Closed The Doors Through Which We Pass (Clyde)

[Lenore]

Lenore eased the knife from under the nail head. Had he been too dramatic? Curling the previous statements through his mind the nuit had tried to quick like pulsers were always wanting. Clearly it had been a mistake with Clyde. the nuit would have apologized but the mage had gone headlong into preparations of a spell. With slightly jealous awe the nuit watched as Clyde made his glyphs on the first attempts. The glyphs looked nothing at all like Lenore’s, and at the same time the nuit had no idea what they meant. Curiosity bruised eyes never left Clyde as he prepared, in fact the nuit had stopped moving altogether. Entirely focused on observing this unknown magic.

Mentally Lenore scoffed the rhyming. How could a rhyme help? But as the composition continued the animator recognized a kinship between Clyde’s rhyming and a directive. It was a directive for a force not a being. Not for the first time did Lenore wish he had a journal close at hand, these observations could prove useful in research yet to come. For now he observed with delighted interest every action Clyde made.

Questions arose as the magic progressed. Did the directives need to rhyme? Was the staff vital to the magic? Did it need to be blue to perform this discipline? What magic was this all headed to? Perhaps voiding, Clyde had previously mentioned the magic.

Once again the nuit returned the box to the table. HIs questions laid out within his mind, he prepared to observe further to find further evidence to their answers.pushing his bronze spectacles high on the bridge of his nose, the nuit nodded. “Yes I am quite calm. You shall instruct me when to begin the process of opening the box. I shall remain inert in that regard until you specify otherwise.” Transfixed by the tiny portal, Lenore itched to inspect it closer. Such an inspection though would likely be fruitless as long as he had no practical knowledge of the magic. Though they must in someway be kin given that they were magics, Lenore could not help but see the extreme dissimilarity between his puppets and this force drawn into existence by willpower.

Clyde’s advice about magics working in synchronism came to mind. It was a concession the animator had to make, he needed to secure other magics to progress his research. This very situation was proof of the necessity. He had been forced into a corner by a failed experiment because he couldn’t devest himself of it an appropriate manner. Not to mention, if an animation could only be taught any action its source knew how to perform then what if it knew how to perform magic? Could this be passed on to the golem? Grasping for the nearest bird figurine, Lenore finally ripped his eyes from Clyde’s work. He inspected every angle of the little painted carving. As soon as this episode can toa close the research would forge his path forward it was nearing time to complete his project, to give it life. This demonstration only urged him onward, he needed access to the resources Sahova had to offer a mage.

He would wait until Clyde’s work was complete to inquire, “Is this how voiding manifests?”

[Clyde Sullins]

As Clyde continued to focus on the portal forming below his outstretched staff, feeding more djed into it in a steady stream, it slowly continued to expand and grow. Clyde was not totally certain how this worked, as he'd yet to actually store a voiding portal inside of a scroll. However he knew the theory well enough, and had combined many other magics with Glyphing even if he'd yet to do so with Voiding. Clyde considered perhaps testing it out, and seeing what would occur if he released the scroll. But he figured if worst came to worst he could simply burn away the hand to ash with a swathe of flame from his staff. So when the time actually came, he would make sure to keep his staff ready for an attack. As he did his work, Lenore stopped his progress with opening the box, which Clyde knew had been a rushed affair. When the nuit did speak, it was simply to say that he would indeed wait for Clyde's indication that he was ready and could open the box. “Yes I am quite calm. You shall instruct me when to begin the process of opening the box. I shall remain inert in that regard until you specify otherwise.” Letting out a pent up breath, Clyde nodded in acceptance. However he shook his head as the nuit asked his next question, which seemed exceedingly obvious. “Is this how voiding manifests?” “Yes, this is voiding, I am opening a portal.” After speaking, he turned his attention back to the portal, which had grown a lot since he'd last looked at it. Likely he could have stuck his entire open hand inside, if he'd wanted to. Which he did not, since it of course led to the void. Clyde continued to feed it djed for a bit longer, focusing on growing it, till it was at least a inch or two wider across than his opened hand. Then making a downward gesture with his staff, he began to will the portal to descend into the open focus. At first nothing happened, and then it began to near the open focus. Then all of a sudden, the portal vanished, the dark rent in space dissolving to nothing as its djed was copied into the focus. As his link to the voiding portal was cut, another thought crossed Clyde's mind. This was also the first time he had used Voiding through his staff, through Cha. “Alright then... The scroll is ready. Just open it when you are ready, and indicate when you want me to open the scroll, and I will speak the trigger phrase.” OOC: You can assume on your turn that when needed Clyde will activate the trigger, and the voiding portal will appear above the focus. It will remain for a short time, before fading away slowly by shrinking upon itself and finally collapsing. If Lenore tosses the hand through, it will likely begin to close right after the mass of the hand passes through it.

