Legend of Ransera

Posted: **Tue Jun 01, 2021 12:12 am**

The tentative relationship the two young men were forming made Torin feel things he wasn't used to. Accepted for one. He did not seem to be seen as greater than or lesser, which is how he was with everyone else. Aurin was greater than him in a benevolent way, one the young runesmith wanted, but it was still not equality.

In his old village, he had been seen as a charity case, an orphan who had been strange when he'd arrived and never really grown beyond it. In the city, he was a newcomer, a country boy who would never really be one of the other apprentices. More so since he had passed his test, made his first original project, and become first among them in their master's eyes. He was even expected to teach some of the others on occasion, separating him farther from the comradery they shared with each other.

Here was another apprentice who seemed to know enough to be left to his own devices, they were in a similar place in their lives, seemed to be of a similar age. Perhaps Sivan had been an average boy where he came from but here he was an oddity and that made Torin feel a kinship.

His ears would have been perking if they'd been able. He had heard the word for dragonshard before but having it carefully enunciated for him by a native held value. He repeated it several times under his breath trying to catch the lilting quality of the pronunciation. His voice was still deepening and it sounded different coming from him into his own ears but he tried.

Moving with the other man to stand before the display of small dragonshards he inspected them, trying to feel for their potential. The usefulness of being able to read the auras of magical items was becoming more valuable in his head. He knew that many of the highest quality runesmiths had the rune to do so inscribed on their bodies. It made the use of the aether glass less of a necessity. Aurin had the rune as well.

The thoughts gave him an idea and he searched out the bright blue of Aetherstone. He found two pieces that were similar in size and shape and held them out to Sivan. He wasn't entirely sure what he would do with them but he had the stirrings of an idea. Aetherstone wouldn't go to waste in a runesmith's forge regardless. He pulled coins from his pocket equal to the cost. It was more money than he'd ever spent on something on a whim. With the exception of the things he'd needed to make the communication pendants, it was the most money he'd ever spent at one time. But he had the money now, having received his seasonal wages from his master. He'd known that he would be paid but it wasn't something he was used to, having spent the first season of his sojourn in Kalzasi earning his place without pay.

"Thank you." It was a phrase he knew well in the elf's language but he tried to correct his accent now that he was receiving an example of it.

He was a little taken aback by the dreamstone, which was oddly pretty for all it looked drained. He considered the question. It was the sort of thing he'd never been asked. The memory of telling Aurin about his wet dreams came to mind and caused a faint color to rise high on his cheeks. His eyes never left the stone, as if he was able to see the things he spoke of in its depths.

"I dream of home, sometimes, of the green of it. The forest I grew up in. The city is beautiful in its way but I'm still not used to it. I miss the sounds, wind in the leaves." He sighed and then looked away, blushing farther, "I dream about work and normal things too, when I dream at all."

Realizing Sivan might have meant a different kind of dream he added, "When I'm asleep, that's what I dream. For my life?" He looked up toward the higher shelves of the shop as if looking for direction,
"I think all I really want is a place of my own, work to do, maybe a few people who think of me as a friend." It didn't sound like much, spoken aloud; it felt childish and he made a face at himself.

"How much is the dreamstone? I know it's probably no use in 'forging, but it's pretty." He took the delicate stone gently into his own palm, examining it, glancing up at Sivan he returned the inquiry.
"What do you dream?"

Posted: **Sun Jun 06, 2021 3:32 pm**

Quickly doing the arithmetic in his head, his lips moved quickly, though no sound came out as he spoke through the calculation in a language Torin barely knew.

"Two minor aetherstones, forty-two gold, five silver. Another twenty gold for the lesser dreamstone." He pursed his lips slightly, frowning. The latter hardly seemed worth it, at least insofar as he understood its value to a runeforger, but then it wasn't his demesne. Perhaps a clever artisan who knew his trade could manage quite an efficient use of the stone's faint power. They were rare, after all. Certainly quite a bit rarer than the aetherstones, whose power would be stronger if less refined. In any case, he wasn't fluent enough in Common to be sure anything he said wouldn't be taken with affront. He oughtn't to tell someone how to do their job.

