The Price of Knowledge OOC - Miss Dagger/Blackrock

The Story

Spoiler:

The World

In ages past, there were three main powers. In the north and east were the Krins, a hardy people who were renowned to be masters of warfare. They did not put much value on personal prowess, instead they treasured the ability to fight as one. They possessed an iron discipline and their armies were feared throughout the continent. They lived a martial life, where each individual was expected to better the community and the country as a whole. When a boy came of age, he was expected to serve in the army for four years, after which they could return to civilian life, or continue their military career. It was a land of great leaders and military minds without peer, as a result of the many different academies. They were typically tall of stature, fair of skin and hair and bright of eye.

In the south and east, lived the Argans. Their land, Argan, was a place of heroes and bards, epic tales and powerful songs. They were an adventurous people, with many great explorers and adventurers amongst them. While not as war-inclined as their northern neighbours, their armies were strong and were oft bolstered by skilled individuals. They performed great feats in times of war, that were made immortal by their skilled singers and artists. They were famed for their master archers, a memory which still lives in an expression used nowadays - as true as an Arganian arrow. But most often one would talk about their horses, which grew swift and strong in their steppes. Physically, they were shorter than the Krins, but wider around the chest and shoulders.

And to the west, the kingdom of the Vandims. They were great seafarers and their swift ships carried them across the waves to distant shores. Thanks to this, they amassed great wealth from trading with the peoples of the other continent, a mysterious place, the subject of folk tales and legend. In time, their wealth drew the eyes of the other kingdoms and they were forced to defend it. While they were masters of the sea, their standing army on land did not have the discipline and leadership of the Krins, nor the skills and heroics of the Argans. This is when they turned to mercenaries, both from near and far, a practice which has carried on to this day. Throughout the years, they managed to keep their independence and acquire even more treasures. They had darker hair and eyes than the inhabitants of the other kingdoms and were swarthier.

They kingdoms would, at times, wage war against one another, but for the most part they had their own concerns. In the north and south, beyond the great mountains and across the vast steppes, dwelt wild men who would often assault their more civilized neighbours. There came a time, when both groups of savages were invading, in addition to skirmishes along the kingdoms' borders. This is when a man, who's name has been lost to time, a Krinling, rebelled against his king and vowed to unite all under his banner. He first routed the northern barbarians, then helped the hard-pressed Argans against the hordes from the steppes, in exchange for their loyalty. With his new allies by his side, he returned to his homeland and dethroned the king. Having two of the three major powers under his control, he descended upon the Vandims and made quick work of their hired armies. Most of the trading cities bowed to his power, the others were swiftly crushed. This is how an Empire was born.

As with all things, however, nothing is eternal. The son was not like his father, nor was the grandson. The line of Emperors had its good and bad moments, but in the end - civil war tore the lands apart. Generations passed, but no man could restore the glory of the Empire, or the original three kingdoms. This is why, in present times, the land is split in tiny kingdoms. Ruled by petty tyrants, hopeful men trying to bring in change or dreaming fools eager to achieve the splendour of old. All kingdoms, but one.

Throughout the wars and campaigns, mages played their part. Some were leaders of men, others adventurers seeking long-forgotten knowledge or artifacts. Some would travel West and explore distant lands. Some were content to remain in their abodes. Throughout the land, there were small gatherings of these wizards, but none could be a called a true school of magic. The number of practitioners greatly suffered during the falling of the Empire. Many lost their lives in wars, feuds and even to superstitious peasants. That is why, after the Empire fell apart mages gathered from all around the lands. Around an old fortress of the Krins, abandoned in ages past, they forged a kingdom - Arlind.

The city was quickly rebuilt, reinforced by wisdom and magic. In its early days, only mages knew of its existence, but almost all brothers and sisters of the craft made it their new home. In time, simple folk came to their lands, seeking the protection of the mages. Knowing that they could not sustain their growing community forever, the rulers of Arlind quickly agreed. A number of small towns and villages formed around the walled city. A few generations later, the once Vandim-owned port town, Eglen, joined the growing kingdom. This gave the mages access to the riches and knowledge of the western continent. A wave of settlers followed and Arlind established, more or less, its present-day borders. They now fielded an army as well, although no lord was foolish enough to attack such a gathering of powerful beings.

At first glance, the social system in Arlind is simple. There are two groups of inhabitants - those who practice the Art (as the mages call their craft) and those who do not. The former do not pay any taxes, but must offer aid to the other group. The latter, on the other hand, must pay tribute, in the form of food and other necessities, but they receive protection. The country is ruled by a council of mages. Each member has the title "Archmage" and is a representative of his school of magic. In turn, from their ranks, the Archmages chose one to lead them, who is called the Archon and is the ruler of the kingdom.

