[Haven] Elemental Questions

[Elisabeth Black]

Arc 721, 20 Ashan

Glancing at the Ithecal with a suspicious look on her face, she knew he would tell Balthazar of her little misstep, but she really didn’t mind. Balthazar would laugh and tease her endlessly about it, but that was alright. It would make the man she loved smile, and that’s all that mattered.

Prae instructed her to cover her blade in air and test out how that felt. Concentrating hard, she visualized air doing as she asked, reaching out to it and leading it where she needed to go, starting something of a dance. Defiance was certainly give and take, and it took time to figure out the delicate balance of coaxing elements or pushing too far.

What he said about trying to focus on one thing instead of multiple made sense in theory, but in practice was much more difficult. It was a skill she would need to work on, asking the element to follow her blade, but after a few bits of sorting through it, she moved her blade through the air and found that the element was doing as she asked.

Then she noted when the sand scattered, glancing at him with an amused expression. At least until he asked his question that was.

It wasn’t often that Elisabeth was caught so off guard that her mind couldn’t come up with a single thing to say, which was very much the case right then. She would look to start forming words, only to stop and reconsider.
After a few bits, she looked his direction and shook her head. “I…can’t think of a damn thing. I don’t know why. I can see where it could come in use with some weapons, but I’m at a loss otherwise.”

Sighing inwardly, the frown that crossed her lips was indicative of her frustration. Why couldn’t she come up with just one thing to tell him?

[Praetorum]

Truthfully, Praetorum wasn't that surprised when Elisabeth couldn't answer his question. She was clever and talented, but inexperienced. He also had a feeling that with Balthazar so focused on combat, her mind would naturally move in that direction. 



"Not to worry," he said. "This type of thinking will come to you with time and experience. The reason I ask is, it's easy to fall into the trap of thinking of defiance as a magic useful mostly for combat. Fight enough, and it'll occur to you to caress your weapon with earth for power, air for speed, or fire for, well, fire. You'll also learn to caress your armor and shield quickly enough. But the elements are all around you, all the time. Learn what their qualities are and you'll soon see that you can use them everywhere."


"In blacksmithing, for instance, caressing your hammer or anvil with fire or air can help control the temperature of the metal you're forging. Caressing your oars with water can help you row a boat; air can help you move a plow through the dirt or a kite through the skies. Water can keep a blade clean as you skin an animal, or perform surgery."


"That's not to say that you should use it for everything, of course. Magic should be used carefully, at least until you have a better grasp on how much ether you can spare for frivolous things. But you should know that you could do these things, even if you choose not to. You want the elements to feel like an extension of yourself, for manipulating them to be as natural as moving your hand."



He smiled, gently patting her on the back before gesturing for her to put her weapon down. 



"Now, there's one other thing I want you to try, although I don't know if you'll be able to do so yet." Standing, Prae slowly gathered the air around him, setting it swirling lightly around him, before calling on it to lift him bodily off the sand until he was hovering a few inches in the air. 



"I've shown you how to caress a tool with air—now, and don't feel bad if you can't manage it this trial, I want you to practice caressing yourself, in a sense. Call to the air to embrace you, and carry you with it where it goes. I promise, once you learn how to fly..." Prae laughed. "You'll never want to walk again."

[Elisabeth Black]

Arc 721, 20 Ashan

Elisabeth listened as he explained the concept he was trying to teach her. She hadn’t been able to come up with any way for an element to combined with a tool, but he listed lots of them for her, stating that it was alright she couldn’t come up with any on her own. It wasn’t something she was used to thinking about, although the young woman still felt bad that she couldn’t come up with one thing.

She was, however, grateful that he mentioned that sometimes, it could wander into being a bit frivolous, so it was good to be careful. Elisabeth’s thoughts on magic were that it was a tool to be used for things not possible with other skills. If she was in battle, she could see doing as they had before, making her weapon lighter and aerodynamic, but for every trial use or training, she wouldn’t consider it. It, possibly, made others consider her a bit conservative, but she would rather be that than the alternative.

Taking a deep breath, she glanced at him as he asked her about caressing…herself? Flying? Her eyebrow arched quickly. Flying! She didn’t wait a moment longer, quickly calling out to air, letting it surround her.

