The Tower of High Socery, Redux

[for-magic.livejournal.com]

The Tower of High Sorcery didn't look much different these days from a distance, but up close the wizard's efforts showed.

The gates stood permanently open, now, but an obvious sign cautioned all visitors not to enter the cordoned-off areas. A magic mouth repeated those instructions, firmly but politely, to those who might not bother with reading in their haste to explore. Inside, Aibghalien had carefully cordoned every door, archway, or passage where spells would act against nonmagical sorts in any way. Still, that left a large area in the courtyard, the inner halls, and a large audience chamber where people could safely travel.

It was in the latter chamber that the wizard stood, pondering a lunar calendar that depicted the motions of three moons across the sky and their phases in exquisite detail.

Comments

[twilit-midna.livejournal.com]

"Huh. Pretty swanky." Midna had finally gotten around to visiting the apparently dangerous tower. Hey, she'd been busy.

"What do they have in there, the power of the gods?"

[for-magic.livejournal.com]

"Gods and wizardry rarely associated... or at least that is what I had believed, but apparently on this world three gods directly influenced the course and power of magic by virtue of the moons," he said distractedly, still pouring over the chart.

[twilit-midna.livejournal.com]

"Oh, you mean they don't do that everywhere?" asked Midna, examining her fingernails. "Pretty sure that's what they happened in Hyrule. No moons involved, though."

Well, now that this place was open, no point hanging around staring at some moons. Midna set off down one of the hallways, curious.

[for-magic.livejournal.com]

"At least on my homeworld, while there was a god of magic, he rarely interfered in the workings of magic. I'm actually not certain what divine purpose his existence served, except that humans are odd creatures who probably could only tolerate the existence of magic if they believed a power greater than themselves oversaw it." Did he sound a little disgusted? Oh yes he did.

"You're going to get yourself disintegrated if you go roaming," he warned.

[twilit-midna.livejournal.com]

"Hey, long as I stay in the roped-off areas, I'm good to go, right?" Or had Aibghalien been a little disingenuous about those notices?

She looked a little skeptically at him. "Aren't you a human?"

[gifthasacold]

Don't enter the cordoned-off areas?

The verbal repetition was interesting, and Thom spent a few minutes examining the sorcery that made it work, but he soon moved on.

The purpose behind the warning was clear as soon as he stepped over the first rope. Magic buzzed along his skin, and he had to stop, closing his eyes to force Roger's Gift to heel. It wanted to lash out at the probe. Thom kept his Gift tightly under control. The Tower was almost aware of him, it seemed, and he didn't want to test the limitations of its patience.

The answer was in here, somewhere. He was sure of it. This was a center of arcane power, similar to The City of the Gods, and Thom would find what he was looking for here.

WOO LET'S DO THIS!

[for-magic.livejournal.com]

"The magic mouth said don't!" an irritated wizard said from one room down. A moment later he stepped out of the audience chamber, and --

"Ah ha. I've been looking for you!"

SILLY LIVEJOURNAL, THAT'S NOT A TAG

[gifthasacold]

"That makes two of us," Thom said. He ignored the other wizard's comment about the warning - it was meant to keep out those not of their caliber. "I wished to return this. It is very informative. Not in the direction I needed, precisely."

The Lord of Trebond didn't see any sense in frustrating himself trying to puzzle out the omnicomm, and so he didn't use it. He had no idea that he was talking completely at cross-purposes with Aibghalien. He handed the borrowed book back. "Have you found any sort of library here? That is more what I'm in need of."

Despite his effort to keep his tone level, and to behave normally, Thom was visibly deteriorating. His fever was higher than it had been the whole time on Stacy and Roger's Gift rebelled harder by the day.

Mind if I tag Celena in here?

[curiousredsoul]

It hadn't taken her long to find the one she'd come to look for, especially when he called out. Though that other particular voice was rather familiar. The one known as Thom if she recalled correctly, one whom had proved rather interesting during their initial meeting. Disregarding the warnings herself, she was careful after all, she made her way towards the voices in her elven form (After all it was easier to get about in such buildings) she looked in through the doorway into the room both Abghalien and Thom were currently located within.

Even just looking at him, those same signs she had noticed in their first meeting had grown all the greater. After a moment she decided to make herself known, stepping into the room with a pleasant smile to them both, "There you are, Aibghalien, was about to go looking for you," she comments with the slightest of playful hints before giving the slightest dip of her head to the human wizard, "Thom, it's good to see you again, how has your research fared?"

[governorkang]

Kang was a bit surprised at what Aibghalien had done to the place, but a bit pleased. It wouldn't keep the stubborn ones out of the dangerous stuff, but it would deter most of the crew from getting blown up. When he found the elf, he looked down at the calendar, "...haven't seen those in somewhere around six years. Not since the gods left."

[for-magic.livejournal.com]

"So I'm interpreting this correctly -- the gods of magic dictated the ebb and flow of magical force itself for their followers based on the phases of the moon?"

He'd been doing a great deal of reading in the various libraries and whatnot, and though he hadn't sought out that particular fact -- just the opposite, in fact -- it proved to be a constant undercurrent in all deep discussions of magic and theory he'd encountered.

