On the outskirts of Sunberth [Solo]

by **Graffius** on March 20th, 2012, 6:40 pm

26th of Spring, 512

“Trial number 43.” The scratching of bone against paper was audible while Graffius wrote with black ink onto a long brown parchment, reading aloud as each word that sunk into the papers grimy surface. It was a page among many that would later be added to his personal journal, a document of his findings, mistakes and calculations.

“My experiments with Reimancy prove tedious and a painful reminder of what I already harbored before death; however, constant experimentation and practice is a necessity if I am to attain what was mine, and more.” He sighed and turned his head towards an old dusted tome that sat on a table to his right. “I have acquired a book also that speaks of various things, mainly the applications of Leeching, it is a viable book and many would disapprove of its presence here, however most do not seem to savvy of such things and their notice is limited. It is very old, and is not mine; however I will tinker with it soon My thanks go to the hermit Denub Dulfim for the tome. As of now, I am focusing on the concentration of Res into a single focal point to maximize efficiency and isolated power.”

With his arm facing upwards and his elbow resting on the table, his fingers unfurled as he allowed a bit of Res to kindle, dancing between his fingers tips as dull flickering light. With his other hand, he scribbled once more. My test subjects will once again, be rats. Plentiful are the little creatures.He took a moment to observe them as they scurried about, trapped in an iron cage which sat on the floor. His pale face betrayed not a hint of emotion, but truthfully inside, he did feel sorry for them. Their sheer pathetic nature atleast commanded that much.

Concurrently as he watched the furred creatures, the Res had already transformed from a snaking blue cloud into lively particles that danced between the spaces of his fingers, energy begging to be released, a tapestry of power to be used. One single eye of his would close while the other narrowed inwards towards a single rat, zooming to its target menacingly as he picked out a single point upon the animal’s midsection. He leaned forward and extended his index finger inches away from the grates of the cage, a foot away from the rat.

Res then began to interweave similar to vines growing together, knotting and twisting, and then refining itself before repeating the process as he willed it. After a small moment passed, the Res had formed a concentrated focus on the very tip of his extended digit, transforming instantly in a shroud of flashing light into a miniscule ball of concentrated wind. It was then released.

Siphoning outwards, the energy traveled quickly outwards faster than the eye could see in a cylindrical shape, striking the rat clean in the midsection and leaving a gaping hole in its wake. Thick crimson blood splattered against the wall and with a simple squeak, the animal was dead, just as was expected or atleast hoped for. He documented his findings.

Never before have I used wind solitary as a form of Reimancy, often passing it off as too weak alone to be of any use outside of deflecting light attacks or debris, however when focalized to a single point, it seems to manifest a concentration of wind powerful enough to blast a small hole in flesh. The negative side however, as all things have is that with my current calculations, it seems that the focal point of Djed has to be quite close to the target, and the interweaving process takes quite some time. It would have to be preemptively ready to be of any real combative use, however, that is not beyond the realm of belief and still quite applicable for specialized circumstances; given more practice, perhaps the range could easily be increased as well, as long as my mastery permits it in the future.

by **Graffius** on March 20th, 2012, 6:40 pm

Trial number 44: The beginning of Leeching.

As of now I find myself outside, just on the outskirts of Sunberth, yet not so far as to put me in danger to the more wild aspects of the surrounding wilderness. I feel that perhaps I am going too far with my privacy and that perhaps none here would notice the subtle pull of energies as I draw them from outside sources. Due to a lack of magical items, I am going to weave a weak shield over a small tree stump not even two feet away from me and attempt to draw the energy back into myself. It’s slowly a self defeating process of course and its only application is to learn, to understand what it is to draw Res into ones self. Utmost care will be taken as this seems to be particularly dangerous.

“Perhaps I should have remained in Sahova.” Uttering to himself as he sat his quill down, Graffius stretched his legs out, cracked his fingers and looked toward the tree stump. Rarely was he nervous to execute magic, yet with this particular field caused a nervous pulse to creep beneath his skin. This was probably the most profane artform to date to grace the world of Mizahar; his first step into it brought with it a sensation of intoxicating vertigo.

