Completed Arcana Intellego

[Rizzo Bouchard]

The Chamber of Lessat.

A small, underground ruin in the foothills of the Seret Mountains. Though hundreds of years old, unremarkable for the most part--already explored and catalogued by the College. Yet Istra was here now, having come back after deciphering some old texts and piecing together information from outside sources. The old moongazing mages that inhabited this Chamber centuries ago had a hidden room, once postulated but never actually found: the Observatory.

Ostensibly, she was here on behalf of the Elbion College. But, if there was anything deemed to be of sufficient value or interest to the Grand Council of Elbion, then she was tasked to recover it for them instead. Anything else would be returned to the College, for it was the small things like these acts of "service" which provided the continued maintenance of her cover.

Istra was alone. Or thought that she was.

In her right hand she held up an enchanted metal disk, this disk glowing with magic and giving off a soft bluish-white light, enough to illuminate most of the rooms in their entirety. The stone doors of the Chamber had long since been left open, and the Main Room was the largest (save, perhaps, for the Observatory). The ancient tiles of the floor were cracked here and there, though the "ruin" was hardly lived up to this moniker, for it was only in small, isolated spots that disrepair reigned.

Istra went from the Main Room to the quarters on the right--twelve small rooms arranged tightly together in a square hallway. From there, to the Library. Most of the books had been left on the shelves, since they were so badly damaged by time (and some deliberate vandalism from hundreds of years prior), the rest already taken to Elbion and examined.

And here in the Library of the ruin Istra heard a noise. A person? A creature?

She stopped. Considered extinguishing the lightdisk. Decided against it. She did not need it to see in the dark, but she did need its particular hue of light to locate the Observatory.

"Hello," she called out, her voice ringing between the rows of bookcases and cold walls. "Is anyone there?"

And to her surprise, there was.

 

[Gurnam]

Gurnam, a curious and obsessive man when it came to knowledge, sought to re-translate some of the texts there, certain that there was missing knowledge or misinterpretations thanks to his newly-discovered and already well-practiced old magics, specifically that of elemental magics that drew power from the surroundings in order to reshape or control various elements, the earth by far being the strongest. He was in the library with a floating sphere of captured light over his right shoulder, and he was deep in his work, trying to learn more, he had to learn more.

He knew nothing of the secret Observatory, though if he were to tune his senses into that of the earth beneath him he might discover it, he was there for books and scrolls, endless, ancient knowledge. He was so deep in his work that he never noticed the woman come in until she called out.

"Hmmm? Oh, yes, I'm here. My name is Gurnam, and yours?" He says with a friendly tone.

 

[Rizzo Bouchard]

Perhaps a response was better than no response. It precluded the possibility of her falsely hearing the presence of someone, but it also encompassed a willingness to talk on behalf of this (now confirmed) other party.

Istra worked her way through the library toward the sound of the other voice, noticing then the light that was separate from her lightdisk's own. Upon rounding the corner of the last row of bookshelves she saw him there, the man Gurnam. A tall man, certainly, and...purple eyes. Unnatural. Like her own. Another mage? His attire and very presence here suggested as much. College affiliated? Possibly. Such would be a minor complication--not insurmountable. And there still existed the chance that he was an self-taught sorcerer, or perhaps trained in an academy in Alliria--or even, remotely plausible, a Dreadlord from Vel Anir.

She placed her free hand on her chest. Said, "I am Professor Istra Lejeune, from the College of Elbion. We are well met, Gurnam. I would out of curiosity inquire of your business here in the Chamber of Lessat. Are you seeking something?"

Gurnam

 

[Gurnam]

She placed her free hand on her chest. Said, "I am Professor Istra Lejeune, from the College of Elbion. We are well met, Gurnam. I would out of curiosity inquire of your business here in the Chamber of Lessat. Are you seeking something?"

"It's a pleasure to meet you Professor Lejeune! As for what my business here is a long story, but to sum it up I have reason to believe that some of the texts here were, at least in part, misinterpreted or mistranslated. So I seek to ensure that my newfound knowledge doesn't bring anything new to light from scripts already observed. So far there are a few things, but thankfully nothing terribly substantial as to unseat major interpretations already made. I wish that I had attended the college myself, but my teacher was nomadic, and so I learned from him, and directly from books new and old. Anyway, what might you be doing here, and might I be of any assistance?"

