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The Death Mage

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Dantalian

Dantalian

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Sedridor watched the new apprentices through a scrying pool he kept hidden in his room. Over the last few months, he had read numerous reports on all the potential applicants, and carefully weeded out those he thought were not talented or serious enough about the arte to become wizards. But until this day, he had not seen any of the apprentices himself. While he could of course, walk out to the main room of the tower and meet them face to face, the head wizard knew that the moment he did so, the apprentices would make a point of being on their best behavior, and in doing so make it that much more difficult to gauge their true worth and personalities. As the Wizard's Tower was technically a Misthalin possession, the head wizard was required to accept any apprentices that were endorsed by the crown, and had allowed more than one “wizard” who only cared to “dabble” in magic, to study in these hallowed halls. Moreover, he had met numerous warriors and rangers who simply wanted to learn how to cut some time in traveling from Varrock to Falador, and made it clear they could care less about any other spell.
Sedridor watched all of this with a heavy heart. His great grandfather had been one of the wizards back in the old days; when magic was viewed with reverence, and a healthy dose of fear. Back then, a wizard was totally devoted to his craft; the weapons he would carry would be a staff and a book, and maybe a poisoned dagger lest his runes run out in the middle of a battle. To Sedridor, this was the golden age of magic, and he selectively tried to ensure that as many apprentices as possible had the same view on magic. "He appears in the Form of a Man with many Countenances; and he hath a Book in his right hand. His Office is to teach all Arts and Sciences unto any; and to declare the Secret Counsel of any one."

10-Aug-2011 22:14:12

Dantalian

Dantalian

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This year's batch of apprentices seemed more promising. Even though he had only been watching for a few minutes, a handful of them were already standing out to him; one he recognized to be Skia Aeole, a nobleman's son. One who had essentially forfeited his right to his family's estate by accepting this apprenticeship. That act alone had raised him in Sedridor's eyes.
Another of the promising ones was Veryth. Although she had done much to conceal it, Sedridor knew from his reports that she was a half-elf. The unwanted result of a single drunken night between a human knight and an elvin ranger. Unwanted and unloved, her mother had left Veryth on her own the moment she could walk; Veryth had lived in the streets of East Ardougne, making a living with her light fingers and keen mind, the latter of which had allowed her to realize that tele-grabbing items from a merchant's stalls would be far more efficient and stealthy than lifting them with her hands, and had spurred her into stealing runes and training herself.
Although this scheme had given her a distinct advantage over the other thieves in Ardougne, it had not satisfied her. She delved further and further into magic, until she had gathered the attention of numerous wizards, many of whom were terrified of what Veryth could become if left on her own. With Sedridor's blessing, they had extended an invitation to her; offering to train her further in the art if she would consent to becoming an apprentice in the Wizard's Tower. Ever the pragmatist, Veryth had been quick to accept once she had heard that she would get a warm bed, three meals a day, AND be taught more magic. Still, Sedridor was worried about how the instructors would manage to keep up with Veryth, seeing as she was probably the most gifted apprentice, and considering that in all likelihood, her skills and history would catch the attention of dark wizards eager to lure her to their ranks. "He appears in the Form of a Man with many Countenances; and he hath a Book in his right hand. His Office is to teach all Arts and Sciences unto any; and to declare the Secret Counsel of any one."

10-Aug-2011 22:15:57

Dantalian

Dantalian

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There was one other who might be more advanced than Veryth; his name was Chalcon. At the first glance, Chalcon didn't seem to be the right sort of person to become a mage. In fact, when he had first shown up in the main hall, Sedridor was forced to call in one of the mages to confirm there hadn't been a mistake.
Chalcon seemed slow, as Sedridor saw when one of the other apprentices had asked him a question; something about the origin of runes. There was a significant pause from the time the question was asked to when Chalcon responded, as if it took a while for the question to sink in. Sedridor had almost dismissed him right then and there, but when he listened to the content of the response, he was shocked to find that Chalcon seemed to know more about runes than even he, the head wizard, knew. As such, Sedridor had decided to watch Chalcon very carefully.
A small chime interrupted Sedridor from his thoughts. Recognizing the chime as being the agreed upon symbol that he was to greet the apprentices, Sedridor stood from his scrying pool, and prepared to enter the main room.

Skia stood in the shadowed corner of the main room. Unlike most of his fellow apprentices, Skia had little skill in small talk, and was too shy to even make a feeble attempt. Unfortunately, as was often the case, his peers had mistaken this for him simply being snobbish since he was a noble, and had quickly agreed to shun him. All except the one; an apprentice named Chalcon. Of course, he had also been shunned, with the other apprentices assuming he was “slow in the head” and wondering aloud why he was invited to the Wizard's Tower, to which one of them suggested it was out of pity on Sedridor's part, leading to a round of laughter amongst the apprentices. "He appears in the Form of a Man with many Countenances; and he hath a Book in his right hand. His Office is to teach all Arts and Sciences unto any; and to declare the Secret Counsel of any one."

