Etrurian Kings was- "Excuse-"
Nacht looked up to see that garishly dressed man in red. And how he'd just gotten shushed by the elderly librarian.
"Excuse me. You have some books I'd like to check out."
"Oh?"
"You're looking in history, right? These are some of the history books I had over there with me. If you don't mind I'd like to take a quick look at some of them. I'll pass them right off to you if you need them, won't even know I'm here."
The Druid looked over at the spines of the books, quickly denoting the names and authors. He'd already read a couple of them, but there were a couple that peaked his interest. "Hm... Alright. I suppose I could use a couple of those for research material as well." The green-haired man reached over to a notebook and began to cross off another book name that was on his list for the moment. Nacht then indicated the stack of books on his left. "Those are the ones I've already read if you're interested in them. Might I ask what you are looking for?" He kept his voice low so as not to deal with the librarian himself, but did peak an eyebrow in curiosity as he looked at Elias.
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Elias
Mage Knight
The Crimson Mage
I'm just saying that the problem isn't going away, no matter how good we get at stabbing them.
Posts: 451
Etruria Fame: 1
Sacae Fame: 2
Lycia Fame: 1
Profession: The Crimson Mage
Affinity: Fire
Profile: Profile (updated)
OoC Alias: Elias
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Post by Elias on Jan 17, 2014 5:20:59 GMT -6
"Thank you." Elias nodded as he took a seat on the other side of the wooden table. He looked through the stack for a moment before pulling out a particularly girthy reference book, looking at the cover a moment, then setting it down in front of him. "It might sound a little odd, but I'm actually researching the creatures that used to plague Laus." He said offhandedly as he began to quickly, but carefully, leaf through the pages of the book. "Doom wolves, the walking dead, all manner of nastiness. It's because we know so little about them that we got overwhelmed so easily. I couldn't find anything about them in the books I was reading, but maybe I can find something about them in the past. Or at least that was my reasoning, maybe this has happened before or something." He explained, going a bit further on the man's question then the man probably expected. It was just how Elias was, mouthy little thing. "So, basically, researching monsters."
He couldn't find anything on them, it has really gotten to an annoyingly fine point that he wasn't going to find any information. The only thing he could think of that might have something like this would be some big ole evil looking book written in one of those 'evil' languages. There's like seven. Then again you don't really find a book that's a portal to the eternal suffering and dismay of all of existence just laying around a reputable establishment like this. He let out a long sigh, maybe dark tomes could help him? He didn't use them, out of respect for his father, but he was more than familiar with the theory and language used within. He almost became a druid after all. Light magic could suck-
Wait. Light magic... Hrm.... Maybe... If he can't find anything in actual history, maybe... That was definitely a thought to hold on to.
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Reid
Shaman
Posts: 27
Profession: Scholar
Profile: Reid
OoC Alias: Hal
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Post by Reid on Jan 17, 2014 9:09:58 GMT -6
Reid had heard about what happened to Ostia a few times while he studied the arts to elder magic, it always had seemed like a perfect place to research what had happened but he was too busy trying to unlock the mysteries of the taboo magic. When his instructor had finally gone off in the deep end, beyond the point of coming back, he had decided that he would take a break from his current studies in order to learn about what happened in Ostia. That was until he heard of the magnificent library located in Santuraz, it was a wet dream for the scholar, if he had passed up the chance to poke and prod in all of those books he would have committed a sin against intelligence and shamed anybody who was considered themself a scholar. Upon entering the building he let out a squeal of excitement, "SHHHHHH!" the man near the door hushed Reid, he had barely noticed the command because he was lost in the possibilities that the sea of books offered him. He had hoped to find books about anima and light magic that would increase his knowledge of the principals of magic in general, there was still a slight hope of finding more information about elder magic in this building as well. Then there was a subject he had seen referenced in a couple of books he read as a child he knew had to be in here, it would be a mockery of the title of 'library' if it didn't have anything about the Ending Winter. Looking around Reid had saw small groups of people digging into their own studies, it was a shame a palace of this size was dead compared to establishments filled to the brim with mindless brutes drinking their ale and sharing stories of their caveman adventures.
It didn't take the man long to have am arm full of books, some about history of the land, anima, light magic and it's connection to staves, and one titled "The Ending Winter". The moment he had set down the stack of books he had took out a couple of his own along with a small vial of ink and a feather, he shifted through his own books and opened of the one marked 'history' and flipped near the end of it where there was a blank page and set the feather in the vial of ink ready for when he started to make notes. He didn't get far into the book when he heard whispers from the man clad in red and a green haired man, Reid looked up from his book his right eye twitching as he lifted his right hand to the glasses he wore and used his middle finger to push them back up. He shot them a glare that would rival his ability to cast elder magic, granted he wasn't the greatest caster but compared to the mindless brutes that called themselves warriors it was powerful. Normally such events wouldn't register to Reid but he just started his research. In a whisper he began to talk himself. "Know what's fabulous about this place? There's endless knowledge in these books, there's no need to talk."
