Jun of the Celadine
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 305 
Age: 33
Appearance: Jun stands at about 5’ 4”, with a willowy, slightly rectangular build. Her tawny olive skin has lost its flush from constantly wearing cloth armor, and she is dotted with small scars, including wrinkled patches of old burns on her left arm. She has deep brown, slightly hooded eyes and not quite straight dark auburn hair. Her face is still youthful and strong, though her gaze suggests she’s seen way too much for her age.
Equipment: An emerald, muddy long coat-style gambeson. A chrome blue longsword with a rusty hilt. Rusted shackles on her wrists ending in broken chains, giving a false impression that she had been a prisoner; the bracelets are easily removed.
Skills and Abilities: What remains of Jun’s power is a mix of animal friendship and elemental control. She can communicate with and control weaker animals, like insects, and request the help of larger, sentient animals (though they are not compelled to obey her). She can perform subtle manipulations of fire, water, earth, wind, and other “elements” like light and shadow. Her most unique ability is to imbue elemental magic into other life forms and channel her spells through them.
She is a decent cook and survivalist and has a solid academic understanding of agriculture and ecology. She is also a decent sword and hand-to-hand fighter.
Biography: Jun of the Celadine was a stereotypical hero of legend. She was one of Isra's mightiest spellcasters, had gone on dozens of adventures, possessed several powerful artifacts, and helped bring peace to the world on many occasions.
A notorious overachiever and workaholic, Jun had driven herself to near madness pursuing powerful magic. In standard fashion, it was the power of friendship that kept her sane.
Now Jun must cope with the fact that much of the world she helped protect has been lost, and that most of the magic power she had accrued over the years has stopped working.
Her family (whose whereabouts are unknown) was a clan of farmers and gardeners. Her tribe lived in peace and harmony in a mostly forested region. Every two hundred years or so, their people produced a powerful mage and master of all elements. Jun was not this chosen one, but rather her grandmother was. Still, Jun's (somewhat unhealthy) obsession with keeping up with her ancestor made her a pretty close second.
Jun has no regrets about her journey, though she sometimes wishes she had spent more learning other skills, like cooking and dancing. She also feels she made a poor lover, though it's likely her old partners passed away in the floodwaters anyways...
Registered: May 25, 2021 13:33:31 GMT -5
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Post by Jun of the Celadine on Nov 17, 2021 22:01:10 GMT -5
Jun squinted and furrowed her eyebrows as she tried to conceptualize how to remember the man's bizarre magic system.
"Ok, so... based on what you're telling me, a decently strong mage's full power would be... about a flux? And a strong spell would be a few Mox?"
No, Jun did not read Avalux's mind. But she was starting to get an intuitive feel for the system based on his descriptions. She plopped down into the sand and started making some drawings with her finger. "Ok ok sorry I didn't remember the rest of those terms. I'm not used to thinking this way." A stick figure with a large circle around it became a Mox. A few smaller circles around it became a Flux.
She suddenly paused and looked up at Avalux. "I... I really should be asking you if you are ok and if you need food, water, or medical attention. This territory is called Vinya Lhann. It's controlled by the survivors of a people who call themselves Usqueans, because they came from a large forest known as the Usque. Their queen is named Tana the Tongue-Tied. She's a mute. They're all good people and were in much the same predicament as you."
(Jun's drawings were extremely crude. She wasn't a very good artist, although her handwriting wasn't terrible.)
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Avalux Kesterven
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 106 
Age: 42
Appearance: Avalux is quarter elven which makes his age slightly hard to guess. His hair had turned a silvery blonde when he was quite young and most of the signs of age on his features are due more to squinting to read in candlelight than his years. He is on the tall and lean side but not to an excessive degree. Perhaps a hair's breadth over six feet and with enough meat on his bones to be healthy. His features are angular and they have a slightly severe cast as his habitual expression is a frown of thoughtful consideration.
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Equipment: Utterly insufficient for the task he has been presented with but he has the essential. A fresh notebook, a pen enchanted to replenish its own ink over time, a rune scribes etching tool, his glasses, and various crystals for creating apparatus.
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Skills and Abilities: Avalux is a magical engineer (Artificer if you wish to offend) and researcher. He specializes in the creation of devices that use magical power to power mechanical designs. He tackles magic with the scientific method trying to quantify something that most people believe to be unquantifiable. His drive and determination to do so often make him overlook certain things.
Registered: Nov 14, 2021 12:43:02 GMT -5
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Post by Avalux Kesterven on Nov 17, 2021 22:35:48 GMT -5
"Yes, it gets rather complicated as I said. But generally speaking you need at least a Mox's worth of magic to create a solid magical effect. And yes at full power a Master Mage would have around a flux, or one thousand mana, available. Then there are factors like your natural mana regeneration rate, ambient magical energy, and how your spell is structured that factor into how powerful the effects is and how much magic is used."
Avalux explained doing his best to answer her questions before she flopped down on the sand and started doodling in it. It was starting to hit him that Jun was not simply going to dismiss his ideas. It was honestly, a breath of fresh air after having lived in the Glade Citadel for the better part of the last decade. He was only quarter elven so they'd started with reason to disdain him and they saw his path of research in defiance of how magic was supposed to be used and viewed. It was all very demeaning and frustrating but the resources at the university were second to only to the ones in the capitol. But no amount of bribery would get him a position there, not even if he'd been half-elven.
"Ah, yes, that is probably a good point."
There had been a slightly too long beat between when Jun finished explaining about the people of the Usque and when he'd responded. He was distracted as he was structuring what to say next.
