• Closed • Dragonlings And Other Things

[Devin]

After [Barony] Waylaid by Chaos.

Vhalar 1, Arc 721

“So, where did you get that chaos bolt, if you don’t mind me asking?” Devin wanted to know in a cheerful tone of voice as he made their way down the road towards Smooglenuff Manor, with Kisaik on his shoulder. He had invited the Tunawa because he couldn’t just leave a magical Tunawa with more titles than he could count and a dragonling at the side of the road, even though he had hit him with a chaos bolt.

“Is it a previously unknown domain of magic?” he asked. “Is it some sort of blessing? If you tell me, I’ll tell you where I got my winged goat”, he offered, hoping that that story might tempt Kisaik to part with some of his secrets. “I could also tell you about the magical tree that turned my eyes violet”, he continued because he just loved telling stories and bragging about his adventures. “It stood in the Sweetwine Woods, and it had a door. There was really weird stuff behind that door”, he revealed.

A moment later, he winced a little because his head still kind of hurt, abruptly reached into his domain bag that he always carried with him and that contained a lot of random stuff because you never knew what you might encounter when travelling. He removed a piece of pretty cloth from it and tied it around his forehead, like some sort of makeshift bandana, in the hope that the pressure and the warmth would alleviate the headache a bit.

“I always thought that you could only mute magic with a Ring of Paradigm or an Attuner”, he continued. He briefly wondered if he should be pissed off because Kisaik had done something to his spark, but then he decided against it. Shapeshifting was a painful and messy affair a lot of the time, anyway, and besides, he had just realized that his being hit with a chaos bolt constituted a unique opportunity. “I’m doing a degree in magical theory, kind of. I decided to take a break from university for a while to focus on the barony, but I plan on continuing sometime. Do you think I could just write a thesis about myself?” he wanted to know and grinned because he absolutely loved writing about himself.

“I’d even change your name if you don’t want this to become public knowledge”, he offered. He wanted to attract attention, but he didn’t want to cause problems for anybody!

Having said that, he fell silent for a moment as it was just then that Smooglenuff Manor finally came into view. It was a truly beautiful manor house with walls made of grey stone, balconies and a roof in a very tasteful shade of purple. A wall surrounded the property. There was a gate in the wall, and in front of that gate was a two-story guardhouse.

The guard that stood in front of the guardhouse, a young biqaj woman, blinked a little as Devin approached, without his magical mutated feathers, but with a Tunawa on his shoulder, his winged goat on a leash and a strange winged lizard behind him. A moment later, she rubbed her eyes.

“That’s Chip!” Devin told her in a casual tone of voice, as if such things were commonplace and pointed at the Tunawa. “And that’s his friend is Aquarius. He is a dragonling with a lowercase d. I’m not sure if there are also Dragonlings with an uppercase D, but anyway, they are my guests!” he proclaimed to the guard who just stared him before she let them through. The baron could bring whatever guests he wanted.

“Are you sitting comfortably?” Devin wanted to know and briefly glanced at Kisaik. He made sure not to walk too quickly, and he tried to make his steps soft and even so that they ride wouldn’t be too bumpy. He had never been a mount before, and he wanted to make sure that he did it correctly.

“I’m not sure where I’m supposed to put Aquarius”, he admitted a moment later. “Does he get along with other animals, such as horses and scalvwings? I suppose I could put him into a separate box in the stable or let him walk around in the garden. Unless you think we should take him inside?” he asked and furrowed his brow thoughtfully.

“What do you like to eat, by the way?” he asked as they made their way down the path towards the front door (provided that Kisaik and Aquarius decided to come with him). “I thought we could go to the Green Room, eat and drink something and exchange stories! The Green Room is really pretty and green, and it has a great view of the garden!” he explained before he fell silent and looked at Kisaik questioningly.

[Kisaik]

Kisaik's brow darkened slightly as he considered the question the Baron asked him. It was a dark tale, the one that had resulted in his acquisition of the power of Chaos. Yet even so, he was honorbound to tell the truth, and even had the idea to record the tale in the book that Cassion had gifted him. So as they ambled along, Kisaik took out his little quill from his hat, and began scribbling on the small booklet, the tale of Black as night, Black as Pitch. Or so he titled it. It was a story of how Kisaik had met his Immortal father for the second time, the evil Wizard Aelig. He told Devin the story as he was walking along, about how he'd used magic during the encounter, and accidentally severed a man's hand. This was how Kisaik had earned the name of ọbavi sọ tẹlẹ, slayer of hands.

