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Part Of You Wants To Believe Me [Moon Jae-Seong]
Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2023 10:00 pm
by Imogen
Frost 30, 122
It was somewhat more than a week before Imogen Ward returned from Gel'Grandal to Kalzasi to await her transport, and it would be a lie to say that she had kept to her plan to remain humanoid the entire time. As powerful as Traversion might one day prove to be, its repeated use had proven far more exhausting than her initiation into Animus, and so she'd ended up flying the better part of the way northeast.
As a sort of metaphysical forfeit to her discarded goal, she had lost all of her clothing again. The matter was easily remedied with a bit of larceny on the road, but she'd found nothing befitting an Ork of her stature (despite the fact that her people were, if history was to be believed, the first inhabitants of the far north). So it was, instead, that she marched up the road to the Jewel of Karnor wearing both stolen clothes and a stolen skin, looking every bit like a slightly-bedraggled cousin of Anna Carina Caron.
"I suppose I should be grateful for the banks." Imogen noted to herself, "Or I'd have to plant stashes of avens around too." It had been some time since she'd done any rite to propriate Avenna. The next time she found an appropriate Guild facility, she'd pay to light a candle or something. Never wise to snub the lady of coins.
By the time the Ork-cum-human reached the outskirts of Kalzasi proper, the sun had set and night was upon the world. Unwilling to face the gloaming shadows without her Runes available, the witch called forth her staff. It was... a bit large for this form, being a foot and a half taller than Carina, but under the pressure of her will it became light and pliant as down. Crucially, it also bore at one end an unusually large dragonshard, which she willed alight in a thin nimbus of sunshine.
The sight of a young woman in ill-fitting clothes holding a glowing mage's staff drew curious looks from the few travelers still willing to take the roads outside of the city at night, but that didn't bother Imogen. She hadn't done anything illegal.
(Well, she had actually, but, per usual, nothing anyone could possibly pin on her.)
Remarkably, though, the hours passed uneventfully. The city grew closer and closer, and yet the shadow beasts which had bedeviled her in Ecith, Zaichaer and the Imperium seemed... strangely absent. The sky was nothing but featureless darkness, cloud cover blocking the moon completely, and the forests to the side of the road were quiet. It was a deep gloom, but perfectly solitary. Peaceful
"A good start to this trip." the Sunsinger concluded, smugly.
At once, it began to rain. Not cold enough to freeze but bitter and stinging against her exposed human skin. A terrible thought ran through Imogen's mind:
"I didn't steal the fucking umbrella."
The witch stood still in the middle of the road, soaked by the cold rain, suddenly miserable.
Re: Part Of You Wants To Believe Me [Moon Jae-Seong]
Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2023 2:44 am
by Moon Jae-Seong
TIMESTAMP: -
NOTES: -
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Per point of preference, Jae-Seong always found himself drawn to dawn and the depths of night. He liked the silence, and the general atmosphere of the world when most mortals were at rest. His present predicament had left him in an extended, unenjoyed tenure at home; tethered to the city of Kalzasi itself, he could not wander far, yet he could not help but wander still.
In the moment, the swordsman's sojourn served him no proper purpose; he'd gone out with the fleeting desire to run into something, anything? A distraction; he found the season's politicking to be, more or less, exhausting and uninteresting. It did not feed that which lay within, that which craved the adrenaline of a hunt, a dance of blades, a clash of bodies, the warmth of red, of– … something simply not found in the debate chambers of Kalzasern nobility.
Cloaked in heavy, water-treated resistant and thicker robes meant to both insulate and blunt blades, the man-shaped Rathari, one donning rather elfin features and little, Lysanrin horns, saw a light up 'round the bend. The light did not dance like fire nor did it behave like anything electric, and when he stepped further ahead to see the source, it was…not what he expected, to be blunt. His movement paused and eyes narrowed when he saw the goal in the road, a mix of confusion and curiosity written lightly, yet legibly, on gentle features.
