Lexali Oryus
Lexali Oryus (a.k.a. Lex)
Lex was born into the Iron Empire and endured abuse both physical and mental. This caused her to hide the full extent of her abilities out of spite, not wanting to play into the culture of the Empire. She didn't want to be a soldier like the rest and instead began to harbor hatred for them as a whole.
When she was old enough to run, she did. Defecting from the Iron Empire and eventually finding her way through a few different refugee camps as an urchin child. She was found out eventually when she slipped up with her magic, catching the eye of a older wealthy man, here amongst the rabble to gawk at the poor, poor refugees. He offered to send her to school if she would cone with him, straighten her shoulders, and raise her chin. Become the poster child.
She played her part, because if there was anything she learned from the Empire, it was how to use others to your advantage. The perfect, tamed, tiefling child. She detested it, learning at an early age how to mask and protect her sanity.
“In time, I will come back and show him my real power. My real potential. He will see I am more than what he makes of me. First him, then the Iron Empire”
She entered Ioth Academy with his wealth and under his last name. She plays the part of the quiet, confident, rich girl with an attitude problem.
To them, all they see is a studious tiefling with a guarded exterior. Snappy with no friends.
0-1 Hearts: You waste your time. Give it to someone who cares and get out of my sight.
2-3 Hearts: You need my assistance? If there something you can offer me, I may be convinced.
3-4 Hearts: I wanted to be an artist… Isn’t that crazy? A painter. I don’t even know how to paint. We did not have paints where I grew up… I- Apologies, I forget myself.
5 Hearts: My time here at the academy is only spent to make myself stronger. I will show you, and everyone else in due time. If you're with me, then I am with you. I hold grudges, but I remember my dues. If you need me, call on me. I will answer.
Personality Characteristics
Motivation
"First, for the old man. He will expect a perfect, magical princess to come back to him to protect him and his wealth. He will not expect to beg for his life for forcing this princess to be what she is not. But his life will be spared, as long as he behaves."
"The Iron Empire will not be as lucky. I will rip it apart with my bare hands for what they have done to their own people like me."
Social
Mannerisms
Guarded. Snappy. Proper. Intimidating.
Speech
Matter of fact. High-class.
Wealth & Financial state
On borrowed wealth
"Revenge [i]is[/i] sweet."
View Character Profile
Alignment
Neutral Evil
Age
16
Birthplace
The Iron Empire
Children
Current Residence
Ioth Academy - The Codex House
Gender
Female
Hair
Dark Purple
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Light and Dark Purple
Height
5'11
Year Five
Ioth stood at the end of the ceremonial hall, giving his speech and I could not help but look away. My eyes wandered over the different people sitting around me. Cuan was sitting nearby, quietly spinning a ring on his finger and looking about as interested in this as I was. Neodym was a little farther down, sitting with some others I recognized from the codex.
The Codex. Cuan had invited me to join this... interesting group of people just a few weeks ago. Apparently they were some of the best magic users in the academy, or at least the most academically advanced. That would be useful to me. My eyes wandered from Neodym to the others. A boy with short brown hair and large glasses with his eyes glued to the headmaster... Kraius? Garnet... Athalor... Arianna? I watched the girl snap at someone else nearby who shrunk away from her. I looked away from her, a smirk threatening to pull on my lips.
My eyes settled on the last. I recognized him briefly as Alyxander. The defacto leader of all of these kids. He didn't look like much now but... Sitting next to him was a wiggly girl, who looked very excited to be there. She looked around with wide and happy eyes, and noticed my own narrowed crimson eyes on Alyx. They shifted to hers immediately without so much as a blink. Daggers. Who do you think you're looking at like that. Her eyes widened and she looked away again.
I leaned back into myself, setting an elbow on the table and my face in my hand. Had anyone been looking at me, they'd see the calm, toothy smile on my face. This year would suddenly be interesting.
aaaaa
Classes Taken:
Spell Matrices, Arcane Theories& Proofs, Numerology, World Studies, History& Tactics of Battle& Warfare.
Friends and Feelings:
Alyxander Cowles-Blythe. [
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Dueling Thoughts
The scene is soon after Lexali's duel with Ruby. She's sitting in the stands of the dueling ring, focusing and writing something down. Awaiting the next battle between Garnet and Ronobe. Alyx approaches her.