As he told the story, and wrote it at the same time, he jotted down how he'd met the Baron, as an addendum, to detail the first use of the Chaos Bolt, and how it'd had a happy effect all in all. Then, once he was done reciting the tale and jotting it down in Cassion's book, he looked up at Devin, and cocked his head to the side. "You know, I didn't know it would have such a happy effect upon anyone, and I certainly wouldn't have intentionally aimed it at ANYONE. It jumping back toward you was a total fluke... I'd advise you to watch that it doesn't have any other effects, but perhaps using the chaos bolt in tandem with my Rupturing magics caused it to cut you off from your spark? It's impossible to say how chaos might react to various things, but that sounds as likely an explanation as any, wouldn't you say?"

"But please don't worry too much, it seems not to have affected you in any other way than to take away your magic, if indeed you were a mage?" Kisaik shrugged. And along they ambled, with Aquarius tromping noisily behind them.

The Baron said he was doing a degree in magical theory. Kind of. This intrigued Kisaik greatly, as he was fascinated by all forms and expressions of magic, even those of the domain variety, although his patron Ashan disapproved them. "You need not change my name! Just... please make it clear that I didn't intend to hit you with the chaos bolt! It rebounded from a snapshot portal instead of passing through! There's no way I could've known it would hit you, although I'll endeavor to be more careful with it in the future, for certain."

Kisaik enjoyed the ride on Devin's shoulder. The man certainly had an even gait that made him a pleasure to ride on his shoulder. So he was perfectly comfortable by the time they arrived at the manor. There, Devin introduced him to the guard at the gates. "Greetings madam! Allow me to introduce myself, as your lord has told you... I am Chip, or more formally known as Mädärä Kisaik Ciuruọrun sọ Kufuata Karo Kashe Däuä, Tìfmi Härumtä sọ anou Faewun Samuwar, ọbavi sọ tẹlẹ, igbaradi sọ anou tabi ọludïbọ, Saoire's chieja kẹmïkälï kukïrï, Akoko Nọọsi, qy’akot o'Creede" He said, concluding his titles with a short bow from his head. "But you can call me Chip!"

When Devin asked him if he was sitting comfortably, Kisaik nodded at him, "Oh quite! You have a very even and gentle gait. Very graceful walker!"

"Aquarius will be well on his own, in the garden I suspect. He rather enjoys being amidst greenery." Kisaik assured him, then nodded to Aquarius.

"I like all kinds of food. I've been mostly snacking on crickets and honey and the drinks of tall folk since I've been here. But I've been trying to get used to eating meat, and do find it quite tasty! Tunawa very often prefer berries and bugs, however, as easily available foods. But I do like the drinks of tall folk, especially the kind that fizz. Yes, let's go to the Green Room! That sounds like a splendid place."

[Devin]

“Oh wow“, Devin made when Kisaik told his story. He stopped several times on the way to Smooglenuff Manor because he was so fascinated and just forgot to move his feet. “Did that other guy’s hand really continue to move after you cut it off?” he wanted to know, his eyes wide. “What kind of magic was that? And are you really a Mortalborn? I’m a Mortalborn, too, as I told you, although I don’t know who my parent is yet”, he continued, frowning briefly, because he didn’t like not knowing where he came from although being a Mortalborn was pretty great, far better than being a human.

“Aelig sounds nasty”, he remarked a moment later and nodded in order to emphasize his statement. “I really hope he isn’t my father as well. I’m hoping for … well, not Edasha or Delroth because they are attractive, and I’m not like those nobles from Rynmere that flirt with their relatives. I’m probably Ziell’s son because I can see the future, too”, he decided rather than finishing his initial sentence. He didn’t know much about Mortalborns – while he had been one all his life, he had only found out very recently – but it made sense that your domains kind of resembled the domains of your Immortal parent.

