[Flashback] An Arcane Assessment (Solo)

[Eridanus]

Professor StonemillerPermission to self-mod NPC granted by Paragon

Day 1, Spring of 505 AV 30 Chimes after the 9th Bell University of Zeltiva Administrative Office It was after about twenty chimes did Eridanus find the offices in this sprawling complex, for the University was Zeltiva's pride and glory, being the prime educational institution in possibly the whole of Mizahar. In the campus was a collection of some of the continent's brightest minds who were also passionate about teaching and imparting their knowledge, and it was where one could find other like-minded folks should one be interested in more esoteric subjects. He was glad he came here, for unlike Sahova or other more conservative societies, knowledge was highly priced and closely guarded, but here it was shared freely (figurative speaking of course, for teachers still require an income to feed themselves) and one could learn about magic here without getting tied and burned to a stake, as well as to gain more knowledge to make the vast and strange world around them seem less mysterious. Even if it was by a little. The main reason behind his enrolment in probably the most prestigious place of learning in the whole of Mizahar was his desire to learn and master the esteemed art of Magecrafting. Sure, he had other interests that he wanted to look into while here, but while he would be taking them as minors or as a hobby, the main course he wanted to study was magecrafting, and hopefully be allowed hands-on as an apprentice with the skilled magecrafters already here. It was a difficult art to learn by oneself, and the costs and knowledge required proved to be highly prohibitive to the loner. It was thus with a great determination that Eri wished to impress upon the professor to give him this chance to prove himself, even though he had no magecrafting knowledge at all. The Vantha stopped at the reception, frowning at the piece of parchment that the receptionist earlier at the main foyer passed to him, and he tapped the counter to get the staff's attention. "If you don't mind, I have an appointment with Professor Stonemiller? How should I proceed?" Given a set of directions down the maze-like corridors that led to offices of the many teaching and research staff in the facility, he carefully strode down the corridors, finally stopping before a wooden door with the words "Professor Stonemiller" carefully painted in the top middle of the door. Below it, though Eri was not sure if the professor meant it as an insider joke or if someone else did it to the unwitting teacher, were three small glyphs painted in a subtle colour that was a slightly darker shade than the door, like it was not meant to draw attention. He frowned, looking at it as he tried to recall what little he knew, and he looked around casually to make sure he was in nobody's line of sight. When he was sure of this, he tapped into the djed streams within him, and drew up a bit of energy to his eyes as he stared at the tiny aura that the glyphs themselves were emanating so that he could glean any bit of information that might help him to solve this little mystery. He squinted at the glyphs - though now glowing to him due to the use of his magical sight - and scratched his chin thoughtfully as he thought about the various combinations of sigils and what not. After a while, it was like something struck in him and he realized that looking for a meaning in common was not the way to go. His morale was deflated somewhat, for he was no linguist. As he stared at the glyphs, a bit of information he deciphered from the its aura reminded him of something. He racked his brains for whatever he knew, and he found similarities in what little he knew of the ancient language, or Nader-Canoch, as the scholars preferred to refer it as. It was fortunate then, when he thought in this train of thought that he easily found the meaning of the glyphs. He chuckled, for these words were one of the very first few words one would learn if one ever picked up Nader-Canoch, and thus there was no difficulty in understanding its meaning. Eri closed his eyes for a moment, feeling the strain his his head disappear as he shut down the flow of djed, the aura around the glyphs disappearing. The professor or whoever painted it there did indeed have a sense of humour, for the three glyphs simply said three words in Nader-Canoch, and was probably useless (as far as the beginner knew) if one intended to utilize for magical purposes, instead the only purpose there was just to portray these three words to anyone in the know: "The Magic Man." Eri raised up a hand to knock, but before he could do so a voice from inside boomed out, "You've been standing out there for quite a while already, why not come in and have a seat? I believe we're scheduled to have a little talk."

[Eridanus]

Regarding StonemillerI avoided describing him and left his appearance vague and generic because of the lack of lore.

Eridanus let himself into the room, finding a middle aged man sitting behind his desk, his fingers steepled together and a slight furrow to his brows that quite easily fit the stereotypical image of a well educated professor.

"Professor Stonemiller," He greeted the man, and the man dismissively waved his hand, gesturing for him to take a seat.

"Eridanus, I believe?" Stonemiller asked, while riffling through the papers on his desk to find the right one. Before the vantha could reply, he found the files he was looking for and raised a hand for silence.

His eyes darting quickly throughout the words written neatly throughout the document, he returned the paper to his table while shifting his gaze back to the vantha.

"Yes, Eridanus. Seeking to major in Magecraft."

"Yes sir."

