Closed Promises (Clyde)

[Sayana]

He answered her questions smoothly and succinctly. For the most part he confirmed what she suspected, but the thorough answers relieved her of doubt. She watched as she crafted another document. For a tick she was afraid she’d have to read something new, but there were enough glances to the other pieces of writing that she assumed it was another copy. The Eypharian was quiet as scratching of the quill moved across the parchment and she ran through the words of the oath in her mind.

When he was finished with the draft she nodded and replied, “Yes, you may begin.”

She would watch the proceedings curiously and sometimes stole glances at his dog. It was strange that something written like this could hold so much power. Despite going over the document so carefully, there was a small part of her that didn’t truly believe in the power of the oath. Could something have so much power it would simply stop her actions entirely? Was it some new or at least different manifestation of fate itself?

What if she didn’t know she was breaking the oath? Would she still be prevented in completing the corresponding action? If she left a piece of parchment with a secret on it in the safety of her own apartment under lock and key, would she be suddenly unable to do such if there was a spy waiting to break in, or the knighthood waiting to investigate her apartment? What if somehow she suddenly found herself unable to do anything due to some far reaching obscure way that it could cause Clyde permanent harm?

Suddenly she found herself growing concerned. If he was already making the grand oath, what if she was too late? She was about to speak up when realization hit her. Just because she might give someone a slight chance to cause permanent damage to Clyde, doesn’t mean she couldn’t protect him from the critical blow. That is, if it was something like bodily harm. She could be a constant bodyguard, even from himself. But did she really just sign up to be a full time bodyguard, now and forever? Except… No, the reason why she had done all this was because he was a rather capable individual. Unless he had enemies left, right and center then he was surely able to protect himself for the most part. So it wasn’t like it would be a full time job. That is, unless all the past people he had oathed had died as a result.

Despite her rather ominous last thought, she seemed to have internally resolved what was bothering her. One thing that her pride was good for was that she doubted she’d be like the others if they had in fact lost their lives due to their dealings with the mage. The Eypharian turned her attention back to Clyde and his work.

“You have a good deal set up,” she commented mildly. There was something eloquent to the way it was all set up. Other than her few quiet words, she would not interrupt until he indicated required action from her.

[Clyde Sullins]

Once Sayana confirmed she would agree to the current drafting of the oath, he set to his true work.

Making a clear space on his desk, Clyde tuck into the special materials and began almost pouring forth a wave of Glyphs.

By the shear complexity of it, most Glyphers able to attempt it would need bells upon bells to painstakingly construct it. Not just the complexity of the glyphs itself, but in how they worked together and formed a coherent whole.

For Clyde it took but a few chimes, written out in one continuous stream of warding that would likely be a sign of great ability even to someone without knowledge or ability in Glyphing.

As he wrote Clyde muttered to himself, occasionally asking a question of Sayana, though not of anything related to the oathing.

Using the fine ink Clyde began on the edges of the oath paper, a fine tight filligree taking a decent in drawing as well as in glyphing.

“Glyphing... Glyphing is as much an art as a magic...”

At first glance they seemed odd meaningless curls of color, however they were all by design, a plan laid out in Clyde's mind which he simply gave form to. Each part in turn took shape and was written out, forming the overall warding that was the oath.

A common theme of late was the curling and weaving of shapes. Each line seemed to arc and sway by itself at random, but then as each line rose or dipped they would meet and almost seem to crash into another. The two lines would touch for a moment, before each curved away in a swoop, leaving many odd points of contact where two or even three lines would intersect for a moment.

“It is one of my favorites to use... By itself it does nothing, but in how it interacts it is quite powerful, if used properly.”

This odd style of leafing continued around the entire edge of the parchment, with the lines eventually curling in upon itself and looping into a dead end. Individually the lines seemed chaotic and random, but when they were done and viewed as a whole an odd sense of symmetry and precision seemed to rise out of it.

Within that was a small buffer, a series of words and letters melded together, turned on their side, written in the ancient tongue. Some repeated over and over due to the nature of the language and its way of speaking.

Each word was a concept, and by intersecting and meeting with another words a greater meaning or depth was added over the single word.

All of its was meaningless, and didn't directly affect or add meaning to the oath, except in the theme-ing.

“It was one of the first magics I began to practice... One of my earliest ones... I suppose I'll always have an interest in it.”

The ancient tongue words for conflict and truth met with fire and change. To shape or shape was met with word or speech. To unite and to tie together were each in turn met with oneself and the speaker of the words.

Other odd things, only possible in the vagueness of the ancient tongue, others which when translated into common didn't quite make sense, the concept loosing meaning in the more concise and speaking wording of common with its larger volume of language.

“Do you know anything of it? Have you ever considered learning it?”