Lips parting to speak, Jae-Seong got out no words 'fore the sky had its say; rain. Silent as his gaze shifted upwards and he put up his hood, water rolling off of him like it would a duck's back, he looked once more to the girl and her staff; soaked, she soon became. It took an oddly large amount of self control not to laugh, but he did, at least, possess enough discipline to refrain.
"Lacking in preparation though you clearly are, I assume you've a destination in mind? Or are you meant to be something more abstract? A beacon in the night?" He knew nothing of the woman before him. He just knew he that he had gone out that night looking for something and, perhaps, this would be that.
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'Thoughts'
"Synskrit Tongue/Speech"
"Common Tongue/Speech"
"Inandoth Tongue/Speech"
Re: Part Of You Wants To Believe Me [Moon Jae-Seong]
Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2023 9:32 am
by Imogen
Words came suddenly out of the night and Imogen jolted around, surprised- true to her usual powers of perception, she hadn't noticed the strange man on the road. Surprise and damp quickly turned to a scowl as she realized that she wasn't under attack- physically, anyway.
"Are you calling me a metaphor?" It was a weird question, even for Imogen, but the insinuation was a welcome distraction from the pouring rains. The witch waddled over to the (relative) shelter of a nearby evergreen, trying in vain to shake off the water. "If only. I'd be a lot less soggy right now, for one."
The woman's voice was an almost stereotypical example of a Zaichaeri accent, crisp consonants hiding a drawl on the vowels, and it carried easily over the drum of the pouring rain. The words had an educated lilt, distinct from the hardscrabble affect of the rural areas of lower Karnor. On the other hand, her blunt mode of speech was quite reminiscent of the plainspoken farmers and foresters of the region.
Now fortified by the tree trunk and in a position to wait out what she hoped would be a brief nighttime squall, Imogen peered out into the darkness to get a better look at the other traveler. She placed her glowing staff behind her, where it stood straight-up in the air, leaning against nothing, and squinted, willing her eyes to change so that she could see better in the gloom and storm. Her irises slowly shifted from lilac to linaria, and her pupils thinned. Quickly, the cloaked form of the lysanrin resolved before her.
The man's features had an unusual aspect to them; Imogen had known lysanrin back in Zaichaer, but this one's features were exceedingly human, except for a peculiar quality of motion which she'd long associated with elves. Confusing but, thankfully, none of her business.
"I'm just late on the road to Kalzasi." Imogen explained, "And it seems that Nuenna has seen fit to punish me for dawdling. Or for any number of other sins, though at some point that would seem to exceed the Goddess of Journeys' remit. Say, you aren't a highwayman, are you?"
The lysanrin didn't seem to be taking any action to threaten her, so the Sunsinger declined to summon any additional armaments. She was pretty confident she could take a lone bandit with just her quarterstaff in any event.
"I expect not; your clothes are too fine. Never seemed like a very profitable career even before the shadows started eating unwary travelers- I imagine it's been lean times for bandits."
There wasn't much sympathy in Imogen's voice. Though it was said that there is no honor among thieves, that was strictly the mode. Among her brand of thieves, there was practically nothing but honor, and as such the idea of attacking lone travelers on the road was repulsive in a way that derailing a government military supply train was not.
Re: Part Of You Wants To Believe Me [Moon Jae-Seong]
Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2023 10:47 pm
by Moon Jae-Seong
TIMESTAMP: -
NOTES: -
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The way this woman acted and commanded her form was uncanny. Jae-Seong could not place it. It was almost like the way some Animists would move about in their newer shapes, but Animism was rarely used for the shapes of people and people were sometimes just strange. He could not, in any way, say which was the case; he could, however, be rather suspicious of this potentially surreptitious stranger.
The accent was recognizable, well traveled as he was. Though in recent years the two city-states were far from friendly, running across Zaichaeri people was not uncommon especially if he wandered closer into their respective territory. The swordsman would, in the past, question why somebody Zaichaeri would wander this close to Kalzasi city proper, but now that Zaichaer was, well, what it was, could he blame them for straying? No; he did, however, still question it, though internally. She was clearly a mage of some sort and everyone touched by magic was a bit odd. A bit strange. He liked mages; so why not see where this encounter goes?
