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Ribbon Prancer
a76809
[I see some good ideas, theories, reasoning chains and predictions alike: Keep mulling them over, and when control gets back to Mordre, post your final version, and we'll see about Pristine Soul accrual then (Can only earn them as Mordre, and all). I link this to no specific post because several people have hit facets of the truth in their predictions, but not enough individually to get a PS. And remember, that the theorizing/logical deductive leaps will need to be included with the predictions to fulfill both requirements for unlocking Pristine Souls. Good to see people paying attention, though.]
>>201195
Uh, duh I'm happy I resolved it peacefully when Eisenhardt first appeared, as otherwise, I could be dead. I'd prefer to not be dead, makes many things harder. As to the fight: Honestly, sure Mordre did well, once more a step more capable than he was the last time I saw him in a scuffle, but what struck me most was that ONE person was able to go toe to toe with a sapient soul grave, and damn near ripped Mordre apart. On the subject of Mordre.... yeah, it is more than a bit how uncanny some of his acts and performances to maintain his cover can be, though I've seen precious few in person. Exactly where did it learn how to mimic a person's behavioral patterns so well? I mean, I get the combat capabilities, the stratagems, all that, since that's what Soul Graves are built for, but the social subterfuge? Still throwing me for a loop, even now. ...Especially because when interacting one on one, some of those affectations, those personality quirks made to act human... seem to be bleeding through to his normal behavior... though that could simply be because Mordre spends so much of its time maintaining it's guise.... all of this is speculation, but that's my take.
>>201196
Ah, kicking a guard captain in the balls was less guts and more... he kinda caught me stealing bread, so I noted that he wore an armor skirt, kilt, whatever you call it, and figured that, what with it being hot as all get out, he would want some ventilation, so.... I made a gamble, it paid off, and I ran like hell. ...It was funny though.
>>201205
Ah... that whole evening was hazy. She said something about finding me refreshingly different, not a 'stuck up twat' (her words, not mine) compared to her suitors, and wanting to stick it to her father.... yeah, pretty sure it was one of those 'right place, right time' scenarios.... but what with the rape charge and the warrant for my execution, that's open to debate.
>>201309
Ulzrick: Eh, he's an alright sort, haven't spoken with him that much, seems to get lost in his own thoughts pretty often, and as I can be subject to that myself, I respectfully leave him to his ruminations, whatever they may be on. I hope he can learn some more on Will magic, as even with notes from Mordre's 'lessons' I still haven't worked it out myself, so another opinion would be great.
Vespinto: Bit of a self-righteous dick, actually. Thinks he's the hottest shit around, and since Keddic and Bang haven't kicked the crap out of him in practice, no one's disabused him of this thought. ...It is satisfying to watch him incessantly hit on women here, and get shot down... though that could change with his continued training: Apparently, the three Derkin are training are starting to gain notoriety as being important, or soon to be important. ...And since I'm researching all the time, I don't really have time to chase down anything myself. ...Granted, given the choice I'd probably prioritize my research anyway, as a chance to learn as fast as I can manage.... that's a bit rare, in my experience.
Ellorika: ...Ok, I won't lie, she's a bit intimidating. Puts people in headlocks all the time, always starting sentences with 'Let me tell you', ignores the opinions of others.... if she weren't so belligerently headstrong, I'd be very interested in her huge.... tracts of land back in Trepany, yes, that's it. Always wanted to take up farming, and she has ample space for it, that's plain to see.
Keddic: Alright, I can't help but like this guy. Sure, he's got more than a few personality quirks, but who doesn't? And hey, bonus, he has a healthy respect for mages of ALL sorts, including the bookish types. A bit too cavalier for me, but then, if I could make my body as hard as steel, I probably would be too. ...And I may hold some slight resentment over the ridiculous amount of play he gets. And somehow, this does not backfire HORRIBLY when training the very same people, potentially multiple of whom he's known at the same time. Honestly, I asked him how he manages it, and he gave me some crazy speech about it being 'Relationship maintenance techniques passed down the Harksburton line for generations' which explained NOTHING.... and somehow I didn't care. He's just... it's Keddic, I guess.
Jojo: ...Eh, he's stodgy, no question there, and about as unforgiving as they come, but Ulzrick seems to be doing alright learning from him. That, and Jojo is immensely helpful, whenever I've had time to take part in the joint efforts to build a unified magic theory or work on our magic language ideas.... yeah, pretty much all business, that one. Not much more to say.
Bang: ....I'm not sure what to make of this guy. According to the Premen and several others, the guy is a fight-addict, and good at it too, but I've never seen him cutting loose myself. What I HAVE seen is him being a ridiculously hash taskmaster in sparring and training.... and somehow no one else cares. Must have something to do with his... eccentric personality. Personally, I haven't spoken to him much yet, so I don't really have a strong opinion. ...Though according to Keddic, the guy has not only kicked so hard he kicked OFF air (which doesn't even make sense), and has kicked so hard he put a crater in the ground some fifty feet wide, complete with an explosion. If it weren't for the fact I know Keddic doesn't lie, I'd call bullshit. As is... I'd need to see him in action to form my own opinions.
