-Chapter 2- A Meeting (pages 6 - 12)

Chapter 2 A Meeting

Graven made his way through the busy housing district, walking down the beaten dirt paths until he finally made it to the semi cobble stoned trade district. Though it wasn't as extravagant as he had imagined, it would make for a perfect starting point for his research and gathering. He began to look around at some of the stall and merchants and began to talk to himself under his breath. "Alright, the first thing I am going to need to do is to try and find some of the books that were lost to me. Hopefully they all haven't been burned in a pile with others. If not, then I will just have to keep on searching. Surely someone would have them here. I can work on the lack of reagents later when I know what all I require." Graven looked around some more to see if he could find any specialty magic shops in the area. Even though it was a simple market district, it didn't take him long before he located a rustic looking magic shop. The sign read “Griff's Emporium. A local dealer of the arcane, divine and everything in between, perhaps a little more.”

Graven raised his eyebrow for a moment and wandered into Griff's shop just to see if it was even worth the effort and before he could get both of his feet inside the establishment, a loud voice came from the front of the store "Welcome to Griff's Emporium! I'll be right with ya in just a sec!" Graven glanced around the rather sizable shop and looked down its aisles and shelves full of arcane wonder. To his right, he saw many different alchemical substances that were for sale while others remained priceless. Some ranging from mundane, to the very rare and exotic. He looked down the middle of the shop and could see different staves and rods that had been imbued with magic. There were a few other imbued weapons but those did not appeal to Graven. Most of the time, these types of items were generally expensive in the first place but the ones on the racks were priced rather well for what they had been imbued with or what they were crafted for. Graven looked to his left and he could see rows of scrolls and books that lined the shelves of the store. These tomes and scrolls ranged from the well kept to the ones covered with layers of dust. Graven thought to himself "That would be my first place to look." Graven needed to find a special book that his master had kept at his side until his untimely departure from this world.. He knew this wasn't going to be an easy task. "My former master told me he had that book for at least 100 years and that he took it from his master when he perished. I never even had so much as chance to read a single page in that blasted book. He kept it to himself and was always so secretive about it." Graven started to look through the the mounds of scrolls and books, remembering some of them that he had read through when he was at the Magic Academy. "Beginner's Manual for the Applications of the Elemental Arts. Ha ha. This book was easy to master. Hmmm...Spirit Pacts and the Origin of the Eidolon's. They never did let us study spirit pacts. They said it was too dangerous for children to learn the ways of summoning. Ha! They were all just cowards who couldn't handle raw talent." Graven kept browsing through the collection but could only find basic manuals for aspiring students in magic and was beginning to loose his patience. By this time the shop owner had finally finished with whatever it was he had to do and made his way over to see his new customer. 

"How ya doin sir? The name's Griff Ellis at your service." He smiled at Graven, extended his hand in friendship and Graven obliged. "It is nice to meet you Griff, my name is Graven and I'm looking for a specific book." Griff smiled at him "Well I see that you've already done some searching of your own but perhaps I can help. Whatcha lookin for?" Graven was reluctant to explain just exactly the type of book he was looking for so he tried to paint a more tolerable picture for Griff. "I'm looking for a book that contains insight into the dark arts. Probably something that you wouldn't keep on your shelves in a town like this." Griff raised an eyebrow for a moment. "Now why would you want to go and read up on something as crazy as the dark arts son? Well, that's no business of mine. I just sell young mages what they need to further their studies but I don't sell the illegal stuff. Come with me for a sec. I know I've got a few books on the dark arts that I've kept stuffed around here somewhere. No one seemed to want them so I took them off the shelf for the longest time." Griff and Graven went around an “Employee's Only” sign and headed to the back room of the shop where many other items that weren't on display were kept. Exotic familiars that many people of Morhurst would never see due to the climate changes. Strange potions and tools used for all manner of arcane workings were also being held there. Some of these items had already been spoken since they had tags with names and the amount that had been paid for them but others were still for sale if you had the coin on hand. Graven caught himself looking at a few items but there was no way that he could be able to afford them right now.

