Kaeson's Fortune

by **Kaeson Dakano** on April 30th, 2012, 12:30 am

Frowning, Kaeson looked around his house. Small and almost empty, aside the bed and a couple other things, he wondered why he had spent 500 mizas to live here. Turning to look at the window he remembered. He could see right out to Zeltiva's famous harbor, the sparkling blue sea playfully splashing against the massive wooden ships coming into port. Kaeson loved the strong scent of the sea in the air, the heavy sea breezes that blew across the city made him feel like he belonged. His grandmother always said it was the Svefra in him, and he supposed she was right. While he had never been as comfortable on a boat as the Svefra traditionally are, Kaeson had always had felt at home by the shore.

Turning back to the task at hand, Kaeson looked around the small house for a place to start the animation process. Realizing he could potentially start anywhere, he began to slowly trace one circle, roughly a foot across, and placed the iron lock inside the circle once he had finished. Three feet away, he drew an almost identical circle, if not slightly bigger so the circle would be able to accommodate himself in a seated position. Finally, he drew a line connecting the smaller circle to the larger circle and proceeded to take a step back to examine his work thus far. Happy with what he had done, Kaeson carefully stepped inside the larger circle so as to not to disturb the chalk drawing. Any breaks in what he had drawn would effictively ruin the animation, and could possibly corrupt the lock resulting in it being unusable.

Already having decided to use himself as the template, Kaeson proceeded to sit down and focus on what he was about to do. Having created multiple soul cores before, Kaeson had always found it best to focus on the object he was animating. Thinking about what made a lock a lock, how it should be, and how it would be more like himself with the creation of it's soul core, Kaeson pricked his finger and let his blood fall directly on to the circle in which he was seated. It took several seconds, but his drawing began to slowly change color from the chalky white to a deep ruby red, letting Kaeson know that he could now begin creating the soul core.

Focusing on the iron lock, Kaeson thinking only about how the lock should be and giving it the identity a lock should have. Kaeson then repeated a mantra his first master had taught him, "Viicthe poure mim"*. Kaeson spent the next several minutes repeating the mantra again and again, focusing only on how the lock should see itself. Finally, a warm feeling, not unlike slowly being submerged in a warm bath overcame him.

He had given the lock a soul.

<OOC> :

by **Kaeson Dakano** on April 30th, 2012, 10:07 pm

Kaeson sighed with relief, "So far, so good'" he said to himself.

Closing his eyes, Kaeson began to focus on his breathing. Meditation, while not essential to animation magic, had always allowed him a chance to relax and regroup his thoughts at the various intervals in the animation process. After spending the next several minutes deciding between a various number of directives to give the iron lock, Kaeson finally felt prepared enough to continue on to the next stage of creating the lock's persona.

Having decided to use 'Open Lazlo' as the lock's key phrase, as the fortune teller suggested, Kaeson mentally prepared himself to give the first directive. Manipulating the magical flow of energy within the chalk drawings, Kaeson prepared the first directive to be sent. "Upon hearing the key phrase, 'Open Lazlo', you will open automatically."Kaeson sent an imagined visual of the lock opening to the key phrase, accompanying the lock's primary directive. Feeling confident that the primary directive had been received and understood, Kaeson began putting together the second directive. Thinking the fortune teller would appreciate some extra security measures, Kaeson began to transfer a second directive. "If someone or something tries to force you open, you will begin to shake," sending an image of shaking lock, Kaeson smiled at his own cleverness. While not making a sound on its own, the rattling of the iron lock against the man's chest would certainly be loud enough to wake him, alerting him to the presence of a potential thief. Kaeson transferred "Hearing the word 'fortune' means you are to stop shaking" as the third directive, along with an image of an iron lock laying still. Giving the lock a fourth directive, "You will not open for any key", as an added security measure, Kaeson felt confident those four directives should be enough.

Kaeson spent the next two hours slowly transferring a variety of memories, emotions, and know how to the iron lock. Kaeson spent half an hour teaching the lock to fear and enabling it to shake as it felt afraid. Kaeson spent an equal amount of time teaching the lock to feel assured and to calm down upon hearing the word, 'fortune'. He then taught the lock how to use its key hole to hear, and how to open itself when given the key phrase 'Open Lazlo'. Kaeson then taught the iron lock to refuse any key.

