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Author Topic: Salvisius Imbrex - Dialogues, Notes and Sundries  (Read 1062 times)

PlatointheCave

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Salvisius Imbrex - Dialogues, Notes and Sundries
« on: March 17, 2017, 07:09:34 PM »
Vintix was staring again. The familiar was a recent acquisition but already Salvisius knew that it only stared when it wanted something. More and more he was regretting the decision to try to call a new familiar. He had needed a replacement, after the imp. The state mandated imp. He had quite enjoyed cutting that particular link to his homeland. This cat was proving to be a challenge.

‘What is it?’ he asked, setting down his quill and sliding his notebook over to a collection of shimmering vials and a crusty glob of ooze. He still had several pages to encode but he knew better than to ignore Vintix for too long; the notes would wait and the feline would not.

Vintix said nothing; its pupilless eyes fixed on the pale young man. It rarely spoke aloud and Salvisius wasn’t yet sure how to determine when it intended to. As the silence meeting the man’s question dragged on he sat back in his chair and let out a sigh.

‘Shall I guess, then? We’ll start with the most probable; you’re hungry. Again.’ Vintix did not respond; the luminous gaze was unwavering. Good, thought Salvisius; he was not in the mood for a walk in the woods. Too much mud from the perpetual Barovian rain.

‘No? Hm. Then you want an answer.’ He retrieved his hip flask, uncapped it and took a long sip. Alcohol would be necessary to get through this tedious speculation. He did not want to snap at the cat again; it didn’t like to be snapped at. Vintix was not a servant; it seemed to be barely an ally. The absurdity of a wizard waiting on his familiar nearly made him laugh aloud. He wondered, not for the first time, whether he had made a mistake in the binding. It was possible; he only barely understood how the process worked. He broke off that chain of thought; Vintix would be getting impatient. Salvisius returned his focus to the familiar. It had tilted its head. Warmer, then. It did want answer. Good.

‘You want to know why…’ Salvisius glanced about the cramped room searchingly; his focus eventually settling on his partially encoded notes. ‘..I am collecting reports on the vampires?’ There was a moment of stillness, then cat sat up straight and spoke: ‘Hunting vampires’. Its voice was low with the hint of a growl to it. Salvisius squinted. The first time it had spoken it had been to state dietary requirements. Since then it had spoken very little. These rare instances were, he supposed, part of a pattern. It seemed to like correcting mistakes during each previous utterance. Had he made a mistake in his speaking? Was he hunting vampires? Certainly, he had agreed to hunt a vampire. Two, technically. But did he want to end the threat or did he just want a profitable agreement and more first-hand data?

‘I am studying vampires’ he responded, his tone less certain than it was before. Vintix said nothing, its tail flicking agitatedly. Salvisius let a short breath out and retrieved his notebook; holding it open at a page he’d yet to encode for Vintix to study. Salvisius had no idea if it could read. ‘See?’ He said; ‘These are the reports others have made and the inferences I am making with them.’

In response, the cat shifted its gaze to an empty glass bottle on his desk. Ghastrian Vodka; Salvisius’ prescribed short term treatment for anxiety. He couldn’t recall whether this dose had been for him or for the vampire’s victim. The gnawing worry in his gut took advantage of his lapse in concentration and made for his higher faculties. Salvisius took a moment to force it back down to a numb, persistent throb. He would have order in his mind, if nowhere else.

Vintix was back to staring at him. Salvisius spoke begrudgingly: ‘I am hunting vampires’, he confessed. ‘I cannot tell you why.’ This seemed to satisfy Vintix; the plump familiar curled up on the desk and started to doze. Salvisius briefly considered trying to work out the why; somewhere in that tangled mess of emotion there was an answer he could call 'reasonable'. No. Better to contain it. He set his notebook down and returned to the practical work of encoding his notes. He could solve that tangle when it was safe to.

PlatointheCave

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Re: Salvisius Imbrex - Dialogues, Notes and Sundries
« Reply #1 on: May 14, 2017, 12:45:00 PM »
Salvisius set the empty bottle down by the campfire and squinted blearily at the cast iron pot. He could’ve sworn it was swaying.

‘What is this, round five?’ he asked Saavar, taking a moment to locate the shorter man in the dim light of their camp. ‘Their’ camp. Technically it was Saavar’s camp: he’d pitched the tents, gathered the firewood and ensured the ground was spider free. Salvisius blinked slowly. He’d work up to those. For now he’d master tea.

‘Rhound Six, Dhomn Imbrex.” Saavar was sitting near the teapot, jar of local honey momentarily forgotten in his hands as the Master addressed him. The pale man was kept from the wind and if another light rain was to fall, a waxed sheet of linen was prepared.

The wizard nodded lethargically, the round number already forgotten. ‘I mastered three languages before my seventh year, you know.’ Salvisius couldn’t recall if he’d said that already. ‘Mundane matters like this’ he gestured vaguely in the direction of the pot ‘are surely considerably simpler’.

The axe and bow were close enough if anything would be hungry enough to approach, the drunk Master would be safe. “Hof khourse, Dhomn Imbrex. Yhour mind serves greater matters than that which is my duty.” Saavar answered reassuringly, turning to look up from the tea leaves in his hands.