[Lenore]

Lenore nodded as Clyde delivered his direction. Putting the figurine back into a secure spot he, for the last time, took up the box and resumed removing the nails. It was a prolonged process since the nuit was using a blade instead of locating the appropriate tool. Not to mention the number of nails that had been pounded into the little cage seemed excessive. Still with one hand Lenore put a great deal of pressure on the lid as he removed the nails, so that when the last nail finally pulled free the chest was still secure. As fast sluggish undead reflexes allowed, he slipped his hand into the box and grasp the other hand.

Withdrawing the grey wooden hand, it wriggled grasping for purchase against the heavy work gloves the nuit had chosen. Additionally Lenore held it across the palm where none of the animated fingers could circle around his. That did not stop the golem from trying. Walking closer to Clyde Lenore displayed both the membranous ear in the stock of the wrist and the glass bauble eye on the back of the hand. After the apprentice had his good look, the nuit nodded so that he would activate the portal.

He couldn’t help but glance into the space devoid of all things, even light, for just a moment before tossing in the hand. It flailed as it was tossed but still flew true. For the briefest moment Lenore felt regret at the loss of his animation, but this was better than letting it distract him from further research. Turning his back on the magical conflux he returned to his chair and work station. Letting the voider complete his work before talking Lenore spoke, “My thanks Mage Clyde for your assistance in this matter.” Slowly picking up the slender rectangular block of wood that would eventually slide through the hole he had cut in the door, the nuit seemed hesitant. Staring at the grain in the wood for a moment, he lost some time diving mentally into the flaws he had committed against the now disposed of golem. He would need to be more careful in the future, using himself as the source had created an attachment Lenore had thought himself immune to.

Replacing the wooden block he turned to Clyde again. “Is your curiosity sated or is there something else?” As opposed to his oblivious mien thus far the researcher seemed reserved and thoughtful, still not overly polite but less outright rude. His focus on his work had finally slipped with the destruction of the golem, this allowed the singularly focused nuit to really consider Clyde as a person and not just a resource to further his ends. “Do you prefer Mage Sullins or Apprentice?” Calling the young man Apprentice Sullins seemed somewhat demeaning to the researcher, hence why he had called him mage earlier but if the human desired otherwise Lenore could accommodate this without much trouble. “Also for the demonstration of voiding, you have my thanks. I have never seen that magic performed in person. I will keep it in mind in future endeavors.” The animator was always intelligent the problem was he was also always already caught up in some experiment or another. Doubly unfortunate he generally underestimated those around him until proven wrong, even the ancient souls had personality flaws they couldn’t counteract. This had been problematic in the past especially with the living scholars on Sahova.

[Clyde Sullins]