Anyone can join the mages, provided they have an affinity for magic. Oft times the Academy sends older members in search of young, gifted children from amongst the villages of Arlind. Others, from abroad, can join as well, as long as they make the journey. All hopefuls are trained for a year, after which they must pass a series of tests before they are allowed to join. Upon joining, they receive the rank of apprentice. After that, they begin studying the various schools of magic. In time, those who show affinity for a certain aspect receive additional training in that direction.


The schools of magic in Arlind are:

Summoning -> The art of bringing forth objects and beings from beyond the confines of the mortal world. Summoning living beings is banned. The art of Necromancy is a part of this school, since it involves binding a summoned soul to a dead body. However, in the last two generations, the ruling council's members have been against such practice.

Illusion -> The art of mimicking images, objects and even people. This is one of the first things students learn, as such, most experienced mages often frown on this school and do not acknowledge it as true magic.

Transformation -> The act of transforming oneself into another being. It also deals with changing objects. While one versed in the school of illusion can "change" an object, they cannot truly transform it. For this school not only alters the appearance, but the very nature of the subject.

Healing -> The knowledge of herbs and how to heal man and beast alike. While it is not "true" magic, the Archmage has knowledge that could easily be passed on as miraculous.

Chanting -> This is the art of how to actually cast a spell. While uttering words is not necessary for magic to be used, most users begin in such a way. The Archmage of this school is also responsible for gathering and preserving old knowledge, songs and tales, as well as passing it on to his students.

Seeking -> One of the most difficult and mysterious schools of magic. Through this school, by knowing the nature of an object or a being, one can find it. That is what most believe it to be. However, those versed in its ways know much more. Not only do they physically find objects, they deal with intent and meaning. Through threads only their trained eyes can see, they seek knowledge of what was, is or will be. Prophets most often emerge from this school.

Elementalism -> This is the school that deals with elements and their manipulation. Probably the most symbolic school of all, this is what simple folk assume mages to be. Through mastery, a user can control the weather, the seas and change the very world around them.

Shaping -> In its most basic form, this school is responsible for the crafting of magical objects and the like. That is why young mages most often neglect and see it as being "unworthy". In fact, one more experienced in its ways can do feats of wonder. While all other magic alters, be it appearance of nature, this school has the ability to create. However, one of the first principals of magic is that in everything there is balance, so while one mage can create something, they must also give something of themselves in order to do that. That is why such practices are most often avoided.

There are other types of magic, but they are most often practiced in secret. There have been times when the so-called "dark arts", such as Hexes, have been taught in the school. However, for the last few decades, the rulers of the country have been firm enemies of these aspects of magic.

Character Sheet

Code:

[b]Name:[/b] (Something fantasy-ish obviously!)
[b]Gender:[/b] (Male/Female)
[b]Appearance:[/b] (Physical description, as well as what the character typically wears)
[b]Biography:[/b] (Where you character was born, how did they enter the ranks of the mages and so forth. Feel free to include family or whatever else you deem fit)
[b]Skills:[/b] (The skills your character possesses, magical or otherwise. They may or may not include those gained after visiting the Library. Include affinity for school of magic here.) 
[b]Personality:[/b](What type of person your character is. This can include strengths or weaknesses of character and other such)


Phew, here it is, at last! Sorry for the delay, but I went overboard with "The World" section a bit. Hope this gives you a feel of what the RP is all about. I haven't added anything new about the Library, because most stuff about is going to be secret anyway. The CS is pretty simple, but I like 'em that way, best way to get to know a character is through the RP itself.

Anyhow, I hope to get my own character out tomorrow and we can get this thing going in the next few days.

Here's my character sheet, it's a bit short, but after all, this guy has been dead for a long, long time. Also, he may sound overpowered, god-like even, but don't fret - I'm responsible enough to know when to say "enough is enough".

Name: Real name unknown, known only as the Twelfth Guardian
Gender: Male
Appearance: What the man once looked like has been lost to time, only he can say. His physical form decayed a long time ago and he can now assume whatever guise he wishes to take. Once, when he was still mortal, a favourite colour of his was grey, so such a motif will no doubt be part of his future appearance.
Biography: The Twelfth Guardian is the last and youngest of those to join the ranks of Guardians. The Library itself chooses those who would protect its secrets and even though many have come before him, they did not possess the qualities it deemed fit. "Young" is fairly subjective in terms of the Library's inhabitants, for many mortal lives have gone by since the time of his arrival. Nevertheless, his peers still view him as inexperienced and unproven.

