Archives: The Golden Egg
Chapter 22: The Mages’ Guild
When Eliamn and Aiden entered the area of the Mage’s Guildhall, an elderly gentleman hobbled out to greet the travelers. “Welcome to the Mage’s Guild of Southern Moss. What brings you travelers to this remote locale?” His uneven gait was controlled by his wooden cane, as gnarled and elderly looking as himself. As he hobbled closer he looked over the group with his one good eye, the other showed no sign of light or acknowledgment of their presences. Upon his closer inspection his face soured. “What brings the elves here? We’re not disturbing the forest. Quick about it, out with whatever you need. I may be old but I ain’t got time to waste on the complaints of elves and knights.”
Eliamn gave Aiden a meaningful sidelong look to Aiden. Well, there is the answer to your question. The blonde shamaness tried to resist drooping her ears in dislike of the old man’s sour tone and instead lowered her hands to pinch the fabric of her robes, dipping into a graceful curtsy.
“We are sorry to disturb you, revered grandfather,” she said, trying to make it sound polite, pleasant and respectful. “We have traveled far to seek out wisdom we believe only your guild would hold. We hardly hold any complaints for you and hope to appeal to you so that you may host us for a time and answer a few of our questions.”
Aiden remained cautious when the mage appeared; despite his age, he was a wizard, and thus Aiden would no let down his guard. The ranger stayed silent at Eliamn’s side while she spoke to the man, he would only speak if necessary. After all, she knew more about this place and the information they were looking for than he did.
The old mage sighed. “Here I thought you were with them damn elves from the colony not too far from here. Always coming and bugging us poor folks because we retook the town from the wilderness. It wasn’t doing anything here, we had a right to reclaim it. But no—them elves had to come and say that we’re doing a wrong. Nature shouldn’t be stolen from, et cetera ad nauseum.” He clung to his staff and turned away from the group, hobbling towards the town hall. “Well, don’t just stand around like a bunch of toadstools, I’m old, I’m cold, we can continue our conversation inside the hall where it’s warm,” he called over his shoulder.
“Indeed we should,” Eli quickly agreed, briefly turning around to give Aiden a victorious smile before she followed after the old man. Aiden returned Eli’s smile with a small smirk, then silently followed the shamaness like a shadow.
Truth be told, Eliamn was not truly interested in entering a philosophical debate with the elderly arcanist either over the topic of ‘the harmony between nature and civilization’ and that of the ‘meddling elves of the nearby colony’. She figured that other elves could champion that particular cause at some other time; but until then, Aiden and she had problems enough with the task Mycen trusted to them. There was really no need to add further controversy to it.
The elder brought the elves’ party within the confines of the old city hall, taking them past the reception desk filled with old papers and many sorcery books to a small room off the stairs. While the room was furnished, the furnishings seemed old and dusty, and many still had canvas covering the upholstery. The old man hobbled over to a chair and eased himself down, rubbing his back with his gnarled hand. “Sit, sit. I’m afraid this room is all I can afford to let outsiders see. Other rooms have been taken up by laboratories and libraries, but I bet you aren’t here for that. Please, sit, and tell me what brings you to this musty out-of-the-way township,” he said, slightly wheezing.
Eliamn obeyed the old mage, easing herself slowly in a wooden chair facing him. “My associates and I have come upon the knowledge that your institution has once peddled tomes and arcane reagents of an illegal nature with a member of the Mur-Cavendrel family,” she began, her tone firm but not aggressive. “That same person is suspected of having performed actions that are treasonous against the Kingdom of Moss, which may indirectly implicate your guild and the entire Mur-Cavendrel family in the eyes of the impending royal inquiry in the matter. Our investigation is preliminary and unofficial, as we wish to stop the perpetrator from committing more harm as well as avoid an open scandal which could mean the ruin of both your school and the criminal’s family.”
She joined her hands over her lap, interlacing her fingers. “The ideal solution would be for you to inform us of the identity of your client, as well as the exact nature of the goods peddled.”
The old man looked at Eliamn stunned for a moment then burst out laughing. “All that went a bit over my head there dear,” he admitted openly. “Mur-Cavendrel? Yes, we had a few of that noble house pass through our halls, at least here and in other guilds associated. Illegal reagents and tomes though, that doesn’t ring a bell.”
