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 Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2008 4:08 pm
 Khamsyn picked up the Lunes and turned them over and over in his hand. He didn't remember getting them, but beggars can't be choosers. Someone, or something, wanted him to have them, so he decided to keep them. He thought of it as a reward for his hard work and studies. Hopefully it wouldn't turn around to bite him in the butt.
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Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2008 10:12 pm
Journal
Wow! It's been one heck of a week. I don't know where to start. Hmm..
Well, Belwen and I seem to be getting closer. We have a great deal in common and she seems to really enjoy my company too. I know I enjoy hers. I have no idea how long it will last, or how far it will go, but I can't fixate on things like that. I'm just going to go with the flow and see what happens. With both of us being Phlegmatic, there is a good chance it'll be a bumpy ride. But heck, isn't life always?
I started my job in the library this week too. My supposed mentor Reqiuem wasn't there, but his assistant Grave was. Grave was extremely helpful and really has a passion not only for his job, but books in general. I'd like to think if I was a little more academic, I'd be like him. He taught me the in's and out's of book restoration and seemed pleased by my progress. I have a lot of work left ahead of me, but I don't see it as work really. More like an opportunity and a passion. So far I'm the only one doing restoration, so its a bit lonely and the whole workload is mine to bear, but that's okay. I'll rise to the challenge.
I joined in the hunt for the abberation Diamond. It's former master, Gavroche, was slain in battle recently and Diamond returned to action faster than anyone expected. I teamed up with Belwen to try and find it before anyone else, but it wasn't meant to be. A trio of Stage Three's found it first and Diamond chose one of them to be it's master. According to Euphrasia there may still be a chance for us all, but she hasn't told us how yet. So, I guess I'll just have to wait and see what she means.
I also had my first ever duel in the arena recently. I was nervous as hell, but my opponent, Abacus, was patient and reassuring. He had to limit himself because I didn't have as many moves in my repitoire as he did, and I think he might have resented that in the end. Mainly because he never landed a single blow against me during the match. I felt sorry for him a little bit, but I realize that it's all part of dueling. I helped him up and back to his dorm room afterwards. It was the least I could do. Besides, he's a really good guy and I hope we can be friends. I also want a rematch with him when my skill level is more on par with his. Just so he goesn't have to limit himself and we can really see who the better man is. I don't plan on dueling again, with anyone, until I get just a little bit more skill under my belt.
I guess that's about it for this week. I can hardly wait to see what next week brings.
-Khamsyn, J.P.
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Posted: Tue Oct 14, 2008 9:21 pm
Books Checked Out:
The Koran (Philosophy)
Introduction to Illumination (Art)
The Weaponless Warrior (Physical Education)
Skills Learned:
The Koran
--Enlil (Mesopotamian): God of weather and storms.
3 – God’s Breath – (Air) – Restores vitality and potency, restoring half total HP.
8 – Father of Gods – (Time) – Allows use of the 3rd level God’s Gift of one of the following deities: Sin, Nanna, Ninurta, Namtar, Nisaba, Pabilsag or Enloilulu.
15 – Banishment – (Ether) – Steals the faithful from the battlefield to the Underworld for the remainder of the fight before returning the Faithful to the realm of the living.
--Nabu (Mesopotamian): God of the scribal arts.
3 -
8 -
15 -
--Innana (Mesopotamian): Goddess of Fertility and War.
3 – Rosette – (Plant) – Brings plenty to crops; triples the yield of one crop.
8 – Dumuzid – (Bone) – Through detailed sexual worship the faithful obtains legitimacy through Inanna, enabling them to command those in their party with a lower Initiative than the faithful.
15 – Lions of War – (Light) – When the faithful heads into battle, he/she is preceded by Inanna’s glowing Lions, which pass through living and inanimate matter alike. Each target they pass through gains an increased difficulty of +5% to block the faithful’s attacks. The RP Manager will roll to see how many targets are affected.
Introduction to Illumination
--Gold (Colour): Gold represents value, masculinity, the sun, power, prestige, the day, authority, the sky and wealth. Bonuses: Increases the Karma gained from male deities by 1 Karma point; increases the effects of Animal Care/Crafting/Science/Cooking by 5%.
--Silver (Colour): Silver represents the moon, femininity, secret power, intuition, the night, the tides, the ocean, health and secrecy. Bonuses: Increases the Karma gained from female deities by 1 Karma point; increases effects of Astronomy/Rhetoric/Botany/Philosophy by 5%.
--Organization (Mandala): Imbues order, discipline, a quiet mind. Patience and endurance are maximized. Effects: Enables one to take full Actions without penalty.
The Weaponless Warrior
--Trip (A): The use of the feet, Tail or (hands if you are on the ground) to Trip an opponent. A successful Trip forfeits your opponent's next turn.
--Jump (J): The skill of jumping up to avoid an attack, gain more strength or feint an opponent. {+3 to defend/+2 to attack}
--Knee (J): A strike with the front of a bent knee to hit joints, soft bones (like the elbow or shin), nerve plexes and Chakras to do damage. {5 damage}
Status: Returned
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Sor Teven rolled 9 100-sided dice:
26, 16, 97, 47, 1, 72, 97, 77, 46
Total: 479 (9-900)
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Posted: Tue Oct 14, 2008 11:14 pm
Khamsyn sat at his little desk staring at the books he'd taken from the library. Each of the three was chosen for a particular reason and he was anxious to study each one and glean new information, but the question was, which one to start with? As he leaned back he was able to read the names on the bindings and began to think logically.