He had promised Kisaik that he would tell him how he had gotten his winged goat if he told him how he had acquired his chaos bolt though, so he did just that. “… the previous owner didn’t want him anymore because he didn’t want to make babies or walk on two legs, so he was useless for breeding or for the circus. I thought that was really mean, so I decided to take him and give him a good life”, he finished, frowning before he stroke Keke in case he had understood him and was sad because he had been reminded of his past now. No animal should ever have to be sad!

“I’m not sure if it’s a happy effect, but it’s a great opportunity for science”, Devin remarked in a cheerful tone of voice. There might come a time when he’d miss his magic even though it was messy and painful and involved cutting toes off or extracting teeth which he really, really disliked, but for the time being he was quite excited because being desparked via a chaos bolt made him unique. It was much better than one of those puny paradigm rings!

“If I write a thesis about myself, I’ll make sure to paint you in a positive light, and I’ll make it clear that you didn’t do it on purpose”, he promised. “And I’ll also make sure to tell my readers that I didn’t mind”, he continued. It was just then that they finally arrived though. When Kisaik introduced himself, with all of his many titles, the young man blinked a little, and when the other Mortalborn complimented him in his very even and gentle gait, he beamed (which Kisaik likely didn’t see since he was on his shoulder).

A few moments later, Aquarius was off to explore the garden, Keke had been handed over to a servant who took him to the stable, and Devin and Kisaik entered the Green Room that was indeed pretty and green, as the young Baron had said. It was a beautifully decorated reception room in different shades of green, from subtle and pale to bright and beautiful. It was exquisitely furnished, there was a lot of light, and it overlooked a particularly pretty part of the garden, too. In short, it was perfect for receiving guests!

“I don’t have any Tunawa-sized furniture in here, but you can just sit on the table”, Devin said and held out a hand in order to help Kisaik climb off of his shoulder if he needed help. It was just then that another man entered the room. He was a half biqaj, with tanned skin and relatively young, and he introduced himself as Korim, the butler of Smooglenuff Manor and asked Devin what he should serve his guest and him.

“Could you bring me a glass of red wine, please?” Devin asked before he turned to his guest. “What would you like? We have pretty much everything, including beer because I solved the beer crisis – I can tell you that story later on if you want me to. It’s about worms and a carriage!” he claimed. “I can ask one of the servants to look for crickets in the garden and roast them with honey”, he continued. “We don’t have any crickets in the kitchen because most tall folk refuse to eat bugs for some reason, but there should be some outside. Otherwise, you could try some roasted meat. Mrs. Adams, the cook, is quite skilled!” he told him and beamed.

Once Kisaik had made his choice, Korim bowed deeply and left, and Devin turned to his guest again, a wide smile on his face and remarked in a cheerful tone of voice, “Did you know that they eat bugs in Desnind? I didn’t like them very much back when I lived there, but chocolate-covered ants sound great right now. Maybe, I should introduce exotic cuisine to Scalvoris. Have you ever been to Desnind, Chip?” he asked.

[Kisaik]

Kisaik didn’t speak of the failure at the book repository very often. It wasn’t one that he relished the remembrance of, but surely it deserved as much consideration as any of his adventures. Even heroes were known to fail from time to time, and it was good for people to realize that even impressive folk such as himself could make mistakes. It’s an important lesson to learn, that it’s okay to fail from time to time, as long as you tried your best!

”I don’t know what kind of magic… some kind of terrible… Chaos magic?” Kisaik shrugged. Although he was an accomplished enough mage and with many trinkets and gadgets of magical power, there was so little he truly understood of the nature of magic.

”Yes I’m a mortal born. It’s how I’m able to do this…” And with a flourish, he removed his wizard cap from the top of his head, and pulled out a ladle. He’d been working his alchemy lately, and so the wizard hat had all the trappings of alchemy ready to go inside of it. He placed the ladle back into the hat, and then replaced it on his crown.

Kisaik listened politely to the man’s story about the winged goat Keke. He was thoroughly entertained, and yet thought it was sad that the animal wasn’t wanted by its previous owner. It was entirely inconceivable! Who would give up such a magnificent animal! ”Keke is magnificent, it’s inconceivable that anyone would want to just give him away! By the way, he has wings, can he fly do you think?” It wasn’t always a sure thing, as some birds had wings that didn’t fly, but Kisaik was very interested in such things, as what a mount was capable of.