He smiled mildly. In Common, "Sixty-two gold, five silver."

People could be strange about money and mercantile transactions from city to city. When wily magi tried to talk him down, he was only too happy to blink at them, shake his head, and tell them the price again with his clearly foreign accent. Torin didn't seem to be that type, though.

The transaction done, he listened to the other man's dreams—both kinds. Nodding, he followed with a rueful smile when the question was turned back upon him. It was only fair.

"Belonging," he said in Mythrasi. It was elegant in its connotations, but unlikely a word Torin knew and so he offered a series of fractured phrases that might give him a kaleidoscopic view of his answer. "To be. Me. A place. People. Harmony. All right." He made a couple of gestures that were unconscious bits of Rivach body language, implying more meaning and nuance. Then he held out the dreamstone to Torin.

"Someday." He stuttered through more fragments of phrases, eager to change the subject away from a point of vulnerability. "I see forge. Perhaps. You work... I help?" He listed his own areas: "Clockwork. Alchemy. Artificing. Spiritwalking." The last was a gift of his Dratori blood rather than something he got from a rune or an apprenticeship. He vaguely wondered if there was a way to imprint the ability upon an artifact, the way aether glass gave people some ability to see aether without a rune etched into their flesh and soul.

It was another point of vulnerability, putting himself out there to be rejected. But he was more confident in his abilities than his value as a person.

Posted: **Wed Jun 09, 2021 10:13 pm**

He knew almost all the words Sivan used for the calculation, they were part of his own trade too. The translation was appreciated but he had already been counting out the coins from his pouch when it came. Once he had paid he pulled a clean kerchief from his belt pouch to carefully wrap each stone in its own section of fabric and tuck them back into the pouch.

He did not know the word that answered his question but the way the elf said it had meaning, a meaning that stirred a kinship of need in Torin. He nodded, slowly, now breaking eye contact as the man tried to translate the feeling into Common.

"I too, want." He didn't realize he was responding in Mythrasi until he heard the words out loud.

Sometimes he felt as if he could almost understand languages he didn't know, if the person was speaking to him with meaning. It was a fancy he'd had since he'd been a child asking questions of the merchants or the guards that kept their traveling caravans safe. His old master had done good trade with traveling merchants and the caravans of other types that came and went on the main road outside the village. He had taught Torin what words he knew and the boy had sought more, even giving small things he had made (not magic) away in exchange for a half-hour lesson or a smattering of answered questions.

The gestures he recognized vaguely too, stretching his memory to try and recall what each added to meaning.

He lit up at the offer of working together, somehow brightening without changing his expression beyond a small smile. He didn't want to overwhelm Sivan but he was grinning inside. He nodded again,

"I would like that. Work together." He pointed to himself and went on with words he was more familiar with, "Runesmith. Blacksmith. Leatherworking. Jewelry. Glasswork..." He made a face and moved his hand to imply that he was only so-so when working with glass.

"We can show each other, help each other work." Unconsciously he made a gesture that was almost Rivach for Pleased Acceptance.
"I learn... Clockwork. Make for you parts?"

He wanted to be able to at least understand the basics of clockwork mechanisms. As a boy, he had dreamed of exploring the Clockwork Wastes, discovering and recreating the ancient works of wonder. The dream had faded into practical magic as he grew but the fascination remained. Artificing was another thing altogether, while the idea excited him it also frightened him, giving life to the metal things he made felt...

Not wrong, not exactly, but too godlike for Torin to be entirely comfortable with. He looked at Sivan with a new level of respect but didn't let the feeling distance him from the budding friendship they were crafting together.

Posted: **Wed Jun 09, 2021 10:32 pm**

It was Sivan's job to wrap the stones for a customer, but he didn't make things more awkward by correcting a customer, especially one who took the time and made an effort to communicate clearly with him. With most people, it was frustrating. With his burly human, it felt more like they were working together to share meaning. Perhaps that boded well for future collaboration, in fact.