"Well, The Weaponless Warrior isn't going to be the best to read and practice here in my room. It's more of a book that I need to take to the Arena and find a sparring partner to try things out on." Leaning forward he moved the book in question off to the side. That left just the two.
"I checked out The Koran because of the illuminations within it. Studying them will help me in restoring books in the future." He thought to himself, confident about the choice he was about to make. "So before I study the illuminations in it, I should read Introduction to Illumination. If I understand the process better, I can glean more from the finished products." He smiled and picked up the Art book, then moved over to his bed. Laying down, he cracked the book and started to read.
He read for several hours, occasionally getting up and trying a few things out at his desk. He read that in the truest sense of the word, Illuminations were strictly gold and silver only. The other more common coloured ones were technically painted, not illuminated. He continued to read and learned that the colours of gold and silver themselves carried with them meaning and power. One was the colour associated with masculinity, the other femininity. They also held spiritual power and that was likely why a wide variety of religious texts were illuminated in gold and silver. He found the whole thing fascinating and it made him yearn to read The Koran even more now. So much so his focus was starting to drift a little. And that's when he found a section on mandala's.
The mandala's were geometrical symbols that also conveyed special affects upon those who wore them, drew them or bore them in some way. He read over several of them, interested in each, but one stood out more than the others. Organization. A mandala that instilled patience, a calm mind and endurance. All of which he had been wishing for at various times in the last few days. He traced the design out over and over again, each time growing more focused and patient. This was definitely the better book to start with he now realized.
((rolling 3 times each for Gold, Silver and Organization in that order. Why? Just because.
Gold - fail, fail, success
Silver - success, fail, success
Organization - success, success, success!))
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Sor Teven rolled 3 100-sided dice:
84, 78, 32
Total: 194 (3-300)
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Posted: Tue Oct 14, 2008 11:19 pm
Khamsyn felt confident that the mandala of Organization was firmly planted in his brain, but he kept forgetting the aspects of Gold and Silver. He mixed them up a bit and just had a hard time recalling some parts. Picking up his book, he went over them again for an hour. He even drew the mandala on the back of his hand as he studied. Maybe it would help him keep the facts straight.
((2 rolls for Gold, 1 for Silver. In that order.
Gold - success, success!
Silver - success!))
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Posted: Wed Oct 15, 2008 7:44 pm
By the time Khamsyn had finished studying the book Introduction to Illumination, he was eager to start on the next one he'd taken from the library, The Koran. However, as he reached for it, he felt the fatigue in his body and especially his eyes. He knew he could not devote the time necessary to study this book. Not tonight anyways. Nor could he simply put it down and wait until a later time. So, holding it in his hands, he flipped through several pages, not really reading but skimming. Giving himself a taste of what was contained within its beautiful illuminated pages. Every so often he stopped to look at a drawing or quickly read a passage, wetting his appetite. Those short little breaks grew longer and longer until eventually he forced himself to snap the volume shut and put it down on the desk until morning.
Preparing himself for bed, Khamsyn crawled into is bunk with the words and illustrations of The Koran still reasonably fresh in his brain. Within a very short time, sleep claimed him. It was a deep sleep, the kind that is usually the most restful, however Khamsyn's slumber wasn't exactly restful. He began to dream. He saw himself standing on a huge open book. The words under his feet shifting from time to time. Even in the dream he recognized it. It was partly passages from the book he was restoring, The Rig Veda, and partly the book he'd looked at last, The Koran. They mixed in weird ways but Khamsyn still found it interesting none the less. As he read bits and pieces, he became aware that he wasn't alone. At the far edge of the book, at a desk much like his own in the library, sat a figure bent over and working diligently, another figure standing beside him. Much like Grave had stood beside him as he learned his job. As soon as he made that connection, he found himself in the position of the seated individual, but instead of Grave standing next to him, it was a figure from the pages of The Koran.
The figure smiled down at Khamsyn, praising him for his diligent and precise work. It felt good and Khamsyn smiled. Then a noise caught his attention and he looked up to see a woman. A beautiful woman. A beautiful, naked woman. The figure beside him scowled and bade her to leave them alone, but she extended her hand to Khamsyn and he reached for it, his heart entranced. The woman took hold of his hand and he felt flush with vigor, but then the first figure grabbed his other hand and tried to drag him back to the desk and his work. They performed a tug of war using Khamsyn as a rope until, with a snap, they pulled Khamsyn into two peices, each of them whole. One sat back down to work as the other was lead away by the naked woman, a spring in his step and lust in his eyes.
Before the woman could fully lead Khamsyn away, or the first figure could get him focused back on his work, a powerful wind erupted. It seemed to blow in all directions at once and starting blowing the two Khamsyn's back toward one another. As they neared, powerless to fight against the gale, the rain began to fall in sheets. Thunder shook the now visibile, yet dark and chaotic, skies. Lightning snaked down just as the two Khamsyn's were thrust together and fused them into one again. The two figures from before did not look happy, but something beyond their lost prizes seemed to be the root of their displeasure. Striding through the rain was a man, majestic and regal, and he scowled back at the others. As he neared Khamsyn, he spoke in a voice the Phlegmatic could never forget.
