audio; un: cardmaster

[fateality]

Now, I'm sure we've done something like this before sometime ago, but you know how it is; people come, people go, and we get new faces all the time. So it's a little hard to keep track of y'all sometimes.

But here we are, and I've god a question.

There's a good lot of us that got magic in us before ALASTAIR made, ah, any offerings as such. Maybe even got some magic in your world, sure.

Suffice it to say, I got some interest in what kind there is -- and what magic is like where you're from. How it works. The variety, the limits.

Always good to know about the trade elsewhere, as it were.

Comments

[mistruths]

Very recognizable, I'm sure. All right.

action, baby

[fateality]

[All too quickly, Twisted Fate is able to appear into the library. Literally.

There is an odd pressure in the air by one of the tables, and then with a snap he transports himself inside. Fate scratches himself under the chin, sniffs, and settles his weight against the table.

He could have asked what Loki looks like, but he's not terribly concerned. They'll find each other.]

[mistruths]

[ though they've arranged to meet, Loki doesn't make any changes to what he's doing, choosing instead to go back to the book he'd been reading. Not long after (though if you asked specifically how long, he wouldn't be able to say), Loki raises his head, eyes narrowing at the unfamiliar way the very air seems to grow denser, seems to warp and twist. ]

[fateality]

[Twisted Fate tips the brim of his hat up, his glowing blue eyes peering out from underneath. Well, the man reading is the only other one here, so:]

Loki, I take it?

[mistruths]

You take correctly.

[ Loki shuts his book, folding his hands above it as he takes in the new arrival. ]

And you are Twisted Fate. Well met, good sir. That is quite a name you have.

[fateality]

[He gives a tip of his hat.]

A little dramatic, I suppose, but it fits.

In any case, I'm more than happy to provide for our little exchange, and I figured doin' a small demonstration on what I can do might be a good lead-in. [The teleportation.]

[mistruths]

So I see. [ He dips his head in response to the hat-tip, though he doesn't move to stand. ] Does everyone from your home have the ability to perform magical tasks?

[fateality]

Not at all. I'd say it's probably split 'bout 50/50? An' a good lot of us have different kinds. Hell, I'm not even 100% familiar with all of it; some regions are a little more hush-hush with what they can do.

[mistruths]

I can certainly see how that might be the case. It's much the same where I'm from, though the practitioners of the craft from each Realm would work differently with it. Still, it isn't impossible for one to learn the tricks of another race--assuming a teacher could be found who is willing to impart their secrets.

[fateality]

Wish I could say the same for my magic. Mine's all hereditary; only river folk can really use it, and my form of magic's even different than most traditional one where I'm from. Suffice it to say, I'm a one man show.

But if there's a way to learn other magic, I'm always open minded. [Gladly so.]

[mistruths]

I do not know if my magic is hereditary. Certainly, the woman I called my mother had it; she was my teacher. And the man I once thought to be my father wielded it as well, though none would ever have spoken against him for it. Magic is a woman's tool, you see: dishonorable tricks and cowardly foolishness.

[fateality]

[A wry chuckle is earned.] Well, I never had to worry about gender separation with that kinda nonsense. Kind of a weird cultural approach.

[No. Instead, people looked down upon river folk. Frankly, he's personally all for dishonorable tricks.]

Sounds like you were... adopted? [Venturing a guess.] That can't have been easy to learn about.

[Family is family, blood or not, but he isn't going to step in and offer that kind of opinion. Sounds messy.]

[mistruths]

No.

[ And that's all he'll say on the subject. Attempts at genocide, however justified, seem to strain others' acceptance of him and, at least for now, Loki would prefer to make allies rather than enemies. ]

The gender differences were, indeed, frustrating at best. It made life quite...rocky. But that is not what you came to speak with me of.

[fateality]

No, it isn't. Sorry, got a bit off track. [Sounds like there's plenty to learn about Loki.

But that can wait.]

Well, I guess I could go first, if you wanted. I can't share my magic and teach it to others, but I can show it.

[He reaches into a pouch and takes out a deck of cards. Without any further motion, the cards rise up out of his palm and float around him.]

River folk are fortune tellers by trade, hence the cards. Me, I prefer somethin' with a bit more aggression. So, I can enchant cards and make 'em do different things. The biggest trick is transportin' myself. It lets me see everyone around me, so I know where everyone else. Even if they're tryin' to hide, it won't matter.