To her initial words, he replied with little more than a soft, almost sympathetic, maybe mocking smile, his expression light overall, nearly blank all the same. Her mentioning Nuenna by name drew his lips into a lopsided smile, subtle yet present, then the question at the end broke his smooth facade– he laughed– just a bit. Bold.
“No,” he replied. “Just a simple wanderer.” A lie.
“...but you are correct– highway robbery is not always a profitable bargain. It is largely dependent on luck to find somebody with anything of value and then on your own skill to steal it; most desperate enough to be in that particular position by necessity are unlucky by default and not that skilled. Tragedy of fate, no?” He laughed. The woman was odd; he didn’t know where this conversation would go, but he liked the direction.
“Unfortunately for the shadows, though, they’re a bit thin here– not that it really matters. Those that I have run into I’ve had little trouble with. I imagine you’re the same? A mage, aren’t you? And that staff?” These last three questions asked in swift succession, laced with curiosity and posed with a gentle smile and bright eyes.
She could lie or refuse to answer– but why not ask? Though a novice to magic, the staff interested him as much as this odd little stranger.
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'Thoughts'
"Synskrit Tongue/Speech"
"Common Tongue/Speech"
"Inandoth Tongue/Speech"
Re: Part Of You Wants To Believe Me [Moon Jae-Seong]
Posted: Fri Feb 10, 2023 11:07 am
by Imogen
"A mage? Oh, yes, I suppose so." Imogen bore thrice as many runes as most spellweavers, in fact, but 'mage' was more of a northern term. She'd once associated the word exclusively with initiates of the Circle, who had journeyed into Zaichaer from time to time seeking access to the Market, but in both Kalzasi and Ecith she'd heard it in much broader contexts. Still, it seemed more useful as a specialized noun; if one could say "mage" and "witch" interchangeably, surely that was a waste of words?
"Well, it's this damn eclipse, isn't it? Caught me with my trousers down the first fortnight, and some of those beasts down south were big as a shed. Lucky for me, I'd picked up this rock-" The woman crooked a finger and her staff moved on its own accord, leaning in towards her so that she could tap the softly-glowing Illumite. "-just after the spring Dreadstorms, as an aid for cursebreaking."
This close, Moon could make out details better. The Dawnstone in question was quite a bit larger than the average specimen, though not so large that it could be a greater shard. Unusually, however, it was not mounted to the woman's staff; the brass metal of the quarterstaff's cap was simply fused with the stone, small veins of crystal running a few inches down the weapon like circuitry. The weapon displayed no signs of Runeforging at all, and bore no marks of artifice or scrivening. To an initiate's eye, it looked a great deal like the effects of transmutation upon a pact weapon.
"I've heard the new moonstones are even better for warding off the eclipse, but I couldn't get my hands on any out west. Not with the Imperium buying up every pebble that happens to sparkle a bit."
Not true, strictly speaking, but they were less attractive to the shadow beasts in the places where that mattered. This close to Kalzasi, Imogen expected that the Avialae would have cleared a perimeter about the city; perhaps the vaunted wizards of House Briathos had even gotten off their well-cushioned asses to protect the outlying lands? In truth, she wasn't sure. She'd passed through the city thrice now in her rendezvouses with Avamande, but hadn't spent more than half a day within the city limits since the Great Eclipse.
(She'd heard something about a succession crisis, which baffled her. Once it was clear that Prince Novalys was alive, didn't that settle the matter? Well, apparently not. It had to be exhausting, caring about that sort of thing.)
Having answered the questions put to her by the man, she proceeded to the question he hadn't asked. "Anyway, the name's Imogen. Used to work as a janitor in Zaichaer, but I'm sure you've heard how that all went. Now I just do odd jobs for hire."
Re: Part Of You Wants To Believe Me [Moon Jae-Seong]
Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2023 12:41 am
by Moon Jae-Seong
TIMESTAMP: -
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The way she spoke was certainly a point of interest. The stranger was immediately so very casual. Most were far more reticent to speak with much ease to somebody they’d found, purely by chance, in the middle of the night. That being said, this was the most fun type of person to find, then, was it not?