"Awake young one, and serve."
Before Khamsyn could ask what he meant, he jolted awake and the dream was shattered. Sitting up in his bed, his breathing more rapid than normal, he lit a candle and did his best to compose himself. The images of all three dream figures were still fresh in his mind, and he knew he'd seen them outside the dreamscape as well. He hadn't realized it until now, but he knew they were within the book he'd skimmed prior to sleep.
Lighting more candles, he snatched up the book and turned page after page until he found all three. Nabu, the first figure, God of the Scribal Arts. Inanna, the woman, Goddess of Love, Fertility and War. Enlil, the last figure, God of Weather and Storms. All three gods of the Mesopotamian pantheon. Enlil's words echoed in Khamsyn's ears once more. "Awake young one, and serve." Khamsyn nodded. He did not have to be told twice. He would do his best to serve all three from this night forward.
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Sor Teven rolled 9 100-sided dice:
31, 66, 16, 91, 47, 36, 8, 75, 39
Total: 409 (9-900)
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Posted: Wed Oct 15, 2008 11:24 pm
It had taken Khamsyn a little while to fall back asleep after his dream about the Mesopotamian gods he'd been reading about. So much so, that he was left tired and weak of mind for the rest of that day. It was all he could do just to maintain his regular studies. Thus, the third book from the library he'd checked out went undisturbed and unread for almost two days before Khamsyn got around to picking it up.
Although he wasn't the most combat oriented Empyrean, there was something about his duel with Abacus that made him want to expand his knowledge on the subject just a bit more. So, he'd checked out "The Weaponless Warrior", the same book Abacus had gleaned the majority of his martial knowledge from. As Khamsyn read through the pages, he bookmarked pages that detailed moves, strategies and philosophies about combat that struck a chord within him. He even got up a few times and, in slow deliberate motions, attempted to mimic the skills he was reading about. In the end, he narrowed down his interests to a few and vowed to go to the Arena and try them out. Not in a duel, or necessarily in sparring with a real person, but just to get used to the proposed movements and make them his own.
A few days later, he did just that. He started with the most basic of the chosen moves. A simple jump. Simple that is, unless combined with an attack or defence move. He lined himself up with a practice dummy and repeatedly launched himself at it. Sometimes he threw a punch, sometimes a kick. Once he was confident he could land the blow at the right moment in the jump, he practiced jumping as he threw a block. Without someone actually striking at him, he found it difficult to get the timing and in the end, decided to try a jumping dodge. He could at least pretend there was a strike coming and do his best to jump away from it. It was easier to visualize and, again, after awhile he figured he had the hang of it.
Next, he tried a new type of strike. Using his knee as the impactor, and, in theory, aiming to strike vital area's, he could add more offense to his repetoire. He tried the knee strike almost nonstop for three quarters of an hour, hitting the practice dummy over and over again until several areas started to get soft and his knee started to pop uncomfortably. He'd even combined it with the jump to strike high on the dummy. This move could be very useful, should he be able to land it upon a breathing, defending opponent.
That just left one more move to try before exhaustion tried to claim him. This move would be very difficult to master without a partner to try it on, so, he went begging to several of the other Empyreans about the Arena until one relented to be the target. The move was a trip. Simple in concept. Drop your opponent by taking out their legs. Once down, in theory, the opponent should waste valuable time trying to regain their footing and get up. Time in which they are vulnerable to further attack. He practiced for a half and hour, with his partner doing little in the way of defence until he figured out the strength combined with the the right area to hit to affect a successful trip. The next twenty minutes he encouraged his partner to not only actively defend, but counter attack when possible. He got a bit banged up but in the end, he was confident in his new found skills. Confident and in desperate need of a bath and rest.
Khamsyn dragged himself back to his dorm room tired but happy. Next time he stepped into the Arena for a duel, he'd have a little more to show an opponent. And maybe he wouldn't be quite as predictable quite as fast.
((For the heck of it, 9 rolls. 3 for Jump at target number 35%, the next 3 for Knee at target number 40% and the last 3 for Trip at a target number of 40%.
Jump: fail, success, fail
Knee: success, success, fail
Trip: fail, success, fail))
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Sor Teven rolled 9 100-sided dice:
19, 53, 58, 84, 55, 37, 82, 14, 79
Total: 481 (9-900)
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Posted: Wed Oct 15, 2008 11:31 pm
Khamsyn was bothered all night by doubt that he really had a handle on his new moves. He really did need more practice like at the end of the session, against a real person who was actively defending and attacking. So, the next morning he returned to the Arena, stretched, warmed up, gave the moves a dry run and once more sought out a sparring partner. It didn't take him long, and once more he faced off against a real person to test his new skills. This wasn't a duel, just a friendly spar. He made sure his Kinesthetic partner knew that ahead of time.
By the time they were done, the doubts had been silenced. He thanked his partner and hurried back to his dorm room to get a quick prayer in before class.
((9 more rolls, same as before, same order.