Derkin: At first, I admit I was more than a bit leery of the guy, but he has been a great warrior, a great teacher, and done nothing I could object to. A few times, when a bit deep in the cups at night, he's confided that he still can't believe he can have such an easy and prestigious life without having to do anything illegal.
>>200999
"Well, you need to be asleep for this to work-"
>"What, why?"
"They practice a dream-based method of healing-"
>"You do realize I just heard that guy whisper to you right?"
"That's how it's supposed to be done-"
>"And all the same, there was mention of a waking alternative."
"Yeah, there was... sorry, sleep deprivation is my excuse."
>"..It is late.... I'll let it slide. So, who are they?"
>>200986
>>201011
"They are: Master Jojo and his apprentice, Ulzrick. They'll be performing the procedure... "
>"The floating one, he's Jojo?"
"Yes."
>"His bone structure is off, and his blood-flow doesn't match that of a human... is he an alchemic, a life golem, or some other species?"
"Ah, he's a Premen, actually."
>"Never heard of them... looks to be related to humans... common ancestry, maybe?"
"I think. Um, just so you know, their magic is SUPPOSED to be done on those sleeping, and if you're awake... it's going to be painful."
>"I can manage pain."
"I mean, horrifically painful. Crazy, terrible pain, full blown agony."
>"As I said, I shall manage."
Wit the matter rather clearly not likely to shift, I nod to Ulzrick and Jojo, who take up positions on either side of Eisenhardt, and each take one of the severed limbs, moving them towards the stumps on Eisenhardt's form. As they near, the gray metal flows up the mage's legs, exposing the wounds, which drip nominally, as the two bow their heads, holding the limbs in place. I see sweat beading on Eisenhardt's face, and his irises contract as his eyelids twitch, as his skin spasms about the wounds, reaching out to reclaim the lost limbs at a snails crawl. Not knowing what to do, I simply start speaking to him, as he seems to be distancing himself from the pain, and he did request my presence anyway.
"That was one hell of a battle...so, I take it that there's going to be a round 2 in the future?"
>"Heh, sure as metal, there will be. I have to give your master credit, he is one capable golem operator... in fact, so adept I think I might have figured out a bit of how he controls it."
"Oh?"
>"Yeah. I figure, the only way he could command such responsiveness from the golem, he has to be using some form of possession-based magic."
"Ah... huh. Yeah, that would make sense, as otherwise, what with it being a Soul Grave-"
>"Exactly. Since Soul Graves are so mutable, when supplied with sufficient amounts of death, he'd have to be reworking any corporeal interlock all the time to add new controls for each and every major soul he gets, whereas if the method is built around possession, that whole bit could be circumvented."
"Yeah.... though I have heard him talking to his maids, or otherwise interacting with the environment around him-that is, wherever he is, while controlling it-"
>"A partial possession could do that, splitting the mind between true form and possessed form in parts."
"And that could be made less energy-intensive to maintain with sufficient gems augmenting a base with 'Division', 'Control', and... 'Fusion' runes, I suspect."
>"Yeah, most likely. ...Sharp mind, there."
"If I could claim to have a strength in magic, it would be in runes, and all the books left in this outpost have been enforcing that."
>"Well, good on you."
The conversation trails off for a moment, and Eisenhardt occupies himself with slow, rhythmic, steady breaths, sweat continuing to form and course down his pale face, as he runs a scarred, ring-covered hand through his thinning hair.
>>201168
>>201182
"Y'know, truth be told, I was kinda hoping Mordre would win non-lethally there. Not because I prefer his instruction mind you-"
>"Oh? Have some issues with his teaching?"
"Ah... well, he's not the best direct teacher, no, but he gives me the means to do self-study, and focuses for said self-study, which seem to let me learn despite his particular handicap at direct instruction. ...Still not sure if he just believes in gaining knowledge by your own efforts, or if it's something involved with the fact he can only tutor me through a medium-"
>"That happens to be a Soul Grave. Yeah, still plenty of questions there. But go on."
"Anyway, I was hoping for a nonlethal win because that probably would have worked out the best for us all. He's always lamenting the lack of other skilled mages, as well as the fact that he admits to being a very suboptimal teacher. I'm pretty sure he was planning to pass my apprenticeship to a more suitable instructor once he got one in his employ."
>"What, he doesn't want to teach you? What, is he too busy to attend to his own apprentice?"
"Well, you've seen how many problems there are in the state, right?"
>"Of course, the area is rife with strife. ...Heh, little rhyme there."
"Ah, well, he seems to always take it on himself to see what he can do about it. He respects my preference to, you know, NOT be in the thick of fighting, which is nice since that seems to be what he finds pretty much everywhere, but yeah... sometimes self-study can only take you so far, especially when I could hardly claim the library here fully comprehensive. I mean, it goes into great depth in the matters it covers, but, well, it's no Mortal Coil library, you know?"
