Flashback Extracurricular Activity (Solo)

[Adnaj]

Winter 6th 424 AV

Adnaj had a certain fascination with this shell. In fact, he had a fascination with all of them. The Nuit merely had to fill one of these shells with ichor and it would respond to their command. The simple act of transferring ichor was enough to power the shell. There were no gears, no batteries and no circuitry. Nothing had to be repaired or replaced in order to keep it moving. Sure, these frail living bodies would naturally wear out every 80 to 100 years but that was an impressive amount of time. Impressive enough to gain Adnaj's interest anyway.

This was the subject that Adnaj decided to study. This is what provided the purpose to his undeath: understanding this automated living tissue. It wasn't about golems or weapons or poisons. Adnaj was interested in the mysterious hand that spun the persistent top of life.

He had discovered this fascination only very recently. It wasn't a sudden mystery or an incredible event which caused him to behave so differently than other Nuit. It was a rather routine process, actually, if not a bit sped up in Adnaj's case.

He arrived at his philosophical boredom much earlier than is typical for a Nuit. Adnaj quickly grew apathetic toward the alchemical study of creating dangerous magics and crippling poisons. He found himself on an alarmingly hastening path toward his existential suicide.

Yesterday, he had reached the end of the line. He decided to walk out to the harbor. He watched the incoming waves for about a half hour before the drudgery of this life had sufficiently welled up. He thought about how best to end his existence. What was the best way to quiet the flame of his life? It had to be efficient and fast, there could be no time for regrets or questions. He started to think about how these shells operated. He traced out the biological blueprints of the fleshy golem which he commanded.

This, bizarre series of thoughts would be the catalyst to keep Adnaj animated for hundreds of years. He was simply too interested in thinking about the engineering of this living tissue. He was too interested to interrupt these thoughts now.

As he engaged on his walk back to the Citadel, and eventually the Great Library, he took special notice of the creatures around him. He began to think about the various forms of sentience. Pycons were nothing more than magically animated lumps of clay. Golems were inspired to move through a very careful balance of Animation and science. But natural creatures, what were these? What force caused the heart to continue pumping? Or gave the brain the necessary creativity to engender complex thoughts and coordinated mechanisms? These mysteries had given Adnaj a new sense of purpose. As he entered the Great Library he looked upon the dizzying amounts of books. It was time to get started.

[Adnaj]

Summer 56th 441 AV

After a few days in the Great Library, Adnaj was forced to accept a truth that he knew had been there the whole time. The fact of the matter wasn't that most of the books in the library were written in the Ancient Tongue. The truth was that all of them were. He hoped that he could glean a few simple notes of usefulness from these deathly quiet halls but even that wouldn't be granted to him.

The only thing that he could make use of were drawings and diagrams. It was a tedious and indirect way of learning what he wanted to learn but the information was there. He couldn't make use of the entire text and would have to skip from section to section. But a method, tedious as it may have been existed. What it came down to was this: there were diagrams of where to make the deadliest cut or the most potent place to inject a poison. He was forced to use these illustrations to gain some sense of anatomy. For years he would continue this pattern, gleaning any relevant information from the otherwise irrelevant or unknowable subject matter.

Adnaj took a grim humor from the fact that he could now use some of this knowledge of killing to do the exact opposite. It wasn't that he had any soft spot for living creatures or a notable sense of compassion, but he found a cosmic sort of comedy to the notion.

[Adnaj]

Spring 19th 444AV

The usefulness of poring through tomes was starting to run its course. Adnaj had gained a wealth of academic knowledge but still lacked any practical skill. He knew where to find the femoral artery but he didn't really know what the real anatomy looked like as artery ran its course between the iliopubic ramus and the inguinal ligament but his hands couldn't deliver the studied and practiced appropriate medical care.

To truly practice his future profession was still above his level of preparedness. In order to reach these levels of aptitude he would need something in between. He needed something to connect his limited academic knowledge with pragmatic exposure to bodies, beyond the routine exposure of performing the ritual. He needed to be able to dissect and interact with real tissue.

For this task, he could only think of Palsa Hydrasa. He understood that the embalming process was about preserving bodies and keeping them intact. The very goal was downright antithetic to his desire to carve into them. However, his study at the library was convoluted and indirect, why should his cadaveric anatomy be any different? Besides, learning to prepare corpses was better than learning nothing about them. The worst thing to happen would be that the venture might prove fruitless. Either Adnaj could come to find that there was nothing to learn from Palsa Hydrasa or Amaryllis would turn him away immediately. These were risks that Adnaj was certainly willing to take.

Amaryllis looked as elegant as ever. Her statuesque appearance was aided by the way in which she apathetically lazed in the middle of the room while her apprentices scurried around. Although the room was full of concentration and hard work, Adnaj's footfalls broke the silence with uncomfortable echoes as he approached. The noise announced his presence far earlier than his silhouette did.

"How do I apply to become an apprentice?" he spoke out. The various apprentices ignored him and continued their work as if still in silence. Amaryllis, however, slowly turned her head as if to show that she was wholly untempted by the prospect of another apprentice.

"We are full to capacity with apprentices. I don't require any more help," she quietly announced, staring right at him as if to encourage his exit of the hall.

"Is their a schedule or a list to which I can add my name?" Adnaj persisted.

