Wein Lowell
Sniper
The Noble Arrow
If you're a glory hound, then I'm king of the glory hounds
Posts: 268
Lycia Fame: 2
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Post by Wein Lowell on Jan 12, 2010 21:00:25 GMT -6
On the way to Ostia, the remaining members of the mercenary band, as well as their new companion, Bridget, set up camp for the evening. Wein, being still a bit restless after losing three of their companions, wanted to go out and practice his archery, at least while it was still light out. "I'll be back in a bit," he said to his companions, standing up and walking off towards a small cluster of trees.
"If I had been stronger, this would have never happened," thought Wein to himself as he walked. He kicked a stone out of his path, wincing almost immediately. The rock was a bit harder and heavier than he had thought. "Those wolf-monster...things...we would have killed them faster, then Yaen, Wyatt, and that..." Wein stopped. He couldn't remember the third person's name. Didn't it start with an M? "...that other guy, they'd still be with us." Wein couldn't be sure they were dead, but it signs pointed to yes.
Filled with frustration, Wein strung an arrow. His hands shaky from his dissatisfaction, the arrow missed the tree completely when the archer loosed it. "Damn it!" he cursed out loud. Quickly stringing another arrow, his eyes locked onto the target, but his hands still shook. The arrow struck the tree, but far off from the knot that Wein was aiming at it.
"I can't shoot like this," he muttered to himself. "Calm down." Wein took a deep breath, drawing a third arrow. Breathing outwards, he notched the arrow, taking his time to aim, and let it fly.
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Aaron Winsett
Sage
Seeker of Knowledge
Knowledge is a weapon. I intend to be formidably armed.
Posts: 419
Sacae Fame: 1
Lycia Fame: 2
Profession: Student of Magic
OoC Alias: Feldsky
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Post by Aaron Winsett on Jan 13, 2010 9:22:56 GMT -6
Aaron was out, walking the circumference of their camp, getting a feel for what was nearby. There were green trees rising along the rolling hills. Ostia was beautiful country. Maybe he would be able to return here someday and explore the terrain, like he had with his father back home.
He looked ahead and saw Wein shooting his bow. He was getting some shooting practice in, obviously. Aaron watched the first arrow fly past the tree that the archer was aiming at. Another arrow was fired, and it landed in the fringe of the tree. Wein fired a third shot and Aaron looked as it plunged toward the tree.
"How's the shooting coming, Wein?" The mage said from a near enough position so that he wouldn't have to shout much. He approached to the space behind the archer, and off to the side somewhat. It wouldn't do any good to get pinned by an arrow. He fidgeted with his tome a bit, eventually pulling it out of the bag he carried so as to feel it in his hand.
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Wein Lowell
Sniper
The Noble Arrow
If you're a glory hound, then I'm king of the glory hounds
Posts: 268
Lycia Fame: 2
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Post by Wein Lowell on Jan 13, 2010 12:11:52 GMT -6
The arrow Wein had just shot met it's mark in the center of the knot. With a satisfied grunt, Wein turned towards Aaron. "I'd like to say good, but that last one was the only one I actually shot straight," the archer replied, cracking his neck. "What about you? Any reason you're up and about?"
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Aaron Winsett
Sage
Seeker of Knowledge
Knowledge is a weapon. I intend to be formidably armed.
Posts: 419
Sacae Fame: 1
Lycia Fame: 2
Profession: Student of Magic
OoC Alias: Feldsky
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Post by Aaron Winsett on Jan 14, 2010 22:50:20 GMT -6
"Ehh, just restless I guess. I thought I'd see what the land was like in the surrounding area. I've actually never been to Ostia before."
Something about the way that arrow fired caught the Mages attention. Straighter and more direct than the fire Aaron could fling, it was also faster. He set his mind to figuring out what his instincts were telling him, while they continued talking. "It really does have a tranquil countryside." Aaron stammered a bit, "Well, uh, when it's not a blazing inferno."
It really was something that they had escaped that fire. "I don't think those were what my teacher would call 'fires of inspiration'."
