Closed The Djed Weaver and the Bonesmith (Retic)

[Annalisa Marin]

8th of Spring, 514 AV

The Quarters were always possessed of an eerie quiet, they were mostly vacant of any form of life and those that possess warm blood in their veins often kept to their rooms. This was apparently not the case for one particular pulser woman, a tall dark haired specimen facing a wall with a piece of chalk in one hand. She wore a simple brown tunic, a pair of trousers and wore no footwear at the moment. Her long black hair was unbound and hanging loosely from her head, its length extending past her upper back. On the ring finger of her right hand was a silver ring with the sigil of a burning scroll, rubies gleaming around the edges.

Wizard Annalisa Marin gazed at the blank wall before her, a look of some puzzlement on her face as she folded her arms under her breasts and idly tapped a bare foot against the cold stone floor. Her mind was awash with what should be upon it, geometric Glyphing sequences that were leagues ahead of what most people could hope to achieve playing out behind her grey eyes. The problem was finding exactly what she wanted to achieve, knowing exactly what needed to be wrought upon the wall before her. It was an exercise of thought and pondering, in mental trial and error as scenarios worked through her mind.

Of course, one might wonder why she was doing this in the Quarters of all places as the Common Labs were available to her. The answer was relatively simple, the Common Labs tended to be a little noisy and Anna wanted peace and quiet for this thinking. Besides, there were no Sahovan laws she knew off against drawing complex Glyphing diagrams on the walls of the Quarters. If anything she should have had students, pulser and Nuit alike, lining up to take notes on her processes.

Anna walked a few steps to the side slowly, padding silently on the ground as her eyes never left the wall. A scroll sigil was too simple, what had she discussed with Clyde when they had first met? Redirection or movement of magic from one Focus to the next? That sounded about right to the tall sorceress. So what she wanted was to place the sigils to that there would be a large Focus to capture the magic with a Barrier around it, then possibly arrange a Path to an open Focus to release said magic in a different area.

The tall woman walked back to her original spot, moving her chalk wielding hand out to the wall and pressing it lightly against the stone. Just like that Anna exploded into a blur of motion that might very well have jarred one observing her previously. Her hand moved with speed that seemed almost unreal as she brought into existence a large stylized inverted triangle upon the wall, the chalk tapping against the stone as her Focus Glyph was brought into existence. Her expression was one of complete concentration, the rest of the world melting away until it was just her and her Glyphs.

It barely took any time at all before her Focus was complete, less than ten ticks before her hand was moving to draw little geometric shapes around the Focus. Her Glyphs were beautiful to behold, works of art that would awe lesser Glyphers no doubt and that was how Anna viewed them as, art. The smaller Glyphs formed a ring around the Focus, the concepts of containment and holding being imprinted with their creation. This made up her Barrier Glyph, the thing which held magic to a certain area and much like the Focus they took no time at all. As she finished the Barrier she included a little swirling circle just inside of it, a Switch Glyph for when her Path would be created.

For now the tall woman moved a few steps to the side quickly, her feet slapping against the floor as she moved. Once here she brought another Focus into existence, her chalk whittling down quickly as she worked with the series of sigils. The stylized inverted triangle came into existence just as quickly as the first and then it was followed by another Barrier around it. Anna finished the second one off with another swirling circle, her second Switch Glyph.

This completed the tall woman started on a line of geometric symbols, her chalk tapping away as she extended it from one Switch Glyph to the next. As she worked a few Visitors to the island and even and Apprentice or two had gathered behind her, watching the speed of her work and the sigil she was creating with interest. Anna was so engrossed in her work she didn’t notice; even if she had the tall woman probably would not have cared over much.

Once her Path was complete and connecting the two sections to each other the sorceress moved her chalk to the upper right hand side of her first series of Glyphs. Here she drew a jumble of stylized geometric shapes, the style of her Trigger Glyph and the most important part of this whole affair. After it was actually drawn she pondered over the wording for a bit, staring at it for a good chime, folding her arms once more. Her audience watched in seeming anticipation for the next phase, engrossed by the mastery of the sorceress. Finally the woman nodded to herself and started on the Trigger phrasing.

