>>@SUBUBI | @ALL

[excelsus]

I may be completely alone in this, but is anyone else disturbed by the alarming dearth of rebel archivests?

Fortunately it seems that the number of books outnumber the actual people who wish to burn them which is rather fortunate because some of these things I can actually read. The Malleus Maleficarum is actually quite a facinating read if you're interested in the true barbarism of this world.

Malleus refers to a hammer and Maleficarum is the plural of Maleficar which refers to one who is wicked or depraved. In this sense it seems to loosely translate as Hammer of Witches...I laughed admittedly.

I'm certain it would be Hammer of Mages where I come from, but that is completely apart from the point.

Apparently these people believed that magic was some sort of delusion of the mind precipitated by demonic seduction through visions and dreams. They blamed the most rudimentary of problems on people, captured them, tortured them into fraudulent admissions, and then killed them.

The magic and spells they discuss are not even real magic, not as I know it anyway...unless one considers mathematics, philosophy, and general enlightenment magical.

I suppose I would define magic as the ability to expend mana...or putting it more simply, the ability to burn my accuser's face off by willing primal fire into being.

And here I thought the Southern Circles were bestial. Flaying someone alive for anomalous intelligengence, very dyed-in-the-wool dedication to the extermination of magic...and that there could be a book devoted to the finding and killing these so-called magic users.

It's certainly telling, not completely unfamiliar either. I'm certain the Southern Chantry has their own step-by-step process for teasing out mages and spiriting them away to the Circles.

Comments

[excelsus]

There have been references of a floating sparkling golden chalice in the Western Approach, but no one has ever declared a war over it...and I'm not certain it's holy.

Any particular reason you ask?

[chariotry]

Because you're a mage. I'm surprised you've never heard of it, since it seems to be a pretty big ritual. At least it is where I'm from.

[excelsus]

I've heard of nug racing, it's quite the ritual among dwarves where I come from...which brings up an interesting theme. It appears that mages exist in more than one world.

To be honest the most holiest of vessels in Thedas would be the Urn of Sacred Ashes, hardly a grale.

[chariotry]

An urn isn't suitable for a cup to drink out of, no.

I was summoned to fight in the war for the Holy Grail. I was brought here during the battle, so I'd assumed this must have been the work of another mage.

That wouldn't be you, though, by the sound of it. But I am interested in meeting you still.

[excelsus]

I'm thinking more along the lines of a wine tumbler, but that's just me.

While I helped in the invention of time magic where I'm from, I can assure you that this? Is not my doing, much as I would love to take the credit.

Quivering with curiosity? Does magic intrigue you so?

[chariotry]

I normally don't have interest in things like magic, but because I am a Heroic Spirit, I need it to maintain this form.

What little mana I can extract from killing common criminals on the street isn't enough to supply my full power, either.

[excelsus]

Heroic Spirit? Well I can't say I'm not intrigued, as a mage I have a special interest in spirits, though I've never heard of a...Heroic Spirit.

I'm tempted to ask what need you would have of me, but this talk of killing common criminals gives me pause. It seems dubious.

Still, I've a bit of an open mind.

[chariotry]

You'd be a fool not to be suspicious.

We Spirits need a supply of mana, and that usually comes from our Masters. Since I'm without one right now, all I can do is get by on killing when I can, or having sex with humans.

There are various ways of exchanging mana.

[excelsus]

A mage should always be suspicious when it comes to spirits, possession by desire demons and other malevolent spirits is our curse. We are prone to becoming abominations...I'm quite fond of the way I look.

And you've mentioned the killing of criminals isn't enough to sustain your power and neither is sex, I suspect, otherwise you would not be proposing...whatever it is your are trying to propose to me.

So how would I be able to help you?

THIS IS PRIVATE BTW!!!! OMG!

[chariotry]

It's rare that a Heroic Spirit gets the opportunity to choose his Master, so I'm not about to blow that by suddenly asking a stranger to contract with me.

That'd be moving a little too fast, don't you think?