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Wein Lowell
Sniper
The Noble Arrow
If you're a glory hound, then I'm king of the glory hounds
Posts: 268
Lycia Fame: 2
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Post by Wein Lowell on Jan 15, 2010 0:22:43 GMT -6
Wein nodded. Ostia really was a beautiful place. Being so close to the city itself, Wein could honestly say he missed home. They wouldn't be stopping off at his house, though. This time of year, his parents would probably be at their summer mansion in Pherae. His brother was probably stationed in the city, though. Maybe he'd give Niew a visit.
A wistful look on his face, the archer sighed. "I remember coming out into the country all the time when I was younger, my father, my brother, and I," he said. "We'd go hunting. That's how I took up the bow. As luck would have it, I'm actually pretty good." Wein twanged his bowstring. "Don't beat yourself up over the fire," he said, patting the mage on the shoulder. "It's not like we were standing around doing nothing when you decided to light the woods on fire. We were under attack...by monsters. You were just defending yourself."
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Aaron Winsett
Sage
Seeker of Knowledge
Knowledge is a weapon. I intend to be formidably armed.
Posts: 419
Sacae Fame: 1
Lycia Fame: 2
Profession: Student of Magic
OoC Alias: Feldsky
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Post by Aaron Winsett on Jan 15, 2010 21:55:57 GMT -6
"Yeah, well, maybe if I'd done that fire a little more directly... ah it's in the past now. I can't let myself live in past mistakes."
The mage's brow furrowed at something he'd said. Direct. Like an arrow. Arrows were also faster, causing greater wind resistance. Maybe Aaron could use that.
If he could, maybe, find a way to lock a fireball onto one of Wein's arrows, it would wing away at a greater speed, causing the fire to burn hotter than it otherwise would. The effect could be similar to that of a bellows. Not to mention just being a fun thing to try to accomplish.
Aaron stepped back a bit, and conjured a small ball of flame over his hand. He stared at the fist sized torch and decided to give it a try. "Wein? I'd like to try a bit of an experiment. Just to see if it could be used." Aaron outlined his reasoning to the archer.
"You wouldn't mind losing one of your arrows would you?"
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Wein Lowell
Sniper
The Noble Arrow
If you're a glory hound, then I'm king of the glory hounds
Posts: 268
Lycia Fame: 2
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Post by Wein Lowell on Jan 16, 2010 0:43:16 GMT -6
Wein shrugged, not seeing the harm in trying something new. "Sure, I guess," he said casually, drawing another arrow. "Let's see what you've got."
Knocking the arrow in his bow, the archer shut one eye, focused in on his target, breathing outwards. Tensing his muscles, he drew back the bowstring, breathing inwards. Making sure he had his target, he nodded slightly to the green haired mage. "Go," he said, letting the arrow fly from his bow.
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Aaron Winsett
Sage
Seeker of Knowledge
Knowledge is a weapon. I intend to be formidably armed.
Posts: 419
Sacae Fame: 1
Lycia Fame: 2
Profession: Student of Magic
OoC Alias: Feldsky
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Post by Aaron Winsett on Jan 18, 2010 20:51:06 GMT -6
Aaron concentrated on his ball of flame, and thinking better of it, adjusted it to flash in a way that it would be less likely to burn this forest down.
There was an art to what he did, actually. The method of how to build a flame that was sustainable; how to weave it's power into a useful form. Just like he was anchoring it to the place above his palm, he now twisted some of the filaments of magic around the arrow itself. It would now trace the arrow's trail exactly, pulled along by the faster arrow.
As Wein's arrow shot from the bow, the fire ball seemed to elongate for a moment before being ripped down the arrow's flight path. As it zinged after the shot, some of the sphere's backwash flared over the mages hand. "Yow!"
An instant after the Arrow hit the tree, the fireball impacted, sending leaves showering from the force. Fire washed around the tree, and flew back to either side past. It was only a brief flash though as the mage had tuned it to burn lighter.
The mage held his right hand by the wrist. It was obvious that the burn wasn't bad, but it had scorched most of the hair off his hand. "Remind me to never get in front of a fireball! But did you see that!? If I could get stronger, the speed boost that arrow gave would knock that tree right from the ground!"
