Before I address the heart of the message, I would like to introduce myself. I am Scholomance, a squire of Saturn, and as I understand, you are Thraen of Gardens. We share a mutual friend, Aegir of Silence, who referred me to you as one of the brightest and tactically efficient people he knows. My purpose for soliciting you with this letter is due to that very distinction.
It has not been long since I became a squire, and during that time, I elected to practice what magic I knew on a few occasions. At no point in these practice sessions was I able to fully understand how my magic might be useful in battle. I suspect it may not carry a purpose beyond distraction. From what I have experienced of it, the magic decompresses this world into an illusory one, and has no further effects from that. It is not a painful magic. I chose to seek you out because I thought you may have ideas on its use, or applications that I haven't thought of as one person. I thought you may be able to deduce more than what I have experienced of it if you allowed me to show you its effects.
If you are receptive to the idea of exploring this magic, please meet myself and a cohort (Methone, a transcendent eternal friend of mine) on the roof of the Destiny City Goodwill on 101st and Brown St at 1PM. You will know you're near when you see the giant white billboard that says 'Release the Goo'.
I hope to see you in person. Scholomance
The message was sent hours earlier, in the crisp morning just past dawn Since then, the potential meeting had been on Isaiah's mind constantly. He knew of no means for a senshi to answer a knight in kind, even with a returning letter, so the thought that Thraen may not be able to come or may not find interest in coming meant that he and Methone would be standing about on the rooftop for much to long without knowing. However, Colin spoke very highly of Thraen, so Isaiah told himself to expect the man's presence at the appointed time.
When the appointed hour neared, Isaiah donned the visage of Scholomance and took the rooftop byways toward the selected location. A light rain made fall known, and he tried to ignore it as best he could - his uniform did not come with a hood, and all attempts at retaining clothing disappeared when he powered up.
When he reached the rooftop in question, Scholomance padded out across the sturdy ceiling and evaluated their impromptu training ground. The roof was perfectly flat, maintained an impressive amount of square footage for maneuverability, and sported scanty HVAC accessories to stand in their way. If he was to learn anything of his magic, this place seemed the perfect fit for it. And, of course, he had a tongue-in-cheek billboard to crack jokes about with Methone, who would meet him in short order.
In the interim, Scholomance remained standing, and wondering just how many hours he could spend outside without catching a chill.
Pixie Nyxie
Ivynian
Posted: Wed Nov 11, 2015 10:43 am
Scholomance didn't often ask much from the team members, but they gave him whatever he needed when he did. Advice, safe place, someone to patrol with or meet someone? Those were something that Methone had no problem doing so, and in fact, was very happy that Scholo had went to Aegir, and then to her.
The meeting spot was easy enough to find, and she felt the aura of the squire below, dropping down from her path to the concrete.
"Scholomance!" She hurried over, her tone seemed rushed and a tad bit upset (though she was not), "It's cold and you have a wonderful new jacket." She looked up at him and then slowly, and greedily started to unbutton it so she could sneak herself in. Her uniform, after all, let her feel the bite of cold without you know...freezing. Uncomfortable for a woman who enjoyed heat.
Once she was nestled in the coat, and sufficiently pressed against the squire, she look around.
"Ive never heard of this Thraen, I wonder if he's a friendly sort?" She asked, though anyone friends with Aegir tend to lead on the very...very friendly side in general. Something about Sunshine.
"Also, congratulations on your power up! It suits you."
The number of knight note's he'd ever received on power up was limited to one hand's counting, so the sealed paper was novel and immediately read. Without context of the person themselves, it was impossible to tell if 'Scholomance' was as formal and stilted as the diction of the thing implied, if they were being facetious, or if it was some sort of intended irony. Aegir was a successful byword, and the eternal made it a point to arrange for Elliot to cover the cafe and cross town for the meeting. I do not know Methone, either. A squire, already, and a 'transcendent' etermal senshi. Whence came they and how long? Transcendent....it speaks of dreams. Things remembered or half-glimpsed in that mad nightmare that held months and vanished as fast. No reason, no explanation.
