posted
My name is Aden. I don't see why I need to be here. This all seems rather unnecessary. I suppose you need to know some things about me. I'm a pyromancer, I can control the subtle nuances and raw power of fire. [snaps his fingers, causing a small flame to appear on his fingertips, and lights a thin black cigar that he pulled from a vest pocket] I've spent the last twenty years of my life living in a small mountain village named Gjerta. I left recently after the death of my wife. Go ahead and ask your questions so I can get the hell out of here.
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Tell me of the pyromancy of your world. As a student of magic, I am eager to know the intricacies of the practice, as well as its strengths and limitations.
Or is it magic at all? I have heard of many things that can be done with a mixture of saltpeter, charcoal, and sulfur. A little ingenuity and dabbling can make a charlatan appear as gifted as the strongest conjurer.
posted
How DARE you sir! I am no charlatan. What do you take me for? This magic is a gift given to the pyromancers by the great god of fire Aphragar. If you would like to ask someone about parlor tricks, I'd talk to a Firefighter, those fools are the ones with your "saltpepper" and your "sulfur."
Much of what you ask is a closely guarded secret. Though I suppose, given the circumstances, I could divulge some of the broader details. It is not a simple waving of the hands that creates these fires. They come from within, but they do still require some form of physical manifestation to be conjured. The most common and easiest to use is a simple snap of the fingers. The slight friction allows the fires within to be released.
I can control any fire that is already in existence, whether I conjured it or not, but I can't create any fire more than, at most, a foot away from my body.
I have however been trying for a spontaneous combustion.
posted
Not spontaneous combustion of your own body, I hope. Grand as the display would be, of course.
But I apologize if I gave offense. True magic is a rare thing on this world, and it is an honor to meet a true practitioner.
If you will excuse the impertinence, to what use do you put your great gifts? Surely magic bestowed by the gods themselves demands a mission greater than simple parlour tricks for a crowd of toilers to cheer at.
posted
When I say spontaneous combustion, I mean of course creating fire without the need of snapping my fingers.
You hit upon a question that my order has been fighting with for centuries. But then, why are any of us here. For me personally, my purpose in life has, for the last twenty years, been my wife Mina. Now however I intend to devote my life to hunting down the one responsible for her murder.
Oh your wife, how lovely, and then she went and got murdered, did she? That must burn you up. How dare she risk her own life that way? Didn't she know how much she meant to you? You must hold some resentment against her. I know I would.
If not her, then who do you blame for her death? Have you any proof? Is there not enforcement on your world? Why are you not leaving it up to the authorities? They hold power for a reason, you know.
What motivates you beyond revenge? Is there power, public affection, perhaps leadership opportunities tied to gaining redemetion?
How did you train in this magic? Who taught you, or are you self learned? *rolling my eyes in disdain.
I will not leave my name with you, for you have not earned my respect.
posted
Do not presume to know me sir. And do not think for an instance that I need or desire your respect. You are nothing to me.
Why would you think that she was to blame for her murder, did I say anything that would suggest that?
Truth be told though, I only know who killed her, not why she was killed.
His name is Esik, and for twenty years I have thought him my friend, one of the few in this village. He arrived in Gjerta a few months before I found my way there. I honestly don't know if he was the one who killed Mina, but the next time I saw him after her death, he tried to kill me, so I must assume that he knows something.
Beyond revenge, my life is motivated towards learning all I can of the ancient secrets of pyromancy. I care nothing for power, or money, or renown. Certainly "leadership opportunities"
I received my early education in the pyromatic arts in our sanctuary in the southern deserts of Terrinore. It's exact location I cannot reveal to you for obvious reasons.
posted
We have tobacco, if that is what you're questioning. It is rare enough in the northern areas where I live, but traders bring enough to keep me well supplied.
We are not heathens in this world, we have discovered the secrets of smelting steel and employing it in weapons and tools.
For that matter, you should learn more of the history of your own world before you ask such a question.
posted
Well, sorry. I was under the impression that tobacco was smoked in pipes for a long time before cigars were introduced to my world. No need to let your temper flare.
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posted
He can perhaps be excused for rudeness, considering how the memories of his wife were so rudely put to the question.
Anyone who has loved and lost, and been betrayed by one he trusted as a brother, will be willing to travel to the ends of the earth to find vengeance.
Where does your hunt take you? The world is a vast place (isn't it?), and there are many places for a fleeing man to hide. Does your magic aid your hunt, or must you rely on more mundane means?
If I may make an observation on your character as I see it.
You are a man who craves respect. Demands it, in fact, because you have lost some of the respect you had for yourself. Before your wife died, you were proud of your abilities, thought yourself mighty. Your anger, and your lust for revenge is a focus to aim those heated thoughts in another direction. Because, of course, you are not angry with your wife, or perhaps even with her murderer who, as you say, you are not certain even who that is. You are angry at yourself. You thought yourself mighty, yet you let that which is most precious to you be taken. What kind of man were you?
I tell you. You were a mortal man.
And so now you seek revenge. And now you seek restitution. And now you seek power.
You truely seek to repair your own vision of your self.
The inner turmoil you suffer is beautiful. It is beautiful, because it is truthful.
I appologize for pressing buttons, and insulting your wife's memory to find the beauty. You'll find that is what I do.
You'll also find I respect you now, though you do not seek my respect.
posted
Time has passed in this universe. All of the main characters have met each other and the first book is finished and my planned second book is about to start
I suppose that it's been some time since I've been here. A lot has happened since I spoke with you last. I suppose you'd like to ask about it. Go ahead, I have some free time.
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