[Institute of Higher Learning]Applying what you learned

[Clyde Sullins]

25 Fall 511 Walking through the institute, Clyde glanced at a scrap of parchment, which had been sent to him yesterday. It simply said class would not be in its normal location, but in the magecrafting lab... To be blunt, Clyde was both very excited, and freaking out! This would be his first time to actually make something in class, in front of his teacher Lazarin. He was not really sure what they were going to do, but he was sure he would learn a lot from the teacher. He also wondered who all would be there... There last class had been with three other students, along with himself, and the teacher. But one kid had been kicked out, and another disappeared... So he it left it to wonder who would be asked to come... Arriving outside of the door of the lab room, he quietly opened the door, wondering what he would see. It did not seem that complex, there were several mirrors hanging from the walls, along with a standing mirror near were objects were usually made. It was probably a basic magecrafted items of its own, which could be used to read a items aura for those who had no skill in auristics. Or maybe it was just a mirror... The room had four pedestals, each with a wide berth around them. Along one wall of the room, there was a table, which was covered in a sheet, and had three daggers resting on it. Getting closer, Clyde was pretty sure it was not just normal steel daggers, but ones made of isurian steel... Very good for making magecrafting.... Clyde looked around the room once more, taking in the different things, which were used in magecrafting products.

[Clyde Sullins]

After waiting several minutes, Clyde heard the door opening once more, to see one of his classmates come running in, a young hurried fellow, who usually cringed when there teachers gaze landed on him. He had the marks to prove he had felt his displeasure... His hurry was explained a few seconds later, as professor Lazarin himself walked in just a bit behind his student. He did not seem to be in nearly as bad a mood as the last time they had met... For him a neutral blank stare was almost giddy. He was either showing no emotion... Or anger... They seemed to be his only ways of expression, and he was pretty famous amongst his students for his fits of rage over the smallest thing. Maybe now Clyde would find out what was going on. "Students... As you may have guessed, today we are going to magecraft an item. A rather simple one, a higher ranking member of the ebonstryfe wanted a dagger, so we are going to enhance one to make it more durable. If you do well, you may be allowed to make more items on your own. If you don't... You will wish you had never thought to call yourself a magecrafter...." Giving his intimidating blank stare, Lazarin shifted his gaze from one student to the other. Clyde did his best to look him right in the eyes, and show courage that he certainly was not feeling. He half managed it. His fellow classmate though... He not only did not catch there professors eye... He looked like he might pee his pants... That would not go over well... "Right.... Sullins! For your first test, I want you to pick which of those three daggers is best for our product. We can only use one, and two of those are for various reasons inferior to the third. Now Sullins, go figure it out!" Clyde took a deep breath, hoping things would go well... He quickly walked over to the table with the daggers, inspecting them as best he could...

[Clyde Sullins]

Looking at the various daggers, Clyde tried to figure out a way to decide which was best... Surely it was something possible to discern by him... Clyde tried to run things through his head... For a magecrafted item, you wanted the best object to start with, as then the final product would be all the better... Usually that meant the newest one... The most recently made.... But really that just meant whichever was of the best condition and quality... So which item was messed up.... Picking up each dagger in turn, two seemed rather similar, but the third was heavier... But it seemed just as good as the others... But looking closer he saw a scratch on one of the lighter ones... And another on the hilt... And a small chink in the blade... This one must have been used by someone quite a bit, for it to take that much damage, considering it was made of isurian steel. So that one was out... Setting it aside, he held each of the remaining weapons in a hand, weighing and looking them over. Now the two remaining looked more or less in perfect condition... But something must be different... But what... There was the oddity of one being heavier... But what could that mean... Thinking back once more... What did making something of isurian steel do... It made if more durable... But what else? It made it... Lighter! That was it! So if that one was heavier... Maybe it was not completely made of isurian steel, but also maybe normal steel, or something else. Deciding to make sure, Clyde decided to give a quick look at its aura.... He first looked at the lighter one... As usual it being a normal object, it had a tiny grey aura... But focusing more, he looked at its structure... Slowly it shifted from its dull grey aura, to a light blue color. Apparently that was how he read isurian steel. Shifting his gaze, he looked over at the heavier one... At first like the other he saw the same dull grey aura. Now focusing on it, he checked its structure a bit more... At first he saw the same light blue aura... But underneath that.... There was a dark grey color, almost blackish, swirling with the lighter blue color. Whatever it was, it was not isurian steel... Setting down the fake dagger, he kept the lighter one with a totally light blue aura, and walked to Lazarin with it. "This one right?"

