TIMESTAMP: Rime 30, Frost 121
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Jae-Seong had always been a bit of a stubborn man, much as he would like to portray himself to be as easy going as a spring breeze. That stubbornness often manifested in the strangest of ways– one of which being his resistance to runic initiation. The arcane arts were common in Kalzasi, especially commonplace amongst Kalzasern nobility. Many of his kin had runes, many of his associates did as well. Most that did failed to understand his aversion beyond simply being afraid he lacked the constitution to live through the process.
But that was the thing, wasn’t it? Yes, anyone could die in initiation, but even so– given his status, he was well aware that he could arrange for the best possible preparations in a bid to circumnavigate such risks. And while that would not nullify potential peril altogether, it would certainly serve to boost his chances of success.
This obstinacy had endured for the first four decades of his life, but came to an end some sixth months prior when he'd finally caved to temptation and sought the acquisition of a Reaving rune. His initiation thereof succeeded without much difficulty; given that it was a duel, his existing martial prowess served him well for it. The resultant aether sickness, however, lingered for months, rendering the rune rather rough to use for a time, and the moment he felt better, he’d sat to form a pact with his second blade– something that sickened him further, for a time. Nevertheless, he persisted.
Some around him were concerned that the way he struggled in the beginning with Reaving might’ve made him turn his back on magic overall, but happily for him, this was not the case. In actuality, the moment he felt like himself again, he met with another mercenary that he’d spent a lot of time with and grew to admire over the years. While he’d gained Reaving from a master within his family, he wanted to pursue Elementalism from somebody he considered to be a member of chosen family.
The Elementalist in question was a strange, windswept Fae-ethalan who’d introduced themselves to him as Eliseo Talmirónn. In truth, he’d actually mistaken them for a wind spirit on their first meeting– something that seemed to make them feel quite chuffed. They were whimsical in what they chose to share versus not, being somewhat elusive about their past. They claimed such information just…wasn’t important when one had the present to focus on and the future to look forward to. The past was the past, what did it matter? Was what they’d always said. Over time, they and the nobleman had bonded both in battle and over a shared love for fishing.
It was actually through their influence that the swordsman’s interest in Elementalism was sparked, but when it came to which rune he’d pursue first, Reaving was the most obvious choice for him in the eyes of both of them. While many looked at runic initiations as something intimidating, Eliseo was not one such person. In fact, they were quite convinced Jae-Seong would brook both initiations well enough, gaining both runes and living on just fine. Thus far, this was partly true; he’d lived through Reaving, and much as it strained him, he was hale and hearty once more without any long term damage. The only strange thing that happened from his extended aether sickness was that the mark he’d been given bled into large scale aetheric scarring– the skin of his arm was almost entirely awash with otherworldly color.
And while Jae-Seong did not quite understand Eliseo’s confidence in him, he did take solace in it.
The initiation itself was to take place within the Palace Of The First Wind; were ought to run awry, both the nobleman and his kin wanted him to have as much aid as possible close at hand. Elementalism’s initiation was mostly equated to heavy aether sickness influenced by the four primary elements, sometimes biased to one or another. In fact, many equated an elemental bias to be indicative of what the mage might eventually arche in, though that wasn’t the case one hundred percent of the time. It was, however, true for Eliseo– or so they said, at least.
The Fae and the mercenary sat within the latter’s chambers, with both of them sitting cross-legged on the floor across from one another, not that far apart. They were not entirely alone, though– a lone servant was there for either of them to call to should aid end up being required.
“I think I should inscribe it overtop your Reaver’s arm–” Eliseo began, their voice lilting, mellifluous and silken.
“It’s such a gorgeous marking; I’ve not seen anything like it. Usually only the Siltori have strange ones by way of their witchmarks…” speaking with a trail, they sounded fascinated as they looked at the rune, turning Jae-Seong’s arm over in their hands. “I wonder why that happened…” they continued, this time mostly to themselves.
