Closed Crushing some shadows

[Abraia]

55th of summer 124

There were many crates that needed to be sorted. Among them was a delivery of alkahest that she had ordered. She did not know which crate it was in. Her employee was quite useless nowadays.

Abraia had officially moved from Paradise back to her home town. Something had happened with Caelum. He wasn't the same anymore. Or was he always like that? She heard whispers that an aelf was more involved with Paradise and ever since then she felt uneasy.

It didn't feel right to leave but it also didn't feel right to stay. So she was on a break. She had given that place seasons of her life. To a dragon that was probably nothing. She was in a sour mood while she sorted.

She decided to focus more on her business. The building had made some renovations and she had taken on some more employees. They worked on getting deliveries and expanding her contract reach.

 

[Engill]

Engill strode through the market with the air of determination of a woman who is on a mission. It was possible to feel the aroma of spices and herbs. The rows of goods were mirrored in her keen eyes that were searching for alkahest dust.

She noticed the merchant she was looking for. He was a man of rather coarse appearance, dressed in a shabby cloak, and with a sinister expression in his face. His stall was filled with vials, pouches and other rather mysterious objects, but what caught Engill's eye was a pouch with a silvery powder inside.

"Give me the alkahest," she said in a professional tone pointing at the pouch in front of her.

The merchant looked at her and saw the tenacity in her and nodded. He handed her the dust which she put in her pocket.

"Thank you for your patronage," said the merchant but he sounded a little uneasy.

Instead, she only nodded at him then proceeded to walk away from him and move towards the Arcane Anvil. The streets started getting empty as she approached the blacksmith shop.

She then glanced around to ensure that nobody was watching her, then climbed another tree near her. She was a thin girl and blended in with the branches as she climbed up to a position where she could view the Anvil from above.

From this position she could easily monitor the activities of the people who came to the forge.

 

[Makt]

Makt wasn't the type to care much about weapons. He was more of the type to use his tendrils. He could control them as well as he could move his own arm, so other weaponry seemed so… irrelevant. Still, he thought that visiting one of the smiths around town that was gaining popularity was a good idea.

To afford a great weapon, he had saved up a LOT of money. He'd used the last of what he could scrounge up to make a massive purchase of alkahest this very morning. He made his way to the Arcane Anvil, a place that supposedly used to be a house and was now turned into one of the most amazing smithies in all of aelheim. Well, as far as faelnir were concerned.

"Hello," he said when he walked through the doors into the small waiting room. "I'm here to see Abraia. I wanted to discuss having a weapon made. Specifically, I'm interested in some ensorcelling work." He held up some alkahest dust to show that he was serious. He had purchased an incredibly large amount over the past season. He didn't know if all of this was necessary, but he'd heard of orders being rejected so he didn't want to be turned away.

210

 

[Abraia]

Abraia pushed a crate aside when she heard someone open the door. She poked her head in and saw Makt.

"I am currently accepting orders. What did you want to make?"

She had not used ensorcelling in quite some time. She was amassing a lot of anathemite but she wasn't going to use it just yet.

"I am crested. I can make your order look supernatural. Take a look around and you can see examples of my work. Feel free to fetch me when you've made up your mind."

She would step back to her crate. She knew that some people needed some time to take in what she was capable of. Sometimes they would even leave and come back another day when they got more inspiration.

She was the only one in the building right now. Even her front desk worker was off on errands.

 

[Makt]

Makt looked at Abraia, linking to her mind nearly instantly as was his habit. He would attempt to fill her mind with excitement upon seeing him and, upon seeing how she looked, a little bit of lust. His touch was gentle enough to avoid suspicion… most of the time anyways.

"I suppose what I want is going to depend on your capabilities," he said while looking around at the examples on the walls. They were all beautiful, but having no artistic talent he didn't know if he could accurately describe how he wanted his order to look like. He would have to trust in the crafter's judgement.

He spent a few minutes thinking, or at least pretending to think since that was what Abraia seemed to want him to do. Afterwards, he went to look for her and to see what all the noises were. She seemed to be working with some crates.

"You need some help?" he asked her. "I could use magic to open them and take out their contents, if you'd like." He'd give her a genuine smile then continue, "about this order. I have a lot of alkahest to work with… and I was hoping you would be able to make me an item that had some sort of permanence. An artifact that could expend spell reserves and regenerate them over time. As for what those spell reserves would do… I don't know what you're capable of. All I have is aetherite, which I assume limits my options."

He paused again, then said, "but what kind of effects would I like… hmm… I suppose something that would help me fight and capture animals would be the most useful for my job. Do you have any ideas?"

500

 

[Engill]

Engill climbed to a branch which was at a reasonable height that would enable her to oversee the entrance of the Arcane Anvil. From there she could see those who entered and left, those who came and went and those who were interested in the activity of the old forge. She had been observing for a while now, this was because her curiosity had been aroused by gossips and rumors that she had come across. But now the vision was much better and she saw only one person approaching her and she knew him.