Her weapon was another source of curiosity. Though he himself would likely never have interest in wielding a staff over a sword, it was an admirable looking Dragonshard she’d managed to affix to the thing. Unfamiliar with world magics and the intricacies of other runes, he couldn’t quite put a finger on the thing’s nature, but it did bear some marks resembling modification by Reaving.
Jae-Seong did not speak until after she mentioned moonstones. “Ah…yes. I’ve been meaning to get my hands on one of those, but even with money, they’re hard to buy as supply is so…low. Would be nice to stumble across one, but I’m no miner myself.” Unfamiliar with the west, he canted his head curiously. “I’ve not gone much further than Zaichaer myself. People are just…panicky here, so what’s being sold is quickly bought.”
When this ‘Imogen’ claimed to have been a janitor, the swordsmen arched a brow. “That so?” He didn’t really believe that was all she did. Maybe a facet…but there had to be more, hadn’t there? Her flippant regard for Zaichaer was funny to him, if a bit morbid.
“...and yes, I have heard the news of Zaichaer, though I can’t quite say which bits of information are true beyond that it’s been leveled and what’s otherwise observable fact.” He paused for a moment, realizing he should probably introduce himself in turn. “I am called Moon Jae-Seong; a simple swordsman. To some, a mercenary, to others? A teacher. I perform many roles.” All of this was true but he completely left out other aspects of his life.
“What drew you here? If you’ve need of any help that falls within my set of skills, I’d be happy to accompany you; no cost. I don’t hurt for money.” Veritably vague, he gave this offer with a placid, yet friendly, expression.
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'Thoughts'
"SynskritTongue/Speech"
"Common Tongue/Speech"
"Inandoth Tongue/Speech"
Re: Part Of You Wants To Believe Me [Moon Jae-Seong]
Posted: Sun Mar 19, 2023 11:04 pm
by Imogen
Moon Jae-Seong, eh? An unfamiliar name, and one that meant nothing to her. Not surprising; she hadn't set foot in Kalzasi before last year and knew only the names of a handful of its elite. It hadn't been important to the mission of the Railrunners. Still, someone calling themselves a "simple swordsman, mercenary and teacher" and disclaiming any need for money was a pretty strong clue about his lot in life.
"Just in transit, I won't bore you with the details of that." Frankly, explaining why Kalzasi was the midpoint of a journey between Gel'Grandal and southern Ecith would have taxed her vocabulary for metaphysics beyond the point of adequacy. "I've had a standing arrangement with a place just off the Plaza for a room. Useful for, you know-" Imogen waved a hand vaguely, "-coordinating refugees, so forth."
The girl gave a strong impression that she wasn't particularly invested in precision of speech, tossing off half-considered answers and sometimes amending them when the thought occurred to her. As she spoke, her staff twisted and shifted idly next to her, as though she were holding it and absentmindedly spinning the shaft with an unseen hand. Maybe she was? Individuals saw their magic in wildly different ways, after all.
As an example, Imogen began to respond to Moon's offer without considering it at all. "Well, that's very kind of you, but I don't really need-" A passing thought struck the witch, like a particle chancing to hit the crust of the earth rather than passing right through without noticing.
"-actually, you say you're a swordsman, yes? I suppose you must have trained in Kalzasi, then?" She didn't wait for confirmation. "That's marvelous serendipity. I have actually wanted to see the style up north here for some years, but I've never had time to observe. Down south, the customary weapons are much bulkier, the tempo must be completely different. I don't suppose you could point me to an opportunity to satisfy my curiosity in the city?"
Zaichaeri armsmen did practice with arming-swords and sides, of course, it was only idiot Ork girls who decided to focus on zweihander training to the exclusion of all else, but even those weapons were much bulkier than the weapons favored by the Kalzasern warriors she'd chanced to observe. It had been even worse with the temple of Raxen. The acolytes there were good, obviously, but they were largely Ecithian folk, even taller and broader than Imogen herself, and she doubted their styles would look much like those of the Synnekar.
(The less said about the guards of Gel'Grandal, the better. The "invincible" Kathar were, in her private estimation, quite a disappointment.)
