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
|
Post by Elias on Nov 5, 2015 23:19:07 GMT -6
Y'know, when you think about it, maybe that was a bit much to just say offhandedly. It seems the mention of the monster on Elibe shocked the crow-woman, and to be fair it was pretty shocking stuff. Elias just... dealt with it so often he's become desensitized to it. No longer fuel for nightmares, it was just another thing they had to deal with it. 'It looks like rain' 'Oh the road's closed off' 'Jimmy's risen from the grave and is eating people' they all just flowed together. Though how she reacted seemed to confirm that the conditions for monsters here and the conditions for monster at home weren't one and the same. Which... made things more complicated. Yay for complexity and all but, man, Elias thought he was getting closer to an answer. Not getting further away and having an entire new mystery dropped in his lap like 'kay man, I'll be back for it at three'. He let out a small groan and tilt his head back, sighing.
He turned to look at the crow-woman again, thinking to himself for a moment. His brow furrowing in thought. "I guess... Well maybe I should have explained a bit more then not at all. It's not a joke, at all." He looked at her with, well it wasn't exactly a smile. More like he was tired. Sympathetic, but man oh man was he tired. Probably just a bit bummed his search didn't hit a dead end but rather uncovered an entirely different path going in another direction. "I cannot be certain for all monsters, but some of them I have witnessed literally being transformed from the corpses of dead men. Whilst the living took the form of Gargoyle, winged monstrous beings wielding spears, and wrapped in fell magics. Their very weapons capable of corrupting the living they slay and transforming them into vile revenants of flesh. Not... exactly happy topics for conversation you could imagine."
He frowned at the thought of it, of Hargus, of those shadow-like beings he faced. "I don't know what's wrong with Elibe, but something clearly is. That's why I'm trying to find out what." He let out a weak laugh. "Buuuuut I'm not exactly doing the greatest job. I thought this island would have answers, so far all I've found was more questions." He finished off with a shrug. "Oh well." He tapped the bottom of his staff on the ground, using it as a sort of tool to change the topic because geez this was depressing.
"Hey!" He quickly bounced back, grinning happily. "Taguel sound pretty tough." There was undoubtedly more to it then them just so happening to have wings, but what it was Elias could not even. She said 'adapt' and 'evolve' so he assumed that there were more different from humans then surface level changes. Of course Elias has never met a Taguel, hell no one on Elibe has. Really he should be more shocked, but if there's such beings as dragons who's to say there's other humanoid races out there? If this island has been isolated for, well however long it's been isolated, then it wasn't a huge stretch. The question he had was less that 'if' they exist (since this woman in front of them kinda proves that) but rather why has Elias never heard of them before?
"Kinda... less specific of an answer I was hoping for though. I mean I don't assume you can consolidate an entire people into a few sentences, but I'm still a little lost here. From most appearances you appear to be as humans, but I would venture a guess that it's not quite so simple as 'we're just humans with wings' considering you consider yourselves as an entire different race." Here Elias went again, over-analyzing everything. "You've heard of Elibe, right? Before we arrived, that is. If you have legends about it being a place of conflict and hatred. Have you ever heard of manake-, er, dragons?" Elias knew dragons still walked among them, he brought one back to life personally. That was a weird time in his life. He thought there might be some connection between dragons and taguel, since humans and dragons shared qualities and human and taguel shared qualities, was it a jump to say taguel and dragons might? Probably, but it was a question to be asked and Elias wanted to ask it. He had been curious about if they knew anything about the scouring in the first place. Sure Elibe had a buttload of war, nah more like a buttyacht of it, but the way she said 'hatred and war' or something along those lines, it made him instantly think of the scouring.
|
|
Ventus Stoll
Pupil
Posts: 37
Profession: Traveler/Student
Affiliation: Etruria
Guild: N/A
Affinity: Wind
OoC Alias: Ventus
|
Post by Ventus Stoll on Nov 6, 2015 1:02:12 GMT -6
Uh ... what? Neamhain's statement wasn't completely non understandable, but it definitely wasn't a crystal clear statement when she explained the Taguel. I guess it is difficult to explain a race of beings in a few sentences. At least, that's what Elias said too. So lets see here ... Neamhain said that the Taguel 'are survivors,' that must mean that this species must have been around for a long time right? I wonder how long? Maybe I should ask; yeah I'll ask, hopefully Elias will be okay with it.
"So Neamhain, you said that the Taguel are survivors right? Have they been around for a very long time? I've heard of stories from my grandfather about a time called the ... uh ... Scouring? I think that's right, but I'm sure Elias knows much more about it than me. Were you around then?" Ventus wondered if humans possibly evolved from these Taguel or that they evolved from us. We seem so similar with just a few differences, right?
Okay so lets see... she also said 'consume and adapt; evolve and overcome.' Does that mean that the Taguel are very powerful? Are they able to defeat any opponent? Surely not, nothing can be powerful enough to fight a hard and long battle and come out unscathed, correct? Do the Taguel use a different type of weapon that enhances their battle performance? Oh! What if they use a unique type of magic? That would be quite fascinating! I would love to try a unique magic form that maybe no one from Elibe has ever practiced. Would Neamhain be willing to teach him if there was some special magic? Not sure if she's open to that yet, but maybe with time. In the end of her statement she said something about becoming what we must and 'forged by our home and sworn to protect it.' So have the Taguel always lived here on this island? She seems familiar with Elibe, so were they originally from Elibe? If so, how come they came here? I sort of need to know.
"Sorry Neamhain, but Mr. Curious here," Ventus pointed at himself as he gave a grin, " I just got two more questions. Do the Taguel use magic to fight? Is there some special magic you can wield? Also, has this island always been your home? How come you really know so much about Elibe?" Ventus hoped her answers this time would be more understandable for the pupil. Not like he was stupid, but Ventus just wanted to make sure that he got every bit of knowledge that he could strip from this discussion.