"However, you seem to be interested in my research so I am afraid you will have to indulge me for a moment. It might help you conceptualize how the scale works if I explain the logic behind it. I am sure you know that there is, in most places, a certain level of ambient magical energy. There are also locations with denser levels of ambient magical energy. The scale is based on what the magical energy levels required to produce different phenomena."
A slight pause as he tries to hold back a grin and maintain a professional demeanor. The small amount of interest she'd shown was more than he'd gotten in years among the elves and this was his passion. The chance to actually explain this was just too irresistible for him to pass up.
"The smallest quantity of magical energy my devices have been able to detect is what I call a Mu. Most places have at least a few Mu worth of ambient magical energy per cubic foot. I have theories about that but I should avoid tangents. It is sufficient to say that we are surrounded by magical energy pretty much at all times it is just normally not in sufficient quantities to be observed. That happens when the energy density gets to one hundred mu per cubic foot, at that point the energy will begin to coalesce into little flashes of light, so think say an enchanted forest. Anyway since this is where the first shift in energy state occurs I changed the measurement to Aums for ease of calculations."
Another pause to take a breath and wet his lips, it had been some time since he'd talked this much.
"The next state shift occurs, as I am sure you can surmise, when the energy density in the area increasing by a factor of ten. At this point magical energy can condense into a liquid state or suffuse a liquid, I am sure you've seen Mana springs before. They are probably the most well known examples of magic rich locales that people think of so it seemed fitting Mana be the name of the most common unit."
"Increase the density by a factor of ten once again and magic will crystallize. I am sure you are familiar with the phenomena of elementally infused gemstones from certain mines. My people called these Mox and it is what occurs when ten units of naturally occurring mana solidify under pressure. And if left alone over time they can grow and once they reach about one hundred times their original size, they collapse in on themselves forming a spatial rift or a Flux. Typically becoming a naturally occurring portal to another realm or location."
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Jun of the Celadine
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 305
Age: 33
Appearance: Jun stands at about 5’ 4”, with a willowy, slightly rectangular build. Her tawny olive skin has lost its flush from constantly wearing cloth armor, and she is dotted with small scars, including wrinkled patches of old burns on her left arm. She has deep brown, slightly hooded eyes and not quite straight dark auburn hair. Her face is still youthful and strong, though her gaze suggests she’s seen way too much for her age.
Equipment: An emerald, muddy long coat-style gambeson. A chrome blue longsword with a rusty hilt. Rusted shackles on her wrists ending in broken chains, giving a false impression that she had been a prisoner; the bracelets are easily removed.
Skills and Abilities: What remains of Jun’s power is a mix of animal friendship and elemental control. She can communicate with and control weaker animals, like insects, and request the help of larger, sentient animals (though they are not compelled to obey her). She can perform subtle manipulations of fire, water, earth, wind, and other “elements” like light and shadow. Her most unique ability is to imbue elemental magic into other life forms and channel her spells through them.
She is a decent cook and survivalist and has a solid academic understanding of agriculture and ecology. She is also a decent sword and hand-to-hand fighter.
Biography: Jun of the Celadine was a stereotypical hero of legend. She was one of Isra's mightiest spellcasters, had gone on dozens of adventures, possessed several powerful artifacts, and helped bring peace to the world on many occasions.
A notorious overachiever and workaholic, Jun had driven herself to near madness pursuing powerful magic. In standard fashion, it was the power of friendship that kept her sane.
Now Jun must cope with the fact that much of the world she helped protect has been lost, and that most of the magic power she had accrued over the years has stopped working.
Her family (whose whereabouts are unknown) was a clan of farmers and gardeners. Her tribe lived in peace and harmony in a mostly forested region. Every two hundred years or so, their people produced a powerful mage and master of all elements. Jun was not this chosen one, but rather her grandmother was. Still, Jun's (somewhat unhealthy) obsession with keeping up with her ancestor made her a pretty close second.
Jun has no regrets about her journey, though she sometimes wishes she had spent more learning other skills, like cooking and dancing. She also feels she made a poor lover, though it's likely her old partners passed away in the floodwaters anyways...
Registered: May 25, 2021 13:33:31 GMT -5
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Post by Jun of the Celadine on Nov 18, 2021 20:38:32 GMT -5
Jun tittered and sat up, grabbing her knees like a child ready for story time. She knew she'd rather receive a magic lecture than deal with practical things at the moment. Poor Duen.
As he explained the significance of the different measurements, she made notes in the sand.
"Mu is all around us. Aum is when it appears to the eyes. Mana is when it lends itself to a physical form. Mox is when it coalesces into a sturdy form. And Flux is when it breaks the veil of our reality." Jun's interpretation was definitely a little more right-brained than Avalux's, but she felt she understood it.
"You know, I've invested a lifetime getting to know the natures of the different elements. But I've only spent a cursory amount of time understanding mana itself, its fundamental property. I'm used to phrases like harmonizing, even singing with the elements. But this is very interesting."
Jun suddenly sat up, almost ruining her drawings. She snapped her fingers at Avalux while trying to formulate her question. "Does the type of gradient, is that the right word, the different concentrations of magic across its sphere of influence, does that have any bearing on the type of element one can influence with said magic?"
Without even waiting for an answer, Jun dashed over to a nearby tree and started picking leaves off its branches and from the ground. Inspiration had struck her.
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Avalux Kesterven
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 106
Age: 42
Appearance: Avalux is quarter elven which makes his age slightly hard to guess. His hair had turned a silvery blonde when he was quite young and most of the signs of age on his features are due more to squinting to read in candlelight than his years. He is on the tall and lean side but not to an excessive degree. Perhaps a hair's breadth over six feet and with enough meat on his bones to be healthy. His features are angular and they have a slightly severe cast as his habitual expression is a frown of thoughtful consideration.
