The Day the Daevan Stood Still [IC]

[lostsole31]

He shakes his head, "I must admit, I am not really up on ballads and bardic silliness."

[meemaas]

Daevan clears his throat and calmly sings the Ballad for Philby. Once he finishes, he starts talking, not giving the other a chance to speak. "Al'kra is THE Tall Man. The one spoken of in the Ballad. A truly terrifying creature, and his spirit is forever bound to me." As he speaks, he pulls his sleeves and reveals the tattoos, while also allowing Al'kra's sign to show for the man.

[lostsole31]

"Dark Beyond," he more mouthes than really says too loudly and the quality of his voice losing some of the creakiness he had before. "One might think Starless, but the malice behind it suggests you have created a permanent pact with a spirit aligned with the constellation of the Dark Beyond. I have never seen this seal, the sign, nor anyone - or forgive me, anything - foolish enough to create a permanent pact with something that seems to diminish your autonomy. You don't strike me as dealing with or acting as a ravager's agent, nor do you seem to be suffering a pact malady. What tomfoolery let you attach yourself to what is no doubt a malignant influence?"

There is a set to his face and a sterness to his eyes that suggest a more controlled character than he had been previously.

That, and some of what he just said doesn't make any sense to you. The other part of what makes sense to you shouldn't or wouldn't normally make sense to anyone else, as his vocabulary clearly indicates he has at least a passing knowledge of binding terms.

[meemaas]

"You are impressive to know of my magic. I didn't make this Pact by choice. When I returned from my Death, Al'kra had already formed a connection with my mind. It is possible, although he doesn't admit it, that it was his influence that allowed me to avoid the death I had suffered. When I came to, I found that my knowledge of pacts was fully distorted, and he walked me through it, swearing to me that in exchange for forming his pact first, he would protect me through the night." Daevan suppresses Al'kra's sign once more, and pulls his sleeves back over the binding tattoos. "He tricked me in order to force the permanent pact. Despite that, he has kept his word, and been my ally ever since. In addition to access to his power, he helps me learn how to gain access to new spirits at an impressive rate. Of course, I can't learn in a vacuum, but he helps me find the material and directs me to the pertinent knowledge."

[lostsole31]

"And what is it you ask of Randall Philby, then, given he cannot help you access the Cypher Lodge? and, what do you offer in return?"

[meemaas]

"I want to offer the knowledge of the spirits I know, and the ones I discover going forward. All of it. Everything in relation, all in one place. In exchange for that however, I need proper access to a library. I've thus far had access to the Cypher Lodge, but not at my convenience. You see my form, I may have once been a normal Half-Elf, but not anymore. As a result, the only way I have access to the Cypher Lodge is as a bodyguard to a friend, and can only come to study when he has time to do so himself."

[lostsole31]

"You're in a library."

Though the kitchen does have plenty of kitchentastic stuff going on, every place Daevan has thus far seen leaves no bare wall wanting for a shelf with books. Books everywhere.

"And, in fact, it is a library better suited to your purposes than the Cypher Lodge could provide."

[meemaas]

"And you see my point. What do you think of my offer in exchange for that privilege?"

[lostsole31]

He nods curtly. "Agreed. You'll forgive me if I don't shake hands .... your claws and all."

[meemaas]

"Of course I understand. It's only natural when you're dealing with a creature...like me."

[lostsole31]

"Come back this time tomorrow," he says. "Do me a favor, and yourself. Draw up two long-term goals, and three short-term goals. The long-term should take no longer than a year, the short-term anything from days to a few months. Don't be vague. Goals should be quantifiable and trackable."

[meemaas]

"I'm not sure what you mean in terms of goals. I mean, besides returning to a...more normal body, I don't exactly have any goals, just looking to study to expand my abilities like any Wizard would do studying his magic. Can you give me an example of what you're looking for?"

[lostsole31]

"Ahhhh," he remarks with a slow lift of the head and return to normal profile. "So, you that's a point right there ... to research some means of returning to the 'man you once knew.' Physically, you may have incredible advantages, but legally you are in peril. Well, that's a slow burn. Let's start with identifying what you are first, then we can go from there. And that goes hand-in-hand with me studying you, anyway.

"As far as studies relating to pact magic, I'll need several interviews where we sit down at length and discuss what you know; what you think you know; what you don't know; what you don't realize you do know. That will give us a baseline from which to work. To start tomorrow?"

[meemaas]

Daevan stands up and smiles a little. "There is one more thing I should tell you. I am apparently, some form of Wererat. It was something in my blood on the date of my death, and remained when I came back from the dead."

[lostsole31]

"We just had the full moon," he says without a question but letting the comment hang. "How did you spend your time? How long have you been ... awake, I guess is the term. Decanted, maybe?"

[meemaas]

I don't know. I'm only aware that I am one. And that is only because of Al'Kra. I woke up the mornings after the full moon with no recollection of my actions, but the knowledge that I had obviously done....SOMETHING." Daevan sighs a little speaking of this, a little annoyed at recalling that powerlessness that he currently has.