Ventus really hoped that Neamhain was okay with Elias and the pupil being on the island. All the settlers for that matter because she said this land is pretty much for these Taguel. However, she also said there were human natives here on the island. Ventus hoped to maybe meet them in the future. They could have lots of wisdom that Ventus and even Elias could find useful. Ventus wondered is his questions could help Elias in his research too. What he did sounded important and beneficial to the world. That was exactly what Ventus wanted to find. A way to make a difference, if not that then at least just a purpose.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 6, 2015 1:37:21 GMT -6
Not for the first time in this conversation, Neamhain watched Elias for any sign of his having an especially sick sense of humor, and once again found none. She would have liked to. Elibe sounded like a very strange and dark place, and she had spent her entire life on an island that was more or less literally trying to kill her and everyone else on it on a daily basis. So she liked to think she had a pretty good reference of what danger was like. It was hard to gauge what Elibe was actually like from what they spoke of, though. Not that they were lying, but it was simply clear that Ventus had not been scarred and broken by the horrors they spoke of. She had crushed many foes beneath her eldritch might, but there was no escape from what constant conflict did to people. Winner or loser, weak or strong, it mattered naught. It hardened people, forced them to survive rather than simply live. The Taguel contained many warriors, no small number of them far greater than her.
And while those truths affected everyone differently... there were common signs. She knew all too well they had shaped her, much as they had shaped all those who survived. Elias spoke as though he held some knowledge of that, and within her Neamhain subconsciously knew the blossoming of a barest, almost superficial level of respect. Not on a personal level, but what one survivor recognized in another. If nothing else, while these two were outsiders, in the end they seemed like people the same as those she had met in the villages. It was a great deal easier to villainize 'invaders' as faceless, soulless killers than as young men with more questions and innocence than sense.
It did seem like her explanation hadn't done a lot of good, unfortunately, though Neamhain couldn't find it in herself to fault her erstwhile companions for her own failure in communication. She still wasn't sure how to explain it very well though, any more than Elias would think to explain what an arm or a leg was to a fish. Eh... not her best comparison yet. She could almost imagine him trying, though; it was a pretty silly mental image, entirely incongruous with her carefully cultivated image.
From the top, then. Neamhain hurled herself into the explanation without allowing herself to worry further about how exactly to do it. "There are five Great Tribes - Bear, Cat, Dog, Rabbit," one wing extending partially as if to emphasize the last but certainly not least of the group, "Bird." What? It was perfectly normal to be proud of who you were. Wings were awesome. It retracted as she continued. "There are many variations, of course, within the Five. I am a raven, the Dog tribe includes wolves and foxes... so on and so forth. Taguel resist classification as if it were their mortal enemy." The self-proclaimed raven offered only a thin smile to betray her brief forray into the realm of humor, but it was true nonetheless. It hardly seemed fitting to toss both her and Anzu into the same Great Tribe considering how fundamentally different they were on so many levels, but then again, dividing up groups based on minor characteristics didn't exactly bring much good. Subtribal politics were exhausting and a constant issue to be dealt with.
"We appear similar to humans and unions can create viable offspring," which was a fancy way of saying boinking=babies, "but undergo rapid evolution when necessary. Physical, mental, magical." She inclined her head towards Ventus. "Magic is innate to the island, but not many Taguel chase it. Most choose to transcend physical law instead; I follow a different path."
"As for what you both seem to have interest in - the Taguel were once children of Elibe, but renounced it many years ago, before my time. Rumors speak of dragons, but I have never met one. Do they still live on Elibe? Is there finally peace between your races?"
|
|
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
|
Post by Elias on Nov 6, 2015 11:49:24 GMT -6
Ah Scouring! Ventus said the magic word. Ahhhh! Of course while it was magical in Elias' mind, crowRaven-woman didn't seem to even react to it. Which... eh. It was a long shot, one that Elias hoped would pay off. Instead it was just another failed attempt, happens all the time. Oh well. Elias shrugged to himself, still listening to everything said and forming his own little theories and opinions. However something she said interested him. Something really interesting. Something so interesting he just blurted it out and didn't even bother finishing this sent- "Wait you can use magic?" His eyes grew wide and he began to get all giddy. "Seriously? Like for serious seriously?" She better not be pulling his leg. He wasn't surprised they knew what magic was, because magic was a force of the world that anyone well trained enough could feel and Elias certainly felt magic here. They seemed to have the same language as well, so he's assuming that their magic is the same magic that was on Elibe. Unless for them magic is a giant coconut or something. That'd be awkward to fight with.
"I mean I've noticed the island was strong in magical elements, especially anima magic, the spirits here are a bit less... shy I wanna say? I was actually wondering if there might be points of magical concentration around here, I wanted to see if I could find any. Y'know leylines and such, Elibe is mostly dry in that regard. Though there's signs that there used to be such places in the past, but those wellsprings have all but dried up. It's all over in our magical theory books, some mages theorize that in the past Elibe was a much more potent source of magical energy but some event caused the magic in the world to dwindle to its current state. That is to say 'usable' but not 'overflowing with godly might' which is a shame. I've always wanted to be overflowing with godly might." Elias spoke quickly, his hands balled into fists. He even pumped them up and down a little. Of course in one hand was Demon's reins and Elias' fidgeting jerked the horse's head. The horse breighed in annoyance and glared at him with his horsey eyes. Downright soul piercing demonic horse eyes. "Hush Demon, I'm talking." He said to his horse, and Demon wasn't having it. It neighed again, jerking his head. "Oh geez fine." Elias told the steed, letting go of the reins. "Just don't go off or anything." The horse trotted a few steps away in a huff, probably just to get away from Elias. Demon was just a horse, but he knew how Elias could get at times.