He was a cheerful, friendly man, though he did word a few phrases wrong or in ways that made it sound rude or dismissive, but clearly unaware of this problem. So he was likely lacking in experience with people. He observed her just as she observed him, and he took note of a few things like her armour, mages in plate armor was not common.

 

[Rizzo Bouchard]

In Istra's estimation Gurnam appeared to be quite sincere. There existed always the small chance that he--and by extension every newly-met stranger--was an extraordinary liar, and this could not be discounted. Not within mere moments of having met the man.

Still, he seemed far more interested in his own work here in the library with the damaged texts than acquiring items of monetary or magical value. And, as it so happened, there existed the potential for the Observatory to have within it some Guardians--for the same had been reported guarding the Chamber at large when first it was explored. Gurnam could prove useful in this regard.

"Actually, you may," she said. "There is within this Chamber a hidden room. An Observatory. Fitting, for the mages of centuries prior who so concerned themselves with astronomy. I have reason to believe that this Observatory may possibly have Guardians of some description: Automatons of Living Armor, perhaps, such as the kind first encountered here. Maybe something different. Maybe nothing at all."

Istra shifted her stance slightly. Studied the man.

"Would it still interest you to assist me, knowing of this danger?"

Gurnam

 

[Gurnam]

"A hidden chamber called The Observatory? Where do we find this thing! Who cares what's guarding it? The knowledge that such a place could hold... I'll be happy to help, and if we do encounter a golem of some sort, my aforementioned newly-obtained knowledge will prove quite useful." He says excitedly. This was news, and good news at that. He couldn't wait to get started.

"Have you any clue or idea about where to look?"

 

[Rizzo Bouchard]

Eager. A useful eagerness. The work of Speculatores often involved finding people with convictions, intentions, and motivations that could be leveraged. Assets, and ones with merit at that.

Istra lifted the lightdisk she held, slightly, to bring his attention to it. Said, "From what I have come to understand, light of this bluish hue should reveal a switch or a button or a lever--the source material was unclear about which specifically. This mechanism should open the way to the Observatory."

She took a step back. Gestured with her head, indicating that she was preparing to continue on. "I have not seen this mechanism yet in the Main Room, the Quarters, or here in the Library. But there is still the Kitchen, Store Room, Study, and Alchemical Laboratory to check."

She cocked her head. Said, "Perhaps you might offer a suggestion on which to investigate first."

Gurnam

 

[Gurnam]

"I'd say it would make most sense to put it in the study or laboratory, since it is for observation, it seems most logical to put it near a place where things can be tested, if it was meant for some other purpose that they wanted to be inconspicuous, difficult to find and in plain sight, then the other two are more likely. Since we don't know which they wanted, we should begin with the two logical places, the study and laboratory, since those two make the most sense." He says following her, closing his notebook as he did and putting his charcoal pencil away in his satchel.

 

[Rizzo Bouchard]

Istra nodded in concurrence. "Sound reasoning. Then we should be off to the Laboratory then--it is the closer of the two."

She led the way through the rest of the library and to the portal doorway leading to the next short hall. Her boots clapped smartly on the tile and the blue light of her enchanted disk swam across the walls as she went. She turned right at the "T" intersection, crossing into the Alchemical Laboratory.

A smaller room. Counters and tables, the woodwork clean but degraded inevitably by age. All items of any relevant use or value had long been taken, leaving a few broken tools and rusted metal implements and cracked or shattered glassware upon the counter and tabletop surfaces. The mages who once occupied the Chamber evidently did not spend too much time here--a secondary vocation, one likely not shared by all.

Istra kept her lightdisk held aloft and walked about the Laboratory and searched for the appearance of the sought-after mechanism. Casually asked as she did, "Other than wishing to attend, do you have an opinion of the College?"

A glance over to Gurnam.

"You may be frank. I would prefer candor over politeness."