[lostsole31]

"Whomever you were originally, you were probably killed by a wererat - or bitten by one not long before your death - and death cannot escape the curse. There are stories of powerful folk with bottomless purses who were able to be revived, but the curse was with them. I have no idea what a druidic reincarnation would do, though.

"As to my second question ... assuming you were an experiment in life-force energies and promethean studies, how long have you been decanted. By that I mean, how long have you been aware and mobile?"

[meemaas]

"Less than a Month. I haven't been keeping too close track of how long it has been since Dirk rescued me. And yes, you are right. My killer was a wererat. As I said, Al'kra carried the memory for me, and even showed it to me."

[lostsole31]

"Be here tomorrow at noon tomorrow, and we will begin."

A noon call means that you only have a little time for breakfast and morning routine. Do you agree?

[meemaas]

Daevan agrees with no complaints.

[lostsole31]

Work as normal, nothing special happens tonight as you see the end of the month working at the Gold Goblin ...

---

The following day, what spirit will you bind before heading to Philby's place?

Spoiler: Binding Checks

Show

Feel free to make binding checks for the next three days, inclusive.

[meemaas]

Daevan will bind Lady Jarah for the next several days, so he can use her ability to fit in a bit better and not draw quite as much attention.

Binding Check (1d20+12)[14] (+5 bonus applied for extending the pact to five days.

[lostsole31]

Toilday, 1 Gozran 4708 AR

So ... not drawing so much attention? Yeah, that's not going to happen. See, that was a bad pact. It's going to be a loooong five days of you fishing for compliments you attention whore.

Just to let you know, I will be charging you 4 cp total/ day for your using the Velashu Ferry. If I forget, I forget.

Today is your first day at Master Philby's. He will be going over various means of prognostication, but he will find he is hitting a brick wall. It is so "woo" and he refuses to give things to you in a strictly logical format, feeling that over-thinking will cut you off from feeling. You seem to act on instinct, but not on intuition. He explains the difference between the two things, and developing that is something he wants you to understand. Still, you will get an academic primer on basic -omancy means of non-spellcasting divinations. The latter part of the day with him will be spent with him doing all manner of medical tests. He will have an assistant with him, a human female he names "Ms. Chambers." She is the medical science to back up all of the other knowledge he knows himself. You are not given results, and some things will have to be determined. You were notoriously difficult to get any type of blood-draw from ... you bent the needle. Instead, he took a blood draw directly from your neck himself.

---

Wealday, 2 Gozran 4708 AR

Because of business he has this day, you won't see Master Philby until a little later, so you are able to get in on (and then lead) a calisthenics/ exercise binge for the group before you head. Today, Master Philby mentions that a parallel occult science to spirit binding is that of the "spiritualist," and in many ways the Tall Man seems to be a possible subconscious manifestation of a spiritualist's abilities. This is all theoretical, mind you, but it is fascinating and you learn about the spiritualist. Still, there is something of a disconnect with the concept of having an external entity that does not feed you the power itself (which a spiritualist's phantom can do), though there are advantages as well.

---

Oathday, 3 Gozran 4708 AR

Master Philby had done some reading and research into the spiritualist, and he found something that he thinks you would have a great talent with. An occult theorist - actually, a political philosopher - from centuries ago was a talented binder like yourself, but also walked the path of taken shards of many spiritual energies into himself ... like a spiritualist with the shared consciousness of an unmanifested phantom ... and these in turn were cowed, coerced, or otherwise manipulated into granting him legendary status in the psionic and occult worlds. His name was Goete (GOH-teh), and his theories were known as the "Goetic disciplines."

Daevan, reading these theories ... you are hooked.

After you get home, but before you are on duty for the evening, a minor temblor strikes the city, causing only a little damage but shaking everything pretty well for a few seconds.

[meemaas]

Daevan is intrigued, but apart from asking around with the other intelligent people around him, he won't investigate the quake too much.

[lostsole31]

As can be expected, the temblor is the talk of the town, but you don't get much more than that since you don't really look into it.

---

Fireday, 4 Gozran 4708 AR

Today's lesson regards more broad baseline knowledge concerning the goetic. In the late afternoon Master Philby goes over the ancient art of divination known as phrenology and how it relates to arcane and occult lore. He has a set of skulls there for you to work with. He does not allow you to try read his own skull. Though you don't quite have it, still here is an occult skill you actually have some real talent for (or so Master Philby claims).

---

Starday, 5 Gozran 4708 AR

Final day of your poor pact with Lady Jarah. Master Philby gives you reading discussing psychic and psionic powers such as telepathy, and the latter part of reading regards a psionic Gestalt/Protomind known by many ancient names but simply termed as "Telepathy" in the Goetic texts, and you see the ritual for binding this gestalt-mind. The last part of the day's studies is similar, but deals with the power of drawing materials and such from other places - usually via the ethereal plane and often with ectoplasm as a base building block - for a protomind called "Metacreativity."