"You have a very interesting stock back here." Griff looked back at Graven and thanked him. "It is nice but I'm afraid that it might not be here much longer if things keep up." Graven seemed slightly intrigued. "Why is that, if you don't mind me asking?" Griff continued to talk while he was searching through a small hill of tomes. "Well, lately a lot of people haven't taken too kindly to the arcane side of things. I mostly deal in that area along with the elemental things but it seems as though the Holy Empire is cracking down on the studies of the arcane for some reason. I don't really know why those were my biggest sellers and now it feels like no one is brave enough to buy them. The Empire hasn't outright outlawed the sale or usage of such teachings but they are trying to force laws through that banish the dark arts first before the rest follow." Graven chimed in with his feelings on the situation. "I wonder why the Holy Empire would want to do something like that? They have already outlawed Necromancy, Beast Magic and Shiran. Seems like the Empire has some motive for this. Then again I wouldn't know what the God Emperor's motives are." "Well let's hope they don't pass those laws. Like I was saying, since they've been looking down on the teaching so much, I've lost business because of it and if I don't come up with the money soon, I may loose everything here- Ah!" Griff pulled out three dusty tomes from the pile and blew them off. "Here we go. Hopefully these books will help you." Griff handed the books over to Graven and he began to flip through the glossaries. Many of the chapters included meditations and rituals for the dark arts while others contained information on the mastering of new incantations and enriching others. Something that Graven could definitely use. He looked through the other books and scanned through their glossaries too. The second book held some useful information but when Graven looked through the third, he stopped at one notable chapter. "Advanced Arts. The teachings of Jhalivus Klay and.." Graven stood silent for a moment as he read the words in his mind. "The Origination and Similarities of Necromancy and Dark Arts."

Graven thought that surely this would give him the information that he would need for his research. "I think these will do just fine sir. How much do I owe you for them?" Griff waved his hand with a smile. "Go ahead and take'em. You're the first person whose asked for'em in the past ten years. For some reason I don't think anyone else is gonna want'em and they look better off in your hands anyway. All these new kids want to learn about is conjuring balls of fire nowadays. Now, is there anything else I can help ya find while were back here?" Graven thought to himself for a moment and then spoke his mind. "I could use some alchemical ingredients and if you happen to have a book on advanced alchemical designs I would be grateful." Griff showed him to his back stock of alchemy ingredients which seemed slightly lackluster. "Well this and the stuff up front is all I've got right now and as for the book, I'm out of that. Someone came by not too long ago and bought the last copy I had, along with most of the reagents." Graven looked through the ingredients and began to pick and choose what he needed and could use. "Felbane and Gnellcaps huh? You're no novice if you're picking out those things." "My mast..my former master, was a superb alchemist but an even better mage. He passed away before he could teach me all of his workings. I plan on following in his footsteps to become a master mage and alchemist just like he was."

Graven had quickly finished picking through the reagents he wanted and Griff gathered up the supplies for him and put them in a small leather pouch. Before Griff sealed the pouch, he decided to throw in a couple of hardened glass vials for free. "Alright, let's see here. The total comes out to...200 koriya." Graven reached into one of his many pockets and relinquished the money for the goods. "Thanks for your patronage. Sorry the prices are so high but you already know the reasons for that." Just as soon as Griff had finished sealing the pouch for Graven, another person entered the shop and Griff greeted them with a hearty "Hello! Welcome to Griff's Emporium! I'll be with you in just a sec."

Graven looked behind him to see just who would be stepping into the shop this early in the morning and what he saw took his breath away. A young woman, who looked no more than twenty came waltzing into the emporium with a gnarled rod that bore a blade made of glistening obsidian. She was a woman of smaller stature and her clothes resembled that of some of the Druid and Shaman students that Graven remembered seeing at the Academy. He clothes were also adorned with trinkets in the design of leaves, symbols of animals and old sigils that Graven was not able to understand for some reason. She was slightly pale and had two eyes that shined just like emeralds and a smile that made Graven's heart skip a beat.

When Griff had finished with Graven he walked over to the young lady and greeted her with a smile. "Well hello there miss, what can I do ya for?" "I'm just browsing right now sir." said the young woman. "Alright miss, if ya can think of anything you need, you just holler." Griff went back down one of the aisles and began doing all of the odd little chores that needed to be done with the shop to keep it nice and tidy. Graven looked over the girl one more time and could not get the feeling that he had seen her somewhere before. As he kept looking over the girl, his eyes eventually met with hers and Graven noticed that she was staring straight at him with a slight smile on her face, possibly as a gesture of friendliness. Graven grabbed his books and ingredients he had bought and calmly approached the young woman who had been looking at a scroll. "Pardon me miss but have we met before?" The young woman turned to Graven and smiled. "This is the first time I've been in this town stranger. It's highly unlikely that we've met each other before, unless you've studied at a school for shamans and druids." Graven's memory took off like lightning as he began to dig through the recesses of his mind and brought back a faded image of his days at the academy when he was younger. He knew a small girl who was gifted with the ways of nature. Not the uses of fireballs and lightning bolts that mages were always throwing around but the ability to draw the roots up from the ground or to sway the tides and push them back into the sea. They were both friends but she soon had to leave the academy. No one at the academy could teach her the skills she needed to harness the raw forces of nature but this was her decision alone to make. "Is your name Talya by any chance?" Graven asked. The woman's face turned to a sour expression for a moment as if she had been threatened "And if I answered yes?" Graven went out on a limb and asked his final question "Does the name Graven Drassun ring any bells?" The girl's eyes lit up and then she looked over Graven for a minute and an old memory of hers came back into sight of a small boy who was her friend at the academy. "Graven!" She yelled as she lunged forward and wrapped her arms around him for a moment and then let go. "I haven't seen hide nor hair of you since I left. How have you been? How's your folks? Wait, did you graduate from the academy?" Graven had just been bombarded with questions from a proverbial bottle of lightning. This young woman was in fact Talya, a childhood friend of Graven's. "Things have taken a very interesting turn now" he thought to himself. "Talya, it has been such a long time since we've seen each other. Why don't we go catch up on things past, over a drink perhaps? No, you're probably out doing your shopping. I shouldn't bother you while you're running errands." Talya smirked slightly. "Well, how about you come help me with my shopping, then we go get a drink or two and see what one another has been up to now?" Graven was stunned for a moment as this wasn't the sweet, innocent little girl he knew back from his childhood. She had matured both in mind and body. Graven looked at Talya and gave his quick reply "That works too." Talya smiled "Good, because I've got a pretty extensive list of things that I need." She grabbed his hand and pulled him out the door of the magic shop and drug him through the early morning crowds down to another part of the market. Graven had no idea what kind of trouble he was getting himself into.

