Legend of Ransera

Posted: **Wed Mar 08, 2023 2:05 pm**

When she saw how Aoren insistently got Daemon tucked against him, the girl was definitely grinning. She was not shy about such things herself, especially physical affection, and the two of them had that in spades. It was nice to see more of such emotion in the open, even if it was just the three of them and Hilana’s animal companions. She listened attentively, though, as it was explained that as her practice and skills grew with the Elements, they would not be so harsh with her. Perhaps she wouldn’t need to take Fire as Arche after all.

A further suggestion of Scrivening and Glyphs followed, and Hilana brightened further. She was not going to put too many eggs in the basket of how her progress with the magic might fare over the next season; that would be foolish and arrogant to assume someone like her would pull that off. But His Divine Radiance had had faith in her ability with it, so the Vastiana wouldn’t count herself out yet. Any which way, being able to draw on other disciplines could only prove beneficial to her in the long run. Cooling stones, glyphs, and whatever skill she had managed to build herself up to... She could likely talk to one of her other paedagogi who was Arche to water, about the formulation of an ice stone. It wouldn’t do for his student to get turned into crispy-fried Hilana through the temperatures of the volcano’s depths, after all.

When he offered to show her, she bowed her head to him. “I would like that very much, please. Thank you, Daemon,” she beamed at them. “I have a book at home that is an introduction to the various disciplines of world magics, and I... well, I skipped the Scrivening chapter to go right to Alchemy. But I will go back to it. Tiaz is my witness,” she indicated the snake quite solemnly. The solemnity was replaced by delight when he asked if she might take him as a student as well, and Hilana was right back to smiling. “I would be honoured to teach you. Both of you, if you would also like to learn,” she included Aoren. She was strange enough for a Solunarian, but she loved her culture and she was proud of it, and if the Kalzasern Avialae wanted to learn about it, then she was more than happy to share and teach them. “Our language can be a bit tricky to start with, but once you get the hang of it, I believe you will pick it up quickly.”

As he began to dish up the rice, the girl turned around to start unpacking her prepared picnic from Hayima’el’s saddlebags from where her camel had settled behind her. One had to wonder if the saddlebags were enchanted, if there was some nomadic ability to stuff these bags, or if it was just her ability as a packrat to be able to squirrel away so much in them... but the girl had brought plenty. Apparently she was expecting the mage that hadn’t come to have had a huge appetite. Either that or she had her own supernatural ability to eat more food than she should have reasonably been able to. Jars and boxes, bundles of wrapped cloth, and a large drinking skin came out, along with wooden plates. Tiaz just remained where he was around Hilana’s shoulders, not at all disturbed or bothered by her movements, as she began to open up what she had to share. Rolled and stuffed grape leaves, three different types of dips, pita breads that had been cut up and fried to turn into chips, some sort of wrap made with the pita, meat (perhaps a mixture of lamb and beef), a creamy-looking sauce, tomatoes, lettuce, and onion. There was a jar of olives, a container of meatballs on sauce, and triangular pastry that looked about ready to burst and was topped with a smattering of white sesame seeds. Then there was a dark-looking loaf cake that had been sliced and was studded with some sort of fruit and walnuts, and yet another container of pastry that was dusted with pistachios and honey.

It seemed that Hilana was ramping up to give them their first lesson on Solunarian culture with some of the food. “Dolmades, dolma, which are stuffed grape leaves. These dips are hummus, which is made of mashed chickpeas... this is labneh, which is kind of a whipped yogurt with oil, and this one is tirokafteri, which is a feta cheese dip. It’s a bit spicy,” Hilana added a warning. “But it won’t burn your tongue out,” she added, her eyes dancing. Aoren was a dragon and Daemon was the God of Light, so they could surely take a bit of heat. “Pita chips, a flatbread that we make, and then you can either bake or fry the bread again to make a cracker of sorts for the dips or for eating. Same pita is here, with the wraps... gyros, which is beef and lamb, with tzatziki, a yogurt and cucumber sauce. Olives stuffed with whipped soft cheese and pickled peppers. These meatballs are beef and pork, and we call them kefetedes,” the girl explained. “The sauce with them is a tahini sauce, which is made from sesame seeds, lemon, and garlic, among other things. These pastries are hand pies stuffed with cheese, and we call them tiropitakia,” she explained. “And for dessert, I brought date and walnut sweetbread and this is baklava, which is a pastry with nuts and honey. And this drink isn’t one with alcohol, but it is a traditional Vastian sweetened tea, made with hibiscus and fruit to make it a bit sweeter,” she poured some of the contents of the skin into wooden cups, which she also offered to them. Surprisingly, it was still cold, so whatever insulation she had in that skin did its job.