Then I can disappear, move myself in an instant, anywhere I want -- within a range. [Regretfully, it does have limits.] Makes for a nice clean getaway.

[mistruths]

My.

[ He reaches out to pluck free one of the cards, if Twisted Fate will let him, turning it to see the front. ]

I am able to do something similar. My speciality is more along the lines of illusion... [ And though he doesn't move, he seems to almost--blur, before he's splitting into three. One where he's still sitting, obviously, but two on either side of him. ] But I have been known to walk the spaces between worlds, to travel through smoke and shadow, mirror and light.

[fateality]

[The card is taken; the one that Loki plucks is red, and it is warm to the touch.

Twisted Fate does try to keep an eye on Loki, but there are doubles. Curious. He himself can only disguise himself with the use of a trinket from his own world; it's not his magic, but Loki's illusions are much better than his own.

This isn't the magic he was seeking, but it's still useful.

Twisted Fate smiles.]

Now that's real interestin'. That goes beyond what I can do. Do you fathom that it's somethin' you could pass on to another fellah?

[mistruths]

[ One eyebrow ticks up when he looks at the card, and as he sets it down onto the table (face-up), his illusions disappear in a shimmer of golden light. ]

I don't know that your magic is at all compatible with the methods I used to learn how to control mine, but it may not be impossible. [ he taps the card with one fingertip. ] Will you teach me your ways? What this means, for example?

[fateality]

I suppose so. Might be easier to show you step-by-step what I do.

[Twisted Fate pulls over a chair. The deck of cards are still floating in the air around him, but he does take out another deck: this one is clearly without any sort of enchantment, all normal playing cards.]

That one you picked is a card I enchanted to explode when I throw it. So it's a bit like a small bomb goin' off.

[He picks out a blue card from the air.] This one hurts the most if I use it on someone. Pure magic, that's all there is to it. Gives me a little more strength when I use it on someone, too.

And this one. [A gold card is now selected.] Lets me snare someone for a brief moment. Keeps 'em stuck. Usually good if I need to get out of a fix.

But all cards speak to me, one way or another. I usually know if I'm in trouble, for example; the cards'll tell me, even if I ain't put my magic into them yet.

[mistruths]

You've made weapons of your cards.

[ Loki's voice is low, smooth with deep appreciation and curiosity. He reaches out to slide his fingertips over the blue card, curious as to how it'd feel--especially in comparison to the red one he'd initially picked. This magic is definitely not the same as his own; certainly, Twisted Fate and Loki make use of magic quite differently. Still, he finds himself fascinated, the discussion piquing his interest in a way few things here have. ]

Have you tried imbuing magic in other weapons or tools? Or simply using it without a conduit?

[fateality]

[The blue one is more soothing. If one could place it akin to anything, it feels like the flow of an easygoing river, smooth and rolling.]

Doesn't work for me, I'm afraid. River folk always have used cards. If there's a way to bridge it another way, I ain't found it yet. But the cards have always meant somethin' to us.

Far as I know, I'm the only one who uses 'em in this way.

[mistruths]

Because of the fortune-telling. But what of your ancestors, before there were cards? I wonder if rune stones might have the same effect in allowing you to channel your magic through them?

[ And last, of course, he'll pick up a golden card. Incidentally, what did the red one feel like? ]

[fateality]

[The golden card glimmers, a sensation not unlike a static shock running through it, tingling. The red card, on the other hand, had been warm, almost hot to touch.]

I... couldn't really say. I don't think my people really knew what we were like before then, an' I wasn't 'round long enough to ask.

But I wouldn't be opposed to findin' out if that's true.

[mistruths]

If you'd like to try, I should be able to create a set for you. Though... Though whether it would then be linked to my magic or not is the next question. Or even, indeed, if our magics are at all compatible.

[ he slides all three cards back over. ]

You spoke of fortune telling, but surely you cannot have meant these cards to be your medium? These are your weapons and defenses.

[fateality]

I'm not against givin' it a try. Won't know til we give it a shot either way.

[The cards all slide back into a deck, and he pauses before he offers a calm smile.]

I haven't done any fortune telling since I was a boy. 'Fraid that's irrelevant.

[mistruths]

Ah. Pity. I did hope you could tell me what my future holds.

I suppose I owe you more information in exchange. To be fair, though, I've never had the chance, exactly, to speak of my own skills and capabilities in this manner. What is it you'd like to know?