Completed Knowledge from the Thumb (Xeona)

[Savio]

10th of Fall, 513AV

Savio gazed up at the Center for Worldly Magic Studies that was more commonly known as the Wizard’s Thumb by the populace. He had passed by the massive building many times since coming to Nyka, but has only went inside once to deliver a simple scroll to the monk sitting at the front desk. The structure was intimidating as it reached high into the sky and held the magic knowledge of the city.

Several days before, Savio had asked Xeona the ghost to meet him here so that they could further their practice. The young acrobat felt a little nervous around the Thumb since he had heard many things about the tall, red stoned building from the Nykans he had served. Even his boss felt uneasy about sending his couriers there.

Back home In Syliras, magic was allowed as long as it was done safely and not around those who can be hurt. There were designated places for wizards and mages back home. Nyka was slightly different, since the iridescent people lived around magic and the paranormal on the day-to-day basis because of the Aperture. Though it was still surprising to see their fear of the tower, once might assume that strange and powerful magic was practiced within its rusty colored walls.

Savio took an uneasy breath as he looked around for his undead friend, or at least try to feel that he was close by but all he could feel was the eyes of curious monks as they watched him wait. He even recognized a few of their faces from delivering to them.

“By Tavasi, where is that ghost?” Savio grumbled to himself.

[Xeona]

Xeona was in a hurry toward the Thumb. He had forgot what day he and Savio was going to the The Thumb. Talk about a minor shock when he figured out what day it was. It was no better that the streets were crowded, either. Xeona went his last resort, the rooftops. Not that he had any problems with it or anything, he didn't need to make daredevil jumps to cross gaps, he could just float over them. He just simply disliked taking the rooftops to where he wanted.

When he arrived, Savio already stood outside the entrance, waiting for him. "How long had he been standing out here?" Xeona thought to himself. He materialized, and jumped down the rooftop he was standing, and landed right behind him. "Been waiting long?" Xeona asked him.

He awaited Savio's answer and then proceeded to say "So this is The Thumb, huh? I've heard about it, but never actually been near it, nevertheless inside..." Xeona turned towards Savio. "Alright, let's find some Ghost-related books, read them and then get out." After saying that, Xeo realized that he sounded like they were going to do something illegal. He cursed himself at the thoughts of his old life coming back.

Boxcode by Savio

[Savio]

Savio smiled as he turned to face the ghost as he floated down from a top of one of the nearby roofs. The folds his armed in mock sternness as Xeo approached and spoke to him. “What took you so long?” Savio huffed, but he couldn’t keep the grin from his face. He always had a hard time faking being mad at someone. “I haven’t been here too long, honestly. Just a few chimes.”

Xeona looked up at the Wizard’s Thumb, he seemed only slightly nervous before turning his attention back to Savio. His comment made Savio laugh, taking the statement as a joke. When the ghost looked a little bashed at what he had said, Savio waved it aside. “Xeona, don’t feel too bad. We are not here to do anything wrong. I am pretty sure the Thumb is open to all who wish to learn, so we will be able to work in peace. Also, perhaps you should also become invisible again until we get to where we can practice, so you can save your energy.”

Savio motioned for the ghost to follow as he walked up to the large double doors and went inside. Once inside, the temperature was pleasantly warm when compared to the slight chill outside. The first thing Savio was able to see once his eyes adjusted to the dark was the front desk, an elderly monk standing behind it with a somewhat bored expression until he set eyes on Savio, then he became curious.

“Hello, how can I help you?” He asked, standing up properly.

“erm… Can you please direct me to where I can read books on ghosts?” Savio asked, feeling slightly out of place.

The monk gave Savio a look over, his curiosity more evident now. “You don’t appear to be a Spiritist, and I know you are not one of the Xannos brotherhood… Why would ghost interest you, boy?”

Savio shifted a little, he had a feeling that the monk was about to ask him to join his Order and Savio would have to decline once again. He didn’t worship the Celestials, his patron god was Tavasi. “I was just curious. Knowledge is power, no?”

The monk gave a smile and nodded. “Indeed it is.” He then pointed a boney finger at a doorway that led to a staircase. “The third floor is where you will find all that you need to explore the ways of Spiritism. Be sure to clean up after yourself and put the books away after you are done. We are monks, not your mother.”