The old man scratched at his pallid face whilst in thought. “Most reagents we have to sell are found in the woods. I don’t see what would be illegal about that. Apothecaries can sell the same stuff we do without repercussions. The tomes we sell are able to be acquired through the normal means of any Merchant’s Guild or likewise any chapter house of ours. This being, of course, just off the top of my head. We regulate what mana stones get sold, and which stay kept in our vaults. I’m afraid I don’t know of any dealings you may be talking about unless you can be a bit more specific. I’m a wizard, not a bookkeeper. Although we do have a fair share of bookkeepers. Maybe one of them peddled these so-called ‘illegal wares’.”
Eliamn listened to the old man’s explanation and finally returned a terse nod. “The unhatched offspring of Mycen was stolen through an elaborate plot financed by a member of the Mur-Cavendrel family,” she replied, opting to give away more detail. “That individual has access to magic to obscure divinations, at the very least. We are also certain that a member of that family has purchased magical goods from your institution. Our suspicion is that the noble in question learned how to practice necromancy and now intends to use the pilfered dragon egg as a reagent to the end of some ritual.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Mycen charged us with the safe return of her egg and we have a scant few days left until it gets delivered to the mastermind of its theft. I can believe that it was only one of your members whom might have had relations with the Mur-Cavendrel in question... but we would need to get to the bottom of this quickly. Any clue to help us narrow down whom the perpetrator is and his motives in the crime is crucial to us at this time.” Her voice softened. “If we find no evidence to convince the Mur-Cavendrels of the misdeeds of one of their family members, then we will have little choice but to throw subtlety aside and retrieve the egg forcefully.”
The old man nodded at Eliamn’s explanation and gave a deep sigh. “Necromancy and glamors. Demon magic if I’ve ever heard of it. Purchase and selling records are kept here for a few years before being carted off to the Mother House,” he explained. “The Mur-Cavendrels live to the far north, and Audran, if indeed it is Audran that is doing this, lives with them. He’s a higher member of our guild, and has access to a great deal of what we have.” The old man sneezed suddenly. “Agh, dust seems to be my nose’s bane. Where was I?” The old man fumbled with his thoughts for a moment before returning to silence.
“Knowing what tasks this Audran performs for the Mur-Cavendrels would be a boon,” Eli quickly answered, not skipping a beat. “Looking over the purchase and selling records in regard to transactions done by him, through him or for the Mur-Cavendrels would also be of use. If members of that family of nobles have stepped here, being able to glean information about whom they were from the people whom interacted with them would be good too.”
“The records are kept in the south wing of the guild. I’m sure Ted will be there researching. If you need any help, you may ask him. I’d show you the way, but it seems my old bones don’t wish to move from the comfort of this chair,” the elder sighed, age wearing heavily on his vitality. “Ted’s been here since the last time Audran came by. He’s one of the young ones, an adoptive charge of ours. Young ones always know the dealings of heroes and idols.”
“We shall go and meet this Ted, then. Thank you very much for your help,” Eliamn gave the man a grateful smile and stood up, giving Aiden a puzzled look when she briefly made eye contact with him before leaving the room. So, we can look for this south wing, but he could not originally allow us to wander around. Strange.
She looked from one side of the corridor briefly, and then the other, before she turned to look back at Aiden again. “How do you tell which way is south once inside a building?” she asked her ranger companion.
Aiden was equally surprised by the mage’s sudden change of heart when he allowed them to search for their goal on their own, but he said nothing and followed along with Eliamn. Chuckling at her comment and turning down the south hall, he replied; “Remember your sense of direction from outside, is all.”
I guess I never gave woodsmen enough credit, the shamaness idly thought to herself, envying Aiden for the practical knowledge his life had granted him... which effectively made him feel more mature and autonomous in comparison to herself. Naclia’s words, spoken some time ago in the first inn they stayed in, hinted that Eliamn’s life experiences brought something else no one else in her group could provide... but for the first time the shamaness found herself seriously contemplating how her life measured up in comparison to that of Aiden’s, Naclia’s or Wil’s.