In retrospect, her excitement got the better of her. Elisabeth hadn’t slowly worked her way through the steps or carefully considered things. No, she immediately did what she wanted and while the elements responded, they too were a bit overenthusiastic about her request.

Catching her lithe body, the air took her up a few feet or so, holding out her arms, smiling brightly as she hovered in front of Prae. Excited at what she considered a success, she pushed further, wanting to go higher, but the element had other plans. Taking her a few more feet up then, suddenly and violently, her body went hurtling towards the sand, landing feet first - barely - but the force of the shove took her down to her knees. “Ouchhhhhhh,” was the only words that slipped free as she stayed down for a moment.

Wincing a bit after, rising, she stretched her body out a bit, looking at the Ithecal. “So, for review, probably is a good idea to keep directing air up if you want to keep flying? And not lose focus, to the point where it decides to push you down instead, right?”

And while she loved having Balthazar around, Elisabeth was happy he was occupied elsewhere at that moment, quickly looking around to see if anyone had seen the blunder.

[Praetorum]

Well, someone was excited.

He could feel the moment she called on the elements, wind rising to her request, rushing towards her with enthusiasm. Too much enthusiasm.

Elisabeth was pulled into the air until she was eye level with him, and Prae blinked in surprise. Mentally, he adjusted his estimation of her ability with defiance up a notch. That being said, though…

“Mind that you don’t—” But the words were barely past his teeth before she was surging even higher.

It seemed Prae had finally found the one thing that would make Elisabeth discard her customary caution. Despite himself, he smiled a little at her childlike excitement. He understood the feeling—the first time he’d flown on his Kheledzan, and then again the first time he’d flown under his own power… Yes, he understood exactly how she was feeling now.

Just as before, Prae could feel the moment the less experienced defier lost control—the winds lost focus as she did, and Elisabeth went plummeting. Reflexively, Prae reached to control the air himself, then paused.

Prae could help her now, but he wouldn’t always be here to protect her—and a bruise or two was a good way to make a lesson stick. So instead he kept a close eye on her as she fell the relatively short distance, and whispered for the earth to be gentle when she landed.

“That is a good idea, generally,” he laughed when she rose and spoke. “The elements want to be in their natural state—it’s only your focus and ether that makes them act unnaturally. You’ll need a steady supply of both to dance properly.”

He tapped his muzzle. “You have a lot of power in you—much more than I expected. But not having had a teacher means you don’t have a lot of control. I want you to work on that first.”

He considered for a moment. “How about this?” Prae conjured up a small ball of water, and set it to circling his body randomly. “Do something small like this, and go about your day. Try to learn how to multitask with defiance, keeping control of it even when your focus is elsewhere. If you manage, and find it too easy, do something a little more complicated. And don’t forget to rest every once in a while, of course. Keep an eye on your ether usage. Does that sound good to you?”

[Elisabeth Black]

Arc 721, 20 Ashan

Flying was…exhilarating. The sensation was like nothing else she had ever experienced before, being weightless, floating under the gentle guidance of air. Elisabeth hadn’t expected the element to response so robustly, but the experience was unlike anything she knew…

….at least until she hit the ground. Violently.

Praetorum’s words found their way to her as she rose, easing herself up from the delightful flight, and ugly plummet that had followed, eyeing the laughing Ithecal with a dramatic cross look on her face. “I don’t suppose there is some sort of mentor-mentee confidentially regarding training blunders, is there? Does Balthazar really need to hear about this?” Of course, she knew the man would find out eventually, and to be honest, Elisabeth didn’t really care all that much, although she knew it would prompt some teasing.

His words made sense about power and control. The young mage had been surprised at how easily the element had rushed forth to respond to her. Her issues always happened after calling the element, which he was politely pointing out, and luckily, he seemed to have something of a solution too.

Doing something small with Defiance as she went about her trial, learning some of the control that she was missing. It was a plausible idea, although she had a bit of a concern, and that concern was Balthazar.

Things were good between Elisabeth and the man she loved, and she didn’t want to do anything to upset that. Magic was still a touchy point with him, so much so that he didn’t train her, thus calling in Praetorum to assist with her education. She had no desire to flaunt something in front of Balthazar that he was being kept from, especially something as much a part of him as magic was.

Prae was right - She needed to learn control. It would have to be done away from Balthazar though, for she refused to do anything that would cause him any amount of pain if she could help it, and this she could.

