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The Unnamed Custom: III
Posted: Sat Feb 01, 2020 7:46 am
by Taelian
42nd of Frost, Year 119
As compelling as Eloise's words had been, a small strand of doubt filled his thoughts and only further resonated as he delved into it. Despite what Eloise had just told him -- of her being Anna Clara, of her membership of House de Blanciet -- he could only remember her conflicting stories from days prior. Of her mother, and her pressure towards her in becoming a mage; her exploitation of her daughter's status to further herself. How she died, at Eloise's direction... Taelian now had to determine which story was the truth, and which was a lie. And why would she lie about either story? Both were grim; both made her appear something like a failure. Or a craven. Or even a murderer.
He frowned.
"Eloise... you told me that you were born a peasant. Those things about your mother -- her death, your games as a Valran, how you played the Candor... now, you're telling me that you're a member of the Entente. That your family died; that your name is not even Eloise. You constantly throw me between truth and lie and ask me to decipher, but I do not know. Your story could have been either. How can I really tell?"
The woman smiled faintly, and nodded once as if to give herself permission to understand him. Her stare, beyond Taelian and out into what almost looked like an endless nether, was empty and far removed from their reality. She appeared to be lost, deep, in thought. But the woman was cognizant.
"Sometimes the truth is what lies in the middle of two lies. But that is not what happened here -- instead, there are two truths simultaneously, held together by a wide gap. Gillian was the Elven mother I told you of before; a peasant woman. But she had me as Louen's bastard daughter, and I was a talented mage, and perhaps through my talents, Louen decided to marry her as he believed her blood was imbued with strong magic. Strong enough to justify becoming wed to his paramour of old." She frowned. The Umpire remembered the days before they married, before she was elevated to the Entente; how she was always so confused when receiving gifts and visits from her eminent father, like a God descending.
"I was a very young girl at this time; Louen was the only father I ever knew. And he was a good one -- a good man. He loved me and my younger sister, Henrietta, very much."
Of course, that meant that...
"Cailan was a human, yes. My half-brother. His mother died some time before Louen and Gillian met, and so he was a few years older than I. He was... mostly kind, but reserved, drawn to his own world. His fantasies. Cailan was a very disturbed individual, disinterested in people who he believed to be predictable and droll. He had an infatuation with the unnatural; the way in which life could twist and bend. He was... one of the greatest Necromancers in Daravin; he must have been. Each of his creations was an entangled work of art."
As disturbing as that was, given the context.
Re: The Unnamed Custom: III
Posted: Sat Feb 01, 2020 7:51 am
by Taelian
"And so you see, both stories are true. But the ends -- of my time in the Candor of the Valran, my lack of empathy towards my mother's death, and even my hand in her murder? Those truths are partial; I did participate in the Candor of the Valran, as I took a new identity on at the passing of House de Blanciet. That is when I became Eloise Arrosa de Lyonesse, a Valran, and participated in the game I had always known. I did not feel compassion for my mother's death, and she was slain by an assassin. But not mine. Instead, by a member of a rival house, hoping to secure her demise. They knew she was a powerful illusionist and Mesmer; she would find a way to escape peasants' wroth if given the opportunity to coerce them. They had to be sure."
Taelian slowly shook his head. It was all... so grim, and so well pieced together, just like the overview she had given him of her family. It had none of the messiness of the real world; it truly did feel like a story. And yet, he knew, it was true. Perhaps he was getting better at spotting truths and lies -- he did not know.
"How did your father and brother die?" he asked.
"The Valran just 'happened' to join the peasants in their rightful crusade," she stated. "A total lie. The other Entente must have commanded them to show false sympathy and follow the peasant's demands. A good way to enforce their own false virtue whilst eliminating those occupying their intended space. The Candor is a game of evil; of false loyalty, false truth. You wish to return Daravin to Elven hands, do you not? Perhaps, young Ebon Knight, that would in the end be for the best."
Taelian's lip curled; all he could really feel enough to express was confusion and, in some way, outrage. The Candor really was a terrible thing, the product of -- in his mind -- human creation, so prone to absolute moral ambivalence. They had always chosen themselves over their peers, and it was perhaps why they thrived. Elves did not carry that same selfish impulse, he had always felt: they cared for their communities, their children, their Arlaed - if they had one - and even their nation. Legacy, and future, was what they held in high regard.