[Clyde Sullins]

Lazarin took the dagger Clyde offered, held it for a few seconds, and then walked over to the nearest pedestal, setting it on it. Giving a look over at each of the students, he turned back facing away as he spoke. "You chose correctly, as I would expect from any of my students. The first had been used, in combat by a soldier for several years. It is not in the best condition. The other wrong one was coated in a layer of isurian steel, but had a normal steel core. That is why it is also heavier than the other. The final one is a full isurian steel blade, forged just this season." Turning once more to Clyde, he gave him a intimidating glare, before continuing on. "Next in the process, you need to stabilize the magics of the area, along with keeping out ambient djed from entering the object that we do not want. That can ruin the product, and make it less pure. Now each of you make a glyphing circle around the pedestal, Sullins the inner one, and you the outer." Clyde wondered if it was better or worse that Lazarin knew his name and not the other students... But regardless, he looked around, noticing a shelf, which had many different writing implements, ink, quills, chalk, and inscribing paint along with brushes. Lazarin pointed at the paint, and Clyde walked over picking it up, handing some to the other student, and walking over to the pedestal with his own paint and brush.

[Clyde Sullins]

Clyde got to work, getting back into the swing of things, using his more familiar glyphing skills. He might be training to be a magecrafter, and had some skill in it, but he was actually much better in glyphing. However glyphing things were not permanent, so it was not as much of a career choice to use them, as it was to use magecrafting. Taking out the paint and brush, he considered out what he would do for a few moments... A circle was best, it was usually the strongest shape to be used magically when using world magic... He had learned that long ago... So a ring of glyphs forming a barrier, was the strongest way to keep out magic. After thinking for a few moments, he strung together some words in the ancient tongue, which seemed to fit well for what he wanted... "Yaq" meant circle... "Djed" was well... Djed... "Randjaq" meant prisons or to limit... Which he would use as a verb as "Randjat"... So it would come out as "Yaq Djed Randjat", translating more or less to "the circle limits djed..." in common tongue. Seemed to more or less add up to what he wanted... He would use the phrase over and over, to make up the ring of glyphs, connecting each set with "pechi", meaning "unite or bond." Having set out his plan, Clyde set to work, drawing out his glyphs in the best fashion he could. Finishing up the glyphs, Clyde got up, and wiped the bits of paint he had gotten off of his hands onto his robes. Looking over at Lazarin, he wondered what he thought, and looked over to see what his fellow student was doing. Clyde did a double take, wondering what in the heck he was doing.... He had done a odd triangle around his circle, and used some very odd glyphs... Though Clyde could see the vague idea of what he was going for.... But he certainly could not imagine why anyone would make a giant triangle shaped barrier of glyphs... It just seemed odd, and unconventional...

[Clyde Sullins]