"Oh, also Semblance." Then he repeated it in Common, tapping his temple to indicate his eyes and what they could see without aura glass. Perhaps he could help the man create aura glass and see how it was done. He was unsure whether it required someone with the rune to imprint it upon the material.

"Clockwork." He nodded. "Is math. Measurement. Metallurgy, but also..." He smiled, running out of the words he needed. "Will try teaching basic things."

But he smiled slightly and tried a different tack. "Must focus alchemy for Master Jacun. Small clockwork projects. Can do together, if time is there. Apprentices never sleeps."

He rolled his eyes in what he hoped was long-suffering camaraderie. Sivan had never been a natural with other people. His old master had been patient and wise, and seemed able to bring out the best in Sivan. That didn't really happen anymore.

But this one seemed a sort of gentle giant, patient in a way that made Sivan worry less that he would lose his temper, which was dangerous for even half a Dratori. Perhaps their exchange of knowledge and novice way of thinking about things would lead to little discoveries that they wouldn't get from their masters. Jacun was certainly busier than his former master had been, running his shop, doing his works, hobnobbing with important people around the city. Quite a bit of his education was more directed by the man than directly instructed. Perhaps it was time to take matters into his own hands.

Posted: **Thu Jun 10, 2021 12:40 am**

The elf had a rune, the same rune Aurin carried, or one of the ones Aurin carried. Perhaps, if he was ever able to afford such a gift he could learn something of it from Sivan too. He harbored secret hopes, ones he did not allow himself to fixate on, that Aurin might transcribe the rune onto his body someday. He would have to be able to afford the materials and he would want to pay for the gift, though he doubted Aurin would let him. It seemed like a great responsibility, the ability to read the nature of things, of people. Daunting even. He wanted it for his work. Even with the things Aurin was beginning to hint at teaching him the idea of using Semblance on people to gain an advantage simply did not occur to the smith.

It seemed he was going to be doing most of the learning in this new relationship too, he just hoped his ability to craft useful things didn't run out while he still wanted to learn.

He said the name of the rune in Mythrasi until he got the little nod that meant he was saying it correctly, or, at least correctly enough to be understood. He pointed to himself with an apologetic little shrug, "No runes."

"Math, measurement, metallurgy, I know these, very well. I need to learn..." Even in Common he wasn't sure what word to use, "Mechanism? Moving parts."

He rolled his eyes in commiseration at the comment on the life of an apprentice, almost launching into a bemoaning litany of the things he had been pushed to do over just the last week. Still treading carefully he said only, "My master too, same work, over and over, never believes I know."

Shrugging one shoulder he recanted a little, "It's good to be sure, but, boring, so boring." He tried to speak slowly without mocking so the elf could hear each word individually.

The prospect of learning was making him a little giddy, more relaxed than he might have been but he was still careful. Torin was always careful.

His own master was also busy a lot, between training some blacksmithing apprentices and one other runesmith apprentice, running the shop, meeting with merchants to purchasing or arranging for the procurement of supplies there were often days between when Torin would see the man. He was good at his job and an adequate teacher but the purely business arrangement had been a severe letdown when Torin had first arrived in the city. The closeness with which he had worked with his own previous master, so close they had often been able to runeforge the same piece together, had been his ideal.

"My old master was better." He sounded a little sad, though he tried to keep within the lighthearted nature of this part of their conversation, "He trusted me more, knew me more, you know?"

Posted: **Thu Jun 10, 2021 1:42 am**

Sivan shrugged and smiled. The having of more runes could be helpful in certain senses, but sometimes more wasn't better. It was exciting when he was able to make a connection between one type of magic and another, but he often found himself taking longer than he needed to learn new things because he was constantly looking for how they fit in with other things. He just didn't know enough to have the proper context. He had to trust Master Jacun to teach him, but as good as the man was at alchemy, he hadn't quite formed a personal bond with Sivan the way his old master had. Perhaps it was a matter of timing. Perhaps Sivan was too old to form that sort of a relationship. Perhaps he hadn't quite committed to this one because he had so many problems on his plate.

