[Wizard's Thumb] I Know Nothing

by **Hadrian** on July 20th, 2012, 7:39 am

"Zet," he said, fixing the creature's aura in his memory, differentiating it from the true Marc's. They were so similar, the familiar's form crafted out of Marc's aura however long ago they made their bargain. But when Zet overrode his host's wishes even now he had been freed, Hadrian began to understand the darker possibilities of familiary. From knowledge came wisdom...

And then Hadrian was turning his attention back to the books, wondering which would be in his library when he returned to it in Zeltiva, thinking of which books he wanted to add to the collection. Marc did something and a silver book flashed, his hand burned with a pain that became pleasure, and his soul shuddered under the weight of the goddess' presence. It was a struggle not to fall to his knees under that weight, and he remembered again that primal reaction to the numinous.

He heard Her speak to Marc, and then to him. She called them brothers, but he understood without words how that kinship was qualitatively different from that of the brothers of his flesh. His hand rose to take the chalk as if Her words had been laced with hypnotic power, but a thought occurred to him. He never paused, but made eye contact with Her, those eyes so wise they bored aching holes through him.

Ionu of all deities taught me a lesson in compassion, he thought, or prayed, to her. I learned hypnotism and its ethics that day. Would it be compassionate... Would it be [i]wise to bolster Marc's confidence in himself, the better to balance his relationship with his familiar?[/i]

But his eyes went to the floor as did his knees, his thoughts traveling to Her as they did when She was not presently manifest. He asked his silent question as he began scrawling out the circles and lines, circles within circles, that made up a minimal summoning sigil. He was practiced at this because for the most part, he only opened portals to Swalden to commune with memosites, those supposed children of Qalaya and Semele, or to open a portal upon a world for a glimpse at it, not opening a pathway for any creature.

Of course, there had been those glassbeaks imported from Shoyden to the Ebonstryfe's doorstep, but he was a son of Syliras, after all...

The sixteen smallest circles were strung upon the second to largest circle, protected from the outside world by that last circle. In each pearl, he laid out a number: 6701984710485453. He didn't bother with focusing the circle, because Eyris Herself was guiding his steps now.

by **Liar** on July 28th, 2012, 10:57 pm

His eyes met hers, and they shared an instant of understanding. So many details and insights surged between her infinity and his human awareness, so difficult to comprehend in a mere moment and so easy to forget. Hadrian saw the libraries of the world, not unlike his own and the one he stood in now, and the names and faces of the men and women who built them, sustained them, and depended on them. He counted generations of research and researchers building upon one another, and peers elaborating and collaborating in a great and growing web of understanding. Their interdependence stretched on into the nameless, boundless future.

And then she closed her eyes.

She answered him from within his mind, thousands of voices speaking as one thought. I cannot say what will be. I will not presume to say what ought to be. But know this: Marc’s is one of the world’s invaluable minds, and the path he follows leads to insanity. However common this occurrence, it is the responsibility of the wise to protect such a mind, its knowledge and its potential. Oblivious to their conversation, Marc watched in nervous awe from the very edge of the room.

Even before she beheld the circles he had drawn, Eyris smiled at them and walked to their center. Eyes open and distant, she raised her hands together and began to glow with a bloodless, golden aura. The light dripped from her hands and crawled away from her in all directions, curdling on the lines he had drawn. In seconds, every circle was shining of its own accord. There was low, loud pulse.

And then they stood in two worlds at once, standing in the basement of the Wizard’s Thumb and seeing the churning magma on Fyrden’s light face. The heat of the distant world did not touch the divine portal, and the burning winds were turned to warm breezes. Djed moved like water around the goddess’s ankles as she approached Hadrian, stepped beside him, and watched as the Fyrdenese intelligences approached.

The first to reach the portal rose up from the mat of djed at their feet, an undulating series of globules covered in the slimy, iridescent web that contained it. The goddess magic kept the others at bay, and held the singular sarawanki in firm place. It bounced and flailed happily within its confines, showing off an eager display of speed and adaptability. “Hello,” it said. “My name is Nari. I am very quick, in fact the quickest, but not like you may think. Quick of body, quick of mind.” Apparently it had recognized the woman beside the would-be familiarist.

