13th Arcane Initiation.

Dear Journal,

... i've initiated myself into the Arcane Mastery again, 13th time in this life.

'Energy Channels' in my Mind, Speech & Body were purified & opened, allowing Arcane & Enlightened Energies to flow more freely.


... learned spells of 'Chain Lightning', 'Teleport', 'Polymorph Self' & 'Bull's Strength' ... but lost 'Ghost Visage' spell.


There are various Schools of Arcane ... and while in Narfell spell research is not best of nowadays, there are exceptions.

Polymorph Self spell, for example - allows one to assume more shapes than usual - including my favourite, Raven form.

One needs to acquire essence of assumed form, before one can polymorph into that form.

Some of essences are easily and cheaply got from shops, other require more efforts.


     


When wearing my Witch Stone Ring, and Enigma Robe - i can cast following amount of spells per day:

Cantrips: 6/day,
1st Circle: 8/day,
2nd Circle: 8/day,
3rd Circle: 8/day,
4th Circle: 7/day,
5th Circle: 7/day,
6th Circle: 5/day.

0th Circle Spells are called Cantrips.


... i can cast weaker of spells more often, at higher circles, if i use 'Metamagical Still' or 'Metamagical Empower'.


... any of my spells can be cast with 'Still' Metamagic ... up to 5th Circle for now, however.

... for now, following of my spells can be cast with 'Empower' Metamagic:
- Some of my Cantrips,
- Magic Missle,
- Bull's Strength,
- Cat's Grace,
- Owl's Wisdom,
- Eagle's Splendor,
- Phantasmal Killer.


... i am more combat- & adventure-worthy since now.


-- Yours, Chea Allin, a Witch, an Adventuress & a Seeker of Enlightened Energies.


     





     


     

'Unstable Shape' & it's 'Game'.

-=- Unstable Shape. -=-


... i was in Peltarch chatting and at the same time doing my cerulean duty ... when in the darkness of the night noticed something unstable & shadowy.

it spoke, telling us we're playing a 'game' of sorts - that there are three of people somewhere in city that are tied and gagged.

if we come to their rescue in time, they will live and we'll get reward.

otherwise they would die.

... then 'Unstable Shape' told us game starts now, leaving us no other choice but to participate.

i've told Tyrus, to look in Docks ... while myself would check Ashald's Part and Residential District.

... using haste spells, i tried to be quick, searched through Residential and Commerce ... when a messenger boy gave me message from Tyrus that it's in Docks.

Found Tyrus, and he brought me to a house, saying that a boy told him it's there.

... we went in, and stepped onto a lightning trap.

... then i cast a spell that disarmed second trap under three that were gagged and tied.

... we set them free.

... then hole in ground exploded and animals went from it ... i've shouted the family-trio to run away, and they did - we fought animals meanwhile.

We left house, i went looking for guards - found and we returned to the place.

They told they'll carry on ... and that we might return to our business.

Returned to Commons, talked a while with 'Unstable Shape' and got reward - 1000 coins.

It revealed its a creature of chaos. 'The problem with chaos is how much order it requires'.

Put the coin in separate bag, might be useful for Skrying.

... went to write this report, and a copy in my Journal.

-- Chea Allin, Cerulean Star 2nd.




-=- Reward. -=-

Voyage, Voyage.

Dear Joural,

... i've been training intensively of late.

Theory, spellcasting in safe conditions, and field uses as well.

There are spells that i am curious about, that i started to research carefully - some of them earlier than my control of energies allow - Teleport, and Plane Shift.


... when i'll be able to use them?

Teleportation i'll know when i pass through 'Gate' of 13th Arcane Initiation.

Plane Shift i'll know when i pass through 'Gate' of 15th Arcane Initiation.


... why so late with Plane Shift?

... i need to grab 'Shadow Shield' spell, as its Powerful Protection, that i'll need when my magick becomes more powerful.

... the more powerful one is, the more powerful foes and allies she or he attracts.


... When i'll learn Plane Shift, i'll be able to call myself a 'Planeswalker'.


-- Yours, Chea Allin, a Witch & a Seeker of Enlightened Energies.

The Witch Stone (Chea's Tale).

Dear Journal,

... in Narfell - while there are enchanting facilities - amount of power to be imbued in things is limited - as we lack rare ingredients and equipment.

... recently, howevr - heard rumours about Chauntea's Priestess, Anna Tiller finding a way to surpass these limits.

... she found a magickal crystal that would let her do so.

... i've asked her, and got it - we both enchanted my new ring: 'The Witch Stone'.

... the crystal was consumed during the enchanting process.

... i've paid her 40 000 gp as well, in bank have 30 000 gp still.

-- Yours, Chea Allin, a Witch & Adventuress.

'Painters', the Gang (Chea's Tale).

-=- a Painter Lookout. -=-


Dear Journal,

... this happened in Norwick and in Rawlinswood.

My friend, Nathelin - a monk of yellow rose - got involved with criminals doing business.

... he got 8000 protection racket money of a gang named 'Painters', and wanted to investigate.

