Open Mountain Pass Magic [Mirahil Pass]

[Reaver Riatal]

Winter 36th, 512 AV, Middle of the day

Standing a ways in the pass Reaver had figured this a good place to practice something. His lengthy six feet and six inch tall figure standing lanky in a red coat. Sharp blue eyes peering around him as his dark hair was caught in the chilled winter air. Though the day was nice enough though he felt chilled to the bone. Wrapped up in his coat he shuddered lightly as he felt the chilled effects of Morwen around him. Silently wishing for her to return in swift to her home of Avanthal. Though in his mind he quickly realized he had a very viable option that he could pursue. Was he not a wizard? A man with magics up his sleeve? What man of djed would he be if he didn't actually use his abilities to his own advantage. As this thought entered his mind he shivered and closed his eyes and began to summon his focus. His shielding had improved even if slightly, progress was progress. So soon he had his mind focused sharp as he let his djed flow out of him. Becoming a shield with a simple task, keep out the cold. Though the weave was far from perfect, and its thickness was varied. It was at least keeping out the cold. Opening his eyes a full chime or two had passed. Happy and at least not cold any longer he continued on.

It had been some time since he'd been on this path thirty three whole days ago. And my how things have changed for him, rather than being persecuted for his interests he's found teachers. Rather than cowering in alley ways trying to avoid the sight of others he has gained friends. His life in Zeltiva was by far a greater improvement upon his previous life. Most would have come to the fair city by sea, though such an option was redundant when he had just been over in Syliras. His thoughts where broken as he stumbled on a rock, blinking his sharp blue eyes he looked around. With his attention forced back into reality he took in the scenery.

As his eyes gave the surroundings a more detailed examination his gears of logic began to turn. Giving a final look around he sighed, no one had yet discovered him so he may as well begin his practice. Taking off his black gloves to reveal his burn scared hands he had held captive in his clothing. Focusing as the ethereal blue res formed in his hand he lifted it from his hands. Putting forth his utter concentration upon his task he let it fly forward. Using his will to transmute the djed born substance to create his desired element. Combine fire and air and you get lightning. He felt his focus spark and with it the res became a bolt of energy. Spiking away from the pass and into harmlessly into the air. The sound set his body tingling as he watched it dance for that brief moment, that second it was alive. Lightning had come from him, he had made it with his own hands! With an static smile he failed to recognize the noise it had made. Though it had struck nothing it still created a loud crackle and boom. His ears still rang, oblivious to all around him, his mind recalling the brilliance he had witnessed just moments ago. By all the gods did he feel great right now. He had accomplished another step in reimancy. With his ecstatic feeling he began to dance in place, his full tall and lengthy figure showing his force of his foolish nature. His hips wiggled and arms waved wildly. He was so proud of himself! Though as his hearing came back he took pause. What if someone nearby had heard that?

[Hadrian]

Hadrian was flying when he felt it. Rather, he was trying to fly. His overlarge lammergeier form with his freakishly dark feathers, was beating his great wings in an attempt to control his descent from a high tree branch. His senses shuddered at the nearby use of magic, shielding and... the crack of thunder in a clear sky probably bespoke reimancy. It startled him, but he focused on flapping his wings, producing lift to slow him rather than merely creating wind magically. He landed heavily, but not terribly so. Releasing his morphed form, his feathers retreated into pale skin, and his whole body relapsed with elastic placticity into his native form. Well, he was not quite natural. The djed storm had hit him while in Avanthal, and the wild magic had pulled out some hitherto unknown Vantha blood, making his eyes all the paler a blue, streaking his dark hair with dark blue. At first he had felt like a mutant, but he didn't care anymore. He pushed the rock over to retrieve his clothes, pulling them on as quickly as he could with the shuddering cold of the winter day. Hunting had been a bust anyway, and so once he was dressed, he was moving up farther into the pass to investigate. "Hello?" he called, when his auristics sensed a human aura nearby. Wizards were not so persecuted here as elsewhere, so he didn't anticipate violence. Better to let himself be known, though, rather than startle someone channeling djed. That could be dangerous.

[Reaver Riatal]

The idea of someone hearing his actions caused him to care very little as he remembered where he was. After all Zeltiva was a city of knowledge not close minded idiots like Syliras. With this in mind his excitement struck him once more and he continued his practice. Reaver brought forth a little bit more res into his palms. More than eager to try casting lightning from his hands once more. As the ethereal blue substance pooled into his hands he was startled slightly. Someone had gave out a nice hello, honestly a little surprised he had expected something along the lines of" 'What the petch are you doing?!' And those words to be accompanied by a large brute. He shuddered at the thought as he realized it had almost been a chime since he heard the voice. Deciding he may as well reveal his position as the lightning most certainly had already done so.