Small talk, ostensibly. But a method by which she could perhaps probe the manner in which he regarded the College, and thus either open or close the door to further inquiry. He might be suitable only for highly compartmentalized tasks; tasks such as this in the Chamber, where her cover was maintained and her true intentions never revealed. Or...he might just be suitable for tasks of a more sensitive nature.

Gurnam

 

[Gurnam]

"I think that it does a lot of good. Now nothing is flawless, and I might not know of any problems with the college thanks to my lack of experience with it, I'm sure that there are some. But like all problems, they can be analyzed, thought over and fixed. I wish that I attended because I wish to know more, and contribute to human knowledge on a grander scale. I also like the college because it also keeps young mages from getting ahead of themselves and trying something they aren't ready for, like..." He paused, his tone turning sad, then he shook his head and continued, "anyway, it's good in my opinion because it not only shares knowledge, but it helps to determine what knowledge is safe to have, and is technically available to everyone if they were to work for it. So all in all, a good and effective, albeit imperfect, system that provides learning for mages and scholars."

He was all the while using his aforementioned ancient magics to search the surrounding area by feel for unexplored chambers. If it was there, the earth would tell him.

 

[Rizzo Bouchard]

A generally favorable position, but with an acknowledgement of potential flaws. Leverageable, potentially. Another glance in his direction when he interrupted himself, and with that interruption a change in tone. Curious. But perhaps a negligible fact about him, one not worth pursuing.

Istra spoke casually. Said, "Yes. Imperfect," as she went slowly through the Workshop, checking around the corners of the counters and crouching down to observe small nooks and places where the eye did not naturally travel. Alas, she did not see the mechanism yet. Unbeknownst to her, Gurnam's ancient magic would indeed detect something in the earth--a hollowness, sloping downward, deeper into the foothills, even though this was paradoxical for an alleged Observatory.

Istra stood, her gaze meeting some broken glass of a vial at rest upon the surface of a counter. She squinted her left eye, irritated by the untidiness, as she had been throughout the relatively short duration of her time in the ruin. If this were a room in the College, or in her own home, she would have been compelled to sweep the shards of glass up with a brush and collect them and dispose of them. Unsightly disorderliness.

And it was then that the growing sound of footsteps on tile became apparent. Many footsteps. Boots and sabatons clomping and clanking. Voices as well, heard from the hall and the Library from which they had only just left, the words spoken made indistinct from the distance and corners.

Istra glanced toward the portal doorway of the Workshop. Apprehensive. She wasn't expecting anyone, nor did she believe that she had been followed--though the forested foothills of the mountains did provide ample enough cover. It seemed unlikely to be raiders or bandits or plunderers, or even adventurers for that matter; yet, it was not exactly common knowledge that the Chamber of Lessat had already been searched and rid of valuables.

She looked to Gurnam. Said in a low voice, "Were you expecting anyone?"

Gurnam

 

[Gurnam]

Unbeknownst to her, Gurnam's ancient magic would indeed detect something in the earth--a hollowness, sloping downward, deeper into the foothills, even though this was paradoxical for an alleged Observatory.

"Hold up. I think it's here." He says approaching a wall. He began to search the wall for possible signs that an entrance was there, or a lever or button of some sort that lead to the opening of the Observatory. It wasn't too long after this that he heard the footsteps. He was about to ask if she had company, but she asked him the same thing, which meant that she didn't. "No, I wasn't expecting anyone."

He stood at the ready, with his new magic at the ready. The dark element, that part of the ancient magic that had to do with minds and illusions and summoning, was what he chose this time. He used the dark element to find out how many people there were, and what their intentions were.

 

[Rizzo Bouchard]

Gurnam had a sense of where the approximate location of the hidden Observatory lay, through some magical means perhaps. If they had too much trouble finding the mechanism to open the secret door, then perhaps some Alteration of the stone could grant them passage through.

Still, there was little time, now that some new arrivals were coming toward them. And Istra was rather loath to leave the way into the Observatory open for them, or the door to it unsecure if perhaps they also knew of its existence and how to gain entry. Whoever they were, she concluded that it was better to make a stand here if indeed they proved to be hostile. The Workshop was very defensible: a small room with one entrance leading to a cramped hallway. Their numbers would count for nothing.