Who or what he once was has been stripped of him, hidden deep in the depths of his mind. For unlike others, the Guardians must not retain their identity, they must be completely loyal. Still, these were powerful individuals, with mighty souls and the fire that burns is not easily extinguished. And while the Twelfth, or his brothers, might one day remember who they were, it would simply not matter to them anymore. Such is their curse and their gift.

The others in the Library, those who were there before him, know that he was once a willful man. A great warrior and a proud leader of men, who had also dabbled in the arcane during his youth. It is said that, during his early years, he committed a great crime against the Universe as a whole. That he cheated destiny to further his own gains, that he changed the fine patterns that weaved the thread of life. What happened to him afterward is not known, he merely shared that he had "great success". Unlike others, he found his way to the Library after his death. As such, from the onset, he was fully content with his new position.

During the first few centuries of his stay, the man learned what he could. He focused on the shaping of the Universe and of military campaigns from both his world and those of others. He learned of the Maker and of the Wise, his steward, he learned of how the Library of Knowledge came to be. But he also studied other secrets, the ways of immortality, of fate and prophecies and he marveled at powerful artifacts. But the Library had a will of its own and it became weary of this willful man. It chose him as its Guardian, not only for his skill and wisdom, but due to his ambition as well. Lest he try to cheat his destiny again...

That is how he became the Twelfth, but he is also called the Last, for he will be the last Guardian. And while many wondered while only twelve, the Library merely told them, in its own way, that it simply was. None of those left behind in this existence had a right to know. Not even the Library itself had an answer to that question.

Recently, a young mage dared to defile the Library and even stole from it. As a test, a chance to prove himself, the Twelfth was sent to retrieve what was taken and punish the guilty. The test itself is not so simple. While it may seem that it simply is finding the thief and retrieving the stolen knowledge, there is another motive behind it. This will be the Guardian's first return to the mortal world and he would have to be responsible in how he uses his powers. How he would fare was a mystery, the others looked on with great interest...they would soon know.


Skills: The man he once was possessed great skill with the blade. Throughout the long years of his stay in the Library, he has become even better. After all, not only did he have many times a mortal's lifespan to practice, he had access to techniques and philosophies from other worlds and other times. He was also a charismatic person, easily rallying others to his cause. He was a master strategist and he often boasted that he had not lost a single battle. It is said he was, at first, a wizard, but such skills he has not used since he arrived.

Upon entering the Library and, after that, becoming a Guardian, he was granted many skills. He is now immortal, no blade or spell can kill him, even if his body is somehow destroyed, his spirit would merely manifest itself again. He can assume any form he wishes to, be it male or female in appearance. Finally, the most dangerous of his abilities, he can track his target, as long as it remains in the same plane of existence.

Personality: As all Guardians are, he is completely dedicated to the preservation of the Library. He carries out his orders without question or regret. He is devoid of emotion, there is no anger or compassion in him. Only a task which needs to be carried out. As such, he will not raise his voice, nor will he lash out at someone in anger, but he will also kill without hesitation. Unlike the other Guardians, however, he is still relatively young and time has not washed away all of his humanity. It is still somewhere in there, as well as his former ambition.

Sorry it took some time. But I feel good with my idea. I'd love to more exactly know how they work spells and where they get their energy from, otherwise I'm pretty much set. Oh, and the tome she took, do you have an idea for that, or not?

Name: Tandrei Artforest

Gender: Female

Appearance: Tandrei's hair is to the middle of her back and usually very tangled. It's a light brown color with streaks of blond. Her eyes are a darker brown than the hair, but not close to black. She's short, only 155 centrimetres high. Since she periodically forgets to eat, she's usually thin and sometimes looks malnourished. She has a pale complexion since she's inside most of the time. Tandrei has a pert nose and thinish lips. When she is told a good story she smiles and laughs prettily, but she would never be considered a beauty by the general public. Usually she wears simple dresses because they're easy to take on and off. She doesn't really care about how she looks. Tandrei only pays attention to her shoes, because she gets annoyed with uncomfortable ones.

