Oversteppin'

The Umbrium is the lower half and secondary seat of the Solunarian Capital and one of the dual-cities that comprises Solunarium Proper. Before the rise of Aværys, mining revealed the site of a ruined, underground city which they dubbed Oblitium “The Forgotten City”, the foundations of which were incorporated into what is now The Umbrium. Warmed by the magma that churns just behind the walls, the Umbrium houses the Palatium Umbrarum (The Shadow Palace) which was constructed directly beneath its sunlit counterpart, the Blazing Palace. This palace serves as the primary seat of government when the sovereign is moonborn, and houses the headquarters of The Silver Sentinels.

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Cloud Caelum Garr
Posts: 66
Joined: Tue Mar 07, 2023 3:27 pm
Character Sheet: viewtopic.php?t=4191
Character Secrets: viewtopic.php?t=4194

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Frost 25 122
Garr sat at his desk, trying to focus on the lecture about traversion being taught by his professor. But his mind kept wandering off to other things, especially when his classmate, Josh, started talking about his weekend plans.

"I'm going to have some guests over this weekend and I plan on entertaining them with my magical powers," Josh said, grinning.

Garr rolled his eyes. He didn't really care about Josh's social life and he certainly didn't care about his magical powers. He just wanted to get through this boring class and move on to something more interesting.

Finally, the lecture was over and it was time for the practical portion of the lesson. Garr stood up from his desk and walked over to the designated area. The exercise was to Hitch objects over to themselves. Garr had done this before, but he still struggled with it.

He looked at the objects on the table in front of him and focused on the one he wanted to Hitch over to himself: a small book. He concentrated on the object and felt a small surge of power. The book lifted off the table and looked like it was going to teleport over to him, but it didn’t.

Garr frowned, trying to figure out what went wrong. He took a deep breath and focused again. This time, the book warped into his hand and he caught it easily.

"Good job, Garr," Professor Fairweather said, nodding in approval. "Now let's try something a bit more challenging."

Garr felt a small sense of relief that he had passed the first test, but he knew it wasn't over yet. He looked at the next object on the table: a shoe. He concentrated on it, feeling the power within him grow stronger. The shoe lifted off the table and warped towards him, but it veered off course and appeared behind him instead.

Garr sighed, feeling frustrated. He knew he had to get better at this if he wanted to become a skilled magician. He tried again, focusing on the shoe and willing it to come to him. This time, the shoe teleported into his hand and he caught it with ease.

As the exercise continued, Garr found that he was getting better at Hitching objects over to himself. He was able to bring larger and heavier objects, like a chair and a small stool, with more ease than before.

Garr would have liked to go home, but he had yet another Traversion class after this one. He made his way to that one and sat in his seat, listening to the professor drone on about the ability Vault. He couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement stir within him. He had always been fascinated by the idea of longer ranged teleportation, and Vault sounded like the ultimate expression of that power. As the professor continued to speak, Garr found himself leaning forward in his seat, hanging on every word.

"One of the reasons Vaulting is powerful, is because you don’t need to see your destination," the professor explained.

Garr's mind raced with the possibilities of what he could do with this ability. He could travel anywhere in the world in mere moments, appearing and disappearing like a ghost. He could evade enemies, ambush unsuspecting foes, or simply explore the far reaches of the world. The professor continued to speak, detailing the intricacies of Vault and the difficulties inherent in mastering the ability. Garr listened intently, taking notes and mentally preparing himself for the day when he would be able to Vault.

Vaulting sounded like such an amazing power, and he couldn't wait to try it out for himself. As soon as the professor dismissed the class, Garr quickly gathered his belongings and sat very still at his desk. He took a deep breath and focused on the energy within him, searching for the right pathways to attune to. With a sudden burst of energy, he leapt forward, willing himself to teleport outside of the classroom.

But nothing happened.

Garr frowned, trying again and again to Vault himself to the other side of the door. He could feel the strain on his aether as he tried to align the appropriate pathways, but it was like there was an invisible barrier preventing him from succeeding. He couldn't understand it - he had managed to Hitch objects to himself easily enough earlier, so why was Vaulting proving to be so difficult?