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Equipment: Utterly insufficient for the task he has been presented with but he has the essential. A fresh notebook, a pen enchanted to replenish its own ink over time, a rune scribes etching tool, his glasses, and various crystals for creating apparatus.
-------------------------
Skills and Abilities: Avalux is a magical engineer (Artificer if you wish to offend) and researcher. He specializes in the creation of devices that use magical power to power mechanical designs. He tackles magic with the scientific method trying to quantify something that most people believe to be unquantifiable. His drive and determination to do so often make him overlook certain things.
Registered: Nov 14, 2021 12:43:02 GMT -5
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Post by Avalux Kesterven on Nov 18, 2021 21:01:30 GMT -5
"Yes! Precisely!"
At this point he could no longer contain his grin which split the severe features of his face and made a few years slip from his bearing. But he couldn't help it, it had been so long since someone had not only listened to him but actually grasped the concepts he was laying down to them.
"That's why your spell probably only came in at a few Mox. Solid light is not as permanent as an actual gem but it is magic in physical form so it was a spell within the range of a Mox's worth of mana. Now there is a lot of variance within this I am sure you can imagine. The application of will lets a Mage poor more energy into certain effects without the mana follow natural law but... Sorry, tangent."
Avalux said with a slight blush. He'd been so caught up in his excitement and there was so much to discuss. Magic truly was one of the most interesting topics to research and he couldn't understand why so many mages were content to leave it at, it works because it is magic. It was probably time they got to discussing this colony she'd mentioned previously. However, before he could bring it up Jun spoke again, offering up a refreshing perspective to Avalux, asking a few questions, and then running off toward the woods.
"Uhm..."
Well, that was unexpected and after a moment's hesitation he decided to go after her. Though he kept his pace to a jog rather than a dash.
"Gradiant works I suppose but what do you mean? Are you asking if certain spell effects can only be achieved at certain mana concentrations? As in can you only use say, earth magic if you are expending a Mox's worth or energy? Or Fire if you are only expending a Mana's worth at minimum?"
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Jun of the Celadine
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 305
Age: 33
Appearance: Jun stands at about 5’ 4”, with a willowy, slightly rectangular build. Her tawny olive skin has lost its flush from constantly wearing cloth armor, and she is dotted with small scars, including wrinkled patches of old burns on her left arm. She has deep brown, slightly hooded eyes and not quite straight dark auburn hair. Her face is still youthful and strong, though her gaze suggests she’s seen way too much for her age.
Equipment: An emerald, muddy long coat-style gambeson. A chrome blue longsword with a rusty hilt. Rusted shackles on her wrists ending in broken chains, giving a false impression that she had been a prisoner; the bracelets are easily removed.
Skills and Abilities: What remains of Jun’s power is a mix of animal friendship and elemental control. She can communicate with and control weaker animals, like insects, and request the help of larger, sentient animals (though they are not compelled to obey her). She can perform subtle manipulations of fire, water, earth, wind, and other “elements” like light and shadow. Her most unique ability is to imbue elemental magic into other life forms and channel her spells through them.
She is a decent cook and survivalist and has a solid academic understanding of agriculture and ecology. She is also a decent sword and hand-to-hand fighter.
Biography: Jun of the Celadine was a stereotypical hero of legend. She was one of Isra's mightiest spellcasters, had gone on dozens of adventures, possessed several powerful artifacts, and helped bring peace to the world on many occasions.
A notorious overachiever and workaholic, Jun had driven herself to near madness pursuing powerful magic. In standard fashion, it was the power of friendship that kept her sane.
Now Jun must cope with the fact that much of the world she helped protect has been lost, and that most of the magic power she had accrued over the years has stopped working.
Her family (whose whereabouts are unknown) was a clan of farmers and gardeners. Her tribe lived in peace and harmony in a mostly forested region. Every two hundred years or so, their people produced a powerful mage and master of all elements. Jun was not this chosen one, but rather her grandmother was. Still, Jun's (somewhat unhealthy) obsession with keeping up with her ancestor made her a pretty close second.
Jun has no regrets about her journey, though she sometimes wishes she had spent more learning other skills, like cooking and dancing. She also feels she made a poor lover, though it's likely her old partners passed away in the floodwaters anyways...
Registered: May 25, 2021 13:33:31 GMT -5
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Post by Jun of the Celadine on Nov 19, 2021 0:35:43 GMT -5
Once Jun was satisfied she enough leaves, she laid them down on the floor.
"Uh, I'm sorry it's hard to explain my idea. My mind doesn't work quite like yours. Umm... actually, I can go ahead and use these leaves."
She was planning to infuse the leaves with mana, but instead she realized she could use them as a visual aid. "I don't think there is a difference between how much mana each element requires, but there might be a difference in how the mana is distributed that I've never thought of before. I've always seen elements as having personalities, as being alive in their own way, and understanding them was the key to controlling them. Not to brag but this conception served me quite well in the past. But now..."
Jun took all the leaves and dumped them onto the ground. She then knealed down and spread them out as evenly as she could.
"Air."
Next, she bunched up the leaves into small piles.
"Earth."
She then oriented the leaves into long rows.
"Water? This feels like water to me."
Then she made a rough tic-tack-toe shape, criss-crossing the rows.
"I think that's lightning. I have no idea what light and darkness look like. Or fire. But do you get what I'm saying? Same amount of mana, but different distribution."
Jun blinked and looked up at Avalux, grinning apologetically. "I'm sorry, my mind likes to run forward like this. By the forest I haven't even asked you what kind of mage you are!"