When I, Annalisa Marin, the creator of this sigil on the 8th of Spring 514 AV speak the following phrase with the intent and meaning of activating this sigil and of my own free will, without the influence of coercion by means magical or mundane, the Trigger will activate, lowering the First Barrier and allowing the magic within to be carried along the Path to the Second Focus where the second Switch will then lower that Barrier to release the magic within.

-“A new dawn rises as dusk falls”

This task completed the tall woman stepped back from her sigil and examined it, the whole process taking her about six chimes to complete. It was at this point she noticed that she had attracted a small group, a fact she noted with a raised eyebrow. Then again the sorceress supposed it was not every day that one happened upon a true master of the art of Glyphing, one who could blur the lines between all magic. For her part the woman saw this as being a chance to get a bit of assistance in this project, perhaps put on a bit of theatrics as well. Her eyes scanned the gathering, and she pointed to a random visitor.

“You. I would like your assistance. Step forward and tell me what personal magic, if any, you practice.” She said, her tone indicating it was not a request but rather a command.

[Retic Ulis]

Retic Ulis

Begin at the End.

oocSorry for the wait!

If Retic looked well-rested, it was because he'd spent a good number of the past few days sleeping. It was a luxury he hadn't often had the chance to enjoy at the University, between studying and tutoring and working on his private projects. Sure, he'd gotten out for a couple bells every now and again, but he hadn't been able to peek around enough to have had the island get to him -- that cold clawing sensation had remained in his gut since the landing, but he felt no more trepidation than that.

Now though, it was time for him to be doing something. Anything. He hadn't made his way to this... place just to waste his time away in his room. He was here to work, not to sit lamely and polish his dagger all day, like a child too scared to wander for fear of monsters.

So with that conviction, Retic had pulled himself together, tossed the limp mattress over his pile of belongings, and stepped out into the dead halls of the Quarters. He, of course, didn't know what the specific name for the rows and stories of room after room were called -- he didn't know what most things here were called -- but he could piece together that they were meant to be some kind of sleeping quarters for the denizens, and that they were mostly abandoned. It seemed that there was little use for resting in the citadel.

Which is why it so surprised Retic when a furious noise of tapping and scraping suddenly resounded from down the hall and around a corner. He froze with his hand on the knob of the sad wooden door, debating with himself. There were a good many mysteries on this island, and he had very little clue about any of them. The noise could be dangerous. Or, rather, it could be from a dangerous source. He shouldn't go towards it.

Then again, Retic knew that if he simply walked away, the disappointment of an unsatiated curiosity would gnaw at the back of his mind for days.

So against his better judgement and sense of self-preservation, Retic let his boots lead him in the direction of the sound. It wasn't difficult to follow, with it being the only thing in earshot besides the scuffle of his own clothes. But it couldn't have been more than a chime before the shuffle of another person echoed down the hall. Then another. And another. He picked up his pace, gliding down the hallway in his own pure need to see what it was. In turn, the scraping and grinding noise -- which Retic could only attribute to something being dragged across the stone -- grew louder and more excited.

Until it stopped suddenly. Retic rounded the corner and stopped short himself, almost having to take a step back in surprise at the scene. A group? Why? How? Had this many people really been within earshot of the sound? It was certainly more than he'd managed to see in the last couple days combined. Of course, that was likely because he'd kept himself shut in.

Retic hadn't much fine-tuned his ability to tell Nuit from Human, and it didn't much matter to him in this instance. He wound he way forward, keeping a stony expression on his face for the purpose of appearance, but his mind was racing, not settling on one emotion long enough for him to actually tell how he felt about the situation. Though, he did note with satisfaction and a smug look that he was fairly well-dressed compared to a number of the others. As he was planning to make a sort of debut today, after all. His ensemble might have looked simple in all black, but the brocaded fabrics and fine silver buckles proved that notion wrong.

The crowd was spaced so that moving past them would be difficult. Besides that, they were seemingly engrossed in something on the opposite wall, and every now and again someone would turn to mutter something to either themselves or the person beside them.

For his part, Retic was tall enough to see what was going on without having to push through the small throng of bodies. From his vantage point, the first thing he saw was the wall -- and what was scrawled across its surface. What he found was quite possibly the most intricate set of glyphs he'd ever seen with his own eyes, and it was quite clear that this bit of work was what everyone was so intent on. Retic, too, found himself taking in the sight. As far as he could tell, it was leaps and bounds ahead of anything he could even consider doing. There were elements to it that were completely foreign to him, which included some of the words. It set his mind to reeling.