We went into Rawlinswood, where 'Painters' dwelled ... plan was to show the coin and talk to their local leader named Victor.

The criminals we met reacted differently ... some of them believed or just backed off ... others did not give up so easily.

... i've used fake name, introduced myself as: 'Bluestorm', a Traveller of sorts ...


We fought our way to the Victor ... then saw a dispute, between Victor and a man named Billy.

Billy used our arrival as a distraction and vanished - it seems it was a mere ... 'illusory projection'.


We killed Victor, he vanished as well.


We also were warned that Painters have 'far reach', so to prepare of more of troubles to come.


We found a chest, a little of gold ... and a map drawn on lid.

Carried the map with lid to Norwick, then split our ways.


-- Yours, Chea Allin, an Adventuress.




-=- Fake Name. -=-




-=- Victor. -=-

Of Darkhavens & Raven Wing Traders (Frances' Tale).

... i've been trying to find out how people perceive Darkhavens of Oscura.
... hired a bard to do research and write a story.


... here's what we've found out:

The Darkhaven Family. The Darkhaven family are both hated and loved by the other Oscuran Noble families, and are well known by their crest of an imposing castle on a black background. They have a powerful grip on the smuggling business in Oscura, bringing in illegal goods from all kinds of places. As such, often they are able to undercut competitor’s prices, but it is well known that friends of the Darkhavens flourish through their methods as opposed to suffering. The head of the house is “Duke” Istvan Darkhaven. The Duke is a decent swordsman, but more enjoys watching fights down at the Brawling Bodak than fighting himself. Some believe the Duke is an expansionist, hence his self-styled title, and some believe his eyes look well beyond simply buying land in Oscura. His father and grandfather were some of the first to move to Oscura following the settling of the area by Arnath refugees, and helped build the foundations of the family, but have long since died, and it was not until Istvan’s wife came along did the family truly flourish. It is well known that Anjelika Darkhaven, Istvan’s wife, is a former slave of Istvan’s father, but she was quickly freed and wed to Istvan once his father died. While most any Oscuran would normally consider this abhorrent behaviour at best, people ignore this fact due to how much the Darkhaven’s wealth grew once Istvan and Anjelika married. As a result to of this, many people see Istvan as the face of the family, the real brains are behind him in the guise of Anjelika, an extremely clever and charming woman. The Darkhaven family do their business through the Raven’s Wing Traders. The couple have three children. The oldest is Lazlo, whom is in his mid-twenties. While Lazlo gets along well with the rest of his family, he is an outcast in that he cares little for family business, instead his dreams involve exploring the Underdark and he can be often seen exiting the West Gate with a wide grin on his face. Lazlo takes after his mother however, in that he makes many friends through his charming looks and presence. Eliza Darkhaven is one year younger than Lazlo, and is much more concerned with the family business. She has even gone to the lengths of attaching herself to Maximilian Locke to secure the family fortunes, however most Oscurans see this as simple politics, Eliza’s cold presence in public overpowers anything that may seem like a lovers behaviour from Maximilian. It is generally thought that Eliza is some kind of scholar, she is most often found in the library or in the Wailing Banshee discussing things over a drink with the Librarian, Lauren. The youngest is Valeria Darkhaven, who has just turned 20. Valeria very much looks up to her older brother Lazlo, and can be seen wishing him luck on his many adventures. Word has spread however that Istvan is keen to use Valeria as a political tool, attempting to sway young Oscuran nobles into marrying the innocent young girl. Valeria is not as keen on this as her older sister, and creates a lot of controversy in her constant rejections of suitors. As a result, she isn’t looked on too kindly by her family. The Darkhavens and the Raven Wings have been doing very well recently. However many suspect they have found new smuggling routes. Duke Istvan has grown ever richer and seems to be spending money on exotic creatures to have fight down the Brawling Bodak and having betting sessions. Eliza Darkhaven has had two children, yet it does not seem to be Maximillions Lockes children by the vivid Blonde hair, some rumours suggest her children were Ivan II Kursks, the elder brother of the Kursk family who is notoriously incompetent at business yet is a fine inventor. Other rumours suggest it was Vladimir Kursks, yet this seems unlikely as she showed not reaction upon his Hanging in Peltarch. Rumours spread aswell that she has been spending alot of time with Lauren the Liberian. Both children have grown now to the age of 16 and the Maximillion has no contact with the children where he can help it suggesting that they are not his. It has also caused a bit of tension between the two family's. The two children are named Haferal, a young man whos long blonde hair creates a handsome appeal about him, and a daughter known as Frances, whos cold attitude clearly comes from her mother. Raven’s Wing Traders. The Raven’s Wing Traders are mostly owned by the Darkhaven family. They don’t deal in any specific market, and instead are the source of all kinds of smuggled and black market goods. This makes the Raven’s Wing Traders very popular, as you can find most anything you need from then in small quantities. While Duke Istvan Darkhaven is technically in charge, any Raven Wing employee will tell you that it is in fact his wife Anjelika Darkhaven who is in charge of things, and manages to keep the business thriving. The Raven’s Wing Traders sometimes comes into conflict with the Fajardo Brothers’ Mercantile Consortium as sometimes the Raven’s Wing Traders sell similar luxury goods as the Fajardo’s, despite the Fajardo’s usually having the monopoly. Notable Personalities: Duke Istvan Darkhaven – Official Head of the Family. Anjelika Darkhaven – formerly a slave, now power behind her husband that makes family thrive. Nikolaos Caspari – The eyes and ears of the Raven’s Wing Traders. An intelligent man, he is also known for his almost suicidal lack of fear, happy to walk where other Oscurans never would. Nonetheless, he is somehow alive, and knows a lot more than any other person because of it. Lyaksandro Golovnya – Lyaksandro is a direct employee of the Raven’s Wing Traders, and their main merchant. Lyaksandro has a huge supply of goods and gets all of his goods from the Raven’s Wing Traders. He is a shrewd man, and is always on the eye out for competitors, most other merchants are happy to stay in a secondary role to Lyaksandro however.