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Edrick
Shaman
Even in darkness one can devote themself to the light.
Posts: 114
Sacae Fame: 1
Profession: Jack of all Trades
Affinity: Light
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Post by Edrick on Jan 17, 2014 10:03:22 GMT -6
Hearing a sudden squeal Erick looked up from his dusty tome to see another person the library. The new arrival was promptly shushed by the man near the door. After a bit more reading Edrick was once again disturbed by the new man's presence, but this time he walked over to a nearby table and set down a arm full of books. Edrick, with his attention stolen, watched the man as he continued to take out what seemed to be a book of his own and a quill and ink; it seemed that he was taking notes on the books he read. "Hm, that's a good idea, I should have though of that, I'll see if I can get a blank book before my next visit." Edrick thought to himself. Getting back into his book, which he had almost finished, He read a couple more pages before the Man in the red started quietly conversing with the man withe unkempt green hair. It most have been important as he moved the books that he had over to the unkempt man's table. They continued for a small bit before the newest addition spoke up. "Know what's fabulous about this place? There's endless knowledge in these books, there's no need to talk."
"But if there is endless knowledge here, wouldn't it be best to share the data that one has already acquired? It would help speed up the researching progress." Edrick riposted before looking back at the final pages of the book.
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Post by Oya on Jan 17, 2014 10:27:55 GMT -6
So this is the grand library of Lycia thought Oya as he stared at all the books. He remembered how hard it was to get books out at sea. Every time they would attack a ship he would veraciously search threw the captain quarters for books. On some occasions he would find some in the crew quarters, but many times the books of his interest were found near the latrine. Many of the sailors would uses the tomes as toilet paper and key points he desired were ripped out. Savages, thought Oya as he began to get angry. Still he no longer had to worry about it. Here he could find the knowledge that he sought and gather up as much of its power as he could.
“Doom Wolves”, the word stuck out in Oya head. The sea fairing scholar turned his head to see two gentlemen talking at a table. That sounded interesting, that sounded controllable. The history and origins behind such monster interested Oya. If one can find the source then one could manipulate it. Manipulating monsters would prove a useful ability. It would not only allow him to avoid them in his travels, but also unleash them on those who crossed him. Even if he could not control them the knowledge itself would prove useful. Still he doubted the men would be so willing to help him. Knowledge was power and power was coveted. Oya untied his head band and allowed his long orange hair to flow down. In a matter of a second he went from a girly looking man to a beautiful woman. Time to work some magic thought Oya as he walked over to the table.
“Umm excuse me”, spoke Oya in his usual girly voice. He made sure to keep his voice low. He had seen more than one person get chomped out by the old librarian and he did not want to be next. “Did ….did you say something about monsters. I was doing my own research on the creatures, but I was wondering if you all had found anything interesting. You see I.., oh where is my manners. How rude of me to ask you all something without giving you my name. My name is Mimi a traveling herbalist and scholar. During my travels I had come across a few of these creatures and was wondering about there origins.”
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Post by Augustus Nacht on Jan 17, 2014 12:41:06 GMT -6
"So, basically, researching monsters."
Nacht hummed in thought as he heard this. Another researcher of the monsters was good to have on hand. "You won't find anything in those books then, it's what I've been looking into myself. Though perhaps you might catch something that I missed." Nacht paused in thought for a moment. "Which areas of history have you looked into so far?"
He then turned his head to look at... well, a child. She introduced herself as a herbalist and another who was researching the monsters. Well... He'd heard tales of child prodigies and what not that have come from all over Elibe. Perhaps she was another? It didn't particularly matter to him whether it proved true or not, but another reading through these books and looking for clues would be useful still.
Nacht gestured to another seat at the table, free of his fortress of books. "Have a seat. It's what we're all looking into it would seem."
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Reid
Shaman
Posts: 27
Profession: Scholar
Profile: Reid
OoC Alias: Hal
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Post by Reid on Jan 17, 2014 15:10:18 GMT -6
Reid turned to the person who just spoke to him, his eye still twitching. Before he could get a word in he had heard the others talking about monster, while it wasn't something he had researched directly it was a subject that he came across a few times in some of the text about elder magic and world history he had read. He shut the book about the Ending Winter and started to flip the pages in his own book, finding the chapter he was looking for he rose to his feet and walked to the other table and set the book in front of the green haired man. "While this information doesn't pertain to monsters of these days, it does have quite fascinating details about pre-Scouring monsters. I find it quite interesting, it's followed by what my hypothesis of what happened to them as well."