Makt.

Engill was now sure that it was a human, though the figure was still quite a distance away, and was striding, and determined.

Engill frowned and his thin lips twisted into a sneer at the man's words. A man so brave and self-confident who is entering this place so important?

She had of course thought that some day she might actually step inside herself. But as she watches Makt enter the door of the Anvil she finds out that she is not as strong as she once believed she was. What was the point?

No she would not go inside, no need for her to do so. However much the Anvil knew or possessed which was most probably some obscure lore, it was not worth the price of equality with the lower forms of life. For Engill it was too late, her pride was too large, she was too superior.

It was not the only way, not the direct way, to get what she wanted. This means that if Makt went into the Anvil, any other human could as well.

She would find her own human to send into the Arcane Anvil in her stead, in order to place her order.

 

[Abraia]

Abraia was struck by Makt's presence. His offer excited her in a way she hadn't felt in a long time. She couldn't help but feel lustful as well. He was male, not bad looking, maybe this could be her rebound.

She didn't give away her desires quiet yet. When he came to help she said "oh, you're a mage? What can you do? If you don't mind, I would like everything taken out and stacked neatly."

"We call those items exalted. I could make you an exalted item but bear in mind they are ten times as expensive. Aetherite is my specialty. I have casted lightning bolts, earth spells, it's all fairly routine. If I wanted to capture something, I would recommend a spell that mimicked ablation. The difficulty is the range. It will not work very far. Ten to fifteen feet would be the range but you could point it at anything and it would slow aether down. That could make someone unable to cast or make an animal unable to move."

She went on and on about the specifics that maybe nobody but someone like her would care about. When she was done she said that "but effects aside, what kind of item would you like. It should be something you can point and aim. A sword, a ring, etc."

 

[Makt]

Makt continued to feed Abraia emotions. It seemed that it worked quite well as she sounded quite excited about the project of his. As she spoke he grew his tendrils and used them to lift things out of the crates. He stacked them neatly, as requested, though he used a little bit of telekinesis to help with the heavier objects. It ought not to have been obvious that he was a Deep One, however. He might have simply appeared to be stronger than he looked.

When Abraia was done talking, he would say, "a ring sounds perfect, actually." He then pulled out the bag of alkahest and handed it to her. "This should cover the costs. Make it as strong as you can."

He could already picture himself pointing the ring at a raging tiger just to have its body go limp right as it pounced on him. Though he realized that he would still have a tiger's body flying at him in that particular scenario. He could think of other uses for it too, such as making his faelnir victims unable to move. To hear that it might even be able to stop someone from casting… perhaps he would someday be able to use that to his advantage.

"Is there anything else you need help with?" he asked, feeding her more lust. He didn't intend to make a move, not today – he had far too many things to do later. But he had a feeling that it would be good to make her enjoy his company if he was going to put in more orders.

"Or perhaps, would you be able to make some other things for me as well? I really am in need of some armor. As you can see I usually just use my tendrils for weapons, but if you could fashion me a spear… that'd be nice."

He could make Abraia excited, but the excitement would fade the moment he left. It was one of the biggest failings of Fathom.

835

 

[Abraia]

Abraia oddly wanted him to leave so she could get to work. The excitement was too much to bear, and the lust was only getting in her way and clouding her judgement. This much work was going to keep her busy for a while.

"This will be plenty to make a strong ring. No I don't need more help. You've done plenty. Write your address and I will have everything delivered to you. I will make you some armor. A spear, I can make that too."

She walked around him to gather his measurements.

"Now go. I will get to work immediately. It will take me a few weeks, maybe more. Please do not return to ask about the order. It will be done when it is done."

She was blunt when it came to times. She did not rush for anyone. Not Aehti, not Sjal, nor Caelum. A good job took time.

 

[Makt]

Makt smiled at her enthusiasm and nodded. He wrote down his address on some paper and allowed her to take his measurements. The fact that she used magic in her craft was a given even if she hadn't told him. It was probably common knowledge by now that she could use Crest as some effects could only be made with that kind of magic.

"Alright, I'll leave you to it," he said when she was done. Weeks was much longer than he was hoping for, as he had some tasks coming up that he really needed armor for… but he couldn't complain. She was the best that he knew of in the area so she would have to do.

He left her to her work and went on his way, glancing briefly up at a tree that he thought he saw motion in. He wouldn't have seen Engill, which was probably for the best. If she'd come down then he would probably have to hide the fact that he'd obtained so much alkahest.

1000 wc

 

[Abraia]

Abraia had three projects now.

The ring was her most important project but it was not what she would start first. She started with the armor. It would be like a plate armor set but not so bulky. She would use Shadow Hardening on steel to make the final product twice the hardness of steel.

She used Crest to make the armor black with patterns that danced across the surface. It would be the most impressive piece she had ever made. The shame was she only had steel to work with.

