William Enskraft - History is Written

[Anthr4xus]

"Hamilton Grange is one of the smallest collections in New York, so it's resources may be limited, but convenience to Columbia can't be beat. Let's go talk to Ingersoll and see if there is anyone still here I wanted you to meet," Nepungan said. She lead the way back out to the front lobby, indicated that William should bring the books he had been using with him. "Unlike most libraries, it is consider polite to return anything you use to where you got it from. There are too many nooks and crannies where something could be set down for the curators here to be expected to pick up after everyone."

Ingersoll greets the two of you as you approach. Nepungan asks if a Baba Qiyamət or Maester Wakes were available for a short meeting. The statue states that Maester Wakes is unavailable but Baba Qiyamət was around. The two of you are directed to something called the Soularium. Nepungan helps William put back his research materials on the way, have an easy way moving through the confusing shelves and arrangement of things that belie her familiarity with the space. Even without much input from William she is able to quickly guide a path to the appropriate shelves. Their travel then went through a door and halls and down a long set of curling stone steps, finally emerging into a chilly stonework hallway. Iron torch sconces were set periodically in the walls, although the ample lighting is actually provided by a strip of flourescent lights that run down the center of the hallway ceiling. Small iron cell doors line the hallway, although William doesn't see anyone or anything inside the empty cells. At the end of the hallway was a set of double iron doors. Even without actively looking with his mage sight, William could feel the weight of Stygian power infused within the door. Vast and powerful magic had seemed into the metal from who knows how many years of ritual and practice.

Nepungan stopped before the doors, looking William in the eyes and saying, "Pekaku. Beyond these doors are two things that you should be prepared for. Baba Qiyamət was my mentor at one point, as I am yours. He is very old school, so don't let him rattle you. He is also likely in the middle of something, so observe and note your questions, but do not interrupt or cross any lines. Ready?"

Edited February 28 by Anthr4xus (see edit history)

[Thot]

William H.Enskraft aka Pekaku | Health 7 / 7 | Willpower 3 / 6 | Mana 5 / 10

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Even with his excellent memory, William would have had a hard time storing everything back to where it belonged, so he was glad for his Mentor's guidance once again. Then she brought him through a picturesque pathway to meet another kind of Savant Anakalipsi, and he wondered if it really was a good idea after all. He had already had a trying day... but it may also be another opportunity. Pekaku steeled himself, hoped he would manage to keep his cool against a cranky old wizard. He could do it against his Father, surely he could do it against anybody else too ?

"(English) Stay put and keep quiet. Got it. I am ready. (/English)" the young man wasn't sure why Nepungan wanted him to meet her own Mentor, but certainly she had excellent reasons. He would have to wrack his brain a little bit more for the day, it seemed...

[Anthr4xus]

Nepungan knocked once on the door and pulled it open. "Step high and close the door carefully," she added, pointedly glancing down at a thick line of red powder that sat just inside the door of the circular room as she carefully stepped over it. The room was a circle roughly twenty feet in diameter, and the line of red powder formed a continuous loop just inside the walls of the room. Large complex runes, a more complex overlaying of both arcane symbols and Atlantean writing. The ways the two were connected was not something that William had seen elsewhere. The runes were inlaid with silver and gold. William got the feeling that if he could take precise measurements of the room, there would be mathematical precisions and relations in both the dimensions of the room and the various circles and other markers that filled the room that had been hinted at in several of the primers and books that Nepungan had put on his reading list.

Another circle in a dark indigo powder lay in a carved ring ten feet in diameter. The carved circle appeared to be lined with copper. Within the indigo ring there were more complex geometrical and seemingly artful patterns and shapes in varicolored powders. Several of them smoldered and smoked, peppering the air with an exotic and disorienting scent that made William think of various North African and Middle Eastern restaurants and hooka shops that he had visited. In three spots, objects sat on the stone floor, surrounded by pentagrams of white powders and small blue and green gemstones. A small primitive looking drum, a necklace of long animal teeth, and a rough disk of amber, marked by fine lines and etchings. In the center-most ring a bone-thin, brown skinned old man, wearing a red loincloth, numerous beaded necklaces hanging, and festooned with small tattoos sat, cross-legged, with a long stemmed pipe balanced in one hand and a small fan of bird feathers in the other. Floating in the air above him is an amorphous translucent cloud of purple and blue mists.

