Solo A Refresher Course

Adjusting to life within the city of Lhavit, Savis decides to indulge herself in some animation.

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The Diamond of Kalea is located on Kalea's extreme west coast and called as such because its completely made of a crystalline substance called Skyglass. Home of the Alvina of the Stars, cultural mecca of knowledge seekers, and rife with Ethaefal, this remote city shimmers with its own unique light.

A Refresher Course

Postby Savis Maren on July 16th, 2018, 10:42 pm

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2nd of Summer, 518 - Second Bell past Midnight
Note: Subtract 5GM from ledger.

While the rest of Lhavit lie in slumber, Savis had no such luxury. For nearly a century the call of sleep eluded the Nuit and she found that she'd grown used to the utter lack of rest. Her bodies did not tire, though they were slow and weak. Her mind, however, often succumbed to a measure of fatigue and left the Nuit in a daze. Preferring to keep her wits about her, Savis did not rush her activities and found that they persisted nearly always deep into the reaches of the night. She paid Lucis and Lucis a visit before it closed and found that to her delighted surprise, that they sold what she needed. In the weeks after Savis' rather awkward arrival to Lhavit she sought inspiration that didn't come. Savis sought after a relief from the monotony and found that an evening stroll provided her with just what she needed. The store was long closed, but from within it she'd uncovered a rather fascinating trinket. In her hands Savis held a toy, meant to represent the human shape. The shape was thin, approximately ten inches tall from head to foot. Each elbow held in it a rudimentary joint as well as each knee. From what she could tell, the feet also possessed such a joint, but wrists and shoulders did not. The toy's shoulders were square, arms down and unyielding to any sort of touch or stimulus to bend.

"Strange that the gadgeteer didn't add joints at the arms... I suppose I'll make do for the night. I should have taken a closer look at the store."

No one could see her and as such, Savis did not show any reactions facially. In her time as a Nuit she'd found facial expressions to be unnecessary, the forms of communication that mortals held were reserved for their healthier, stronger bodies that could stretch and flex muscles without concern for them tearing. Sure, the body Savis held was well tended to, sure to last for quite a while longer. But, why take the risk? Her gaze fell from the toy, casting the wooden doll to the floor, face up and arms outstretched towards the ceiling. The floor of her room was wide enough to accommodate her efforts and surely Savis was glad for it as she began. Savis produced her treasured painter's kit, placing it open at the side of her. She produced her favourite brush and with it, a thick, jet black paint that she dipped the brush into generously. She was careful not to spill the paint as she turned next, approaching the doll. Around it, she traced a circle, more than a foot wider than necessary before drawing a line. At the very center of the room she drew a second, larger circle before setting her paint kit well out of reach. It wouldn't do for the kit to get in the way, after all.

Once the circle was fully inscribed and both of them were connected with an thick, unbroken line, Savis sat down within the larger circle. The first step in the process was by far the easiest. The Source was going to be none other than Savis herself, the Destination the doll. With the preparation complete, Savis considered her options, preferring to plot out each detail of the creation before she proceeded. Fifteen chimes passed as she created a mental list, her thoughts clear and uncluttered as she trudged onward.

This toy lacks joints at the shoulder, so it leaves the knees, elbows and feet. All three points serve their own uses and I'll be sure to approach them carefully. First, I need to create the Soul Core. There's no creatures in my apartment, so I'll need to use myself as the template... Next, there's the matter of filling that Soulcore with a Persona. I'll have to figure that out as we go on, but there's other steps to consider as well. Shaping the astral body should be pretty easy, too. There's not much to plan on such a simple creature. Or is there? I have plenty of directives I wish to install. This is a tool, after all. No longer a toy.

