The Scroll

[Anonymous]

Nywin stumbled to the floor in utter agony as the mage pushed him into the windowless, completely empty room.  He lay there for several moments, trying to regain his mind's awareness of the present, to think with even the slightest semblance of clarity.  And the first thought that came to him was that anyone who could have seen him at that moment would not have known by looking at him that he had undergone any sort of torture; there was no flesh burned by hot iron, not one stroke of the lash to leave him bleeding, and every finger and nail was in place.  But the torment the mage and his companions had inflicted was still just as present, and Nywin wondered how much longer he could hold on to the call of conscience.

"You will scribe the runes," the mage hissed when he saw that Nywin's alertness was returning.  "This defiance will not last, slave.  There are none of your good elvish brethren to come to your aid here."  He bent down and tipped Nywin's chin up slightly with the end of his staff.  Slowly, in his dark voice, he said, "You can end this...why let tomorrow be spent in yet another day of suffering?"

"If my hand is the...only one...which can give you the words...of the spell that you...seek...," Nywin rasped, "then your scroll will remain...empty..."

"Enough!" the mage shouted, raising his hand in an infuriated gesture and watching as the scribe cried out and writhed in reaction to his incantation.  "I will break you one way or the other, mark my words," he said before closing the door behind him as he left, shutting out all light to the room of cold stone.

In the darkness of his "cell," Nywin finally allowed the tears from his untold hours of misery to free themselves in a surge of anguish and despair.  How far removed was he in this present moment from the life he once knew in Adela!  His master had been a good man and fair to his servants.  But despite his good nature the man had a penchant for gambling, and one evening when he had lost everything else he had brought with him, he put up Nywin for security--and lost him, to a merchant who later sold Nywin to one of the mages in this cursed place.  Nywin mentally cursed the day his master thought it would be a good idea for his scribe to learn to pen the words of magic as well as chronicle, and he cursed himself for expressing interest in the suggestion.

What little sleep Nywin got on the cold stone floor only made tomorrow come even faster.

{ooc:  anybody's welcome to pick up any character in this thread that is not in my character list}

[Anonymous]

As soon as the mage closes the door to Nywin's cell and turns about, he instantly stops in puzzlement to see someone in the corridor, not too far away from him. Given how dark it is within the corridor, it's hard to make out who or what the stranger is until they decided to walk out into the light of the torches. Female and deffinately not human. Her body is covered in brown feathers and she has wings folded and tucked behind her back. Intead of feet, the woman has talons of a bird of prey. Her face is awefully pretty, only she has a beak instead of a normal face as is. In short, she is a hawk anthro of sorts.
"Who the hell are you?! How the hell did you get in here?!" The mage yells out at the femme. She simply smiles in return before commenting on something she observed.
"Any good mage doesn't need scrolls to cast their magic. If a mage does need scrolls because of how weak they are, then they would at least be wise enough to write their own scrolls. This goes to show that your servant holds more power than yourself. Do you even have what it takes to even call yourself a mage?" The woman explains in a sort of slow and seductive way. The mage is infuriated upon hear this. But he does not attack yet. He feels that her words are not enough to waste his energy on.
"You filthy wretch! You got a lot of nerve coming into my home and insulting me. Guards!" The mage begins to hollar at the woman, but upon calling for his guards, nothing happens. Nothing, save for she smile on the bird woman's face growing a bit more.
"Fool! You call for a couple corpses that can't hear you. Your fate is as near as theirs." She notes a bit on that matter causing the mage's face to become a bit distraught and bewildered. This is deffinately something to worry about.
"W-who are you?" He asks one last time before the woman's smile grows as wide as possible and her eyes go completely white. As they turn white, electrical currents can be seen moving about them.
"I am Iris Rozelyn and that is the last name you will ever hear in your life." With that, the bird of a woman thows her hand forward, sending a quick and unavoidable bolt of lighting at the mage. The poor mage barely has enough time to widen his eyes before the bolt pelts him in the chest, sending him flying back through the door he closed just before the encounter. It would take a lot for someone to even survive that. The mage is as good as dead.