-- Frances, a Daughter of Darkhavens.

Order of the Dark Moon (Anheim's Tale).

Not so long after our meditation on Diamond Soul, Chea asked me why i wear robes of Order of Dark Moon.

Order of Dark Moon is monk order that follows Shar, deity of hatred and dark sister of Selûne.

... its secretive Order, so the robe doesn't have any symbols of Shar on it, but Chea somehow knew the truth.

Shar's colours are Black & Purple, robe is Black & Silver.

i said that while i despise hatred - i also try to be protector of those i care for ... releasing hatred against enemies of our friends seems to work for a short while at least.

... i also said that i am not so perfect.

Chea then introduced me to knowledge that there's 'Dark Moon Heresy', its members believe that Selûne and Shar were two aspects of the same deity.

She also warned me that this heresy is dangerous and abusive.

... probably i should investigate this, when i can.


Then we talked about this robe - it's karmic connection with Dark Moon disciples, our self parts of mind are close ... thus it's harder to focus while wearing it - their insanity enters my mind, causing confusion and dark feelings.

... at least i have opportunity to help them calm their minds, to relax their hatred.

... i think that calming minds of evil people is a good deed, compassionante deed ... that it helps us all reach Enlightenment.

As i told, Chea admitted that she admires me for that.


-- Anheim, a Meditating Martial Artist, a Mind-Soul Lost in the Dark.

Progress in Training (Anheim's Tale).

   


... i've been training a lot recently - meditations on Diamond Soul with Chea, exercises with Katana Sword, as well.


Chea explained me a lot about magick - how verbal (words), somatic (gestures) and material (physical objects) components can be perceived to understand nature of magick being used.

Then we sat and meditated, as she spoke magickal mantras i just calmed and observed mind ... then she advised me to visualize energy shield around me, energy shield capable of soaking magick and its effects coming at me. After about 15 tries, it started to work.

Then Chea offered to cast magic missle at me for field-tests, i agreed. She cast three times, i've succeeded to resist all of three spells.

Bought her a dinner in gratitude, then we parted for a while.


Katana moves, parries and strikes i've practiced under tutelage of another person ... a Swordsman from Kozakura, named Ashikaga Ichirō ... that i met a while ago.


After all this training, i've noticed that i passed my inner requirements for considering myself 3rd Dan.

... i didn't announce this publicly still ... except for buying a martial arts robe, from the order of Dark Moon.


-- Anheim, a Meditating Yogin & Martial Artist.


       


   

Crystal, Katana Sword & a Flower (Anheim's Tale).

-=- a Katana Sword. -=-

-=- Bought recently from Gnarl Horst - dwarven weaponsmith -=-
-=- ... to be Enchanted. -=-


With a friendly dwarven paladin by name Silver Chalice, we went to Norwick Family Crypts.

We fought numerous undead and found minor trinkets for sale ... as well as average-quality Spell Crystal and an Exotic Flower that was enchanted to stay alive after plucking it from earth.

... i intend to keep this Flower, and to store 'Haste' spell in a Crystal, with an aid of Arcanist who can cast 'Haste' spell.

... Spell Crystals with 'Haste' spells are better than Potions - last longer, probably twice as long.


After that trip we parted ways, then i went on a boat to Peltarch.

... during river travel i've meditated and composed name and a free-verse poem for the katana sword that i bought from Gnarl Horst.

... Katana swords often contain documents in hilt, that can be 'unscrewed' at it's bottom.

... thinking about enchanting this katana sword as well.


Sword's name:

'Blade of Sun and Moon'.


a Free-Verse Poem:

Warrior's Spirit.

... of Heart & Sun.
... Moon there still is.

... One should protect day & night, whole time.
... It is not known when enemies arrive.

Sun is the source of light & strength.
Moon is deceit as well ... Shines in dark, reflecting light.

Without Sun, Moon doesn't shine.
... but different lights, different stars.


-- Anheim, a Martial Artist & Yogin.

-=- 'White Wraith', a Flower. -=-

-=- a Spell Crystal, average quality. -=-