Jump: fail, success, success
Knee: success, success, fail
Trip: success, fail, success))
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Posted: Thu Oct 16, 2008 10:21 pm
Books Checked Out:
Pilgrim by Timothy Findley (Literature)
Medicine of Essence by Euphrasia (Science)
The Plays of William Shakespeare (Literature)
Skills Learned:
Pilgrim
--Ankle (Targetting): +4% difficulty; +1 damage, Increases the opponent's difficulty on Kicks, stances, Dodge, Dash by 2%.
--Elbow (Targetting): +2% difficulty; Increases the opponent's difficulty on Blocks, Punch, Grab and Throw by 2%.
--Kidney (Targetting): +12% difficulty; Causes the opponent to take 1 more damage on any attack they fail to block until the end of fight.
Medicine of Essence
--Kalmia (Medicine): For cooling the body and muscles, and calming the after efects of adrenaline.
--Cassia (Medicine): Warming and energizing, eases cramping and sore muscles.
--Allamanda (Medicine): Calms stress, fears, paranoia, worries, aids restful sleep patterns.
Plays of William Shakespeare
--Temple (Targetting): +15% difficulty; Causes a concussion, making the opponent unable to target for the rest of the fight, and increasing difficulty on balance by 5%.
--Solar Plexus (Targetting): +10% difficulty; Targetting the Solar Plexus stuns the opponent for 1 turn, and then lowers magical and energetic proficiency for the rest of the fight, raising your opponent's difficulty on any magical or energy manipulation (such as chakra work) by 10%.
--Active & Passive (Cadence): An Active sentence is one in which the actor moves or effects and object, by way of a verb. A Passive sentence is one in which an object is affected by another object by way of a verb. We use Active sentences to direct magic out at others, and Passive sentences to direct magic back upon our selves or our allies. It is important,when wording your spells, to make sure you word them correctly, or the effect may land upon the wrong target!
Status: Returned
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Posted: Sat Oct 18, 2008 11:38 pm
Khamsyn knelt in front of his crude made altar in the corner of his dorm room. He'd already killed the lights and only lit a few candles around the room. Just enough light to see. Just enough light to create a romantic atmosphere. Being stripped naked to the waist helped witht he former as well. Upon the altar rested a sheaf of wheat and a simple blade of arabic design, dull but affective as a symbol. Carefully he dipped his fingers into a small pot of silver paint and wiped a streak across his brow, another stripe was traced from over his heart all the way to his left n****e and finally another streak from the bottom of his ribcage down the center of his chest to the very top edge of his waist, above his groin. He wiped the remaining paint from his fingers upon the blade and wheat. He closed his eyes and brought his breathing under control. His hands instinctively folded into the Prayer mudra as he began his prayer to Inanna, Goddess of Fertility, Sex and War in the Mesopotamian pantheon. He remained in this position, unmoving and reciting the same prayers over and over again until the candles flickered and threatened to extinguish. Just as the first sputtered and died, a warmth filled his body and his eyes snapped open. A smile crossed his lips. He'd been heard.((Ding! 2 Karma! lol))
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Posted: Tue Nov 04, 2008 8:11 pm
Books Checked Out:
The Rig Veda by Unknown (Rhetoric)
A Hand Guide to Mudra's by Melonia (Rhetoric)
Familiars - Tips and Tricks by Lelaus (Animal Care)
Skills Learned:
The Rig Veda
--Anahata (Chakra): -6% when used for pursuits of love and emotional discovery.
--Sahasrara (Chakra): -10% when used for intellectual and spiritual purposes.
--Channeling (Channeling): Channeling is the skill that enables you to direct your Essence along the lines of your body, manifested through your Chakras and directed by your movements or intentions. You can manifest energy in a punch to attack, in a Ward to defend, or even to augment specific spells, like healing, or charging energy. Channeling will allow you to optimize your weilding of power, and will make you as potent as you can be. The mastering of this skill is what seperates a mediocre spell caster or fighter, from those of truly awesome power. Because, really, when it all comes down to it, you can all learn the basics to the last detail, but the flair you give them changes everything.
Another important aspect of Channeling is the ability to diffuse other Essences that are thrown at you, either purposefully or inadvertantly. When casting around other Empyreans, their Essence run-off (called Flow) can muddle and dull your own casting, making it difficult to target, or lessening the strength of your own efforts. Channeling can allow you to diffuse the Flow of those around you, so that you can remain direct and focussed. Conversely, if the Flow and force of another's Essence are directed at you specifically, you can Channel the energy, and safely conduct it out to the world with your own Flow to lessen the damage it can do to your constitution and spirit.
The only way to master Channeling is to practise. It is something that hardens and clarifies in you through experience, and struggle, and effort. Eventually, you will be able to detect Flow, and Channel it as swiftly as you would perform a Mudra, and once you reach this stage, you can even direct Flow through your Chakras to augment your spells and techniques.
Channeling when applied to other skills makes the difficulty of completing them more difficult, but yeilds interesting results.
Channeling + Mudras: +10% difficulty, doubles efficacy of the Mudra on the applied skill.
Channeling + Chakras: +10% difficulty, doubles efficacy of the Chakra on the applied skill.
Channeling + Physical Moves: +15% difficulty; enables Stances and States of Mind to block 3 damage. Enables normal Blocking moves (Block, Dash, Dodge etc) to block their value of magical damage. Enables attacks to strike against magic and counter it.
Channeling + Botany/Cooking: +15% difficulty; for botany... for cooking...