Within the cloud and of the cloud, William could see a face like a cross of mandrill, tiger, and human pivot in place to look at directly at him. He could feel some faint and distance call, faintly reminiscent of the call of the Watchtower itself, but odd and twisted, but it was muffled and shunted way by the layers and layers of ritual protections offered by the rings and swoops of powders lining the floor. It's lips and whiskers twisted upward and though the mouth moved, no sound reached William's ears. The man seated in the circle did not turn to face the newcomers, but remained placidly seated and took a draw on the pipe, slowly fanning himself. "No, they are not part of our conversation, which has reached it's end." the old man said a voice that carried a surprising amount of volume and vigor with it. "Thank you for speaking with me, Shadow Behind The Stars, Baba Qiyamət honors your and your station." Holding the pipe in his teeth and dropping the fan in his lap he clapped once, the sound echoing more that it should in the relatively small space. Instantly the figure of smoke vanished and the smoldering powders and delicate shapes were blown outward in a wind that William could not feel and did not appear to extend beyond the copper ring. The three objects vanished at the same time.

The old man's head dropped as the spell ended and he sat quietly for a moment before turning and standing. He smiled at Nepungan and William, his teeth scattered and stained a terrible reddish yellow color. "Welcome, welcome, Curator Nepungan and her Exemplum. It is a pleasure to see you and your timing was auspicious. You may call me Baba Qiyamət."

"Thank you," Nepungan replied with a bow. "This is indeed my Exemplum, Pekaku. I hope we have not interrupted something critical."

Baba Qiyamət shook his head, "It provided a good reason to break off what had become a tedious debate. It has been some time. I am glad to see you are well." As he spoke he continued to advance, stepping out of the copper ring and headed for the door. Nepungan falls into step beside him as the step outside. William notes that Baba Qiyamət left both the fan and pipe behind, as well as the other accoutrements of whatever powerful ritual this had been.

 

Edited March 6 by Anthr4xus (see edit history)

[Thot]

William H.Enskraft aka Pekaku | Health 7 / 7 | Willpower 3 / 6 | Mana 5 / 10

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Magic could be deadly, that lesson had been engraved in William's mind after his meeting with Savant Anakalipsi. So when Nepungan forwarned him, and opened the door to a scenery out of a thaumaturgist's wildest dream, with mechanics so precise on so many levels that he could not even dream of understanding half of them, Pekaku felt very small, and treaded with the utmost caution. Who had Baba Qiyamət been talking to ? How did he do it ? Why the drum, necklage and disk of amber ? Why the fan and pipe ? and what about the two circles, what did they do ? and the smells, the colors, the materials, the runes, and so many other minute details...

But he had been duly warned, and William didn't feel to defiant anymore for now. So he politely answered his address by a formal greeting "(English) Honored to meet you, Sir. (/English)" and carefully followed the elder Mages as they left the Soularium. He already knew he couldn't ask many questions, so he saved his limited options for a more appropriate moment.

[Anthr4xus]

Baba Qiyamət and Nepungan walked side-by-side from the Soularium to a small private sitting room not too far away. William noticed Baba Qiyamət cast some small spell as they walked, the effort barely even interrupting the conversation he was having with Nepungan about the weather and some of the recent events in town. Shortly after the three of them had settled on the large and comfortable cushions around the low table in the center of the room, there was a knock on the door and a young woman entered carrying a tray with a steaming kettle, three upside down ceramic cups, a small boat of cream, a bowl of small green and white leaves, and three ornately carved silver balls. She smiled at everyone as she stepped forward and carefully set the tray on the table. Baba Qiyamət smiled his oddly stained smile at her and said, "Thank you, {Hungarian}Rejtély.{/Hungarian}"

"You're welcome," Rejtély said with a slight bob of her head. She spared William another long glance and small smile as she slipped out of the room. He would guess she was roughly his age, with shoulder length wavy brown hair, brown eyes, and a warm smile. She was dressed in a rose colored blouse and tight black jeans with low boots and lots of silvery necklaces and rings.

Baba Qiyamət and Nepungan continued to chit-chat for a few moments as Nepungan made tea for herself and her former mentor, and indicated with a nod to William that he should serve himself, if he wanted. As he spoke, Baba Qiyamət pulled a small leather pouch from somewhere, and extracted a pinchful of something that looked like handful of shredded brown and red plant matter that smelled strongly of eastern spices, leather and tobacco. He took a swallow of tea before popping the handful in his mouth.

He turned and looked at William and when he spoke, William could see flecks of the stuff stuck to his stained and poorly kept teeth. "So, Pekaku. What do you think of your Awakened situation?"

[Thot]

William H.Enskraft aka Pekaku | Health 7 / 7 | Willpower 3 / 6 | Mana 5 / 10

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As he watched Rejtély, Pekaku wondered. Was she lucky to be apprentice to a powerful and experienced Mage, or was she bound and to be pitied for the strict demands of a very old school master ? From the outside he couldn't know, of course, but he could gauge the difference in his relation with Nepungan anyway. Perhaps some other day he would have the opportunity to talk with her, who knows...