10-Aug-2011 22:16:32

Dantalian

Dantalian

Posts: 3,434 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Because they had quickly dismissed Chalcon as having any skill, most of the other apprentices didn't notice what Skia did; a ball of rock, laced with green light which floated around one of Chalcon's hands, acting as if it were alive. Skia was intrigued by this, and kept an eye on Chalcon, in part, trying to figure out what it was (and if anyone asked he would've insisted that was the entire reason.)
Since he was watching Chalcon, Skia noticed when the ball of rock suddenly vanished and Chalcon turned to face a different part of the room. Surprised, Skia also turned; just in time to see Sedridor appear in a flash of light.
The other apprentices also noticed the flash of light, and turned to Sedridor shortly after Chalcon and Skia had. Several grew pale and nearly fainted at the sight of the head wizard standing in their midst. Although one, a certain Veryth, seemed to take it in stride.
“New apprentices,” said the head wizard, “I welcome you to the Wizard's Tower. I know that the night is well upon us, and that you will need your sleep for tomorrow, so I will make this brief.
Firstly, I wish to congratulate you all; every one of you has shown remarkable promise in the field of magic, and I look forward to seeing your progress. Which brings me to the next thing; your duties. As apprentices, you are expected to assist us in our research and experiments. There will be some classes of course, in order to ensure that you know certain basics of magic, but most of your learning will be achieved by assisting us, and observing what we do. "He appears in the Form of a Man with many Countenances; and he hath a Book in his right hand. His Office is to teach all Arts and Sciences unto any; and to declare the Secret Counsel of any one."

10-Aug-2011 22:17:03

Dantalian

Dantalian

Posts: 3,434 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
You are of course, welcome to use the tower's library to further your studies, and we suggest you do so. But it is far more important that you learn through observation; magic is not like history or grammar, which are learned by rote memorization and extensive studying. Magic must be experienced as well as studied. Any powerful wizard will tell you that they gain more from instinct and feeling than they do by knowing the number and type of runes to use when casting a spell.
However, you should feel free to ask questions, all of us are happy to answer and explain anything you might be curious about. In fact, if you go too long without asking questions, you'll worry us.
There is one final thing. Magic is a powerful arte, and because of that, it is dangerous. Therefore it is our policy that apprentices refrain from testing out new spells without the observation or approval of one of the master wizards. As time goes on, we will judge you competent in certain spells and give you blanket authorization to use them. Until then, though, you should be warned that using unapproved spells or experimenting with magic can result in your apprenticeship being terminated.
Well, I believe that's everything. You should've been shown your rooms on arriving. As I mentioned, you will have a busy day tomorrow, so I suggest you head to your rooms and get some sleep.”
After he had finished speaking, Sedridor looked out to the apprentices. Most were too much in awe of the head wizard to make any sort of move for the stairs, two however, were. Veryth stood up, and, ignoring the scandalized looks the other apprentices shot her, walked to the stairs, smirking.
Although he remained expressionless, Sedridor took note of Veryth's actions. So far, she was behaving as expected; she was self-confident, a good trait, but also ready to scoff at authority. Again, Sedridor was reminded that he would have to keep an eye on her. "He appears in the Form of a Man with many Countenances; and he hath a Book in his right hand. His Office is to teach all Arts and Sciences unto any; and to declare the Secret Counsel of any one."

10-Aug-2011 22:17:50

Dantalian

Dantalian

Posts: 3,434 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
The second to move was Chalcon. Apparently unfazed by the head wizard, he stood up and walked to the stairs in an easy gait. Having seen two of their number leave, the rest of the apprentices soon followed suit, leaving only one behind; Skia.
Sedridor looked at the boy; and found that Skia met his glance for a moment, but quickly averted his eyes. The head wizard continued to stare, he had recognized that Skia had not turned away from fear or awe, but rather shyness. The boy was unused to people, the head wizard surmised. Already, he could feel a bit of pity for the young man; he had been essentially disowned by his parents and was already scorned by his classmates.
He was different from the others, which could become his greatest asset, or his most terrible weakness. Sedridor had seen some like Skia rise to become great mages, well respected leaders within the mage's guild. But he had also seen others like Skia lose their way; wallowing in self-pity while berating how they were “so misunderstood” all the while letting the magic that could be their's slip through their fingers.
His curiosity piqued, Sedridor used the gift he had inherited from his seer mother, something he rarely did, and tried to peer through the ethers, and catch a glimpse of what fate had in store for Skia. To his shock, he could not see anything of the boy's future. Instead of catching a glimpse of the future Skia, his mind's eye could only see darkness; thick, impenetrable darkness which obscured not only that mind's eye, but his other senses as well. The head wizard tried to banish the vision, but found he was unable, the vision itself seeming to resist him. As he continued to struggle three dim lights appeared in that unending darkness, one violet, one deep blue, and one a pale, cold white. This latter light seem to grow, until it had replaced the darkness. Sedridor remained suspended in that light for a moment, then a bitter cold spread throughout his body, and the vision vanished. "He appears in the Form of a Man with many Countenances; and he hath a Book in his right hand. His Office is to teach all Arts and Sciences unto any; and to declare the Secret Counsel of any one."