Kaeson then mentally stopped the flow of information, feeling confident he had given the lock all it needed to function correctly. Quickly stepping out of his circle, he walked over to the lock. Gingerly, he picked the lock up. "This is it, my friend. This is when we found out if I've done well or...not, I guess."

He lightly tugged at the lock, and he smiled as the lock begin to shake lightly. Soon, the lock was shaking so hard it almost fell out of his hand. Laughing at his own success, Kaeson quickly said 'Fortune', glad that the lock became still the moment he finished the word. Quietly, he muttered the key phrase.

Nothing happened, and his heart dropped. Deciding to try again, he gave the key phrase "Open Lazlo", saying it a little louder than before. Kaeson held his breath as he counted the seconds, "One...Two...Th-!" and relief filled his body as he saw the lock open itself.

Satisfied with his work, Kaeson ran back towards the marketplace hoping to show the fortune teller before he had left shop for the day.

Upon arriving, Kaeson was glad to find the tent still open and shouted inside, "Hello, Mr--" Kaeson stopped mid sentence as he realized he hadn't asked the man's name. "Excuse me, sir? I have your lock!"

by **Anselm** on May 3rd, 2012, 2:35 am

Anselm had spent most of the day deep in meditation. His master had taught him sixty-four words of wisdom, or oracles as his master called them. Each oracle is like a diamond with many facets. Each facet provides a different perspective or way of seeing the oracle. Under his master's guidance, Anselm had begun the long and arduous task of exploring the deeper facets of the oracles. But his master had died after passing on only a little of his knowledge, leaving Anselm with the oracles but without their deeper, interior meanings. As far as Anselm knew, he was the only person left in possession of this knowledge in all of Mizahar. Ironic, he thought. That I use these ancient treasures to make a living telling people their fortunes. But he did value them, perhaps more than anything else in the world.

On this day, Anselm was meditating on the twenty-second oracle.

Mountain above, stillness. Fire below, luminous.
Clear about where to rest, resting in what is clarified,
One naturally clarifies illumination and rests in the highest good.

Having shut out the sounds and smells of the physical world, and having stilled the insistent internal noise of self-talk, the old Nuit turned the phrases over in his mind to examine them one by one.

Mountain above, stillness. The mountain is a place of secret practice, of private cultivation, far from public view. On the mountain there is no one to show off for, no one to impress. There is just oneself. On the mountain one learns to throw off self-illusion, self-deception. On the mountain one learns to see into one's heart as it is, not as it is presented to others or even to oneself.

Fire below, luminous. With clarity of vision, one gains illumination and everything becomes clear. This is a pure and purifying fire. It is pure because it has been refined and refined again until all the impurities have been burned away. It is purifying because in its purity one encounters one's own impurities. One sees oneself as oneself really is. This is a terrifying thing.

Clear about where to rest. With clarity of vision, one begins to understand …

“Excuse me, sir? I have your lock.”

Anselm's eyes snapped open, gray and dark and empty, and stared directly into the young man's eyes, unblinking. Not that the tall man with the unkempt black hair could see his eyes very clearly since most of his face was hidden in the shadow of the cloak's hood.

“I did not expect you to return so soon,” said the old man in a low, raspy voice. “You must be quite good at this animation magic.” He stretched out his hand and said, “Let me see the lock.” He took the lock in his hand and examined it carefully. It was locked. He gently pulled on the shackle and felt the lock tremble. He pulled a little harder and the lock trembled a little more vigorously.

“What words does it know?” The man provided the words he had taught to the lock.

“Fortune!” said Anselm. The lock stopped trembling.

“Open Lazlo!” he said. The lock's shackle popped open. Anselm pushed it closed and it locked back into place.

Anselm placed the lock on the table in front of himself and looked up at the young animator. “I am impressed,” he said slowly. “This is a piece of work I would expect to find in Sahova, not in Zeltiva.”

He fell silent for a few seconds and then pulled the hood back from his head, letting it fall to his shoulders. His eyes were gray and empty with dark shadows underneath them. Thin, white stringy hair fell loosely down to his shoulders. The skin of his face was wrinkled and hung loosely, as though it were about to slide off his face and fall to the ground. Yellow-brown puss oozed from an open sore on the left side of his jaw. His lips were black, as was the tip of his tongue that protruded slightly from between them.