To prepare, he had gathered a few piles of brushwood from the surrounding area and packed them on top of one another in a small clearing. Closing his eyes, he allowed Djed to weave around his hand, form in a spherical shape in front of it and then ignite into a subtle flame which cast his temporary campsite in an eerie yellow glow. Releasing it, he sent it forth a few feet, the lambently pulsing comet igniting the brushwood and just like that, he had a campfire. He’d use it to read from Denub’s dusty old tome and follow each line with his fingertip, at the top, there was even a personal note from Denub himself, written to him.

Graffius, it is a shame you decided to depart so early but it was a pleasure having you in my cave, even if it was just for a month. The oddness of the text brought a sincere smile to Graffius’ face as he continued reading. Use this book as you wish, although I advise against it, but after knowing you, I also know you won’t listen. It will offer what you seek and a chance to step into a door which I wish remained closed. – Denub Dulfim Smiling at the thoughts of crazy Denub and his inane ways, he flipped the page and was surprised at the simplicity of the first sentence of the book. It read as followed.

Imagine if you will that all things, living and dead emanate white smoke. Virtually invisible, you can however feel its grainy texture, licking your skin. If you have acquired this book, then you already should feel of what I speak, as long as you believe, and focus. Focus now. Graffius would let his eyes flutter shut and the sounds of nature distance themselves from his earshot. Sure, he felt the pull, the gentle caresses of Djed and it was the same tingling feeling he experienced while drawing from its source for other purposes, however, its caress was weak. Opening his eyes, he read on.

The expelling of Djed, something that you have surely done before if reading, is done by willing the Djed to push itself outwards, something that is nearly impossible to explain both in text and with words. However, if you can imagine doing the exact opposite, and willing it within you, then you are already taking the first step into attaining a means to supplement your own magical energies. Attempt this until successful and then turn the page. Even now, the practicality of this book surprised him; often the tomes he read were filled with cryptic instructions, irrelevant notes and other items of disinterest that took research to even research. This book however, was straight to the point, without questions and easily understandable to those seeking magecraft.

“To reverse the expelling of Djed…” His words were whispers drowned out amongst the wind as he concentrated, and then his brow rose with a sudden realization. He had forgot to apply shielding to the tree stump. It was no wonder that the sensation of Djed was so utterly weak and seemingly impossible to absorb, simply because there was none to absorb. Taking this into consideration and after a small amount of focus and time, Graffius weaved together a simple, yet sturdy shield over the whole of the tree stump, watching as it was bathed in shifting blue light. He took a moment to sustain it and then let his grasp on its preservation become natural and an afterthought. Although the shield weakened considerably, it remained intact.

Now he could feel the Djed resonating, circling around him as wind and smoke, pulsing with each passing moment. It was time to begin.

by **Graffius** on March 20th, 2012, 6:44 pm

The reversal of expelling Djed proved especially difficult, but after hours of meditation and practice, he could feel himself beginning to draw it in at the very least, some from the shield which had weakened even more over-time and small fragments from the environment itself. Continuing in an entranced state and keeping his composure unwavering, he turned the page of the book with weighted eyes. Flipping through a bit more than needed over notes scrawled in from previous owners. Perhaps they too could be valuable, but relying on other’s research could prove dangerous to say the least.

If you are reading this, then you can feel it adequately, the Djed pulsing around you. Perhaps it tickles, or perhaps it pains, each practitioner has a different account. The only way to approach this is to use your imagination. Draw it in through your pores. Focus on this concept, and you may find it easier to achieve. And that was the only text on the page. Could it truly be so simple? With closed eyes, he pictured his skin, close as if under a magnifying glass, each single pore visible and magnified 100 of times, and then, he imagined tiny whisps of Djed being sucked into them. It’d zoom outwards until more and more pores were visible and visible tendrils of energy were seen being sluggishly pulled inwards. He was a vortex. Then, the most peculiar thing began to happen; his flesh began to sting as if salt was being rubbed into a wound. It wasn’t particularly painful, but an odd feeling, similar, but not identical to tingling. He couldn’t control its exact source, yet he could feel it surging, inconsistently varying in strengths, yet none seemed to come from the shielding he had applied on the tree stump. It was most likely because he was unable to focus his absorption.