"Taking notes?"
-
She'd shuffle the papers together a bit and nod. "Yes. My weakness is quite intolerable. It was as I had feared, of course. There is not currently much I can do with being immobilized. I need to find a way to... silence that." Her voice trails off and she would write something down.
-
"It's the desire to be stronger that drives us, you've realized this already I see. I suppose I'm impressed, regardless of your.. weaknesses. I'm sure there's magic that you can learn to help with that.
I am seeing a theme of course, it seems like a rather strong strategy for those who can master it, and most of us fall victim to it ever too easily"
-
"If it can be spoken. It can be silenced. Soon enough." She'll put her writing to the side again. Looking up at him. "Suppose your impressed?" She will smirk, leaning back into her hands on either side of seat and flicking her tail towards him. "Quite the way with words, you sure know how to flatter a girl." She'll blink, look from him out at towards the fight and watch it for now as it starts.
-
"Are you sure I know how?" Alyx looks away from the battlefield and towards Lex, smiling briefly before continuing "I just speak truths, nothing more. It's rather boring really, well.. most of the time."
-
“Oh, it was absolutely sarcasm on my end.” She flicks her tail again as her red eyes slowly roll towards him away from the fight. She stares at him blankly for a long moment, smiling softly before it gets awkward. “Speaking truths does not have to warrant boring answers. It’s all about your delivery, Alyxander.” Her tone is sleek and she sounds as if she is teasing him just a bit. “The art of half truths is a powerful language all of its own.”
-
"Good to know we all have some room for improvement." Alyx pauses for a moment, almost as if mimicking the amount of time Lex gave between her responses. "An answer may be boring to one, and interesting to another; A lie to one, a truth to another. As powerful of a language it may be, one perhaps will never understand it the same as another. But you know this, of course."
-
There is little pause in her answer, but she speaks this in Infernal, “A lie is still a lie, no matter how it is perceived. Unless you are lying to yourself of course, but how then do you know what is the truth.”
And then switches back to common. “I am well versed.” She agrees with a nod, and it is unclear whether she is agreeing with Alyxanders previous words, her own, or both. “I feel I must ask, Alyxander. What is it that brought you here. To the academy.” She raises one of her hands up, leaning heavily on the other and seems to start inspecting her long pointed nails.
-
Alyx flatly smiles at the infernal bit. Giving no indication one way or another if he understood it or not.
He then pauses for a few moments, glancing at the arena, obviously giving the question a fair bit of thought before replying, "Good intentions I suppose, and a fair bit of luck." Alyx softly traces a finger across the burn scars on his neck.
"What keeps me here however, that's the interesting bit." Alyx drops his hand away from his neck and looks back towards Lex, slightly more intently, almost as if in anticipation of something.
-
Lex’s eyes will flicker from her nails to follow his hands towards his neck and the scars along it. Her eyes linger then match his, offering similar energy. “I see.” She’ll consider herself a moment. “Then what is it that keeps you here. Surely not some speech about good friends and good times.” She’ll look back towards her nails.
-
Alyx smiles, pleased that Lex has entertained this line of conversation he has presented.
"When I arrived at the academy, I knew nearly nothing and no one either. I was entirely overwhelmed. One could even say I didn't feel as though I belonged here. But then, I grew stronger, and I liked that feeling. Of course I did - who wouldn't? That's what we're here for after all isn't it? To learn what it is Ioth and his school has to teach us, and then return back to whence we came, and figure the rest out then." Alyx sighs and shakes his head for a moment before continuing,
"But then I realized something. Ioth doesn't care about us, he doesn't even really show up at the only event he's supposed to every year. What's the purpose then? Why does this academy even exist? Surely there's still some point of this, hidden away, deep down, or even, up somewhere?" Alyx glances towards the top of the spire.
"Secrets are so frustrating to me - I can't help but just want to know , after all.. (Alyx looks from the spire to Lex' notes) knowledge is power"
-
Lex listened quietly, switching her eyes between her nails and the fight. Eventually setting her hand back down next to her, drawing her nail slowly across the stand. ’Of course I did - who wouldn’t?’ There’s a slight pull on the corner of her mouth. Of course. He was right after all. Many of the students here had one purpose or another, and if they didn’t they were a fool to waste the opportunity.