Aaron was excited about the possibilities this could have. He sobered up some as some as he had the thought that Etruria would have many mages who were as skilled or more so in the use of the fire spell. "Makes you think just how dangerous fires are. I've heard of whole cities being wrecked by fires...."
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Wein Lowell
Sniper
The Noble Arrow
If you're a glory hound, then I'm king of the glory hounds
Posts: 268
Lycia Fame: 2
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Post by Wein Lowell on Jan 19, 2010 19:38:37 GMT -6
Not really sure what Aaron had planned on doing, Wein was nothing if not surprised as Aaron engulfed his arrow in fire. The flaming blot whizzed through the air and, on impact, struck the tree in a shower of leaves and flame, causing the archer's eyes to widen at the spectacle. His mouth slightly agape, he remained staring at the tree, a massive scorch mark on its trunk. "That was..." he said, trailing off, "...that was pretty cool."
Bringing himself back to earth, Wein turned towards Aaron. "What made you think of that?" he asked, impressed at the green haired mage's outside-of-the-box thinking. This was when his scholarly thinking kicked in. He began pacing. "This would eliminate most of the problems of a typical fireball." The Ostian stroked his beard, calculating the event that had just transpired before them in his head. "You wouldn't have to worry about burning any cities down. The velocity of the arrow focused the force of the blast, turning any stray flames into explosive force."
Wein turned back to Aaron, waving his finger. "The fire seemed...attached to the arrow, more so than the arrow just being lit. Did you do that, or was that just me?"
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Aaron Winsett
Sage
Seeker of Knowledge
Knowledge is a weapon. I intend to be formidably armed.
Posts: 419
Sacae Fame: 1
Lycia Fame: 2
Profession: Student of Magic
OoC Alias: Feldsky
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Post by Aaron Winsett on Jan 20, 2010 18:51:41 GMT -6
Aaron was impressed. This was the scholarly side of Wein, a side that Aaron hadn't seen till now. In but a few moments, the archer had managed to identify the effects of the new technique, and even add a few that Aaron had missed.
"Hm? Well, my Grandfather always taught me to view magic as a work of art, rather than a science. I'd imagine that my methods would seem rather obscure to a professionally trained mage..."
The mage gestured towards the quiver hanging at the archer's side. "I got the idea while watching one of your arrows fly. Faster and more direct than what I can manage."
Aaron smiled at the brilliant success of his idea. "You could think of it like..." The mage looked down as he thought of a way to put it to words. Ahh, the only metaphors I'd come up with would just sound dumb "I... fastened the fireball to your arrow. When I did that, I had to release immediate control on where the fire was- the reason I didn't anticipate the back flash- but your arrow took it zipping away like that. As the fire is immaterial, it shouldn't affect the arrow's flight trajectory. I think."
"I'm impressed at how quickly you deduced the effects of the technique. For an archer, you'd make a pretty good mage.... I wonder, could it be managed in battle?" He chuckled at the thought. Probably so
"Have you traveled with any mages before? I'd imagine after seeing a dragon though, most of this stuff seems pretty mundane." Wein had mentioned it before, and that had definitely piqued Aaron's curiosity.
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Wein Lowell
Sniper
The Noble Arrow
If you're a glory hound, then I'm king of the glory hounds
Posts: 268
Lycia Fame: 2
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Post by Wein Lowell on Jan 23, 2010 12:56:25 GMT -6
Wein smiled, a bit embarrassed at Aaron's compliment. He always felt that most compliments directed towards him were undue. That was just the kind of person he was. "Yeah, well, I used to be quite the scholar," replied the archer. "I was to be the family's 'learned one' but..." Wein shrugged and kicked the ground. He didn't want to trouble Aaron with his own inner problems.
"Ah, it's nothing. But no, I've done a lot of traveling, but I haven't traveled with any mages before, unless you count Lilith over there," he said, nodding back towards the campsite. "She would technically be a shaman, though."
Wein paced a few steps before sitting down on an uprooted tree lying on it's side. How it became uprooted, he didn't know, but he wasn't really thinking about that at the moment. "Nothing in life is mundane," replied the archer, putting his hands on his knees. "In everything we do or see is something we haven't done or seen before." He looked up at the mage. "It all depends on how you look at it. I will admit, though, seeing a dragon was quite the experience. I wish I could have seen it under nicer circumstances though..."