"Sorry about that. Where was I? That's right! Magic!" His newly freed hand mean it was now a prop in Elias' play of 'talk a lot' starring Elias, produced by Elias, directed by Elias, and written by Saile (which, of course, is Elias' pen name). He held a finger up, like some kind of nerd who wanted to raise a point. "You say you focus on magic right?" Elias quickly picked up where he left off. "So I'm going to make an assumption that you cast magic right? Do you focus on anima magic? This island feels strong in those elements, but oh the void! Maybe dark and elder magic? I mean I don't know about light magic because, well, I doubt you have structured religion here. Then again that's never really been truly required for light magic's use, and remains a simple superstition people believe. 'Oh you use light magic, are you a priest' it gets annoying really. Almost as bad as people who just assume if you can use one kind you suddenly can use all ki- Staffs! What about staffs? I mean you don't have one on you, and I don't see any tomes, but those books are easy to hide. Staves are a bit more of a pain, I mean mine here," He gestured to glittering broken jpeg golden staff in his hand. "I have to carry it around on my back with this contraption of leather and straps and junk." He frowned and pulled at his chest, grabbing something underneath his robe with a frown. A frown that disintegrated a second letter really. Actually he probably didn't even frown, he meant to but his face was probably stuck in a happy grin.
"So Taguel's can use magic? That's a surprise because Dragons can't. I mean they can but it's not like 'magic' magic. It's more of a 'blam blam I shoot fireballs' or 'blam blam I punch you with fireballs' type of thing. I mean I assume. I've only met a few dragons in my life. They're kinda hidden. Elibe's not really that friendly of a place for them. I mean most people I know are relatively open-minded, but that's because I chose to surround myself with open-minded folks. The average person would react to dragons with nothing but revulsion and fear. They'd scream, clutch their pearls, faint, try to murder them because you know fighting a dragon alone with a pointy sticks totally works. We aren't really at war or anything anymore, but the few dragons that remain kind of hide out. I don't blame them either. I mean it sucks because I would like to meet one face to face, well another one face to face. The few I've met weren't interested in talking. One actually sat on me. It hurt." Somewhere along the way Elias forgot to think things before saying them and defaulted to just saying every thing that popped into his head. He always got this way when he was excited.
"People's fears aren't completely unreasonable either though. I mean like a decade ago a dragon blew one of our biggest cities in Elibe up. And just a few years ago another dragon blew it up again. Well not as much, mostly he just crippled one of my best friends for life. Then he got killed. Then he got bet-" Elias suddenly stopped, eyes opened a bit wide. That was close, he almost just said he brought a dragon back to life. That might not be so wise. "I mean, er, my friend. My friend got better, I healed him and- well it doesn't have anything to do with this." That near call sobered Elias up a bit and he stayed quiet for a moment. "Um..." He began. Stopped. Thought for a minute. Then he began again. "I mean, uh, thanks for the clarification. I think I have a better idea of what a Taguel is now."
|
|
Ventus Stoll
Pupil
Posts: 37
Profession: Traveler/Student
Affiliation: Etruria
Guild: N/A
Affinity: Wind
OoC Alias: Ventus
|
Post by Ventus Stoll on Nov 6, 2015 23:31:40 GMT -6
Taguel ... a large species that have been virtually unknown to the people of Elibe. How sad. They seem so wonderful, for lack of a better word. I can't believe how many types of Taguel there are. Neamhain, if I'm getting this right, seems to be saying that the Taguel are creatures that have the amazing ability to transform into an animal. Would their changed form be a large version of the animal that they change into or no? I can ask later possibly. I'm sure we are bearing down Neamhain with plenty of questions as it is.
Along with a further explanation of the Taguel, Neamhain explained the relation of Taguel to magic. She seemed to imply that Taguel use physical attacks to fight. Most likely being quite the ferocious physical attacks if the Taguel have the ability to transform into an animal. However, Neamhain said that she followed a different path. Maybe she still knows how to cast magic and has special techniques to do so. I would love to get some tips! As Ventus was about to ask Neamhain about her magic skills, Elias rushed in with a flurry of words. Elias seemed to be quite the eloquent and quick orator, which is pleasant to hear after only listening to mostly to hard labor workers that don't care too much for pleasant conversation about intellectual topics.
The pupil was actually glad that Elias spoke before he did. He seemed to have similar questions to Ventus about the magic aspect of the Taguel. Therefore, Ventus waited for him to finish his set of questions before he begun to ask anything. Also, the topic of dragons was one Ventus never really considered. Of course, the pupil has heard stories of the legendary dragons, but has yet to see one. In that sense, Ventus and Neamhain were both somewhat in the dark.
"Hey Elias, you seem to know quite a bit about dragons. Have you ever learned why dragons and humans use magic differently? Just an evolutionary distinction do you believe?" Elias seemed to know a dragon or two. Ventus hoped that in his lifetime he could meet a dragon. Quickly, Ventus shifted his focus to Neamhain, "Do all of the 'Great Tribes' as you said of the Taguel get along? Is there much friction between different Tribes?" The pupil was curious about the fact of their being so many different types of Taguel like Neamhain described. Surely there must be competition, it's a way of life.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 8, 2015 3:32:24 GMT -6
She liked Taguel. She really did. Neamhain did not hold any ill will to her kind, to the differences between her and others, nor did she regret her own path. It was simply who she was; she made her choices as much as they made her. One did not 'regret' being born a raven or a lion or a wolf or a hawk, and even if they did, adaptation was an intensely personal path - while it was often a subconscious decision rather than reasoned, you didn't just end up with super strength and think 'nah I should have gone for blowing people up.'
-But it did get pretty old to not have many people to talk magic with.
Well... really, any. Which was not entirely the fault of her race, Neamhain was quite aware of her reputation and the accompanying lack of friends, but it was definitely safe to say that magic was relatively rare among Taguel - it took an enormous amount of effort to master, despite how simple it was for most Taguel to grasp the very basics, and few viewed the trade-off as being especially worthwhile. 'oh wow you can throw fireballs, cool, let me just OUTRUN THEM WITH MY SUPER SPEED and punch you through a tree' kind of not worthwhile. When you added the third dimension into the equation - birds among the chief offenders - it was almost entirely a waste of time unless heavy area-effect or fast projectiles were involved.