Hayima’el got his own platter, which was apparently cactus paddles that had been chopped up and bright red, spiky fruit. “His favourite,” she added. “Cactus paddles and prickly pear. Good for us, too, but he gets a treat,” Hilana was cheerful. "We can fry these, or stew them, or have them in soups. They grow fast, and we find them often in the Sands."

Posted: **Thu Apr 06, 2023 12:33 pm**

As he began enjoying his food, he listened to Hilana explain the various dishes that she pulled out of her satchels. He had a fondness for spicy food, as did Aoren. The use of spices in food was not foreign to them given that curry was a favorite dish in Kalzasi.

“Spice is not foreign to me. Curry is a favorite in my country. The spicier, the more it is enjoyed. There is a whole competition every summer where chefs around the city gather together and compete for who has the spiciest curry. It is a favorite event. Many culinary artists spend the whole spring preparing for the competition every year. Wine merchants. Pastry chefs. It is a very big event because it brings the whole city together.” He could see the banners and decorations sprawling outward across the city from the Plaza of Jeweled Arches. With the presence of the eclipse however, he had to wonder how that would affect the celebration. Would it be able to take place? He did not know.

Reaching over to his own Featherlight Bag, he retrieved a roll of paper along with some Spellwright’s Ink. As he brought some rice and fish to his mouth, he unfurled the paper and unstopped the bottle of ink. With a flick of his thoughts he grabbed some of the liquid ink. The touch of his kinetic manipulation caused the ink to ripple and glow with electrified power. A tendril of ink rose up from the bottle and began spreading across the paper.

“Pictography is about intent. There are a few basic shapes but ultimately, the meaning you place upon the symbols becomes the meaning that is translated into the aetheric signature placed upon them. You could draw a flower and so long as each piece of that flower, from the stem to the petals, was awoken to the fundamental purpose served by each portion of a pictograph, then it would function just as well.” To illustrate this, the pictograph that he designed became something that resembled a blooming lily. When the whole of the pictograph had been drawn, he returned the ink to the bottle then reached out to touch a finger to each section of the blooming flower.

“This is the Mirror. The purpose of the Mirror is to absorb, copy and reflect aether.” His finger became ensconced in electric blue aether that began funneling into the center of the flower. The corresponding symbols absorbed the aether and once the intent and purpose was locked in, the color returned to normal.

“The petals form the various Paths. A path is exactly that, it is simply an avenue through which the magic you imbue upon the pictograph to travel. Length and shape can play a role in how the magic is manipulated, accelerating it, slowing it, or dispersing it in ways that assist you in achieving your goals.” He awoke the petals of the flower to their purpose and watched as the aether was absorbed and cemented into place. Where each petal met and overlapped, Daemon brushed his finger along the surface.

“A Convergence is where two or more Paths cross. It can be a junction where the energy imbued upon the pictograph is stored and redistributed.” Again, he awoke that section of the flower to its intended purpose then waited for it to settle.

Within each of the petals of the flower, an elaborate swirling pattern could be seen. These swirls eventually filled out the whole of the petals to form an intricate design that resembled the veins in natural flowers.

“These are called Continuums and Vortecis. A continuum is like the control door in a waterway. It will block energy that moves too fast or accelerate energy that is moving too slow. It can redirect energy to portions of the pictograph that are lacking. A vortex is a well where energy can be stored. A gathering place for purposeful and even errant magic.” Brushing his hand over the flower, he then extended it to Hilana.

