Comfort in Knowledge

[Azuran]

|A|wakening
|A| reverse fade to black.

|W|ind whispers almost silently through the branches of a nearby oak, darkly silhouetted against a crimson horizon. With each new dawn comes the promise of the unknown.

_____Azuran, a young sage probably in his early twenties or so, smiled in agreement as he looked at the first page of the faded, pocked sized tome from which he now read. How fitting that even this morning he’d had no idea that he would come into the possession of this small treasure, which, like most of the treasures he found, was buried among the dusty and forgotten shelves of some small, back alley bookshop. He carefully flipped back to the leathery cover to puzzle over the strange sigil burned into the top right corner, the origin of which he had yet been unable to determine. It was probably nothing important, but Azuran had never let importance stand in the way of curiosity in his thirst for knowledge. Turning to the second page, he read on.

|I|llumination
|T|he sun pushes skyward, a blaze of white flames causing the blades of grass to sparkle in the mid-morning dew. A chill still lingers from the cool night and a sharp breath of wind provokes reflexive shivers despite the gradually intensifying warmth the day brings.

_____The simple, yet enigmatic style of the writing seemed to create a vivid picture in his mind while alluding so little to the actual significance behind it. Azuran studied the entry again, thinking to himself that the book seemed to be some undated journal of sorts, and decided it would be best to take the rest in first, before trying to truly understand its purpose.

_____The next page revealed a short poem,

|T|he |J|ourney
|T|wixt light and shadow presents a perfidious path,
|W|here final intention distorts the course,
|A|nd the course transforms the goal.

|C|aught in the bleeding glare, the infinite contrast
|W|here purity blooms into night,
|D|aring to encroach on sacred darkness.

|B|ut although perilous in nature
|O|ne need not be afraid without reason,
|S|anguinity constructs delicate direction.

|I|t’s odd to ponder an end to which so few make it,
|A|nd still be convinced of real opportunity.
|P|erhaps the significance lies not in the inevitability,

|B|ut the |J|ourney.

_____He couldn’t help thinking back to the journey of his own young life. How he had been abandoned by his parents at birth, although he hadn’t known this until later in his childhood. Perhaps initially it was the longing to know who his real parents had been that was the source of his craving for knowledge and understanding. He had never found the answers to the mystery of his parents, something he had finally just come to accept, and now he sought information simply for the sake of understanding as much of the world around him as he could. Not really a noble calling, he mused, but he truthfully felt that indeed knowledge was power, and believed that the day would come when his insight would be needed and would make a difference in someone’s life.

_____Snapping out of his reverie, his eyes slowly focused back on the object lying on the desk before him, for some reason it amused him that despite its age, the black ink of the writing still sparkled slightly under the bright illumination of the oil lamp hanging above.

|A| |P|ause
|I|t was here, next to a steep cliff overlooking an almost picturesque valley, that self reflection seemed almost unavoidable. Looking back, there were no footprints on the dark rocky earth, only the occasional small tree or shrub, scattered haphazardly across the dissolute landscape. A glimpse of a small river could be seen far below in the valley, reflecting sparkles of sunlight as if to taunt and tempt travelers to veer off their course.

_____He absently wondered if the entries he was reading were from a single day or many or even about no days in particular, and subconsciously looked back at the wooden floor of his study, chuckling at how long it had been since he cleaned it, as was evident from the occasional footprint left in the thin coating of dust which had been disturbed when he had varied off his normal path for one reason or another. But had he really left any impressions on those he’d known during his life so far? Azuran felt slightly uneasy at this comparison of his life to the path across the rocky ground in the journal, and decided to put it out of his mind, for now at least.

|A|scent
|B|eginning as a faint whisper, barely audible over the gritty wind sweeping over the rock-strewn path, a soft rumble grew steadily louder as the terrain became steeper and riddled with rocky crags, some towering hundreds of feet into the hazy air.

|F|inally the deep roar seemed to emanate from everywhere at once, making the solid ground shudder as if the earth itself were trembling in hesitant fear.