He clasped his fingers together, leaning backwards into his chair as he regarded the applicant silently, as if reading some form of text on the vantha that only he could read.

"Tell me, why do you want to learn magic?"

That... is unexpected.

"Professor, in my application I have already stated that I already know magic, though not of this discipline. However, I-"

Stonemiller raised his hand again.

"I am aware of your rudimentary knowledge, Eridanus. This is not a technical test. I'm merely asking out of curiosity; why do you want to learn magic?"

[Eridanus]

"I..." Eridanus faltered, when he realized that there was no true reason why he sought magic. He viewed it as a tool, as something that he used to achieve his obstacles and to knock down obstacles.

What of Flux?

It was a powerful, though dangerous, enhancement to his combat abilities, something to give him an edge in defending himself.

What of Malediction?

He did not even seek to learn that art, instead being taught by another to 'make himself more useful', in that person's words.

Now that he thought about it, this was the first time that he actively sought to learn magic on his own, and to pursue something that was completely foreign to him. It was unlike flux, which somehow came so naturally to him that he never really considered it as 'magic' but more of a talent of sorts.

Why?

"To... understand?" Knowledge was important, no doubt.

Wait... what of Auristics?

He had sought to learn the art of magical detection from the eccentric Master Redrux back in Denval for this very purpose. Why did he pick Magecraft? Why not morphing, or projection, or alchemy, or the various disciplines illustrated helpfully by the multitude of educational posters throughout the East Wing?

[Eridanus]

Then it hit him.

He wanted to create. For decades he had seen magic as a destructive tool. Indeed, whether it be flux, reimancy or morphing it was all tools to increase one's destructive potential. He supposed that he wanted something more. Proof that magic could create, perhaps. Proof that the arcane could create marvels.

Proof that the arcane could create legends.

"To... create," Eridanus began, his resolve solidifying as his thoughts came to a conclusion. "To build," He muttered to himself before addressing the professor confidently, "to build... wonders."

The educated man had been observing the vantha's thought processes with interest, and upon Eri's final answer he looked like he was not surprised, having surmised the student's answer through studying the expressions even before hearing the verbal answer.

"You know... you remind me of old Wejerx. He's always going on about creating marvels and legends," Stonemiller mused as he glanced at Eridanus. "In fact..."

The professor took a look at the large timekeeping gadget at the corner of his office and continued, "In fact, it's your lucky day today. Let's take a look at Wejerx before you truly decide, how does that sound?"

The vantha was not completely following, but he surmised that this Wejerx was probably someone related to Magecraft. Nodding his head in agreement, the head of the magic department stood up, gesturing for the vantha to follow him as he lead the way out of the office.

[Eridanus]

Stonemiller led Eridanus through the various corridors of the East Wing, the destination clear in his mind. Being his first time here the vantha was of course naturally confused, but he did try his best to absorb the locations and directions as best as he could.

"Though Magecraft is the grandest and most complex discipline, you must always bear caution of the tale of Areesa Tallshade, the best Magecrafter our history has ever known," Stonemiller remarked as he led the way. "Her creations were so powerful that they caused great consequences, and even when she tried to destroy them for the good of humanity she was unable to by virtue of her skill. Her mastery was her downfall."

Eridanus was not quite sure of how he was supposed to respond, so he waited for a while in awkward silence.

"Professor... isn't there supposed to be some sort of test?"

The professor paused in mid-stride, glancing at the student in a confused manner before bursting out laughing, resuming his stride again.

"Good lords, no! It is more of an assessment than anything, for the University of Zeltiva seeks to educate and illuminate. We don't hoard knowledge for nothing, you know! The first 'test' was the glyphs, that was generally to see if a student has basic awareness of magic and Nader-Canoch. If you've failed that no problem, you'll just do an introductory course to magic before starting the real course. The second was to test your resolve. We only want determined students and not namby-pamby ones, especially those of us from the magic department. Ah, here we are."

He had brought the vantha underground, walking a distance down the corridors before arriving at a peculiar set of doors that looked like giant metal vault gates in the wide underground passage.

Taking out a set of keys, he unlocked the gates, ushering the vantha in before locking them. They were now in a cozy cavern of sorts, with a circular path leading around the central rock. There were numerous doors with various numbers that opened up at various segments of the circular path.

"Welcome to the Toadstool Cluster, a collection of Zeltiva University's magecrafting labs."

[Eridanus]

"If I'm not wrong, Wejerx booked MC3 today," Stonemiller muttered to himself as he led Eridanus down the path, passing by the doors until they reached one with the large numeral '3' printed on it. Knocking on it smartly, he opened the door and let himself into the lab.