“I don’t know a lot, but I want very much to learn, and I can learn it very quickly.”

by **Hadrian** on July 31st, 2012, 2:55 am

He nodded to the goddess. When this was over, he would do what he could for Marc, bolstering his self-confidence with hypnotism if need be, or find some other way.

Eyris was like a glyph in Caelum's celestial language, augmenting his summoning beyond all understanding. Her power burned his senses, but did not harm them. He could not contain that power, but it passed through him and over him and did not destroy him. He wondered if this was what it felt like to exist in the Ukalas, singing the praises of one deity or another for all eternity.

When the Fyrdenese gathered, he thought She might direct him. What greater wisdom, after all, than Hers? But She merely kept the majority of them at bay as the watery one came forth. Something within him, perhaps primed by the divine Presence, called out to the sarawanki. Water had been the first element to respond to him, even when he had wished for Fire.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Nari," he said, wondering how its name was the same as the language of the bird people of Mount Skyinarta. "I am Hadrian Aelius." Names had a sort of power, of course, but they were making an even exchange and in the eyes of the goddess. He felt safe with Her there.

"I think... I am to choose between you." He glanced to Eyris for confirmation. "If only I held the Najim Pearl." But he didn't expect the goddess to hand him that artifact of the White Enchantress. If it still existed or ever had beyond the imaginations of her biographers, he would have to find it for himself. "This is a weighty decision. Please forgive me. Might I know all of you?"

by **Liar** on August 3rd, 2012, 5:19 pm

Zet was strangely absent, perhaps miraculously distracted by his task. Marc looked on silently, his shadowed face split between the happiness of old memories and the hardships of newer ones.

The goddess turned a small smile to Hadrian’s request, keener to watch his mind in its wisdoms and decisions than to guide him, just yet. She nodded, and nearly three more shapes rose up around Nari, covered and secured by a thin layer of the same djed mucus that pooled at the Mizaharans’ feet. “Each of these individuals would seek to study and create, just like you,” she explained. “What makes them unique are their methods; what you must choose is a future with only one. Should none of these suit you, we have a whole world to search.”

A metallic pascid, resembling a crude interpretation of Mizahar’s mantis species, came forward beside Nari. Its stature was less than the sarawanki’s and he still it seemed able to look down on its fellow familiar. “I am Qin. I have been interested in the magic of your world for a very long time. I hope to share a life with a powerful wizard, who is not afraid to find the edge of knowledge and push it further. I would offer my services to such a man, and no less than he.”

One similar to Qin in color stood to one side of the group in a less distinct but somewhat more hominid shape. “I would like to think things work more practically on the other side of that portal. The edge of knowledge is not always the most pertinent.” It paused before remembering to offer a name. “Tsopa.”

“A true mage is capable of thinking beyond practicalities,” Qin argued.

Before Tsopa could reply, an avavali mist pushed its way between them. The last to speak was nearly invisible behind the djed that bound it, spread wide and thin. “I want to help!” It proclaimed with a smile in its voice. “My name is Pa’am and I don’t know a lot about your world, but I think it would be fun to learn and to help you learn, yes.”

by **Hadrian** on August 3rd, 2012, 10:35 pm

Hadrian nodded and, in his head, began to tally up what might be said for and against any such matches, as well as profiles for wizards who might also be suited for bonding with these creatures. This was something he had learned from both his parents, he thought. His mother knew that relationships were vitally important to his father's success as a merchant and did her best to support them; his father knew that everyone he met might offer some new opportunity to make money.

To each he introduced himself politely.

Nari was made of water, but highly emotional. Hadrian was not unfeeling, but he knew one could not be a scholar or a mage without some degree of control over emotions. Gnora bless anyone bonded to a Sarawanki or the emotional ride could be fearsome.

Qin and Tsopa were both Pascids, but there the similarities ended. Though likely brilliant, he was not sure that he wanted to devote so very much time to diplomacy. From what he knew of their race, they would not budge when they had decided a thing, and Hadrian could not live with a constant companion who could not be persuaded by impeccable logic that a thing was so or not so. He would welcome their challenges to keep his thinking sharp, but did not want to be stymied by their objections and criticisms.

Again, he wished for the Najim Pearl. Could he but have both of them, they might help him balance his thinking between the purely theoretical and the empirical. He might even be able to play them off each other, but that hardly seemed the makings of a healthy relationship.