Kisaik nodded along as the Baron assured him he would paint his involvement in a positive light. Then, Kisaik had a thought, he remembered his book given by Cassion, full of tales of his daring-do that he’d written in his own hand. Right now it only contained one story, that of the encounter at the Heart of the World, but he thought to ask the baron. ”Do you mind if I write a story of our meeting, My lord Devin? Cassion gave me this here book at the Heart of the World. I would trade another story for the right to record our amazing, chance meeting on the road!”

But then, they soon came upon the Manor, which was impressively beautiful. It was hard to believe after the disaster that rocked Faldrass, they’d rebuilt so fast.

And soon enough, after their dragonling and winged goat friends were settled, they arrived into the Green Room. Kisaik was enthralled by the decor and environment. There were plants, but it seemed to Kisaik that the Baron might enjoy his other talent, for gardening. ”It’s very green and very beautiful. Would you allow me to decorate it with my gardening skills sometime? I’d love to bring you some great specimens if you’d allow it.”

He walked down Devin’s arm, gently so as not to hurt him with the spurs of his sabatons. Then he jumped onto a nearby table cloth. He didn’t want to scuff the good lord’s tabletop with his armor!

Kisaik was very interested to hear the story about how Devin had saved beer on the island. ”Tell you what, you tell me all about how you saved beer on Scalvoris, and I’ll tell you about my Encounter in the Heart of the World, where I met Aquarius!”

” Whatever you have to offer would be greatly appreciated. And yes! I happen to be from Desnind originally… Did you know that? Many tunawa live in Desnind, in Magani.” Kisaik was thinking he was very fortunate now to have met a kindred soul in Baron Devin. There were so many good people in Faldrass these days. It made Kisaik glad to be there.

[Devin]

“Chaos magic?” Devin asked. His eyes were wide with fascination. He’d heard that Kisaik had called it something terrible, of course, and it did sound terrible, but at the same time, learning about a new kind of magic was exciting. “Is it the kind of magic that comes from sparks, or is it Aelig’s own magic?” he wanted to know. “None of my teachers ever told me about chaos magic. Do you think Immortals have their own magic that is related to their domains? Maybe, Delroth has vanity magic, and Edasha has beauty magic”, he mused and smiled a little because he liked that idea. Truth to be told, he wouldn’t mind having a little bit of beauty or vanity magic of his own!

When Kisaik removed his wizard hat and pulled out a ladle, Devin’s eyes widened so much that they nearly threatened to drop out of their sockets. A moment later, he applauded enthusiastically. “That’s a great ability”, he told Kisaik. “Do you think I can learn it as well? I’m not sure if I can give my fortune telling ability to you, but I could teach you how normal fortune telling works”, he offered and beamed at him. Devin was a really great fortune teller, too. He’d worked as one before he had become a Baron and a doctor and a priest and a number of other really awesome things!

“Anyway, Keke can of course fly!” he continued and glanced at his four-legged friend for a moment. “I just haven’t flown him yet! I thought that it would be better to learn how to ride him on land before I try to master the air. I’d rather not fall off of his back and break all my bones. That sounds rather unpleasant”, he told Kisaik in a matter-of-fact tone of voice and nodded his head. Normally, Devin was a bit more daring and interested in experiencing new things. Death or a lengthy hospital stay was not something that he was particularly keen on though. So, he’d decided to be careful instead!