“Finally, the entire pictograph forms what is called a Glyph. A Glyph is a complex pattern that combines all individual aspects of pictography to create a working sigil with a layered purpose. You can use any subdivision of Scrivening. A simple Mirror can be just as useful as merely drawing a quick Path. Each facet has its uses.” He took a moment to eat some more of his food as he gave Hilana a minute to examine the glyph that had been drawn.

“This Glyph does not yet have a set purpose. You can give it one. Simply touch the Mirror and imbue it with the type of magic you intend for it to copy and reflect. If you wish for it to absorb and store heat, simply touch fire magic upon it. Mind you, that heat will eventually be released when the glyph reaches its capacity. If you wish for the sigil to be more specialized, such as being able to redirect heat and disperse it continuously, you will need to modify the glyph and imbue with the design and intent to do so.”

Posted: **Thu Apr 13, 2023 12:05 am**

Come to think of it, Finn had never had a hard time with spice, but then again, Hilana had been careful to ease him into it. She knew full well that it was one thing to be spicy and flavourful, but one just had to be mindful of the heat. But as Daemon told her about this spicy foods festival, because had he mentioned pastry chefs so unless pastry chefs were making curries... the Vastiana was all ears, and her mind was already whirling with the implications and possibilities. “Is it only curry? Or are there categories for desserts, too, since you mentioned pastry?” she asked him, clearly delighted by this prospect. If it was in the summer, then that meant she had two seasons to cultivate the spiciest vegetables in the kingdom, and practice with them. And then she could surely ask Finn to take her there so that she could bring her entries! She would just have to see who had the strongest stomachs in order to taste-test these culinary... well... creations.

She wondered if being half-dragon would affect Arvaelyn’s constitution and his ability to handle the heat and spices. She would have to ask. Some part of her wondered if one of his paternal family members might help, but on the other hand... Hilana was not certain it would be smart to ask. She would have to see how her quest went. If she managed to find the Horn, and the Dragons returned to the Kingdom... Well, maybe she could make friends amongst them and they might be willing to try it. There was no harm in asking. But if that spice and heat built up for a dragon, then it would be plenty for a mortal.

As the God of Light retrieved his ink and paper, the herbalist lowered her gyros to the wooden plate. This was far more important than the food to her, and her eyes bright with delight as her head tilted and she watched him begin his work with the ink and kinetics, and the way he drew the flower. Hilana was enraptured, and she listened as he began to explain. Her gaze went back between him and the lily on the paper, though primarily, she was following his fingers as he traced and explained. Pictography was about intent, which explained some of what she had seen on specialized tools and containers before. The pictographs could be different, but what mattered was what went into them. She decided to listen and reserve questions until the end, because she did not want to interrupt him. This lesson was invaluable.

Mirrors absorbed, copied, and reflected aether. If they were overloaded, did they just cancel themselves? She nodded, watching his fingers move to the petals. Paths helped channel magic, and they could be customized to best suit the tasks that one wanted them to do. Just like the path that Daemon had drawn for her earlier to assist the fledgling Elementalist with her craft before he had made the Lyrcalastra. If one made a spiral, perhaps that length would help slow the aether down as it traveled? Whereas in the case of the straight line that had been drawn in the earth, because it was straight and relatively short, it had enhanced and strengthened her influence on the element that she was working with. That made sense.

Where Paths intersected, the result was a Convergence. It allowed for the pictograph’s energy to be stored and moved amongst the pictograph. Did that mean that a steady border of convergences could keep the pictograph fueled in perpetuity? The way the swirling aether settled within the lines of the paths to fill them in and give them as perfect a detail as the actual lily. Continuums acted as dams or gates, it seemed, and they could also help control the flow of aether and energy. This seemed similar to a convergence, but it was its own entirely separate symbol. Did that mean it was better at redirection than the convergence? Then came Vortecis, or the Vortex, which acted as a vessel to hold energy, be it intended or otherwise. Mirrors also absorbed, but they copied, whereas the vortex only seemed to hold it. She took the paper carefully when it was offered to her, her fingers touching the grains of the page almost reverently.

