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Post by Maerin on Dec 5, 2011 16:57:28 GMT
Lorenic trudged back through the driving rain, and re-entered the warm inn’s common room. Though the Stornlander’s cloak continued to perform admirably against the ferocity of the constant storm, it was far more comfortable to remain indoors.
***
Both Rolph and Castiel immediately winced at the sharp pain that assaulted their ears. Both their voices were far too loud for the confined room and their increased hearing. Both men realized Ahruan was actually speaking in a lower, softer voice.
“The wariness you feel, Captain Rolph, is natural. Have you ever seen two hounds, strangers to one another, meet on the street? The two will be very watchful, and they may growl or snarl or snap for a time. This is the instinctive response of one predator to the presence of another, a combination of caution, dominance and territorial natures. You two now feel a shadow of what those hounds felt.”
As Ahruan spoke, Rolph attempted the exercises and found he was indeed both stronger and hardier than he had been. To his surprise, the wood floor under his palms felt almost muffled, like the Lencian wore a pair of leather gloves. Pressed against the floor, Rolph saw his hands seemed a bit larger and more muscular.
“I am not ‘willing’ anything, Castiel. Not in the sense I think you mean it anyway. I worked no magic either upon you or around you now. This is no enchantment, no spell that a magician might counterspell or cancel through other means.
“These are merely expression of your natural beings. Expression I just called out of each of you in a limited fashion. Does this fulfill your desire to be shown the ‘practical’?”
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Post by Lorenic on Dec 6, 2011 2:53:02 GMT
Looking around inside to see if his friends had finished their meeting with Ahruan, Lorenic decided it would be good to warm up with some warm mead. He has at an absent corner and waited to order.
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Post by Rolph on Dec 6, 2011 5:18:42 GMT
Rolph nodded and lowered his voice. "Yes, all of my natural abilities are better," he said, resuming his seat. "Loud noises can overload my senses, but those senses are much, much sharper than they've ever been. I am stronger and hardier than I was even in my youth. I can begin to imagine what an army could do with these improvements. I wonder...this mysterious storm is not magical either, but it does seem to be an enhancement of what is found in nature. Could something operating along similar lines have caused it? Perhaps someone else has been experimenting with something of this sort."
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Post by Castiel on Dec 6, 2011 5:36:30 GMT
Castiel looked at Ahruan, and spoke in a lower voice "You wish to bring out an aspect of ones nature? And if this was to be used on a servant of the Darklords? Seeing that I am a natural being, it stands to reason that a natural instinct would arise. But what is natural for an natural being? I only make observations off of what I currently have observed in conversation to the moment."
Ccastiel left a few moments for response then continued. "I am curious, what if you were to use your power on an natural being? One such as an elemental that I summon? How would it respond?"
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Post by Maerin on Dec 6, 2011 18:02:50 GMT
Ahruan glanced quizzically at Castiel for a moment before slowly responding, his tone rather over-curious. “Why would I, or any being opposed to Evil, do this for one of the spawn of the Darklords? Even were it possible. Equally, how would one apply it to a being summoned from another Plane that is not alive and has little alike to any natural being of this world?
"As for how this expression affects natural beings, I believe you have an answer to your question. I just called out a limited expression in two natural beings here: you and Captain Rolph.”
Looking back at Rolph, the Herbalish merely shrugged. “I cannot speak to that.”
Ahruan then stood and smiled at the two companions. "You should now be feeling the influence receding. Is there anything else you desire to speak to me about?"
The Herbalish walked over to the balcony and again opened it. As he did so, both Rolph and Castiel felt the effects fading. The roar of the rain dulled, and their vision darkened.
***
Receiving a cup of mulled wine, as Lorenic continued to not find mead anywhere in Talon, the Stornlander looked about the crowded common room. He did not see his companions in the room.
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Post by Lorenic on Dec 7, 2011 1:28:58 GMT
Drinking his wine (No bees in bloody Talon) Lorenic mulled over what he would tell his comrads about what he might have learned with Medwyn.
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Post by Castiel on Dec 7, 2011 4:46:29 GMT
Castiel looked at Ahruan "I agree, using any power to enhance the Darklords minions would be a travesty. I am trying to understand how you will use this power fight the Darklords? I am eager to know your path forward. If what you show me can give hope, I will be able to see the light at the end of this long darkness. I have seen the darkness through my travels, this darkness having been brought on by servants of evil. " Castiel gave the man a pleading look.
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Post by Rolph on Dec 7, 2011 5:52:34 GMT
Rolph tried to watch Ahruan's reaction to his words, but his temporarily enhanced perceptions told him nothing, and they were already wearing off. "Well, I would like to share my own idea with you," he said, "as I had mentioned earlier. My homeland of Lencia has been fighting the Darklords and their servants since they arrived on Magnamund. They conquered the part of our country north of the Tentarias, and we have tried many times to take it back, all without success. But when we tried, we acted alone. Recently Lencia and Eru worked together to successfully liberate Luomi and Cetza from the Drakkarim. There are other instances I've noticed of allied nations being able to defeat the Darklords on the field of battle where individual nations failed. My thought was that there are many nations opposed to the Darklords. Imagine what we could accomplish if we all worked together towards that end, sharing our strength, pooling our resources, concentrating our forces. It would not be easy or quick to forge such an alliance, I know, but I believe the rewards would be worthwhile."
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