Fable - Ask (The coven): Initiate

[Asuego 'Susanna']

Inviting all Daughters o the Leafsie Lord!


Asuego meandered through their coven's cromlech. The forests' fresh green was a strong scent that relaxed the nerves, something important when communing with the lords of the pits. The young initiate to the coven was still unwise in the ways of the demons, and finding her familiar might just be her first experience with the lords of the pits.

It was wonderful to be together with the sisters once more.
» Selina, come, sister, « Beckoned Asuego. It was the young witches big day and the first step might just be merely picking out from who's legion her familiar will come.
Caressing the back of the book, she already knew what pages to present to the youth.
There were seven demon lords of the pits with eligible contracts.

Selina Altas Medea

 

[Medea]

The grove which surrounded them was a vibrant wall of foliage, speckled with rare flowers and herbs that provided a pleasant scent unlike any most have ever experienced. Branches seemed to idly sway in an invisible breeze, bending away from the witches as their presence grew nearer and inching closer as they moved away.

It was the pride of Medea, and one she delighted in putting on display to her sisters. Many of the plants that made the garden up were of her own creation, intricately woven unions between rare ingredients that made something entirely new.

On this occasion, the Grove Witch had ensured that the herbs on display were those known to aid in communicating beyond the veil. After all, today was the day their youngest member found her familiar. She turned her gaze from a particularly moody plant to the young witch Selina, granting her a characteristically warm — if slightly unsettling — smile. "Yes, you have an important decision ahead of you."

 

[Selina Della Altas]

How long had she been in the coven... a day? maybe two? The days were running together but she was excited. This was magic, this was a magical place! She could probably even make a new Arcane Focus here since this showed all the signs of being a magical nexus of at least three lay lines.

She followed her new sisters into the grove, they were going to teach her things and that's precisely why she was there. Magic existed in the world and in nature, but there was an ethereal aspect to everything that most magic users ignored.

A familiar, but the way it was described was far different from a wizards familiar. This was a spiritual entity capable of independent thoughts and actions, who knew many secrets that their creators didn't know.
She was nearly bursting with glee and anticipation! "I'm excited to begin! What do I do first?"

 

[Asuego 'Susanna']

Asuego carried two hefty books, one read grimoire deamonia, but this one loosely hung off her belt, and as of now...unused.

» First is your choice in the demon you will bind to your chosen beast. « The witch then offered Selina a book that read Encyclopedia Daemonica.
There were plenty of demons present, 31 to be exact with one page torn from the book. But Asuego pointed out only a few.

Malfias - Ruler of the west, called the terrible prince and is as mighty as Paivas. He can turn males inept and causes strife among woman and men. He procures familiars of the aquatic nature. He can also turn people invisible and speaks of lies of the past present and future.

Person - Takes on the form of a person riding a goodly white horse or a ragged huntsman. He seeks magically hidden treasure and uncovers lies. He procures good familiars and talks to animals. Person can see through magical illusions and deception.

» Malfias and Person are a Princes of the pits, their domain may be too difficult to summon a demon to bind as a familiar. Perhaps worth a try, you are talented.«

Andromedas (Andromas)* - Ravenous Andromedas appears as a handsome, bat-winged young man wearing a jade crown or chains, often riding a white, winged horse. He procures loyal fire familiars and is the keeper of promises and despoiler of groins. The Conjurer mustn't offer Andromas food should he ask.

Dandelian - Friend of horses and beasts of burden, he speaks of truth in the past and future and protects the conjurer from evil influence. He takes on the form of a horse, sometimes with an ox-headed rider growing out of his back. He procures enduring familiars.

» Perhaps a familiar from the domain of a Marquis of the Pits will seem more attainable? My fire sprite is governed by Andromas.«

Valas - The Knight of strife who causes hierarchical unrest and battles for rank. Valas is considered a good familiar until he outwits the conjurer. He tests men with riddles and rhymes.

Cayum - He takes on the form of a kite-winged woman with geese's feet. He governs over wind and procures witty familiars. He protects travellers and raises fertility among women. He may cause strong winds and bad weather.

Allocar - He takes on the appearance of a wooden man with an owl's or snake's head, riding a dog. In one hand he carries a basket, in the other a wand. He teaches all secrets of animals and plants and procures faithful familiars.

» Or a Knight of the Pits... The choice is yours, pick wisely for your familiar will be one with you and any harm done onto them will be done onto you.«

 

[Medea]

Medea moved to Selina's side, dull grey eyes glancing at the pages presented by Susanna. Nodding along to what her sister was saying, she began to prepare the next stage of the ritual — plucking herbs from nearby bushes, the occasional brightly-colored flower, and other ingredients which she placed in a seemingly random way.

"I've made deals with Astora before, my own familiar is of his domain," she added at the mention of the the Pits, casting a glance over to the pair. "Don't let our experience define yours, however. Choose what you believe is wisest."