Good thing that was her specialty!
"Leylines... it is interesting our cultures share that word. It is a good word." The oft-dour raven smiled, genuine if only for a moment as the look disappeared from her lips shortly after. "Yes, there are countless such locations to be found if you have the eye for it, and I have spent a great deal of time communing with the spirits at them. I find it relaxing." More than that, it was intoxicating, almost overwhelming - while Taguel had no special advantages in more advanced magic over humans (from her limited studies in the area), their natural attunement to magic was much higher.
She didn't really understand what he was talking about in regards to Elibe - how did you get less magic to happen? It wasn't like you could actually use it up or anything. But it did seem like they were talking about the same thing with magic... mostly. Probably best to confirm. "I am somewhat proficient in dark," and her hand came up, open palm upwards as shadow bubbled up and dripped off it like a poison, "light," and a bright flame of light erupted from the oil of a moment before, none too large or impressive but bright enough to make her point, "and specialize in elemental magic." Her hand twitched, the light going out, replaced with only a tiny spark for a brief moment, a taste of static in the air, and then a perfect sphere of living lightning exploded above her palm, much larger than the other two and far more intense.
It was less showing off than that... frankly, she wasn't much more than a beginner at the other two, not that she saw any need to advertise that, and her primary combat magic was, well, exactly that - combat magic. And Neamhain did not take combat lightly, so it pretty much had two switches - 'off' and 'everyone dies now.' Which... needless to say was not really useful here. So rather than push the point, because once again the sphere was a tactical object and primary cornerstone to most of her magic, she closed her palm and it seemed to blink out of existence rather than dissipate.
"...What is structured religion and what is a priest?" Yeah ok go ahead Neamhain just show off how stupid and uncultured you are. "...Staffs? Tomes? Are those... magical... items?" Her voice was a little uncertain, wracking her mind trying to figure out what the actual f**k he was talking about. There weren't really human mages here that she knew of for reference, so she figured it was probably human stuff.
Elias's explanation of dragons only raised more questions than it answered, but she didn't need a particularly strong frame of reference to get the idea that Elibe wasn't big on dragons in general. Going by Elias's dismissive nature on the subject, it seemed that it was a foregone thing there, rather than a recent development... perhaps the great war between man and dragon that legends spoke of, or perhaps this more recent 'Scouring' that Ventus spoke of? Or maybe they were one and the same. She didn't hold it against either of them to be taking their knowledge for granted - she had done the same unintentionally to them - but it did make communication somewhat more frustratingly difficult at times.
But it did raise questions, important questions, of things that would likely tinge racial relationships for the foreseeable future. Just because these two seemed alright didn't mean that all Elibeans were good people. "Is Elibe unfriendly to other races? Would Taguel also be attacked there, or did dragons commit a crime so great it cannot be forgiven?"
Ventus's question drew a wry chuckle from Neamhain and a greater amount of attention, coming as it did after Elias's massive tirade of questions. He DID ask a lot of questions, but it was interesting stuff to contemplate, so she found she did not mind so much. Ventus seemed much more reserved, perhaps unsure of himself or afraid to speak? Part of it was doubtless simply that the red man was far more domineering of conversation; she didn't need to be a socialite like SOME Taguel to see that, and she had been forced to get fairly decent at judging people along the way. "Hehe. There are always hotheaded young warriors determined to make names for themselves, to unite their Tribe as one and take the island for their own. They learn wisdom in time. Most Taguel care little for their Great Tribe and focus on matters closer at hand; families, warrens, clans, hunting parties, whatever it is they value most in life. There is always friction between these groups, and often combat, but never between Great Tribes. We test each other - try each other - but the greatest bonds of all are unbreakable. Taguel will always unite when necessary for the good of us all."
|
|
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
|
Post by Elias on Nov 8, 2015 10:31:24 GMT -6
Oh good, he didn't scare her off. Sometimes he did that. It wasn't very fun. Sometimes something more then a small simple conversation proved overwhelming and people's brains sort of shut off and they get that dead glossy eyed look. Y'know, like Elias literally killed them by talking too much. He's been trying to get better at it, he curtails himself whenever he caught it, but when he got excited... well... Woe be to anyone who had anything else to talk about. Ferret didn't give him that tutting 'oh Elias' look either, the one with crossed arms and a raised eyebrow. Like as if to say 'oh look at this child, tut tut tut'. All in all it seemed everyone was good with the development. Woo!
So first Vinny asked some questions of him, and then Nim did. He was happy to answer both. "Dragons? Well I wouldn't say I know much about them. They've never been my specialty, but in research of magic I've come across them several times in my studies. I've only personally met a few, they take on the visage of humans in their dormant states, but can shift their bodies into larger more draconic ones. There they can manipulate different elements with ease, be it fire, ice, lightning, or others." He offered as a quick explanation. "However they don't use magic, so to speak. Their powers are more internal, drawing from themselves instead of magic which borrows power from the world around them. I mean I can shoot a fireball, just like a dragon can, but I need to commune with anima spirits first to do so, a dragon just 'blammo' and it's done." He crossed his arms, his staff still and hand. Leaning back a bit, he tapped the bottom of his boots on the ground, like he was trying to shake dirt off of them. "Really I don't know. I think they work on an entirely different system then conventional magic. It's like... they make their own magic. I'm not sure if it's the same as ours, but it's not entirely different. If that makes sense. No one really understands how it works, at least not in any of the research I've read or conducted."