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Avalux Kesterven
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 106
Age: 42
Appearance: Avalux is quarter elven which makes his age slightly hard to guess. His hair had turned a silvery blonde when he was quite young and most of the signs of age on his features are due more to squinting to read in candlelight than his years. He is on the tall and lean side but not to an excessive degree. Perhaps a hair's breadth over six feet and with enough meat on his bones to be healthy. His features are angular and they have a slightly severe cast as his habitual expression is a frown of thoughtful consideration.
-------------------------
Equipment: Utterly insufficient for the task he has been presented with but he has the essential. A fresh notebook, a pen enchanted to replenish its own ink over time, a rune scribes etching tool, his glasses, and various crystals for creating apparatus.
-------------------------
Skills and Abilities: Avalux is a magical engineer (Artificer if you wish to offend) and researcher. He specializes in the creation of devices that use magical power to power mechanical designs. He tackles magic with the scientific method trying to quantify something that most people believe to be unquantifiable. His drive and determination to do so often make him overlook certain things.
Registered: Nov 14, 2021 12:43:02 GMT -5
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Post by Avalux Kesterven on Nov 20, 2021 9:13:19 GMT -5
Avalux observed as she explained her idea to him and he blinked in surprise. Just as he was about to answer though she asked the question he always dreaded getting to an extent. The man's expression turned slightly. It wasn't anger or sadness, mostly fatigue but he rallied quickly.
"Think nothing over it. I haven't had a conversation this enjoyable in quite some time even before the flood. It is refreshing for someone to actually take an interest and you, in fact, are quite correct, using magic to produce different elements does change the composition in a fascinating way. The application of Will can actually let the saturation of magical energy in an area increase without condensing. Air is the most obvious example, as you said the amount of mana doesn't change but when a mage uses air magic, it's actually most accurate to measure the spell's power in Mu because the energy stays in that diffused state even when it should advance to Aum. The interaction of sapient will into magic is actually what allows it to so totally circumvent physical law."
This is all explained with increasing enthusiasm as they move away from the subject of what sort of mage he was. A question he'd leave unanswered unless she asked it again. Mostly because he didn't want to admit that he was not, in fact, any sort of mage. He lacked the ability to absorb, refine, and or generate his own mana so he couldn't channel any energy directly. He couldn't even study it without his glasses.
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Jun of the Celadine
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 305
Age: 33
Appearance: Jun stands at about 5’ 4”, with a willowy, slightly rectangular build. Her tawny olive skin has lost its flush from constantly wearing cloth armor, and she is dotted with small scars, including wrinkled patches of old burns on her left arm. She has deep brown, slightly hooded eyes and not quite straight dark auburn hair. Her face is still youthful and strong, though her gaze suggests she’s seen way too much for her age.
Equipment: An emerald, muddy long coat-style gambeson. A chrome blue longsword with a rusty hilt. Rusted shackles on her wrists ending in broken chains, giving a false impression that she had been a prisoner; the bracelets are easily removed.
Skills and Abilities: What remains of Jun’s power is a mix of animal friendship and elemental control. She can communicate with and control weaker animals, like insects, and request the help of larger, sentient animals (though they are not compelled to obey her). She can perform subtle manipulations of fire, water, earth, wind, and other “elements” like light and shadow. Her most unique ability is to imbue elemental magic into other life forms and channel her spells through them.
She is a decent cook and survivalist and has a solid academic understanding of agriculture and ecology. She is also a decent sword and hand-to-hand fighter.
Biography: Jun of the Celadine was a stereotypical hero of legend. She was one of Isra's mightiest spellcasters, had gone on dozens of adventures, possessed several powerful artifacts, and helped bring peace to the world on many occasions.
A notorious overachiever and workaholic, Jun had driven herself to near madness pursuing powerful magic. In standard fashion, it was the power of friendship that kept her sane.
Now Jun must cope with the fact that much of the world she helped protect has been lost, and that most of the magic power she had accrued over the years has stopped working.
Her family (whose whereabouts are unknown) was a clan of farmers and gardeners. Her tribe lived in peace and harmony in a mostly forested region. Every two hundred years or so, their people produced a powerful mage and master of all elements. Jun was not this chosen one, but rather her grandmother was. Still, Jun's (somewhat unhealthy) obsession with keeping up with her ancestor made her a pretty close second.
Jun has no regrets about her journey, though she sometimes wishes she had spent more learning other skills, like cooking and dancing. She also feels she made a poor lover, though it's likely her old partners passed away in the floodwaters anyways...
Registered: May 25, 2021 13:33:31 GMT -5
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Post by Jun of the Celadine on Nov 21, 2021 14:58:41 GMT -5
Jun read between the lines in how he steered the conversation away from that subject. She nodded.
"I've always wanted to get good enough at teaching people magic that I can teach anyone. But it's hard for me to teach people who don't already have an innate feel for it. A system like what you're showing me could help us teach many others someday."
Jun picked up one of the leaves, smirked, and flung it at a tree.
Instead of flapping through the air, the leaf suddenly screeched like a buzz saw and struck the bark with the force of an ax. Bits of bark flew off in different directions.
Huh, that was better than usual.
"This land is dangerous. The survivors are going to need every edge they can get. Maybe you can help us. I know this sounds crazy but I feel like your ideas have already made me stronger. In my experience, magic likes to be understood."
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Avalux Kesterven
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 106
Age: 42
Appearance: Avalux is quarter elven which makes his age slightly hard to guess. His hair had turned a silvery blonde when he was quite young and most of the signs of age on his features are due more to squinting to read in candlelight than his years. He is on the tall and lean side but not to an excessive degree. Perhaps a hair's breadth over six feet and with enough meat on his bones to be healthy. His features are angular and they have a slightly severe cast as his habitual expression is a frown of thoughtful consideration.