Next, his dark gaze alighted on what he could only assume was the creator. The woman much resembled Retic's own self, he thought, with her height and dark hair, though her skin was fairer than his own. Her clothes were also far less showy. Not even wearing shoes, but the ring on her had flashed in the light and drew his attention. He wasn't sure what the jewelry meant, but as he glanced around he noticed a few others wore similar bands.

His scrutinizing eyes returned to the glyph, and Retic found himself both awed and envious. Incredibly envious. Not of the skill, per se (though that was a factor), but of the mind that came up with this design. And, in turn, he found himself intrigued with the creator's body.

Specifically the hands. They were, after all, the primary tools used in the creation of glyphs, though the brain was much better. Perhaps the skull would be nice -- it contained the brain and served as the center for thought... but the hand might be good for more specific uses. Possibly the thumb. Or the index finger...

Retic's wandering (and admittedly morbid) thoughts brought his narrowed gaze back to the woman at the same time she pointed that very finger at him.

The gesture brought him back to focus and, oh oh oh, how he did not like her tone. Not at all. He'd grown tired of that very same authoritative point of view at the University. He was an Ulis. He was touched by the Goddess of knowledge herself. He wouldn't be commanded by anybody.

But he would. This was neither the time nor the place, he sensed, to throw a hissyfit -- and his own interest in what the woman had in store kept him in check.

The crowd parted, turning to watch Ret as he stepped forward. Some wore haughty looks, some also seemed genuinely interested in what would happen, but more still now seemed bored by him and returned their prodding looks to the glyph.

"Auristics," he answered simply, requiring as few words as possible. There had been a brief pause before he spoke, in which he had taken only a tick to debate with himself. Should he really share his knowledge of magic with anyone here? Even in normal situations where one was not surrounded by sly wizards, Retic had reservations about sharing his abilities. He loved to show off, of course, but he was not stupid about it.

But here he was with a chance to work with a wizard who could create magnificent glyphs, and he was not about to pass up any opportunity he could get on this island.

"Why do you ask?" He could figure out that she would use him to do something with the glyph, but the question was more a reflex than anything. Always ask questions.

[Annalisa Marin]

Her assistant to be was tall, taller than even her by a bit and was well dressed compared to the majority of those pulsers. The gentle rise and fall of his chest and his occasional blinking and breathing denoted that the man was still among the living, the fact he lacked a ring also told her that he was a mere visitor at the moment. Though, today’s visitors were tomorrow’s apprentices and the sorceress suspected that there might be more to this one worth examining. At the moment the tall woman made a show of looking him up and down, her gaze similar to Amaryllis in that it seemed like she was looking over a piece of meat. Spending so much time with the embalmer had certainly rubbed off on the Reimancer.

Auristics he had said, hesitating a tick as though to ponder his response to the question regarding his magic. Anna could understand the hesitation as it was not in any wizard’s nature to divulge knowledge unless knowledge was to be gained in turn. Honestly the tall woman felt that this man should have felt honored by being selected, he’d probably gain more out of this experience than he would under most others in the Citadel. The sorceress noted his question with a smirk, choosing not to address it right away in favor of leading up to it.

“An unranked I see. Brave of you to step forward, or possibly foolish. I suppose you’ll be the judge of that as this plays out.” Anna said, her voice smooth like honey and her trademark arrogant smirk playing at her lips.

“As for why I wish to know, it is rather tied up in the purpose and function of these Glyphs themselves. A form of redirection I’m experimenting with and it turns out your magic will be rather useful for the trial run due to its less destructive nature. A stroke of good fortune for us both, sir.” The tall woman said at length.

“So, onto what I’ll need from you for this experiment. It is nothing hazardous to your health, I assure you of that. I simply wish you to stand in front of the Glyphs right here and use your Auristical sight upon it to charge the magic into the Focus. Once you have done that, shut it off and then stand in front of the Focus over there. If I am right than you’ll gain the sight instantly once more without needing to activate it, if not then you’ll be no more worse for wear.” The sorceress explained at length as she moved a bit to the side to give Retic room to move to the Glyph.