>"Well, if I win in our next exchange, I am fairly certain I could give you access to such books."
"Yeah, I suppose if you just won, I'd get that. But at the same time, its hard to want ill for the only guy to give you a chance, y'know?"
>"I can hardly fault loyalty."
"Yeah, spent most of my life squeaking by, trying to learn what I could. Then Mordre comes along, gives me the chance no one else ever did, and in the space of months I go from having that glamor as the most advanced bit of magic I could pull, to reverse engineering State-Developed tech and actually KNOWING World magic."
>"Don't knock that glamor. In my experience, most of the more learned mages start to ignore Word magic, viewing it as pedantic, beneath them... but the category has significant room for complex spells, if you can optimize it right: You know, impose restrictions so it ONLY works in a very specific set of circumstances, so you can boost performance. And that glamor of yours, sure it isn't that strong, but it shouldn't be, for what it does: If I wasn't looking for metal with rather direct focus, I might have missed those guns, it's a well thought out spell, minimal power requisites, which matches up to it's inconspicuous nature."
"...uh, thanks."
>"Don't mention it, I give credit where it's due, and as I've already said, I think you got a good head on your shoulders. You could make a great mage some day."
"So, um...yeah. What about you? Pardon the expression, but how'd you get so...well, monstrously capable?"
>"Well, obviously I'm not going to just say EVERYTHING, as that could be akin to painting big targets on any potential weaknesses to my method-"
"Of course"
>"But I'll say this: I gained the majority of my ability through two methods. The first of them was straightforward: Do a spell, then do it again, and again, and again... keep doing that, even when you're ready to pass out, sure you hit your limit, for months, years, decades, survive close calls time and again on battlefields... and you'll grow more capable, sure as the sunrise. ...Well, okay, not guaranteed, as you could always screw up and die, but barring that."
"And the second?"
>"Simple: You know that the strength of one's soul is determined not just by the wealth and richness of the life experiences it has been through, but also it's determination, it's drive, it's ambition, whatever you want to call it, right?"
"Sure, though only academically."
>"Well: That's why you set for yourself goals, dozens of them, hundreds, and you strive, you struggle, you do everything you can to reach them, and extol yourself for every step of progress you take, and move past your setbacks. Keep doing that and you start building a.... mindset, I guess, that lets you constantly sharpen and refine your own soul. Makes manipulating Leylines easier, makes Will and Blood-and I'd assume Soul magic as well-all more potent, and in general increases the quality of your essence, your spirit, your soul. ...Granted, these two methods yield results over the course of years, but hey, you're still pretty young. ...How old are you, anyway?"
"I think I'm somewhere around 24-28 years old"
>"You think?"
"Ah... kind of an orphan, and a gutter rat at that, so I don't know when my birthday is, or exactly how old I am."
>"No kidding? Makes your current state even more impressive, wouldn't you say?"
"I guess so."
>>201422
As Eisenhardt grits his teeth as I watch the exposed ends of his leg-bones writhing, sweat beading on Ulzrick and Jojo's faces now as well, I recall some things I observed in the Duran forest, and what Mordre has told me. Putting two and two together, I ask a few questions.
"So... I have to admit curiosity."
>"...About what?"
"Well, I know that that bandit king guy.... Verder?"
>"Verther."
"Yeah, he was your apprentice, right?"
>"Indeed"
"Well... I'm just trying to understand why you were okay with attacking a civilian population, as to my understanding, he was gearing to attack Hletwa, yes?"
>"This... is true. ..Suffice to say, it was my estimation that the lives that could be saved, should the attack be carried through, and plans carried to their fruition, that the losses incurred there, while sad, were necessary: Crass as it may sound, I'll sacrifice ten to save a hundred every single time."
"Uh... how do you figure the attack would save lives?"
>"Now that would be telling."
"...Okay, fine, no more on that topic right now. But, I had another question, actually."
>"Yes?"
"Well, about leylines, actually: I felt you using World magic, and a deep.... DEEP leyline rising under your ministrations: How did you do that?"
>"Tell you what, Arkus: Tell me what your master, Mordre was tapping for World magic within your Arcanoworks, and I'll tell you that."
Huh. Mordre hasn't told me, but I was curious myself: He was pulling World magic from SOMEWHERE, and it definitely wasn't a leyline, as I would have felt it... it felt pretty close to the surface, but by the time the fight slowed down enough I could really focus on tracking that energy source down, Mordre was no longer tapping it.... maybe it has something to do with our fields? I swear I've felt some faint World magic infusing the ground, but I haven't really investigated it. As I consider this, I watch Eisenhardt slowly close his eyes while taking steady breaths, before his eyelids flutter open again, his gaze locked on me.
What should I say or do?
Do I have any more questions for Eisenhardt?
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