The lily, now fully realized as scrivened art, was a Glyph. She studied it, her eyes roaming over each of the intricate lines and patterns contained within. Mirror. Path. Convergence. Continuum. Vortex. With a finger held just off of the Glyph, she pointed out each of them to herself. It wasn’t as simple as committing the shapes to memory; because scrivening was more than just lines and circles. The lily otherwise likely wouldn’t be the Glyph, now, would it? It was understanding how each component was made and why. This meant that each aspect could be unique each and every time. And now she needed to imbue it with its purpose. Hilana considered, but found herself quite liking her teacher’s suggestion. Heat absorption was a good start. She inhaled, touching her fingers to the Mirror in the lily, and attempted to bring up the fire... without, of course, setting the flammable paper alight and destroying all of his hard work and her lesson. She wasn’t about to try something so advanced that required changing and adjusting what was in front of her, not yet. But that was clearly something to keep in mind for the future.

Once she had gotten the purpose of the Glyph set without ruining the page, she looked up from it to him. “What will happen to the Glyph when it is at capacity? Will it burn itself out?” Hilana was curious. “For that matter, if a mirror tries to absorb too much, and it is not properly supported by enough convergences and vortecis, will it just stop and the aether that it was trying to absorb is free to go everywhere?” That question came out a bit more slowly, as she was trying to bring into play the terminology as he had used it in order to make sure that she was understanding. So many questions, but understanding first was key. Once she got over that hurdle and understood it more, then she would be able to puzzle through the rest of it. For now, it was just getting the concepts and theories down, and he had provided her with excellent explanations that were detailed, yet concise. She could see now that some of her earlier questions about how there were overlapping functions amongst the facets of scrivening came down to trusting the process.

Posted: **Thu Apr 20, 2023 11:31 pm**

“Ah. I should have been more clear. It is a spice festival. The preeminent affair is the curry contest, but it is a celebration of all sorts of flavors, which is why it is so popular. There are contests for all sorts of dishes, drinks, candies and delights.” He looked up to the skies briefly. A note of worry crossed Daemon’s face as he regarded the eclipsed skies. Though light filled Solunarium, it was an artificial light. Kalzasi had its own ways of dealing with times of harsh weather and a lack of natural growth but it was not a permanent solution. The eclipse needed to be dealt with.

“I worry for what this summer will bring if this is not solved.” He had several ideas as to how to address the eclipse but time would tell whether any of them would come to fruition. He watched as Hilana studied his glyph. He observed her aura passively, watching as flares of curiosity and fascination splashed across her aura. He took the moment to take a few bites of his food then answered Hilana’s question.

“The glyph will destabilize as the energy within it grows beyond its ability to regulate. If it is not augmented or addressed, the glyph will deteriorate.” Daemon brought up a hand and made a gesture to signal that the glyph would explode.

“What that results in depends entirely on what the glyph was attempting to contain.” He snapped his fingers and a silhouette of light appeared next to Hilana. Drawing upon the power of Masquerade he filled in the details of the illusion. It solidified forming a perfect replication of Daemon. At first glance it would appear to be a copy of the real him but upon close inspect, it was slightly translucent.

“An illusion like this one, drawn into a glyph, would simply result in the illusion being released and then dissipating. A destructive aetheric manifestation, such as a lightning bolt, would be far more dangerous.” Daemon made a dismissive gesture allowing the illusion to dissipate. He then continued eating. Aoren had already devoured most of his food and was peeking over his shoulder to see what was left. He picked up a bit of rice and stuffed it into his husband’s mouth for which he received a peck on the cheek.

That simple act brought warmth flooding through him. The light in the area shone a bit more purely as he felt tension ease out of his body. He settled more comfortably into Aoren’s embrace, enjoying as his beloved dragon began gently threading his fingers through the feathers of his wings.

“I must be off soon, Hilana. But…” He looked back to the skies. “I think perhaps our paths will cross again. Somewhere between light and shadow.”