Time passed the same as buildings and streets, and the two signatures felt sooner than sight could confirm them. The distance of a few rooves added to the confusion of a single silhouette until Thraen joined their building to discern that the senshi was within the knight's coat. Awkward....am I interrupting impromptu business of another sort?
Intimacy hardly had a place when one had arranged other meetings so specifically, so the Eternal of Garden's approached to bowing distance. "Scholomance and Methone?"
Scholomance would've started their engagement by asking Methone if she was okay, but she rendered her answer clearly enough when she started tearing through his coat for warmth. Scholomance made no efforts to stop her - at least not physically. "Wait, wait, there's bones on this uniform - aren't you the least bit concerned about the kinds of communicable diseases you might get from touching dead things?"He felt positively revolted by simply speaking of it, and yet Methone burrowed into his jacket happily - whether he wanted her to or not.
Which, by the way her butt pressed against his thighs, he didn't mind in the slightest. Hands simply dropped to his sides in a sigh, before they took up position by wrapping around Methone. He had never been a terribly warm sort, but anything helped. "A wonderful new jacket indeed..." And a warm white undershirt beneath it that thankfully kept him warm. Methone's uniform proved very unfortunate for inclement weather, and for Destiny City's winters. For once, he was glad to be so well-dressed.
"I'd like to think that parts of dead people don't suit me terribly, or creepy masks. It's..." He sighed through his nose and gave up on explaining it. I expect that most of my knighthood will be met with this unnatural feeling. It does not come easily to me. It's like learning to work with wet media when I've used pencils all my life. I hope it gets easier. It has to.
As for Thraen, he hoped that was who approached them now from a distance. "I don't know much about Thraen. Aegir told me he was smart, tactical, and willing to help. Maybe the rest is up to us to deduce." He hoped the man wasn't affronted by his letter; Scholomance had a habit of getting carried away with correspondence. "And the letter I sent was about business, rather than salutations. Aegir also mentioned that he was quite tall, blonde, and had a scar on his face. Which I think... Might be him." The squire squinted into the distance while the figure resolved more readily. Finally the man grew close enough, Scholomance noted the scar, and he spoke by way of determining their identities.
"Yes," he confirmed with haste. His voice sounded strained. He rolled down his half-mask to speak without its obstruction. "I would shake your hand, but Methone is currently stealing my coat and trying to give me frostbite with her cold-as-death hands." As an afterthought, he considered the phrase ironic. "You're Thraen." It was a declaration, surely, as the scar matched with perfection.
Methone laughed cheerfully at his indignation of his uniform. Where he saw bones and skulls and general grossness, Methone saw a handsome knight with a clever mind and a new power to grow into.
"The bones form magically." She answered simply, "I doubt they carry diseases created on earth after 1000's of years of evolution." She bopped him on the nose regardless. She was very snug in his jacket and against him as Thraen appeared on her radar, her gaze meeting his with a friendly warm smile.
"Saturn suits you, is what I meant." She continued, "Decorations like human skulls, masks? They are all just something we come to learn to use. I think,you look like a dashing mad scientist. Halloween year round you know?" She laughed again at Thraen and his look.
"Hello there handsome." She held out her hand instead, appearing from the coat. "They aren't cold as frostbite, but I am sure they are cold. I hear you'll be teaching Scholomance some things." She tilted her head, "Aegir spoke highly of you?"
It was after all, the first time she met someone Aegir actually approved outside of the Saturn brothers team. She was curious to know, what Thraen knew.
Ivynian
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Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2015 1:23 pm
.........."handsome"...? A jocose label? And of the knight? Shaking hands seems ill advised anyway since...they might have been under the jacket as well. Yet she still holds out hers. Thraen moved closer enough to take her hand in a firm, practiced grip and stepped back a pace again, still within conversational distance if removed from their...intimacies. "High praise may be over-generous, but that is the way with Aegir and others. I do what I can, and am glad to help. "
This is going to be awkward. He looked between them in turn. She had...glowing spots of stars. "Your note spoke of testing out and possible tactics for your magic, Scholomance? Is it just yours, or Methone's as well? Really, all of use should practice our magic to learn the range, duration and any foibles as much as we can. What are the specifics you know so far? Duration and amount will be a factor for how much practice and exposure we can experience."