Once all of the Oath preparation was done, Clyde began to write out the oath itself, using a somewhat smaller scale of wording than the other drafts due to the need to fit it all onto the one page along with the glyphing.

This bit took another few chimes, due to the length of the oath and its wording.

As he finished the oath, Clyde squinted at Sayana, pondering at her comment. He wasn't quite sure what she meant. Did she mean he had a good set up, meaning the oath and its wording? Did she mean his lab? His job working in Syliras for the knights as a mage? Something else?

“I'm not sure what you mean. I have a good set up... Could you elaborate?”

With his work done, Clyde would gesture to the oath and for Sayana to sign it.

I, the undersigned, hereby swear upon the divine halls of Ukalas and all those who dwell within that I shall do as follows:

- To not bring harm(defined later) to Clyde Sullins, either directly, indirectly, or through inaction, whether through means magical or mundane, unless said harm is to stop Clyde Sullin's assured and immediate death.

> In the case of Clyde Sullin's overgiving and total loss of control/inability to stop using magic when he should, the signee would be allowed to harm Clyde Sullins to hinder or stop him from using magic, so long as said action would not lead to the assured and immediate death of Clyde Sullins. Permanent harm or maiming would only be allowed as a last resort and if no other viable and less harmful method is possible.

- To not use magic on Clyde Sullins without his direct and express permission, or in the case that not using said magic would lead to Clyde Sullins assured and immediate death. In the case of having his permission or attempting to stop his demise, the signee would not use said magic in an attempt to permanently control or manipulate Clyde Sullins, or to alter his reasoning or mentality beyond the immediate intent to stop his assured and immediate death/the specified reason for which current permission was granted.

-Duty- The signee will aid Clyde Sullins in his endeavors(to be defined later) in any way possible, within their ability, so long as said assistance will not directly lead to the assured death and/or permanent maiming of the signee or Clyde Sullins.

Definitions:

Endeavors- A goal, mission, plan, experiment, or action,(or other agreed upon endeavor type)which has been agreed upon by both the signee and Clyde Sullins. A given agreement for a particular endeavor will take the form of a written document specifying the endeavor, signed by both the signee and Clyde Sullins, and sealed by burning the signed document so that no alterations can be made after the fact. The signing by each party must be done of their own free will and without duress for it to be considered an agreed upon endeavor.

>Any specific terms or limitations(including specific ending methods or clauses to conclude a specific agreement) to said agreement will pertain to that specific agreement, as written within it in particular.

Harm- Any permanent damage, diminishment, or undermining to a person, in terms of the person (list to be expanded upon individually)physically, mentally, socially, politically, intellectually, and/or monetarily.

> physically- Their body and person- bodily harm and/or maiming/death.
> mentally- Their psyche or mentality, or mental well-being.
> socially- Their social standing or growth.
> politically- Their political standing or progression.
> intellectually- Their secrets or non-publicly held knowledge - disclosing said knowledge to third parties beyond Clyde and the signor without express permission to divulge either in general or to specific parties.
> monetarily- Their possessions or property- to include damage, destruction, or theft.

signed___________

After Sayana signed the oath, the parchment and the entirety of what was the oath would cease to exist. Perhaps it would simply blink out of existence, making one question if it had ever been there. Or perhaps it would crumble to dust, blowing away as if in an unseen wind and leaving nothing behind. Perhaps it would suddenly burst into a mysterious flame and be consumed, consumed in its entirety without even any ash left, and without burning anything else but the oath itself.

Regardless of how it ceased, all traces of the oath that had been signed would be gone.

[Sayana]

There was a certain finesse as he wove the different colours of ink in curls and spirals. And when he said it was like an art, she couldn’t help but nod. The array of colours reminded her of Alvadas and all its glory, as well as the artists like Maya who dwelled within. As he made comments about the glyphing, it struck her as odd that such designs could contain magical power. It was a rather foreign concept to her.

When he asked her about it, she shook her head. “No, I’ve never encountered, uh, glyphing. I’m not sure if I’d be any good at it. My writing isn’t exactly any better than my reading.” At last she was being more honest with him. And as she looked at the array of symbols, she wondered what else glyphing could accomplish. The grand oath certainly had its benefits, even though it was costly. Though who knows how long it would take to learn to create something like that.

At his request for clarification she explained, “The oath. It’s precise but not too restricting so you gain what is most important without messing up someone’s life.”

The oath, once finished, truly did look like a work of art. There were swirls of colour, unknown symbols and the written words themselves in the middle. By this point she didn’t think Clyde would trick her into signing something different, but nevertheless, she found the piece of parchment she had originally read and glanced at the first word of each paragraph to see that they were the same. It was by no means thorough, but it seemed to satisfy her.