Biography: Tandrei was born in one of the villages surrounding the capital of Arlind. There was a legend or myth going through her family that an ancestor had accessed the Library. From a young age Tandrei was enchanted about the tale; only, she thought it was true. It didn't that her parents told her to forget about it as she got older. A feeling in her gut told her it was true. One spring morning when Tandrei was playing outside the house an older mage came to the village to see if there were any gifted children. Since Tandrei's family had in the past had gifted her parents went with her. The mage noticed that Tandrei was gifted and that her affinity was seeking. At that moment in time Tandrei knew that it was fate; she would use her gift to find the Library. She entered the academy of magic and studied her way through the first year. She got accepted as apprentice and a knot in her stomach relaxed. The Artforest family had both had mages and just hopefuls, and through the whole first year Tandrei was afraid she wouldn't make it. The first few years she continued to learn more generally from all schools of magic, but soon enough her studies focused on seeking. After learning the basics Tandrei devoted all her free time to devise a spell to seek out information about the Library, and soon she was sure she had most of it. Still she couldn't find the location or a portal spell, or anything like it. Frustrated, she turned her attention to learning more about seeking, having slipped in her studies, while searching for the Library information. Then one day she realized that she should modify her seeking spell to search for a way to the Library, instead of general information. It didn't take long to find the information she needed. For a few weeks, she couldn't decide if she thought it would work or not, but finally she decided that she needed to try, since her spell couldn't find more. It worked. She got to the Library. Her dream came true, and a high price it was sure to cost her.

Skills: Her affinity is seeking. She has basic knowledge in magic, just the most average and easy spells that everyone knows. Beside that, she had studied enough to actually remember it properly. She knows enough about seeking to seek something of her choice, but only because that's what she needed to know to fullfill her dream of finding the Library. Non-magical skills are writing, reading and some cooking and cleaning (from when she still lived at home). Tandrei also knows a lot of stories, because those always fascinated her, so she remembered them.

Personality: Tandrei lives for the adventure of finding the Library. She wanted to find something no one thought was true and since one of her ancestors had been to the library (at least Tandrei believed so), it was only right to pursue that legend. She's both focused and scatterbrained. Things she really cares about she focuses on the the exclusion of everything else, meaning with everything else she is scatterbrained. She laughs a lot, and loves stories, so her friends are usually good story-tellers or good gossipers, because gossip can make for a very entertaining tale. Her imagination is great and she often disappears in thought if her friends aren't telling stories. There's only a few things that interest Tandrei, which means she pursues them even more.

Looks good. To sort out those details you mentioned, do you wanna hook up via MSN (I recall you had some issue with it) or something? I'm free tonight, so it would be perfect.

The problem fixed itself. I'm just using windows messenger, but it works. I'll add you.

Well, here are the two options we narrowed down. Sorry for the delay as well!

1) When the Maker set about shaping the worlds, the stars, the suns, he used his own tongue. The "True Speech" as men call it in present times. In this language, everything simply is, there can be no lies in it, for it states the very nature of an object or being. And although the First has long left the confines of our existence, his tongue remained behind. Either through his agent, The Wise, who could have taught it to mortals, or through the Library itself. It is not known. What matters is, that this is the heart of a mage's craft. Even laymen and village-folk now a word or two of the True Speech, such as those for luck or good health. But the skill of a magic user comes not only from knowing the words, but being able to see them in people.

For this is called the True Name of a being. On every world, in every land, each creature that draws breath has one. Some are widely known, such as those of animals, but for sentient beings, it is much different. Upon coming of age, a wise man or woman of the village, or even a mage in bigger cities, will name the child. Even in the more advanced worlds, where magic is simply a myth, these names exist, forgotten, but still there. And this is what separates common folk from mages - the ability to guess True Names.

2) After finishing his toils, the First departed from the boundaries of time and space. But when he left the Second behind, he also left his talent. To shape, to create, to make. The Wise taught the mortal races of this gift, he shared it freely until his time came as well. For a time, mortals had great power. They could shape with their minds, to do things which could be considered god-like. But as with all things, there is balance. Those who abused this gift overmuch, simply lost their knowledge of it. It was lost in their descendants as well. As more and more people began losing their affinity for it, it began manifesting in different forms. People learned how to shape with their hands, as well as their minds. But they could never have the same power they once possessed, it was truly gone,

Only those who used their abilities responsibly, that is not to say for "good" or "evil" goals, but merely in a way that did not bring them too close to godhood, retained their powers. Their descendants are the mages of the present day. And while one should still fear crossing certain borders of the reasonable, it is safe to assume that magic cannot be "taken away". For the gifts of the Second have diminished during the long years, the Library growing ever more greedy. And no man could truly hope the achieve the power of what once was.

Personally, I'm more inclined towards option 2. Having True Names and what not might distract us from the core of the story.

Thoughts?

For me either works so we'll take number two, since I can see your point.

Now comes the question instead: how do they do magic? Can they just think it, or do they need gestures, certain words (more spell like) or even more preparation? Or does that depends on the kind of magic they do, aka how complex it is?