That didn't answer the question. Elias just explained 'how' they are different, and not 'why'. Of course the why without the how made no sense, and why was always the tougher question. "My personal opinion is that dragons are a more... natural part of nature? If that makes sense. Instead of needing spirits to manipulate the elements, they do it naturally. Almost like they are spirits. Just, um, big scaly spirits. Kinda far-fetched. The thing is even after research, we still don't know what spirits are. Where they came from. Why they help. Who's to say that big fire breathing dragons aren't just large, ornery, physical spirits? Or whatever spirits actually are. I always found the word 'spirit' a bit of a misnomer. It implies that dead people float around to help us use magic. Of course I can't think of a better word myself."
Then he moved on to Nim the crow woman extraordinaire. Ah, Elias hadn't even considered they didn't share the word 'leyline' he just sort of assumed all the words they had were the same. Leyline in particular was a relatively obscure word the average person would not understand. Basically they are points of magical confluence, concentration, both positive and negative. He once saw a map in his father's old workshop that was a map of Elibe with countless lines drawn on it at weird angles. Where those lines overlapped were leylines. Of course Ostia was right over one of the biggest, maybe that's why the place got it every way till sunday so hard. Generally most of the points in Elibe are weak, the magic in Elibe is weak in general, at least compared to legends of the war of the scouring, where Athos razed entire villages of dragons with a flick of his hand.
"I'd love to see one of these places. They exist on Elibe as well, but they are few in number and never quite so strong. Less of a bustling river and more of a steady stream." Elias smiled. He smiled all the time, well until he didn't, but those periods rarely lasted quite so long. It took a lot to permanently wipe the smile off his face, generally a temporary frown was all he gave.
She managed to conjured up three different branches of magic in sequence. Woah... impressive. Elias still struggled with mastering anima, and here this woman was like 'yeah bro, I got all three' man. He had a lot to learn. "You can use all three types? Wow. That's... impressive. I specialize in anima magic myself, and staves, but I've always considered staff magic outside of the primary three." Unlike the other types of magic that had similarities to one another, staves were completely outside of the equation. They were simple, but infinitely complex. People didn't understand them, instead it just works. A staff will heal those booboos. How? Who cares! Booboo gone. Elias uncrossed his arms and held up a finger in his free hand. The fimbulvetr tome in his robes reacted to his calling as he drew upon the magic around them. At the tip of his finger a bit of front began to gather. More and more drew to the ball of ice as it shifted and shaped itself freely in the air. It resembled the head of a rose made of pure ice. It took some time to get the shaping aspect of his magic down, but he's gotten a hand of it by this point "I mean, I'm trying to learn the others, and I think I'm getting close, but for humans it's just... difficult." He said, looking at his little ice sculpture. "But my skill in Anima magic, well, it's pretty much unmatched among my peers. I'd go so far to say as I'm nearing Athos level at this point." Oh the hubris. She didn't know who Athos was most likely. "Athos being a legendary mage from our stories."
She didn't know what religion was? Lucky her That was odd. Well not really, but unexpected. "Ah religion is... ah... Hrm... How do I put it? Not really my thing. It's kinda... Oh shoot, I know there's words for it." He hummed in thought. His still grinning face looking a bit intense as he tried to find the right words. "It's sort of... Like stories? Stories people base their lives on? Stories about a figure that they worship. Things they refer to help them decide what to do, almost like a set of rules that aren't really enforced by anyone. Well outside of Etruria. Which you don't know what that is. Nevermind. Generally they're not bad things like 'be kind to your neighbor' or 'accept everyone' or 'murder is bad m'kay' but even when people say they believe it, that doesn't stop them from doing those things. In fact people use the name of religion to start wars sometimes. Again Etruria. Still that fervent belief is what allows many of the followers of the church, which is where people go to worship, to partake in light magic." He tried his best to explain. "A priest is an official in the church. They sometimes use light magic, sometimes use staves, sometimes use nothing."
He then flowed into the next topic from there. "Staves are a sort of magical device, and are quite unique compared to other types of magic. They generally heal and mend injuries, but they have other functions. Such as bolstering allies, dampening foes, and allowing the user to violate time and space in fun ways. Lemme show you." He held up Matrona in the air, and he focused magic upon it. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. Magic shimmered at the tip as it hummed in the air around them. It grew bright and brighter as he focused, thinking. He opened his eyes and looked at a spot a few yards away intently. A hue of green shimmered around him as he held the staff up high and then... vanished. Like a little 'pop' of light, a scooping of magic plucking him right off the ground.
That place he focused on was now filled with a certain red-headed magic. Lucky. Just as suddenly as he vanished he appeared, an instant between the two. If teleporting out was scooping, teleporting in was dumping. A pop of light and he was standing there. Nonchalant. Of course such a short teleport was easy and didn't really tire him, but teleporting in general was an arduous task. Took a bit more effort then making bowling balls out of rocks. "See? I was there, now I'm here. Pretty cool huh?"
Of course she probably wasn't impressed with little parlor tricks, but still a demonstration usually trumped an explanation. She seemed concerned about dragons and taguel and people's reaction to them. She had a right to be. "I love people, I do. Even if so many of them are foolish and easily frightened." He sighed, slightly out of breath from his little magical foray. "We deal with so many things these days in Elibe. Monsters from the land that want to kill us. Monsters from other lands in the form of armies in war. Fear that dragons will return for revenge. Fear that our very neighbors will turn on us for the little food we have. Fear that a horde of bandits will descend and plunder a village dry. Peace of mind is rare in Elibe." He shook his head solemnly. "In fear breeds ignorance, and in ignorance comes a fear of the unknown. When most things a person doesn't understand tries to kill them, they are less likely to accept even ones that don't." He tilted his head and sighed. "I'm afraid that, yes. People would not be quite so accepting of Taguel. Attacked? I'm not sure. Perhaps. I'm sure in time that people would come to not fear them. But... that's just the thing. It would take time. Maybe I just hold a negative view of people. Personally I just like to say I'm being realistic." He chuckled to himself. Then again, isn't that what every pessimist say about themselves?