Eliamn had been bred a shamaness strong enough to uphold the responsibilities her parents held. Overtime, the expectations trusted onto her had felt exacting, even stifling, but she had upheld them—out of a desire to be the dutiful daughter—to the point were she faltered before the King Spirit Ento. Hindsight painted to her a much uglier picture: Have I been pampered and spoiled all my life, with a privileged life handed to me and given responsibilities I was trained to uphold in the stead of my community, only to run away when life did not turn out the way I liked?
She didn’t like the image that line of thinking painted of her. She had failed before Ento and had been heartbroken over it—but admitting that all of it amounted to little more than childishness and crocodile tears was a little too much for her prickly elven pride to take.
Impulsively, Eliamn made a grab for Aiden’s wrist, anxiously blurting out: {“Aiden, am I a burden?”} That wasn’t exactly what she had meant to say—she was surprised she had even spoken up and struggled to stammer out something clearer. {“I-I mean... you keep looking out for me. You can survive on you own, defend yourself, be self-sufficient and—”} And what? That won’t do! I am not even making any sense! What could I say anyways? Admit I am a spoiled baby barely able to fend for herself, to retain some sense of direction, some bird fallen from the nest before it was strong enough to fly? She looked down, searching for words... and failed, finally closing her eyes in ill hidden shame. What is he supposed to answer that? I cannot even keep my self-pity to myself and I am letting even that be a burden to my companions. The least I could do is keep it to myself... I should never had said anything!
Aiden, shocked by the sudden pause, turned to Eliamn and lifted his wrist with her hand on it to pat it. {“No Eli, I have not once thought of you as a burden,”} he assured her, in all honesty. He had no idea that Naclia had had to assuage this doubts earlier, but perhaps Eli needed to know what was on his mind too. {“Sure, you can’t wield a sword or fire a bow, but your shamanist abilities have been a great help.”}
Whilst paused in the hall there came a soft voice behind Aiden, otherwise obscured by the taller man. {“Please pardon the way,”} the voice came, in a heavily accented elven. While the structure of the sentence was pristine, the annotations of the vowel and consonants were only slightly off. {“I need to return to my studies mister and you are blocking the hall.”}
Aiden stepped aside, moving next to Eliamn, as he heard the voice behind him. {“Pardon me,”} he said, glancing back curiously to see who spoke in his language—though it did not sound like a native speaker.
Eliamn also slid to the side, letting Aiden’s wrist go as she did so. The man’s ‘intrusion’ served only to remind her further of how the previous issue had been not only redundant, but badly timed too.
“Excuse us, sir,” Eli said, quickly trying to get back to their original purpose and leave the issue behind. “We are seeking out someone named Ted and were told he would be around the south wing. Would you be able to help us?”
A human boy had addressed them, possibly no older than Kima herself, as evident when Aiden moved out of the way. “I am he, however the sir is not needed. I’m just an apprentice here, madam,” the boy responded to Eliamn’s question. “What need have you of I? If you don’t mind, could we walk and talk? I really should be getting back to my studies.”
“Of course,” Eliamn moved as if to walk by his side. “We were informed by one of your elders that you were the one to see for information regarding purchases and selling records. We need to find out what transactions were made by this guild to members of the Mur-Cavendrel family or resources used for them by proxy through Mage Audran, whom is currently at the service of the Mur-Cavendrels.”
Aiden stepped in behind Ted and Eliamn, as now Eliamn would be taking the lead again, since she knew what had to be asked. The blonde elf followed along, towering over the two in front of him, like a silent, stoic bodyguard.
“That is indeed correct,” Ted stated with some pride. “I am in charge of records here, but I fail to remember one instance that Lord Audran ever sent proxy to deal with the procurement of his supplies. He’s always seemed so forward and hands on about his own purchases.”
Ted led the way to the room in where he did his studies. Once there he sorted through some books and dusted one that was bound in a leathery cover. “Ah yes, Mur-Cavendrel, Audran—purchase, 14th day of Spring’s first moon 528 NRC. The Private Grimoire of Hilibius Sutton; Book of the Arts of Necromancy, rescribed, volume two of five; the mad Annotations of Gib Hadron, reprized...” Ted trailed off after reading aloud several of the names by Audran’s name. “Were you talking of this purchase or perhaps another one earlier in years, or more current, perhaps?”