While the cavern outside was empty and silent, upon entering the lab the area was a bustle of activity. There were all kinds of shining instruments and lights around the area, with people hurrying to and fro doing all sorts of things. At the center of the lab was a pedestal with a metal box on it, though now it was glowing with a bright yellow light. There was an assortment of tools that was attached to the pedestal and to the multiple stands nearby.

The most pecular thing was that of a plump middle aged man with a ruddy face who was shouting at the box. Eridanus looked at Stonemiller questioningly, and the professor remarked, "Wejerx is a user of Resonant Harmonics, one of the Paradigms of Magecrafting. There are many ways to Craft, and Resonant Harmonics is one of the methods. There is more than one way to skin a cat, as they saying goes."

Wejerx stopped shouting, and proceeded to roll over one of the stands on the little wheels attached below towards his original position. Taking a huge magnifying glass that was attached to it, he looked at the box through the glass, muttering to himself while shaking his head.

Looking around the lab, probably trying to find one of his busy assistants, he spotted Stonemiller and Eridanus, waving to them, "Stonemiller! You're just in time. Bring that boy over!"

With a nod, Stonemiller gestured for Eridanus to comply and he jogged quickly to Wejerx.

"You boy. I want you to shout at the box. Keep your shouting at a consistent tone, keep your breathing steady, and try to imagine that you're shouting pointlessly at a wall. That kind of emotion."

[Eridanus]

It was a confusing set of instructions, but the vantha quickly adapted to the situation. Imagining that he was bored and had nothing better to do, he put a dreary image of him shouting pointlessly at a wall in his mind. With that imagery, he took a deep breath and yelled at the box.

It was harder than it seemed, for if he shouted too loudly he risked having to take a breath. Yet, if he was too lax it would no longer be a shout. It was a fine line to tread, and after only moments his voice began to waver.

"No no! Boy don't waver! Keep your voice strong!" Wejerx exclaimed. "Take a breath!" Wejerx joined in with his own shout, a solid one-syllable stream that he directed at the box on the pedestal as the vantha took another deep breath.

Gesturing at Eridanus to continue, Wejerx only stopped his shouting when Eridanus released his voice at the box. Peering through the magnifying glass and various curious instruments attached to the pedestal, Wejerx nodded and muttered to himself.

"One more time!" Wejerx cried excitedly, and he yelled at the box just as Eridanus took another breath. The vantha relieved the magecrafter, and Wejerx began scribbling frantically on the parchment in front of him as he peered through the glass.

"Stop on 3! 1... 2... 3!" Wejerx said, and Eridanus stopped, rubbing his vocal cords.

"The boy's voice is wonderful!" Wejerx chuckled, addressing Stonemiller as he walked towards the man. Shaking the professor's hand, the magecrafter continued, "That's why I love having vanthas, they tend to be born with beautiful voices you know."

"Cool the box!" Wejerx ordered one of his assistants, who proceeded to lift the box off the pedestal with a large prong, moving to the back of the room while carrying the box gingerly.

"Resonant Harmonics, the use of sounds and voice to shape the internal pathways of the magecrafted item. Of course, there are more scientific explanations and lingo, but what I told you is the gist of it," Stonemiller explained to Eridanus as the student walked back to the entrance of the lab where Stonemiller stood.

"Can I have him?" Wejerx asked plaintively. "We haven't had a vantha for years."

"Since Magecrafting is a highly hands-on art, we usually assign students to professors in a sort of apprenticeship system," Stonemiller explained. "So are you up to it, Eridanus? Is Magecrafting still your thing?"

[Eridanus]

The atmosphere was exciting, and Wejerx's enthusiasm was infectious. The knowledge scattered throughout waiting to be unlocked. Magecrafting, Resonant Harmonics, the mystery of the various instruments scattered throughout. The promise of creating legends.

There was nothing more to be said.

"I'm yours, Professor Wejerx," Eridanus said, eliciting a chuckle of satisfaction from the magecrafter.

"That's it then. Carry on Wejerx, I need to bring this boy to settle some paperwork," Stonemiller concluded, leading Eridanus out of the Toadstool Cluster and back to his office to finalize the administrative details.

Eri's journey into the arcane had just begun.

[Cascade]

Adventurer's Loot Eridanus's Loot : ERIDANUS Skill XP Reward Auristics +1 Philosophy +2 Magecrafting +3 Observation +1 Lore: Zeltiva University: East Wing Zeltiva University: Toadstool Cluster NPC: Professor Stonemiller NPC: Professor Wejerx Areesa Tallshade's Downfall Magecraft Paradigm: Resonant Harmonics A fun read. Also, to answer your question, you are free to use the NPC in your solos without too much of a worry. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to PM me!