Again unbeknownst to her, Gurnam's magic seeped out and detected twelve people--a full dozen--heading now through the Library and approaching the hall to the Workshop and beyond. One among them shined the brightest in his intent: Stern adherence to securing something, and, furthermore, genuine concern for his daughter.

Istra stood facing the portal doorway, one of the Workshop tables between herself and said doorway, her hands lifted slightly from her sides in preparation for anything that might come.

Only, she wasn't as prepared as thought for what did come.

"Istra," called out a voice. The voice of her father, Maester Lejeune. "Istra, are you in here? Where are you."

She was taken aback, her more composed and serious demeanor diminished to one of blinking bewilderment. In this mild shock and confusion she could not even muster the resolve to respond. Though, as it so happened, there was little time for a response in any case. Maester Lejeune rounded the corner and came through the portal doorway into the Workshop, flanked by two other mages, and the hall behind the three of them filled with armored men.

Maester Lejeune spared a fleeting glance to Gurnam, seemed to determine that he was of little threat, and then focused on Istra. Said curtly, "Good. I'm glad to have found you. You are excused from your task of investigating the Observatory. Now leave."

Istra furrowed her brow, her bottom lip curling down. And she said, "What? Father, what is the meaning of this?"

"I said you are excused, Istra. Away now to the College." A flick of his eyes to Gurnam. "And take this man from the Chamber with you."

Gurnam

 

[Gurnam]

gain unbeknownst to her, Gurnam's magic seeped out and detected twelve people--a full dozen--heading now through the Library and approaching the hall to the Workshop and beyond. One among them shined the brightest in his intent: Stern adherence to securing something, and, furthermore, genuine concern for his daughter.

"Twelve of them. But I don't think that they are intending to be hostile, though they are definitely here for a reason." He wispered quietly to her as he prepared to use the very same Dark Element to manipulate the perceptions of anyone who came through. Though he was a little unsure of whether fighting them was a good idea, or if an arrangement could be struck.

"Istra," called out a voice. The voice of her father, Maester Lejeune. "Istra, are you in here? Where are you."

She was taken aback, her more composed and serious demeanor diminished to one of blinking bewilderment. In this mild shock and confusion she could not even muster the resolve to respond. Though, as it so happened, there was little time for a response in any case. Maester Lejeune rounded the corner and came through the portal doorway into the Workshop, flanked by two other mages, and the hall behind the three of them filled with armored men.

Maester Lejeune spared a fleeting glance to Gurnam, seemed to determine that he was of little threat, and then focused on Istra. Said curtly, "Good. I'm glad to have found you. You are excused from your task of investigating the Observatory. Now leave."

Istra furrowed her brow, her bottom lip curling down. And she said, "What? Father, what is the meaning of this?"

"I said you are excused, Istra. Away now to the College." A flick of his eyes to Gurnam. "And take this man from the Chamber with you."

"I'm afraid that we will require a little more explanation before we just leave. This is quite sudden, and without warning. Who are you and what authority do you have to order us out of this place? And what is your purpose here for wanting us gone?" He says, probing the man's mind for the answers, such questions would likely be unanswered up front, but his thoughts were likely to give away his intentions. He doubted that this man had malicious intent, due to the concern he had for the woman beside him, but that could spring from many sources, and was no guarantee.

"And even if you have authority to order her out, you have no authority over me. Explain yourself, and if your reasons are sound then I will stay or leave as I deem necessary." He says firmly, calmly and evenly. Unintimidated by the two mages beside the man.

 

[Rizzo Bouchard]

Gurnam stood his ground, refusing to capitulate to her father's demands. And this encouraged Istra, counterbalancing the weight of paternal authority held over her. Such as it had been for the vast majority of her life, loomed over by father's expectations and wishes and demands--the harsh punishments for disobedience. He brooked no failure nor shortcoming of hers in his stated goal of molding her into a woman of "outstanding moral character and class." And even now that she was such a woman, his demeanor and his ways had not changed.

And so after Gurnam had his say, Istra furthered it by adding resolutely, "Yes, Father, at least give us the courtesy of an explanation."