His sigh turns her head, and she watches his face grow more serious. Or was it frustrated? Ioth? Lexali frowns. She had not given the old man much thought, honestly. He wasn’t the one grading her papers or teaching her classes. He was the old man who kept the winds at bay. A shiver runs across her skin. It was getting colder lately.
After he finishes, Lex puts a hand gently on her papers as his eyes linger there, if only to draw his attention to her face, which is staring at him with her usual, albeit casual, intensity. “We share a similar origin story on many fronts, Alyxander. Which leads me to ask…” She leans closer towards him. “Do you intend on finding out the answers to your questions? The purpose? Are you willing to risk your peace to know and understand? For power?” She stares at him, unblinking bright red eyes. There’s a certain glow to it. One might recognize from the moment before she snapped the chain during her duel with Neodym. A certain… sudden insanity.
-
"Oh I very much plan to. " Alyx says confidently "What good is peace if you are ignorant; What good is safety if you are weak?" Alyx eyes scans Lex' face while he says this, searching for an affirmative reaction.
"As much as I do love to share my own truths though, I'm sure yours are quite fascinating. Might I ask -what's your.. story?" Alyx asks very intentionally vaguely, giving as much flexibility to answer as possible for Lex, curious as to where she'll take the answer to.
-
Lexali considers this and leans back again, a small smile growing on her face and she relaxes. “Good. That is exactly what I wanted to hear.” She purrs, clearly delighted by his confidence. He finally turns the questions towards her, as she had expected him too eventually. Her eyes narrow a bit, as she studies his face she.. realizes something.
A young boy with messy dark hair and dirty feet, like her own. Large careful eyes that glanced around with comfortable nervousness, like her own. A boy who placed his footsteps carefully, as to not crush the papers he held close to his chest. He moved his way through the crowd, his eyes turning very briefly to see the young girl with a crude hood over her face. Staring at him with wide, red eyes, before slipping away herself.
She blinks once. The words softly drifting from her mouth before she could speak. “Secrets can truly be frustrating can’t they…” She’s staring at him with an uncertainty in her gaze she’s not used too, and one he’s definitely never seen from her. After a moment of consideration she’ll pull one of her papers over, turning it over to the clean side. She wasn’t sure why, but she was almost certain now.
On the paper she begins to draw a fairly decent picture. First a large circle, with a building in the middle representing the school rather well. Then she begins to draw smaller things just outside the circle. A specific area here, she begins to put a little bit of finer detail, not too much.. she did not have much practice. She sets the quill down with its point directly over the spot of detail. A small drop of ink falls from tip, bleeding across the paper.
As she’s drawing she speaks aloud. “My potential had never been realized from the eyes of others growing up. They taught me nothing, and I knew no one.” She copied his verbiage purposely. “But I found my own power within myself, and took my life into my own hands. My parent saw it too, and came around. That is why I am here now. To cultivate my power into exactly what I need it to be. My previous weaknesses will no longer be tolerated” As she finished, she snaps her eyes up to his. Would he understand? Did he know?
-
So she does remember, interesting.
"You're right, Lexali. We do share a similar story."
Alyx pauses - momentarily unsure on how to continue.
"It is fascinating isn't it. How one could come from nothing, and just the slightest little change can potentially give you everything, and all you need to do, is just reach out and take it." Alyx extends his hand forward and mimics the motion.
"There is power in controlling your destiny. I daresay you've even started before I have. I am impressed. But I suppose the real story is where we end up isn't it?"
-
Lex breathes out slowly, perhaps betraying she was holding her breath in anticipation. But perhaps she was holding her breath, with a carefully placed hand on her watches rope. Just in case...
The same sly smile that Alyx might have been growing familiar with crossed her face again, her previous worries lost but not forgotten. She would have to keep a closer eye on him, he absolutely knew too much about her now. But.. she also knew more about him. An even exchange of information. It was an almost implied secrecy between their eyes alone.
“There is power in many things. Control… Knowledge… Lies.” She sighs, giving a slight huff of a laugh. “Where we end up is all dependent on the steps we take to get to what we think we deserve.”