She took the quill, and for a moment had to remember how to properly hold it, then reached for the scarlet ink. Just as she was about to dip the quill into the ink, she hesitated and instead reached for a scrap piece of parchment on the desk.

“One moment. So that I can get it right.” She spoke in explanation.

Dipping the quill in the ink, she practiced writing her name on the scrap bit of parchment. It was nothing like the smooth scrawling script of the mage and the ink blotted as she paused to remember the shapes. However, when she was finished, she nodded and placed her ‘draft’ within sight before signing the Grand Oath. Her final signature still had a chunky look to it, but any ink blots were small and for a moment it shone with a striking red.

Sayana nearly jumped at the sudden flame in the center of the parchment but when there was no negative response from the mage, she watched as fire fanned outwards in a circular if twisting manner. Almost as swiftly as the flame had appeared, the parchment was consumed and the fire vanished with it. No ashes were left behind, and she couldn’t tell if the faint heat upon her cheek was real or only imagined.

“That’s why you keep that one for reference,” Sayana said with a chuckle and pointed to the final draft he had prepared. She wasn’t sure if Clyde would actually keep it, but the bit of irony amused her.

“Glyphing… you’ll have to tell me more about it someday, especially if it has other practical uses. But this has been enough scholarly activity for one day.”

The Eypharian stood up feeling mentally exhausted. But in a small corner of her mind she was proud to have gotten through all this. All for the sake of trust… it was interesting. And she knew that even if she wanted to practice magic now, it would be well beyond her with her current mental state.

“When would you like to meet again, Clyde? And your place or mine?” She asked with a coy smile.

Credit: Shimoje

[Clyde Sullins]

Clyde couldn't help but let a small bit of a smile cross his face, at seeing Sayana react to the conflagration of the Oath.

He'd seen an Oath do many different things upon being sealed, catching aflame just being one of them.

He wasn't sure why this happened, or where the thing went, but it was equally gone regardless. Considering the first line of the Oath, he imagined it had something to do with the Gods or entering the halls of the Ukalas in some sense.

“I find with an Oath, overly strict wording doesn't always work. If you have overly constricting orders, things tend to work unexpectedly, or contradict, and who knows how the oathed one will act in that instance. Unexpected consequences are best avoided. I've honed the Oath you signed to what it is now, and have done so each time I've made another. In making this Oath with you, I've worked on the wording, made it a bit better. And with the next one, I'll probably do so again.”

“Each Oath is unique, and working on them is a never ending process. And yes, I made that final draft, so I'd have a final copy of the Oath you signed, in case I need to peruse it later, or need it for reference later should I make another.”

From her words Clyde assumed Sayana was ready to leave for the day, and get a rest after all of the mental strain. He wasn't sure how she would do if he taught her glyphing, if she would be attuned to it as he seemed to be. He'd long since learned that certain magics tended to click better with certain mages. Clyde for instance had been a natural at Glyphing and Reimancy, but had struggled for years with Shielding and still wasn't very good.

Likely the magics one clicked or gelled with said something about the person, though it was hard to say what.

Gesturing at one of the back rooms, the one he hadn't entered before, Clyde continued on.

“If you'd like, and are tired, you are welcome to stay the night and rest. I've a spare room I don't use, but keep in case it is needed.”

“But first... You'd mentioned traveling... I was wondering, what specific place have you visited? I have been pondering visiting a few cities, perhaps Alvadas, in the upcoming days. I may be away from Syliras for awhile this summer if I go. What do you know of the place?”

If Sayana went into detail and mentioned that she'd been to Alvadas and knew much of it, he would in turn offer for her to come with him on his trip as a guide.

If she didn't mention it, or played down her knowledge, he wouldn't make the offer.

Either way, Clyde was tired himself, and soon after they finished talking would turn in and head to bed himself, pausing only to unlock the door and let Sayana out if she chose not to stay in his guest room.

[Sayana]

“Alvadas? You’re thinking about going to Alvadas?” Sayana asked with a sudden change as her whole mood seemed to lighten. “And what do I know of this beautiful city of illusions where the streets practically change before your very eyes?”

Despite her earlier statements, her energy seemed quickly renewed. Stepping up to the mage with a slight spring, she reached out with her high hands in attempt to grasp both of his hands in hers. “Alvadas… it is wonderful but sometimes terrifying at the same time. Everything is new. It is not cold and hard and stagnant like it is here. And you weave in and out through the streets as if they were a living breathing entity of their own. Alvadas, are you really going there?”