Maester Lejeune shifted his gaze from Gurnam (none too pleased by him) to his daughter. Said after a short moment, "Very well, I--"

His gaze snapped back to Gurnam then, this with a flare of alerted anger. Small, precise motions of fingers followed, encasing his mind in a ward of protective magic, but not before a word, clearly rising above the murk of others, had slipped without his knowing from it by Gurnam's own magic. The word: Alignment.

"You churl," Maester Lejeune snapped at Gurnam. "You deceptive rodent of a man, with your guise of civility and underhanded magicks. I thought I had sensed something earlier."

He snapped his fingers back at the two mages flanking him, and they--catching on in a surprised manner that suggested that they, unlike Maester Lejeune, had not sensed the presence of Gurnam's ancient magic--gave the small motions as him and cast similar wards upon themselves. Istra's eyes shifted to Gurnam: what did he do?

Maester Lejeune's scowl grew slightly, creasing the old and dark skin of his face. He said to Gurnam, "Yet in deference to my daughter I will deign to address your concerns, despite your attempt to invade the sanctity of my mind, sorcerer."

Istra kept a calm exterior, but internally, Gurnam became instantly repellent to her. Not on the part of his personality, which she found rather pleasant, nor the morality of using some manner of mind-probing magic, which bothered her not in the slightest. It was the simple fact that Gurnam had such magic at his command. He could, at any point, potentially invade her mind and extract the knowledge that she was a Speculatore, and ruin her entire life. Now, in one fell swoop, Istra had mentally swung from being invested in her task with the Observatory and working with Gurnam and standing up to her father to wanting nothing more than to simply get away. Get. The fuck. Away.

Yet her departure needed to seem natural. Lest Gurnam's curiosity get the better of him and he decide to find out why she had such a sudden change of heart, to which--unlike her father--she would have no defense.

Meanwhile, Maester Lejeune had taken a breath. Calmed to a slight degree. And said, "Neither you nor Istra are prepared for what awaits in the Observatory." An aside to Istra as he elaborated further, "New information came to light shortly after you departed Elbion. We rode hard, and it was my hope to catch you before you had wasted too much of your time, Istra, but alas. Yet it is fortunate enough that I found you before you entered."

Istra made a motion to speak, but Maester Lejeune had already turned his attention back to Gurnam. "And you are right. I have no direct authority over you, save only that of overwhelming force. But--unlike you--I will not deploy my magicks unless it is absolutely necessary. I have no quarrel with you, and this is being done for your own good. Your own good, the good of my daughter, and the good of the people of Elbion itself. You are ill-equipped to disarm the threat nestled in the Observatory, and I will not entrust such a task to inexpert hands when I possess the precise knowledge required to safely attend to it. Is that reason enough for you?"

Gurnam

 

[Gurnam]

Maester Lejeune's scowl grew slightly, creasing the old and dark skin of his face. He said to Gurnam, "Yet in deference to my daughter I will deign to address your concerns, despite your attempt to invade the sanctity of my mind, sorcerer."

"Ah, I should have suspected that you'd be able to detect that. But I had to be certain that you were speaking truth, after all words can be deceptive, your thoughts cannot. As for invading your mind, that I have yet to be capable of, and I shan't endeavor to become capable of anytime soon. Think of it more like pressing one's ear to the door, had you spoken a lie, you're mind would have spoken otherwise, I don't need to pierce your mind to tell the difference between what your mind is saying and what your mouth is saying. Though you speak fairly, it was a little hasty of me to be so quick to mistrust a man who seems so aggressive in his words towards the two who just happen to be here when you think that they shouldn't be. Had it never occured to you that a simple explanation to begin with could have avoided this particular hiccup?"

Meanwhile, Maester Lejeune had taken a breath. Calmed to a slight degree. And said, "Neither you nor Istra are prepared for what awaits in the Observatory." An aside to Istra as he elaborated further, "New information came to light shortly after you departed Elbion. We rode hard, and it was my hope to catch you before you had wasted too much of your time, Istra, but alas. Yet it is fortunate enough that I found you before you entered."