_____The passages seemed to be getting less vague, although still gave no hint about who the author might have been. He might have felt a certain anxiousness about the increasing sense of danger as he continued reading, but for obvious reasons it was rare that he came across diaries or journals about treks such as this in which the writer hadn’t endured. He wondered just how many fantastical stories had been lost forever with the ill fate of their owners in the wilderness.

|I|ntrospection
|E|merging from the path’s permeation of a perilously narrow fissure between twin rock faces, a forceful wave of swirling mist elucidated the source of the thunderous rumble; there, close enough that hair and clothes billowed back in a drenching dance to the rhythm of the reverberations, was a deep mountain pool with its gaping mouth hungrily swallowing a constant cascade of countless gallons of icy water, pouring from an unseen source hundreds of feet above.

|A|westruck and with teary eyes, whether from the unimaginable beauty or the unavoidable spray, it seemed impossible to move, and for several minutes it was completely unnecessary as the outside world was temporarily forgotten—replaced perfectly with the consuming power of the mountain waterfall.

_____Azuran was particularly moved by the image of the waterfall; he had always possessed an ultimate admiration for nature and the sheer power of the elements. He would often walk to the shore to read on one of the large rocks that lined that part of the coast, pouring over some ancient volume amidst the crashes of the enormous waves, a habit that had earned him the humorous nickname of the “sea sage” by a childhood friend. He closed his eyes and for a moment he felt himself transported into the stunning memory of the author, standing before the mountain waterfall, engulfed in the roar of the water and captivated by the emotions of such a sight.

_____When he finally turned the page he was immediately disappointed as there was nothing more written. Flipping through several more pages revealed only further empty parchment, but in doing so, several of the blank pages fell off in his hands. Apparently time had weakened the binding wax, as was often the case. He would definitely have to visit the bookshop again in the chance, however small, that the missing pages might still be there, having fallen out, unnoticed, at some point. He suddenly felt the toll of a long day, and yawning heavily he closed the book, tracing his finger over the symbol on the cover one last time before carefully placing it back on the desk.





.

[Tanuchan]

The Door opens with nary a creak to give passage to a black wolf, who pads silently and looks at the young sage with a smile. Azuran does not notice her, placing his application on Wyvern's desk with a pensive look and shifting his eyes to the small book he still holds in his hand.

 

He starts as the smiling wolf nudges him gently with her nose, and turns to face a delighted grin. In his surprise he lets go of his application, which falls to the floor.

 

Azuran observes curiously as the wolf rests a paw on the application, turning it so she can read. A subtle sense of familiarity drifts to him, and he studies the wolf more closely. There's nothing in her that triggers a defensive reaction in him, and he can almost feel nature's power coming from her - the feeling he had when reading that last entry in the journal.

 

The wolf shimmers back into the form of a black-haired woman, grey eyes twinkling in pleasure as she stands up with his application on her hand.

 

"I'm so happy seeing you finally applying, Azuran! This is beautiful, it really is."

 

The sage blinks, quite surprised.

 

"Tanny! No wonder I felt as if I should know the wolf... but... I didn't know... ?"

 

"You never saw me wearing my second shape. " She smiles, placing the application back on Wyvern's desk. "It has been quite a time, and far from here, since we last met. I wove threads of water and earth, but if you have seen my wolf-form, I doubt you realized it was me."

 

The statement is simple, and Azuran also smiles. "It may have been so, Tanny. So, do you live here also?"

 

"A cottage on the forest, but I lurk here a lot. If you need some directions around, you're welcome to ask and I'll show you around. There are lots of knowledge, of wisdom, spread throughtout the Keep. I'm sure you will like it here.

 

She hugs him warmly. "I know you aren't completely new around here, but welcome to the Pen! And I'll make you company while the Scheming Elder of Initiates is busy with... mmmm... his search for a certain kind of knowledge. He might not take long, or he might take some days. You'll find it interesting to... meet him... "

 

The mischief in her voice makes Azuran raise an eyebrow, as she invites him to sit down and keeps an amiable conversation.

 

 

 

Power

 

Wind that comes

changing the water

making it grow

sending it back.

Waves of fury

crashing on the cliff

battering old wounds

chipping away

the scars of past times.

 

Wind that comes

pushing the water

giving it strength

making it crest.

Waves of passion

climbing the rock

unchecked, unstoppable

sprinkling with life

hardened stone.