|
|
Ventus Stoll
Pupil
Posts: 37
Profession: Traveler/Student
Affiliation: Etruria
Guild: N/A
Affinity: Wind
OoC Alias: Ventus
|
Post by Ventus Stoll on Nov 8, 2015 18:53:20 GMT -6
Uh what? Ventus was struggling with the word leylines. He thought his grandfather may have mentioned it once, but that was a long shot. Ventus guessed it had to do something with magic. After analyzing both what Elias and Neamhain were discussing about leylines, it must be a location of high magic concentration, so like an area with lots of magic. That would make since with the fact that it is a leyline, which would mean a line of the land with lots of magic. Now if Ventus was assuming correct, Neamhain said there are a lot of leylines on the island, but few on Elibe according to Elias. That's quite fascinating. Elias seemed to believe that the Scouring and that time period weakened the magic in Elibe. Possibly the dragon contain most of the magic for themselves, which they stole from the land. Ventus had no clue honestly, but was just proposing a wild guess. Elias's knowledge on dragons helped explain some questions for Ventus and for that he was thankful.
Now the pupil wasn't sure if she was trying to show off or not, but it was cool either way. Neamhain just displayed a magic show for Ventus and Elias. She was able to conjure all three types of magic quite simply to tell the truth. Ventus wanted to try and like one up her, but what was he going to do? 'Oh yeah! Feel my powerful gusts of wind blow your hair around!' Yeah, that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. Therefore, Ventus left it up to Elias to show Neamhain the magic capabilities of humans. Definitely the right decision. Elias was able to use what Ventus believed was called a fimbulvetr tome to conjure the power of ice. Pretty convenient that he knows how to use ice when he looks like a flame with all the red he wears.
"Pretty funny that you are quite skilled with that fimbulvetr tome. You look like a flame just ready to burst into a wildfire with all of that red on." Ventus chuckled. He wasn't sure if the others would find it funny, but the pupil sure did. Ventus believed that Elias was using the fimbulvetr tome, his grandfather showed him a picture of what each powerful tome looked like in a journal from his studies. The pupil just didn't want to make a fool of himself in front of two exceptional people. Ventus also enjoyed how Elias was potent in the use of staff magic. Ventus always thought the powers of staves were quite extraordinary, but the young pupil didn't find them to be his expertise at all.
It was pleasant to see that Ventus was truly not the only one that didn't feel like they knew everything. Of course Neamhain shouldn't know everything about Elibe since she has been living on this island forever, but it still felt good to not be the only one. The question she asked about religion was one that Ventus sort of got riled up about. He just had to retort his own answer.
"Religion isn't something too special. Elias covered most of the key point of religion, but it truly is something that just gives people an excuse to do bad actions. Church officials tend to be corrupt in my opinion. I know some aren't, but I feel like many just use their position for power and status. So many people rely on religion to find salvation and hope and these people are sucking on their hope by making up lies and telling these people to do actions that I'm sure St. Elimine would never truly want her people to commit. It makes me mad!" Ventus sort of bursted out that last part. It was just so upsetting how corrupt the world was. Ventus knew that religion wasn't a terrible ideal and that people should be allowed to rely on it for hope, but for people to take advantage of innocents like that are despicable. Ventus felt like he was one of those innocents that were taken advantage of once he learned of how corrupt Etruria was. Ventus felt bad for getting a little too passionate, "Sorry for getting a little out of hand. Religion isn't awful it's just that people in Elibe are becoming so selfish and power hungry that it's hurting our land." Ventus stopped speaking and allowed for Elias to finish answering Neamhain's questions.
Ventus began to dwell on what Neamhain said about the Taguel. They seem to be independent beings, but hold similar ideals to good humans like family, loyalty, and honor. However, in like any society there were some bad apples among that Taguel that don't act like the others, but what amazed Ventus was how Neamhain said that the bond of the Taguel is unbreakable and that they will always unite to defeat a common issue. For Elibe, that doesn't seem like the case. If it was, wouldn't all humans on Elibe be trying to eradicate the issues of monsters and bandits? Why can't the people just come together to try and fight famine and poverty? To possibly help rebuild people's lost homes and cities? What is the matter with people? Ventus knew that there were good people in Elibe, but he feared that the bad and corrupted people would first corrupt them and then outnumber them.
"It's nice that the Taguel are able to come together to defeat common issues, Neamhain. I wish people on Elibe were able to do that. Everyone is so worried about themselves that I worry that all of these monsters and brigands may start breaking down society. I know I am no expert on sociology or anything, but I feel like a decline of good, honest and innocent people in Elibe is occurring. I wish that the people there were as strong as the Taguel on the island. Like Elias said, with the state Elibe is in I'm not sure that the encounter and revelation of Taguel would truly be good. I think Taguel would just be feared on Elibe, which could be dangerous. I wish that the Taguel and humans could have a nice interaction amongst each other because I believe the bringing of our two cultures could be beneficial to both societies. However,I don't want to see the ruin of what the Taguel got going for them here on this island." Ventus looked at Elias trying to see if he thought Ventus was crazy or if he agreed. To tell the truth, the pupil didn't care if Elias thought he was crazy. Ventus had his opinions and no one would take those away from him, at least not ever again.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 17, 2015 6:08:35 GMT -6
"Hmm... staves seem useful indeed." She was trying to seem totally cool and uncaring, but if Ventus had been paying attention he could certainly have very easily seen her jump in surprise when Elias disappeared, and while she mostly got control of herself afterwards, Elias could likely have seen the aftermath in the wake of his little show. But her thoughts weren't on any of that so much as how the hell he had just - gone from one place to another. "Was that quick movement, or... appearing in between? I have heard some Taguel move faster than sight, and seen the blur myself a few times, but none can simply..." she trailed off, trying to put it into words, "be somewhere else on command." These staves were truly wondrous to be able to pull off such feats.