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Pixie Nyxie
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"It would be ideal for all of us to practice." The bones were long forgotten as he watched the pair get acquainted, though Methone seemed averse to crawling out from within his jacket. "It constitutes teamwork at least." Not that I expect I'll ever find a moment of patrolling alongside anyone else. It seems as much a solitary game as one that's expected to be played in twos and threes. Still, nothing terrible has come of it yet.
"Though I brought Methone with me today because I have been attacked by Order senshi before, and while I have no reason to think you would do the same, there's still threat of other Order senshi or even chaos entities that see reason to attack a lone squire. Waiting seemed safest this way. Additionally, I wasn't sure if having more than one person available would shed some light on the nature of the magic. I couldn't find a reason against bringing her." And she had proven a worthwhile companion regardless; even though no youma or chaos entities strayed in their direction, he imagined that her power acted as a ward against interested parties.
"Most of the specifics are what I wrote you in the letter. It looks to alter the world, though that seems illusory to me as when I stopped the magic, buildings looked perfectly normal and put-together afterward. I can only sustain it for a handful of seconds, too - I cannot explain why, but it's almost painful to hold the cast. And during it, it seems as though other affected parties are almost... Immaterial. As for duration... I'm going to guess a few seconds in one cast? But I seem to keep the ability to recast at least a handful of times. It's certainly under a minute, I'd say, before it becomes too much to keep on. My only guess is it can be used for a slight distraction." Finally, for business' sake, Scholomance separated himself from Methone and buttoned down his jacket. Her core lent him warmth, and his body produced gooseflesh in a chill when that warmth was no longer there.
"What of yours? Or Methone's?" Scholomance summoned cane to hand while he waited for response, and used the item for balance beneath two white gloved hands.
Pixie Nyxie
Ivynian
Posted: Thu Nov 19, 2015 11:01 pm
"Awwww." Methone made small sounds as she was gently pressed from his coat and danced in her spot before settling down. The full glory of the skimpy uniform was not on display, along with the golden star marks that speared her stomach and thighs.
"I don't mind training, I've newly come into my powers of eternal rank and..." She hummed as she waved over the stars. "This as well. As far as I know, I can heal some aches and stuff. That's about it though." She didn't know what else came with it, besides she made the visits to her homeworld more often.
She yearned for it sometimes, and she would touch the sand and water of her world and it would feel better.
She quieted while Scholomance explained his magic, interested in what he meant by shifting reality. Altering? What sort of magic did that?
At the mention of her magic, she beamed. "I can demonstrate, it has a lot going on to put in words. I've never counted how long it last but it's not long." She hesitated and then turned to Thraen, "I'm the senshi of the Aurora Borealis. My magic has a neat light show, I haven't tried...my eternal attack yet."
At least a semblance of business forms and its not all interrupting lovers' cuddles. The glowing stars...they're a strange effect. I remember...the dreams had similar. It can be question for another time.
“I make Wizard of Oz Flowers.“ It was the most succinct way to explain his magic, even though it relied on some exposure in the modern day to a movie more than seventy-five years old. At least it was historically significant enough that it still found airtime around some holidays, even if the Witch was more memorable than the field of poppies. “ I’ve made experiments with other senshi and with youma as far as duration and area of effect. For the safety of others, I don’t mind agreeing to friendly fire.”
Thraen lifted his hand, covering his mouth a moment in thought, “Let’s try one at a time then to focus on components. Starting with Scholomance? You say ‘other affected’, so you can cast it on other people. Just one at a time? And a duration of a few seconds…immaterial...like phase locking them? Can the effected move? So….”
