[Zuudaria] The Attunement Trap

20th of Ymiden 719

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Sephira
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Joined: Fri Dec 22, 2017 6:40 pm
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Profession: Element
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[Zuudaria] The Attunement Trap

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20th of Ymiden, Arc 719


“So this is it?” The Special Assistant asked tensely as she rounded on the pile of equipment neatly stacked in the heart of the mausoleum. There were a few crates carefully piled up with all sorts of gear packed tidily within them. This equipment was nothing like she had ever seen before, which made sense considering that it was wildly experimental and intended to help a person enter a Fracture of all places.

Sephira had been within a Fracture before herself. It was not an experience that she looked forward to revisiting any time soon. Not only had her magic been wildly unpredictable but she had lost an Element soldier within the Ventri Fracture when trying to get civilians and a rather pesky cat out of that horrible place. She still remembered the stench of that heaving fleshy landscape and the foreboding chittering of the Hungers that had inhabited it. They had been completely unprepared for what they found in the Fracture and they had paid a price for it. Sephira had been battered, injured and pushed her Rupturing Spark to the point that it had gained a new corruption. Such was the way with magic, when you pushed it too hard...it pushed back.

Shareen gave a nervous nod as he watched the mage circle around his work. The man had been rather cheerful at first although Sephira’s rather thin alien appearance and pitch black eyes seemed to have put him slightly on edge. Perhaps she could have bothered to Soothe her Attunement corruption to ease his discomfort but she found that the more time went on, the less she cared what people thought of her increasingly inhuman visage.

“They wanted this specifically for entering a Fracture?” She asked pointedly, reaching out with a gloved hand to touch what appeared to be some sort of protective mask. It was well crafted by nimble hands. The man clearly had an impressive level of skill. Shareen seemed to titter on his tip toes when she touched the item, causing the soldier to immediately withdraw her hand. Craftsmen could be ever so protective of their work after all and she had no intention of upsetting him.

It was awkward enough working with another Champion of Famula as a mage herself, at least in her mind. The Element was more than aware of her odd placement in this war. She was a mage who was hunting mages. It was a role which she personally abhorred yet one she kept finding herself in time and time again. First there had been the little old man who had been initiated as a youth as a necromancer she had arrested, then the Element’s Cult defiers, Orrick, Earth Mask, then the sad case of Volker, and even an Element Becomer she had been forced to hunt down. There were more beyond that, and the list continued to grow ever longer.

Shareen gave a nod. “At least that’s my best guess. I don’t know why else you would want this sort of equipment except to go into one of them.”

The mage nodded before coming to a halt in front of the stack. She had been called in for a singular reason. The woman was an Attuner which meant she could attune to the equipment itself and use it’s Frequency to later spy on or even open portals to where it was in the world. She could scry essentially over any distance, however opening proper portals would require that the gear be within her range as a master Rupturer.

What was important was that this might give them a chance to spy on the Coven and whatever they might be up to in the Fracture. Assuming that was where they were going. It would also give Sephira an idea of the people Ellasin had serving her. Any clue as to the sort of mages or enemies they might face would give them an edge. Faith’s alliance knew that the Coven had powerful necromancers on their side, as well as Ellasin herself who was a revealed Lich. But they had to expect that there could be other users of domain magic that they would face.

“Time and time again, I find myself hunting down my own kind.” the soldier remarked bitterly under her breath as she reached to her belt where one of the precious Wells rested in a pouch. She drew in a breath, calling it’s ether into her as she had done trials prior during their ill fated rescue attempt to save Nir’wei. The energy washed over her like a cool breeze, sending electric tingles across the surface of her skin. Beneath the gray button up tunic she was wearing the crimson tattoos crisscrossing her body in an array of eldritch runes began to glow at the presence of ether within her.

It felt good. Like she was herself again. The Rupturing Spark within her flared like an eagle stretching its wings within her soul and nearby she felt her Attunement Spark flutter like a curious hummingbird.

Shareen watched the woman carefully, with a somber look in his eyes.

“I know it can’t be an easy thing.” he commented with what felt like sincerity to her.

Sephira glanced up at him, meeting his gaze evenly.

“No, it isn’t.” she admitted with a weak shrug of her all too narrow shoulders. It was strange speaking so personally to someone who was a complete stranger. But there was something about this particular Champion that she liked. Perhaps it was his natural curiosity and honesty. He didn’t seem the sort to willfully deceive anyone.

“But it’s what must be done.” The soldier finally said before closing her eyes and holding her free hand out over the pile of equipment. Ether flowed into her Attunement Spark setting it alight like starlight and the world around her exploded in an array of brightly twinkling Notes and Frequencies. Flavors both forgien and familiar alighted on her tongue and half heard harmonies drifted through her mind. Experiencing the world through Attunement was something that was so hard to explain to others. It was sublime and perplexing all in the same moment.