 

 

OOC: *hugs* Happy to see you applying, Az .

 

 

Edit: typos

Edited December 4, 2005 by Tanuchan

[Patrick]

Patham idles into Wyvern's office, and is slightly surprised to find an applicant there.

 

Patham picks up the application from the desk and scans through it.

 

"This looks quite well written." He says once he's finished and puts back the paper on the desk as he had found it.

 

"I'm looking forward to see more of your works."

 

He turns to leave.

 

"Oh I almost forgot." He says. "My name is Patham and I'm more or less a shapeshifter. I've got to go now, but I'm sure Wyvern shall be along shortly."

[Azuran]

Azuran smiles and thanks Patham for his kind words, taking particular interest in the comment about shapeshifting, perhaps because he had just witnessed a grinning Tanny appear from where a stunning dark wolf had stood moments before (oddly enough, the wolf had hardly seemed out of place, although in retrospect it should have been quite an unexpected sight in a recruiter's office). Of course he had read many stories and legends about humans who possessed the ability to transform themselves to and from animal form at will, and had even met one or two before, but admittedly he had never actually witnessed the amazing transformation for himself!

 

Turning back to Tanny, his expression betrayed a certain sense of relief at a good friend having come to welcome him and keep him company while he nervously awaited the arrival of Wyvern, not sure what to expect.

 

"I hope you hadn't given up on me yet," Azuran joked. "I've just been so busy lately... For example, there are the new toys I picked up from a curio shop last week..." His voice trailed off as he searched through several of his pockets before finding the particular trinket he had in mind. Smiling broadly he held the small object out on the palm of his hand for Tanny to admire.

 

"It's...umm...well, I've never seen such a nice...err...what is it exactly?" A glint of curiosity sparkled in Tanny's eyes, and Azuran laughed, expecting the question.

 

The small device looked innocently like a simple paper clip, the inner part of which had been bent at a ninety degree angle from the rest. Leaning closer, however, Tanny noticed a tiny bead of glass held in the tight arc of metal, held strait up in the air only a centimeter or so above Azuran's palm. His eyes lit up with anticipation as he carefully squeezed the tiny glass orb with the thumb and forefinger of his other hand, quickly drawing back immediately afterwards. Nothing happened for several seconds at least, and Tanny glanced around suspiciously, not sure if she dared to move any closer to better see if anything was happening. Slowly, however, the bead began to glow a very soft green, rapidly growing in intensity until it finally seemed to settle on a brilliant deep jade.

 

"Isn't it cool?!" Azuran was still fascinated by the glowing trinket, despite having already spent several days understanding the sources of its power. "The woman who sold it to me called it a 'fairy lantern', although I'm pretty sure that it actually dates back to an ancient warlock who would use them as an inextinguishable torch when exploring subterranean rivers."

 

"It's beautiful... And rather bright!" Tanny squinted her eyes slightly against the tiny source of illumination.

 

Azuran chuckled and gave the glass a second tiny squeeze and the light vanished instantly, making the room seem almost orange in comparison.

 

"Actually, " Azuran dug deeper into the pocket from which the fairy lantern had come, pulling out a second one, slightly smaller than the first, "I did happen to pick up two of them if you'd like to have this one?" He held out the smaller of the two for Tanny.

[Tanuchan]

Tanny blinked in surprise, looking at Azuran - who smiled and nodded. Grinning, she then picked the tiny lantern and lit it in the same way her friend had done.

 

"Thank you, Azuran. It's a wonderful gift."

 

Smiling, she extinguished the light and put it in one of her own pockets.

 

"Curio shop, heh? You know... a time ago, a merchant came bringing several magic trinkets from the East... he has a tent around here, if you want I can show it to you. But I warn you... beware of his wares." Tanny chuckles to herself, remembering the Tiara she had got from Achib.

