12:
[This entry has clearly been written over two sessions, in two different places. The first half is damp with multiple spots where water has hit it, the second half is near pristine, written in the same languid fashion as the previous entry, and strangely, smells faintly of vanilla.]
The last day has certainly been interesting in a way I had not predicted. Ruby and I, along with the elf, Zerasé, one of Ruby's conquests, decided to go exploring in the lands where we had only briefly been earlier. the place with the Trolls.
The trolls themselves we decided to skip for the time being, after all, we've already found them to be mostly easy prey... that said, I should see if I can't get some of their guts... If the trolls in Kaer Maga can divine in their own intestines, in a world where prophecy is dead, then there must be some value to them...
I'm not a skilled diviner, but I can always give it a shot.
We did, however come across a house where an agitated raven was trying to break down the door to enter! As Azshara opened to the door, the bird flew in and we followed.
It turned out to be an abandoned house, however, it hid a most intriguing secret!
In the basement beneath, some scholar of life had decided to experiment with imparting the regenerative qualities of sea trolls to living beings, presumably in an attempt to later give this quality to the spoken races.
The entire place was empty, save for a few half eaten corpses and a lot of differing footprints, but the research was meticulous and definitely worth the trip if not more.
Zerasé was a bit uncomfortable, but in the end, her curiosity won her over... I think Ruby might have herself a good apprentice in that one, if she manages to honey her words correctly.... or maybe it's her other tongue related talents that have gotten her this far... probably that.
I will have to return later, there were so many tomes I can use to expand my knowledge of anatomy and operations there, but I could not carry them all... If the house remains abandoned I suspect an invisibility spell shall be sufficient.
---
The last day and night have been interesting in ways I had not anticipated... Tonight I met Onyx.
Onyx, it seems, shares my tribes fondness for tattoos, especially facial ones, and though he seemed soft-spoken, slightly stuttering and didn't have much of a presence intially, I couldn't help myself feeling drawn to him... maybe it was our mutual interests that shone through, maybe Ruby's lessons about indulgence have just left me more hungry than I realized, in either case, we got to chatting... about my research, about the night, about death, life and undeath. It was phenomenal to finally meet someone else here who shares my interests, I mean, outside of Ruby, of course.
I think we spent almost the entire night simply discussing my ideas and thoughts, having a good back and forth. He did seem a bit hesitant to my theories about fusing negative and positive energy in one body, but that is understandable... the two concepts have traditionally been taught as exclusively black and white, unable to co-exist.
I think magic is the key... why not, magic breaks all the rules and instates its own all the time.
Onyx serves some deity unknown to me. He wasn't hesitant to talk about them, but what interests me most is, that they seem to not have a name, rather they have many titles, and, to me, almost seem more like a conceptual deity than... well...
Onyx promised he'd help me attain more knowledge through practical applications. His deity allows him to call forth the undead, something I suspect Ash Ruby might also be able to do, and it would be invaluable to have a unliving specimen to examine, not to mention seeing them brought into existence. I'll have to introduce the two of them. Together they can work as a knowledge base for my research... and as companions.
Ruby's lessons in indulgence have affected me more than I thought, but I'm happy they did.
I proposed Onyx and I move to an inn to discuss things of a more intimate nature, and he agreed!
I could get used to spending my night both physically and mentally stimulated like that.