-------------------------
Equipment: Utterly insufficient for the task he has been presented with but he has the essential. A fresh notebook, a pen enchanted to replenish its own ink over time, a rune scribes etching tool, his glasses, and various crystals for creating apparatus.
-------------------------
Skills and Abilities: Avalux is a magical engineer (Artificer if you wish to offend) and researcher. He specializes in the creation of devices that use magical power to power mechanical designs. He tackles magic with the scientific method trying to quantify something that most people believe to be unquantifiable. His drive and determination to do so often make him overlook certain things.
Registered: Nov 14, 2021 12:43:02 GMT -5
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Post by Avalux Kesterven on Nov 21, 2021 18:52:28 GMT -5
"You are not actually wrong about that but it is more nuanced."
Again he was left blinking in surprise as Jun had shown remarkable insight once again. That and the display of power was rather brilliant though perhaps not for the reasons she might think. Of course, the reason was about to be explained.
"Magic likes understanding. When a magic user casts a spell they exert their will onto magic and it conforms to those desires. The better the caster understands the effect they are trying to create and the easier it is for the magic to create it. As your understanding grows so to does, not your power, but your efficiency. And when you are more efficient you can do more with the energy you use that spell you just cast was only a few points of mana but it was expended in a way to amplify its effect. It was quite brilliant actually."
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Jun of the Celadine
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 305
Age: 33
Appearance: Jun stands at about 5’ 4”, with a willowy, slightly rectangular build. Her tawny olive skin has lost its flush from constantly wearing cloth armor, and she is dotted with small scars, including wrinkled patches of old burns on her left arm. She has deep brown, slightly hooded eyes and not quite straight dark auburn hair. Her face is still youthful and strong, though her gaze suggests she’s seen way too much for her age.
Equipment: An emerald, muddy long coat-style gambeson. A chrome blue longsword with a rusty hilt. Rusted shackles on her wrists ending in broken chains, giving a false impression that she had been a prisoner; the bracelets are easily removed.
Skills and Abilities: What remains of Jun’s power is a mix of animal friendship and elemental control. She can communicate with and control weaker animals, like insects, and request the help of larger, sentient animals (though they are not compelled to obey her). She can perform subtle manipulations of fire, water, earth, wind, and other “elements” like light and shadow. Her most unique ability is to imbue elemental magic into other life forms and channel her spells through them.
She is a decent cook and survivalist and has a solid academic understanding of agriculture and ecology. She is also a decent sword and hand-to-hand fighter.
Biography: Jun of the Celadine was a stereotypical hero of legend. She was one of Isra's mightiest spellcasters, had gone on dozens of adventures, possessed several powerful artifacts, and helped bring peace to the world on many occasions.
A notorious overachiever and workaholic, Jun had driven herself to near madness pursuing powerful magic. In standard fashion, it was the power of friendship that kept her sane.
Now Jun must cope with the fact that much of the world she helped protect has been lost, and that most of the magic power she had accrued over the years has stopped working.
Her family (whose whereabouts are unknown) was a clan of farmers and gardeners. Her tribe lived in peace and harmony in a mostly forested region. Every two hundred years or so, their people produced a powerful mage and master of all elements. Jun was not this chosen one, but rather her grandmother was. Still, Jun's (somewhat unhealthy) obsession with keeping up with her ancestor made her a pretty close second.
Jun has no regrets about her journey, though she sometimes wishes she had spent more learning other skills, like cooking and dancing. She also feels she made a poor lover, though it's likely her old partners passed away in the floodwaters anyways...
Registered: May 25, 2021 13:33:31 GMT -5
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Post by Jun of the Celadine on Nov 23, 2021 17:37:34 GMT -5
Jun blushed. It was always nice to be validated for her abilities, but this felt more different, more genuine. In the old world, Jun's abilities were prized as a means of protecting Isra and the Expanse from harm. Jun was a trump card, and her powers were graded as such. It had gotten to the point where she had internalized and perpetuated this view of herself, to where letting go of it was difficult. Really, she had done it to herself. When she was young, she wanted to be a weapon and had thus blinded herself to how taxing that could be.
Now Jun had just been complimented based on her creativity and understanding of magic, as opposed to just how deadly she could be with it. And so it just hit her differently.
She liked it. For the first time in a long time she felt like a student instead of a soldier.
"Th-thank you," she said.
"You know, when I arrived in this world, I thought I had lost everything. Friends, family, purpose, and power. But after a while it started to feel like a new beginning. And now it feels like that more than ever. I'm so used to seeing magic as a living force, a sort of all-encompassing spirit. So in a way I felt sort of abandoned by it arriving on this island. Now I understand that magic has a physical, mathematical language as well as a spiritual one. Just because our senses have been dulled doesn't mean we can't find a way to talk."
She suddenly thought of Tana the Tongue-Tied. They really ought to get back to civilization soon.
She smiled gently at Avalux. "I hope I'm not being too forward but I feel like maybe we were destined to meet." She extended her hand a second time towards Avalux, as if asking for another handshake.
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Avalux Kesterven
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 106
Age: 42
Appearance: Avalux is quarter elven which makes his age slightly hard to guess. His hair had turned a silvery blonde when he was quite young and most of the signs of age on his features are due more to squinting to read in candlelight than his years. He is on the tall and lean side but not to an excessive degree. Perhaps a hair's breadth over six feet and with enough meat on his bones to be healthy. His features are angular and they have a slightly severe cast as his habitual expression is a frown of thoughtful consideration.
-------------------------
Equipment: Utterly insufficient for the task he has been presented with but he has the essential. A fresh notebook, a pen enchanted to replenish its own ink over time, a rune scribes etching tool, his glasses, and various crystals for creating apparatus.