Channeling + Magical Theory: +15% difficulty; increases the point value 1 point per turn you channel energy.
Channeling + Literature/Art: +10% difficulty; for literature it increases the accuracy of targeting meaning it forces the opponent to make a Break roll in which they need to roll better than you to beat you (assuming you succeed your roll), for art...
A Hand Guide to Mudra's
--Pran (Mudra): -5% when used for targeting, healing magics, and energy boosts.
--Garuda (Mudra): -3% when used for defensive and invigorating purposes.
--Mahasirs (Mudra): -5% when used for first-aid and chakra recharging purposes.
Familiars - Tips and Tricks
--Golems (Familiar): The basics of owning and caring for Golems of all three types: Labourer, Defender and Duelist, as well as general knowledge.
--Cicus Pets (Familiar): The basics of owning and caring for Cicus Pets as well as habits and other general knowledge.
--Abberations (Familiar): The basics of owning and caring for Abberations as well as general knowledge.
Status: Returned
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Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2008 7:51 pm
Raelyn smoothed her skirt and shrugged her shoulders with the slightest gesture. "Very well, Golem Creation it is." She paused as if collecting her thoughts and then blinked at him. "What do you know about Golems, for starters?"
Khamsyn blinked several times in rapid order. The truth was he didn't know much about golems other than the basics. It wouldn't help his cause at all to lie to a Professora, but telling the truth was kind of embarassing. With a slight gulp and a nervous little smile he shrugged. "Not much really. I know they are created and are given tasks by their creator. Other than that, I admit I know little." Scratching his chin he looked worried. "Is that a problem?"
Raelyn gracefully shook her head with the same gentle smile. "Not at all, it just gives us a concrete place to begin." She stretched out her hands. "Now then, it is true that they are crafted and given tasks, but there are three different types of Golems for the three different types of tasks: Defenders," Raelyn held up a slender finger, "Duellists" here she held up a second finger, "and Labourers. Defenders are created to protect a target, person or group of people. They are not instigators, nor are they generally used to fight other Golems. Usually they are designed to fight Outsiders, Monsters and natural dangers." Raelyn folded down the finger that represented the Defenders. "The Duellists are designed for fighting for sport in the Arena. They are made to help an Empyrean hone fighting skills, not only for sport but also to better prepare them for fighting in real world scenarios. Their Golems can fight against other adversaries, but they are not built strictly for this purpose." Raelyn folded down the second digit. "The Labourers are not made to fight at all. They are designed to help with the many careers and tasks around Empyrean City, from cooking and cleaning to building and crafting. These Golems are generally less dangerous, and have more freedom in moving about without their masters when working at their tasks." Raelyn lowered her relaxed hand back into her lap and smiled. "Does that make sense so far?"
Nodding, Khamsyn recapped things in his mind. Defender and Labourer types seemed the most beneficial to him, since he had little interest in making dueling a regular pastime. Still, one never knows what the future holds. "Seems pretty straight forward so far." Khamsyn realized he was still standing and quickly took a seat.
Raelyn waited until the Phlegmatic had settled himself and then continued. "Now then, in order to make a Golem of any type, one needs the initial seed: a Golem Shard. Golem Shards can be found practically anywhere in practically anything. What they are if a fragment of a bit of soul or cohesive Ether trapped within a physical manifestation. Things like Denim Blues, Chantilly Lace, Lotus Mantra... The name consists of two parts, the first part being the substance from which it was harvested, the second the type of spirit it contains. However, Golem shards are merely impressions. That leaves them wide open to interpretation, and that's where the art comes in." Raelyn smiled and clasped her hands in a fleeting glimpse of inner excitement. "For conjecture's sake, let's pick a Shard to work with."
"Okay." Khamsyn quirked a brow, not fully sure about the golem shard idea, but he figured he'd understand it more as they went along, if not, he'd ask before they got too far ahead. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to choose a shard, or she was picking one. Since he didn't know any, he hoped the former. "Am I picking, or are you?" He asked tentitively.
"Well, you'll pick..." she opened her other hand and there lay three Shards, all of very different appearance. "You'll pick from these: Lotus Mantra, Bean Magic, or Domino Fallout." The Shard called Lotus Mantra appeared as a guilded broach of lotus leaves, glittering softly and issuing a soft, repetative song. Bean Magic was a small green sprout that seemed a miniature of a larger scene, it was swirling with fluffy white clouds and seemed to be sprputing out of a miniscule wooden cottage. Domino Fallout was spotted like a domino game piece but shaped like a domino mask, though it constantly crumbled at the edges into dust though it never grew smaller despite this decay. "Which will you pick, Khamsyn?"
He stared at all three shards for several long seconds. He knew there was no wrong answer to the question, he just had to choose, but still he didn't want to regret a decision made in haste. In the end two out of the three drew his attention more. Domino Fallout and Lotus Mantra. He closed his eyes for a second and made his pick. "Lotus Mantra."
"Very well." Raelyn put the other two back into her satchel and set Lotus Mantra on her lap, where it continued to slowly rotate and to sing. "Now, what sort of ideas does this Shard invoke in you? What does it make you think of?"