"That my good sir, is how you share information with others while not saying a word."
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Elias
Mage Knight
The Crimson Mage
I'm just saying that the problem isn't going away, no matter how good we get at stabbing them.
Posts: 451
Etruria Fame: 1
Sacae Fame: 2
Lycia Fame: 1
Profession: The Crimson Mage
Affinity: Fire
Profile: Profile (updated)
OoC Alias: Elias
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Post by Elias on Jan 17, 2014 15:48:00 GMT -6
Well now, a sizable group of people began to congregate around the mage. Even in a library he was drawing attention! Wait, no, he didn't want that anymore, remember Elias? Still it was simply a curse to be this incredible and popular, radiating an aura that simply draws people from all over just to be near him. Oh dear. It was reassuring to see that even though the libraries were far from the most popular place to hang, there were still people who were interested in learning more about the world in which they lived. The fact that so many of them also desired information on monsters was also a surprise, it felt a lot like no one in the entire continent even cared and as soon as Elias started researching suddenly they came bursting out of the woodworks.
As soon as the red haired shaman (great hair by the way) sat the book down, Elias greedily grabbed it before the other man could get a chance to even give it a cursory glance. Then as soon as he cracked the spine open Elias held a finger up to the shaman who was talking and let out a quiet "Shh, I'm trying to read."
Then, suddenly... Everything started to churn in his mind as he poured over the words. He waved one of his hands in the air as his eyes grew wide, he made a silent sort of 'ooh' sound. "Oooh oooh oooh" He said, like a bolt of lightning went off somewhere. He suddenly made a kind of flourished rise from his chair as he scuttled away and back to when he sat before. He began to tear through his books fiercely, in the distance, desperately looking for something. He left the book there, for anyone else to read as he went on his (silent) tirade through tomes and books.
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Post by Oya on Jan 17, 2014 15:59:38 GMT -6
That was good timing thought Oya. Library seems to be the place for people desiring the power of knowledge to gather. Still the red mage was on that book like a fly. The moment he left was the moment Oya took his turn. He first skimmed through the words and looked to see if he could find any connections with the appearance of such beast. The scouring was a interesting time no less, but what he wanted was to understand the monsters of today. If he could find the source then he could control it, and control was power.
“Hmm I don’t see anything on how to repel them, or why they appear. The part about the undead though seems to be relevant to our times. This does have some promising things in it.” Oya sat the book, down and allowed the next person to read. This is a book on elder magic right. I wonder if there is more in such tomes.”
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Edrick
Shaman
Even in darkness one can devote themself to the light.
Posts: 114
Sacae Fame: 1
Profession: Jack of all Trades
Affinity: Light
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Post by Edrick on Jan 17, 2014 23:48:52 GMT -6
The man looked at Edrick then promptly got up and walked over the the growing group "While this information doesn't pertain to monsters of these days, it does have quite fascinating details about pre-Scouring monsters. I find it quite interesting, it's followed by what my hypothesis of what happened to them as well." The man said as he set the book on the table, as it is almost immediately snatched by the red man. "That my good sir, is how you share information with others while not saying a word." The man said, directing it towards Edrick.
"Well, technically words still had to be spoken, some for you to know what they were studying, and some to tell him what was in the book." Edrick imparted as he promptly shut his finished book letting up another cloud of dust. "But, I see your point, books are a wondrous thing." With that said, Edrick stood up and walked over to where the red man was hastily looking over multiple tomes. "If your looking for information about monsters, this tome has info pertaining to the relation between the monsters and Elder magic, I don't know how much of it you can trust though, it could all just be theories." Walking back over to the girl Edrick politely asked her a question. " Excuse me, but when you are done with that may I take a quick look at it?" As he sat down and opened the more promising of the two tomes he had grabbed.
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Post by Augustus Nacht on Jan 18, 2014 0:06:21 GMT -6
Nacht was the next to take the book, reading it over carefully. He started to write in his notebook once again, jotting down names of the beasts and descriptions. He also stopped when he got to the section mentioning the undead. Didn't he see something about them before...? Nacht finished his notes and shut the book, leaving it for another as too began to get up. "Give me a moment, I think I've seen something else about the undead elsewhere."
Nacht headed over to the shelves again, retrieving one of the nearby ladders and starting to head up. He plucked a book out, flipped through it and put it back. He repeated this process for a few times before climbing down, moving to another case and starting again. Where was that book? Either way, it looked like he'd be awhile looking for what he sought.
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