“My story begins with a predetermined death, but I wonder if it should end the same.” Her voice trails a bit, and she looks away from him.
“Perhaps you should return to your friends. The fight seems almost won now..” She glances to where Athalor and Arianna are sitting.
“One day Alyxander, id like to know your full truth. And you my own. I could tell you my plan, and you’d be the first to know it. It all of its grandiose.”
She pauses before starting to gather her papers together. “In the meantime, I enjoy our vague attempts at true conversations. Perhaps next they’ll be rumors about us instead.”
-
"Our ambition knows no limits, same for Garnets as well." Alyx towards his intent stare towards the arena as garnet wins the fight.
"As for rumors," Alyx shrugs, "Perhaps so, I wonder what they'd say - probably nothing close to the truth, but we'll find out in time.
Alyx smiles and then gets distracted by the pixies turning Arianna to a chicken and all that fuckery.
-
Lexali decides better than to comment about Garnet for now. The girl was interesting, someone she'd want to spend more time studying really. She knew little about her other than that she was popular and that Cuan seemed to have a certain dislike for her. She pulls her papers into her hands and brings them close. "Perhaps. Perhaps not." She purrs softly, standing up from her seat in the stands. "I'll leave you to this then." She tells him, waving a hand towards the sudden mess. Walking past to leave she speaks again, "If you should need me... For any reason... I spend much of my time in the back of the library." She shakes her papers gently. "Lot's to work on."
Year Five // Classes
Extra Curricular:
The Codex - Arcana, History.
Dueling - Arcana, Intimidation.
Spell Matrices.
Lex had done some research into the new classes for Year Five, and thus, asked Neodym to work on something for her over their two week break while they were all getting settled into their new rooms. She had described a sturdy brass and steel clock that worked, but made no ticking noise, and he delivered it perfectly. Proving once again to be a useful asset to her. She owed him one, whatever that meant to him.
In Spell Matrices, Lex practiced with her new focus in different ways. At first it was learning how to channel the chaotic magic that hovered just above her skin in an iron hot vapor. Then it was on to moving the heated power into the swaying tickless clock with braided cord twined around her pointed nails comfortably. All the while keeping her mind free of the demon prince that she knew she was drawing her power from, whose visage still haunted her just behind her eyelids.
The final part was her favorite for obvious reasons. It was a technique she had first seen back in a fancy home she had been taken to as a child. A rich man's display of power in the form of a young boys dance with a weapon. Her final request of the clock was that it was heavier and bigger than usual pocket watches, so it would swing around with ease at the end of a thicker and longer braided rope. In the traditional sense, the weapon at the end of the rope would strike enemies in quick succession and be pulled back and swung around again in different and often unpredictable ways that mimicked steps in a dance. Lex however, took a different approach in each forward launch of the clock, magic would launch from its end towards her target. The sharp of eye would be able to see the physical manifestation of red hot runic symbols that draw themselves just above the clock face over the traditional numbers for each different spell she weaves.
In terms of her time altering magic, some of her peers would notice she would sometimes launch the clock forward with no effect, only for the magic to strike at a delayed time in tandem with another cast. Her talent with the rope clock only grows stronger, having quietly practiced back before the academy and picking it up again now.
Arcane Theories and Proofs.
After spending a lot of time trying to ignore it, Lex knew she would have to face the destroyer in her mind one day. Unknown to her peers, Lex grew up in the Iron Empire’s capital city and her real parents were both powerful warlocks who drew their power directly from the infernal on the throne. Due to their mass accumulation of power, Lex was born with the power inside her, although it did not manifest till she had already been deemed weak. She hid her magic from her parents and fled before they ever knew. But still she knew her power came from the very person she would later seek to destroy.
Arcane Theories and Proofs started very rough. Up until now, she had been running on what could be described as survival mode when it came to her magic. And after a quiet conversation with Acacius on how she would be politely refusing any demonstrations in class, she began what could easily be described as shadow work.
On her own she practiced looking inside herself, over and over for weeks. Wildly flickering eyelids and silent screams of childhood trauma until she was able to fight past her literal inner demons. Lex found the red hot iron core of her power and wrapped her claws around it with a sickening burning singe. Now, she was commanding it, because it was not his power anymore. It might stink of the city but it was hers. She stole it from him with her own birth. He would not touch this power again until she would harness it well enough one day to be the same power to destroy the destroyer. He would know her name.