The short-term desires of humanity had led their world astray. The Elves did need to rule again; Daravin needed to be mended. But to win the game, one had to play.
"Teach me the Candor, Eloise," he requested.
The woman softly smiled. "I will teach you something better, Taelian -- the Customs. Cohesion, Eloquence, Glamourie... the Candor refined. You will learn to manipulate eyes, hearts, all organs alike; and rend them when you so please. But we have dwelt long enough on the political. I must ask that you return to your studies of the arcane."
Re: The Unnamed Custom: III
Posted: Sat Feb 01, 2020 4:18 pm
by Taelian
The moment would not end merely with a story, or with warnings -- Eloise had intended for Taelian to progress in both the political and arcane in tandem; in order to truly be a member of the Covenant, one needed not only be a talented mage, but a skilled orator and a politician of some ingenuity. But the component of magic was a necessary one, and she would not allow his progression to slow or subside. Taelian had demonstrated his latent ability.
"In order to properly understand Aetheric Redirection, as I have previously glossed over, you must better understand the principle of 'Substance': portals are limited in what substances they can allow through them, and there are four categories. Aether, energy, inanimate matter, and life. Windows allow only the former two, explaining their restriction; to open a portal to more is to expand upon its required expenditure. More dynamic portals are more difficult to create," she explained, in layman's terms. And it was fortunate that she did; Taelian still found the individual concepts of the magic somewhat anomalous and derived largely from the concept of expenditure. At least this 'limit' followed a similar, grounding theme.
"What happens to a substance that attempts to cross a portal not made to accept it?" he inquired.
"It simply passes through, as if it were wading by a specter," she replied.
The Siltori nodded. "I see," he responded affirmatively. "Then -- explain this ability to me; what does it do? It... redirects?"
"Well... yes, the name would imply that," Eloise teased, rolling her eyes pointedly at the younger mage, who rolled his eyes in return. "You essentially create a window that allows the passage of aether through it, allowing for you to redirect abilities to a different location; perhaps by reflecting them back at the caster, perhaps by allowing them to converge with the terrain. You can also use it to extend the range of attacks or redirect your own abilities that may have missed, or misfired. Redirection is a very potent ability, and it is gained early. It only becomes more useful as one progresses, and masters their aethereal stamina. Now -- attempt it. You should be able to create it easily; you know how to forge a Window. The differences are minuscule, conceptually."
Taelian closed his eyes and attuned, again, to his 'spatial recognition' of the surrounding area; he focused once more on the Aether Flux, the clusters, the consolidation of energy into Nodes. He noticed something beginning to change for him, and it was a significant feeling, though he could not easily tell what the difference was as of yet. It felt... something like a divergence, but it was vague. A sort of connection to the singular cluster he had gripped onto, drawn by his Anchor, like the beginning of a symbiosis coalescing.
And before he knew it, he had successfully opened the two halves of the portal, with ease. And with so little burden upon the aethereal fatigue of his soul.
It was Aetheric Redirection, and like that it was complete. Taelian grinned.
"I've done it, Lady de Lyonesse," he said.
"I'm glad," the woman replied. "Now, again -- five more times. On the fifth, I'll send something through and we'll know the integrity of your construction."
Re: The Unnamed Custom: III
Posted: Fri Feb 07, 2020 1:43 am
by Etro
♅ The Unnamed Custom: III ♅
XP: 5 {Can be used for Transposition}
Pieces of knowledge:
- Transposition: Substance
- Transposition: All portals are determined somewhat by substance
- Transposition: Aetheric Redirection
- Transposition: The Warden
- Investigation: Sometimes the truth is a meld of two lies
- Deception: A truly skilled liar has no hesitation
Non-skill
- Eloise: Born the bastard daughter of Louen de Blanciet
- Eloise: Legitimized as a member of the Entente
- Eloise: Took on a new identity after her family died
Comments: Wow, just wow this was another good read and a nice way to end the series. I truly enjoyed all of this from 1 -3 and glad I got to review them.