Nodding, she smiled at Prae. “So, something like this?” Raising her hand gently, she gave a graceful little wave, sending a small burst of air towards the Ithecal, directing the element to dance around him, similarly to how he greeted the young woman.

[Praetorum]

“Oh, I’m afraid Balthazar will probably hear about this one way or another. You know how he hears things,” Prae laughed. “But I won’t bring it up to him unless he does.”

Elisabeth seemed interested in Prae’s idea for her training, but he knew her well enough to sense some hesitation in the young human. And it didn’t take much thought for Prae to figure out why. She was worried about hurting Balthazar’s feelings.

Elisabeth’s consideration for others was something he admired deeply in her, true, but personally, Prae thought it sometimes hindered her ability to act. It wasn’t just that she preferred not to upset others, but that in some way it seemed to slightly frighten her to do so, especially if she liked the person in question. But she needed training, and Balthazar should be more than capable of dealing with his feelings of jealousy.

Something to discuss at a later time, he decided after a moment’s thought. This little personality quirk of hers was something that warranted a much longer conversation than they had time for right now.

“Perfect,” Praetorum said as she demonstrated her control over air. “Learn to keep that up even while you’re distracted, and you’ll be well on your way to surpassing Balthazar and myself.”

Stretching, he gestured to the rising moons. “It’s getting late, and I’m afraid I still have a few things I need to do back in Rharne.” He smiled softly, and sent a gust of wind over to playfully ruffle Elisabeth’s hair. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning, then.”

[Pig Boy]

Player Name: Praetorum

Points awarded: 15
Magic xp: minimal magic use for his level IMO. No magic xp

Knowledge:

Detection x7
Teaching x7

Renown:
Loot:
Injuries/Overstepping:
Wealth Points:
Consequences:

Skill Review: All Skills used appropriately to PC's level

Player Name:

Points awarded: 15 xp
Magic xp: Yes for defiance and a levelup for defiance.

Knowledge:

Mediation x2
Discipline x3
Socialization x2
Defiance - Every spark is different in its own way but all sparks by nature want to be used.
Defiance - Communing and understanding the elements helps a mage's relationship with them
Defiance - Is a balancing act between mages' desires, spark’s personality, and the elements’ nature
Defiance - Embrace - A mage can use this technique to fly using air
Defiance - Caressing - Calling upon the elements to enhance your tools
Defiance - Moderating one's ether usage is essential

Renown: 0
Loot: none
Injuries/Overstepping: Slight vertigo for a break or so afterward.
Wealth Points: n/a

Skill Review: All Skills used appropriately to PC's level

Notes: A fairly straightforward and sort of safe training thread. While I've seen more dramatic level ups for magic, this was well handled all the same by the both of you.

Praetorum is a really good teacher. It seems like he has just the right demeanor for it. I was a bit confused when he asked her how her 'spark' was. But I suppose that's part of the weirdness of being a mage. You start to anthropomorphize the spark and think of it as having its own identity. Not to say that's wrong, but IMO the spark is a parasite, that requires the host to express any personality at all. His asking how her spark was seemed to abdicate her own importance in that equation. Anyway, it was an interesting thing I noticed. Apart from that, the techniques he taught and the reflection of his past in Yaralon was appreciated. It's always great when a long-standing character can look back at their own experience, and apply that to the now. Well done!

Elisabeth was a bit clumsy, almost uncharacteristically so. I have to admit, I haven't caressed a weapon with wind for any of my pcs before, as far as I remember. I didn't realize that it'd be possible for it to simply fly out of an experienced warrior's hand. That seems quite dangerous! But it is in keeping with how a mishap with wind might go. All the same, I'd consider that Elisabeth is a very skilled sword wielder and isn't likely to lose her grip so easily on such a precious and familiar weapon. The parts where she stumbled with Embrace as a competent mage, was however appropriate. Just beware that flying skill may come in handy for when she learns to properly fly. It's not strictly necessary as its part of the magic skill, but a little extra skill couldn't hurt if she wanted to do something fancy in the air.... Anyway some advice from me, take it for what it's worth .

Well done both, enjoy the rewards. And don't let ithecal ruffle your hair, that sounds painful.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns regarding this review, feel free to PM. Enjoy your rewards!