 

[Selina Della Altas]

She looked over the information on the different demons. All of them were interesting in their own ways, but the one that stood out to her was Person, his ideals seemed to align with her own, to see through deception and see the world for what it really is, to seek out and find hidden knowledge and forbidden treasures.
"I would like to summon a familiar from Person. For all the knowledge I have there are still so many things hidden from me."

For her knowledge was treasure, the most valuable treasure of them all no matter the source. If she can truly summon an otherworldly being just imagine the knowledge that can be gained by befriending such a creature!
Her powers grow exponentially the more knowledge she obtains, and the more magical insight she receives. There is utility in magic, dangerous yes, but useful when in the hands of someone experienced and skilled in its use.

If she could contact Person and gain his favor and a familiar... She could only imagine the ways her knowledge would increase. Besides, if she were to be bound to such a creature as a familiar, why settle for a lesser creature?

 

[Asuego 'Susanna']

» Wise decision.«
Asuego closed the book, snapped it's bindings together and hung it off her belt, the grimoire daemonia was then handed to Selina.
» In it is the recipe for the brew of the fallen and the schematic for the familiar summoning circle rite. However, your first test would be the brew, « Asuego glanced over to her grove witch companion.
» Medea will lead you through the art of brewing, and here, this is an offering from my garden...« The cutter-witch gave Selina a bushel of belladonna, perhaps the most important hallucinogen in any witch's brew.

 

[Medea]

As the book slammed shut, Medea brought over a cauldron. A viscous liquid bubbled within it, swirling idly as if yearning to be stirred. "The brew of the fallen requires utter adherence to the recipe, sister. Stray too far from it, and payment must be derived from something else."

She left the ominous warning at that, hoping it would be enough to ensure Selina's caution. "The belladonna is the first ingredient, it must be crushed to a fine dust and sprinkled into the cauldron." A pale hand found the mortar and pestle, pushing it close to the young witch. "As you do so, paint an image in your mind of Person. Make it as vivid as you can, and memorize it."

What followed was a series of instructions, Medea telling the witch to find various herbs from the expansive grove surrounding them to place into the cauldron with a varied amount of accompanying requirements, from reciting chants to arranging them in a certain way, all while stirring the mixture. Slowly, it seemed to be forming an almost ethereal nebula, vibrant purples mixing with the dullest blacks.

"The final ingredient is an offering of your choice. It is not to be placed inside and mixed, no. It is an offering of words, the breath of the willing. Speak into the cauldron of why you desire it, why communion with Person is what you seek." Medea spoke plaining, gesturing to the cauldron as she did so.

Once Selina spoke, the potion would hum with a newfound vibrancy, and it was done.

 

[Selina Della Altas]

She took the book and flipped to the recipe for Person. It was simple enough with dire consequences as would be expected. She had been dealing with dangerous spells of similar nature where the price for failure is high. This was basically a ritual involving several material components.
A revelatory thought entered her head! Advanced alchemy could be described as spells with many material components involved!

She smiled as she went to work, keeping that image in her mind that she was casting a spell. There was a mental component as well. She had to create a clear mental image of Person in her mind and memorize it, probably the easiest part for her given her photographic memory.
She took the Belladonna and began crushing it in the bowl with the pestle.

She followed the instructions to the letter. She was good at that much at least. She's had to perform magical rituals under the strict guidance of her professors and she was one of the best in her class.

Then came the verbal component, invoking the spirit with her reasons why she wishes to summon them.
"I seek Person to lift the veil. The world is full of secrets, and I have made it my goal to know those secrets. The world is hidden from me, knowledge is hidden from me. I seek Person to help me to see, to aid me in my search for knowledge. I want to look beyond what others can see and know what others cannot know."

With that invocation, the potion was complete. She wiped her brow and found out she was sweating in spite of herself. She had been so focused on the potion that she nearly lost consciousness of the rest of the world.
She sighed and then looked up at her teachers, her sisters.

 

[Asuego 'Susanna']

As the two prepared the brew of the fallen, Asuego cleared the internal court of the forest from debris with her besom.
Since the last time the witches have congregated, the area inside the cromlech has been covered in small flat stones, with only the centre remaining bare pine silt.
It should be perfect for a large schematic...

When the two were done, Asuego seemed impressed by the result.
The witch smiled softly.
» Page 123, the rite of summoning a familiar and page 125, rite of binding.«
Asuego handed over the ghastly chalk to Selina.
The schematic on the circle for summoning a familiar seemed relatively complex, with lots of circles extending outwards in rays as well as places for names of power.
» The first required circle is the summoning rite. All names should be replaced with Person's brand, written in the oil. The brand is found in the Encyclopedia for your convenience. All other lateral and horizontal lines should be in chalk.«
Asuego walked over to the centre of the court.
» Keep enough Oil of the Fallen left for your beast of choice and yourself.«

 

[Medea]

"Well done, sister," Medea commented as she looked over the elixir, an impressed look briefly adorning her visage. "You'll make a skilled brewer one day."