I see it like this:

Since this ability was originally pretty common in mortals, it would be as second nature to wizards. What do I mean by that? Well, for a magic user to conjure up a fireball for example, he would simply need to imagine it in his mind. To find something, they would merely need to focus on that object. Gestures and such could be used as a form of support, to help them channel greater powers. Words as well, it could be something like that True Speech in the first option, only it was created by mages instead of divine powers. As for preparation and rituals, yeah, for more complex spells and other such.

Overall, for now I would say that we have most of the groundwork in place. I think that the best way to polish it up a bit would be in the story itself, let us see where the pen (so to speak) will take us, eh?

Sounds like a good idea!

I also wanted to tell you that I'll be gone this weekend, basically Thursday-Sunday and probably won't post until Monday. I'll be gone on a convention so.

Right, right. I'll get started on the first post, should be up soon, or not. Depends on a couple of things Still, I plan on doing it before you come back.

Well, I finally posted. Sorry for taking so long, it turned out longer than I expected (and even in this final form, it was only 60% of what I had in mind originally...)

I want to have a chat with you via MSN one of these days, I'm not usually around at nights, but on Thursday I'll be free.

I'm sorry for the wait. I have excuses and legitimate reasons. It's not as long as your's. But I got some length and still good stuff in it. I was a little intimidated by the length of yours. I promise not to take as much time. Or if I do, to at least take the time to make it even longer. Alas, I thought you'd rather and an update than wait much longer.

Nah, don't worry about it. The time it takes doesn't really matter to me, I know I'm guilty of taking too long to respond, so I can hardly hold other people responsible.

As for the length of my posts, yeah, I'm guilty of that too. You're not the first who's intimidated by it. Seeing as it was an introduction to the world as a whole, I had to make it a bit longer, doubt my other ones will be as long.

My own reply will take me some time, so bear with me.

Heh. It was also a little because I felt unsure what to write. But as we talked today I'm sure you understood that I feel a little more in control now.

Somehow I actually managed to plan a character pretty throughly before a role-play without noticing. Usually it feels like one just spawn a lot of words and then it's time to translate them into a character when one start writing. But not this time, her personality as I outlined it just worked. Exceptions proves the rule, ey?

I'm sorry it's taking a lot of time here again. This week have had something every day, beside school and stuff. Usually things that took up the whole day and left me tired after so yeah. I'll try to get to posting some times this week, aka the one that starts tomorrow.

Hey! I'm back now. Since moving and such have calmed down a bit. How is the post coming? I know both of us have a lot in our lives going on. I just wanted to check in, and tell you I'm here again.

Hey! I'm in the middle of a couple of things at the moment, but, thankfully, I'm freeing up some time now. I'm currently finishing a post for another RP on the site and after that I'm turning my attention back to the Guardian

Finally replied, sorry for the loooong wait. Hopefully, I should have more free time on my hands from now on and things will roll faster. Also, the post is shorter than the others and tiny by my standards (), but I think it's fitting. Basically, I view it as the last part of Chapter 1, so to speak, stuffing too much stuff in it didn't feel right to me.

I'm sorry I haven't replied, since I've been absent from FOG. But would you be interested in taking this one up again? If so, I'll reread through the thread and write a reply soonish, according to the standards we've set up.

I'm sorry to disappoint you, dear, but I honestly don't know if I can do this any more. At the time when I started this, I didn't have much going on RP or RL-wise, had plenty of free time, to put it simply. Now, however, I'm much more busy, with various tests coming up one after the other. In addition to that, I already have a few more RP's going, in addition to a rather massive project (the fruit of 2+ years of labour between myself and a few more people) which is about to hit full throttle soon.

In short, I'm not sure if I can devote enough time for this, not at the moment at least. I still like the overall idea, but I'm kinda wondering if my heart is still in it, you know what I mean? So, for all intents and purposes - I declare this "dead" for the time being, having no idea if it will be resurrected or not.

The characters, the setting and the plot are all yours if you want them. They belong to you, as much as they do to me. I wouldn't mind if you decided to try this out with someone else, or made some spin-off from the whole deal. Feel free to use whatever material we've worked on.

Sorry once again for disappointing, I'll hit you up if I decide to get this going again.

Nah, it's fine. I totally understand. I just really liked this set-up, so I thought I'd ask.

Time in short supply is what has kept me away for several months, and I've decided that a little RP will richen my life, as long as I keep it small.

I'm glad you're honest and saying you don't have time. Now I know that even though continuing this would have been golden, I can turn my sights to other ideas/RPs.

A massive project sounds like fun and time-consuming. So I totally understand.