Went to a trivia night the other week and one of the teams was just called "Dad noises" and I've never felt so attacked and also understood in my life.
Registered Member #24041
Joined: 4:19:01 am GMT 01/24/17
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Dear Selwyn,
Much has happened and much continues to happen- but that will have to wait, for I fear I cannot do it adequate justice in my present state. Suffice to say my research has been put on hold for some time, but, light willing, I will go forth once more soon to, with any luck, discover the truth behind this mysterious map. I only hope that those who have aided me thus far can see this through as well...
Yours in the Light,
Bamaeus Hood
((Bamaeus will be going to the wastes one more time tomorrow, April 17, at 6PM PST))
Registered Member #24041
Joined: 4:19:01 am GMT 01/24/17
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The professor hunches over his notes once more, a quill dangling from his fingers and dripping a splotch of black ink onto the stone floor. The figures he has been staring at for hours now shouldn't be possible- and yet, based on his own observations, measurements he has painstakingly taken over the course of weeks as the patient has convalesced, there is no other explanation for the phenomenon that seems to be presenting itself. A phenomenon, and an opportunity. He takes the quill up again, holding it carefully as he begins to write:
Lady Mira,
I continue to thank the beneficence of the Light for your continued recovery. I apologize for my absences of late; I hope that you have not overly missed my presence, and I trust that you have had visitors enough to make your recovery feel all the more rapid. When last we spoke, we discussed how, after your recovery it will be necessary to ensure that you can remain protected, particularly against attacks that would try to sever your connection to your Light, and with it your power. It is for this reason that I have been for so long absent, and I must beg your forgiveness- but it would seem that my absence has not been without profit, for I write to inform you that I believe it is possible to offer you a kind of protection that even the strongest magics cannot overcome. You are no doubt aware that each and every living thing carries a shadow- and it has long been my theory that this shadow, by virtue of being cast by light- be it of the sun, of a candle, or so on- can be monitored by those with ill intent, to effectively "trace" where they have trod based upon where their shadows have darkened the ground. It is this shadow which I believe in part allowed the vile creature who abducted you to locate you, and this shadow which I propose to exorcise. I believe, and my notations and calculations seem to prove, that it would be possible, with the correct application of the Light, to sever one's shadow from oneself, thereby permanently removing that particular weapon to be used against one. If this is correct, it may prove invaluable to you, wherever you may go after your recovery, as no longer would you be able to be located by the shade which follows you with every step. The process I believe will be painless, though I will provide protection for the eyes, as it will necessarily be quite bright. I understand that this must seem outlandish, to sever one's shadow from oneself, but I firmly believe that not only is it possible, it is in all probability something that will aid in keeping you safe from harm. With your permission, I would like to perform this procedure at your earliest convenience, so that we may deny our enemies the chance to find you once more. I urge you to give my proposal your consideration, and await your reply with the hope that soon you may walk in the light, untouched by shadow.
Registered Member #24041
Joined: 4:19:01 am GMT 01/24/17
Posts: 2076
Back in the Academy of the Silver Scroll, Bamaeus sits at his favorite writing desk, pondering. The experiment had worked- hadn't it? True, the shadows had proven much more potent than even his fears had imagined, but they were gone now, cleaved from Mira by a combination of the Light and stouthearted friends. The horrible visions visited upon both himself and the girl seemed to fade shortly afterwards, and the strange injuries they sustained were gone within minutes, healing as though they had never existed.
So why did his arms still sting where he had seen the cuts? Why did his hands still shake when he thought of the voice which had whispered in his ears?
Thrice now he has started the letter, and thrice now he has had to blot out the words, for when his mind wanders, he drips the ink onto the parchment, where it forms shadows of its own against the pale sheaf. And he studies these shadows, and then looks down to the right, to the floor, where his own shadow should be. Where his own shadow is not.
Registered Member #24041
Joined: 4:19:01 am GMT 01/24/17
Posts: 2076
Dear Selwyn,
I apologize for having not written in some time. I am afraid rather a lot has happened, and much of it still remains obscured. You will recall that some time ago I wrote a letter to the Waterdavian Academy detailing the feats of a young woman named Mira Fay, and how the Light had somehow entered her very blood, giving it remarkable restorative properties.
Suffice to say, the poor girl has been through a lot in the last months- kidnapped, tortured, disfigured, and yet she remains resilient. In my efforts to aid her, however, I may have crossed the boundaries of good sense- let me explain.