Savio nodded gratefully before walking over to the door, he looked over his shoulder to see some sign of Xeo even though he isn’t in view. The acrobat took the stairs two at a time, eager to find out more about Xeona and his kind.

[Xeona]

When Xeona arrived, Savio made an attempt at faking being mad at him. It didn't go very well, as he couldn't keep a grin out of his face. Well, at least he wasn't as late as he thought, only a couple of chimes. When Xeona felt bad about sounding like a criminal again, Savio tried pushing it aside. It helped a little, but he still felt bad about it.

When Savio went inside, he told Xeona to go invisible once again. He had already gone invisible, floating a short distance behind Savio. When they got to the front desk, an elder monk had a conversation with Savio at the front desk. When the conversation was finished, Savio turned towards the stairs and headed up.

Savio seemed excited, like he was going to have the answer to a lifelong question. When they got to the third floor, he stopped and made a motion with his hand, showing Xeona that what they searched for was on this floor. Xeona materialized and told Savio: "Well, let's get searching then."

Boxcode by Savio

[Savio]

The breath was nearly stolen from Savio’s lungs as he opened the door and stepped into the third floor. There were so many shelves filled with novels and memoirs and scrolls and… A wide smile spread across his face, so much so that his cheeks hurt.

Books were uncommon in Mizahar in general. Only special places and the wealthy could afford to collect them. His family had one or two simple books that Savio had read many times over the course of his childhood. To see so many books in one place was a marvel. Savio walked over to the first bookshelf he could reach and picked up and random book to flip through the pages, ignoring the funny looks he got from the monks and ghosts that were also in the large room.

The book he had in his hands was neatly written in a fine hand, and despite its obvious age, it was still easy to read. Savio looked up at Xeona was a wide grin and beckoned him to follow as he walked over to an empty table, picking up books along the way until his sat a rather impressive stack of leather bound books on the worn table.

“I wonder how long people are allowed to stay in here?” Savio murmured more to himself than Xeo, as he was considering staying for the whole night. Savio sat down in a chair and reopened the first book he had grabbed to continue reading. “Xeo, there should be a book about possession in the stack. Can you pick it up to read it or not?” Savio looked up from the book, curious about how Xeona interacted with the physical world. He even slipped up by stating the little nickname he had given his new ghost friend in his mind.

Savio then returned to his reading. He then quickly realized he was reading about what Soulmist was, production of Soulmist, and its uses.

Chapter 1: The Basics of Soulmist

Soulmist is what typically makes what beings that we normally call Ghosts, replacing the astral body (see Chapter 3: Layers of the Soul) of its former self when the body dies and the ghost is created. The substance is normally ethereal, but through a skill of the ghost in question, it can become corporeal through the process of Materialization (see Chapter 12: Materialization) so that it can interact with the solid world around it. Like the skin of a living being, Soulmist (when the Ghost Materializes) can take damage and be shed, weakening the Ghost and causing it great pain. It can also heal over time, much like wounds of the living do. But unlike skin, Soulmist also acts as an energy source. A Ghost without Soulmist cannot do anything.

After being possessed for the first time, a living human has the potential to produce Soulmist, which is the key to a Spiritist’s powers. A trained Spiritist can learn how to produce it and use it in various forms such as creating spiritual weapons and armor, giving Ghosts the Lie (see Chapter 5: Giving the Lie), and creating safe zones (see Chapter 7: Safe Zones). The creation of Soulmist is formed from food and a vial of blood. There are different recipes and methods that Spiritists have formulated but the easiest by far is as follows: A Spritist will take an egg, flour, a soft cheese, and a vial of blood to create a dough. This can either be done in a bowl or in the Wizard’s own mouth. The mouth his preferred since the dough must spend time in his body for the process to work. How one goes about it varies from wizard to wizard, some chew it for a period of time where as others swallow and then regurgitate, while doing so the Spiritist must focus and meditate on what he hopes to accomplish.