"But-" Neamhain hesitated, only for a moment, but there was a pause nonetheless as she swallowed her pride, "I still do not understand what a tome is. They must be incredibly powerful if they are akin to staves, are they not? What do they do?" There weren't really human mages on the island, at least that she knew of, so the idea of human magic was all very strange and alien to her. Dragons, too, seemed strange. Like gigantic spirits? Creating magic? She didn't really see the point when there was so much magic to be called on here, but it seemed Elibe was different, less rich, so perhaps dragons were a result of that strange land.
She didn't understand religion at all though, and the creasing of her brow made it obvious even before she opened her mouth to remove all doubt. Surprisingly, Ventus had explained it much more simply than Elias, or at least in such a way that she could understand the concept, but what he complained about it didn't make much sense either. So... those running these 'churches' were bad people abusing others? Then why did the others follow? Neamhain might be a little overly self assured at times, but not even she was egotistical enough to assume that humans were simply sheep. The answer had to be something she was missing, an aspect of these human's culture that she simply had never experienced.
But frankly, it was Elias's brutal assessment of Elibe that worried her most. It wasn't really abnormal exactly, she didn't think that Taguel would be especially trusting of the Elibeans for some time either, and certainly some more hot-headed idiots would probably attack to test travelers, but the idea of killing them in large numbers simply seemed absurd unless the humans from elsewhere attacked first - and if push came to shove, she was sure the existing human villages would help. Those of the island were bound too strongly by their dependence on each other to do otherwise.
But if the people of Elibe were anything like those in the villages, like these two, they couldn't all be monsters and murderers. There could be bad ones, but there had to be good ones too, and if she knew those on the island, most of them were probably good. Good-ish. It certainly seemed like they would need to scout out this brave new world though, or... hmm. "...Thank you, both of you." Neamhain spoke quietly and with dignity, inclining her head. They had both been very helpful so far, so she owed them no less. "It is not my place to decide what the Taguel as a whole shall do... but this one believes that there will be a need for scouts and diplomats soon, and I confess your description of Elibe has greatly aroused my curiosity. I should like to see it with my own eyes to better understand it."
|
|
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
|
Post by Elias on Nov 17, 2015 7:57:24 GMT -6
"Funny you should mention that. For years I practiced with the Volcanon spell, but then my tome exploded. I was attached to the little guy, every one I've seen since just hasn't filled the void." Elias chuckled. "Honestly I picked up Fimbu because it was so different from my normal magic, harder to control as it was a physical entity. Ice is a bit harder to mold then fire after all." Elias began to explain, but caught himself explaining. Which usually wasn't a problem or anything, but he seriously doubted these two cared about that. More important things to talk about anyways. "Ah, sorry. I get kind of carried away when I get excited, and I'm very excitable." He added with a sort of smirking laugh, scratching the back of his head like some awkward teenager.
Ventus then went off on some tangent about religion, and yeah, this guy clearly didn't have a good time with it. Not really surprising considering he's Etrurian, so really he was expected to fall on either the two ends. Super loving, or super hating. Elias chose his words carefully before, since sometimes the lovers got a bit... violent when you didn't consider Elimine the best thing in existence. While he was a bit harsh, almost unnecessarily so, Elias had never been a religious person. He's always treated it with a sort of distance and indifference, apathy really. Some people got some good stuff out of it, so go them, but he didn't much care. He was far too interested in this world to worry about the ones beyond. So Elias didn't bother correcting him, though he was afraid it left the impression that religion=evil to the unknowing Taguel.
Neam... Neam something. Her name was hard to remember. Well Neam was all blase and 'whatever' about Elias' demonstration but that's alright, Elias was enthusiastic enough for the both of them. All three of them really. Actually all three of them and several (hundred) spectators. Elias did a little flourish, a bow with a cocky grin. Neam seemed interested in it, seemingly unaware of how staves worked. Or, at least, the teleport staff. She must not have had much experience with them. Actually she might not have had any experience with them. So this was her first experience to staff magic? How exciting! Elias was the one to show her too, oh Elias you're just broadening horizons all over aren't you? "No in between, instantly. Kinda like taking one spot and connecting to another spot, and just hopping over. If there'd been a wall between me and there, it wouldn't have mattered." Elias explained again, though this time this was an asked for explanation so no worrying about going off on random tangents. "It's not... fast. I mean it's fast, but it has nothing to do with speed. You just sort of... poof." He made a poofing gesture. What was a poofing gesture? He didn't know, but he made one anyway. "You're here then you're there. It takes a while to get used to. I used to teleport like a foot too high in the air when I started. That was awkward. Just a short little fall when I popped in." He took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "Takes a bit of effort too. Tires me out in a special sort of way. I mean yeah throwing fireballs and ice tornados is tiring, but this is like... specifically tiring? Dunno how to explain it. Point is, it takes me a bit to get ready to do it again."
This was the second time she's asked about tomes. Huh... "Wait." Elias said, thinking. "Do you mean to say... you cast magic with no catalyst?" He tilted his head, looking at her. "If so, you have a leg up on us humans." It was surprising, but Elias was not surprised. Mogall could use dark magic without any sort of catalyst, so he knew the process was possible. If this island really is as close to spirits and magic as it is, then who's to say that the Taguel didn't naturally adapt to the spirits? They don't need a catalyst, they are a catalyst. Elias dug his hand into his robe, humming to himself for a moment, before pulling out a book. Brown and earthy, with a well worn leatherbound cover and inscribed with runes. "This is a tome." He said. "Gaea, specifically. Magic of earth and stone." He thought for a moment, how to explain tomes... "Humans aren't naturally connected to magic, at least not in any particularly powerful way. We need items, like tomes, to connect with spirits. Or the void, if that's your thing. Kind of like a bridge between our world and their's. The tomes themselves are inscribed with runes and words of power the spirits react to, kind of like a... translator? You put your magic in, it changes your magic to something the spirits react to, and together you create magic." Elias had a smile on his face, putting the book away. "Though I'm guessing you don't need something like that. I mean, where would you be hiding it?" Probably the main reason mages wore robes, so they could have pockets for their books. Elias had his sown on the inside personally, if they were on the outside it took the fun away letting people know what he had.