“I’m not sure…but do you really think that wise?” Jae-Seong responded; he really hadn’t a clue why that’d happened.
His Reaving rune had originally been only a small marking.
“Wise?” Eliseo laughed. “Depends on the metric with which you measure– but I think it would be,” they answered, punctuating the sentiment with a wry wink and a grin.
“I can only dream it might help twine the magics together in some form or fashion…but who could say, really?” They wondered aloud; the idea being both interesting and perhaps a bit portentous.
Initially, Jae-Seong had wanted the rune to be inscribed upon the opposite arm– but he found the other’s words were swaying him in the moment.
“My heart was never set on any particular location before…or even the shape, now that I think about it,” he said, almost sounding embarrassed.
He had never been one to plan things out that much in advance. But then again, neither was Eliseo.
The windswept Fae merely giggled. “Well, don’t worry about that, then– leave it to me. It’ll be as elegant as the rest of you, promise!”
The swordsman responded to the compliment with a wan sort of smile. “If you say so,” he’d say, extending his arm to the other, palm up and open.
What Eliseo intended to use to apply the rune was a sort of paint one would use in fine art; the color had been chosen in advance– a pastel blue– and then mixed with a bit of aetheryte. One couldn’t say for certain whether the aetheryte powder helped, but it was a widely known superstition that it might serve to ease one’s ensuing aether sickness. And with paint in hand, the Fae drew swirling lines over the expanse of the noble’s Reaving rune, lines that formed whorls which eventually resembled the ripples of a pond or force of a breeze, depending on how one were to look at it.
Jae-Seong sat in a state of silent, patient anticipation while he watched his companion paint these markings, pushing the aether of their own Elementalism into the new rune at the end of it. He felt their aether enter into him when they did so, the ripple of power rolling through the lines they had drawn across his skin. The sensation was nothing short of exhilarating.
But then came the first wave of pain.
For the next few moments, his lungs felt as if they’d collapsed; no matter how hard he tried, it felt as if he couldn’t fill them; it was as if he were drowning with no water. He gasped, and while Eliseo still held onto the arm on which the rune had been drawn, he drew the other one reflexively to his throat. Panic began to rise within him as seconds ticked by, time feeling like it had slowed down significantly in these moments.
The servant looked very much unnerved at the sight, but Eliseo gave them an optimistic look. Not long after did the initiate Elementalist wheeze and start to cough; he could breathe again, but it was clearly a struggle. Hunched over as he was, his Fae companion leaned forward to run a hand down his back. His sickness, however, did not relent, and Jae-Seong ended up falling further forward, leaning on the other for support.
Of course, every would-be Elementalist went through a different ordeal, making it impossible, ultimately, to predict what symptoms would make manifest. But even so, Eliseo had something of a hunch that Jae-Seong’s struggles would be respiratory– and they were right. Their own arche was air and they considered the two of them to be kindred spirits; this result was entirely unsurprising.
They did their best to weave magic through their own rune, calling upon the elements around them to provide him with some succor. Some would listen, some helping to soothe the magic that roiled through the mercenary, but only so much could be done. For a time, the two would remain locked in this embrace– Jae-Seong being wholly unable to support himself, either coughing or struggling to breathe at all.
Over time, however, he would continue to slowly stabilize. His symptoms began to wane, though they likely would not fade entirely until a few days from now.
Jae-Seong tried to pull away, attempting to steady himself; he was half-successful, though Eliseo still held him up for the most part. Through ragged breathing, he would try to speak.
“...you think…the worst of it…is over?” He sounded exhausted as he asked the question, but even still, he forced a weak sort of smile, wanting to be optimistic.
“I do,” the Fae responded, grinning at him.
“You’ll be able to weave the Elements and ride the winds alongside me in no time,” they continued, sounding bright, encouraging.