Eliamn’s heart felt like it leapt in her chest. The elven maiden’s eyes widened in sudden understanding. Audran is the Mur-Cavendrel himself, not a teacher sent to teach at the Mur-Cavendrels! She had him! She had his name! Possibly tangible proof as well, right within her grasp!
“Ah—” she felt as if her heart was beating wildly in her chest, but she tried to reign her excitement in—this was not over yet. “These are good. Can you look over the receipts and find out when Lord Audran started buying books related to necromancy?” Eli asked the human boy. “Also, could you please copy on another sheet I could leave with the titles related to the dark arts he purchased here?”
Ted couldn’t help but smirk when Eliamn mentioned ‘the dark arts’. That was typical of any not versed in the realms of sorcery to call necromancy, a foul art, ‘the dark arts’. If anything it was just one of many dark arts that existed as pitfalls for younger and less experienced sorcerers. “Books pertaining to necromancy...” Ted muttered, hefting through the record books to find when they first began to be bought by Audran. “Lord Audran started buying the books on ‘the dark arts’ in 527 NRC.” Taking a spare piece of parchment he began to culminate the list of books that Audran had bought from three years prior to current.
‘The Damnable Excursion’- Arvas Lye, 527 NRC
‘Maddened Ravings of the Nameless One’- Author Unknown, 527 NRC
‘Study of the freely dead’- Morecci Evanthe, 527 NRC
‘Al Amar’s guide to the netherborne’- Al Amar, 527 NRC
‘Iirden’s Nostalgia: Memoirs of a Vampire’- Iirden Vosk, 527 NRC
‘Hellbound Encyclopedia of the Damned’- Various Authors, 527 NRC
‘Elemar’s Tale’- Rudard Clyp, 527 NRC *Note: Children’s book about a sorcerer finding eternal life through slaying a dragon
‘The quest for the undying truth’- Lord Wilibus Eckley, 527 NRC *Note: A fictional novela that some sorcerers feel that has some elements of truth to it
‘The Private Grimoire of Hilibius Sutton’- Hilibius Sutton, 528 NRC
‘Book of the Arts of Necromancy Volume II, rescribed’- Various Authors, 528 NRC
‘The mad annotations of Gib Hadron, reprized’- Saul Heiros, 528 NRC
‘The Book of Damnations’- Unknown Authors, 528 NRC
‘Tome of Unholy Works’- Unknown Authors, 528 NRC
‘Book of the Arts of Necromancy Volume I, rescribed’- Various Authors, 529 NRC
‘Book of the Arts of Necromancy Volume III, rescribed’- Various Authors, 529 NRC
‘Book of the Arts of Necromancy Volume IV, rescribed’- Various Authors, 529 NRC
‘Book of the Arts of Necromancy Volume V, rescribed’- Various Authors, 529 NRC
‘Cheating Death: A Necromancer’s guide to raising the Unholy’- Melphe Aristos, 529 NRC
‘Book of Blindings: A Sorcerer’s guide to privacy’- Melphe Aristos, 529 NRC
Taking the time to rest the quill after scribing down all the entries from the past three years, Ted sighed and rubbed his sore wrist. “Most of these are theory books. Some are private tomes of knowledge, others...well they are definitely what one would call ‘practical’ books. A great deal of these come from Alecrast, as the northern continent seems to have a more dedicated following to magical practice. A couple of the books, while they seem out of place, they were bought at the same time that other books of the nature in question were bought, so I would hazard to guess that they have some annotations of note that deal with necromantic lore.”
Ted craned his neck slowly to the side and rolled it until the stiffness loosened. “This is about all I can give you at this moment in time. Previous buys before this date have nothing to do with the necromantic school, mostly just evocation and a few small abjuration books—fairly rudimentary sorcerer stuff.” Ted perused the list once more. “A couple of these books we have...copies of. If you would wish to view them, well, you’d have to get permission from the librarian—but she’s a soft sort, she’d allow you if you complimented her on her looks.” The boy gave a soft chuckle and continued; “That’s how I can break curfew to risk learning more than what is taught during the day.”