He eyed the cane, “Cast it on me, and count to see how long you can comfortably hold it. Methone, attack me first with your fists- don’t pull the punch, just aim for chest. Let’s see it in action. Then we can have you cast and hold it again and I can jump to test vertical effect, and sprint to test horizontal effectiveness- possible leap down to the street while you stay here- if it’s a tagged effect or if it requires line of sight. “
“Then a break for you and Methone can test out her eternal magic on me. If it’s a damage effect, it will help- and if she’s able to cast it more than once. It would be good to then test if your magic, Scholomance, creates an immaterial effect to just physical attacks or to magical as well. “
“Do you know, already from use, if it is limited to a whole person, or can you pinpoint smaller areas to cast on like just an arm? And does that sound like a plan?”
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Pixie Nyxie
Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2015 7:45 am
"I've heard it's called Transcendence, and that it has something to do with performing a service for your wonder. Or planet, I suppose, but I don't know if the process is the same for senshi as it is for knights. Or if Babylon's information is completely spot-on. I wager some of it came from inference instead of experiment and proof. He also said it protects you from corruption." Scholomance hadn't asked how Babylon learned of that fact, but he surmised that someone tried to turn him over to the Negaverse and discovered that magical protection soon afterward. He did not ask how it performed such a feat, either; other questions regarding wonders demanded the brunt of his attention at the time.
Scholomance tapped his cane to the ground and folded both hands over the epiphysis neatly. "I'm interested to see both your magics. If we can work out how to work with, or at least around, each other, then we can start teaming up to better effect." He disliked the thought of revisiting a Juno-esque experience. Similarly he couldn't imagine that Thraen or Methone preferred to fight alone, unless they proved particularly adept at battle. Thraen's scars hinted at lengthy exposure to the fray, but Methone lacked much of those indicators. He wondered, then, if her smooth skin was a sign of battle prowess or lack of altercations.
Thraen's magic, though, sounded less-than-useful on a pure damage front. "Wizard of Oz flowers..." Scholomance's heavy-lidded gaze narrowed further. "Didn't they fall asleep in the field? You put people to sleep?" Well. I don't see why you can't just put a few people out and break some necks. Even if they wake up after, it's not like they can do much as quadriplegics. Wouldn't have minded that kind of power with Juno.
Further questions came before he prepared to cast and Scholomance very carefully minded his countenance. Were you listening when I said most of the specifics were in the letter? I think not, sir. "I've only cast it once and it was startlingly painful. I've not tried to see if I can target specifics; we can check if it's possible now."
At Thraen's invitation, Scholomance drew a steadying breath. His hands flexed upon the head of his cane, he mustered what energy he could into his concentration, and tapped the cane to the ground once more to sound a death knell. Soon the earth unraveled, with buildings folding outward into ribboned strips of floating concrete. Lamp posts unearthed themselves and soared into the green-hued sky, their pale gaze focused downward unblinkingly. Flag poles bent, detritus formed thin curtains beneath the now-terraced segments of structures, and light itself bent to a more dismal, oppressive atmosphere. Wind whispered with the disembodied breaths of people who were no longer visible. If Thraen, now a target of the strange otherworld, looked to Methone, he would find no more than a glowing white energy sphere hovering in place. Scholomance, however, looked of a deathly pallor and already starting to deteriorate.
And yet, to Methone, nothing would appear amiss. Perhaps Scholomance would look far too strained for the amount of activity he presented, but Thraen would look no different than a ghost of himself - and, interestingly, he could not be touched.
Ivynian
Squire - Parva Morta Duration: 30 second maximum magic pool Distance: Victims can be tagged up to 20 feet from Scholomance himself Number affected: Up to 3 'tagged' based on line of sight Extra: Magic 'tethers' at 20 feet from Scholomance barring sight interruption Description: Scholomance summons a death knell that will immediately affect 'tagged' characters (anyone focused on by Scholomance within line of sight). Any targeted character will have their corporeal form turned into a ghastly spirit-form, and will find that any attack or attempt made toward corporeal bodies will only pass through their form. In trade, corporeal characters will be unable to strike or harm those who are rendered as spirits. Spirits will see the world around them as an inverted, crumbling version of their current location. Corporeal characters will look to them as blots of energy rather than people. Spirits can still attack each other, and both corporeal and incorporeal characters can attack Scholomance, as he is the link between the illusory otherworld and the real world. Breaking his concentration will end the attack prematurely.