She tugged gently upon his hands to lead him towards the back of the lab where she assumed was the rest of the house and bedrooms. “I may have made one or two enemies when I was in Alvadas for a couple of seasons, but I also made many friends. And I know who not to mess with, and how to move through the twisting city with ease. I even have some scars from said enemies, but I would go back in a heartbeat… just to feel the freedom and to be whoever I wanted to be… Do you need anyone to go with you? Can I come even if you don’t need me? Oh to have a break from Syliras and the Order.”

She soon found herself with her back to one of the bedrooms. She released the mage’s hands and moved to open the door. “Yours or mine?” The room inside seemed devoid of personal items and although it was neat, it lacked a certain depth. “Looks like mine,” she answered with a sly smirk over her shoulder at him. She found her earlier fatigue quickly returning.

“One last thing about Alvadas. There is a place, a maze, a labyrinth, a different state of being that is everywhere at once but hard to access. It is called the Underground. If you ever want to get in contact with the right sort or people, find out secret information, or get your hands on something rare… then that is the place to go. I can tell you more about Alvadas in the morning, but if you’ll have me, I’d love to join you.”

She brightened at his acceptance, particularly at the use of the word ‘guide’, then bid him a good night. The Eypharian seemed surprisingly comfortable in her new surroundings. She would drift off to sleep quite easily but not without first tucking a pair of daggers under her pillow and the remaining on a side table or dresser.

OOCI think that wraps things up nicely =)

Credit: Shimoje

[Dove Brown]

Don't forget to edit/delete your grade request. If you have any questions, comments or concerns regarding your grade, please do not hesitate to send me a PM.

 

Sayana

Skills

• Organisation 1
• Hypnotism 1
• Reading 3
• Subterfuge 1
• Storytelling 2
• Negotiation 2
• Intelligence 1

Lores

• Clyde: powerful but odd
• Negotiating a Grand Oath
• Glyphing is like art as well as magic
• Taking a Grand Oath to aid Clyde
• Grand Oaths burn and vanish once signed

Miscellaneous Sayana is bound by the following Grand Oath:

I, the undersigned, hereby swear upon the divine halls of Ukalas and all those who dwell within that I shall do as follows:

- To not bring harm(defined later) to Clyde Sullins, either directly, indirectly, or through inaction, whether through means magical or mundane, unless said harm is to stop Clyde Sullin's assured and immediate death.

> In the case of Clyde Sullin's overgiving and total loss of control/inability to stop using magic when he should, the signee would be allowed to harm Clyde Sullins to hinder or stop him from using magic, so long as said action would not lead to the assured and immediate death of Clyde Sullins. Permanent harm or maiming would only be allowed as a last resort and if no other viable and less harmful method is possible.

- To not use magic on Clyde Sullins without his direct and express permission, or in the case that not using said magic would lead to Clyde Sullins assured and immediate death. In the case of having his permission or attempting to stop his demise, the signee would not use said magic in an attempt to permanently control or manipulate Clyde Sullins, or to alter his reasoning or mentality beyond the immediate intent to stop his assured and immediate death/the specified reason for which current permission was granted.

-Duty- The signee will aid Clyde Sullins in his endeavors(to be defined later) in any way possible, within their ability, so long as said assistance will not directly lead to the assured death and/or permanent maiming of the signee or Clyde Sullins.

Definitions:

Endeavors- A goal, mission, plan, experiment, or action,(or other agreed upon endeavor type)which has been agreed upon by both the signee and Clyde Sullins. A given agreement for a particular endeavor will take the form of a written document specifying the endeavor, signed by both the signee and Clyde Sullins, and sealed by burning the signed document so that no alterations can be made after the fact. The signing by each party must be done of their own free will and without duress for it to be considered an agreed upon endeavor.

>Any specific terms or limitations(including specific ending methods or clauses to conclude a specific agreement) to said agreement will pertain to that specific agreement, as written within it in particular.

Harm- Any permanent damage, diminishment, or undermining to a person, in terms of the person (list to be expanded upon individually)physically, mentally, socially, politically, intellectually, and/or monetarily.

> physically- Their body and person- bodily harm and/or maiming/death.
> mentally- Their psyche or mentality, or mental well-being.
> socially- Their social standing or growth.
> politically- Their political standing or progression.
> intellectually- Their secrets or non-publicly held knowledge - disclosing said knowledge to third parties beyond Clyde and the signor without express permission to divulge either in general or to specific parties.
> monetarily- Their possessions or property- to include damage, destruction, or theft.

signed___________

 

Clyde Sullins

Skills

• Meditation 1
• Concentration 1
• Negotiation 2
• Organisation 1
• Copying 1
• Drawing 1

Lores

• Reading is important
• Sayana: overcompensates for weaknesses
• Sayana: can't read
• Sayana: signed a Grand Oath to aid me

Comments:Nicely done. I have asked Prophet to do the necessary SS additions. Enjoy your grades