Lazarin took one look at there glyphing circles, and shook his head. Apparently he was not satisfied by either, though Clyde thought he had done a pretty good job... He wondered if anything would make there professor happy... Perfection, and nothing less.... "I suppose they will do, better than nothing, by a little... Now we start the process, charging the dagger, deepening its djed pathways, by using different tools for it. I will start it, and then you carry it on." Lazarin walked over to a table, and picked up a small hammer. Returning over to the dagger on the pedestal, he lifted the hammer high over his head. Then all at once he moved, swiftly swinging the hammer down at the blade. At the last moment he slowed its decent, and barely tapped the blade. However when he tapped it, a deep resounding sound rose through the air, much more than should have come from striking such a small dagger. For a few seconds Clyde could feel the odd vibrations echoing through the air, before the sound lowered in intensity, and lowered its power till it dissipated entirely. Shaking his head, Clyde looked at the dagger, which seemed to be the same. But he knew looks could often be deceiving when it came to magecrafting items. Lazarin motioned for Clyde next, and so he went to the same table, grabbing up a different small hammer. Taking it to the dagger, he brought it above the dagger, and lightly tapped it. When he did it a high pitched note reverberated through the air, vastly different from when Lazarin struck it. It also did not last as long, fading with a few seconds. Next Lazarin motioned to the other student, at a small bag, which he went and picked up. Inside was a powdery substance, which the student took out a small pinch of, and rubbed along the blade of the dagger. He continued to do so for a minute, until the powder was absorbed into the blade, disappearing.

[Clyde Sullins]

Now that the powder the other student had put on the blade was absorbed, Lazarin walked up to the dagger once more with his charging hammer. He seemed to inspect it for several seconds, looking deeply at it in a odd way... Clyde did wonder what he was seeing, as he appeared to be looking for something. Then once more he moved all at once, hitting in three places in what appeared to be very precise and planned spots. First the hilt, then near the middle of the blade, and finally near the tip... Each strike let out a deep note, and by the third the sound had rose into a crescendo.... It seemed to ring through the air much longer than it should, and Clyde could feel the vibrations in his teeth... Very unnatural... Finally the sound stopped, and Lazarin looked at the blade once more. He paused for a bit, and motioned at Clyde to strike it again. Obeying, he walked up to it, examining the blade while holding the hammer. He could not see whatever it was his professor could... He certainly could not tell what the perfect spot was to strike it... Finally he settled on a spot that had not been hit, near where the blade met the hilt. The note rose through the air, deeper than his strike earlier, but no were near as perfect or crisp as the ones by Lazarin... It also lasted longer than earlier, but not as long as the beautiful sound by Lazarin... Clyde wondered if he would ever by as good as Lazarin.... Surely not for a long time, and not without a lot of practice....

[Clyde Sullins]

Lazarin looked at the blade once more, walking over close to examine it... He stroked one finger over the blade, seeming to be feeling for something... He stood there a bit, taking it in, before turning to the others. "That will do for know... You were adequate, but certainly not perfect. I expect you both to do better if you want to stay in this program." Turning to the other student, he ordered him. "The item needs to sit overnight, you come back tomorrow and cool down the item. There is a tub of charged water over there, just move it to the tub, and when the water comes to standing, it will be ready to be withdrawn and used. For know both of you can go home, we are done for know." Getting up, Clyde looked around once more. He took one final look at the pedestal, and concentrated for a few seconds on its aura. Before it had just been a dull grey, as was common for a mundane item. But now it had bits of djed swirling through it, pushing deeper into the form of the object. Clyde could only see it dimly, he could not get a good enough look really... For know the djed was still moving, not settled. But after sitting overnight, and being cooled in the charged water it would settle, and the enchantment would be final and permanent... Finally done, Clyde got up, and slowly walked out, giving a final look at Lazarin, who was still staring at the dagger. Regardless he was happy, and had a good sense of accomplishment. He could not wait to make another item with magecrafting, and excitement was flowing through him... Until next time.... -exit-

[Verilian]

Clyde Sullins +1 Auristics +1 Appraisal +1 Glyphing +2 Magecrafting You Question My Logic? : If you have any questions about the award, feel free to send me a PM. Lores: Working together to Magecraft an Item, Charging an Item, Trying to Please the Unpleasable Notes: Not bad, though I recommend trying to find a way to make magecrafting your own. It's really a pretty boring process, but thing about what Hadrian did in the threads with you. The flute thing was a nice touch, for instance. Find something to make it more interesting and specific to Clyde, or to Lazarin and have Clyde adopt that, and you might get bonus points for creativity.