If done correctly, the Spiritst will secrete a pearl colored gel that can be molded in his hands or stored in a clean flask. This is Soulmist: the slight luminosity, as well the unnatural chill of the substance will signal that the procedure was a success. The Soulmist can be given to ghosts for them t absorb (though they will need the Spiritist’s permission first) to give them strength and heal them. Ghost tend to favor Soulmist made from the Spirit’s own blood.

Savio sat back and thought about what he had read. He looked over that Xeo, now seeing the shimmering form the ghost held as something more. Soulmist… “I think the next thing I should attempt to do is make Soulmist. It says here that I might be able to make it now, and give it to you to help you out, among other things. What do you think?”

OOCI use the info from the Lore of Spiritism. I tried to sum it up the best i could in my own words. If i need to alter it, i will. Just let me know.

[Xeona]

When Savio opened the door, they were met with row after row of books. "Does this amount of books even exist?" Xeona thought to himself. If he was asked this same question yesterday, he would've answered a straight "No." First now he realized how wrong he was. There seemed to be books about every subject there. But for now, they had to find books about Ghosts.

After a while, Savio asked Xeona if he could pick up a book about possession. He used a nickname, which was pretty new. He picked up the book and started to read.

Chapter 1: The Basics

Possession is an ability of Ghosts that allows them to control the movements of another being. They achive this by hijacking the part of of the soul that controls movement, the astral body. Less experienced Ghosts can only possess willing people or highly sensitive people.

Ghosts cannot be possessed by other ghosts, because their astral body is replaced with Soulmist. Soulmist is the energy source of Ghosts, and it's consumed during the process of possession. If all Soulmist is consumed during the process, the Ghost cannot do anything and is forced to leave the body he's trying to possess.

Spiritists have more control over Ghost's attempts to possess him/her. They can deny Ghosts from hijacking his astral body, block movements and even trap Ghosts inside his/her body. If they wish to do so, they can combine their powers to create a powerful symbiosis.

Xeona was just about to turn to the second chapter when Savio interrupted his reading. Creating Soulmist? Xeona agreed that it would help, but was that even possible? "Sure, if you're sure it will work." Xeona answered. Savio seemed very engaged in this subject.

Boxcode by Savio

[Savio]

Savio nodded as he got up from the table and explored the large room. Several monks and their ghost companions watched Savio with open curiosity now as searched the room for supplies that he needed to attempt to make Soulmist for the first time.

He soon found a large cabinet off to the side that was fully stocked with different foods and empty vials, along with bits of wood and heavy bead-things. He grabbed a bowl, some flour, an egg, and some form of soft cheese that Savio had gotten once in his food rations that he had liked, a mixing spoon, a clean rag to clean up his mess, and a small clean glass vial.

He walked back over to his and Xeo’s table and laid out the ingredients. Savio had never cooked before in his life, but this couldn’t be too hard… Right? Just mix the stuff together and then chew it. Savio took a deep breath before placing two small scoops of flour, the cheese, and cracked open the egg. But he needed blood. Savio made sour face before unsheathing his dagger that hung at his hip. He lifted his right hand and carefully cut across the palm. He hissed in pain, but once the deed was done he flexed his hand so that the blood could pool at the center before he tipped his hand and let the blood drip into the mixture.

After he determined that it was enough blood, he pulled his hand away and wrapped the rag around it to stop the bleeding. Once the rag was secure, he began mixing it all together until it made a doughy like substance. There wasn’t a whole lot, and Savio was not really looking forward to putting it in his mouth but it needed to spend time in his body, according to what the book said.

With his uninjured hand, he scooped out the dough and rolled it into a ball before plopping it into his mouth. It tasted horrible, and he instantly wanted to spit it out. He kept it in though, and started to chew while thinking about what he wanted. He wanted to make Soulmist. He meditated on what he thought it would look like, a thick, glowing gel with an eerie off white color. After several chimes, he couldn’t even taste the foul concoction anymore. In fact, his mouth was getting rather cold.

Savio frowned as he grabbed the empty vial and spat what he had in his mouth into it. It was no longer the blood dough, but rather it had become iridescent gel. Savio stared at his creation with both surprise and joy, but the substance was already starting to fade away so he quickly handed the vial over to Xeo.

“Here, drink this. I give you permission to have my Soulmist.” Savio quickly said.