The rest of her studies in this class came easy in comparison. She still spends most of her time studying in the library or her room, so figuring out the different physical diagrams of her spells and calculations to go along with them took time, but she had plenty of that.
Numerology.
After harnessing her power in a better light, Numerology was not the easiest but not the worst either. Lex had to rewire some parts of her magic, because although her power streamed primarily from her emotions, she wanted it to be methodical and calculated in every aspect. In gathering, in strike, and in precision. She reworks diagrams to fit her style and to fit her clockwork tool in order to better harness the literal flow of time around her techniques. Some calculations may be tougher for her, but she’s lucky enough to have Cuan as a roommate, and occasionally will ask his opinion.
World Studies.
Lex is very careful of her reactions in World Studies more than she has to be in any other. She is very interested in the news of the surrounding area and the world itself. She did not ever hear much from the noble families she was used to being around. They were more interested in who had the shiniest toy. She is especially interested in the movements of the various Iron Empire establishments, and takes careful account of their surrounding territories as well.
She was no fool. Nothing could be done on any kind of devastating scale at her power level. But if she started now, she would be a master by the time she was finished, and that included navigation of strategies and politics. To others, her questions would be politically based, but to her it was all about revenge.
History and Tactics of Battle and Warfare
A similar attitude to World Studies is held in History & Tactics as well, varying interested questions about the different strategies. A sharp mind will realize she does slip up and asks slightly more questions about infiltration tactics whenever the topic comes up. But it should not raise too much suspicion overall. And who doesn’t want to stop the infernal reign of the common world, right?
Time Versus the Elements.
After her discovery of her budding chronomancy powers in her third year, Lexali's magical focus began to switch. For her end of year project in Year Four, she decided to focus in on her chronomancy abilities and figure out if she could use it to affect the same fire magic she was already so used to.
aaa
- Research was her first priority. She spent a lot of time reading up on anything she could find about time specific magics and their matrices. The slow spell in particular she found useful. In her eyes, she was able to do something similar to this spell, except instead of targeting someone else, she was able to target her spell instead. Slowing it's release time and effectively delaying when it would fire.
History Check: 14.
Lex feels confident in her findings.
aaa
- Her second priority was the set up. She gathered any non-flammable targets she could find, as well as a mirror. She positioned her tools in a straight line. The mirror suspended above the target and at a slight angle, so she could not only watch her spells from her side, but from the opposite side as well as it came to the target.
After set-up. Came the execution. She had a decent grasp on her delaying ability, but had not used it often up until this point. Not only was this for her project, but this was for her own understanding as well. She was able to collect a fair amount of information from casting regular fire bolts at the target. Noting the consistency in their behavior and appearance and cross-referencing her notes in order to be as accurate as possible.
Arcana: 24 (20 base)
Lex feels very confident in her ability to perform without any inconsistencies.
aaa
- The actual investigation of the spell changing was difficult for her. She could only cast a limited number of these delayed spells each day before she was exhausted of her energy. She chalked it up to this exhaustion that she was unable to notice any differences, but she knew something was there. It still felt different even if she couldn't prove it just yet. Regardless she was getting very frustrated with herself.
Investigation: 6
Lex is frustrated she's not able to focus enough to notice anything different.
aaa
- Before she would give up, however, Neodym Winterclaw stumbled upon her working on the experiment. He would have seen her get frustrated and sit down with her head in her hands before approaching her. Lex would recognize Neodym as a classmate who has attempted a few times in the past few years to be friendly, and would have been too busy with her work to send him away like she normally would. He offers himself immediately as a living target for her. And after a few moments of confusion she will accept his offer, considering it beneficial for her.
After taking his precautions, Neodym will be struck by multiple fire bolt spells. Both regular and delayed. With the help of a ticking pocket watch, Lex preforms beautifully. After this, he offers his own insight on the spells behavior from his point of view of working closely with matrices. And with this, Lex is finally able to understand what she is looking for. She is able to spend the next few days seeing changes in the spells behavior.
Through slightly different weavings of the matrix of Fire Bolt. Lex is able to record evidence of unstable behavior such as hitting a different target than planned, or becoming generally unpredictable in targeting. She is also able to record spells snapping and dispersing under the tension of her delay, while others take in the energy and hit harder and faster.