Finally Elias let out a small sigh. She was talking about scouts, diplomats, and that worried him. Partially for her safety, partially for theirs. The last thing Elibe needed was another war. They were already sorta full capacity on senseless violence these days. "I just hope everything goes well. Elibe isn't bad people, it's just sometimes bad people are the one who get to make the decisions."
|
|
Ventus Stoll
Pupil
Posts: 37
Profession: Traveler/Student
Affiliation: Etruria
Guild: N/A
Affinity: Wind
OoC Alias: Ventus
|
Post by Ventus Stoll on Nov 17, 2015 21:52:06 GMT -6
Ventus took a moment to reflect on his statement on religion. He felt a little bad for giving it such a negative vibe that it may make Neamhain closed-minded to it when she possibly could encounter it in the future. He was sure that she could make her own opinion, but Ventus should have been a bit more objective. They moved on from the topic that Ventus just had to let go of it.
Ventus was amazed with the whole warping thing with the staff. However, Ventus has heard of that before,but the pupil noticed that Neamhain got a little excited and amazed at the power of the stave. He was happy that the two humans weren't completely boring her. She seemed to be interested with the power of tomes and staves. Clealy, they don't have those on the island. Elias's skill with magic amazed Ventus along with his depth of knowledge with it. He truly is a very wise man for being so young. The pupil then was a little surprised at Neamhain's statement.
"...Thank you, both of you." She said quietly. "It is not my place to decide what the Taguel as a whole shall do... but this one believes that there will be a need for scouts and diplomats soon, and I confess your description of Elibe has greatly aroused my curiosity. I should like to see it with my own eyes to better understand it." Ventus got a little overjoyed inside. She actually wanted to come to Elibe, which could lead to a transfer of cultures and possibly some prosperity. However, fear struck the pupil's heart. What if the people on Elibe were so scared of these Taguel that they would do what they did to the Dragons like the tales describe. Ventus would have to warn Neamhain that it would not be easy to go to Elibe and be accepted. Maybe some would be fascinated and peaceful like Ventus and Elias, maybe some would enslave the new race, maybe some would just kill them. Ventus wanted to make sure the last two options would not occur. Then Elias made an interesting statement that Elibe wasn't full of bad people, but that bad people sometimes were just in charge. This was very, very true in Ventus's eyes.
" I may not know much about Elibe and its politics and antics since I have just begun adventuring around the continent, but I believe with my current knowledge that it would be a great and sort of bad action to commit to. The arrival of the Taguel in Elibe I mean. I feel like some will open up and love the Taguel and their culture and ways, in which maybe we can share our cultures and ways, the people of Elibe and Taguel. However, like Elias said bad people tend to rule over the good at times. I don't think a sudden arrival of the Taguel would be the right action to make. You could have some people that are well respected in Elibe come and get to know the Taguel more and then try to find leaders that would be willing to accept Taguel. It wouldn't be great for the Taguel to arrive in a country that weren't very interested in a new race showing up in their land. People like me and Elias, who seem to be open to new findings like you, could help make a safe haven in Elibe for you, so that you can experience a bit of Elibe in peace." Ventus looked up at Elias and gave closed smile, "Honestly I think Elias would be a good diplomatic type person. He seems very favorable for the Taguel and is quite wise enough to help the Taguel maybe integrate into Elibe." Ventus felt like he rambled a bit there and maybe had some slightly dumb ideas. However, he just wanted to see the Taguel and humans maybe learn something from one another, rather than tear up each other. "Sorry for going on a bit there. I just want to see us humans and the Taguel have a peaceful connection rather than a scattered and horrors connection. I just don't want to lose what seems like a race that could teach humans a lot about many subjects."
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 23, 2015 7:26:28 GMT -6
"You wield strange magics, Elias, but powerful ones at that. I know well that such mastery does not come easily." She nodded, acknowledging him for the first time. Or rather, acknowledging his strength, she had already accepted him as a person. In truth she still didn't entirely understand the concept of a tome, the idea of needing a... tool to use magic was so alien to her, but in the end it wasn't that different from using spirits to do magic; just with another layer of complication between caster and result. "It is true that Taguel have no need for these... tomes... you speak of, but we must control the spirits as well in order to cast magic... it seems that only the method differs, but the result is much the same."
Still... tomes. They were an interesting concept. Magic, from books? It was an ingenious invention, and a small price to pay for access to magic if one could not manipulate it more directly. "I do not carry much of value on my body, no; it would only weigh me down in flight." Technically she could lift people, but it was a pain - she wasn't really the 'strength' kind of bird, so even transformed it would be a struggle to do any real maneuvering while carrying some lug around.
Ventus seemed more interested in the discussion of Elibe than in magic, which was itself interesting. Was it that he did not care about magic, or simply hat other subjects had even higher priority for him? Trying to apply Taguel logic didn't seem likely to provide hard answers, so she stored the thought for future use rather than attempting to assign a motive to him. It seemed that Elibe was not likely to be a friendly place to her kind, to say the least, but both men held hope for the future... she supposed that in some ways it wasn't that much different from the Taguel of the island. Some would doubtless attack, looking to test their strength or find glory, even if the whole wished for peace. The downside to the intense individuality and self-absorption of Taguel, as she knew all too well - uniting when absolutely necessary did not translate to working together the rest of the time.
"Thank you for your explanation, Ventus. When the time comes, I will take care. But... going by the humans I have known to live here, I cannot believe that the men of Elibe are so consumed by evil that there would be so little hope for peace. Are the prospects really that dark?" Neamhain shook her head almost immediately. "No, where there's a will, there's a way. I will find that way, no matter how difficult it may be."
|
|