Posted: **Sun Apr 23, 2023 9:19 pm**

The girl was quite pleased to hear that the curry festival was in fact a spice festival. She didn’t know how much the spicy peppers and gourds had traveled beyond her homeland, not to mention the spicy delights from the jungle, but she knew that they had acquired a great collection through Vasilei’s use of Traversion when he was determined to catalogue as many of the plants as he could from around Ransera, and between them… well, they could field an entry for every category! She would just need to get to work, and she would see who could stomach what.

She did see the note of worry, and she wondered what that was about. “If what is not solved?” the girl asked, her head tilting. It was likely of very little surprise to either of them that the citizens of Solunarium were kept in the dark about the eclipse, or the truth of why the artificial sun had been made. Hilana was not trying to be coy; she simply didn’t know what was going on with it, or the dangerous darkness that was just beyond these borders. “Does ‘it’ involve the Sceptre of Avaerys? And the shadowy creatures?” Hilana wanted to know. She already knew the artificial sun was hard on the desert kingdom, despite the efforts of the elementalists to mitigate the unintended ecological side-effects. She knew her paedagogi were involved in that, but neither had much information to offer about the Sceptre, just that it was wreaking havoc on the ecology of Solunarium. She had a feeling that Sentinel Ævril knew more than he was letting in, but he was always tightly sealed. He wasn’t about to tell her.

As he explained the consequences of the glyph overloading, the girl nodded. That did make sense. It would depend on what it was holding, so that was in fact very good knowledge to keep in mind for later. A less harmful absorption, like an illusion from Masquerade would just fade away, but something that was harmful… might explode and go everywhere. “So now that its purpose has been set to absorb extra heat, when the glyph becomes overwhelmed, one could expect it to let out a heatwave of some size?” The girl asked him for clarification, her fingers just off of the petals now that the glyph had accepted its purpose from the fire she had managed to apply. Just enough heat.

When Aoren was giving Daemon the puppy eyes over his shoulder until his beloved fed him something, Hilana laughed with amusement to see it. She had never thought that a giant, ancient dragon would act like that, but Aoren and Daemon were anything but ordinary. And truthfully? She liked that just fine. The young woman was always fascinated by strangers from beyond the Crystal Sea, and she could say with complete and utter certainty she’d never met anyone like them. “Here, please,” she took one of the extra plates and heaped it high with food from the lunch that she had packed to pass to Daemon to give to his husband. She would have offered it to the red dragon himself, but he was behind him, so it made more sense to do it that way.

“I can understand. I would expect that the demands on you are many,” the girl nodded when he said that he would have to be leaving soon. “But I hope that both of you get the rest and peace together that you deserve. Rest and self-care are very important, you know,” she was solemn, but gentle. “When you take time to replenish your spirit, it allows you to serve others from the overflow. You cannot pour from an empty cup, can you?” The solemnity gave way to a warm smile. “I hope to see you both again. I have learned so much, and it has been my honour and pleasure to meet you, Daemon and Aoren. I do hope that we will get to see each other again. I would be happy to host you in the city, though my apartment isn’t very large.” The girl could sleep in the snake room, after all, and let her guests use her bed. “Or if you prefer to camp, I enjoy that too.” Hilana was an amiable creature, and she was quite easy-going and accommodating. “And next time you come… I’ll have something spicy for you to try, and you can tell me how it compares to the festival fare. I’ve got two seasons to get my entry right, and that means there’s not a moment to lose.”

Posted: **Mon Apr 24, 2023 12:36 am**

Her question struck him as odd. It took him a moment to realize that she did not grasp what he was talking about. Poised as he was between the Light and Shadow, forever blessed to see all things that the Light touched and to also see those places where the world was being robbed of it by virtue of those places absence, it had not dawned on him that anyone could not see how the Eclipse was affecting the world. Reaching out he touched the tips of his fingers to Hilana’s brow. Gently, very gently, he allowed his nimbus to manifest in full for the first time. He brought it forward as one would the soft pulling of a curtain. The silver-white light of his divine halo formed. A crown of ascendant divinity that held within it the very meaning of Justice raw and pure. In Daemon’s eyes there burned the absolute fire of righteous anger, ready to smite offenders who fell before him. It was coupled with a celestial radiance that both bleached away all colors and yet made them stark and pure. Shadows became sharper. The hues of the desert became a canvas of kaleidoscopic colors for which no mortal words could do justice.