Re-Investigation: 22
aaa
Feeling satisfied, Lex takes her notes and physical information and is able to write a clear and thought-out research paper detailing her process and her thoughts on her chronomancy abilities. Rounding it out with a call to action for herself, stating she plans on working harder on this in the years to come, perhaps being able to consistently replicate some effects over time.
She also provides a demonstration for the staff of her delayed ability and does her best to show off some of the different effects possible within her four delayed spell limit.
Final Scores: 14, 24, 22.
Lex is very satisfied with her outcome, and is more willing to show off her chronomancy abilities now that she feels more confident with them. After her project, it will be more widely known that she can actually alter time.
Lex offers a copy of her final paper and notes to Neodym for his help, in case such information could be useful for him later on. She will make no further attempt at friendship however, considering this just as payment for his help.
Year's Previous...
the capital of the Iron Empire.
Daemon Prince of the Outer Dark. Skin scaled and thick, colored like the dried blood that stained battlefields. Carrion King. Leathery wings that cover the world in a dark, hopeless shadow. Iron-throned. Large muscular build, wielding a blade of black iron with the the marks of the sinister dark crow that sits at his side. The gnarled red horns that make up The Destroyer.
This is what looms deep within my dreams. Hovering over me and grabbing my horns tight enough to shatter them completely, but my screams are silent in the mass of his genocidal wake.
Desperate bare feet against stone pavement. What was that going by? Ducking into alley ways to catch a breath. Only for a moment. I must move. Now. My parents are coming for me. They will find me. The city breathed in and out. He will find me. I kept running. Over there! I clutched a small knife to my chest. I think she ran this way. I tightened my grip. The gates were not far. If I could just get past. I kept running. Running. Lifted into the air. I kicked my legs, crying out as tears blurred my crimson vision. Desperate bare feet twisted, wrapping my legs around their head. I twisted. I kept going. Desperate. I cried out and was dropped to the floor. Pain. Please. I kept running. The gates. The guards. They see me, they're coming. I stopped running. I waited. They lunged for the gray and crimson handles. I shifted. I cut. They screamed. I kept running.
Its just a child. She is weak. Leave her to die in the wild.
I kept running.
the noble man's find.
I lived on the streets of various refugee camps. Nobody wanted to help the spawn of the same people that put them here. I kept my head covered with potato sack hoods and kept my tail wrapped around my leg. I didn't meet their eyes. I would crouch near the food supplies, and when they weren't looking, I would use my magic to make a loud sound like the cracking of a barrel being broken. I would take a handful and I would run. I should have kept running. A man stopped me, older in his features, he put his hands on my shoulders and I thought he would turn me in. But he turned me toward him, crouching down with a eerie smile on his face. He lowered my hood and I hissed in his face. I tried to move but he held my arms firmly. He asked me if I liked magic. I nodded. He asked me if I wanted to learn more of it. I nodded again. His smile grew and I shrunk away.
"I can help you get a lot of magic. I can help you get powerful."
I told him I wanted that, and he told me he would help me. He stood up, tossing my potato sack to the side. He put his hand out, pulling my chin up and pushing my shoulders back. He pushed me forward towards an expensive carriage. Folk watched us leave with glaring eyes. I never questioned how he knew my language.
You will be my precious jewel. You will learn from my maids on how to speak, eat, and act properly. You will come with me to my events. You will let them pet your hair. You will let them touch your horns. You will let them pull on your tail. You will speak only when spoken too and in the politest of manners. And if you can do all these things. You will go to the academy. And when you're done there. You will come back to work for me.
aaaaa
Year One:
Crowded halls and excited murmurs. Year One would soon begin. Bright red robes made my darker features stand out, but I was well trained in fading into the background of social settings. A few trained wandering eyes towards the shiny silver caps on the edge of my horns were taken as judgemental. They were answered in kind.
"Does the shine on my horns entrance you so much that you can not help but stare Or are you startled by your own stupid looking reflections."
My words snapped out of my mouth before I could stop them and they quickly looked away from me, whispering amongst themselves nervously. It was then I realized that I did not have anyone here to hold me back. I leaned back in my seat and a smirk played across my face if only for a moment.