Then Sivan nodded, parroting his new master: "Practice makes perfect."

He wasn't wrong, but the elf did sometimes feel as though he was ready to move onto the next thing and Jacun didn't trust him. It was frustrating.

"My old master was... more." He was parroting the way Torin had said it, trusting he knew Common better. He hoped the way he expressed it didn't connote any disrespect for Master Jacun, but that he had worked better with his previous master. They, along with IX, had worked like clockwork. Now his master was dead and IX was the automaton's version of comatose and Sivan was just trying to carry on carrying on.

But time was carrying on now and rather than getting maudlin, he figured he ought to get back to work.

"You go now. I finish work. Start sketching plans you make pieces. Next time. You bring pieces. We put together. Yes?"

Posted: **Thu Jun 10, 2021 2:42 am**

Torin nodded, he knew what losing a master felt like. He was curious as to what had become of Sivan's previous master but asking the question would mean Torin having to discuss the fate of his own and he wasn't ready.

"Practise makes perfect." He intoned in the same way then pulled a face to show what he thought of that, ending with quiet laughter.

He nodded when he was asked to leave, it was time he was getting back anyway, his lunch hour was almost over.

"I can come back tomorrow to pick up the plans, or the day after? Then next week when I have them made?" The last was more of an estimate. He didn't know what they would be making nor how many pieces would be needed, nor even how to make them. He was confident that he could figure out schematics for metal and forge them in the hours between the evening meal that marked the end of his workday and when he went to bed. If there were a hundred though, it would take him more than a week.

"Something simple to start?" He made it lightly self-deprecating in tone and expression, but there was humor too.

When their plans had been made he put his mittens back on and walked back to the forge too excited over the prospect of a friend and the chance to learn clockwork to really feel the cold at all. Catching up a snatch of a seasonal song of joy from inside a tavern he passed he raised his own clear voice and sang low and sweet the rest of the way back home. Compared to how he had felt about his life in the city only a season ago things were looking up indeed. Perhaps there was reason to celebrate during Frost as in the fertile season. Perhaps Frost simply was Torin's fertile season.

Posted: **Tue Jun 29, 2021 3:41 am**

Responsibility

Points awarded:

Sivan - 8 {Can be used for Alchemy}
Torin - 8 {No Magic}

Lores:

Sivan
► Show Spoiler
Alchemy: Multitasking
Alchemy: Piecework Between Customers
Alchemy: Use of Mortar and Pestle
Alchemy: Magical Reduction
Alchemy: Grinding Down Crystal
Alchemy: Understanding Controlling The Environment

Artificing: Using Correct Tools

Business: Discussing Your Abilities

Clockwork: Simple Repairs
Clockwork: Remembering Where Everything Goes
Clockwork: Arranging Pieces for Assembly

Linguistics: A Patient Teacher
Linguistics: Learning While Teaching
Linguistics: Practice With A Native
Linguistics: Expressing Emotion With Few Words
Torin
► Show Spoiler
Business: Trade Work
Business: Discussing Your Abilities

Runesmithing: Knowing Dragonshards by Sight

Linguistics: Practice With A Native
Linguistics: Repeating For Correction
Linguistics: Putting Information Together From A Small Vocabulary
Linguistics: Sounding Things Out
Linguistics: Learning New Words
Linguistics: Learning While Teaching
Linguistics: Correcting Accents

Clockwork: Watching It Move To Understand
Clockwork: Figuring Out Where Things Go
Clockwork: Treat It Like a Puzzle
Clockwork: Imagining Improvements
Clockwork: Collaboration

Loot:

Torin:
+Two Minor Aetherite dragonshards and one Minor Somnosyte
- 62 gold, 5 silver

Injuries:

N/A

Notes:

Great thread!
If you feel I missed anything contact me and we will make adjustments!
enjoy your rewards!

Legend of Ransera

Responsibility [Sivan]

Re: Responsibility [Sivan]

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