“I wouldn’t mind at all!” he told Kisaik when he asked for permission to write a story about their meeting. “I’d love a story about our meeting. Just make sure to also mention Keke. He deserves to be featured in a story well. I don’t have any books from Cassion”, he admitted because he considered it to be rather important to mention that. “Saoire gave me a couple of books though, about Faldrass and nobility and etiquette and such. And Delroth gave me a shrine”, he added and grinned.

~~~

When they were in the Green Room, and Kisaik asked him if he’d allow him to decorate it, Devin looked positively delighted. “I’d love that!” he told him. “Just make sure that at least some of the plants are green. It’s the Green Room. Although – a Green Room that is really blue or pink might be fun as well”, he mused before he firmly shook his head. No, the Green Room would stay green. All those different greens looked really nice!

“I’m afraid that we don’t have any crickets, sir”, Korim, the butler pointed out. When Kisaik said that whatever he had to offer would be greatly appreciated, he bowed and departed. But a few moments later, he returned with a glass of fine red wine for Devin and a Tunawa-sized bowl with berries and a drink for Kisaik. It was a very fizzy pink drink, and it made interesting sizzling sounds and smelled faintly of strawberries.

“I didn’t know that!” Devin exclaimed excitedly when Kisaik told him that many Tunawa lived in Desnind only in order to briefly rub his forehead. The headache wasn’t debilitating, but it sure was annoying, and he wished it would just realize that it was not wanted and go away again. Frowning, he took a sip from his glass of wine, in the hope that the alcohol might make him feel better. A moment later, he was already grinning again though because he loved telling the story of how he had solved the beer crisis.

“Last cycle”, he began, leaned back a little and took another sip from his wine. “My roommate Talieson, the bard, finally joined me on Faldrass, and he told me a very strange story. He’d been about to perform in a tavern when a bar brawl had broken out. The bar brawl didn’t happen because people had drunk too much beer though. On the contrary, they decided to beat each other up over a lack of beer!” he told Kisaik and paused for a moment in order to give him the opportunity to consider that.

“I found that most curious, so I decided to investigate and give Scalvoris its beer back!” he continued in an almost overwhelmingly enthusiastic tone of voice. “At first, I thought that Ilaren was angry for some reason – she’s the Immortal of Alcohol, you know? – but people still had wine and such. Since beer is made from grain, I decided to check out a farm, except that the farmer insisted that her grain was normal. I even took a look at the grain myself. There was nothing out of the ordinary though!” he revealed and beamed because he was so excited about his own story.

(Talking about how he had solved the beer crisis also made him think less about that stupid headache!)

“I was just wondering whether my investigation was a total failure, when I suddenly noticed a bird. I can talk to birds – Delroth gave me the ability – so I decided to interrogate it. It told me that worms, its favourite food, had started to taste bad”, he revealed. “I subsequently came up with the theory that the worms were diseased and had infected the grain and made the beer taste bad somehow. I even came up with a name for what was going on. A zoonosis is a disease that comes from animals. If plants do something weird, it’s thus a plantinosis!” he informed Kisaik in a very proud tone of voice. He really liked that word!

“In order to verify if the worms really were diseased, I needed to examine them though, so I collected a couple of worms – and put them into a terrarium, because worms should have a nice place, too, even if they taste bad. Worms are actually fascinating creatures, and they sure eat a lot”, he continued, momentarily losing track a little (Devin wasn’t a bad storyteller, but he often got carried away and subsequently focused on random details; structure was definitely one of the things he still needed to work on!).

“I went to the library in order to research more. I needed to find out how worms could have affected the entire island in a reasonable amount of time, among other things. Worms are really, really slow. At the library, I met my classmate Magdalene quite by accident. She offered to help me with my research in exchange for a meal. Guess what kind of food she wanted me to make for her?” he asked.

“She wanted something with cottage cheese and bacon!” he revealed in a dramatic tone of voice.

“So, I made baked potatoes with cottage cheese and bacon for her. And then we discussed the worm carriage. Yes, you heard correctly. In order to spread the bad stuff, the worms needed a carriage that enabled them to move faster somehow. And guess what turned out to the carriage? The birds! I came to the conclusion that there was a parasite in the worms. The birds ate the worms, the parasite got into their poop, and their poop then came in contact with the grain”, he told Kisaik. He was talking a bit too quickly, barely stopping in order to take a breath, because he absolutely loved that he had pretty much made a scientific breakthrough.

“The parasite was not dangerous for the birds or for us, by the way, and we even came up with a way to get rid of it – with a fungicide made from tea”, he finished and looked at Kisaik expectantly. He was hoping for a bit of praise, or questions, or both.