Savis remembered the brief warnings that basing an Animation on oneself created an unnatural attachment to the item, but in truth, Savis couldn't imagine that happening. Savis hadn't formed any kind of meaningful attachments in decades, with the distrust that many had towards her kind. It didn't help that she was turned somewhat involuntarily, and she herself had an odd opinion of Nuit and their natures. Brushing the thoughts aside, Savis kept to her task at hand. Before she began forging the Soulcore, the mage required one final task. She reached deeply into her mouth. Fortunately, her deceased body did not possess a gag reflex and allowed the Nuit to withdraw several droplets of ichor from inside of her mouth. Carefully placing a single droplet on each of the circles, she'd see a dim light marking the beginning of her efforts. Djed flowed through the twin circles that surrounded both her and her destination. Savis was rather satisfied to observe the flow of it, and took several chimes to ensure that the basis of identity was formed before she proceeded onward.
Last edited by Savis Maren on July 18th, 2018, 12:59 am, edited 3 times in total.
Savis Maren
Only a little bit dead
 
Posts: 295
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A Refresher Course

Postby Savis Maren on July 16th, 2018, 10:43 pm

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Once satisfied that the basis of identity was complete and the Soulcore properly laid out, the Nuit set out to the next task at hand. Within the toy that laid across from her she could sense an empty well, one that needed her top focus to fill with a myriad of information and commands to follow. Perhaps she could take a break before beginning. But what for? Savis felt no fatigue, required no nourishment and she was prepared to begin. So, she thrust herself into her work, and though there was no visible sign of her enjoyment, the process of Animation was not something she'd simply abandon. Given the opportunity to work again, Savis was very much eager to begin.

First, there was the consideration of who the automaton would seek orders from. Savis, however detached she might be, was an inherently selfish and solitary creature. Thus, she assigned herself as the sole benefactor of the automaton's will.

Directive Number One: Obey Savis Maren she thought as djed welled within the Destination circle. Djed carried with it the mage's will, bound by her ichor and delivered to its target. A hum poured from Savis' lips as she repeated the directive three more times. Satisfied that the directive was in place, she began to let her thoughts drift...

Deep within the annals of memory, Savis steered herself towards childhood. The girl in her vision was no taller than four feet, a clear gleeful smile cast upon her round features as she ran back and forth. A child at play, there were no worries or concerns in Savis' heart, free and unburdened by the illness that in a few short years robbed her of her legs. Later, in a measure to escape said illness, it would claim her mortal life.

The memory of running flared through Savis' thoughts. First, she focused on the movements of healthy legs, pushing the body forward. The bend at the knees, the soft rise and fall of the heel with every step. The joints that the doll possessed, fortunately, allowed for such movements, though surely they'd be clumsier and slower. Savis did not imprint the idea of running into the Persona, but rather, the slow steady beat of a walk.

Directive Number Two: Stand on two legs.

Directive Number Three: Walk forward


With the memory to fuel her directives, Savis took ac long moment to install them, being careful to push every detail she could about pace and rhythm so that the automata could attempt to walk as mortals did. Satisfied that the three most important directives were in place, Savis decided to pursue a much more tedious effort of instructing the automaton to understand spoken commands. The Animator was left with a quandary. Was it best to propose verbal commands to the automaton?

What are the merits of speech? I doubt very much that this automaton will pay careful attention to anything. Perhaps an auditory stimulus? Whistles? No, that'd be silly. It's best to impose a measure of intelligence on the creature. It's not like the toy is going to kill me. I'd be very surprised if it could manage, she completed. It was amusing to engage in a mental debate with oneself, but often enough, it was necessary. Unlike the personal magicks that Savis was exposed to, world magicks took time and consideration to detail to perform without incident. She'd learned such a lesson long ago, but as she mused and considered her options it became clearer and clearer that patience was a virtue. A virtue that Savis was most capable of. Chimes, bells or even days could pass in the isolation of her home, but this automaton was going to be completed to her precise specifications.
Savis Maren
Only a little bit dead
 
Posts: 295
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Joined roleplay: July 8th, 2018, 11:49 am
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A Refresher Course

