The Unlikely Task of Finding a Swordsman in a City of Mages

[Lohrtar Silvermoon]

Ikos was magnificent. It was a form of art, and at the same time a powerful form of arcana. It was without comparison the thing that took up most of the young man's time. He was greatly dedicated to it. But Ikos, in all its glory, had shortcomings. Well... To Lohrtar it didn't, it just had a specific place of specialization. But any rational man, including Lohrtar of course, could see that this sphere was not the best suited for combat. Though the saying went that the pen is mightier than the sword, which could be taken quite literally in an Ikos context, it would require a swift hand a mind to cast an Ikos spell effective enough to stop an opponent in a frantic battle situation. An archmage could do this... A master too, maybe. But a journeyman? It would be very hard indeed. He was not an irrational man, Lohrtar, and he knew this perfectly well, even though he had no doubt that he was among the most gifted of Journeymen in all of Telath, though he had done little to prove this.

Due to this, he had a very specific intent in mind on this particular brightening. He would find a swordsman, to teach him how to use the sword he had already blessed by his Ikos powers. But in Vers, what was the probability of chancing upon an able swordsman? Slim to none. Luckily enough, Lohrtar’s craft could overcome that, and maybe even make such a thing likely to happen. This was what he had in mind, anyway. A fairly simple task, if there was in fact a swordsman present in the city at this moment. It was worth a try.

”Let me encounter a swordsman willing to teach me”, wished Lohrtar out loud. Sometimes he prefered the privacy of thought, but as he was quite alone, he chose to speak the intent. He began to carefully draw the runes on a piece of parchment.

First was Bhun, placed in the middle of the star pattern that he chose, to symbolize the mental illumination that he would undergo, which was what he wanted exactly. It was drawn with delicate, upward strokes, as to link it to the more vague meaning of Bhun, that of mental illumination. The next was pipitili, drawn with clockwise strokes, which linked the meaning of the rune to that of ‘man’. This was placed inside of Lohrtar’s own alteration, the rune of Generas, obviously created from Genas. The harsh, twin-shaped figures were placed around the man, drawn with clockwise strokes as well, to mean strong, representing the strength, both mental and physical, it took to be a warrior. Lohrtar looked upon his creation, satisfied, and entered clara. He reveled for a few seconds in the myriad of colourful energies that intertwined to form up the world of Telath, before he returned to the material world, where his Ikos spell just might have had an effect.

He went to the Red Mullet, concluding that this would be a likely place to meet such a character. He sat down at the bar, giving a smile, as he looked around, to see if there was anyone who might look like a warrior present in this city of mages and artists.

OOC: Runic variants can be found in my CIR

[Nell du'Galle]

Lohrtar was correct in his assessment of it being unlikely to find a swordsman within the bounds of Vers, where the guards were few and Arcana ruled. What would Vers need a strong military for, with the high number of Magery who would step forward to repel approaching danger? The clumsy use of weaponry was scorned when the more fluid and artful skills of Arcana could be called upon. However the tall man had his reasons for wishing to learn how to wield a weapon and as he began his Ikos ceremony, none disturbed or witnessed the skilful drawing intended to aid his search for such a person as could help him with his quest. It was performed with relative ease, the runes forming a balanced sigil which was then meditated over, allowing the subconscious to hopefully create the spell that would weigh the odds in Lohrtar's favour.

The Red Mullet was experiencing a brisk turnover of business as Lohrtar made his way to the bar. Behind the bar, the owner hovered close to where Lohrtar had chosen to sit, ready to serve the man if he shouted for service, but also keeping an eye on those already supping wine and ale in case a quick refill was needed. In the corner, an elf with a grey face was cleaning his flute in preparation for another rendition of a common song that had been in full flow at Lohrtar's entrance, with some drinkers calling out for the music to recommence. All in all, it was a warm and friendly atmosphere - one of the better brightenings for the Red Mullet considering some of the goings on that had occured earlier that era. Over half the tables scattered over the centre of the Inn's floor were full with various representatives of Vers attired in colorful garb, some sampling the hearty food served by cheerful waitresses, whilst others were beginning what might turn out to be a long evening of alcoholic revelery, although the suns were still claiming the candlemarks of the brightening outside.

One table was more voracious in its noise than the others though, as a game of cards was in progress, with the three participants engaging in lively debate and jocularity as each card was played in turn. Two of the players were in Lorhtar's sightline. The first, a spindly man with emaciated face, cheekbones accentuated to killer edges with the use of blush, and a top hat decorated with blue feathers worn at a jaunty angle. A ruffled shirt spilled from an embroidered waistcoat, yet its flouncing sleeves did little to disguise his skeleton frame. The second was a female katta, with white fur, sleek and immaculate, her brilliant blue eyes dancing with amusement as she stroked the soft fur behind her ears whilst waiting to play her cards. The third though had his back to Lohrtar, yet one could tell from the manner of dress that it was a foppish fellow. A velvet cap was perched on his head with a jade feather sticking out of its side, a cream shirt was worn with tight black breeches and boots that would add an extra inch to his height were tapping on the floor in time to the music which had begun once again.

Perhaps none would strike the Ikos Mage as one likely to fufill his hopes, however with careful scrutiny it was clear that one of them at least owned a sword, judging by the sheathed sword which had been placed on the floor under the table.

OOC: Timestamp?