The strange and outlandish Frequencies of Zuudaria slowly dimmed as Sephira focused her Spark on the equipment in front of her, narrowing and refining her focus on it. Over the next bit it’s Frequency was revealed to her. Notes of Care, Resilience, and Purpose thrummed within her Spark. She could feel the work that had gone into these items. Shareen’s own Frequency was laced throughout it like a gentle harmony in the background of a symphony. The act of Attunement did not take long however Sephira lingered there for a moment suffused in the myriad of Notes. She savored the feeling. Perhaps this was how Max felt when she lit up that foul smelling Ambrosia she was always smoking. It was her little vice...how she got her fix.

Magic was Sephira’s. We all have our own little addictions after all.

While she lingered over the Frequency Sephira felt herself being drawn further into it. Her perception shrank down away from her body until she could barely feel it. It was jarring but she didn’t withdraw from the sensation, she followed the will of her Spark simply because it felt right and good. Ever since the Fall of Emea she had been left with so few chances to simply enjoy her magic. It was as if someone had cut off one of her limbs or blinded her. It was akin to losing a sense and the strain of that loss had been beginning to show. Dark circles ringed her eyes and there was a slight tremble to her hands, but right now in this moment it was like life had been breathed into her again.

Slowly her mind settled, realizing that it was now somehow outside her body, although still connected to it via her Spark. It was as if she was sitting in the center of the room, right where the equipment was and her vision glittered in silvery hues marked by the echoes of Notes, much like when she used Omnivision. It was as if she had Projected herself to the Frequency of the equipment, her senses and her mind were there while her body stood almost as if in a trance a few feet away. She felt herself waver there, realizing that she was no longer tied down to a body to properly ground her. For a few trills the world illuminated by her Attunement Spark hazed over, the Notes jittering about by the worry that reverberated through her. She had to stay calm. This was something new and untested, which made it potentially dangerous. The soldier focused her mind, stilling herself and holding on to her Spark. Trusting that it would keep her steady as best it knew how. Slowly but surely the world around her began to sharpen again and the Frequencies resolved into forms that she could properly perceive. She would have to remember in the future that uncontrolled emotions did not serve her well when Projecting like this.

Shareen was watching her with a glint of worry in his eyes. Sephira could physically feel him approach her body, the Notes of Worry flickering off him like raindrops.

“Are you...alright?” The engineer asked, placing his hand on the mage’s nearest arm. The touch sent a jarring almost electric shock through her that suddenly seemed to reel in her mind and yank her back into her body. The star flecked world of Notes was ripped away and Sephira found herself back in her body and stumbling back a step to stop herself from falling. Pitch black eyes opened and an uncharacteristically excited laugh escaped her lips.

“I’m fine.” she said breathlessly with a soft grin plastered over her features before standing straight and brushing herself off. Within a trill she reluctantly shut off the flow of ether to her Attunement Spark.

She had just learned something new about Attunement. Certainly she had used Rupturing to see distant places but it seemed that she could also do something similar with Attunement. Allowing her to project her consciousness into the Frequency of the equipment she had Attuned to. This had been far more intimate than simply opening a scrying Portal with Rupturing. It had been like sitting there herself with Omnivision active.

“Thank you Shareen, for bringing this. I’ve done my part.” Sephira said with a bemused smile to herself. All in all the woman seemed far happier than she had been in trials. It had been a long time since she had learned something new about her magic, and to have been given the chance even now when ether was so very scarce had been a nice reprieve from the stresses that had been wearing on her since arriving in Rharne.

Famula’s Champion nodded, looking at her as if slightly perplexed before he began tidying up the stack of equipment and preparing to move it back out of Zuudaria. Sephira herself headed back out moment’s later into Faith’s lakehouse.
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Re: [Zuudaria] The Attunement Trap

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Comments

Addiction is always a compelling topic, and I thought the comparison of Sephira's addiction to magic to Maxine's addiction to drugs was well thought out and well done. I enjoy your descriptions, which are always so fully fleshed out and complete, leaving little out yet allowing our imagination to fill in what we can.

It's easy to see how one might get lost in the art of attunement, especially when combined with rupturing which allows it to extend in distance now. Pretty interesting.

Points

10/10 these points may be used for attunement domain magic.

Knowledge

Knowledge:
Attunement: Projection
Attunement: Projection is similar to using Omnivision
Attunement: Keeping calm when Projecting
Attunement: The Notes left by a craftsman are unique to them
Discipline: Narrowing your focus when learning something new with magic
Discipline: Understanding your vices and addictions

Non-Skill:

Frequency: Shareen’s Fracture Equipment (Object)

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N/A

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Renown

10 for working with a champion of Famula.
word count: 159
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