But depending on how you look, I probably wouldn't mind having sex with you.

Because it is oh. so. scandalous!

[excelsus]

You are somewhat spoiled for choice, I am not the only mage about it would appear and knowing what this entails would require more discussion. I'm not at all certain what a contract with a Heroic Spirit would look like, I know how demons contract, however, clever ones.

And if it's business talk you should at least buy me dinner first.

I was bred to be the deposit of my family's hopes and dreams--perfect mind, perfect body, the perfect leader. Naturally I'm stunning, but I'm particular about those I choose to take to my bed.

[chariotry]

Dinner? [ What is this talk of chivalry? Ancient Greeks don't know the meaning of the word. ]

Well, let's leave the first impressions for when we meet. We can make judgement then.

I'll even buy you dinner, as you suggested.

Also, I can assure you that I'm no demon.

[excelsus]

[And people say that Tevinter is barbaric.]

Should we leave our introductions for when we first meet as well?
Though I'd be willing to if it adds to the dinner theatrics.

A relief, I suppose, but you are still an enigma. One to be curious about and cautious of.

That being said when do you wish to meet?

[chariotry]

Let's leave our introductions for when we meet in person. I'm still not used to this sort of communication through text. It's pretty tedious.

I'll agree to wherever and whenever is most convenient for you.

You should take advantage of my offer. I could afford any restaurant in this city.

[excelsus]

For the best I suppose, my introductions are quite something in person anyway.

[Given all of the manners foisted upon him as a nobleman.]

Trying to woo me with such lines? Careful, I'm a cautionary tale of excess, I won't hesitate to choose according to taste.

[chariotry]

Then name the place. I'll be there.

[excelsus]

La Grande Taverne de Londres. Tomorrow evening.

[Less a restaurant and more a glorified tavern, but it is still up to Dorian's standards.]

Should we move this to action?

[chariotry]

I'll find it. I suppose I should ask how I'll be able to find you in a crowd.

Certainly!

[excelsus]

Easily enough given that I am a mage. I'll be the one with the staff strapped to his back, it has a skull adorning it...onveniently enough, most people think it's a prop.

[chariotry]

How old fashioned.

[ He's one to speak, considering the era he comes from himself. But he won't relinquish that kind of information just yet. After all, though he's confident there aren't many in Agoge besides his teacher who would be any match for him, he has to be conscious of his most obvious weakness: his name. If a mage he hasn't gotten to trust were to find out about his heel, that could prove problematic.

So he'll be careful, at least for now. It seems this guy is from a different world altogether, so maybe he won't have to go out of his way to hide his true name from him.

He'll be at the tavern the next evening as promised, lingering around the back of bustling dining area in hopes of catching sight of the mysterious mage first. He's a warrior at heart, and he'll take any chance he can get when it comes to getting the upper-hand. It's instinctive at this point. ]

[excelsus]

[Dorian doesn't think of himself as old fashioned so much as classic, and a classic never goes out of style. The mage doesn't need a staff to preform magic, per se, but it does act as a conduit for focusing magic and projecting it over distances. Regardless of whatever protest Dorian might have had at being referred to as old fashioned, he still turns up at the tavern as promised. He's prepared to, at the very least, pay for a glass of wine should the conversation he had prove to be false, always one for a backup plan in the event of being stood up.

He's undoubtedly, and intentionally, recognizable, standing out from most everyone else with his clean look and a unique sense of style. The furthest thing removed from an unwashed apostate hobo. Not that he fancies the fashion sense of this particular era, but he's well put together considering what he has to work with. He also has an infallible charm that has tavern maids bustling about him to get him seated, clearly a little bit of charisma goes an awful long way and he appears friendly enough at a distance.

While many things add to how striking a character Dorian presents, it's the staff on his back that acts as a true indicator. Oh, most people are delighted by it, considering it some kind of prop or statement, and Dorian is just fine with that and while he seems to thrive in the attention he receives, he's just as happy to be seated in a dimly lit, intimate corner of the tavern not seeming to care that he's presently alone, but he will order wine to mitigate this fact. If nothing else, he has a book and a gift for engaging people, he can entertain himself.]