“I am Nuit. I was animated three hundred and ninety-five years ago.” He paused to give the young man time to absorb this information. “Some day you will travel to Sahova. When you do, you will look for a Nuit named Zarik Mashaen. He is a master animator. Tell him that Anselm sent you to him. It may be that he will remember me and take this as a recommendation. He will ask you many questions and he will require you to do many things for him, some quite strange. If in the end he is satisfied with what he hears and sees, he will invite you to remain in Sahova where he will teach you much. Perhaps you, too, will become a master animator.”

by **Kaeson Dakano** on May 3rd, 2012, 6:29 pm

Kaeson was suprised to say the least.

This was not where he had thought their conversation was heading. Kaeson knew the fortune teller would be surprised at how quickly and how well Kaeson had managed to animate the lock. Being only 19, Kaeson was used to this kind of reaction. Then, the fortune teller would have given him some form of compensation for his time and effort and then Kaeson would have been on his way, never thinking again of the black tent or the man who had given him his fortune.

After the nuit had finished speaking, Kaeson stared at the man, opening and closing his mouth clearly trying to breath words that just wouldn't come. "Nuit, there is a Nuit in front of me. He read my fortune and I animated a lock for him." Realizing the Nuit was still talking, Kaeson held on to every word as if they had been laced with gold. Slowly, Kaeson silently reviewed the last couple seconds of the nuit's speech. "His name is Anselm, and he knows somebody named Zarik Mashaen." Pausing in his thoughts, Kaeson dwelled on the name Zarik Mashaen. Why did that name sound so familiar? Kaeson knew he had heard that name somewhere, but where? Maybe he read the name in a book...?

Eyes widening at the realization of who Zarik Mashaen was, Kaeson realized what Anslem had offered him. "You know Zarik Mashean? The Zarik Mashaen?" he said, adding "And you can...can get me an apprenticeship with him?" as a barely audible whisper. Giddy with excitement, Kaeson couldn't believe his luck. Could this Nuit, Anslem, really know the great master Zarik?

Today had certainly shown Kaeson that he had made the right decision in coming to Zeltiva.

by **Anselm** on May 4th, 2012, 12:30 am

“My dear boy,” said Anselm curtly. “I said nothing of a sort.” He waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. “What I said is that if you mention my name, Zarik might remember me and think more favorably of you than he would otherwise.” He pulled the hood back up over his head and his face disappeared into shadows. His voice softened. “All I can give you is an opening. An introduction. But you will have to win your apprenticeship on your own merits. In the meantime, learn to temper your enthusiasm with circumspection. This is the meaning of the oracle.”

The old Nuit stood up stiffly, took up his cane and walked around the table to the entrance of his tent. He began pulling one of the flaps down.

“It has been a long day and I am an old man,” he said. He waved the young man out of the tent so he could pull down the other flap and tie them shut. As he limped off down the road running through the marketplace, he paused and turned. “I didn't catch your name.” The lock had vanished, presumably into one of the pockets of the old man's cloak.

OOC :

by **Kaeson Dakano** on May 4th, 2012, 7:08 pm

"Kaeson," he replied. Getting caught up in the excitement of the moment, Kaeson had forgotten to give the man his name.

"My name is Kaeson," he repeated, haltingly adding, "If you need anything else animated, you can find up in the university. It's probably the best bet if you want to find me." Kaeson added that last bit as more as an afterthought. The nuit had done him a great favor, giving him a foot in the door as to meeting Zarik Mashaen. "An introduction," Kaeson mused. "That's all I need, I can show Zarik Mashaen I'd be an amazing apprentice." Kaeson thought determinedly.

This time next year, he'd be in Sahova. And he'd be working under Zarik. Kaeson knew he would.

by **Cascade** on May 7th, 2012, 5:45 pm

Adventurer's Loot

Anselm's Loot :

Kaeson Dakano's Loot :

Unfortunately, according to the price list, just a very simple lock would cost 20 gm. For this reason, I don't think I can allow Kaeson to own one without actually letting it reflect on his ledger. It's possible to obtain items from posts, but not likely when all you do is post one sentence about it (especially not for something which costs 20gm). Kaeson, please edit your ledger, and also take note that you gave the lock to Anselm. If you think being told about Anselm's nuit story is enough to cover the 20gm, then it's fine... but if you two want to negotiate more because of the 20gm, then I leave it to you guys.

Anselm, it was a great idea to let this evolve to a training thread for Kaeson.

Good thread, guys. Keep it up. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to PM me!