Eliamn nodded to Ted’s impression on the librarian as she gave the list of book titles a second read. She didn’t immediately pick it up, since the ink had just been applied, but it didn’t stop her from noting titles such as Elemar’s Tale and Cheating Death—both books that seemed to pertain lengthening one’s life through necromancy. The Book of Blindings seemed the most likely source of the wards Audran had used to throw her divinatory rituals off a couple of days before; Audran had probably bought it when he started planning the heist of the dragon’s egg in the first place. Finally, the purchase spree of the many volumes pertaining necromancy—volumes Ted had inspired could very well be in the practical nature—definitely indicated an ongoing interest in learning and perfecting one’s knowledge of that school of sorcery.
Ted’s suggestion was good. She didn’t have time to go over so many volumes, but just skimming through the table of contents for each ought to let her narrow down the topics which were the most significant to what Audran Mur-Cavendrel was trying to achieve. Thinking back to Elemar’s Tale had her give a brief shiver; she could no longer tell if it was from excitement, anticipation or fright. An unborn dragon is definitely an easier target than a fully-grown one. Time is growing short: if Audran Mur-Calvendrel gets his hands on the egg, it may truly be at risk.
Eli raised her eyes to look back at the record keeper. “That sounds like a great idea. Could you introduce us to the librarian?”
The results were quite satisfying to Aiden, and it seemed as if they had just found a good sized piece of the puzzle. At the mention of the librarian falling for compliments, Aiden gave a smirk. It seemed he really would be useful on this particular excursion.
“I could very well do so,” Ted stated, lifting himself out of the chair. Capping the ink, Ted moved toward the door. “Please follow, and do keep up. I’m only an apprentice here so I do not have the sway and ability to remove myself from trouble as the masters do.”
Eliamn took the list and followed after Ted with an absent nod as something else came to mind. Maybe this is too easy. These are people whom knew and have dealt with Audran Mur-Cavendrel. They have not so far reacted strongly to the theft of the egg and are practically selling out someone they have had possibly friendly dealings with by granting us this aid. If he was a member and a paying contributor to their guild, this does not make much sense. They are cooperating... but could it be to buy time so to bring about a counter-measure that would make us unable to use the knowledge we gain here?
Perhaps there was nothing more to it and perhaps she was just being overly cautious or simply distrusting... but with what was at stake Eliamn wasn’t willing to leave things to change. As she passed by Aiden she gave him a brief look of cautious worry, hoping his empathy would pick it well enough to have him remain alert and vigilant.
Aiden, on the other hand, had fallen prey to his more romantic urges, his thoughts drifting to this librarian, wondering if she was attractive. If she wasn’t, then he could probably lie, he had enough practice flirting after all. Catching Eliamn’s glance out of the corner of his eye, he looked down to see the concern knotted between her brows. “What’s wrong?” he inquired. Eliamn gave Aiden a shake of her head and hurried after Ted. She couldn’t explain with the young man just there.
Ted drew the two elves to the library, and in like, to the librarian. The librarian, a middle aged woman kept her graying hair loose, and wore dark gray robes that hid the curvature of her bodice. Her face showed fatigue and stress in the form of premature wrinkles at the corners of her eyes and near her thin-lipped mouth. She glanced up from her organization of the books, placing them back on the shelves, when Ted and the elven duo entered.
“Miss Marilyn, these two would like words with you about certain books that are within the grand library that you keep,” Ted stated, giving slight introductions to help the elves find the books they were looking for. “They are looking to expand their knowledge of sorcery.”
“Young Theodore you know better than to bring outsiders to the library. Do you want Master Austin to scold you again?” Marilyn scolded. Her eyes surveyed the Eliamn and Aiden however, her interest hanging on the handsome young elf.
“Master Austin sent them to me,” Ted lied. “I figured he’d want them to expand their knowledge about our practices. Perhaps Master Austin wants to make the ignorance of the elven village lessen. Regardless, miss Marilyn, I must take my leave. I need to continue with my studies, I leave these two to you.” Before Marilyn could continue scolding him, Ted took his leave quickly.
Marilyn sighed and shook her head. “That boy will be the death of me some day...” she mumbled. “So, what can I do for you two?”
Listening to the conversation between Ted and the librarian, Aiden was beginning to wonder about this elven village, but they would have to ask about that after they dealt with their current tasks. As Ted left Eliamn and Aiden to speak to Marilyn, Aiden decided to try using the charm that Ted suggested. With his most charming smile and a slight, respectful bow, Aiden introduced himself properly, “I am Aiden of the Mirror Forest, and my companion is Eliamn. We are seeking the knowledge of several of your tomes, if you would allow us.” Looking down toward Eliamn, as she had the list, and beckoned her to speak up, “Eliamn?”