[chariotry]

[ Achilles is something of a head turner himself, but he's taken measures so as to not draw too much attention to himself. He didn't come in here clad in a full military uniform, for starters, forgoing the entire outfit completely for something a little more inconspicuous. It's still a little flashy, but Achilles couldn't help himself; he doesn't like blending into obscurity. At least this way he appears to be moderately rich rather than a military pig, so he won't be immediately starting a brawl in the bar, though one .... may ... be inevitable.

Also, he may be wearing a top hat, just to cover the mess of green hair on the top of his head. The dark cropped hair of his undercut can be mistaken as black under the dim lighting of candles.

Dorian is a striking presence. As he strolls in, Achilles can see a few women turn their heads, which prompts him to do the same. The staff draws most of his attention first, since it's the mana he's most interested in rather than the potential lay.

He gets up to his feet.

And proceeds to sit beside him. This may or may not be his attempt to get his attention or usurp the attention he's getting from all the ladies. Maybe it's both. Because he's petty and also a glory hound. ]

Who does the skull belong to? An enemy of yours?

[excelsus]

[Well, Dorian can't blame Achilles for wanting to monopolize his attention, it's a flattering gesture honestly and the mage reclines back in his seat draping his foot comfortably over his lap, adopting his posture to something more comfortable. In spite of the attention he's received so far, no one has made a move to sit with him and no one has spoken of his staff as something more than just a prop, believing the skull to be fake. This young man believed that it was a real skull and one of his own enemy no doubt, so Dorian can only assume that this was his date for the evening?]

I have no idea who the skull belongs to, it was looted from a ruin and was made by an Aavar, I can only imagine that the skull is that of an Aavar...or the skull of an invader perhaps? [Dorian wasn't completely certain, the Aavar were an odd bunch of savages that inhabited the southern Frostbacks.] Death attracts spirits though, so the skull is ideal, but not the most interesting thing about this staff.

[There was a notch in the staff that contained an orb and Dorian wedged the thing out before holding it up to Achilles to take if he wanted to examine it.] Do you have any familiarity with runes? This is a spirit rune, it amplifies the spiritual damage of the staff and adds to my own considerable abilities.

[chariotry]

[ Achilles regards the orb with a look that almost appears apathetic. Taking it within his hand, he lets it roll back and forth from his palm, to the tips of his fingers. He's never been that interested in magic and his own magic isn't that potent. From what he can tell, though, this orb can only be as useful as its user.

Honestly, he would have been more interested in the story of the skull and how he acquired it, if it'd been through the means of violence. But if he had just gotten it from a shop, then it isn't a compelling story at all. ]

Your way of magecraft seems old-fashioned. [ He rudely tosses the orb from one hand to the other, like he's idly playing around with a baseball. ] Not that I have much knowledge about this stuff to begin with... I'm no mage, after all.

[excelsus]

If you have no knowledge about this stuff, then how do you know it's old fashioned? [Dorian wasn't perturbed, but he wasn't the easiest man to get a read on given the pleasant expression he always wore. He did, however, draw the orb back to his own hand, not by any physical means, but by means of magic it seemed drawn to his hand by some magnetic force.

As for the staff, Dorian didn't acquire it from a shop, but from the Still Ruins of the Western Approach. Shops did not usually carry such rare artifacts. The details of that quest didn't matter all that much, however, what did any of that mean here?] It's enough to topple dragons, darkspawn, and demons. It's enough to carry me short distances without moving, it's enough for me to slow things down or speed them up. It's enough to defeat my enemies with terror alone or to be able to kill them by passing through their bodies. The utility of magic vastly outweighs whether or not it's dated.

[Dorian explained this while attentively replacing the rune.] So why are we here?

[At least there's wine now, finally. The mage is predicting a very brief conversation given his companion's lack of interest. Being a mage was a huge part of Dorian's identity after all.]