-------------------------
Skills and Abilities: Avalux is a magical engineer (Artificer if you wish to offend) and researcher. He specializes in the creation of devices that use magical power to power mechanical designs. He tackles magic with the scientific method trying to quantify something that most people believe to be unquantifiable. His drive and determination to do so often make him overlook certain things.
Registered: Nov 14, 2021 12:43:02 GMT -5
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Post by Avalux Kesterven on Nov 23, 2021 19:53:15 GMT -5
Avalux noted the blush and oddly felt his own cheeks heating as well. Mostly because he was not sure what he said that might have elicited such a response. When she thanked him for the compliment he went to reply and then covered his mouth, coughed once lightly and clearly forced.
"Er, you are welcome."
As she explained a bit more he began to frown at her words and then held up a finger.
"Er, just one point to clarify there. Our senses have not been dulled. Something is actively working against us. As you said magic can be expressed mathematically, and while I can't say anything for certain just yet, based on my calculations the only explanation for what I've been observing is an active will suppressing the rate that magic can be accumulated."
With that out of the way she was free to bring up the part of them being destined to meet which got another slow blink from him. It appeared as though that was what he did whenever he was caught off guard. It was actually a bit comically since his glasses made his eyes look a bit bigger than they actually were. Once he was done being surprised he tentatively took her hand in his.
"Well, that is entirely possible I suppose. That being said, as much as I've enjoyed talking to someone who is actually interested in what I have to say or just anyone else in general considering how long I was adrift..."
He trailed off and realized he was rambling a bit, hopefully due to how long he'd been alone rather than a decline in mental state. He liked to think he was a bit better at keeping himself on task, at least, usually.
"But you did mention a settlement and I would very much like to see if they have anything besides dried goods which were rapidly dwindling in supply. I am rather tired of hard tack."
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Jun of the Celadine
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 305
Age: 33
Appearance: Jun stands at about 5’ 4”, with a willowy, slightly rectangular build. Her tawny olive skin has lost its flush from constantly wearing cloth armor, and she is dotted with small scars, including wrinkled patches of old burns on her left arm. She has deep brown, slightly hooded eyes and not quite straight dark auburn hair. Her face is still youthful and strong, though her gaze suggests she’s seen way too much for her age.
Equipment: An emerald, muddy long coat-style gambeson. A chrome blue longsword with a rusty hilt. Rusted shackles on her wrists ending in broken chains, giving a false impression that she had been a prisoner; the bracelets are easily removed.
Skills and Abilities: What remains of Jun’s power is a mix of animal friendship and elemental control. She can communicate with and control weaker animals, like insects, and request the help of larger, sentient animals (though they are not compelled to obey her). She can perform subtle manipulations of fire, water, earth, wind, and other “elements” like light and shadow. Her most unique ability is to imbue elemental magic into other life forms and channel her spells through them.
She is a decent cook and survivalist and has a solid academic understanding of agriculture and ecology. She is also a decent sword and hand-to-hand fighter.
Biography: Jun of the Celadine was a stereotypical hero of legend. She was one of Isra's mightiest spellcasters, had gone on dozens of adventures, possessed several powerful artifacts, and helped bring peace to the world on many occasions.
A notorious overachiever and workaholic, Jun had driven herself to near madness pursuing powerful magic. In standard fashion, it was the power of friendship that kept her sane.
Now Jun must cope with the fact that much of the world she helped protect has been lost, and that most of the magic power she had accrued over the years has stopped working.
Her family (whose whereabouts are unknown) was a clan of farmers and gardeners. Her tribe lived in peace and harmony in a mostly forested region. Every two hundred years or so, their people produced a powerful mage and master of all elements. Jun was not this chosen one, but rather her grandmother was. Still, Jun's (somewhat unhealthy) obsession with keeping up with her ancestor made her a pretty close second.
Jun has no regrets about her journey, though she sometimes wishes she had spent more learning other skills, like cooking and dancing. She also feels she made a poor lover, though it's likely her old partners passed away in the floodwaters anyways...
Registered: May 25, 2021 13:33:31 GMT -5
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Post by Jun of the Celadine on Nov 27, 2021 2:52:13 GMT -5
Jun's eyes bugged.
"Actively working against..." Her head tilted up towards the sky. She gave the sky an indignant look and shook her head. She'd restrain herself for now. The last time she challenged a god to a battle it didn't go so well. Still, the implications of this were terrifying. It was exactly the sort of thing she had feared, the sort of thing she wished she was powerful enough to stop. Beings of a higher power had no right to interfere with the destinies of men.
But, then again it was just Avalux's hypothesis. Anyways, it was probably premature to levy a challenge against a giant flood-wielding magic-suppressing deity.
I will not try to challenge a god I will not try to challenge a god I will not try to challenge a god I will not try to challenge a god I will not try to challenge a god...
Jun cleared her throat and smiled again at Avalux. "Well, how about mushrooms, moss auroch jerky, and pork stew except the pork has a lot of horns to it? I should warn you the life on these islands is a bit more wild than you're probably used to."
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Avalux Kesterven
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 106
Age: 42
Appearance: Avalux is quarter elven which makes his age slightly hard to guess. His hair had turned a silvery blonde when he was quite young and most of the signs of age on his features are due more to squinting to read in candlelight than his years. He is on the tall and lean side but not to an excessive degree. Perhaps a hair's breadth over six feet and with enough meat on his bones to be healthy. His features are angular and they have a slightly severe cast as his habitual expression is a frown of thoughtful consideration.
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Equipment: Utterly insufficient for the task he has been presented with but he has the essential. A fresh notebook, a pen enchanted to replenish its own ink over time, a rune scribes etching tool, his glasses, and various crystals for creating apparatus.