[Xeona]

Xeona accepted the vial Savio handed him. Looking first at the vial, and then his eternal arm, he saw that the two consisted of the same material, Soulmist. The Soulmist in Savio's vial gave a wierd smell. It felt like the smell was trying to tell Xeona something. It was like it told him what quality it was. It wasn't bad for a first try, but it wasn't that good, either. "Let's do this." Xeona thought to himself while absorbing the Soulmist.

Almost instantly after absorbing the Soulmist, Xeona felt a pleasant experience taking over his eternal body. It felt like all his problems were flowing away. He also felt like he could take on anyone or anything right now. He did also somehow feel stronger, like some hidden power had awakened inside him. It was a really nice feeling, Xeona felt ready to take on the world.

Xeona didn't really know what to do. "Whoa, I feel great!" Xeona told Savio. And it was all true. He had actually never felt better in his entire life, living or dead. "If this is what average quality Soulmist can do, what can better quality Soulmist do?" Xeona's interest in Savio's Spiritist training became as large as Savio's own.

Boxcode by Savio

[Savio]

Savio grinned brightly as Xeo absorbed the Soulmist. That meant the whole experiment had been a success. The acrobat cleaned up the mess he had made and returned what he could back to the cabinet before returning to his friend.

“Do you feel up for a little bit of possession training?” Savio asked as he checked on the cut on his hand. It had stopped bleeding but it stung slightly. It had been worth it though. He could produce Soulmist. Did that make him a Spiritist of some sort? When Savio looked up from his musings, he noticed a monk walking over to him and Xeo. He had to resist the temptation to run away like he had done something wrong.

“Hello, I couldn’t help but notice that you were able to produce proper Soulmist. Is that the first time you have ever tried to do so?” The elderly monk asked. He was tall, perhaps a few inches taller than Savio with a bald head but a long grey beard. His eyes were a sharp hazel that seemed to be able to read every single thought going through Savio’s mind.

“Um… Yes… I just followed what it said in the book. Um… I apologize if I broke a law.” Savio felt nervous, he wasn’t sure if magic practice was an acceptable thing in Nyka for those who were not monks. He should have thought ahead and considered consequences.

The man chuckled and clasped Savio on the shoulder as though he had been good friends with him for years. “Oh no, my boy. See, I am rather impressed. It’s rare to see someone just walk off the street and be able to do that correctly on the first try. Can I interest you in a position in as a monk of Xannos? We are always looking for proper talent such as yours.”

Savio gulped, but couldn’t help but feel slightly annoyed. He had been petitioned by monks of Skerr, Uphis, and now Xannos to join their Orders. “I am sorry, but I must decline.” Savio said in the most polite way he could.

“You will never have to pay for anything ever again, and you will always have a home.”

“No thank you. I do not intend on staying in Nyka forever.”

The monk then looked slightly disappointed but still managed to give Savio a smile. “Should you ever change your mind, I will be here. My name is Melville Smythe. Might I know your name?”

“Erm… Savio Cazzola.” Savio replied, but then frowned when he realized that the man was not even paying Xeona the least bit of attention. He was glad to see the monk leave them be. Savio then turned to Xeona and offered an apologetic smile. “Still want to practice?”

[Xeona]

After a small chat with a monk, Savio asked Xeona if he wanted to fit in some possession training. "Sure, why not?" Xeona told him. "There seems to be a empty place over there." Xeona pointed between two bookcases, where there was more than enough room to train. Which was good, because people had to get to the books as well.

When Xeona and Savio stood in position, Xeona made an attempt to possess Savio once more. It was a lot easier than the previous times they had practiced. Was it because of Savio's Soulmist? It had to be. Xeona couldn't find any other thing that could've caused this. He tried moving Savio's arm, like he did last time they practiced. This time, his arm moved almost normally, but the movement still looked rather sluggish.

After a short period of time, Savio's body stopped responding to Xeona's movements. It did not relax, like his body collapsed or anything. It was like Savio's body froze. "Hey, what's going on here?" Xeona thought to himself. Then he remembered their last session. Savio had talked to him inside his head. Could he do the same? "Hey Savio, what's going on here? Why can't I move- I mean, why can't you move? Is something wrong?" Xeona thought, hoping that Savio would hear him.

Boxcode by Savio