Khamsyn smiled awkwardly. He hadn't been ready for that question, and once again he found that he had to really think about his answer. As bad as it sounds, he didn't think there was going to be this much thinking in art tutoring. "Well, off the top of my head I'd say relaxation. The song it seems to sing reminds me of a lullaby in a way." He paused, thinking of something else. "And maybe concentration. It may sound weird, but I'm finding it a little easier to think while listening to it's song."
Raelyn nodded. "So those influences are your starting point for Golem Creation. The Golem can become anything you want based on those qualities. Anything that has been referenced in any media or in memory or in class material can be pulled on for the concepts of 'Lotus' and 'Mantra'. The appearance and abilities you design for it will reflect those influences."
Having completed restoring the Rig Veda recently, and recalling how many images there were containing lotus', Khamsyn's mind was all a blur. "Wow." The possibilities seemed endless in that second. Heck, lotus' and mantra's played a big part in mudra's, chakra work and even some magical processes. Such a golem could be very powerful. "The possibilities seem endless. Are there limits however?"
"There are no limits on where your design can come from, but you must eventually settle of a set concept, which naturally negates other possibilities. You define these limits in the Golem's Statistics: Cognizance, Independance, Potency, Durability and Speed."
"I see. So while the possibilites in design are, in fact, virtually limitless, there are actual limitations based on concept. That makes sense." He frowned slightly, not from disappointment but from the mental image of his uber golem being deflated a tad. "So what do these statistics govern?"
"The Statistics are basically programming, the Golem's first program is its Protocol - it's purpose, of Defender, Duellist or Labourer. Once it has this program the Statistics tell it how it is to go about its work. Speed governs its agility, dexterity and raw swiftness. Durability or Toughness governs its strength, ability to resist wear and tear and defences. Cognizance governs its intelligence, it's ability to learn new things, and to problem-solve on its own. Independance is its ability to act without command, to take intiiative and to go against its master's will if it deems its protocol override the sensibilities of its commands. Potency is its level of essence, it's power to complete a task, but also its toxicity of Essence Exposure."
"That makes sense, but..." He paused, not sure he wanted to interrupt the flow of the lesson with a left-field question, but he was curious. "...has a golem with a really high level of Independance ever rebelled against it's creator? Is that even possible? And one with a really high Potency can inadvertantly harm it's creator?"
"A Golem will never got against it's main Protocol - such as a defender. But they have disobeyed orders when they thought it best. I had one of my Golems once disregard my warnings entirely. I told her to leave, to get out of harm's way, but she perceived that I was in danger too, and sacrificed herself to save me. In this way, they will sometimes rail out to perform their Protocol duty. She was a Defender, and she died doing her duty." Raelyn's smile because a tad forced and wistful, but she shrugged it off and her gaze cleared.
"Wow. I mean, I'm sorry for your loss, but that was quite heroic." Khamsyn felt a little sadness for Raelyn well up inside of him, but he knew she had made peace with the golems sacrifice. At least on some level, otherwise she wouldn't talk about it as openly. "So a golem can disobey but not outright rebel in the sort that could harm its creator?"
"Exactly. It could not be forced to under any circumstances, it would shut down before it could outright disobey its purpose. Now, within the Stats themselves there is a limit to the distribution of power to retain stability. You have 4 ratings: Low, Medium, High and Extremely High. You must assign one stat to each of these stats, but then you can allot the final stat to a duplicate of any of the four levels." Raelyn nodded to Lotus Mantra. "What sort of allotment would you give this one?"
"Hmmm... that's a tough question. I guess it would partially depend on it's protocol. So, lets just say it was set up as a Defender." He spent a little bit of time thinking and frowning ever once in awhile as something didn't add up in his head. Finally he just started to rationalize it out verbally. "I'd give it a high potency so it could have a significant affect on things, and maybe medium durability so it could take some punishment if needed, but that's not it's main focus." He went over the remaining stats, dreading the Low rating that had to show up somewhere. "Maybe extremely high cognizance and high independance too. Which, I guess, makes it's speed low." Khamsyn frowned. He didn't like making it slow, even though he wasn't really making it at all. He shook his head. "That doesn't seem right though." He sighed. "It should be faster than that. Maybe I should flip the durability and speed."
Raelyn laughed lightly. "It can be any combination you want. Golems of all combinations are needed, so whichever way you end up decided is perfectly alright."
Khamsyn shrugged. "Still, it's the low stat that is the tricky one it would seem. Although, if Lotus Mantra had a low speed it could be because of the relaxed, laid back manner in which is attributed in my mind."
Raelyn nodded. "The Low is not necessarily bad. Sometimes a Low stat can further enhance another stat. For instance, low durability can futher facilitate great Speed. You've got to think about how you want them all to fit together."
"I suppose your right. I guess you just have to listen to your head as well as the shard and really figure out what you want the big picture to be." He smiled. "Okay, assuming that's how the stats were laid out, what's next?"
"Well, next you have to decide what sorts of skills you'd like it to have. Keep in mind Golems can't use magic. They can have unique skills, but they aren't magically based. So, poison would be poison not poison essence. You can have up to 6 skills of a specialty kind and 6 general skills, such as those we learn."
"Alright. Skills like mudra's and chakra's wouldn't really help the golem much though, right?" He tilted his head to one side, then the other. "But I would imagine P.E. skills would as might some of the more hand's on types. Perhaps crafting skills?" It was a shame golem's couldn't cast magic, but understandable in a way. "What about the specialty skills, can they mimic spells in a way?"