Istra made a motion to speak, but Maester Lejeune had already turned his attention back to Gurnam. "And you are right. I have no direct authority over you, save only that of overwhelming force. But--unlike you--I will not deploy my magicks unless it is absolutely necessary. I have no quarrel with you, and this is being done for your own good. Your own good, the good of my daughter, and the good of the people of Elbion itself. You are ill-equipped to disarm the threat nestled in the Observatory, and I will not entrust such a task to inexpert hands when I possess the precise knowledge required to safely attend to it. Is that reason enough for you?"

"And who are you to judge what I am capable of? How much of me do you know? For all you truly know I am superior to you in the mystic arts. I claim no such thing of course, but you have no grounds to claim that I am unprepared, besides, I can find this Observatory much quicker than you can, considering I already have." He says with a grim look. "Entrust all you will to your daughter, but I will be the one to judge what I am prepared to handle."

 

[Rizzo Bouchard]

Her father and Gurnam were having their back and forth. Featured in it was an elaboration of Gurnam's power--which brought Istra no solace whatsoever. Calculated lying was her stock-in-trade as a Speculatore. And she would always be in critical danger when she could not carefully control the truth. She wished now that she had the magical capacity for a ward such as her father's own to protect her mind, but alas, such was not a luxury she could afford for herself.

Maester Lejeune was about to retort to Gurnam when Istra said to him, her eyes cast down. "Father?"

"What?" He snapped. Then, upon realizing who was speaking, he calmed again, and spoke more calmly, "What is it, Istra?"

"I should like to leave now," she said. And she added as well, "I am glad as well that you found me before it was too late."

An excuse to exit the scene, and also an attempt to defuse some of her father's fiery temper, such that Gurnam--despite the imminent danger he posed to her--need not suffer the excruciating fullness of it. And it seemed that perhaps she was successful on both counts.

Maester Lejeune gave a small gesture of his head and said, "Very well. Return to Elbion on your own--I shall be quite some time, and you need not wait for me."

With a nod and nothing else, Istra slipped past her father and the two College mages that flanked him and crossed into the hallway and passed the armored men lined up there and walked back to the Library.

Meanwhile, Maester Lejeune turned his attention back to Gurnam and said flatly, "Yet it remains that your presence in the Observatory is wholly unnecessary. Your capabilities could rival the God Aionus Himself and you would still lack the requisite knowledge of how to apply it in this specific context. This knowledge I retain." He tapped his chest for emphasis. "I do. And for the people of Elbion I will disarm the peril there and in this endeavor I will brook no interference nor meddling."

Maester Lejeune gave a dismissive wave of his hand. "Now away with you. There are plenty more Chamber rooms for you to explore. But for your own good you will leave the Observatory to me and my associates, sorcerer."

* * * * *​

Istra stopped for a moment in the Library. Held out her right hand and leaned against a bookshelf with her head bowed and shoulders hunched. By her face she held her up her left hand. Watched her fingers shake, quaking with a stressful nervousness she had not experienced in years.

She stared hard at her shaking hand. Stared as if an iron glare could cow her hand into stillness.

It did not. And her hands continued to shake and her heart to thunder furiously in her chest.

Gurnam

 

[Gurnam]

Meanwhile, Maester Lejeune turned his attention back to Gurnam and said flatly, "Yet it remains that your presence in the Observatory is wholly unnecessary. Your capabilities could rival the God Aionus Himself and you would still lack the requisite knowledge of how to apply it in this specific context. This knowledge I retain." He tapped his chest for emphasis. "I do. And for the people of Elbion I will disarm the peril there and in this endeavor I will brook no interference nor meddling."

Maester Lejeune gave a dismissive wave of his hand. "Now away with you. There are plenty more Chamber rooms for you to explore. But for your own good you will leave the Observatory to me and my associates, sorcerer."

“Knowledge is all I seek, I do not need to interfere or meddle with anything, such is not my intent. Disarm whatever you will however you will, but I’ll not be leaving simply because some prideful man decided that he had authority over me. Try as you will to make me, I’ll not leave, and as you said, you retain knowledge that I don’t have, so too do I retain knowledge that you know nothing of. Now you and your twelve companions can suffer my presence or risk open combat in this place should you try to use force. Don’t test me novice, I am far more dangerous to the narcissistic than to any other.” His own anger was rising quickly, but his was far more controlled, and that was what made him dangerous, that he was able to channel his anger and make it work for him, rather than let it run amok and control him. The ground shook as it responded to his anger, his connection to the earth being even stronger since they were underground, and since that was his focus of study.