“So”, he said after a while. “What happened in the Heart of the World, and how did you meet Aquarius? Was the Heart of the World underground? Was it very dark in there?” he wanted to know. His eyes were a little wide once more because he was quite curious, and there was a smile on his face. He hadn’t thought that he would find a kindred spirit in the man that had been involved in the muting of his magic, but he really had.

Kisaik, he decided, was great!

[Kisaik]

Kisaik was glad the Baron was willing to let him write a story in his journal, regarding the removal of the Baron's becoming spark. It was an interesting and unlikely tale, and he was sure if nobody else would enjoy the story, Cassion would appreciate it. He began jotting down the letters as he rode on Devin's shoulder:




It began with the strangeness on the air that day, and then the overwhelming urge to expel the chaos that was growing inside of him. He shot the chaos bolt into the air, and as it hit the snapshot portal it went awry, shooting directly for the hapless Baron's head!

The Baron's head must have been made of very strong stuff, because he survived the bolt's direct impact, but somehow it demagicked him. And of course, The Baron Devin's faithful steed Keke was on hand to lend its aid.

Far from punishing the tunawa knight Kisaik, however, he'd merely questioned him briefly, and asked if he was going bald, because his feathers were falling out. When Kisaik said only the feathers had fallen, and not a hair was out of place the Baron seemed relieved enough that he didn't see fit to call the guards.

And from there, the two had a very peaceful conversation, in spite of their awkward meeting, where they went to the Baron's castle in order to swap notes and tales of their daringest deeds.



The story thus written, Kisaik took a deep breath, and showed the writing to Devin, if he wanted to look at what he'd written in case it didn't meet with his approval.

Soon enough, though, they arrived into the Green Room as the Baron called it. Kisaik thought he'd like to help bring some color to the Green Room, perhaps he'd try his hand at gardening in the Manor. But for now he was distracted by the look of pain on Devin's face. He seemed really to have a bad headache.

Kisaik wanted to help, though, and wasn't one to sit idly by when a person needed help. So as Devin spoke of his story, Kisaik took out an ingredient from his pouch. A few slips of basil, mint, and a sprig of morning savior. These he mashed into a mortar and pestle. Kisaik of course listened to the story about how the Baron had saved beer for the island. That was an important mission, in Kisiak's opinion, as he very much enjoyed a beer from time to time himself.

He enjoyed the berries and fizzy drink that Devin had arranged for him as well, and used some droplets of it to mix the head-ache ingredients. Once he was done, he offered the remedy to Devin. "For your headache, lordship!" Kisaik said brightly as the story paused, "Morning savior with mashed basil and mint. It is usually for women who are suffering morning sickness, but I do think it will help with a headache as well!"

Kisaik cleared his throat, letting the Baron try the medicine, and then listened to the rest of his story. "That was a noble thing you did, surely, and such a long way you went to solve that crisis! You are a most valorous Baron, Devin."

This said, the subject turned to matters that were slightly darker, and more perilous to speak of. Yet Kisaik was proud of his story, and his adventure. He didn't flinch from retelling it, even to Devin.

He told the story about the Heart of the World. And when he was done, he showed off the ingredient satchel that he'd acquired from the quest, as well as the broach Saoire had given him that had saved his life twice. And also the invisibility cloak that had a fire-resistance enchantment on it. Yes, Kisaik had come out of the Heart of the World much richer than before he'd gone into it. But it was a serious thing, the consequences for which were yet to be fully known.

"But I am determined to see my mission to get stronger to its end, if I must. To reach the unreachable and become reforged in Vindecaldra's seeing."

[Devin]

“You are a really good storyteller”, Devin told Kisaik when he showed him what he had written so far and craned his neck a bit in an attempt to look at the little Mortalborn on his shoulder. It was just then that something occurred to him, and he asked in a tone of voice that was both worried and utterly curious at the same time, “You wrote that you had an overwhelming urge to expel the chaos growing inside of you. Did it hurt? Was it like breaking wind, only with chaos instead of wind?”

Some people would likely have been a bit reluctant to talk about such questionable matters, especially as an adult and a Baron; to Devin it was a perfectly logical and reasonable comparison and a valid concern though, so he didn’t see why he shouldn’t mention it. And besides that, there was another thing that he couldn’t help but wonder about. “If I suffer from strong flatulence or stomach aches, I take medicine. I wonder if there is a medicine that makes the chaos inside of you less chaotic”, he mused.

“I could try to help”, he offered. Kisaik might have desparked him, but nobody should have to suffer from an overwhelming urge to dispel a chaos that was growing inside of them in his opinion. He was confident that he’d find a way, too. He was one of the best doctors on the entire island, if not the best doctor, because Faith Augustin probably wasn’t there.