Raelyn shook her head. "In order to cast magic, one must have a constantly flowing essence that mingles and exchanges with the world around oneselve, through breathing and heart beats and growing. A Golem is a construct. It has a stagnant amount of energy it wis made with that cannot mingle the way that of a living creature can. They can't mimick spells because they cannot draw on energy to do so. "It is possible to have one have skills made of magic - like duplicating itself, or summoning monsters - but these at the depest level are the effects of the magic used in crafting them, not of their own generation."
"Ahhh, I see." Khamsyn was beginning to see the big picture now, or so he thought. "So the specialty skills aren't magical in terms of casting but they can be made of magic. As long as it was infused during the creation process for a specific affect." He nodded. "So Lotus Mantra could, for instance, produce a calming affect to diffuse tense situations?"
Raelyn nodded and smiled. "Precisely."
"That's pretty cool. Golems seem to be very useful tools, although I'm not sure calling them a tool is the correct term. But I can see why many Emyreans utilize them as they do. Heck, if I had a golem it would be cool if it could help me in my job, or maybe defend me from attack when I'm further along as an Emypr." His eyes seemed to glaze over as he imagined it, then snapped back as he recalled that the lesson wasn't over yet. "Sorry, I got a little lost in my imagination there. Continue."
"Not at all, art is imagination." Raelyn smiled and then bent her head as she continued. "Well, once you have your skills selected you put together any physical designs you want for the Golem to look like. All of these notes and impressions are put into the Crucible with the Golem and woven together by the Golem Incubation Technicians."
Khamsyn smiled as Raelyn wasn't annoyed by the fact he let his imagination trail away on him. In fact she seemed to think it was a good thing. "How long does it take to incubate a golem on average?"
"Oh, anywhere from 3 days to two weeks. It depends on the complexity of the design, the hardness of the Shard and the diligence of the technician."
Khamsyn nodded solemnly. "I assume you're a qualified technician, but who else?" He was curious because if he ever recieved a shard, he wanted to know who to approach. Raelyn might not always be available for such tasks since she was an active Professora as well. He twitched his nose as he waited for her reply.
"Ah, well Euphrasia and I are the main technicians. Danna recently started up a shop and she shows great promise."
Nodding again, he files away those names for later. "Okay, so is there anymore to learn about golems? What's next?" His enthusiasm was getting the better of him and he wanted to learn more, but if Raelyn wanted to stop he'd contain himself and abide her decision. He wouldn't be happy, but he'd live.
"Well, there are skills that you need to program into your Golem. These can be based on the attributes of the shard or the things the shard represents."
Khamsyn quirked an eyebrow. "Like the special skills we discussed earlier? Or something else entirely?"
"These are normal skills, like the kind you learn in PE or Literature, such as attacks, blocks, targeting or the like. The can also be things like "Bite" or "Fly" if your golem is suited for these sorts of things"
"Oh, I see. What about cooking or crafting skills?" He paused, considering something for a moment. "I presume they'd have to have a fairly decent cognizance rating for some skills right? For the more cerebral type at least."
"Yes, so long as they are directly magical skills that require channelling of essence. For instance they can split a seed but not imbue a spell into a seed for druidic magic. They can cook potions but not cast spells"
"They could cut stone or weave fabric though. Alright." Again he takes mental note since some of those skills could be handy for Labourer types more than Defender or Duelist types. "Is it common for most golems to have combat type skills or do some exist that have little to no combat skill at all?"
"It depends on their protocol. If it's a Laberour, there's no point in it having combat skills"
"True." Khamsyn smiled at Raelyn. "Okay, so let me review a bit here. Golems are made from golem shards. The more potent the shard, the more potentially more potent the golem. They can be of one of three protocols when created, Defender, Duelist or Labourer, chosen by their owner. There are five statistics all golems have: independance, cognizance, potency, speed and durability, and one of those statistics must be low, one medium, one high and one very high. The last can be any rating. Golems are programmed with both normal and special skills and, although they channel essence, they cannot cast spells. Am I forgetting anything?"
"That's pretty much the basics of it. Now, once you have all that designed, you take your notes, any of your sketches or diagrams and all of your chosen skills or statistics to a Golem Incubation Technician. They use special magics to acitvate a crucible called an Incubator in which they magically 'melt down' and fuse all the desired qualities and evoke the essence of the Golem shard."
Khamsyn imagined watching the process and was awestruck. "Wow, I'm sure that's a sight to behold." He snapped himself out of awe and blushed a tad. "Someday I would like to make a golem. And not just for fun, but for a real purpose." He knew already that his golem wouldn't be a Duelist. A Defender or Labourer suited him best.
"Well, you're granted credit from Art Class to craft one if you so wish to."
Khamsyn's eyes lit up. A thousand possibilities ran through his brain at once. It took him several seconds of staring straight at Professora Raelyn to even blink and when he did he couldn't stop for another few seconds. "You mean I get to craft a golem for my own? I have to buy or find a shard first though right? You don't just give me a free one?" There had to be a catch somewhere and he wasn't gonna let himself believe it until he found it. Or was convinced that there really was no catch.
"Well, you can either select from these three that we've been working with or you can find your own shard."