She started the spear next and gave it a similar theme. At the spear's tip she used Shadow Refinement to make it cut more easily. She applied the effect on the very last day and it would last until the end of the next season.

All that took the bulk of the rest of the summer to complete. It was slow and arduous work. In her free time or when she felt low on metaphor she would work on the ring. This would be made of an alloy that had an icy thematic. It would seem to glow and sparkle with magical energy.

The order would be delivered to Makt on the 89th of Summer.

 

[Abraia]

Thread Title: Crushing some shadows

Thread Summary: Engill hangs out in a tree like a werido. Abraia and Makt meet. Makt buys stuff with his ungodly amount of alkahest. Abraia makes the items and delivers them to him. She pockets some alkahest as profit.

Expected Rewards:
Abraia:
Obtains 157g Aetherite (Roleplayed as being paid for services in Aetherite) - 1570 SP
+8xp
Engill:
Buys 60g Aetherite
+5xp
Makt:
Buys 852g Aetherite
Spends 810g Aetherite
+1 armor. Twice the hardness of steel.
+1 spear. Twice the hardness of steel. Attacks with this weapon slice as though it is swung with an extra tier of fitness (lasts until end of Fall 124)
+1 Ring of Inermanteia. Exalted ring that can be made to cast Inermanteia at Master level (can be downcast).
+10xp

Thread Link: https://antarok.net/threads/ph-crushing-some-shadows.337/#post-1809
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[Vicissitude]

꧁══════════•༺༉ { Canonized } ༉༻•══════════꧂​

❀ Rewards ❀

: Granted Rewards

Abraia:
Obtains 157g Aetherite (Roleplayed as being paid for services in Aetherite) - 1570 SP
+8xp
Engill:
Buys 60g Aetherite
+5xp
Makt:
Buys 852g Aetherite
Spends 810g Aetherite
+1 armor. Twice the hardness of steel.
+1 spear. Twice the hardness of steel. Attacks with this weapon slice as though it is swung with an extra tier of fitness (lasts until end of Fall 124)
+1 Ring of Inermanteia. Exalted ring that can be made to cast Inermanteia at Master level (can be downcast).
+10xp

Just to clarify about Ensorcelled Conjurations:
❀ If Makt is casting Inermanteia from the ring and using the Alkahest to cast, it may not ever be downcast, and one cast will always result in the depletion of its Alkahest Reserves.
❀ If Makt is casting Inermanteia from the ring and using his own Aether Reserves, he may downcast it.
❀ Ensorcelled Conjurations do not ever benefit from anything that affects casting efficiency unless they are being fueled by the mage's own Spell Reserves, i.e. the Alkahest cost is always static and single use (until recharged).

❀ Comments ❀
Please notate these costs/additions to your CSes as appropriate ❀

Haha, I didn't know what to expect by "Engill hangs out in a tree like a werido" but that is...exactly what she does. Also I've always liked that Abraia will never rush for anyone~

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[Abraia]

This was modified based on some misunderstandings.

Abraia and Makt are paying 500 SP collectively to pay for the mage services necessary. As a result, Abraia and Makt buy less alkahest.

Thread Title: Crushing some shadows

Thread Summary: Engill hangs out in a tree like a werido. Abraia and Makt meet. Makt buys stuff with his ungodly amount of alkahest. Abraia makes the items and delivers them to him. She pockets some alkahest as profit.

Expected Rewards:
Abraia:
Spends 80 SP on Mage Help (combined with Cae's 420 SP)
Obtains 115 Aetherite - 1150 SP

+8xp
Engill:
Buys 60g Aetherite
+5xp
Makt:
Spends 420 SP on Mage Help
Spends 810g Aetherite
+1 armor. Twice the hardness of steel.
+1 spear. Twice the hardness of steel. Attacks with this weapon slice as though it is swung with an extra tier of fitness (lasts until end of Fall 124)
+1 Ring of Inermanteia. Exalted ring that can be made to cast Inermanteia at Master level
+10xp

Thread Link: https://antarok.net/threads/ph-crushing-some-shadows.337/#post-1809
​

 

[Vicissitude]

꧁══════════•༺༉ { Canonized } ༉༻•══════════꧂​

❀ Rewards ❀

: Granted Rewards

Abraia:
Spends 80 SP on Mage Help (combined with Cae's 420 SP)
Obtains 115 Aetherite - 1150 SP

+8xp
Engill:
Buys 60g Aetherite
+5xp
Makt:
Spends 420 SP on Mage Help
Spends 810g Aetherite
+1 armor. Twice the hardness of steel.
+1 spear. Twice the hardness of steel. Attacks with this weapon slice as though it is swung with an extra tier of fitness (lasts until end of Fall 124)
+1 Ring of Inermanteia. Exalted ring that can be made to cast Inermanteia at Master level
+10xp

❀ Comments ❀
Please notate these costs/additions to your CSes as appropriate ❀

Re-canonizing this after necessary adjustments regarding Ensorcelling.

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