When you leave for the day, Master Philby informs you that he will not be available tomorrow for instruction, but you are NOT to be bound to any spirit when you come see him the day after. (Tomorrow is Sunday, he refers to Moonday, the start of the next week.)

---

Sunday, 6 Gozran 4708 AR

Devil-Dave, you are only supposed to bind a vestige for today, and not have one bound tomorrow. Today will be payday and the like. What do you intend to do? Make any necessary rolls/ choices, please.

[meemaas]

Daevan will bind Cave Mother today. The bad pact with Lady Jarah may have soured him on using her for a little while.

Binding check (1d20+7)[15]

In case Philby wasn't aware for any reason, Daevan will have reminded him that he is always bound to Al'Kra, and there is nothing he can do about that.

[lostsole31]

It is a poor pact with Cave Mother today ... and, yes, that was a DM oversight. Master Philby wants you to come back to him on Moonday with your "discretionary soulspace" open.

Staff meeting. This week, everyone was truly inspired and succeeded at nearly everything they did. Sajan still tells inappropriate (or more to the point, uninteresting) stories that turns some patrons off, but Samaritha's good presence - in addition to her tasks as a fellow greeter and spotter - make up for that. Saul mentions that profits are up, but because it is unfair for Seltyiel to shoulder the expense of the effective alchemical delights he makes (usually basic pyrotechnics and controlled displays for certain events), that expense will now be borne by all partners, with a majority still coming from general profits. Still, that's a pay raise from 10 gp to 13.5 gp, greater than original profit salary.

Otherwise, the day goes by uneventfully.

---

Moonday, 8 Gozran 4708 AR

Today, Master Philby is going to tutor you in binding a spirit that might be useful when you find your self in desperate straits ... one known as Ubro, the Blind Hospitaler.

After a full day of tutelage, roll a Binding check.

[meemaas]

Spoiler

Show

I bet I'm going to fail, like all my attack rolls today.

Binding check. (1d20+7)[20]

[lostsole31]

As your hands and the lines of Ubro's seal weep blood and you hear Ubro's voice from within the smoky incense ask you if you need healing, you are overwhelmed emotionally (though how you play that specifically is up to you) as you realize the first very real, definitive sense that you have re-connected with the last of four spirits you knew before, and that you are, on some level, recovered ... at least inasmuch as activating portions of your soul as before. You recover your willpower quickly enough to finish the binding with Ubro, and it is a good binding.

As you take off the blindfold, Master Philby says to you, "I had sensed this was the last spirit of the puzzle for you to recover a portion of your soul, even if it is not a true recapture of your memory. There was something within you that sought not just to destroy or deceive, but to provide succor. Congratulations, my student."

He'll let you know that a mantra adder that you gave allows you to draw upon the constellation of the Angel to stabilize by touch (without limit) and to cast CLW several times a day. Since binding is a 24-hour thing - not a "fixed time" thing like many casters - when you come back tomorrow he will show you a variant on Angel powers, and he'll only have you bind day-by-day else the timeline can get tedious. After you have learned and gained all iterations of the Angel, he will then branch your teaching out from there. For now, he wants you to celebrate on the way home by finding someone in need of healing and providing that. True, Ubro only increased your general awareness, so perhaps you shouldn't try to fake being a physician, but if you see someone get hurt or sporting a wound - and they aren't terrified of you - without charge (since this is new for you, anyway) try to heal that wound just to get the feeling.

When you leave his place, you smartly take the ferry back to the eastern shore since that is a poorer section of town. It actually takes you two hours to hunt down someone who was hurt and in need of healing and to be able to convince them that you can help. Your miracle is met with an expected mixture of fear and gratitude.

Unfortunately, you don't get "onto the floor" on time; you are an hour late. Larur Feldrin, the gruff floor manager, nevertheless has always been kind to you and will cover for you. He asks you to beware of time, but he doesn't lecture or make anything more of it. He's one of the few people that respects you without any hint of fear or disgust. He treats you like an employee, not a friend; nor does he treat you like the other adventurers. But, he is fair and firm to all, and there is something fatherly about him that is nice. Otherwise, the night is uneventful.

---

Toilday, 8 Gozran 4708 AR

Today, Master Philby has an old crone - her name is kept secret - who discusses the ins and outs of "psychic magic" - how it is formed, how to meditate for it, how to bring it into being by mastering your thoughts and emotions, etc. She is to simply be called "Babushka."

In the latter part of the afternoon, Master Philby appeals to the part of you that is bound to Ubro to recognize the advantage of when you don't always have to shred someone with your claws. He goes about trying to teach you how to use a sap. Note, this is not "Combat Training/ Sparring" with the old man.

With the last 20 minutes at Master Philby's place, he gives you a variance on the binding ceremony with Ubro to attempt to appeal to the Angel for different ability. Any physician knows that prevention is worth an ounce of cure, and this time it is to appeal to give you (and others you might be allied with) the ability to fight more capably, thus hopefully mitigating the need for heavy healing powers in the first place.

Roll your Binding check ...

[meemaas]

Binding check: Go!!! (1d20+7)[19]