Anna pondered something for a moment, wondering if perhaps it might be a good idea to include a bit of further incentive for the task. After all, it appeared she had gained something of a small gathering for an impromptu lesson on Glyphing. The tall woman figured that she might as well give something of a reward for the man’s assistance here. After all, it might very well serve as a hook to get him interested in learning a bit more from her. The promise of power was the strongest chain forged by the hands of both the divine or mortal.

“Being that you are assisting me here I’ll permit you to ask me a question about any one aspect of this sigil, I’ll answer the question honestly and as concisely as possible. Choose carefully, I do not offer knowledge such as this lightly.” The woman said, leaning against the wall and crossing her arms under her breasts.

All eyes were on Retic now to see what he would do, the gathering further enticed by the possibility of learning some bit of Glyphing knowledge held by the sigil. Anna wondered if perhaps she shouldn’t start hosting open lessons in the Lecture Hall, it might be amusing to see exactly who she could attract with the enticing of knowledge. If she could get this kind of response just from drawing a sigil on the wall of the Quarters she had to wonder at the response gained from having an official lesson offered.

[Retic Ulis]

Retic Ulis

Begin at the End.

Retic had to concentrate on keeping his expression straight, flat, unreadable. He didn't like giving people things to work with, and faces had a way of betraying people's feelings. And, right now, he was feeling a bit complacent. This situation, strange as it might've been to him, was going to give him an opportunity to flaunt his typically behind-the-scenes magic. It was hardly easy to come up with good displays for Auristics, considering that it took the label of "personal" magic quite suitably -- as far as he knew, it affected no one but the user.

Then again, it'd been some time since he'd last tried to cast. He'd managed to avoid any kind of magic on the ship ride to the island in order to spare himself any more suspicion from the crew, and he'd been too busy getting everything ready for the departure for days before in Zeltiva.

He brought a hand up to stroke at his beard as he contemplated that fact. Would he be able to do it correctly after going so long without practice? Of course, he snorted to himself, as if it had been the stupidest question he'd ever considered.

The woman chose not to answer his question right away, and despite his conviction to keep an impassive expression, he couldn't help a small frown. When people asked questions, they were to be answered. That was how his world usually worked. None of this dancing around the point -- that was his job. But that wasn't what had quirked his interest. No, it was the woman's words that had the edges of his mouth curling into a downturned smirk.

He wasn't entirely sure what it meant to be ranked, and he was even less sure of how she'd so plainly been able to tell that he wasn't. Nonetheless, he allowed himself to return the woman's smirk and gibe with his own wry tone. "Well, I was called forward, and thus I stepped forward. I see neither bravery nor foolishness in the action," he quipped dryly, shrugging.

Either way, she did continue on. The woman wanted to know his magic because she wanted him to participate in a little demonstration. And, really, what other reason would there have been? Still, he doubted that any wizard who was capable of creating such an intricate sigil would limit themselves to only producing glyphs. She had to be capable of some other magic herself, he reasoned. So why call upon someone else's abilities? Simply for a little bit of audience involvement? She had asked for personal magic -- perhaps her own abilities only extended to world magics. Or perhaps her magics were not so nondestructive, as she'd pointed out Auristics was.

No matter. What he cared about now was that he would be using his own magic with the glyph -- that alone was something to excite his interest, not to mention the fantastic quality of the glyphs he was set to work with. He'd been curious himself as how to effectively apply Auristics to Glyphing. It was something he'd been meaning to experiment with for some time now, but he'd had trouble finding the spare time and energy to do so.

The woman finished explaining the process, and Retic gave an unrushed nod of is head to show he understood before moving to slide past her and towards the wall in the space provided. Someone coughed, letting him know that there was still a group of observers, and he set himself into a confident state of mind. In all honesty, he had never done this sort of work before, and he had very little clue what he was doing. But he didn't need to make that fact apparent to onlookers.

Before he could get into position, the woman spoke again and Retic froze in place. A question? Oh, that was a delightful proposition. Absolutely.

His gaze slid over the expanse of the sigil once more. There were the basic parts of it -- the parts that he remembered bits and pieces about from his classes at the University. His eyes traced along the forms, his mind conjuring a sense of remote familiarity for a few of the forms, though the technical names escaped his memory.