Postby Savis Maren on July 16th, 2018, 11:40 pm

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Savis had a very specific purpose in mind for the automaton she sought to create. With straight facing arms and some measure of strength capacity, the toy was meant to carry Savis' painting kit from wherever it was to wherever it sought to go. Such an effort did not require the shoulders to possess joints. The kit was tubular in shape, with the paints housed within small discs that were stacked in a roll. The brush was separate, but attached via a a strap that held it securely. A cap placed over the bristles of the brush kept it in fine condition as long as Savis remembered to put it back on. She always did. With the time it took for Savis to bind the first three directives into her automaton, she considered what other directives might best suit the purpose. To add too many might confuse the Life Principle and cause the automaton to malfunction. To add too few was to make the construct useless and incapable of the simple use she intended for it.

The animator's conundrum, isn't it? I think I'll add two basic directives. Then, after that, two more complicated instructions that serve as the construct's primary functions. Any more seem unnecessary. Any less and it isn't worth the time to continue.

Once Savis committed to directives in mind, there was the task of implementing them. She took a long moment to consider her words carefully. After all, directives could not be taken back lest the entire project suffer and need to abandoning. Djed flowed freely between the Destination and Source circles as memories continued to fuel the three basic directives she'd installed. Fully intent on having the construct work effectively, she went over them again, as if tracing upon a shape written in pen in order for it to grow bolder. Another stroke of her metaphorical brush and she was satisfied with the notion. Rather than trace back, her mind returned to the next directives. Memories flooded her mind as she fueled her creation. She was intent on providing the automaton the knowledge necessary to understand her basic commands when she spoke to it in Common.

Retrieve my Painter's Kit. Advance. Fall back. Return my kit to its rightful place.

The four basic commands that Savis installed into the automaton were fueled by her memory of previous constructs created. She'd been a party to far larger and more advanced animations and thus, she drew back on the experience. Golems were far more difficult to create commands for, their larger bodies and greater intelligence very likely beyond Savis' understanding of Animation. But such experiences were drawn on from the perspective of an apprentice, one bound to the service of a far greater practitioner. Memories flooded the Nuit's mind as she let the commands she installed sit. She did not move a muscle, but rather closed her eyes to allow a momentary, but significant respite from the task at hand.

Once she was satisfied with her respite, Savis spent the following twenty chimes repeating word after word, installing language and its meaning drawn from memory into the Life Principle. The language she provided was rudimentary in nature, small words and ideas that bestowed upon the construct a measure of intelligence, but neither independence or emotion to draw upon. After all, Savis did not want this wooden servant to form ideas of its own.

Once satisfied with the effort of placing vocabulary into the construct's mind, she set forth towards her last task. She needed to provide senses and understanding to the automaton so that it could heed the directives provided to it. Fortunately for Savis, the toy was in possession of small, beady eyes, suitable receptacles from which the sense of sight could be implemented. Djed flowed freely, spinning within the confines of the Destination circle. If Savis had a mind to push djed into her eyes in the moment, she'd see the tiny maelstrom before her, the world magick at work clearly forming a quasi-intelligent construct that would obey her commands.

Lastly, this little automaton requires a name, doesn't it? Let's call you... Sil. It was simple to introduce the concept of a name to the automaton, implanting the idea into its mind. Sil was to be its trigger word, to activate the construct whenever she sought to employ its services.

Just like a name, Sil requires a kill-switch, so that he can be turned off and stowed for safe keeping... We'll have that word be... She took a very long moment to consider before drawing upon the Ancient Tongue. The simple word escaped her lips, tied permanently to the automaton as its shut down trigger,

"Roza."
Savis Maren
Only a little bit dead
 
Posts: 295
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Joined roleplay: July 8th, 2018, 11:49 am
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A Refresher Course