Turning away from the view he had he looked around and saw no one. Shrugged as his red coat was caught on the wind, his shield rippled gently as it repelled the cold. Taking a decent sized breath he yelled a reply. "Hello stranger! I'm over here near, some, rocks?" He had no real way to define his geological location. To him it all looked the same, mountain, rocks, shrubbery, cliff. With no other thoughts in mind he decided on the only thing he could do. "Err just follow my voice! Or something, I suppose while you find me I should introduce myself. As I'm sure you've guessed I'm a mage. My name is Reaver Riatal from Syliras. I'm a practitioner of reimancy, shielding and glyphing. Though I do aspire to learn more magics now that I've heard of a few more!"

Letting out a good natured laugh he kept his cheery disposition, he wondered if his latest acquaintance would be a mage like himself. He also wondered if said mage would be able to tell that he had experience in overgiving. Shaking his head he focused on the task at hand. His sharp blue eyes roaming his surroundings trying to spy someone. Though if it where something, he also wouldn't mind the target practice with his new lightning toy. Just as he gave a third scan he could have sworn he spied someone's head. Quickly he devoted his attention to what he believed to be his first glimpse of a person. Almost prepared to jump and see if he could use his wiry build to peer past the landscape that infuriated his efforts to see more.

[Hadrian]

Hadrian was following the voice, of course, but he was also now tracking the man's aura. The young enchanter was not the best woodsman, so his own position wasn't difficult to track either, by the footsteps on stones, the sound of him brushing through the naked bushes, crunching on snow. He might have been able to pull of a little stealth if he had tried, but he was not trying. Stealth would put a man on guard. When he looked up and saw the red-coated man, he smiled shyly. "Hello, Reaver Riatal. I'm Hadrian Aelius of Syliras, though I've settled in Zeltiva." He didn't suggest caution; anyone who practiced magic ought to know that caution was always required. But things had gotten more dangerous since the djed storms. Anyway, he was certainly open with his abilities. Even here, Hadrian was not. One never knew who might seek to take advantage of a man. "That was loud," he offered, not critical, just noticing.

[Reaver Riatal]

Standing there with his arms across his chest, smiling like an idiot at the man who had approached him. Oddly he had no real fear, but then again he wasn't always sure if his own mind wasn't toying with him. Also he wasn't sure if the man speaking with him now wasn't just an apparition conjured by his own mind. As he stared back at the man he gave a moments pause, then smiled gently. The smile cultivating into a full charming grin. Another man from Syliras! Wonderful! At least they came from the same city. "Hello good Hadrian Aelius! It is a pleasure and an honor to meet you." He smiled and brought an arm across his waist and bowed to the man quickly. Standing upright he smiled as the cold wind blew against his shield. Rippling for a moment into view before fading away with the wind.

The mess of black hair on his head blown about worse than it usually was. Reaver kept his smile as he looked around again scanning the hills behind him. Since he had learned of Zeltiva's more magically accepting crowds he felt safer with the idea of revealing his magic. After all they did freely teach it at the University, well not free really. He shook his head as he forced his mind back into reality.

"I'm glad to hear that there is another Syliran is here in Zeltiva. Personally I thought I was the lone man from our fair city. I do like Zeltiva though, could do without so much fish though. I really do miss the ale." He sighed as he took a hand and ran it though his hair. Looking to the man he wondered what he would say. Still curious as to if he could command djed like him. The man was certainly near his age. Though he had an air about him he couldn't quite describe it, he just put it up as another delusion of his mind.

[Hadrian]

Hadrian smiled faintly and bowed; he had, after all, been raised in one of the richest families in Syliras and knew his manners well. Oh, so civilized out here in the wild. He was glad that young man didn't mention his family name, even though it was as well known among Sylirans as the knightly families'. There was something wild about his aura, though, and Hadrian wasn't sure what it meant. But closer association and time would help him suss out the secret if the man didn't tell him what it was himself. Wizards could be secretive folk. Hadrian certainly was about a great many things. "The pleasure is mine," he said graciously. "You might be surprised how many Sylirans live here, or travel through here. You'll be happy for the fish ere long, though. We're known for famine here, and fish will be better than nothing. "What brings you to Zeltiva?"

[Reaver Riatal]

A reason Reaver didn't recognize Hadrian's last name was actually because he honestly didn't know about him. Coming from a lower classed family he heard talk of those of greater wealth or power. He heard about them, that didn't mean he actually listened to a word anyone said about them. While growing up his focus had been put towards magical practice, flirting with girls, and getting drunk. And since no rich boy had ever entered his life to perform magic with him and he had never flirted with the more fashionable rich women. And finally in the establishments he frequented no one with a coin purse bigger than a rats head would dare go. So both meeting and hearing of anyone with wealth or power was never a priority in his life. But it was always nice to be polite, that much he had learned on his own.