[Anonymous]

The lightning coursed through the mage's body after he'd been blown against the door, but it was harmlessly channelled into the floor.  The mage calmly brushed off his robes, seemingly none the worse for wear, and coughed lightly.  He cast a look back at his prisoner, then surveyed the damage his body had done to the metal prison door and surrounding rock walls.  He hadn't been launched too deeply into the room, but he was standing on the door, and the doorframe was mangled where the hinges had been set into the stone.  It was lucky he hadn't gone too far, or his reluctant slave would have been crushed.  It was dark in the cell, so he couldn't be sure if Iris could see him standing again.  Regardless, she had tried his patience, and the only reason he could come up with was that she wanted his prize.

He took a split second to add some more power to his protective shield.  It was always on, and it was for reasons like this that he could afford to be a little bit paranoid.  It was safe to assume that anyone with a lightning bolt that powerful must have spent most of their magical training on lightning magic.  He went with his hunch and focused some extra power into his barrier to specifically repel electricity.  Stifling anger, he stepped out of the dark room back into the hall.  "The problem with guards is that they never prevent attacks from anything worth dealing with.  However, I find it quite rude that you didn't give me a chance to introduce myself back to you.  I'm not so hasty as you, so please bear with me before I deal with you.  This establishment you've so readily invaded belongs to me.  I am Rumaris Pentigen, and it will be a name you'd never wish you'd heard."

[Anonymous]

With the foolishness that often accompanies desperate hope, Nywin dragged himself to his hands and knees and feebly began to crawl toward the now-doorless entrance, perhaps hoping that somehow Rumaris and the stranger would be too occupied with each other to notice him.  What was he thinking; he could hardly crawl at this point, much less walk, or run!  And did he really think he had the strength to sift through the horrors of earlier that day to find a space for clear thought free enough to concentrate on any sort of worthwhile spell that he could use?

He reached the front of the room, but just before he would have put his head through the entrance, he was seized by a fit of coughing that caused his pain-ridden body to convulse anew as he aggravated the still-fresh injuries.  He didn't even bother to look up to see if Rumaris had noticed his futile attempt at escape; he just lay there on the door, unable to rise.

[Anonymous]

Iris' smile was too much at its peak to be widened more, no matter how bad she wanted to. This turn of events is most amusing. Her original plan was to kill bordom by killing off random people. Something to pass the time. This deffiantely makes things more intresting.
"You leave me not disappointed, Mr. Pentigen. I was afraid this little encounter had already ended. Any challenge is welcome for me to iron out." Iris explains, slowly struting towards the mage.
"Looks like I'll get to test out how much more I can send at you before your corpse finally hits the cold, hard floor." With that, the bird woman throws her arms forward, sending a devastating electrical chain at the mage.

[Anonymous]

Nywin looked up weakly, hardly able to lift his head.  He wondered vaguely if his master was prepared for a second assault from the electrical magic, or  maybe the bird-woman would at some point miss the mage completely and accidentally put Nywin out of his misery.  But no, he probably wouldn't be that lucky.  The mage's defensive magic was just as strong if not stronger than his offense, and the bird-woman seemed quite accurate and deadly enough herself.  If only he had enough strength to drag himself into a crossfire...but he could barely move as it was.  He let his cheek drop back against the fallen door, waiting for whatever would happen next, since there was nothing he could do to interfere.

[Anonymous]

The ever-present scowl deepened at the cocky statement and useless attempt at retaliation.  The chain of electricity simply leapt to his body and into the ground as if he had turned himself into a giant lightning rod.  "Foolish woman, you are going to have to do better than that.  This is my house, and no one can overpower me here, of all places."  He lifted his arms and sparks danced over the head of his staff, a deep red glow flashing momentarily from the black agate orb.  The torches in the underground hallway dimmed momentarily as the temperature dropped suddenly before shooting up again.  A black mist issued forth before Rumaris and proceeded to cloak the bird woman in burning, choking death.