Here, she probably had a few days before she'd get the opportunity to leave the city. Perhaps this was her chance to tick off another box on her international sword-watching tour?
Re: Part Of You Wants To Believe Me [Moon Jae-Seong]
Posted: Mon Apr 03, 2023 11:55 pm
by Moon Jae-Seong
TIMESTAMP: -
NOTES: -
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‘In transit,’ eh? Jae-Seong wondered exactly which loops this peculiar passerby was running in, and for what purpose, but would she answer if point-blank asked?
“You work to assist with the refugees…? How…noble.” The man’s eyes narrowed almost as if he didn’t believe her. “Do you work with an organization, or is this a solo endeavor?”
He’d question the efficiency of a solo-endeavor. As a loner himself, he was well aware of how slow things move when one only has themselves to rely on; especially so because he did not have to walk the path that he did. The sellsword certainly had both resources and connections in ample supply…he just often opted to step away from them. All, of course, for the perfectly reasonable purpose of avoiding any sort of oversight.
Jae-Seong watched as a spark of realization clicked within the mind of the other mid-sentence. It would appear she speaks before she thinks, or she speaks while she thinks, or some such similar process. Either way, she sought…a demonstration of sorts?
“That much I can oblige, certainly. Though…not out here in this rather, ah…dreary rain. Lacks decent visibility, no?” He smiled, but then continued, “...and I would say so, yes. I’ve seen those ‘round other parts of the continent seeming to prefer much larger blades. A bit unwieldy, but the required strength is respectable. I can show you whatever you’d like, provided it's within the purview of my skills…and if not, I can probably sift around my connections for those versed in other styles.” The style that he used, in particular, wasn't especially rare in Kalzasi but it also wasn't completely common; nothing here could be described as ubiquitous, really. Even within families, practitioners of similar weapons would pick up arts both ancient and new alongside one another.
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'Thoughts'
"Synskrit Tongue/Speech"
"Common Tongue/Speech"
"Inandoth Tongue/Speech"
Re: Part Of You Wants To Believe Me [Moon Jae-Seong]
Posted: Sat Apr 08, 2023 11:51 pm
by Imogen
"Mmm?" If Imogen was trying to take Moon for a ride, she was surprisingly good at concealing her deceit. "Oh no, no, I'm not much of a logician. I just go where they send me."
It would have been convenient if the skies had cleared up then and there so that Imogen could have demanded that the stranger perform on the spot. Alas, the weather had never paid much attention to the witch's desires, and showed no signs of letting up now. The particularly human Ork watched the water fall with an expression of profound disappointment, but offered it no other reproof. If you could argue with the rain, she had yet to see it happen.
"Yes, it's unfortunate, and I think my clothes are soaking through, even under this tree. I'll tell you what, Mr. Jae-Seong, first thing I'm going to do if I ever get that damned spell working is stash a parasol." She did not elaborate on "that damned spell", having already moved on. "But I wouldn't credit the southern styles with superior strength. You ever seen how slowly you have to pivot those blades? It's because you can't work against the weight."
The small woman brought one palm down against the other in a chopping motion. "Speed and heft, see? You can get as much power out of a big sword as a little sword even if it's moving a lot slower, and you can make smaller movements because there's so much of it to hit with. That's why so many Ecithian Orkhan favor big swords- once you can maneuver fast enough to win a fight, extra speed doesn't do you as much good as better reach and better stopping power. And they can do that because every one of those smug bastards are eight feet tall at the shortest. Actually..."
Imogen extended a hand, and her attentive staff rolled gently into it. The sunstone crowning the weapon began to glow significantly brighter, casting the rainy world around the two travelers into stark relief, as though it were early morning. Thus brightened, it was possible to see that the staff was not inset with a dragonshard, but instead infused by it, with angular, circuit-like veins of the shining crystal trailing down through the brass cap and into the wood below.
The witch cast about until she spotted an appropriately large puddle nearby, and stepped quickly over to it. Once she was close enough, she extended her staff out over the puddle, which began to ripple and fog- then filled with the reflection of silver fire. Imogen's brow furrowed in a picture of concentration, eyes fixed on the puddle, and she exhaled sharply, as though she were trying to push aside some great weight.