Then there were the aspects of the sigil that, no matter how much he wracked his brain in the given span of ticks, he could not recognize them or their use at all. Primary among them was the line of symbols leading from one side of the glyph to the other -- the purpose of it seemed straightforward enough, to connect one set of glyphs to another. Yet he'd never seen it before, and it drew his attention.

What were the technical aspects of it? How would one go about creating such a trail between sigils? What was the process, what when should it be used?

Retic asked none of those questions. No, they were too simple. Too basic, and there was an audience of other wizardly folk gathered just feet away. As far as he knew, the trailing bridge-glyph could be one of the most rudimentary components of the sigil, and he would look the fool if he displayed his ignorance of it.

So he wouldn't risk his measly reputation by asking questions about the technical aspects of the sigil -- best to pretend (at least, in front of the crowd) that he knew enough about the art of Glyphing to skip all the most obvious questions. Instead, he brought his gaze back to the heart of the closest symbol, careful not to smudge the chalk as he lifted a willowy finger to tap near the focus.

Someone snorted in amusement at the motion -- what, Retic didn't even know the most basic part of a glyph? Oh, but Retic's question was not about the glyph. Not directly. His hand returned to his side, but not before he once again massaged his bearded chin and his dark gaze fell from the wall to the woman. "Why do you suppose you use the inverted triangle?"

His primary objective here was to avoid looking like too much of a fool -- therefore asking an odd question was the way to go. This way, he would either seem like a loon or a thinker. And either one of those labels was better than being dull. Yet part of Retic was genuinely curious. If there was anything that Malediction had shown him, it was that symbols and shapes have power.

[Annalisa Marin]

Anna smirked as Retic looked over the sigil, taking great pride in her work and enjoying when others opted to admire it for all it was worth. This was a mere prototype really, an idea she had gained after meeting Clyde Sullins and discussing possible redirection Glyphs. If this sigil functioned as she expected it could be that she would have a possible defense against magic, as well as a means to turn the table upon an enemy. Every edge that could be gained in her own favor was worth being perused, especially in a dangerous place like Sahova where it was almost a constant arms race.

Someone in the group snickered at the tall man having examined a basic aspect of the Glyph; Anna however merely watched a waited. The question that came next was both incredibly simple and extremely complex in its nature; however word was law upon Sahova. She had given her word to answer the question fully and honestly so she chose exactly what area to start at, smirking as she chose the most obvious answer for the initial beginning and then opting to expand out. Teaching was something Anna genuinely enjoyed, an oddity for a wizard but she was an odd sorceress.

“I use them because of both geometry, for the triangle itself, and signature of personal flair for the inversion thereof. I prefer a simple elegance in my Glyphs. Though I trust you are aware that Glyphs drawn by different wizards are different in and of themselves.” Anna started.

“Other than the triangle itself representing the Focus it possesses no meaning besides personal comfort, the shape itself is unimportant. I simply prefer a bit of order to my Glyphs, probably just personal preference really. Though perhaps it is that comfort that allows a Glypher to Glyph with confidence, so it has a meaning both outside of and within the act itself.” Anna offered, shrugging.

“A strange question to ask. One might call it a question about both the sigil and about myself, clever sir.” Anna complimented, smirking slightly.

Whoever this man was he knew how to make the right inquiries, or the more foolish ones and that made him at least marginally interesting. Often foolishness and cleverness were difficult to distinguish, however the dark haired woman somehow doubted this man was a fool. Fools were not long lasting as wizards, and were even less long lasting on Sahova so perhaps time would tell if she was correct. However the sorceress was more interested in Retic holding his end of this.

“Now, simply use your sight upon the Focus. Then go over to that other Focus and I will activate the sigil to redirect the magic back at you.” The tall woman directed.

With that Anna would fall silent and just watched to see what the man would do, grey eyes intent upon the objective and the man who was to carry it out. The sorceress was not exactly fond of involving others in this; however her own magic was rather destructive. Auristics as far Anna knew was a fairly pacifist discipline of magic. So Retic could likely have better luck here. It also served to work with magic geared towards another’s Djed other than the one that had crafted the sigil itself.