- Chapter 1 - Mage (pages 1 - 5)

Morhurst. It is a country nestled on the southern part of the continent Higalia. The large and only known landmass of the world with varying degrees of life in every way. From the denizens that build cities on its soil, to the beasts that roam the wilds and waters of it. The weather changes with the seasons but sometimes mother nature loves to torment or uplift the souls of Morhurst from time to time. This is one of those seasons for torment.

The year the weather had been particularly cruel to the people and beasts of Morhurst. The rains came too early in the spring which meant most of the crops did rather poorly during the summer months. Now that mid fall had come upon the continent, both denizen and beast vied for food in some of the less fortunate areas. Areas such as Oakdale did not worry of such trivial matters but near the Koguran Forest and closer to the eastern coasts, food carts were attacked daily by thugs and would be thieves more frequently. Recent activity by raiders and the true thieves had increased by ten fold, such as: robbery, kidnapping, caravan heists and even some raids on smaller, unprotected villages. To add salt to the wound, some of the more docile beasts of the wilds had become more ferocious towards the denizens of Morhurst. Standing defiant as they charged at anything they perceived as a threat. A very strange manner for them. Worst still, the generally aggressive beasts had become particularly undaunted and had mounted assaults on armed guards of transports or even tried to get into some of the fringe towns to scavenge for food on more than one occasion. This wasn't their normal behavior for sure. Many people suspected that the reasoning for this was because there could very well be an incredibly harsh winter coming. One that would most certainly test all of the people of Morhurst.

Some of the towns were decently prepared for such things but there were still some that were not. The ones that were not prepared had recently been buying foodstuffs left and right until suppliers went dry. Not only that but many of the towns had been buying surplus trade goods and materials for trade crafts.. Things like Iron Wood to help patch and make homes. Stone to help build walls and to reinforce their buildings. Metal ores for weapons and armor along with anything else they could get a hold of. The towns that already had plenty of these items were more than happy to lend some of their materials and foodstuffs, for the right amount of coin anyway. One of these towns that possessed such staples was the town of Aelkeep. It sat nestled in a circular clearing towards the southern tip of the dense Koguran Forest and even though it was near such as a place, it was still a prime trading hub for towns that surrounded them on all sides. Though they may have been miles apart, it did not stop the merchants from coming through Aelkeep on more than one occasion. Many of the merchants looking for financial gain and adventure called it home along with many so called “adventurers” looking to make a name for themselves.

This town provided it's people with luxuries that were not normally found in most towns on Morhurst but since Aelkeep was one of the larger cities, it was more than able to provide for them. Aelkeep boasted one of the most eclectic gathering of guilds in Morhurst. There were fifteen official guilds that were noted though that didn't mean some weren't official. These guilds consisted of: the smithing guild, bone workers guild, hunters guild, leather workers guild, wood workers guild, alchemist guild, beast tamers guild, agriculturists guild, jewelers guild, miners guild, treasure hunters guild, fighters guild, mages guild, tailors guild, and last but certainly not the least the cooking guild. Some of these guilds got along quite well with one another while others developed fierce rivalries. There were also many shops to be found that not only bought and sold products to the guilds but to many of the people who came through and called Aelkeep home. The city also contained two of the most well known taverns in the central region of Morhurst. Famous for the latest gossip swirling around the back alleys and through loose lips. Tall tales of woven adventure, written with the sword and magic ink and knock down, drag out bar fights that ended in the brawlers either drinking each other under the tables or someone visiting the local dentist the next morning to fix a mouth full of teeth that had been knocked loose or out. Setting all of these things aside though, for the people of Aelkeep and its visitors, life was good.