"I suppose it would be too much to hope that when the gods disappeared it led to a golden age of magical theory and progress."

[governorkang]

"You are. For mages, at least. Sorcerors like me don't need the moons," Kang nodded. "And unfortunately, when they disappeared, magic began to go wonky. It didn't work at all, for anyone, for a good few months, and although mages can still cast some spells, it's very hit and miss. At least, from everything I've heard."

Was. Had heard. He still preferred to talk in present tense about Krynn.

[for-magic.livejournal.com]

"The more I hear of your world, the more I'm glad I wasn't born on it," he said, chuckling. "We elves never had gods to begin with. Magic was in our blood."

He made a gesture, causing the chart to roll itself up. "This Tower... what can you tell me about it that I can't guess?" he said. "There's a great deal of... something here. Some appeal or call that runs deeper than simply my natural curiosity.

[ronnae.livejournal.com]

Ronnae ventured into the tower in hopes that she could find her friend. He had called on her earlier and she had finally gotten some time off to go do just that. Bag in tow with a snack and drink she made for him, she made her way past the different blocked areas, wondering what secrets were behind the warnings... She might make a trip later to sate her curiosity.

Once she caught sight of the elf, she smiled and waved timidly.

"H-hey Abi~"

[for-magic.livejournal.com]

He looked up from his ponderings with a smile. "At last. You have no idea how glad I am to finally do this."

He pointed at a sheath he'd set to one side, then turned his hand upward and curled his index and middle fingers. The massive blade rose into the air, then floated towards Ronnae in pace with the motion of his arm.

"It's done," he said, weary but intensely proud, "and it's yours."

[ronnae.livejournal.com]

She looked between the blade and Abi for a few moments before taking her new weapon, one forged with great care between two great people looking to help her in her plight. The sheer weight of it felt like a counter to the unsteadiness that Shadowmourne held over her body and soul.

She held it close to her form before smiling, a bit glossy eyed, and embracing Abi. "Thank you! Thank you both so much. This means so much to me~!"

After a few moments she broke the embrace, not wanting to crush her friend before looking up a bit embarrassed. She pulled up the small box and offered it up. "I... I didn't know if you had eaten yet, so I brought you something. Nothing too big, a nice pair of sandwiches and some tea since I didn't know if you ate heavily during this time of day." She admitted nervously.

[for-magic.livejournal.com]

Oh, it's better than just that.

To touch the blade is to embrace elation. The enchantments laid on it sent invigorating joy through the wielder, enough to (in the most literal sense) bring strength and lighten burdens. Gripped as a weapon, it shone with a royal blue light, laying knowledge of further powers gently within her mind. At her mental command it could summon forth a light as brilliant as high noon, anathema to the undead and the forces of evil, or focus the strength of its magics to intercept weapons aimed for her.

The sword was, of course, also enchanted to the very height of Aibghalien's skill -- which was not small.

He made a little surprised grunt as she embraced him, then with a smile returned the hug. "It was a pleasure to make, truly," he said. "And... "

When had he last eaten? "You've probably saved me from a stern look and word from Celena, so I think I owe you more than you owe me in this exchange," he said with a grin.

[dragonlordbight]

The Tower of High Sorcery of Wayreth, a structure of near myth to some on Krynn, a place to which though he had been but a scant few times in his long life, the last had been even before the first Cataclysm had shaken Krynn. The exterior itself seemed untouched by the many hundreds of years since his last he set foot on the grounds around the tower.

He didn't give the magic mouth a glance, though an amused snort was given as he walked on into the structure. It did not take him long to come across the elf he had met previously seemingly observing the phases of the moons, "Solinari, Lunitari and Nuitari," He spoke easily as he stepped up by the elf with that ever confident demeanor, "Aibghalien, I assume?"

[for-magic.livejournal.com]

"That I am," he said, looking up, "and you must be Lord Bight."

[dragonlordbight]

"Indeed, a pleasure to finally meet you," He replied as he turned to him, "I see that you have been busy here," He commented, nodding to one of the nearby cordoned off areas.

[for-magic.livejournal.com]

"It's necessary, given the enchantments laid upon this place. It was clearly meant to be inhabited and tended by a vast number of wizards, all of them privy to at least some level of its secrets and functionings." He exhaled, for a moment just struggling with the weight of his duty. "But you didn't come here to hear me complain, I assume."

[j-y-d.livejournal.com]

Chase keeps to the cordoned off areas, not even looking at the off-limits sections. Sorcery isn't really his thing, much as he has his share of magic. For those sensitive to it, the man himself is magical, the guns he carries, and especially the oversized sledge over his back even moreso.

Judging by the way he's moving, it seems he's more interested in finding one of the magic department's residents of the area than curious about the tower itself.

[for-magic.livejournal.com]

Given that those cordons lead pretty much directly to the audience chamber Aibghalien was currently holed up in, finding him is an easy task. At the man's entrance, the elf glances up with a polite smile.

[j-y-d.livejournal.com]

He nods casually to the elf. "Guessing you're one of the big official magic people around here, right?"

[for-magic.livejournal.com]

"Aibghalien Marsai, at your service," he said, bowing with razor precision.