During channeling, Scholomance's magic actively damages him as tradeoff. Effects start at full body ache and exhaustion and can lead up to immediate collapse afterward, depending on circumstances. He is also completely immobile while casting and cannot attack any targets.
"Not gonna lie, if I was to get caught in Oz, I'd like to sleep in a flower field of poppies." She tilted her head, "Worse ways to go yeah?" She shifted and then nodded her head again at Thraen's plan. She wasn't confident in her magic being gentle, as thus far it proved not only to blind but take the wind out of someone.
Luckily Thraen was a eternal like herself, so she was sure he would handle the attack well. When Scholo took to his magic though, Methone waited for whatever...seemed to happen.
It didn't effect her though, and she watched a strange bypass of the two. She waited till at least 10 seconds in before she came forward and threw a punch into Thraen's chest like he directed.
Her punch though...didn't do anything and she cocked her head. "Scholomance." She looked over at him, wondering just what his magic had done.
Strickenized
Ivynian
Posted: Wed Dec 30, 2015 3:30 am
At least they both got the reference. "Yes, sleep flowers. "
'A few occasions', 'in these practice sessions', yet now you say 'I've only cast it once'...there is a disconnect with this one in the written word and the spoken. No wonder he can't answer more. It isn't a matter of offering suggestions of sensory aspects nontraditional for consideration, evaluation and to remember back to and describe from. He's used his magic all of one time. The plurals were false. One time based on it being painful to cast, not to experience, and 'decompressing the world.' On to the start.
While Methone was ...strangely waiting? So long? Thraen tested his boots on the substrate beneath them. Time might be short for how long Scholomance could hold his magic going, which meant Thraen spoke quickly "I can still move. Can you both hear me fine?" It doesn't seem to be comic book phasing- I can't just walk through the building into the rooms below. I wonder if I could put a hand through what looks like broken parts to me, but may be solid to both of you. That can come later.
The city was warped into ruins- broken, glass toothed maws where windows should have been, and blasted, pitted concrete. Rebar and Rolled Steel Joist skeletons loomed with plaster and brick trying to mimic lichen. It was like all of life had been gutted away and the place left not to nature, but time. What must have been Methone and Scholomance were hazy, and much less distinct, and the asked for fist floated through him. And then what must be the other senshi was moving, finally. The eternal of gardens waved a hand experimentally at what he guessed must be Methone's head. It went through. " I can't touch her. "
"Try the cast on her, test the multi-target?" he called over.
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Posted: Sat Jan 02, 2016 11:00 am
Every second spent holding the cast crushed his larynx toward his cervical spine and compressed his bones in a ubiquitous vice. He felt, nearing the end of Thraen and Methone's experiments, that his skin started splitting by the end of it. Breath no longer came at his discretion. The force of his magic pressed him so thoroughly for energy that it drew any respiration from his body. And when Thraen concluded those experiments, Scholomance fount greatly relieved to drop the cast.
The magic redacted to himself, which transitioned all unbound stretches of earth back unto themselves with perfect precision. Scholomance doubled over and panted for a time as he struggled to compose himself. Now he was left to endure a lingering, generalized throb that reminded him quite well of the tolls for his magic. "Yes, just - hold on a minute," he asked breathlessly as he pressed the heel of his hand to his forehead. It felt cool beneath the glove, and provided small comforts against the overall wear and tear. "It's not an easy thing to cast." Or he assumed so, unless he failed to cast properly every time. The aspect that he and Mont Blonc experimented with lacked such a toll, though.
"Okay." As he straightened, he looked to the two eternals. Neither appeared hurt, and while he could do little more than watch them during his cast, he interpreted that the effects of his magic must have left Thraen sequestered. Neither one reached the other. Was it a temporary transparency, then? if so, what was the point of the overdramatic world-ending sequence?