His whole body twitched. "Wow... um... do I have to make a decision right away or can I think about it?" As much as he wanted a golem, he wasn't sure the three shards he'd been studying here were what he had in mind. He wanted to be able to think about it and make an informed decision.
"Oh, take however much time you need. Virtue favours the patient."
He smiled again. "Thank you. I don't want to make a rash decision, although both Lotus Mantra and Domino Fallout are intriguing." He chuckled, letting his mind explore the possibilities again briefly.
Raelyn nodded and bowed her head slightly. "Of course... If you end up deciding for one of these Shards, come and see me."
"You can count on it Professora." He nodded himself, the smile on his face now seemed permanent. "And thank you."
"Well, that's the basics of Golem Creation. Is there anything else?"
Khamsyn had been distracted by the whole business of choosing a golem shard or trying to find one himself, so the Professora's question caught him off guard. He took a deep breath and tried to regain his focus and concentration. "I'm willing to learn anything you wish to teach me. That is to say, the effects of colors, mandala's, whatever. Though, if I had a choice, I'd like to learn more colors."
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Posted: Sat Nov 08, 2008 1:52 pm
reserved for the conclusion of Art tutoring
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Sor Teven rolled 4 100-sided dice:
97, 8, 66, 38
Total: 209 (4-400)
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Posted: Mon Nov 24, 2008 6:46 pm
Khamsyn returned to his dorm room after the days worth of classes and slumped into his chair. His satchel was dropped idley near the desk and fell over, spilling out one of the borrowed technorings containing a musical instrument. He stared at it for several long seconds, debating whether or not he should even try. He knew he didn't have any musical talent. Sure, he'd never tried to play, but somehow he just knew it in his bones. His was a tin ear. Still, it was effectively homework for music class, even if the class was done for now. With a sigh, he scooped up the technoring and fished out the other three. He'd borrowed one instrument from each of the categories demonstrated, brass, percussion, woodwind and strings. He just chose them at random, not knowing what any of the names meant. He picked a ring at random and summoned forth it's contents determined to get this over with as soon as possible.
The first instrument to pop forth was from the percussion family. It was labeled as a Tonbak, whatever that was. As Khamsyn summoned it forth, he smiled as a drum appeared. It was fairly small, not tiny but about a half foot in diameter, and was hollow on the bottom. The design of it seemed somehow familiar to him, but he shrugged it off. With the drum there was no real mystery. You hit it and it makes noise. The harder you hit it, the louder it is. He experimented a little and found that where you hit it also makes a difference. He played for quite awhile, surprised at how quickly he was figuring things out. He was still a long ways away from producing music, but he was getting the hang of the beats and rhythm. As much as he was actually enjoying playing with the Tonbak, he needed to at least give the other instruments a try.
Replacing the Tonbak into the technoring, he drew forth the next instrument. This one was tall and pear-shaped. It was a stringed instrument called a Pipa and boy did it look intimidating to the young Phlegmatic. He fiddled with it, first trying to hold it like a guitar but finding it was far too awkward, then pointing it vertically and resting it's base on the chair between his legs. This wasn't the most comfortable position either, but it was the best he could manage. Carefully he placed his fingers on the strings, pressing them down into the neck and plucked at them nearer the base with his free hand. The sounds the issued forth were horrendous! Several of them literally hurt his ears and very quickly Khamsyn decided that this instrument was sent from some dark dimension to torture and destroy mankind. He gave up after a short time and moved on.
He banished the Pipa and chose the next technoring, this one containing a woodwind instrument called a Shehnai. It didn't look all that odd, at least not compared to the previous two instruments, but the sheer number of holes in it spooked Khamsyn a little. This at least seemed fairly straight forward. Blow into the narrow end, cover and uncover the holes with your fingertips and hope not to sound like you're murdering a farm animal. He blew into it and nothing happened. Apparently woodwind instruments were more cunning than he first thought. He tried again and again, changing the way he blew until he finally figured out how to produce a sound. It took him a little bit, but once he got used to how you had to vibrate the reeds inside the instrument, he got several decent and dulcet tones from it. Again, it was far from being called music, but there was a workable base there. He didn't completely suck, which was a nice change from the previous disaster.
The last instrument to be called for was the Cornet. At least that's what it was labeled as. He had no idea if this was indeed that instrument. It kind of looked like a squat version of the trumpet Nehna had shown them. He turned the instrument around in his hands, figuring out where to blow, where to place his fingers and in general how it looked like it was supposed to be played. His heart was pounding as he lifted it to his lips and blew the first notes through it. A noise akin to what he figured a wounded water buffalo might sound like issed forth. He cringed and wrinkled his brow. He didn't care much for the sound of this instrument, but he figured maybe that was a real note. He tried a few more and got a little better at producing a few different notes, though they still sounded like wounded animals to his ears. After a little while, as his face grew darker and darker from blowing into this thing, he called it quits and locked the Cornet back into it's technoring.
He pulled out his notebook and wrote a few short lines about each instrument and decided that he liked the Tonbak and Shehnai the best. Or at least they seemed to be his best instruments at first try. He still wasn't sure if he'd actively pursue playing any of them, but he did rethink his previous opinion about being incapable of making music. He now at least admitted that, with practice, he might just be able to produce decent music. Another side of Khamsyn was found.
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