Daemon was before Hilana, not as a man, not as an Avialae. He was the God of Justice and Light. In his ascendancy however, the heavenly crown that was his seemed…incomplete. The ghost of something else could almost be seen as though it were simply waiting to be pulled to the forefront. In that moment, Daemon’s light shone with both divine wrath and retribution but also justice, honor, strength and purity. Through the grace of his touch, he allowed Hilana to see the world as he saw it.

Hilana was granted a glimpse of the world as it existed in Daemon’s view. Her vision would ascend skyward and where the cities of Solunarium and Tertium were, thousands upon thousands of flame-like shapes could be seen, each one a pinpoint of light laid bare for Daemon to see. He turned her view skyward and shared with her the view that he had beyond the protection of the spellcraft of Solunarium’s magocrats. A sun that had been blackened by darkness, casting a shadow upon a world being swarmed by creatures of the black void.

It was a glimpse. Nothing more. He withdrew his touch, drawing her sight gently back to the here and now. His nimbus faded, returning to the place beyond the Veil, in the realm where only gods could dwell.

“The shadows stretch far and wide, Hilana. Great Avaerys and Mother Varvara cast upon their children the net of their protection, but not everywhere is so fortunate. This is the dilemma I am working to solve, even as I enjoy this reprieve with you, my sight is always where the Light touches, searching for an answer. There is a force seeking to rob this world of my province. It must be stopped.” Daemon cast his gaze northward and bestowed upon those in need, his blessing through the mark of Eminence that they bore.

“The darkness seeks to breach the protection that Atraxia possesses. If we do not find a way to banish the Eclipse, it will find a way. There may yet come a day soon when I return to Solunarium not to visit but to lend my strength to its protection. For now though, you all continue to prosper under the protection of your patrons, allowing me to focus my efforts elsewhere.” He smiled, accepting the plate and handing it to Aoren. His husband kissed him on the cheek softly before eating his fill, a grateful smile and nod given to Hilana. At her question regarding the glyph, Daemon chuckled.

“If you do manage to find that glyph’s limit with so simple a task, I should be interested to see it. I wrote that glyph with the skill of a Master. I expect you could walk through the desert heat for a week and still not reach its limit.” He could have refined the glyph but it was intended only for simple instruction. He would leave it to Hilana to explore and discover ways to augment and utilize it further.

“To answer you; yes. It would release the heat wave that it stored. You could, of course, release the heat purposefully and with direction at a time of your choosing before that, however.” A tug on his awareness drew him to peer again toward the north. A slight frown tugged at his lips. He closed his eyes letting out a soft sigh.

“It seems I am needed.” Reaching up, he threaded his hands through Aoren’s hair. “We are needed.”

Aoren quickly scarfed down as much food as he could, clearly not at all worried about a stomach ache. He then unwound himself from Daemon and knelt before Hilana.

“Thank you. You are a most gracious hostess.” The two men set about cleaning up their supplies and equipment before turning to Hilana.

“When you are ready, Hilana. I will open a portal for you and your stalwart companions to return you to the ground below.”

Posted: **Tue Apr 25, 2023 9:53 pm**

Another Vastii, or even one of the Re’hyaeans, might well have flinched away from Daemon’s upraised hand. But Hilana was not one of them. The nimbus surprised her, and being exposed to something like that so closely was definitely unnerving, but the Vastiana steeled herself and trusted in him. He wasn’t about to harm her; if he was, he’d had a thousand opportunities to do it. So she simply just had to trust him. If anything, her eyes crossed following his hand as he touched her brow, before her pupils dilated all the way to see the glimpse of the world as he saw it. The low sound she made was not one of fear or anxiety, but of awe and surprise.