Eliamn had been staring down, her mind grasping at the words Ted left them with and how to work with them. If I am an elf from the nearby village interested in expanding our knowledge of this guild and its practices, I cannot just hand over the list—it would be suspicious. Not to mention how strange it is for elves to be inquiring about necromancy; how do I justify that? Aiden prompting her to speak cut short her brainstorming, leaving her no choice but to improvise.
She dipped into a slight bow herself, brought her eyes up on the librarian afterward and offered her a polite smile. “We would like to peruse the five volume ‘Book of the Arts of Necromancy’ series, along with two tomes written by a Melphe Aristos—one on cheating death and the other being the ‘Book of Blindings’,” the blonde shamaness said, having already made her picks on their way to the library.
Marilyn nodded. “Those books are kept here,” she said. “The books by Melphe Aristos are over there.” She replied to Eliamn, half waving her off to stare at Aiden. “The other books are in their respective categories. Necromancy is in the black section.” Not skipping a beat, Marilyn closed in on Aiden, taking his arm. “And, I’m sure your interests lie elsewhere. There are books on love-craft o’er here,” she purred, dragging him away from Eliamn.
Shocked by Marilyn’s forwardness, Aiden stumbled along behind the woman, casting a glance that seemed to say ‘What have I gotten myself into?’ back at Eliamn. When Ted said the woman was easily charmed, he didn’t expect her to be this aggressive, in fact, he was expecting some meek, mousy woman who’d blush at his flirtations. Now it seemed as if he were on the verge of being sexually assaulted, for a change.
The bait was taken. With Aiden occupying the librarian’s attention, she had probably amply enough time to gather all the books she needed, skim over their tables of content and read on the sections that were related to their own investigation. Then she saw the look Aiden gave her.
This was her chance. She really had to go and find out what she could of those books.
She really ought to.
But she didn’t. Instead, she took two quick steps and caught Aiden’s free wrist.
“Excuse me,” came from Eli, with a stern tone cultivated over decades of dealing with her younger brothers, “but would you kindly unhand my husband? I cannot possibly research over all these tomes for what we have been instructed to find out in a single evening only by myself.”
“Your...husband,” Marilyn repeated with almost a venomous tone to her voice. “Ah, I see. Well then, I suppose I could be so inclined as to allow you the company of his presence,” she near spat, keeping as much courtesy in her voice as her anger allowed. “I’ll just be over here. If you need me.” She released Aiden’s arm and moved off to a nearby table to catalog the books she had recently acquired into the library’s manifest. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment, such a slight she’d not soon forget.
Eliamn couldn’t help but swallow hard, thinking not ‘saving’ Aiden might have had been the lesser of two evils after all. Though she doubted the librarian’s anger would result in anything immediately harmful, if Marilyn got wind of the fact that they were opposed to Audran Mur-Cavendrel she might end up having a loose tongue. So much for getting Aiden off the hook...
She let go of Aiden’s wrist. “Fetch me the six necromantic books? We will set up on that study table.” She gestured to one of the empty wooden tables in the library and then went off herself to obtain the two books from her list that had been penned by Melphe Aristos.
Aiden watched Marilyn storm away, wondering the same thing Eliamn was; did that make matters worse? The elf scratched his head, then pursued Eliamn’s request, heading off to the black section to fetch the books she needed. He couldn’t exactly remember all the titles, but as he browsed the few necromantic titles there were, he found several that sparked his memory and collected about seven—two of which he wasn’t sure were the ones they wanted—then brought them back to the table Eliamn had staked out for their research.
* * *
I would do best to warn you who are about to read this book, this is not for the faint of heart. The contents herein are my in depth notations, observations and personal cants, as well as the few things I found in my studies under my master—whom will remain nameless for the sake of keeping my true identity unknown. In my many years searching for knowledge I came to the conclusion that there are multiple types of magic in this wide world we try to understand. We, as mages, have it in our curiosity to seek answers from the dark and make sense of the many things that we can come across. This tome is one such thing. Originally I intended to write this as a warning, to many others who seem to want to tread down this dangerous and steep pathway. Many a time, I myself almost fell into madness and as such I nearly lost what little sense I had left in the world. However, I digress.