Eliseo genuinely believed that and Jae-Seong could tell; the swordsman had always admired their optimism. He didn’t quite understand where it came from, but he surely wished he could figure it.
Nevertheless, he was grateful for the other’s presence and support– grateful to have succeeded, and grateful that it was from them that he gained the rune.
But that was the thing, wasn’t it? Yes, anyone could die in initiation, but even so– given his status, he was well aware that he could arrange for the best possible preparations in a bid to circumnavigate such risks. And while that would not nullify potential peril altogether, it would certainly serve to boost his chances of success.
This obstinacy had endured for the first four decades of his life, but came to an end some sixth months prior when he'd finally caved to temptation and sought the acquisition of a Reaving rune. His initiation thereof succeeded without much difficulty; given that it was a duel, his existing martial prowess served him well for it. The resultant aether sickness, however, lingered for months, rendering the rune rather rough to use for a time, and the moment he felt better, he’d sat to form a pact with his second blade– something that sickened him further, for a time. Nevertheless, he persisted.
Some around him were concerned that the way he struggled in the beginning with Reaving might’ve made him turn his back on magic overall, but happily for him, this was not the case. In actuality, the moment he felt like himself again, he met with another mercenary that he’d spent a lot of time with and grew to admire over the years. While he’d gained Reaving from a master within his family, he wanted to pursue Elementalism from somebody he considered to be a member of chosen family.
The Elementalist in question was a strange, windswept Fae-ethalan who’d introduced themselves to him as Eliseo Talmirónn. In truth, he’d actually mistaken them for a wind spirit on their first meeting– something that seemed to make them feel quite chuffed. They were whimsical in what they chose to share versus not, being somewhat elusive about their past. They claimed such information just…wasn’t important when one had the present to focus on and the future to look forward to. The past was the past, what did it matter? Was what they’d always said. Over time, they and the nobleman had bonded both in battle and over a shared love for fishing.
It was actually through their influence that the swordsman’s interest in Elementalism was sparked, but when it came to which rune he’d pursue first, Reaving was the most obvious choice for him in the eyes of both of them. While many looked at runic initiations as something intimidating, Eliseo was not one such person. In fact, they were quite convinced Jae-Seong would brook both initiations well enough, gaining both runes and living on just fine. Thus far, this was partly true; he’d lived through Reaving, and much as it strained him, he was hale and hearty once more without any long term damage. The only strange thing that happened from his extended aether sickness was that the mark he’d been given bled into large scale aetheric scarring– the skin of his arm was almost entirely awash with otherworldly color.
And while Jae-Seong did not quite understand Eliseo’s confidence in him, he did take solace in it.
The initiation itself was to take place within the Palace Of The First Wind; were ought to run awry, both the nobleman and his kin wanted him to have as much aid as possible close at hand. Elementalism’s initiation was mostly equated to heavy aether sickness influenced by the four primary elements, sometimes biased to one or another. In fact, many equated an elemental bias to be indicative of what the mage might eventually arche in, though that wasn’t the case one hundred percent of the time. It was, however, true for Eliseo– or so they said, at least.
The Fae and the mercenary sat within the latter’s chambers, with both of them sitting cross-legged on the floor across from one another, not that far apart. They were not entirely alone, though– a lone servant was there for either of them to call to should aid end up being required.
“I think I should inscribe it overtop your Reaver’s arm–” Eliseo began, their voice lilting, mellifluous and silken.
“It’s such a gorgeous marking; I’ve not seen anything like it. Usually only the Siltori have strange ones by way of their witchmarks…” speaking with a trail, they sounded fascinated as they looked at the rune, turning Jae-Seong’s arm over in their hands. “I wonder why that happened…” they continued, this time mostly to themselves.
“I’m not sure…but do you really think that wise?” Jae-Seong responded; he really hadn’t a clue why that’d happened.
His Reaving rune had originally been only a small marking.
“Wise?” Eliseo laughed. “Depends on the metric with which you measure– but I think it would be,” they answered, punctuating the sentiment with a wry wink and a grin.