Postby Savis Maren on July 17th, 2018, 12:00 am

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Once all the triggers and directives that Savis intended for the construct to possess were in place, there was a final task to employ. Savis had some measure of experience manipulating her own astral body with Projection, but this... was far more familiar. The flow of djed, a tiny maelstrom throughout the course of the automaton's 'education', waned. It became far more focused, containing itself within the construct itself and moulding to its shape. The astral body was not an instantaneous creation, and it took bells of manipulation to achieve. If Savis was a mortal she'd more than likely have succumb to fatigue or needed to take much longer breaks in between the steps. However, she was not. The troubles of mortality were long gone and replaced instead with a different set of troubles, and it was debatable as to which one the Nuit preferred. If she was mortal, her life would have ended long ago, even if her affliction hadn't been a fatal one. No, old age and death were troubles that Savis no longer felt but conversely, taste and smell were gone as well. Savis hardly knew what it meant to be living at this point. But, there was a reason for that. She wasn't alive and hadn't been for decades. She was an anomaly in Lhavit, as evidenced by her somewhat jarring entry into the city.

But, none of that mattered.

In the moment, all Savis could feel was elation. She pulled into the depths of her personal djed. It flared to life within her as she tilted her head, a rather coy expression cast upon her features. Odd that she adopted a facial expression, but it was the manipulation of her personal djed that thrust Savis to life. Joy poured from her senses as she reached out. Her arm fell to the ground as she ripped the astral limb from her body. A ghost of her limb rose and reached forward. Savis manipulated the doll from afar, as if educating the astral body of the construct-to-be with the motions. Once satisfied that each motion she wished for it to perform was cataloged, she retracted her astral arm. She took a full tick to carefully attach the astral limb to the rest of her astral body before her mind released the flow of djed within the circles. "Sil," she called out to the construct, and to her amusement, the wooden doll in front of her shook and struggled on the ground. She found that she'd never installed a command to teach the toy how to stand and in her neglect, laughter was born.

If Savis had tear ducts that worked they'd be doing so, amusement pouring from her lips in hearty laughter, nearly falling to the floor as she shook her head.

"Oh, poor Sil. You don't know how to stand, do you?" she asked the being. Odd, that she was treating it like a child... Did using herself as a template create an attachment after all? It was too soon to say, but she reached forward and placed the animated toy on both of its feet. "Advance," she'd command it and was elated to watch it obey. Satisfied that her efforts were successful, Savis instructed the toy to gather the paints. It struggled to do so, with a lack of mobility in its arms making the task more difficult than perhaps, Savis need make it be. But, the construct managed to place the disc of paint into its rightful container, shutting the tube that held the entirety of her kit before delivering it in its entirety to Savis.

"Oh! Good job, Sil. Now, you can rest. Roza," she commanded, the word of the Ancient Tongue deactivating the construct. Satisfied with her efforts, Savis could just see the sun breaking over the sky, the city of Lhavit bathed in a flurry of golden light just as the Nuit left her home to 'breathe' in the new day.
Savis Maren
Only a little bit dead
 
Posts: 295
Words: 399286
Joined roleplay: July 8th, 2018, 11:49 am
Race: Nuit
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Plotnotes
Medals: 2
Overlored (1) 2018 Mizahar NaNo Winner (1)

A Refresher Course

Postby Madeira Dusk on August 3rd, 2018, 10:43 pm

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Grades Awarded!

Don't forget to edit/delete your grade request!


Savis

Skills
  • Observation: 3xp
  • Animation: 4xp
  • Painting: 1xp
  • Planning: 3xp
  • Organization: 1xp
  • Meditation: 1xp
  • Projection: 1xp

Lores
  • Animation: the Source and the Destination
  • Animation: Soulcore
  • Animation: Persona
  • Animation: applying directives
  • Animation: the use of a trigger
  • Automaton: "Sil"
  • Animation: the dangers of using oneself as a template

Awards & Retribution
Sil the Automaton: a little wooden toy with simple directives.

Notes
I love when characters explore world magic! Congratulations on your first creation. :D

Please contact me if you have questions or concerns.
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Madeira Dusk
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