10-Aug-2011 22:18:22

Dantalian

Dantalian

Posts: 3,434 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
As it vanished, Sedridor found Skia looking at him with obvious concern on his face.
“Are you alright, sir?” asked Skia, his voice so soft it was barely more than a whisper.
“Yes, it's nothing,” Sedridor lied, “You should hurry along to your room.”
Skia lingered a moment longer, reluctant to leave the head wizard by himself. But seeing that he was not asked for assistance, eventually did as he had been asked.
The moment Skia was out of sight, Sedridor fell back into a chair, and gasped. In his many years as a wizard, he had rarely experienced something like what he had gone through tonight, but there was no mistaking the experience; bya ttempting to peer into Skia's future, Sedridor had caught the attention of a god, one who apparently had plans involving the boy.
What was confusing is that Sedridor did not know which god; his vision, while dark, had not included the searing heat Zamorak would've used; but it certainly did not fit Saradomin's blinding light that he had encountered when once trying to use his magic to see into the designs of the temple knights. Of course, Sedridor was one of the few who knew of another god, one who had been quite fond of mages and was often thought of as a dark god... Sedridor quickly pushed that thought from his mind. The Empty Lord was gone, and there had been no signs of his return. Of course, that put him back where he started; knowing that some god had taken an interest in Skia, but not knowing which one...
So absorbed was he in his thoughts that Sedridor didn't notice the small stone, carved in the shape of an eye, which was currently flying out of the room and up the stairs, returning to its master; one who would know which god Sedridor had caught the attention of, and would find it quite interesting to hear that god was involved... "He appears in the Form of a Man with many Countenances; and he hath a Book in his right hand. His Office is to teach all Arts and Sciences unto any; and to declare the Secret Counsel of any one."

10-Aug-2011 22:18:47

Dantalian

Dantalian

Posts: 3,434 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Skia had every intention of heading to bed as Sedridor had suggested. Although he refused to show it, he was exhausted from the day's events and had been staying awake on excitement and nervousness alone for some time already. Therefore, he was greatly relieved when he found his room, and he opened his door quickly, intending to throw himself onto his bed and be asleep in a matter of seconds. Instead, he found himself facing a half-dressed Chalcon. In spite of himself, Skia couldn't help but stare; unlike most of the apprentices, Chalcon possessed an athletic build more suited (in the opinion of most wizards) for a warrior than a mage. While not bulky, he did possess visible muscle and a firm body, allowing one to believe he could fight with a sword or bow in addition to casting spells.
“You're my roommate I guess?”
Hearing Chalcon speak, Skia sheepishly tore his gaze from his roommate's torso and forced himself to meet Chalcon's gaze. If Chalcon had noticed Skia's staring, he didn't seem annoyed by it. The look in his forest green eyes seemed, at least to Skia, a kind one. Unfortunately for Skia, this didn't help his situation, as one might expect. Feeling the blood rush to his face, Skia stammered something about needing fresh air, and practically dashed out of the room.
Chalcon stared at his fleeing roommate in surprise, then sat on his bed and allowed himself a slight smile.
“He seems like an interesting person,” Chalcon mused to himself, reaching down and allowing a small stone golem to jump into his hand. “And it seems we're not the only one's who think so, judging by what Sedridor saw,” he added. Pausing a moment to think it over, he tossed the golem onto the floor and said, “Go keep an eye on him, I want to be sure about why he ran away just now.* "He appears in the Form of a Man with many Countenances; and he hath a Book in his right hand. His Office is to teach all Arts and Sciences unto any; and to declare the Secret Counsel of any one."

10-Aug-2011 22:19:15

Dantalian

Dantalian

Posts: 3,434 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Skia sat in the basement of the Wizard's Tower, cursing his luck. Some time back, when he was eleven years of age, he had gone with his father to watch the white knight squires training. His father had been hoping that Skia would suddenly be inspired by watching the feats of strength the squires were performing, and Skia had been dreading the time away from his books. As it turned out that excursion had not gone as either had expected. Skia had, as anticipated, been bored at first, however, at some point one of the squires had caught his eye; the squire was a couple years older than Skia, and was practicing javelin throwing, a skill Skia couldn't care less about. However, as the day was hot, the squire had removed his shirt, and when Skia's eyes had fallen on this shirtless squire, a strange yearning had flared up inside of him. Skia hadn't understood this yearning at the time, but nonetheless found it pleasant, and after that day would occasionally accompany his brother Seamus, when he went out sparring. On those days, he would take a book, but would spend so much time sneaking peeks at Seamus' friends that he would rarely progress a single page.
Skia hadn't thought much of this practice, or the feelings it gave him. He simply knew he enjoyed it... or so he had, until Seamus had come to him one day in an extremely good mood to talk about some girl he liked. Skia had listened politely (secretly wishing Seamus would leave him alone) until he noted that the descriptions of Seamus' infatuation sounded remarkably similar to Skia's own feelings upon seeing certain squires. "He appears in the Form of a Man with many Countenances; and he hath a Book in his right hand. His Office is to teach all Arts and Sciences unto any; and to declare the Secret Counsel of any one."

10-Aug-2011 22:20:47

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