~~~

Devin did kind of notice that Kisaik mixed different ingredients from his pouch; he was too focused on his story to pay a lot of attention to it though because he was really excited to tell his new acquaintance how he had solved the beer crisis and given Scalvoris its beer back. When Kisaik offered his creation to him and explained that it was for his headache, his eyes lit up though, and he immediately tried it. “Thank you so much”, he replied and beamed at Kisaik, both because he was looking forward to finally getting rid of that stupid headache and because his new acquaintance had called him valorous and noble.

There had been a time when he had thought that noble and valorous people were lame, and heroes were stupid, but he had changed his mind. Being a noble hero was great!

When Kisaik told him what had happened in the Heart of the World, he couldn’t help but be impressed – and worried. Kisaik would notice how the young man sat there open-mouthed and barely moved; he was that fascinated by what he heard. He didn’t say anything right away when Kisaik told him that he was determined to see his mission to get stronger to its end though, but simply looked at him for a moment before he finally began to talk.

And he talked a lot!

“You are most valorous as well”, he said first of all, and really meant it.

“Why were there flaming bees?” he wanted to know next, because they sounded scary, but also fascinating. “Did the woman that was with you turn out to be okay? Did you ever find out where Vindecaldra came from? Was she there all along? Why haven’t we heard anything about dragons until now? And finally, if the world has a heart, do you think it has lungs and a liver and such as well?” he asked because that was important to know as well in his opinion. His eyes were wide with fascination.

“You know”, he said after he had given Kisaik ample time to answer his questions. “If you want to redecorate, you could stay here, at the manor. I’m afraid that we don’t have any Tunawa-sized rooms yet, but some of the stuff for the smallest Cadouri could be adapted”, he suggested because he really wanted to intensify his contact with the magical Tunawa, despite the fact that he had done something to his own magic before he stopped dead in his tracks and stared at the items that Kisaik showed to him.

He had to admit that he was a bit envious – he was a greedy priest of Delroth after all – but more than that, he was fascinated. “An invisibility cloak sounds great”, he admitted before he lowered his voice and asked somewhat mischievously, “Have you ever used it to prank someone? Also, do you want to see my own treasures later on? I don’t have any clothes with a fire-resistance enchantment on them, but I have a stone that does the opposite. It gets really hot. And what more, I have a blanket that turns you into a pig. I don’t want to ever become a pig, but it’s still a pretty fascinating piece of magic”, he decided and looked at Kisaik, his violet eyes shimmering ever so brightly.

He was even more impressed with his new acquaintance and more excited than before!

[Jackalope]

]

Experience: +15 xp
Magic: No.
Collaboration: Yes
Wealth Points N/A
Loot None.
Renown None
Injuries None.


General comments

It is too bad that you guys never concluded this thread, though it feels like you were only one or two posts away. Very informative and entertaining thread about some interesting aspects of both of these characters. And not the sequel I would necessarily have expected to that thread where Kisaik hits Devin with a chaos bolt (which I think I also reviewed).

Devin

Skillplay: Appropriate to level.

Knowledge:

Endurance: A chaos bolt-induced headache
Etiquette: Ask for permission before you write about someone
Medicine: Warmth can alleviate a headache
Medicine: Morning savior mixed with basil and mint helps with a headache
Socialization: Offering one secret for another
Storytelling: How I solved the beer crisis
Storytelling: Kisaik’s encounter in the Heart of the World

Comments

Devin shows himself as kind, generous, and forgiving here. He has no reason to like Kisaik, as he essentially just randomly amputated Devin’s spark. Yet Devin can’t bear not to pick him up and take him back to Smooglenuff Manor! He even offers to adapt quarters for him!

Devin is vain, even self-aggrandizing, but he wants to earn that image with actual achievements and offers of value, which makes him hard not to like and appreciate. And even though he wants to be the star of the show, he cares and is curious about the other characters in it. He actually is the way everyone likes to imagine their favorite talk show host is!

Kisaik

Skillplay: Appropriate to level.

Knowledge:

Medicine: Warmth can alleviate a headache
Medicine: Morning savior mixed with basil and mint helps with a headache
Socialization: Offering one secret for another
Storytelling: How Devin solved the beer crisis
Storytelling: A tunawa's encounter in the Heart of the World

ETA: Kisaik's rewards. Welcome back!

Enjoy your rewards!