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Aaron Winsett
Sage
Seeker of Knowledge
Knowledge is a weapon. I intend to be formidably armed.
Posts: 419
Sacae Fame: 1
Lycia Fame: 2
Profession: Student of Magic
OoC Alias: Feldsky
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Post by Aaron Winsett on Jan 28, 2010 23:08:03 GMT -6
Aaron saw the kick in the dirt and felt a subtle shift in the man's attitude. Was he troubled about something? Well, I'm not going to pry into that to deep if he doesn't want to talk about it.
"Ah, there you go again, reminding me... You know, I bet that you and my Grandfather would get along well. He taught me that same view, but I guess I'd forgotten..." The mage trailed off for a bit, looking toward the scorch mark on the tree.
The mage smirked at Wein a bit. Aaron figured that he could be called his own family's learned one as well. "So here you are, the family's learned one, traveling with knights, and mages. Chasing dragons, and slaying monsters and who knows what else. I'd say you're learning quite a bit, eh? Hah, I guess we've all got quite a story to tell now." The mage felt refreshed after remembering his view that all the world was a fresh experience. "What would my parents say if I told them my story so far? What would my Grandfather say?"
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Wein Lowell
Sniper
The Noble Arrow
If you're a glory hound, then I'm king of the glory hounds
Posts: 268
Lycia Fame: 2
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Post by Wein Lowell on Feb 2, 2010 13:55:44 GMT -6
Wein grinned. His was making his own story, wasn't he? "While book learning is fun an all, I think real life experience is where it's at," he said. There was no question; books had taught him much about the world. Heck, the knowledge he'd learned from them had saved his life on multiple occasions during his travels.
Like that time he was caught in the quicksand pit in the Western Isles. One of the other men panicked, was pulled under, and suffocated. Wein remembered from one of his reference books on the topography of the Western Isles that quicksand made you sink faster if you struggled. It was because the sand was filled with air, and by moving around, you released the air, causing the sand to compact around you. He had managed to get out to save his other traveling companion from a sandy grave.
But books could only take you so far. He could read about dragons, sure, but there was so much more you learned by seeing one. The sounds they make, the way the sun glistens off of their scales, and the smell of their fiery breath; none of that was in a book. "If your grandfather is anything like me," replied Wein, "which it sounds like he is, he'd probably be excited. He'd want to know all the little details; all the things that most people would overlook." The archer nodded his head. "A lot of the time, those are the most important."
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Aaron Winsett
Sage
Seeker of Knowledge
Knowledge is a weapon. I intend to be formidably armed.
Posts: 419
Sacae Fame: 1
Lycia Fame: 2
Profession: Student of Magic
OoC Alias: Feldsky
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Post by Aaron Winsett on Feb 6, 2010 18:08:36 GMT -6
Aaron nodded at Wein's comment on book learning. He'd often combined what knowledge he could get from books with whatever personal experience he could get. The books frequently failed to capture the essence of what it was trying to explain. This brought to mind one particular occasion when he'd been able to contrast the books with his own experience.
In his studies, Aaron had picked one particular tribe of the sacaen plainsmen to focus on. It was a nomadic tribe which followed set pathways, guided by the movements of the stars. During certain seasons, they would pause and gather in celebration. Barek, Aaron's grandfather had a friendship with some of the tribe, and would travel to meet them when he could. The books had told Aaron that they were skilled in horsemanship, and were expert trackers. He grew familiar with their myths and the like, but once he arrived with his Grandfather for the summer feast, it became obvious that there was a wealth of knowledge that remained unknown to the young mage-in-training. He learned their customs and ways from their own people, learned their own histories, recounted on the feast night, and danced around their fires alongside the rest of the tribe. It was one of his aspirations to return to that tribe someday and write, more fully, their history.
"I'll have to make sure I pay special attention to those then." Aaron said in response to Wein's second comment. Thinking back on his experience with the sacaen tribe, he realized something. "Huh, I guess the details really are what make up the whole. He'd be disappointed if I let those get away."
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