Nodding to Asuego to continue the ritual, she took a step back to allow her to begin. "Asuego will help you with the required rites."

 

[Selina Della Altas]

Again she followed the instructions to the best of her ability. She was beginning to get excited, her mind was running a million thoughts a second and she had to force herself to remain focused. She was about to summon a familiar, but not just some mindless servant, a real thinking being from another realm!

She drew on the ground as the book indicated, using the white chalk that Asuego gave her. She copied the patterns that she saw in the book using her photographic memory to its full extent.

The implications of having a familiar such as this was astounding! Summoning creatures from other realms of existence, and people did it all the time in summoning rituals! Summoning a creature was much different than animating something with magic, creating a golem, automaton, homunculus, or elemental. She was in the process of transporting another being across the boundaries of reality itself!

She stood up after completing the circles, wiping off her brow. She was practically shaking in anticipation but also smiling. She looked to her teachers.
"What we're doing is incredible, I can't wait! What's the next step? I'm giddy with anticipation!"

 

[Asuego 'Susanna']

» What we're doing is dangerous, young one. And you don't have yet your apparatus. Here, « Asuego handed Selina her blade of cold iron.
It was dark and smelled distinctly of metal. It's black blade shifting in hues in the dim light that passed through the clearing.
» What may come through may not be fully subjugated by yourself, and sometimes not even the names of the sacred trinity will protect you from them. A blade not of cold or silver will harm them not.«

Asuego then slowly walked away, taking her wand, which was only a few decimeters shorter of her and encircled herself by drawing a line around where she stood. It would be advised for Medea to do the same.

The witch called out some of the sacred names holy to her before mentioning to Selina.

»Drink part of your potion, leave the other for your chosen beast. Wet it's muzzle.«

 

[Medea]

Medea's hand slowly drifted in the air, a gentle breeze encircling her as it carved a path through soft dirt. She murmured a few prayers, calling the names of spirits and dryads to aid her in whatever may come next.

"And sister," she called out towards Selina, "take this." In her hand, she produced a white flower with yellow specks. "The White Blackthorn flower, it can protect against the fickle balance of fate communion can so often turn."

If Selina takes it or not, Medea watched from her protective circle, intrigued to see how this would progress.

 

[Selina Della Altas]

Selina took the blade. So this was an apparatus? She wondered what an apparatus meant to a witch. Was it simply their form of an arcane focus? She had never thought of channeling magic through a weapon, that would be very efficient for someone skilled with weapons and magic.

She accepted the apparatus but wasn't entirely sure what to do with it. She also turned and accepted the flower Medea offered her. She needed all the help she could get.

Finally when everyone was ready, she dipped into the potion and drank the concoction. It didn't taste as bad as she thought it would. A fleeting thought passed through her mind that she should have cast detect magic or something to give her an idea of what might happen to her, but she was committed now.
The potion began to take effect and when it did she went down hard. Gut wrenching pain drove her down to her knees and she cried out. The circles and names began to glow around her and when she opened her eyes it was like she had just entered a nightmare.

 

[Asuego 'Susanna']

The visions Selina would now have would be entirely her own. Any vivid hallucinations entirely bridged by the concoction of included belladonna.
Some said the witches were a sham, that none of these things were real, but is it truly their fault that a mere mortal could not see the world for what it truly is?
When one cannot see ghosts or trails of magic fire? when each unicorn is but a visage of a small goat?

Truly.

Asuego watched Selina collapse upon the chalk. It was not her time to converse with her vision of Person, does she remember the steps in the rite of binding?
Call out the name of her cat, call out the name of Person to bind him. Curse the names of the divines to get him to submit and bind one of his lessers into the cat.

 

[Selina Della Altas]

The world turned inside out for her. Suddenly up was down, solid was ethereal, real was false, and nonsense made sense.
Selina stood on the sky as the ground blew overhead and the air waved from the force of the trees, everything she knew to be true was suddenly false, now her brain beat quickly and her heart thought rapidly.
Limbo, this had to be limbo, if she lost focus then she might not be able to return.
She squeezed her mouths shut and remembered why she was there, why she was risking her life here and now.

When she opened her eyes she was on the ground again, back in the glowing circle, but she was alone.
She had to perform the rest of the ritual, Person was watching.
"Dale! Person! I curse Astra, I curse Metisa, I curse the celestials! Give me a loyal servant to aid me in finding the secrets of all things arcane and mundane!"
A flash of the circle, a blinding surge of energy and an overwhelming blast of power.

Selina fell unconscious in the real world, the circle vanished and a tiny Margay cat sat beside her.