And with such in mind he kept his charming smile as he listened to Hadrian. The guy seemed rather knowledgeable, that was something he could at least appreciate. He was tired of drinks with dullards and those who didn't understand how to use intellect over brawn. Once a question had been directed at him Reaver chuckled lightly and reached up to his head with a glove clasped hand. Sharp blue eyes gazing back into Hadrain's similar blues. Raising one finger he tapped the side of his head. "Knowledge is what drew me here. I heard that the University taught djed practices, fleeing from Syliras I came here to see if it was true. And much to my delight it was! I've yet to sign up for classes though, I'm currently trying to find a job. From what I hear it costs more than just a few coppers to keep up with tuition. As for the famine, I suspect after our spell of illness is done that won't be much of a problem." He kept his smile though his eyes took a small bit of sadness. Offering a silent and subtle respect towards those passed.

He quickly regained his cheerful demeanor as his smile spread across his lips once more. "Anyway what brings you out here? Or are you daraq djas? Dala djed?" Reaver couldn't hold back his curiosity anymore, he had added that last bit of nadder cannoch to see if the man was a wizard or not. The translation was rough, he was still only mediocre at speaking it. But it should come close to "like me? Improving djed?" Simple but clear, the man seemed smart enough to deduce he meant practicing djed. Or at least he hoped so. If he wasn't a wizard however, he could always make up some excuse of getting his languages mixed up.

[Hadrian]

"More theory than practice," he admitted of the magical education here. But he had managed to pick up some practical applications, though most of that had been extracurricular. "I mean, it isn't the Citadel of Sahova, but you can learn magic. It's just, you learn more about magic than actually to do it. I think they want you to know what you're dealing with before handing you a double-edged sword, you know?" Now Hadrian was a professor himself, of course, and quite a young one. Having traveled, though, and experienced the dangers of magic and the world, he was one of the most conservative where actual magic was concerned. What good initiating someone in reimancy if they didn't have the self-control to manage it without hurting themselves or others? "But they ought to work with you on tuition. There are boards where people post jobs that students pick up to make ends meet." At the question he merely smiled, then winked. "The children under my care need food to stay healthy during this time of illness. I'm not much of a hunter, but..." Well, Riatal could make of that what he would. The mystery might draw him out more, and while Hadrian didn't begrudge other people the practice of magic, he liked to know who and what he was dealing with. Anyone with power could be a threat. There were some grumbling that this plague, which didn't respond well to Rak'keli's power, was born of magic, after all.

[Reaver Riatal]

"Sahova? So it really is real, I mean my father spoke of it but I thought he was just drunk. When he went on about a city of the dead, some being well older than the Valterrian even." A little surprised to hear a name from his childhood as a young practitioner this only gave cause to be intrigued further. However he felt some small disagreement and a little confused by his words. Theory with no practice? Even if they taught the theory of magic they'd have to practice it at some point otherwise you may as well teach how to use a blade by using a radish. And he hadn't learned how to handle his short sword using a vegetable. Though everyone was different and that was something he could accept. But from how this man was talking he had a strong feeling that he was indeed a mage. Though he hadn't picked up on his nadder cannoch, the feeling remained. As he stood there his hands traveled behind his back. Leaning forward lightly he let his balance fall to the back of his heals and roll slowly. His body bent almost to the shape of a full L as he keep his body busy as he conversed. "I also agree, one must know what they are dealing with least the worst where to happen.

"Really? They have jobs posted there? I would love to get a few classes if I can secure a job first~ Though I've visited only once, I have a habit of getting lost easy you see. With a mind I am gifted, direction I am not." He paused as he heard the man's next response. His mind working away, the children under his care? Care suggested being a teacher though if he was hunting, that might mean he volunteered for the orphanage. Though if the man had chosen not to reveal his reason that was his reason to withhold it. As his sharp blue eyes kept their focus on the man his mind wandered. Quickly he found another question to ask. "So tell me do you know many students? If you'll forgive me, I presume you to be a student under their teachings for some seasons. You seem knowledgeable with an air of being well taught as well. If you pardon my saying so." Politesse could get you anywhere in life. An important lesson he had learned as a lad. He just hopped Hadrian was one for being polite.

[Hadrian]

His answer to the Nader-canoch had possibly been too subtle, but he was a secretive sort about some things. But he would answer the bulk of Riatal's questions the best he could manage. "Sahova is indeed real. Zarik Mashaen and the older Nuit certainly were born before the Valterrian. But they've been alive so long, they're hardly human anymore. I think one can't live that long without their entire perspective on the world changing..." But as he trailed off, Riatal kept talking, and then asking more questions. He smiled. "I took a degree from the University, yes." Well, there was really no sense in being coy. "Now I teach there, and I'm headmaster of the Farson Home for Orphans. If you seek out Registrar Sanderson's office -- anyone on campus can direct you -- he can help set you up with classes and work."