The sun had just began to rise over the shores to the eastern coasts and slowly made its way towards the central forests. Though it had to pierce through the thick clouds and through the even thicker Koguran Forest trees, beams of light penetrated through the canopies that stretched out as far as they could until they reached the clearing of the farmland that the people of Aelkeep had made and called home. Many of the farmers days had already began long before the sun made her morning rounds. Most of the harvesters were either coming from or going to their gardening flats or other locations that were scattered across the farmlands. Though the air was cold and had a rather nasty bite to it, that did not stop the people of Aelkeep from working hard. If anything, it gave them the drive to work more efficiently so they could get out of the cold quicker. New and familiar faces started to funnel in and out of the city like they did every day. Mercenaries looking for work, merchants looking to trade their wares and adventurers looking to make a name for themselves. One of these new faces was a young mage named Graven, who had just recently made his trip from his desecrated home town. A sad story for most people, though it might be told differently if you were to ask him about it.

He came walking through the farmlands without a care to them in the world. He looked at the farmsteads and remembered his childhood for a moment, giving a low “ugh” in disgust. Though this did not keep him. The only thing that was on his mind at the moment was getting into the town and fulfilling his desires, that was until his stomach started to growl. He hadn't eaten anything in the past two days and he was about to collapse from the pains of his hunger. "Magics of the world. They can heal the fallen in battle, burn flesh from the bone and sunder a man's mind to the edge of oblivion but they can't quell the pains of an empty stomach." Graven looked around for a moment and took a big whiff of the air and his stomach growled even more. He could smell all of the variety of things already being cooked by the street vendors for the hungry people of Aelkeep. "No doubt that wonderful aroma will be coming from the market district. Perhaps I can kill two birds with one stone and feed my stomach while I hopefully feed my mind the food it so desires. Hopefully this doesn't give my mind and body indigestion from the backwoods nature of this town." Graven continued on his weary way towards the city. Though one thing was strange for Aelkeep as the walls were very short for this town. Though they did have the troubling wildlife on occasion and the random groups of raiders that would try their best to raid the town and fail miserably thanks to the the residents, certain guild members and fairly well trained armed guards, the people never really thought they would have a need for such things as better fortifications. "A city should always have large, sturdy walls, no matter how well off they are. It's as if they want a giant wyrm to come crashing through here and devour them all like livestock. Though who am I to complain.” Graven neared the fairly vacant stone entrance of the city and was stopped by what appeared to be an old beggar woman, cloaked all in black and covered in what Graven hoped was just mud. "Excuse me weary traveler. Could I beg for a moment of your time?" Graven looked at the old woman in disgust of her complexion. Her face riddled with what looked like a disease that had never been cured. "What do you want you old hag?" snapped Graven. The old woman smiled and cackled for a moment. "Oh ho, a feisty one I've caught today. I knew I felt a dark aura pulsing from within the flowing people today. Though I did not expect it in one so young. My dear, I am a soothsayer. I give-" Graven cut her off before she could finish. "I know what a soothsayer is and let me guess, you want to read my fortune in exchange for some Koriya am I right?" The soothsayer cackled some more and smiled at Graven. "I don't care for the coinage of the Empire my dear. Never really did me much good anyway. No, I wish to give you your fortune so that I may see what the future may hold for you."

Graven thought to himself for a moment. Surely it wouldn't hurt to have his fortune read. It might even give him some insight as to were he needed to go or what he needed to do in order to fulfill his goals. It might even make him laugh if this woman happened to be a fraud and send a wild vision to him. "Alright hag. Do your worst." The soothsayer cackled again and she pulled him inside the gates and into the side of a dark alley way, were no one could see them. She held out her hands and touched his shoulders and closed her eyes. She began to chant for a moment in a rhythmic beat and after a few minutes of concentrating, she began to speak "Ah yes. Very interesting. Oh my word, this is very intriguing" said the soothsayer. Graven started to become impatient. "What do you see old woman?" The soothsayer began to weave her visions with words that seemed slightly confusing. "Your soul is slowly being consumed into darkness. This is not your decision. This is to become your destiny. Achieving this goal will take some time but in that amount of time, you will become part of an even bigger spectacle and your destiny will become that much closer to you. Though some of your actions may bring about strife and blood, it will not be in vain. I see a great deal of pain in your future, that will be not only to your body but your soul as well. I see that something may keep your from achieving your destiny but how you handle it will affect everything. I also see a role of leadership in your future, one that many people look up towards. A pinnacle of loyalty and respect." Graven began to smile "What a very pleasant fortune. Perhaps I misjudged you. Here, something for your troubles." Graven handed her a handful of koriya and made his way into the city, never looking back at the old hag. "Be warned young man. Choose your friends and your enemies carefully. For your greatest ally, may one day become the one with the dagger pointed towards your back."