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Skills and Abilities: Avalux is a magical engineer (Artificer if you wish to offend) and researcher. He specializes in the creation of devices that use magical power to power mechanical designs. He tackles magic with the scientific method trying to quantify something that most people believe to be unquantifiable. His drive and determination to do so often make him overlook certain things.
Registered: Nov 14, 2021 12:43:02 GMT -5
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Post by Avalux Kesterven on Nov 27, 2021 22:00:50 GMT -5
"Yes, of course, was that not obvious to you? Did you think your body just suddenly stopped producing mana in the same quantities it did before?"
Avalux blinked at Jun in genuine surprise that she'd not guessed this already. After all, if this world was similar enough to the old to support them, then it stood to reason that it should follow the laws they were used to. If did not which meant that something was restricting things on a grand scale.
"It's not even quite perfect. It doesn't seem to fully take hold of enchantments that are from the old world. I suspect because the runes have already been closed to outside influence beyond whatever mechanism is used to recharge them."
With that he reached up and scratched his neck as she informed him of what was available.
"I think I will be fine with that as it sounds like it isn't going to be hardtack."
The man had never been particularly picky, food was mostly just fuel to keep him moving. But even he had his limits and he'd long gotten past the point of enjoying eating bread that managed to stay hard no matter how much water he dunked it in.
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Jun of the Celadine
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 305
Age: 33
Appearance: Jun stands at about 5’ 4”, with a willowy, slightly rectangular build. Her tawny olive skin has lost its flush from constantly wearing cloth armor, and she is dotted with small scars, including wrinkled patches of old burns on her left arm. She has deep brown, slightly hooded eyes and not quite straight dark auburn hair. Her face is still youthful and strong, though her gaze suggests she’s seen way too much for her age.
Equipment: An emerald, muddy long coat-style gambeson. A chrome blue longsword with a rusty hilt. Rusted shackles on her wrists ending in broken chains, giving a false impression that she had been a prisoner; the bracelets are easily removed.
Skills and Abilities: What remains of Jun’s power is a mix of animal friendship and elemental control. She can communicate with and control weaker animals, like insects, and request the help of larger, sentient animals (though they are not compelled to obey her). She can perform subtle manipulations of fire, water, earth, wind, and other “elements” like light and shadow. Her most unique ability is to imbue elemental magic into other life forms and channel her spells through them.
She is a decent cook and survivalist and has a solid academic understanding of agriculture and ecology. She is also a decent sword and hand-to-hand fighter.
Biography: Jun of the Celadine was a stereotypical hero of legend. She was one of Isra's mightiest spellcasters, had gone on dozens of adventures, possessed several powerful artifacts, and helped bring peace to the world on many occasions.
A notorious overachiever and workaholic, Jun had driven herself to near madness pursuing powerful magic. In standard fashion, it was the power of friendship that kept her sane.
Now Jun must cope with the fact that much of the world she helped protect has been lost, and that most of the magic power she had accrued over the years has stopped working.
Her family (whose whereabouts are unknown) was a clan of farmers and gardeners. Her tribe lived in peace and harmony in a mostly forested region. Every two hundred years or so, their people produced a powerful mage and master of all elements. Jun was not this chosen one, but rather her grandmother was. Still, Jun's (somewhat unhealthy) obsession with keeping up with her ancestor made her a pretty close second.
Jun has no regrets about her journey, though she sometimes wishes she had spent more learning other skills, like cooking and dancing. She also feels she made a poor lover, though it's likely her old partners passed away in the floodwaters anyways...
Registered: May 25, 2021 13:33:31 GMT -5
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Post by Jun of the Celadine on Nov 29, 2021 15:00:47 GMT -5
"Well, I mean..." Her eyes searched her eyebrows for an answer. "I guess it was too much to hope it would be a natural phenomenon. Damn, this is gonna be very bad for my mental health. I can't stand bullies."
I will not try to challenge a god I will not try to challenge a god I will not try to challenge a god I will not try to challenge a god I will not try to challenge a god...
... again...
"We should definitely go back to the village. Elder Moir makes the best pork strew and they'll wanna check you for injuries and such. We could also use all the help we can get. We're still mostly living in tents. Deicide- I mean, the INSIDES are rather spartan but cozy enough." Jun really tried to hide her distress. She wondered fancifully if some ancient deity had decided to set the reset button on civilization, but she never considered there was actual mathematical proof of such a thing. And now every muscle in her body was screaming to seek the target and eliminate it. Save humanity.
She'd need more than leaves to do that.
No, no no no. She promised Asadrack and Duen she'd try to live a normal life again, to enjoy herself, to not try to be everyone's hero. Blast it all.
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Avalux Kesterven
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 106
Age: 42
Appearance: Avalux is quarter elven which makes his age slightly hard to guess. His hair had turned a silvery blonde when he was quite young and most of the signs of age on his features are due more to squinting to read in candlelight than his years. He is on the tall and lean side but not to an excessive degree. Perhaps a hair's breadth over six feet and with enough meat on his bones to be healthy. His features are angular and they have a slightly severe cast as his habitual expression is a frown of thoughtful consideration.
-------------------------
Equipment: Utterly insufficient for the task he has been presented with but he has the essential. A fresh notebook, a pen enchanted to replenish its own ink over time, a rune scribes etching tool, his glasses, and various crystals for creating apparatus.
-------------------------
Skills and Abilities: Avalux is a magical engineer (Artificer if you wish to offend) and researcher. He specializes in the creation of devices that use magical power to power mechanical designs. He tackles magic with the scientific method trying to quantify something that most people believe to be unquantifiable. His drive and determination to do so often make him overlook certain things.