"We don't keep such lists," Amaryllis told him. "The emphasis is on the work. When we have a need we'll make sure to fill it."

"I only want to observe," Adnaj beckoned. "I'll stay out of the way if you let me watch and learn from your work."

"And have you stand around like a dullard?" Amaryllis was nearly bothered for a chuckle, here. "I wouldn't be embarrassed to have you join us and fail to contribute any value," she told him. "Try again some time and see if we have a need for you."

"I'll be back every day until there is a place for me," Adnaj resolutely told her.

"Sure," she dismissively responded while turning away from him to return to her bored and joyless sitting.

Fall 40th 457

Adnaj had finally been given the chance to work for Amaryllis. One of the previous apprentices had finally succumbed to the doldrums of repetitive Nuit existence. Earning the opportunity wasn't easy. Adnaj had made sure to show up, as promised, every single day. He quickly recognized a lack of wonder or entertainment in Amaryllis' face. She was bored down here in Palsa Hydrasa. Adnaj realized that this was a chance to get on her good side. He would come down here simply to talk with her. For those years while he waited, he provided her with much needed conversation and mental stimulation during his visits. She actually grew to look forward to his daily visits and would grow irritable, fearing that he had given up, if he arrived late.

When the time came for him to join the team, he had already earned the right to ask special favors from his new boss. These perks were invaluable to the learning process. Weird as they may have thought him, he had full access to every body that was unusable. These "useless" bodies were his to dissect and carve in whatever manner he chose. Additionally, learning to better embalm the corpses was useful in its own right. There were things to learn from preparing and preserving these bodies.

Adnaj had gathered years of academic knowledge and now he was gaining some hands-on experience with actual human tissue. He was well on his way to "graduating" from Sahova. He didn't kid himself. He knew that he had still needed years of study on this island but the last, very long step was finally underway.

[Adnaj]

Winter 11th 472AV

It was time to go. He wasn't ready yet but it was finally time to leave Sahova. Adnaj had learned, here, everything that their was to learn. Digging through unusable corpses had become routine. There was nothing left for Adnaj.

He needed a hub of knowledge which had actually emphasized healing. He needed more specific information. At the end of his time at Sahova he had sharpened his knowledge of anatomy and physiology. He still lacked an understanding of broader treatment methods like alternative therapies or surgery. He also lacked a complete knowledge of pathology including the entire scope of non-infectious disease. Most importantly, he lacked the clinical subtleties and secrets of actually delivering any patient care.

A small portion of the last few months of his study had been dedicated to studying various cultures. He needed a place where he could interact among the living. It was time for his residency. Adnaj needed to find a doctor under whom he could safely practice. He needed a mentor who could guide him in the ways of healing. After reviewing the various cultures of the world, Adnaj decided that Zeltiva would be his endpoint. He would work his way up to being adept enough to work in a learned town such as Zeltiva.

He wasn't ready for Zeltiva, yet. The ship would drop him off in the University city but this was not his destination. Today, he would just be passing through. As long as he was traveling to the land of the living, he might as well seek out the best healers on Mizahar. His hope was to make it to Mura. He couldn't simply show up in the town of the great University and hope to develop a reputation of respect and esteem. First, he would have to learn better healing skills. This is why the Konti women became so important to the purpose of his existence.

As he stood by the Harbor, waiting for the ship to take him away, he prepared himself mentally. He knew that his new life would be a bit of a shock. To his recollection, he hadn't been involved in the world of the living since whatever previous life he led while still alive.

A communicator golem made its way up to Adnaj to make sure that everything was in order. The ship was approaching and the harbor had to be prepared for an orderly exchange. Adnaj identified himself and his approved plans to exit the island. The golem seemed satisfied and moved on to whatever task was next.

The Saga Shooter pulled up as painfully slowly as was expected. Eventually, the ship was docked and the gangway lowered. Adnaj took a deep breath in.

The human sailors looked weary as the undead creature joined them. He took a solitary position, by himself on the ship. He sat alone, with his hands folded as not to rouse fear or cause any trouble.

Meanwhile, the sailors unloaded the vision water to the appropriate golems and quickly got back onto their relatively safer ship.

"Alright," the captain announced. "Get ready. Let's get out of this place and get back to Zeltiva already!"

"Here we go..." Adnaj whispered to himself with some concern. Finding acceptance among the pious and respected Konti women was going to be difficult.

[Mirage]

Character Name

Experience

Skill	XP Earned
N/A	N/A

Lores

•	Lore Earned
•	Lore of Human Anatomy and Physiology
•	Apprenticed Embalmer
•	Amaryllis’ Respect

It's Not What You Think...

A good read, but as mentioned before via PM please talk to me before taking any privileges for yourself. The worked done in this thread is not enough to really support Adnaj’s current lores, but for this one time I will allow it. From now on please PM me if you are seeking special privileges, apprenticeships or use of any of the major NPC’s of the island.

In this thread you did not actually use any of the skills you listed in my office, and I saw nothing worth points myself. You are free to go back and edit for a point or two if you like. Keep me informed and good luck! Oh and I only awarded you a lore on human anatomy and physiology because human bodies are the most abundant on Sahova. If you want further lores of anatomy you will need to do more threads which go into much greater detail in the dissections, discoveries and thoughts that Adnaj has as he does his work. Good luck