“I can only dream it might help twine the magics together in some form or fashion…but who could say, really?” They wondered aloud; the idea being both interesting and perhaps a bit portentous.
Initially, Jae-Seong had wanted the rune to be inscribed upon the opposite arm– but he found the other’s words were swaying him in the moment.
“My heart was never set on any particular location before…or even the shape, now that I think about it,” he said, almost sounding embarrassed.
He had never been one to plan things out that much in advance. But then again, neither was Eliseo.
The windswept Fae merely giggled. “Well, don’t worry about that, then– leave it to me. It’ll be as elegant as the rest of you, promise!”
The swordsman responded to the compliment with a wan sort of smile. “If you say so,” he’d say, extending his arm to the other, palm up and open.
What Eliseo intended to use to apply the rune was a sort of paint one would use in fine art; the color had been chosen in advance– a pastel blue– and then mixed with a bit of aetheryte. One couldn’t say for certain whether the aetheryte powder helped, but it was a widely known superstition that it might serve to ease one’s ensuing aether sickness. And with paint in hand, the Fae drew swirling lines over the expanse of the noble’s Reaving rune, lines that formed whorls which eventually resembled the ripples of a pond or force of a breeze, depending on how one were to look at it.
Jae-Seong sat in a state of silent, patient anticipation while he watched his companion paint these markings, pushing the aether of their own Elementalism into the new rune at the end of it. He felt their aether enter into him when they did so, the ripple of power rolling through the lines they had drawn across his skin. The sensation was nothing short of exhilarating.
But then came the first wave of pain.
For the next few moments, his lungs felt as if they’d collapsed; no matter how hard he tried, it felt as if he couldn’t fill them; it was as if he were drowning with no water. He gasped, and while Eliseo still held onto the arm on which the rune had been drawn, he drew the other one reflexively to his throat. Panic began to rise within him as seconds ticked by, time feeling like it had slowed down significantly in these moments.
The servant looked very much unnerved at the sight, but Eliseo gave them an optimistic look. Not long after did the initiate Elementalist wheeze and start to cough; he could breathe again, but it was clearly a struggle. Hunched over as he was, his Fae companion leaned forward to run a hand down his back. His sickness, however, did not relent, and Jae-Seong ended up falling further forward, leaning on the other for support.
Of course, every would-be Elementalist went through a different ordeal, making it impossible, ultimately, to predict what symptoms would make manifest. But even so, Eliseo had something of a hunch that Jae-Seong’s struggles would be respiratory– and they were right. Their own arche was air and they considered the two of them to be kindred spirits; this result was entirely unsurprising.
They did their best to weave magic through their own rune, calling upon the elements around them to provide him with some succor. Some would listen, some helping to soothe the magic that roiled through the mercenary, but only so much could be done. For a time, the two would remain locked in this embrace– Jae-Seong being wholly unable to support himself, either coughing or struggling to breathe at all.
Over time, however, he would continue to slowly stabilize. His symptoms began to wane, though they likely would not fade entirely until a few days from now.
Jae-Seong tried to pull away, attempting to steady himself; he was half-successful, though Eliseo still held him up for the most part. Through ragged breathing, he would try to speak.
“...you think…the worst of it…is over?” He sounded exhausted as he asked the question, but even still, he forced a weak sort of smile, wanting to be optimistic.
“I do,” the Fae responded, grinning at him.
“You’ll be able to weave the Elements and ride the winds alongside me in no time,” they continued, sounding bright, encouraging.
Eliseo genuinely believed that and Jae-Seong could tell; the swordsman had always admired their optimism. He didn’t quite understand where it came from, but he surely wished he could figure it.
Nevertheless, he was grateful for the other’s presence and support– grateful to have succeeded, and grateful that it was from them that he gained the rune.
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"Synskrit"
"Common"
"Inandoth"