As for Nywin, the poor twit hadn't a hope of escaping in his current condition.  Rumaris would punish the whelp regardless.  Few things brought a smile to his face like the torture he had visited upon the hapless elf.  Still, repetition got boring after a while, even if it did happen to be a very long while, and he grew tired of the childish games.  He wanted the runes, and he would have them.  Unfortunately, he had to keep Nywin alive to do so.  Killing him and reanimating the corpse would have been so much easier, but no; the little bastard had to write them himself, and while still living.  Sometimes the hard way was exactly that.

[Anonymous]

Nywin opened his eyes weakly as a searing, agonizing alertness began to return to him.  His face still against the dislodged door, what he first saw was one of the mangled hinges...the sharp, twisted, uneven metal...and a thought came to him amidst the anguish of every nerve in his body.  With his greatest effort, he brought the underside of his left arm firmly against the hinge and pulled, hardly noticing the pain of the long gash with what he already felt.  This he did as his master's counter-attack had just begun to surround the intruder.  "If it is my blood that you want, you shall have it," he rasped mockingly, knowing full well that it would do the mage no good without the runes he could write.  His eyes rolled back a bit as he began to lose consciousness from the inevitably fatal loss of blood.  Death was far more preferable than the torment of this place.

[Anonymous]

Saria floated along one of the many stone corridors in the mages castle. The wet walls dripped furiously as she past, leaking all the moister possible. It however avoided her. Sliding around her form as if it didn't exist. Quite suddenly, she came upon a large open room. Thunder echoed outside as the storm started in full throttle.
          She gazed at the room’s three occupants. After a few minuets of debating Saria drifted over to the bleeding elf.
"Hello?" She asked sadly looking at the scarlet blood dripping from his arm. "Don't die," She commented in a child-like manner. Looking up at the slate grey ceiling a drop of water dripped through. She followed its journey down, down. Finally it splashed next to the elf’s arm and mingled with the blood instantly the water disappeared.

[Anonymous]

Hmm... Lightning has never bounced off someone like that before. How could that be possible? The thought crossed Iris' mind until the mage spoke up. In his home, huh? Time to even the odds then. Just as cloud was sent to engulf the bird woman, Iris flapped her wings once to propel herself back a bit.
"If that's the case, then it's time to even out this quarrel. Come and get me, sweety." Iris notes as she bolts out the door at the end of the corridor. Soon enough, she will be waiting outside for the mage.

[Anonymous]

Fine, the bird woman had chosen to run.  It seemed she intended to have him chase her, but he was fine with her leaving as long as she wasn't bothering him.  Of course, he could only ignore her for so long before he felt she would probably return.

It was the entrance of the spirit he noticed first.  Given the first chance once the death cloud had been cast, he turned to see the state of his slave.  Rumaris's face turned dark with rage, "You little bastard!  Did you really think that would save you from me?"  The mage's wrath seemed to coalesce into a white hot ball of energy at the tip of his staff.  The heavy tool came crashing down upon Nywin's slack back.  The sudden burst of pure holy energy was probably enough to blast the roaming spirit clear into the next cell, and the effects of it were clear as the thick puddle of blood seeped quickly back into the vessel that had once held it.  The wicked gash closed up not so neatly and was joined by a wicked bruise from the mage's weapon.  Just as quickly as the spell flashed, Rumaris reverted to his usual calm and cruel demeanor, "Your life is forfeit only at my whim, worm of an elf.  The runes you so flippantly refer to will be mine, if I have to break you to within a mite of your original psyche."  He kicked Nywin savagely to herd him deeper into the cell and against the wall so that he could bind him until a new holding chamber could be prepared, now that the door was less than functional.

He turned away from the battered form and grumbled to himself, "Now, before I go off to deal with my unwanted guest, I'll see just what else has chosen to visit me."  The man certainly referred to the spirit, and strode deliberately for where the thing had gone, speaking as he did, "Why are you in my dungeons, ghost?  Your immaterialism can't protect you from me, so I suggest you answer me."