Registered: Nov 14, 2021 12:43:02 GMT -5
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Post by Avalux Kesterven on Nov 29, 2021 18:50:30 GMT -5
"I feel as though I told you something I perhaps should not have?"
Avalux said as he picked up that he'd triggered some sort of problem for her. He reached up and scratched at his beard it was the term deicide that got him to raise an eyebrow in sheer shock.
"Ah, I see."
It didn't take him particularly long for him to parse out exactly what was running through her head.
"Well, it might benefit you to know that if whatever is working against us is a deity they would not, technically, be a bully. Deities are forces of nature, we often ascribe them as being sapient but that is not totally the case. Deities are beholden to the belief of their worshipers and are often bound by strict rules of conduct. They typically have less autonomy than mortals despite possessing incredible power."
The man explained and then he kept going because he was trying to make her feel better but he was clearly not good at it. Since explaining pure logic often failed for emotional reactions.
"Besides, there is the chance it is a massive enchantment worked by a group of wizards and not a deity. Or it could be the deity is benevolent. Perhaps it did not cause the floods. Perhaps the floods were caused by over use of magic and it sued the mists to save as many of us as possible and now works to prevent the waters from rising again. I mean really, jumping right to deliberate villainy isn't really fair when we know nothing about what happened or why. Staying objective is important and despite it being irksome there could be good reason for the restriction of magic."
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Jun of the Celadine
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 305
Age: 33
Appearance: Jun stands at about 5’ 4”, with a willowy, slightly rectangular build. Her tawny olive skin has lost its flush from constantly wearing cloth armor, and she is dotted with small scars, including wrinkled patches of old burns on her left arm. She has deep brown, slightly hooded eyes and not quite straight dark auburn hair. Her face is still youthful and strong, though her gaze suggests she’s seen way too much for her age.
Equipment: An emerald, muddy long coat-style gambeson. A chrome blue longsword with a rusty hilt. Rusted shackles on her wrists ending in broken chains, giving a false impression that she had been a prisoner; the bracelets are easily removed.
Skills and Abilities: What remains of Jun’s power is a mix of animal friendship and elemental control. She can communicate with and control weaker animals, like insects, and request the help of larger, sentient animals (though they are not compelled to obey her). She can perform subtle manipulations of fire, water, earth, wind, and other “elements” like light and shadow. Her most unique ability is to imbue elemental magic into other life forms and channel her spells through them.
She is a decent cook and survivalist and has a solid academic understanding of agriculture and ecology. She is also a decent sword and hand-to-hand fighter.
Biography: Jun of the Celadine was a stereotypical hero of legend. She was one of Isra's mightiest spellcasters, had gone on dozens of adventures, possessed several powerful artifacts, and helped bring peace to the world on many occasions.
A notorious overachiever and workaholic, Jun had driven herself to near madness pursuing powerful magic. In standard fashion, it was the power of friendship that kept her sane.
Now Jun must cope with the fact that much of the world she helped protect has been lost, and that most of the magic power she had accrued over the years has stopped working.
Her family (whose whereabouts are unknown) was a clan of farmers and gardeners. Her tribe lived in peace and harmony in a mostly forested region. Every two hundred years or so, their people produced a powerful mage and master of all elements. Jun was not this chosen one, but rather her grandmother was. Still, Jun's (somewhat unhealthy) obsession with keeping up with her ancestor made her a pretty close second.
Jun has no regrets about her journey, though she sometimes wishes she had spent more learning other skills, like cooking and dancing. She also feels she made a poor lover, though it's likely her old partners passed away in the floodwaters anyways...
Registered: May 25, 2021 13:33:31 GMT -5
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Post by Jun of the Celadine on Nov 29, 2021 21:12:04 GMT -5
Jun nodded along with Avalux's explanation. At first, she accepted it and calmed down. Indeed, supernatural beings often had strange rules to them. And she supposed the vast majority of gods and goddesses didn't go around wrecking fortresses like dollhouses. As his explanation continued, however, a horrible realization dawned on her.
"Son... of a bitch." Jun almost seemed to lose her balance, her hand pawing for the back of the tree from before. When she found it, she fell back against the base and sat down.
"There WAS an entity like that back in our world. Some sort of fae king who hated the overuse of magic in our realm. I don't think he did this, but you're right. A being who is trying to control the use of magic makes sense."
She looked up to say something, a mournful look in her eyes. But then she realized the absurdity of the words that were about to come out of her mouth. It made her smirk and lower her head in embarrassment. "I was umm," she shook her head in amusement. "I UHHH, I was one of the strongest mages in my world's history damn I sound like an egotist."
Her expression all but screamed yah but it was true, though.
She looked up and smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry. You must be thinking that was a good problem to have. I was gifted, but I also trained incessantly, and I constantly sought out fights and challenges. At first, I did it because... well, it's complicated. I was jealous of my grandmother, who was a legendary chosen one sort. Later, with some help, I grew up and really just focused on being the best I could be and helping others. And then..."
She paused, her eyes adopting a faraway look.
"And then the dragons came, the fae came, the armies came, the trolls came, the undead came, the evil gods came, the super soldiers came, all the myriad threats each wielding greater magic, one after the other, over and over again. They just kept pushing and pushing and raising the bar. Village killers. City killers. Nation killers! And I... was just human."
She breathed deep and sighed. "I just wanted them to leave humanity alone. But if what you're supposing is true, then the constant escalation of magic may have been why this happened. It's very possible that I... I was part of the problem. In trying to save the realm I..."
She shook her head. "I... I'm not stupid. I know I wasn't the one who caused this. I was strong yes, but there were at least a dozen others who were at least close to my strength, and a few creatures who exceeded it. I know, because I usually trained with them."
She gave one last head bump against the tree. "You must think I'm completely insane. I sure do."
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