Moments later, the fire within the water began to part- slowly, at first, but steadily. After a few seconds of concentration, the puddle was merely limned with silver light, and a reflection was clear within it.
Just not a reflection of the road or forest in which the two stood.
Instead, the image within the puddle was the corner of a clean, quiet interior room. From the reflection, Moon could only make out two stone walls, but along one of them was a rack of weapons ranging from the perfectly ordinary to the plainly exotic- shortswords and arming-swords, pikes, halberds, glaives, maces and axes, but also throwing-knives, shotels and khopeshes. On the other wall was a mural of an image of knights gathered underneath a great golden sword, engulfed in argent fire. Imogen waved her staff, repositioning the image slightly to focus on the racks of swords.
"Hooo," she said, sounding pretty put out by the effort of whatever she'd done, "So there, you see. Even the biggest of these swords, the Zaichaeri style, they're not even thrice the weight of the Kalzasi style. I don't count the rapiers- to my mind, they're just knives that have gotten out of hand."
The Window in the water wavered as Imogen's attention wandered, but she held it in place for a few moments more to give the man a fair chance to see.
"Now they don't keep any of the huge Ecithian weapons, unfortunately, but they've got most types." The thought of trying to open a Window to Drathera briefly crossed Imogen's mind, and her soul rebelled so completely against the notion that she finally felt compelled to drop the flow of aether holding the Window open. "But all I'm saying is that anyone strong enough to use a Kalzasi sword in the Kalzasi style is strong enough to use the bigger swords in the right style too."
Re: Part Of You Wants To Believe Me [Moon Jae-Seong]
Posted: Mon Apr 10, 2023 6:35 am
by Moon Jae-Seong
TIMESTAMP: -
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The woman’s claim that she wasn’t much of a logician herself was believable. She didn’t necessarily seem outright stupid, no, but Jae-Seong likely would not trust her if she were put in charge of much of anything. She seemed markedly…unpredictable.
The swordsman eyed her incredulously as she began to speak again on the subject of spells and swords. What runes did she possess? He pegged her for a witch of sorts from the staff, and given her knowledge on weapons…perhaps, then, she had Reaving? That did not mean that was her only magic, though. Even if esoteric, it was always a pleasure to come across a fellow Reaver, and on the subject of swords, she did come across quite knowledgeable.
Jae-Seong said nothing as she began to mess about, casting some spell or another, into a puddle. At first, he had no idea what she was doing, but as an image became clear within the waters, he recognized it for a Traversion spell of sorts. A Window, if you will, into another part of the world. And within such a window, he saw a plethora of weaponry, some quite rare, others less so, but all appeared to be of quality craftsmanship. However, he would note that such a window seemed to cause the witch great strain. It would appear that she was new to this rune, as he was with those that he himself possessed.
Her comment on rapiers made him chuckle. “You’ve certainly a point. I will admit, though, that I do appreciate rapiers for their grace…but that’s more aesthetic than functional.” If one were to insist on using a rapier, one certainly could, but it better be crafted well lest it, literally, function as little more than a knife that’s gotten out of hand.
As for himself, Jae-Seong did not use that type of sword; his blades weren’t meant for aesthetics or sport. Well…sport to a degree, but it was rare for him to really bring that up.
Bringing a hand to his lips, he considered the last of the woman’s words before nodding. “True enough. I’ll admit that I’m a bit specialized; my knowledge is certainly niche to the weapons I wield. Yours, on the other hand? Impressive.” He offered the woman a polite, yet notably friendly, smile. “Where was that window to, might I ask?”
Shortly after asking the question, he appeared to have a realization of his own, and spoke again. “I’d hate to keep you out in the weather like this, dressed as you are– because at least I’m prepared for it– we can walk forth with no need to part ways yet, if you’d like.”
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'Thoughts'
"Synskrit Tongue/Speech"
"Common Tongue/Speech"
"Inandoth Tongue/Speech"