“Now, are we going to quarrel, or are you going to except my “unnecessary” presence and continue with your task. Besides, for all you truly know, which is far less than you think you do, I might just be of assistance in there.”

 

[Rizzo Bouchard]

Istra gathered herself and even though the quaking of her hands had not entirely ceased she turned to leave. But the ground shook beneath her, and some of the tomes on the bookshelves fell from their perches and to the floor in a dusty and moldy flapping of old pages. She spread her legs, grabbed hold of a bookshelf to steady herself, and waited until the quake had passed.

What in the hell was going on back there? She could still hear Gurnam and father talking, so it was unlikely that the way to the Observatory had been opened. Yet this proved to be a boon. Father, for all of his unpleasant and tyrannical ways he'd subjected her to in the past, was at least now inadvertently providing for her a distraction. Gurnam could be the most admirable man across the whole of Arethil, and still he would be too substantial of a risk to associate with.

But this small encounter had driven home a crucial necessity that Istra was now thoroughly encouraged to pursue: some method, be it magic of her own or an enchanted device of some description, with which to protect her mind and her thoughts. Rare as this threat might well be, so devastating was it to have a mage like Gurnam pluck the lie from a carefully crafted half-truth, or indeed probe freely in her thoughts, that the aforementioned protection would be well worth even the most considerable of costs.

Istra walked through the Library and through the Quarters and back out through the Main Room and to the outside. Saw an armored man much like the ones in the hallway who had accompanied father inside minding the dozen horses that had joined her own in grazing the grasses immediately outside of the Chamber. The armored man, surprised at first, nevertheless recognized Istra and gave a nod. She returned one.

Then went to her horse and prepared to mount it.

* * * * *​

The armored men in the hallway murmured and cursed among themselves as the ground shook. The two mages behind Maester Lejeune glanced about. And Maester Lejeune kept his eyes on Gurnam. On his hands, specifically.

He said, "If the situation were not so dire, then I would humble you as I do my students, boy, and allow you to make a pure mockery of yourself in the Observatory. Yet as amusing as this would undoubtedly be, I shall not allow you into the Observatory under any circumstances. It would be wholly an impotent effort should I take such pains to disarm the threat only to have you reactivate it upon scrutinizing my methods, for perhaps this is your plan and pure malice against Elbion and her people is your intent. Regardless, this knowledge you shall not have, for it is too dangerous for you and your rampant untrustworthiness to hold."

Maester Lejeune's dark scowl deepened, the creases of his old skin driving enshadowed trenches across the span of his visage.

"Go on then: Prove your malice to me. Start a quarrel, if your thirst for knowledge begets a thirst for blood in service to it."

Gurnam

 

[Gurnam]

"Go on then: Prove your malice to me. Start a quarrel, if your thirst for knowledge begets a thirst for blood in service to it."

“If that is what is required for this place to be opened, then we are at an impasse. I harm only those who seek to harm me, as your hubris has clearly shown to not be beneath you. I’ll not be the first to strike you, as knowledge and knowledge alone is all I seek, not violence, but should you or any man of yours attempt to remove me by force, I will see to it that they be freed of their heads.” He spoke as he wove the Dark Element around himself, bending light so that there appeared to be three of him where there once was one, and all were simple illusions, the real him was bending light around him with the Dark Element to remain invisible. Then three voices, all identical, spoke together, “Make your own choice, if it comes to violence, it will begin with your hand not mine, but I will not leave as a coward when threatened by a man too cowardly himself to face me alone.”

The tremors hadn’t started up again, but pressure in the earth was building. While this might seem almost godly, most young mages would be capable of doing so with his kind of magic, as it doesn’t draw power from him, but rather from the elements around him, and redirected or channeled this power, letting him keep up large feats of magic for minimal personal strain. And right now, he was most surrounded by Earth and Dark, so those were his greatest allies.

 

[Rizzo Bouchard]

Istra mounted her horse and with a tug of the reins and a light kick to its sides she was off. Departing the Chamber of Lessat without further incident.