The Avavali would not be so. Pa'am, he imagined, would have the opposite problems. It needn't stand up for anything, but then it would not be reliable either. They were, if his reading was correct, careless and carefree, and while many thought Hadrian needed to lighten up, his work could not exist without care. So precise were the calculations that distractions could be deadly.

"Regretfully," he said, "I do not think any of you would be happy with me in the long term, although you all have desirable traits. But I promise to keep watch for wizards who might better suit you, and then I can try to broker deals between you and them. I do believe that I can find you with a focused circle if you are not hiding from me."

He glanced at the true Marc again, then shifted chlorine blue eyes to the Goddess.

"Most Wise, I think perhaps my other half is more likely to live in the Darkface." He was calm, but part of him wondered at the symbolism of all that. Did it mean that there was something evil in him, or merely dark? Or was he the light to counterpoint the dark of the Darkface creature?

by **Liar** on August 8th, 2012, 7:06 pm

“Oh,” said Nari, while the pascids bowed impatiently and Pa’am coalesced and shrank into itself. Fortunately enough, Hadrian was not cursed to watch their disappointment long. Eyris moved not, but the world within her circle warped and settled presently into the cold shadows of the planet’s dark side. Various souls of wisdom’s choosing were summoned up just as they had been before, each perfectly aware of the mage’s purpose and its own desire to fulfill it.

A kirt was the first to approach, eager and oblivious to the bias in Hadrian’s experience. “I am told you seek a partner who is both careful and curious. I am that and more. My name is Hei and I can help you reach your greatest potential, like you have never dreamed.”

“You underestimate the man,” intoned an irylid, ringing more factual than complimentary. It neared Eyris in brief observation before shifting before her student. “She says he has already fulfilled many potentials, which means he now toils beyond any novice’s promise. If that is true... why seek help among us?”

Two gordioses waited beside each other like holes in the air, each a shock of nearly indistinguishable shadow if not for the voices that emerged from them. “Yes,” replied one. “Why indeed? A powerful being from another world, who can only increase one’s power and is bound in one’s service. Get over yourself, Ertana, and admire the ambition. The potential.”

“Be kind, brother,” said the other as threads of its blackness teasing outward. “If I did not know you, I would think you desperate.” Despite a scoff, it continued, “I am Rifen, and this is Zigen. I am thinking that we have been told some and sense some else, but I would prefer to hear from the mouth of the mage what he would do with powers such as ours.”

Behind the rest lurked a second irylid, appraising the whole group in isolated silence. Its spherical form bobbed like a nod.

by **Hadrian** on August 11th, 2012, 6:59 pm

Hadrian felt a pang. He could only imagine it took a deal of desperation to show such humility, parading oneself for some offworld sorcerer in the hopes of forming a bond of servitude in order to escape one's native home. And they were now left behind. He promised himself he would seek out wizards worthy of their partnership, thinking perhaps Eyris in all Her wisdom had intended such all along.

But on the darkface, he had a whole new set of creatures to meet. He felt instantly more at home, though not necessarily more at ease. The kirt Zet had overwhelmed Marc, and now this Hei seemed so very friendly. It would not due to judge the entire race for the actions of one, but not even Hadrian could follow a line of logic without some emotional baggage. Perhaps if he was ever favored by Gnora, that would change.

Hei, Ertana, Rifen, Zigen and the unnamed Ilyrid.

"I am Hadrian Aelius," he said, dropping a shallow bow in their direction; none of them being humanoid, it was likely the show of respect was lost on them, but perhaps they would understand the context. "I do not know what the Lady has told you, but I am a scholar and a teacher. My works serve the dual purpose of increasing my knowledge and supporting my people in the dangerous post-Valterrian world. As my power increases, so too does my devotion to the Goddess. It was a lack of wisdom that broke our world.

"So I do seek power, but not for power's sake. I wish to understand the mind of the gods, but... I have few friends and trusted companions. Kelvics flock to me, and while they may be loyal, their minds are not as mine. I have an Ethaefal friend whose mind is more like mine, but he travels seeking his own wisdom. Ultimately, if I were to create a soul-bond with a creature of Fyrden, it is in the hopes that their ambitions are similar to mine... high-reaching, but not greedy. Self-interest for the purpose of a greater good. I want a companion I can trust, and though Tyveth is not here to verify the truth of everything said between us, but I hope with Wisdom at my side, I might make the correct choice for me and for you."