As you know, each of us is connected to a shadow. Just as a torch is a beacon of light that can be used to identify our locations, our shadows, I surmised, might be a beacon too- one that would be visible not to those who might aid us, but to those who might wish us harm. And thus, I devised a ritual to separate the girl's shadow from herself, so that it could no longer be used by those who might wish her harm as a way to track the poor creature.
While the ritual was successful in parts, it proved far more difficult than I anticipated- and I myself was drawn into it as well. Both myself and Mira found ourselves facing our own shadows, which were eventually cleaved from us- though not trapped! They fled, and with them carry my worries that they will be up to no good somewhere...
Whilst recovering from this ritual, I am afraid to say that the Silver Scroll Academy was robbed, and that I was injured in the fracas. I am healing nicely now, thanks to the timely intervention of some compatriots, but I regret the loss of many of my books, some of which were originals in my own hand, and are irreplaceable. No doubt the thief thought that they might be sold for some coin, though I have scoured the local pawnshops nearby and found neither hide nor hair of any of them, much to my dismay.
I'm afraid this letter has been more dour than I expected, but I trust that the Light will shine again soon enough. You and the academy remain in my thoughts, and I wish you all the best.
Registered Member #24041
Joined: 4:19:01 am GMT 01/24/17
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Shortly after the previous letter, three more letters leave the Academy, each bearing a similar message:
To Sir Pious Endaris:
Allow me to inform you that Mira Fay has requested that a meeting take place between herself, yourself, and myself, Master Azhag Flintseeker, and Miss Elvalith Nain, at your earliest convenience. Miss Fay has recovered sufficiently to be able to continue her duties, but requests that her conditions be agreed upon by the aforementioned parties so that she may have more amiable working conditions and her health remain steadfast. I trust you will not overly object to some suggestions as to how the Flames might best ensure such a valuable and exceptional talent does not go to waste through neglect, as has nearly happened once before.
Yours in the Light,
Bamaeus Hood
A copy of this letter is sent to Azhag's Alchemy stand and Elvalith's magical crafting boutique, with the postscript:
She is ready to travel. She wishes us to negotiate on her behalf to ensure better conditions. I trust you both will be agreeable, and will not put her safety at risk by doing anything drastic. She has made her choice- we owe it to her to allow her to honor it without destroying herself in the process. -B.H.
And finally, a fifth letter leaves the academy- this one headed north and east, past the crossroads and up the long and winding way to Dragon's Watch, where it is placed in the hands of a monstrous barkeep, who snorts at the address before tucking it away behind the bar. It bears the name:
Miss D'Mora
The letter reads as follows:
Miss Adair,
You must first allow me to apologize for the strange manner in which I have addressed this missive. I did not know whether the creatures of the watch would know your given name, nor your taken one, but I was certain that they would remember the name of your former captor, and, if nothing else, might recognize you as one who would deliver to her. It will be a minor miracle if this letter finds you at all, as I am not even certain that you have absconded to the Watch, though it seems a natural place, given its proximity to the Kreis and also its convenient exclusion from their laws. I hope that this letter finds you well, or as well as can be.
In any case, I must assume you will acquire this letter, in one way or another, and so I will come to the point. A young girl, Mira by name, wishes to meet you. You may have heard her referred to as "the next white rose", though she has not your talent for music. She does, however, have a remarkable connection to the Light- one that rivals both yours and my own. She has been told many things about you, most of them both terrible and untrue- but she has come to believe that she may have been deceived- and she wishes to judge for herself. I know that you are likely rather busy at the moment, but the girl is in Hammersong now, recovering from an ordeal, so if you are able to travel, we would not be risking discovery in Kreis lands. However, she will return to the Kreis soon- so if the Light favors us, and you find this note before the waxing of the moon and the start of the longest days of winter, I implore you travel south with all haste- for the Light burns strong within the girl- but she must see that it is possible to survive it.
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From within the stone circle temple, a letter is sent into Lowtown. A letter addressed to one Bamaeus Hood, sealed with a sigil of flames before a sun.
Lord Hood,
Your terms are acceptable. We shall find you at the tower of your wizard friend, tomorrow night.
Bring the saint of Andarus. By the grace of the light, she must be returned to us. I trust that you of all people will see the sense in this.