Somewhere in the room I could hear a ticking of a clock. Tick-tick-tick. It didn't seem to bother anyone else.
Classes Taken;
Fundamental Arcana, Steps of Spellcasting, Reading & Writing Arithmetic. Arts&Crafts.
The year went by smoother than she had originally expected. Despite struggling early on in reading and writing, she excelled wildly in anything having to do with spell craft. And as her grades improved, her hunger to become stronger increased tenfold. This... this would come easy to her. If she focused.. she could get revenge on old man Oryus. Maybe even... She smiled to herself, alone in a quiet part of the library.
Materials were set in front of her multiple times throughout her year. She was told to create something that would benefit her spell casting. Something she could hold onto. Carefully she spent time with some of the only materials she was used too. Stone, wax and water. Her final project was nothing impressive, but it was useful to her. She had grown accustom to fire spells, despite the nervous looks she would get, and wanted a place to practice her control over flames. She made a simple candle holder out of stone by grinding the stone against a harder material, and a candle in which to sit on it proudly.
Year Two:
I feel more focused than I have ever been able to be before. Orange robes remind me of the fires dotting the horizon of every warzone passed on the way to the camps. Safe to say I don't like them for a lot more than just the color.
Some people have tried to approach me and speak with me. Screw them. I don't wan't them around. I don't want to make friends. Friends are just a weakness. I can't be weak. I'm not weak. Despite what my parents tried to drill in me. Despite the looks of pity from the old man. I am not weak.
I never was.
Classes Taken;
Somatic Exercises, Principles of Arcana, Syntax of Magic Reading, Writing, Arithmetic. Elemental Studies.
Second year is when she really started to grow accustomed to her sorcerer powers. She took her studies very seriously. At times staying up late by candlelight just to learn just a little bit more before falling asleep at her table. Her search for knowledge felt unquenchable. Or was it her search for power? It was around this time she became thoroughly convinced that not only would she get her revenge for years of humiliation by her patron, but she would get her revenge for the terror instilled in her mind by the Iron Empire. The nightmares that still hang around.
She's noticing a lot more that the ticking of clocks have an few different affects on her. She's always been able to pick out a pocket watch in a crowded street or hall, but sometimes the tick-tick-ticking frustrates her. Sometimes it focuses her. She's not sure what to make of it.
For her final project in Elemental Studies, she focused on accumulating her magical energy in an central area with an outward demonstration. Using a combination of Fire Bolt, Control Flames, Gust, and a sprinkle of Thaumaturgey (for the drama), she would create a very small version of a fire tornado. Demonstrating her ability to put in enough gathered energy with one cantrips matrix before switching to the next in order to keep the flames controlled, and the air spinning. In the end she was able to grow the twister until it was as tall as she was before she cut it down the middle with her own tail.
Year Three:
The ticking. That has to be what it is. I usually consider myself quite composed overall but sometimes those... damn clocks just trigger something else in me. What does the ticking have to do with the fact that I just cracked this bathroom mirror, and then repaired it 20 seconds later with a spell that is supposed to be instantly cast.
Time? Is that it? Was I able to slow down the spell matrix itself...? That seems crazy but, well I do suppose I've already heard worse about me. What's a little bit of being a lunatic going to hurt my already dreadful reputation with the rest of the students.
Not that I've ever cared. Their sneering faces disgust me.
Classes Taken;
Spell Theory, Taxonomy of Magic, Discipline, Logic & Rhetoric. Runic Alphabets.
Upon further investigation, she confirmed her initial theory was correct. She was able to slow down her spell matrix's to delay their launch for up to 20 or so seconds. She was already busy with her classes for this year, but not she had something new to focus on. Something rare.
She was struggling a bit with learning the various runic alphabets, having only just learned how to read and write common a few years prior. However her interest in the subject kept her focused on doing her best, despite the challenge. She switched her final project from some simple infernal translations to doing a deep dive of all the various runic cultures concepts of time and time magics. Chronomancy. Using this deep dive she mapped out various runic matrices shared among cultures to get a better handle on the runes themselves.
Entry for WorldEmber 2021
Anacra and all original material pertinent to Anacra is copyright Joseph Carothers, 2018.
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