But upon first impressions, he thought Rifen the most intriguing. He could stand the edge of sarcasm, but it was the one who asked what it was getting itself into, not merely trying to prove itself the best option. That bespoke more self-awareness and self-respect; he hoped that there would be a mutual respect between him and whatever creature with whom he shared his soul.

Me · by **Colombina** on November 16th, 2012, 6:23 am

“Admirable goals all,” Zigen replied, a sneer on his invisible lips. “One cannot help but be impressed. But it is not for our wisdom that you call us here, is it? No, you call us here to achieve power, no matter what the purpose. I can help you with that. More so than these other…” The shadow waved an arm-like tendril towards the other Fyrdenese. “...creatures.”
From behind the advancing gordios Hei cried out amiably, “The intent and the power are one and the same, friend. Surely you and this awe-inspiring mage would not get along very well if you were after different things.” The kirt turned towards Hadrian and spoke again, the stone of his face stretching into a friendly smile. “I have no illusions of what I am, great wizard, and neither should you. It’s true that I long to see this world and be free of Fyrden. But that does not mean I will not do my best to help you in all your aspirations.”
"The aspirations seem too vague to fulfill with satisfaction," Ertana interposed coolly, "How does a mortal intend to reach the thoughts of the gods?" The cautious irylid bobbed, washing itself in a new reflection of its surroundings. The other irylid rose a degree, but was silent. It gave no more reply than an open eye.
Rifen was the last to speak, listening to all that was volleyed from the crowd of familiars.
"You seek a companion of like mind. A difficult thing to discern in such a brief time," it said with honesty, "Though there is talk of power and knowledge, the heart of it is the desire for victory." It quieted allowing Hadrian to consider this. "May your desire be the victory of something that sustains instead of diminishes. I would not see your world made to something like our own. Ours has power, but is barren. A lesson for any mage." The answer spoke both of understanding and the gordios's nature.

by **Hadrian** on November 16th, 2012, 8:55 am

With more time, albeit not much, among these Fyrdenese, he determined that Rifen and the silent Ilyrid were the closest to him in temperament. The former waited to hear all sides before adding his own two coppers, and the latter kept its own council. He didn't know whether he ought to seek his opposite for balance, or merely the creature most similar to him in order that they might more easily mesh.

He rubbed at the mark of Lykata on his hand, not engaging its grace, but perhaps in a silent prayer for wisdom in his choice. At least he could be sure that with this close proximity to the Goddess, his prayer would be heard. The manner in which She might answer was always a mystery.

"In a perfect world," he began after a troubled silence, and then he shot a glance to Eyris. "No offense. But in a perfect world, I would have more time to cultivate relationships, the better to know you all personally before making a decision. Or had I Areesa Tallshade's Najim Pearl, I could enter into a soul-contract with more than one of you... But if the Goddess is here and now, I must assume that there is to be a decision made.

"I will continue to hone my skill at Summoning in order to converse with you all in future, and I will attempt to discover what you are looking for in a partner. But based on the limited knowledge I have to work from, I believe I can make the best educated guess.

"Rifen, I take you at your word. Will you share my soul and help me seek a victory that sustains?"

Me · by **Colombina** on January 7th, 2013, 2:19 am

The goddess's look was inscrutable as Hadrian drew from the familiars before him. There was serenity and cloistered power, and that was all. She would not sway by unveiling agreement or apprehension. How a man chose to seek her was his decision.
Eyris's hand now held a contract with names rising on the page. The contract seemed a crude common instrument for something of such a miraculous nature, but that was its power. A name, a word, a vow and blood: the carriers of concepts oft unknown to both gods and men.

Rifen remained set apart from the other familiars. A steady silence countered Hadrian's offer. Surprising considering the clamor they made to be set free from their desolate home. In later years it would be a comfort to both that Rifen had considered the arrangement a span longer.
"I will, Hadrian Aelius."

The contract was presented by one divine hand, and a small knife by the other. Eyris handled the knife with ease, for what was sharper than knowledge able to hew men from ignorance and darkness?
"A promise made in blood between you."
Rifen did his part to the extent he could, binding himself to Hadrian on the contract. The goddess awaited the wizard's final assent before they began closing the door on distant worlds.