"Your turn, Methone. Sorry." Swallowing, Scholomance refocused his concentration and renewed the cast. Again, the world tore itself asunder, and beyond them the pieces floated gently into their own paths across the sky.
Please let this be worthwhile. The thought transcended to prayer when the pain gripped him again, and threatened a much greater pressure this time.
Pixie Nyxie
Ivynian
Posted: Mon Jan 04, 2016 1:04 pm
Methone looked over at Scholo as he summoned his magic again and realized that she should have at least given him a boost with her extra battery life here. It could've done nothing for him OR it could've helped him feel less....She struggled with the word but less of a toll on his body.
Before she could offer though, he was straightening again and made her even MORE worried. Pushing himself was not the point of this was it? But to see how long or how often he could cast...perhaps so.
"No problem, Handsome." She braced herself for whatever came. The world tore asunder, pieces of the rooftop were now flying back away from her. Scholomance, in the chaotic throw of it all, was the only solid piece. Like Thraen's visions, He was nothing but a blob of form and she didn't reach over to touch him. She did though start to move around, walking from one side of the collapsing roof to another. The ground still felt solid. Her hand reached out to touch a broken piece of wall. Solid as well.
"I can feel this." She murmured and then walked to where Thraen was. "But I can't feel him." If it was anybody but her and Thraen, then would this vision cause a loss of self? Is this what Scholomance saw every time he summoned? On the last edged bit of magic, she started to walk towards him.
She wondered what he saw of her? Was she like one of the corpses or was she a bright ball of energy? Did her Transcendence effect his magic?
The multi-target worked, so it could be cast on more than one person, generally. There had been a misunderstanding in the directives, that Thraen had wanted the cast to be attempted on both of them at the same time, but that could be saved for another go if the man was able, and if Methone stopped wasting time walking, or reiterating what was already discovered about the solidity of the landscape. It was as important, ultimately, to iron out that the knight could cast on this version of 'multi-target.' Thraen's mouth pulled into a line, considering, and justified the redundancy on her glow-marks and how that altered state effected or didn't any magic around her. It was a separate variable. "Methone, try to cast your magic. See if you even can, and if it has any effects to us as you understand your magic to work."
There was the stage wait of interim to allow her to do so. "Then go ahead and let go of the magic, Scholomance."
"Whether you can cast on more than one person at the same time, and the distances is still a mystery, but there's already one very useful application of your magic...I suspect. "
"She couldn't touch me. The mechanics of magic I find vague, but there's a chance that even with the Chaos energy swirling an officer's hand, they wouldn't be able to access a starseed with your magic in the way. Your magic could phase the officer out, or it could phase the attacked civilian, senshi, knight, or otherwise being. You could save a lot of lives with this magic, if that's true- give a chance for people to escape, or subdue enemies so that they could talk. Save lives physically through unharvested starseeds, and save them by avoiding the loss of their self through forced corruption. Or being turned into Youma. "
"If that's true, your magic is incredible, tactically. You could save someone from a traditional weapon blow, or magic. Even not on a battlefield in our shadow war- even mundane as phasing out a dog you see on the street before it gets hit by a car. You don't have to touch them to do it, so the key is then the range and conditions of being able to cast it, how many, how long. If you are able to phase more than one target at a time, whether they are each individual, or if they can access each other could provide time for healing, retreat, casting supplementary magics. It may be distressing to see the ruined world, and causes you pain- there's question if there's any long-term effects on you that it' is causing you pain. How that stacks against the price of a life is an individual call of morality."
"There's the question of whether an agent can teleport under it's influence or not. If they can, can they break out of it's range, or would they phase lock themselves in that state permanently. We don't know...I'm not sure how to test, either, whether it's a time-space portal, a full out dimensional shift, a half shift...I've only very limited schooling in how 'dimensions' and time space actually work under the already vague governing of our cosmic magic. " Rambling in the expanding possibilities was not helpful, even if the tangents and existence of possibilities was undoubtedly exciting. "But that's beside the immediate point. "