 

 

~~~~

OOC: Azuran, take a look at that thread. I talked to Vene, it's alright if you want to interact with Achib

Edited December 5, 2005 by Tanuchan

[Lord Panther]

Panther pokes his head in through the doorway of the recruiter's office to see two of his friends in converstation.

 

"Hey Azuran! Nice trinkets you have there. But anyways, its good to see you in these walls old friend. Sorry I can't stick around and wait for Wyvern with ya, but I have some business to attend to. If I run into the lizard, I'll be sure to send him this way for ya. See you guys later."

 

Panther heads off down the hall, seemingly engulfed in thought about something...

[Azuran]

Azuran can't help but wonder what's keeping his good friend so consumed in contemplation, but smiles and waves back at Panther, an honorable guild mate in the realm of Terra and a former Legionaire of the White Rose, like the sage himself.

[Wyvern]

Azuran sighs and shifts in his applicant easychair, digging a hand into one of his pockets and reaching for the jade fairy lantern. He stares at the tiny orb with a glum expression and turns it in his fingers, wondering how much time a green shaded shadow puppet contest might kill. He knocks over a stack of paperwork as he lifts himself from his seat, and pauses for a moment as he examines the avalanche disaster of an Office.

 

"I don't suppose there's anything worth reading or studying in here?" Azuran brushes his hand across Wyvern's desktop, and raises a brow when he finds a book entitled "3001 More Geld-Related Schemes" with a centerfold from "Naughty Nymph" magazine as a bookmark.

 

"Nothing that would endow you with any new knowledge, I'm afraid." Tanuchan shakes her head and frowns. "Don't worry though, I'm sure that Wyvern will be here eventua-"

 

The slam of the Office door cuts Tanuchan's phrase short as Wyvern bursts in on cue, carrying a small tan pouch that dangles from one claw. The lizard barges through one stack of paperwork after another until he reaches Azuran. He grabs the applicant's hand and shakes it in vigorous jerks, striking a jagged grin.

 

"Sssorry to keep you waiting, I was searching for a certain kind of knowledge and lost track of the time."

 

Azuran crosses his arms over his chest as Wyvern grabs a shovel laying the floor and begins skirmishing around his desk, tossing condensed chunks of paperwork and garbage left and right.

 

"Errrrrr." Azuran sidesteps a large chunk of prosthetic limbs as it's tossed to the side. He watches with wide eyes as the boulder of limbs rolls in the direction of Tanuchan, but breathes a sigh of relief as it hits a bump in the paperwork and scatters in a harmless circle around her. He turns back towards the lizard just in time to duck a chunk of debris from a failed mousetrap. "Wh-what sort of knowledge?"

 

"A knowledge that many people seek." Wyvern pauses in his shoveling as he notices Azuran's application piece lying on the corner of his desktop. "Knowledge of Wealth!"

 

Azuran raises a finger and opens his mouth to speak, but decides to keep quiet as the lizard snatches up his application and begins reading it over. The applicant cringes as he watches the reptilian Elder's snout twist in disgust.

 

"Ssssea sage, eh?" Wyvern seems to freeze up, and his eyes widen. "Quite an horrific piece you have here, with the waterfall and crashing waves and all that aquatic stuff. A well-written horrific piece, that is."

 

Wyvern lets out a gutteral shudder and reaches for his ACCEPTED stamp with a trembling claw, only to pause as he notices the tiny bead-like object that Azuran is holding. The lizard whistles at the mini-orb's glowing green color, and grabs the tan pouch that he was carrying.

 

"Hey, before I accept your application, I'll play you for that green marble."

 

Azuran's jaw drops open as Wyvern pulls several large, transparent marbles from within his pouch. Within each of the marbles is a pixy in a straightjacket. The pixies bump against the transparent walls of their cells in haphazard manner, causing the marbles to roll left and right.

 

"Have been meaning to test out these Almost Dragonic Brand Lost Hiss Marbles™ anyhow." Wyvern grins in Azuran's direction, then notices the uncomfortable position of his jaw and sighs. "Well, at least the psycho pixies see that green light as a sign to 'go...'"

 

Wyvern manages to stamp Azuran's application ACCEPTED before slipping over one of the Lost Hiss Marbles™ and plummeting into an ocean of paperwork.

 

;-)

 

OOC: An ACCEPTED application piece, Azuran. Welcome to the Mighty Pen! I apologize for the long wait, and hope that you find the Pen a very friendly and acceptant community to share your writing in. I look forward to reading more of your stuff, and to writing with you on collaborative projects. Once again, welcome!