The blue hughed energy flickered lightly, circling around him dully, and as it decreased, he felt a sudden spasm of invigoration through his body, but it was only dull invigoration at the most. Utilizing this miniscule sense of invigoration, he released any absorbed Res in the form a strong gust of wind, not unlike a weak form of Reimancy. It billowed the fire outwards for a moment. With a sigh, he opted to stop for now and let his concentration dwindle to take a small break, reaching up and wiping the sweat which had accumulated on his forehead.

From what I can tell, Res absortion was successful, even though it was in the smallest amount. What I experienced was odd and for the small moment it lasted, it was intoxicating. Theoretically at higher levels, if this state could be maintained, I can only imagine the possibilities that would extend to all areas of magic. I want to, no, I must continue my research into this. Practically, it is the same as expelling Djed, or atleast the same concept, except you…Flex it inwards and continue so until it is absorbed. With a small amount of rest, I will attempt to forge a stronger shield and draw specifically upon it and perhaps experimentation into active Djed usage such as Reimancy could also prove useful. Again, I need to remember to be paramount in my caution. As of now, I was unsuccessful in drawing any Djed at all from the shield, yet some, albeit a small amount was drawn from the environment.

Resting his back to a tree, he seated himself upon a pile of leaves and basked in the wavering flames of his campfire. He hoped the rats back in the room of his inn were doing well. Atleast he had fed them before departing for the night, extending their lives by at most a bit.

by **Graffius** on March 20th, 2012, 6:46 pm

A renegade ember hauntingly floating through the air grazed Graffius’ face, causing him to jump momentarily and rouse himself from a self induced half-slumber. The fire he created had died out and all that remained was a smoldering mass of pulsing, glowing embers. Instead of relighting it, he chose to let it be for now. Darkness was a decent enough shroud to hide his work.

I have awoken from a small slumber, a means to kill boredom and allow my body to rejuvenate a bit, now I will move on to the next phased. I am going to see if absorbed Res will truthfully supplement my casting. Logically, I believe the change will be small, if anything at all, however I must find out for knowledge’s sake. The quill was put done once more and Graffius stood, pacing back and forth. Eventually, he halted and attempted to regain focus, allowing the Res from the world around him to begin to absorb though his inner self, channeling it and hording it as much as he could. Unknown to him however, the process was now an almost constant thing, even when unfocused his body had begun to slowly collect tiny particles of Djed throughout the world. It wasn’t noticeable, not in the least, but one had to wonder how much it would grow in later years, and if the ability to Leech was more of a magic or a curse.

“Phase two.”

Straggling branches cracked beneath the soles of his boots while he fortified his stance on the ground and unfurled his fingers. Then, there was a faint hum, a writhing intermingling of Res between his fingertips and then, combustion of green liquid Res that snaked outwards, clouding above the campfire. The cloud hovered, glowing with iridescent light that pushed out against the surrounding darkness. Focus was required to maintain its existence and as he drew Res into himself, he began to immediately release it into the cloud, of what little there was from the surrounding foliage. He clawed his fingers downward, dragging them as if they were raking through a viscose liquid and the cloud responded in turn as tendrils of throbbing viridian energy cracked downwards, a familiar pattern from whence lightning would be born.

Upon release and after channeling Djed through the cloud, it shrieked, cracked and turbulently shifted as lightning was drawn through it, striking down powerfully at the campfire in quick concentrated bolts, and then the cloud was gone. Throughout this entire practice session, he had drawn Res, or atleast attempted to from outside sources yet there seemed to be no noticeable difference in his casting. It was apparent that he was only at the doorstep of this vile art, yet due to all this, he had learned more of it than he had in a lifetime.

by **Archelon** on March 31st, 2012, 8:19 pm

Thread Award

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And the Results!!!!:

Graffius :

Would you like some extra turtle sauce ? :