[Anonymous]

Nywin had regained just enough consciousness to feel every agonizing touch from his master, but this time he had not much more voice to cry out--and the pain was becoming nigh unbearable, beyond the point of crying out.  When Rumaris called out his challenge to the newcomer, Nywin half-chuckled despite the pain it caused him to make even the slightest semblance of a laugh.  "The master thinks there's a ghost in his room," he said in a strange tone, as if he thought it were amusing, but his voice did not seem his own, rather more of a person who was in his own little world.  "Maybe it's a friendly ghost and will stay for tea," he added with a childish giggle that rasped through his strained vocal cords.  "I've never had tea with a ghost before," he thought aloud.  "What sort of tea does a ghost drink?"  He struggled weakly, almost playfully, with his bonds.  "I'm stuck," he said with a pout, grimacing every so often as a wave of pain overcame the euphoria.  "We can't have tea if I'm stuck.  Who will get the sugar if I'm all tied up?  Poor little ghost."

[Anonymous]

Saria looked up from the elf as the bird-lady disappeared and gazed at the mage. She looked up at him, gazing first at his feet, robes and finally resting her gaze at his head. She frowned, distorting her pale face ash Saria saw the mage smash his staff onto the Elf's back. She was just about to say something when an she felt something, she had felt something!
"You!" She exclaimed at the mage as she spirited into the room she came from, "Can affect me?!" Saria could hardly believe it.
       
Suddenly she looked down at the Elf, seeing the ugly bruises that covered his body she sighed. "But you would never help me, your evil nature would never allow it." Kneeling next to the half-insane elf she moved to rest her hand on him, but it went straight through sending a cooling feeling to the Elf but nothing more. “Hush,� she wisped, “I am not a ghost.�

[Anonymous]

Rumaris frowned, but nothing more.  The butt of his staff cracked down onto the stone floor as he leaned on it.  He hadn't dealt with spirits in a while, and had momentarily forgotten about their often difficult to follow speech patterns.  This one was definitely surprised that he had made her feel something.  Still, spirits never wandered by choice, and something must have brought her to his normally warded mansion.  That Iris woman must have broken a couple of the protections with her intrusion.  "Who are you to judge me evil?  This elf has offended me, and I punish him justly," the mage half lied.

It would have been a simple thing to banish the spirit, but something about the line about needing help struck his curiosity.  His runes could wait a few more moments.  It wasn't like he had much of a choice before he dealt with the lightning mage.  If the spirit turned out to be gullible, Rumaris might be able to benefit in some way.  "What help could a denizen of the other world be seeking in my dungeons?"

[Anonymous]

"Who am I to judge you evil?" Quoted Saria, standing up in front of him. "I am the eternal element the one who grants life then pulls it away. Mother of life," she sighed looking down then up with resolve written over her normally passive face,  "I can see evil. The way you enjoy the pain of others, do you enjoy mine?" Her shoulders sagged as Saria's resolve melted away. "Your silver tong works quickly, the only help I a 'denizen of the other world' could get in your castle's dungeons is the power to touch."

She stepped back from him, onto where the Elf's blood was lying in a pool. Hovering over the scarlet gel Saria's edges began to blur, and her petite form shook with effort. Suddenly she became whole again as a cool mist seeped into the cave. "I won't fight you for me, but for the innocent I would do anything to stop their suffering.�

[Anonymous]

Rumaris scowled at the mention that the spirit would try to oppose him as the second someone to do so in his own home.  He snorted indignantly, "I hardly benefit from suffering.  His is a special circumstance, one that I don't wish to share, with him or you."  A bushy eyebrow raised and the mage's eyes narrowed.  The edge of his mouth twitched in a most likely unobserved smile that was gone before an eye could blink.  A thought crept into his mind, "I could help you."  Rumaris adjusted the grip on his staff, "How much do you really want to be able to feel?"  The idea was a long shot, so the mage's staff was held in preparation for defense of some unknown attack the spirit might initiate against him.