Clyde watched as Lenore finally removed the nails from the box, releasing its contents. It took a few chimes to get the nails off, but finally he did, one by one, managing to reveal the hand inside. Using his own hand, he secured the animated one, and took it out to show it to Clyde. He came over and showed it to him, showing the glass eye device on the back and the odd ear mechanism in the part where the wrist would normally meet with the arm. Then it was time to activate the scroll, as he nodded to Clyde. With that Clyde spoke the simple trigger phrase “Bubbles Open!” There was a half bit of doubt creeping in Clyde's mind that the portal would not work. However with a great sense of relief the black emptiness of the voiding portal bloomed above the focus, ready to greedily swallow the animated hand. Clyde let out a audible sigh, satisfied that his first attempt at combining voiding and Glyphing had worked without a problem. It was interesting to watch as the hand flailed about, but was inevitably tossed through the portal. The large mass of the hand passing through it was enough to burden the portal greatly, and after it crossed the portal almost immediately closed. After all the only thing keeping the rent in space open was the djed in it, and things crossing the portal would surely strain and expend that djed much faster. Within a chime the portal had dimmed down to a single blip, a dot, and then finally it collapsed upon itself, starved out of existence. “My thanks Mage Clyde for your assistance in this matter.” Clyde nodded, feeling a small bit winded from the portal. He had only made the one, and it had not been open for long, but he was still new to voiding, and was not as effective in expending his djed for the magic as he was at others such as Reimancy. He would likely be fine in a few chimes, but for now was glad he needed to do no further magic. “Is your curiosity sated or is there something else?” “Do you prefer Mage Sullins or Apprentice?” “Also for the demonstration of voiding, you have my thanks. I have never seen that magic performed in person. I will keep it in mind in future endeavors.” Clyde smiled at the nuit, and made an appearance of pondering. In fact he had come to the conclusion of what he should ask for some time ago, but had been waiting to say it. Now however it seemed as good a time as any. “I prefer Mage Sullins I suppose. Or as I once told a ghost child, Sir Sullins. One can surely appreciate a small bit of alliteration. It rolls off the tongue a bit nicer with the repeated consonant. But Mage Sullins is fine.” “As for the voiding demonstration, it was but a small bit of magic. Draining, but not excessively so. Voiding... It is a odd little magic, quite useful at times, though I've yet to fully master its abilities.” “Though... Now that you mention it... There is one further thing I could use, if you would be amenable to assisting me in the endeavor. As I said I am a Magecrafter. We use various odd little things. However one thing I have yet to work with is nuit ichor. If you could assist me by offering perhaps a vial full, it would be a great assistance to my research. I have a empty vial here even...” Diving into his bag, Clyde would meander about for a bit, before pulling out a single glass vial with a stopper, which was currently empty. Clyde would smile at the mage, perhaps attempting to assure the nuit, or pretending as if it was of no importance.

[Lenore]

Lenore took the vial from Clyde. “Voiding does some useful when things go awry, but I’d imagine the dangers of such an ability are immense.” He remarked. It was true the Mage was owed for his assistance, but the nuit had reservations. He had no knowledge of Magecraft except for the limited explanation Clyde had provided, but the researcher knew what ichor could do in animation. What else might liquid vitality do, magically speaking? He knew that opposites could often be gained from the same source which brought about the nuit’s greatest concern. For example he knew to teach an automaton something you had to also teach its inverse. Could the rule apply in magecrafting too?

End in the end it was irrelevant, Lenore took up the wood carving knife and sliced through the expert stitches upon his palm. He often used the same source for his animations to avoid too many holes in his body. His hesitation was trepidation, but his fascination drove him on. Holding his hand over the vial he slowly filled it with the white viscous liquid. Stoppering the vial, before wrapping his hand in the sleeve of his robe. The nuit would need to visit the Hydrasa Palsa but his research was on hold at the moment anyways, he refused to work when he wasn’t focused.

“Care to say what your project is Mage Sullins?” Lenore sounded genuinely curious, but who could say what emotion vocal tones implied in someone centuries from his humanity. Regardless of the other mage’s answer, Lenore handed over the vial.

The most unfortunate part of needing to get his hand sewn up is that the animator would need to leave his project behind and hope it remained unmolested. With his off-hand the nuit began piling up his materials in a tidy area. As tidy as a door could be stored at least. The fully dried birds on the other hand the nuit scooped up, they couldn’t be left behind. Tampering with those birds could ruin the nuit’s chances at apprenticeship.

For what he suspected was the final time this day, Lenore turned to Clyde. If no further magically discussion was to occur, Lenore needed to reseal his palm. “If you find yourself in the process of making weaponry I would find the outcomes highly enlightening. Though I lack skills in the more personal magics, I am not inept in my own field. Someday you may find you require an animator.” Or otherwise, already Lenore’s mind was churning over what magic might synergize with animation. Though he yet had no access to the resources of Sahova, who knew what that library could teach him? For a Nuit that ought to have been a political creature by example of Sahova it was a horribly blunt proposition. For the Nuit Lenore had shown himself to be, it was little more than could be expected.