Frustrated, Garr took a step back and closed his eyes, trying to center himself. He concentrated on his breathing, feeling the aether within him flowing through his body. Slowly, he began to understand what the professor had been saying about the difficulty of aligning the appropriate pathways for greater distances. It was like trying to navigate a maze blindfolded, with only his intuition to guide him.

He was not going to let the failure in the classroom bring him down. He knew that he had to keep practicing if he wanted to get better. So, he went back home and up to his room and locked himself in. He was not going to come out until he could successfully Vault himself to the kitchen. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, focusing on the mental image of his kitchen. He visualized himself standing there and started to attune his aether to the appropriate pathways in the Slipspace. As he opened his eyes, he felt a rush of energy surge through his body. He vanished from his room and reappeared in the hallway, several feet away from the kitchen.

He tried again, this time concentrating harder, trying to visualize every detail of the kitchen in his mind. He disappeared again, and this time he reappeared in another room. He kept trying and trying, sometimes ending up in random rooms around the house. But he persisted, each time gaining a better understanding of the pathways he needed to align. Hours passed, and Garr started to feel the effects of hunger and exhaustion. But he was so close, and he knew it. He focused all his attention on the kitchen, and finally, he made it. He appeared in the middle of the kitchen, a huge grin spreading across his face. He had done it! He had actually successfully made his way to his intended destination! Garr's dedication and perseverance had paid off, and he knew that he could use this newfound power to accomplish great things.

Not two minutes after Garr celebrated, he felt his head spin and a sudden wave of nausea hit him like a ton of bricks. He knew that he had pushed himself too far with his magic usage that day. It wasn't the first time he had overexerted himself, but this time it was different. This time, the dizziness and nausea were more intense than usual, and he felt as if he could faint any moment. He stumbled to a chair, where he collapsed, feeling weak and dizzy. Garr lay there, his breathing labored, as he realized he had been too ambitious with his magic today. He had let his excitement and desire to improve his abilities cloud his judgment, and now he was paying the price. After a few minutes of lying there, he forced himself to sit up and take deep breaths to calm his racing heart. He knew he needed to take a break from his Traversion classes for a while, at least until he had fully recovered. He resolved to be more careful with his magic usage in the future, knowing that he couldn't afford to take such risks with his health.

Garr was barely conscious as the servants carried him to his room. He felt weak and exhausted, his body aching all over. The servants were worried about him and talked amongst themselves about what could have caused his condition. They carefully placed Garr on his bed and one of the servants went to fetch a glass of water for him. As he lay there, Garr couldn't help but feel embarrassed about his current state. He was always so focused on honing his magical abilities, he had neglected to take care of his physical well-being. He had pushed himself too hard and now he was paying the price for it.

The servant returned with a glass of water and helped Garr sit up to drink it. He could feel the cool water soothing his parched throat and the refreshing sensation spreading throughout his body. The servant instructed him to rest and promised to inform his brother of his condition. Garr nodded weakly, his eyelids growing heavy. He was grateful for the servant's care and concern.

It wasn't long before his brother arrived, his expression a mix of concern and frustration. Garr knew his brother would scold him for overexerting himself this much. It wasn’t the first time Garr had overstepped, but it’d been a while since it’d been this severe. His brother checked his pulse and examined him, asking questions about his symptoms and what he had been doing. Garr explained what he could then passed out once more.
word count: 1544
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Hilana Chenzira
Posts: 858
Joined: Fri Aug 19, 2022 3:14 pm
Location: Solunarium
Character Sheet: viewtopic.php?t=3526
Character Secrets: viewtopic.php?t=3545
Letters: viewtopic.php?t=5196

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Name: Garr

XP: 8 Points, can be used for Traversion
Lore: 6 Lores
Injuries/Ailments: Severe headache lasting three days, can be lessened with proper medical care and treatment. Bouts of unconsciousness and nausea for the next day.
Loot: None

Notes: Limits are made to be broken, and Garr did that in style. I would recommend you consider changing the names of your NPCs here in order to be consistent with the setting... 'Josh' might be a peregrinus, perhaps, but there are better fitting names. 'Fairweather' is certainly not a name one would find on a paedagogus of the Academia Arcanum.
word count: 118
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