It was beautiful. She wasn’t so floral with her language that she was ever going to be a poet or a composer using a thousand words to describe something when just one word would do. Beautiful. Even if she had lived a thousand years, she would never have imagined a vision of the world like that. And while she was not a person prone to envy, she did envy that view, if only for a moment. The clarity with which he saw things made the world seem more real than it was in that moment, and it was something Masquers could only hope to emulate. But Hilana knew that they would never come close. They couldn’t possibly dream of such a sight as this. And yet... the cost of being able to see such things had to be just as immeasurable as the vastness of which Daemon was able to see.

He was kind enough to explain just what she had seen, and she nodded. “A great darkness,” she murmured. An eclipse, where the sun was hidden. But most were temporary. There was definite concern on her face, then, as she considered the implications. Other lands may be used to less sunshine even during the colder season of Frost, but Solunarium? Was this what she would face when she made her trip to hunt for the artifact? But more pressing at home… What if the Sceptre failed? She wasn’t sure what all she could do in this regard, aside from making supplements and concoctions and tinctures to help boost and enhance those who were already Masters, or Grandmasters... She was very much a novice, but she could at least learn and keep learning. Perhaps in the future, she might be of some value and some use to them in helping to fix such a thing. She pursed her lips in thought, but set it aside in her head to keep worrying at it like a dog with a bone. She would think on it. There had to be something.

“Even in the heat of Searing, there are places here hotter than the desert sun... and all of them are down below,” the girl offered a small smile. “Great caverns where lava boils not far off in spillways, for starters, and then there is the Thalamum Draconum.” The dragon chamber, where she was going to have to go. That this glyph could help her manage the heat down there, if she had to augment and supplement her own abilities with Elementalism, was a welcome addition to her arsenal. Who knew? Perhaps once she had it figured out and reasonably skilled with it, provided it didn’t wear out, she could use it in a more tense situation.

Soon turned out to be now, but Hilana was understanding. She’d gotten to enjoy their time and company, and truthfully, she had learned so much from both of them, and thought she had made two new friends. She packed up along with them, but when Aoren knelt in front of her where she was seated comfortably in the sands, she smiled up at the much larger redhead, bowing her head and shoulders to him before offering him the date and walnut loaf cake that was wrapped in brightly-dyed canvas treated with beeswax to keep the cake protected and fresh, along with the remains of the honey-soaked baklava in the tin. “I thank you. And something sweet for the road,” she whispered the last sentence, her eyes twinkling although she was certain that Daemon could hear her.

The remainder of her picnic and plates and good was packed in short order, and Hayima’el was loaded once more. Tiaz was hardly inclined to move, as he had spent the entire time basking in the sunlight on Hilana’s shoulders. The glyph was placed in the same scroll case that held her Volumen Errantis in order to protect it, and with her cedar branch at the ready, the girl climbed up onto her camel’s saddle. “Hayima’el, up,” she encouraged him, and the giant beast rose onto all fours. “I am ready,” she nodded. “Be safe, and take care. Thank you both for everything, and I look forward to seeing you again,” she bowed in the saddle to both of them. “In light or shadow, go with grace.” She might have used another traditional Solunarian farewell, but she didn’t think these two needed the Founders to stand between them and harm in all the empty places they had to walk…

Posted: **Fri May 26, 2023 4:49 pm**

R E W A R D S

Name: Hilana
XP: +10 XP, can be used for magic.
Requested Lore: +13 Lores

Name: Talon
XP: +10 XP, can be used for magic.
Requested Lore: +13 Lores

Note(s): Hilana is such a good student! Plus, it's fun to teach magic, especially from my perspective. ^.^

Legend of Ransera

Unending Light and Encroaching Shadows II [Talon]

Re: Unending Light and Encroaching Shadows II [Talon]

Re: Unending Light and Encroaching Shadows II [Talon]

Re: Unending Light and Encroaching Shadows II [Talon]

Re: Unending Light and Encroaching Shadows II [Talon]

Re: Unending Light and Encroaching Shadows II [Talon]

Re: Unending Light and Encroaching Shadows II [Talon]

Re: Unending Light and Encroaching Shadows II [Talon]

Re: Unending Light and Encroaching Shadows II [Talon]