[Anonymous]

The mist grew thicker until the mage finished speaking. Suddenly the mist froze almost surrounding the spirit and mage, almost completely hiding the Elf, Saria stuttered. Unsure of what to say.
"How much do I long to feel?" She suddenly realised how much she would do to be mortal. Time stood still around the two as she let go of the mist. Her pale face twisted into a deep frown Saria looked to the Elf who could be seen more, then to her other side. With the mist almost gone, she took in a breath. “I would do anything to feel and be mortal," her words echoed slightly almost mocking her.

She looked up at the mage. Resolve hardening across her face. " I will do anything!" She screamed, she felt torrents of emotion washing over her. "To feel the breeze on my face, to hiss at a cut. I would serve you for all eternity!" Saria's thin shoulders shook with emotion, "Too long have I wondered, since the beginning of time. A spirit, unable to comfort the people who needed me, they all died! All of them," She spoke bitterly. Somewhere in the very back of her mind a tiny voice whispered out; Saria! Don't loose your self in evil. Sometimes the eternal must carry on. Never able to help anyone! We are the watcher! Sariaaaa... And like an ember, the voice flickered out.

[Anonymous]

The mage's face broke into a crooked smirk, "Perfect.  I can deal with that at a later time.  Currently, I have another guest that needs attending to.  You can stay here and watch to make sure my slave doesn't get any more ideas of personal harm.  I'm sure he's not beyond the ability to converse."  Rumaris turned and left the cell.

A quick pace brought him out of the dungeon into his now disshevelled mansion.  The bird woman hadn't been neat about her breaking and entering.  His smile long gone, Rumaris ground his teeth.  His electric shield was still up as he strode to the nearest door outside.

[Anonymous]

Saria looked at him for a long moment, then nodded curtly. "Yes."
She looked over at the wounded Elf and her heart gave a twinge but it was quickly oppressed. She needed this. Suddenly she realised she didn't really know this place at all, so she looked around the sealing. It was made of grey slate and was cracked with age. Saria sighed and considered going out for a moment, just to see what the bird-lady was doing. But she quickly decided against it.

She floated around the room, lost in her own thoughts when the finality of her situation surrounded her. She had pledged her service to this mage of who of she hardly knew of. For all she new he could be the very definition of evil! But wasn't evil just a point of view? For all she knew the Elf could have done something terrible to the mage and was now trying to win her sympathy. Well, she was not going to fall for that!

[Anonymous]

Shield at full power, Rumaris stepped outside, a wary eye scanning his grounds for the bird woman.  Taking the initiative, he strolled about casually, expecting some kind of half-assed ambush, but nothing came.  All was quiet, and Rumaris was slowly losing patience.  Clutching his staff in a white-knuckled death grip, he raised his voice and shouted so that it reverberated against the stone walls of his estate, "Well, Miss Intruder?  I have followed you outside.  Your only chance is now if you wish to face me."  Of course, anywhere on his property gave him a boost in power, not just indoors, but if the bird woman wanted to assume otherwise, he certainly didn't feel like correcting her.  After a while longer, he decided that she must have thought better of confronting him once she had reached the outdoors.  She was most likely long gone by now.

Rumaris turned back to his house and went back inside.  He was on his way back underground when he heard a noise behind one of the doors.  Striding up to the partially open door, he pulled it open to reveal a dark room.  He stepped inside cautiously and lit up the room with a bright flash of his staff.  Cowering in one of the corners was one of his security staff.  Apparently, Iris hadn't killed all of his on-duty guards.  Frowning deeply, he went over and grabbed the man by the shirt and hauled him to his feet.  "You're coming with me."

"Ye-yes, Master Rumaris."

The fact that the person who'd found him hadn't been the intruder didn't serve to make the guard any less frightened.  If anything, it made him more so, especially when the mage led him into the dungeon.  The room he was pushed into had no door, or more particularly, the door had been forcibly removed.  Inside was the door, an elf, and a spirit.  Rumaris pushed him into a wall, and he collapsed into a sitting position.  The mage looked toward Saria, "I take it you haven't had any trouble?"