Registered Member #24041
Joined: 4:19:01 am GMT 01/24/17
Posts: 2076
Bamaeus sits in his favorite chair in the academy, idly smoking a pipe as he contemplates the scenes he has just witnessed in Elvalith's tower. How Pious Endaris seemed almost caring- had Bamaeus not known the man so well, he might have even said he was concerned. He certainly seemed to accede to their demands and wishes with a ready ease, an ease which made Bamaeus wary. What had caused this sudden change of heart in the man? Was it truly the mark of a repentant sinner, understanding the error of his past ways? Or was this yet another of his tricks- a ploy to get Mira beyond their easy reach until she could be locked away yet again.
Had the girl not wished to go, perhaps things would have been different. But she did, and they owed it to her to try and wring what concessions they could from her keepers, and to do whatever they could to ensure said keepers would hold to their word. And so now, he waited- waited to see what would transpire when the girl had been ensconced once more in their hands. Waited to see if becoming a lady would fare better for her than it had for Nicolette Adair...
He hardly notices his shadow's absence anymore- though sometimes he will catch himself looking at where it would have been, had it been cast at all. There is a part of him which hopes that it has been destroyed, that it has simply withered away in the light without an anchor to hold it fast.
And there is another part of him that fears it has not.
Registered Member #24041
Joined: 4:19:01 am GMT 01/24/17
Posts: 2076
Part II
The Light of Day
The scholar's hands shake as he raises an arm to rap on the door. Once, twice- on the third time, he manages it, and the brass knocker turns his timid tap into an echo that rings throughout the halls of the Endaris estate.
Bamaeus does not have long to wait for the man whom he had come to see to appear. Pious Endaris, half of his face still scarred pink from the burning of the machine he had built, scowls down at Bamaeus. The older man clears his throat at the silent stare of the Endaris heir, looking past him into an opulent entryway lit by elaborate candelabras.
"I- I trust the child- that Mira- is well?"
Pious regards the man for several seconds more before deigning to respond. "She is as well as when you saw her three days past. And three days before that. And three days before that. You have seen that we do not mistreat her, that she is fed and clothed, that she has water for bathing and quills for writing, and herbs for tending. Do you find our accommodations lacking in any way?"
The old man takes a deep breath, forcing himself to stand up straighter. "No. It's not that, it's just- her education. What is being done there?"
Bamaeus cannot help but notice the subtle shift in the man's gaze- a low flame starting to burn in his eyes, a hunger long repressed.
"She has learned her letters and sums- she writes well enough for anything sort of professional scribing. She learns the names of herbs and their uses, and the parts of the body that she heals..." Pious trails off, looking over the man. "Unless you had something else in mind?"
"I meant the Light. The study of... of what she can do..."
There is no mistaking now the eagerness in Pious' eyes as he leans slightly forward, fixing Bamaeus with his gaze. "You know the limitations we face in that area. How little we know of her light, of her gift. I understand you made a study of it, with the traitor rose, but not all of us have been so fortunate..."
Bamaeus swallows hard, nodding. "I-I did, yes..."
"...And you wish to ensure that Mira does not suffer the same fate as the one who came before her?"
His hands shake, and he balls them into fists as he nods once more. "Yes. I want to teach her, if you will let me."
The gleam of triumph on Pious' face is almost obscene.
"Then you will, at last, Professor Hood, accept the offer I made you once, what seems a lifetime ago?" Unconsciously, the man's hand drifts to his burned face, touching the scarred chin delicately.
Bamaeus takes a shaking breath, before nodding one final time.
"If that is what it takes, to ensure the Light is served."
Lord Pious Endaris extends a hand to the man, and Bamaeus, his own palm clammy and cold, moves to shake it.
"You will need to hurry," Pious tells him there on the stoop. "For she has ridden north with Chaplain Valgys, on her way to see about the rumors of fey incursions into Hamley. Lord Bargus is concerned that certain townsfolk may be consorting with the things..."
An hour later, Bamaeus has packed his travelsack and is selecting a horse from the Kreisian stables. Whatever strange fate Mira has ridden into, he will do his best to ensure her light is protected- as Nicolette's could not be.
((Bamaeus will be joining the Flames as they seek to learn what, if any, Hamley citizens have been consorting with fey- or engaging in other treasonous activity! This event will take place Friday, March 24, at 2PM PST))
[ The Island of Thain ]
The Shape of Magic