[Clyde Sullins]

Clyde was happy to see the nuit take the offered vial, a action he could only interpret as positive. “Voiding does some useful when things go awry, but I’d imagine the dangers of such an ability are immense.” Clyde shrugged rather noncommittally in response. At times it was dangerous, at times not. He'd yet to get to the level of power where the portals were a danger to him. But considering how it would work when scaled up, he had only come to the conclusion it could be quite dangerous if not used carefully. Particularly with pull. As the conversation continued on, the nuit took out a knife, and carefully cut open his palm. He watched as the white ichor leaked out of his hand, slowly filling the container. “Care to say what your project is Mage Sullins?” Clyde grinned back at the nuit, a seemingly kind expression, but one hiding his true intent. “Ah, now that would be telling. And I can't have someone attempting to preempt me with a similar device should my intent get out. But suffice to say, it should be interesting. Perhaps you could even help me test it out, once I've completed it.” Clyde of course did not mention that this would all to likely be a very unpleasant experience, possibly a fatal one. But for now he was being amenable, and would not mention this fact, nor dwell on it. Apparently satisfied with his answer, Clyde took the offered vial of nuit ichor. He was satisfied with how he had manipulated the nuit, ingratiating himself to the nuit, aiding him with a favor, and then in turn asking for a favor to his own advantage. From the nuit's view it likely would appear as a fair trade... But then in Clyde's view this exchange was far leaning in his favor. “If you find yourself in the process of making weaponry I would find the outcomes highly enlightening. Though I lack skills in the more personal magics, I am not inept in my own field. Someday you may find you require an animator.” Clyde nodded to the nuit, another smile on his face. “If I ever find myself in need of an animator, I will be sure to seek you out.” And with that, apparently the meeting was done. Clyde smiled, and tucked away the vial of ichor, wrapping it up inside of his winter blanket in his back pack to make sure it did not get broken. “But I suppose that is the end of this meeting, it was certainly interesting meeting with you Lenore. Until next time.” With that Clyde would leave, scurrying off with his newly gained booty.

[Strange]

Lenore

Skills

Skill Name	Experience
Carpentry	2 XP
Carving	1 XP
Painting	1 XP
Teaching	4 XP
Observation	3 XP

Lores

Voiding: Disposing of Past Failures
Painting: Lack of Focus May Result In Painted Body Parts
Clyde Sullins: Apprentice Magecrafter
Magecrafting: Changing an Item's Innate Qualities
Magecrafting: Can Only Mimic Sentience
Voiding: A Useful Tool for Disposal

Loot

Item	Cost/Gain
Carved Door	FREE
Carved, Painted Birds	FREE

Clyde Sullins

Skills

Skill Name	Experience
Persuasion	2 XP
Voiding	2 XP

Lores

Lenore: The Succinct Boy Nuit
Animation: The Authenticating Door
Animation: A Hand that can grip a quill can as easily grip your neck
Animation: Changing Passwords: Easy in Theory, Harder in Practice
Cha: Channelling Voiding
Glyphing: Storing Portals to The Void
Animation: Glass baubles can simulate eyes
Animation: Leather drums can simulate ears

Loot

Item	Cost/Gain
A Vial of Lenore's Ichor	FREE

Comments :

This thread was quite entertaining. Congratulations in getting your staff lore, Clyde and I cant wait to see what you make of this authenticating door, Lenore. I'm sorry I couldn't give you more Clyde but you didn't do much but speak and observe and listen and you're pretty high-ranking in those skills so this wasn't very taxing training on Clyde at all. It was like a walk in the park.

One point I would make is there was a touch too much ease in creating that portal even with your incantation, Clyde. Try to include the mental strain of getting that first dot of inky darkness to appear. This is the hardest part of Voiding and you glossed over it a bit. You are still just a Novice.

PS Someone is sleeping without a door tonight... Proud of yourself, Lenore?

I have awarded your grade to the best of my ability. Of course I'm not infallible so if you have any comments or queries about your grade feel free to PM me.