The world of Forcelia’s magic is broken down into seven categorical sections, not counting the various sub-categories within each section. I shall try to keep this as brief as possible in my explanation. Sorcery is what us as mages are most notorious and know most fluently. This requires the spells chanted in High Ancient- Kastuulian if you must. This, while drawing many similarities to shamanism, is quite unique, if I am so entitled to my own opinion. Different subcategories exist within Sorcery and likewise can be used in the many ways described by other authors in other books. I will not approach this subject any further.
The next is Spirit Magic, or shamanism. This style draws directly from the spirits and summons them to do the bidding of the caster. Many spirits exist in Forcelia, and as such, would require a lengthy description of each to be able to go into greater detail about a rather elusive subject for us. The tongue needed to cant these spells and incantations is known as the spirit language, also referred to as the Silent Spirit. However, many of the spells I have witnessed from the elven shamans were spoken either in plain common or elven. Theories on why the spirits respond in these languages will be discussed in a later book.
The next category is Divine Magic, also known as Clerical Cants by us. This utilizes the spiritual energy of the gods in their raw form and channels through the medium- priest- and does the bidding of the praying. In the old days priests had to converse with the gods in a language close to their own. This language, the Holy Language, seems now only used for ceremonial tasks. As many know, the incantations used by the Priests are not actually cants but prayers, as such, have been deemed Holy Prayers by many of the scholars before myself.
The next category is Dark Magic. This is the exact same as say the Divine magic previously mentioned, except utilizing the evil gods instead. The language is different as well, utilizing the ‘dark language’ to call upon the powers of the Demon’s Scream. A lot of necromantic art comes from this section. The next category is Dragon Magic. It, as probably obvious by the name, uses the dragon’s language. However, I have a hard time finding any information at all on this particular magic system and as such I will leave my speculations of its origin or capabilities to other scholars wishing to speak with one of the five great dragons of Lodoss.
The next category is Common Magic. As such it uses the common tongue. I have a hard time grasping the concept of commoners having magic of their own. Unfortunately, I was unable to find any real information other than speculation and conjuncture to support my theory of this differing magic system. The final magic system is Bardic Magic. I’ve heard bards play, and their ability to entice the crowd could be viewed as magical. However, I do not believe bards are anything more than flippant merrymakers and are hardly worth spitting upon let alone discussing in my tome. As such that is all I have to say on that matter.
Moving along, Necromancy is the art of stealing from death. It draws energy from mana, as well as consuming a small part of a persons soul (although that was just my opinion). The mechanics of the sorcerer’s art of necromancy is steeped in misconceptions and fear. Dealing with death is a scary subject for any willing to broach it. Any number of feats attributed to the art can be seen as cheating death, including, but not limited to, resurrecting the dead. However, these practices are far from perfect. As such, those revived through this necrotic art are usually no longer the same person they were in life. Instead they are a mindless creature, or worse—a creature with naught but wicked intent left in their rotting brain. Too many sorcerers I have seen slain in their attempt to revive a loved one, only to have their work consume them—quite literally. To understand a necromancer’s curiosity towards this art, you have to first understand the mind of a human—one of the shortest lived sentient beings living in Forcelia. To do that you must read further in the book. Do not fear to offend me if you put this book down and walk away from it after the first few chapters. As I stated in my first paragraph—this book is not for the faint of heart. Without further ado, enjoy my compilation.
— Melphe Aristos, Author.
Forward to ‘Cheating Death: A Necromancer’s Guide to Raising the Unholy’
Eliamn joined him at the table and sat down, though not without a cautious look over at the librarian before turning back to inspect what they had gathered, namely the two extra volumes Aiden had brought back.
As Eliamn began to read, Aiden sat down at the table and began to peruse the gathered titles. “Sorry I couldn’t find the exact books you wanted, I couldn’t remember the titles off the top of my head,” he murmured to Eliamn.
“Volume one through five of ‘Book of the Arts of Necromancy’ series,” Eliamn reminded Aiden quietly, smiling slightly as she raised her eyes from the book’s preface to give him a look to the side. “They are likely the books that end up having the most practical use for necromancers, and thus offer insights on the tools at their disposal. We have enough here and can always go back to find the other volumes once we have gleaned what could be useful from the ones we have right now.”