It did not suit Domn Imbrex to be so drunk, especially not out in the open.  His eyes moved to scan the Old Night once more, dreading the possibility of defending the drunken mage from a hungry werewolf, or worse. “Yhou need nhot trhouble yhourself, it is what I am here fhor.”


‘True’ the man nodded several times as he lifted the pot gingerly off the fire. He’d already strengthened his arms with a transmutation. But that was one - perhaps two - bottles ago. ‘But’, he raised the bony pale finger of his free hand; the steaming contents of the pot sloshing dangerously as he turned fully to face Saavar. ‘Only witches and dullards dunno how to do these… Mundaneries… Themselves.’ Sal sniffed. ‘Not even the backwards locals would mistake me for a dullard.’

‘He protected himself against the elements and the rain earlier was a only a light one’ Saavar thought as he picked up his cloak and wrapped it around his hands, eyes narrowing as the worried man tried to remember when Domn Imbrex refreshed his elemental protection last. ‘The magic he cast should still be in effect for long enough...’ Reaching for the pot with hands protected by a thick layer of cloth rather than magic, Saavar lowered his head. “Dhomn Imbrex, hone best learns how tho walk in a sunny day, nhot a blizzard. Wait until yhour mind is khlear.”

Salvisius was already shaking his head as he jerked the pot away ‘I got it this time Saavar’. He cast about for the mug, finding it near the log Vintix was curled up on. After the failure that was round one, the jet black cat had elected to keep its distance. At the mage’s approach, the familiar opened a single pupilless eye before getting up and moving around the fire, away from Salvisius. ‘See?’ The man twisted the pot slowly to pour its contents into the mug. It was then that his warding failed. With a shout he dropped the pot, shaking his hand and taking several steps back. ‘FLIP’.

The short man moved quickly, reaching for the waterskin. ‘Please spread yhour hand, Dhomn Imbrex.’ He instructed gently. ‘Hor it might hurt mhore thomhorrow. If I may say, it is nhot advisable tho burn the instruments hof yhour phower.’

Salvisius took a moment to collect himself before extending the burned hand. The angry red of his burns stood out from the rest of his pale flesh. ‘Right. Gloves. I forgot the gloves.’ The man spoke through gritted teeth, squinting.

‘Keep it spread, I have anhother khurative I will administer.’

His features smoothed a little, a hint of amusement creeping into his tone. ‘Good. I’ll try again tomorrow, without the blizzard. You’re doing the tea tonight.’

‘Hof khourse, Dhomn Imbrex.’

Spoiler: show
Saavar written by wildfllame!
« Last Edit: May 14, 2017, 04:19:47 PM by PlatointheCave »

PlatointheCave

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Re: Salvisius Imbrex - Dialogues, Notes and Sundries
« Reply #2 on: June 05, 2017, 02:59:57 AM »
‘If a thing can be understood, Saavar, it can be changed. It can be bettered.’ The pale man turned to regard his Rashemi travelling companion. In the dim light of the forest it was difficult to make out his expression. The mage assumed it was an attentive neutral.
 
Saavar focused on the Master, it was good he finally decided to break the silence that has reigned unbroken since they left Hazlan. The welts on his back were burning with every step as they rubbed against the thick leather lining of his armor. He was in no mood for discussion.
‘Aah, Dhomn Imbrex.’ He answered without thinking, turning his head to the man.

 
Salvisius nodded slowly before crouching down and carefully plucking a bright red mushroom from the damp earth. Straightening, he presented the fungus to his Rashemi travelling companion. ‘Life is very simple in principle.’
 
’Aah, Dhomn Imbrex.’ He echoed dutifully, attentive and calm as usual. ‘Honce yhou khut a man, he will bleed his life away. Life is an easy flower to plukh.’ It is good my back is burning, the pain brings all into focus. Listen to the master. He is in a talkative mood again, it seems. I find it peculiar the wound is a trap, when I had worked in it before for late Master Cezar. It is strange that nothing changes the more it changes.
 
Salvisius waved his free hand dismissively. ‘Yes, yes. Ending life is easy.’ The wizard gestured in the vague direction of Saavar’s axe. ‘We’ve entirely too many tools for the ending of life. Yet.’ Raising one pale finger he leaned forward intently. ‘Life is nothing but material, animating energy and a spirit. In complex life the spirit and body give rise to a mind. These are the principles.’ The wizard, as though in demonstration, made a small circular gesture about the mushroom with his free hand. ‘I dunno that anyone has really grasped them fully but they ~can~ be understood.’ Salvisius tipped the mushroom at Saavar now. ‘And if a thing can be understood… ?’ He paused, letting the question hang, his gaze on Saavar intent.
 
’It khan be manipulated.’ He concluded quietly, attentive to his master.

The mage nodded once, tossing the mushroom away and turning to move on. ‘We need only the understanding.’
 
’Aah, Dhomn Imbrex.’ Life is not meant to be manipulated, and it is not my role to question the Master’s choices. I will serve and I will ascend to the Iron Paradise.

The other man was already walking deeper into the gloomy forest, humming cheerfully.

Spoiler: show
Saavar written by wildfllame!
« Last Edit: June 06, 2017, 04:41:27 AM by PlatointheCave »