Eli flipped the page. “Take a book, open it and look for a chapter listing. Though knowing more of a necromantic craft in general would definitely be useful for our purposes, try to single out any mention of special reagents and their beneficial effects regarding necromancy, as well as anything that might sound like it would have a purpose is lengthening life, restoring youth, or providing living undeath beyond life. Keep note of what you find and do not be afraid to cross reference: such books ought to be made to be easily accessed upon need—no sorcerer is likely to remember all of the information within by heart. That should make it easier for us to find what we need.”
“Well, I found all five of those, it’s the other two I wasn’t sure about,” Aiden replied as he took one of the books from the top of the stack; one out of the five volumes. The elf began to begrudgingly peruse the volume, but research was not his forté. Though he wanted to help Mycen, his skills laid more in the pursuit of actual trails than reading musty old tomes. Honestly, he was not all that skilled at reading the common tongue either; he could understand most books, but these magical compendiums were out of his range, and he found himself having a hard time focusing on what they actually had to say. However, the object of his search should appear rather obvious... Aiden still found himself rethinking his initial fear of Marilyn’s fierce advance. Perhaps being pawed by a plain, love-starved librarian would be preferable to flipping through a stack of wordy old books.
Eliamn’s eyes meanwhile had skimmed down the first page of the table of content. She flipped to the next page and spared another look toward Aiden, quirking her lips in amusement as she saw the look in his eyes. “You have the glazed over eyes of my younger brother Kanil when he does not feel like studying,” she told the ranger in a teasing fashion and then in a softer voice she gently added: “I apologize for saying I was your wife. I was only trying to help you, but it was too forward of me. The same goes for my outburst earlier in the corridor. Please forgive me.”
The color rose slightly in Aiden’s cheeks as Eliamn realized how poor a job of paying attention he was doing. “You’re forgiven,” Aiden replied, not bothering to skip a beat, even though it was rather sudden and awkward for him. He didn’t want Eliamn to feel insecure though. “Besides, you seem to be much better at... well, all this than I am. I’m better in the trees than with my nose in a book or being diplomatic.”
“Truly?” Having found an entry she found potentially interesting, Eli flipped through the pages in search of that chapter. “Perhaps you are not studious, but being charismatic more than makes up for diplomacy. Have you not noticed how people naturally turn to you to share ideas and opinions? You are not perfect in every respect; but your combined decisiveness, common sense, open-mindedness and tolerance have shown you to be a fairly solid leader.”
Aiden was surprised by her compliments. “Thank you, Eliamn,” he said softly. “I had no idea you saw me as such a leader. I mean, I realize I fell into that role, but I thought I was too bull-headed and domineering—and too stubborn to step down. The issue with Wil seemed to prove that, and it seems that I was wrong for misjudging him. I was rude to Talen when I met him too, which I am rather ashamed of now.”
The shamaness turned her head from her chosen book to stare at Aiden thoughtfully. After a moment taken to choose her words carefully, she said: “Make no mistake: you do have those flaws. However, your flaws are not necessarily besmirches so much as they are defining traits that you must sometimes live with, other times compensate for, or even use as strengths in certain circumstances. Wisdom and experience are what helps us the most in living and making those choices; and these you will earn as you live on—after all, is life not a time devoted to a constant journey to improve ourselves and grow as better people?”
She fingered some of her golden hair back behind one of her right ear and smiled. “You did not become the leader of our group out of pride or the desire to be domineering over others and the like. I believe you have stepped forward and taken the initiative to be so because you feel the need to take responsibility; you do it not for thanks, but simply do because you feel it has to be done—because you care.”
Aiden smiled awkwardly at Eliamn as she spoke, she spoke highly of him—and honestly—and the flattery was a bit overwhelming for his ego. “Thank you, Eli,” he said again, at a loss for words. It seemed as if he should say something more, but he could think of little more to say that was on the same level as Eliamn’s assessment. “Your insight is invaluable,” he managed to say, and it was true. Seeing himself from another’s point of view was refreshing and he was surprised to know her opinion of him. Uncomfortably, Aiden’s gaze wandered back down to the book he was studying, looking for any excuse to get out of this situation that forced him to confront his own emotions and character.