The young Mastigos helped himself to some tea too, if only because it seemed the polite thing to do when offered hospitality, and listened while his Mentor and her own Mentor chit-chatted for a bit. He idly wondered what she had learned from him, as she hadn't given any sign of being proficient in the Arcanas of Death or Matter. But she probably hadn't revealed all her skills to him, after all.

When adressed by Baba Qiyamət, the young man instinctively straightened. It wasn't quite a job interview, but certainly this talk could have consequences. "You only have one chance to make a good first impression", after all. "(English) Sir. I don't really know what to say that you haven't heard a hundred times before, for sure. The word "Awakening" is properly chosen. It feels as if I had been living a clueless life, a fruitless life before, and that now I am given the opportunity to do so, so much more... if I properly learn how to do it before, of course. I am extremely thankful that Fate has guided me to Nepungan, and through her, to you. (/English)"

[Anthr4xus]

Baba Qiyamət nodded sagely, putting another pinch of the shredded stuff into his cheek. Casually he tossed the pouch on the table. "Yes, Fate is the unavoidable guide. Your studies have been going well? Have you selected a topic for your entrance submission?" The tone and tenor of the questioning caused William to momentarily harken back to innumerable holiday and academic gatherings, with the same innocuous kind of questions about his mundane academic research. The commonality of the two situations, even with such radically different contexts, was emotionally evocative for sure.

Nepungan sat by, quietly sipping her tea as she watched the exchange between her student and former mentor.

[Thot]

William H.Enskraft aka Pekaku | Health 7 / 7 | Willpower 3 / 6 | Mana 5 / 10

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Only a couple of weeks ago, William had thought he was stepping up in the ladder of academic merit. Up until his Awakening, when he started again at the bottommost rung, as Pekaku this time...

But already he had set his mind in a direction, and that's what he explained to Baba Qiyamət, but carefully. "(English) Sir. At the moment, I am thinking about studying the Abyss, and how best to access or recover what may still be inside. I am making the assumption that what has been done by Magic can certainly be undone by Magic too. (/English)"

Of course he presented that with humilty, but deep down he was determined to prove it true. Alone if he had to.

[Anthr4xus]

Baba Qiyamət leaned forward, his interest obviously piqued. "Studying the Abyss, eh? That is a dangerous and interesting area of focus. You also posit a interesting thought. While in many cases Magic can undo what was done with it, how would one undo utter disintegration? How does one recover that which has wholly ceased to exist to such a degree that even it's memory is slowly fading and disappearing from the world?"

[Thot]

William H.Enskraft aka Pekaku | Health 7 / 7 | Willpower 3 / 6 | Mana 5 / 10

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Pekaku had many ideas to answer the old Mage, but of course he knew their actual worth : very little. He couldn't be the first to have them. He may be the first to succeed somehow, though. "(English) Sir. I know how little I know, and how many generations have come before, faced with the same situation. But from what I have learned, I would think there are at least five proofs that the Abyss is not utter, irremediable disintegration. The Watchtower of the Golden Key. The Watchtower of the Iron Gauntlet. The Watchtower of the Lead coin. The Watchtower of the Lunargent Thorn. The Watchtower of the Stone Book.

I know not how far the parallel can go, but certainly if we have anchors there as strong as those, and we can mirror it with anchors of comparable strength, couldn't we then pull both Worlds closer and ever so slowly bridge the gap ?

Or if we can't do it like that, what is the Abyss if not a lack of structure ? Chaos ? Can we really not find a way to bring order to chaos ? Isn't that already what we are doing in a way when we perform Willworking ?

I only ask to study what has been done, and try to find my own path walking on the shoulders of giants.(/English)"

The young man stopped at that because he could feel he was getting heated up, and obviously that would not lead to any proper, productive discussion with a mage as Baba Qiyamət described by Nepungan.

[Anthr4xus]

"Ah," Baba Qiyamət said, nodding sagely, "I see. Your eagerness to learn and understand is clear and commendable. I also think I see a basic misunderstanding that may be impact your base rationale. I am surprised that Nepungan had not clarified this already."

Nepungan grew a shocked expression at being called out. "I have been getting him up to speed on the basics of willworking, we haven't had a chance to start talking about celestial dynamics. Pekaku had said he was looking into the Abyss as a subject for his dissertation, and I have given him some initial pointers of research but I don't think..." Baba Qiyamət chuckled and waved a hand at her. "No real critique intended. Simply a comment."

His attention turned back to William as he took a drink. "The Abyss is not Realms where the Watchtowers lie. It is the fathomless, immeasurable expanse that separates the Fallen World, this world, from the rarified heights of pure concept and power that exist in the Realms around the Watchtowers. Atlantis, as it was, was the 'bottom' of the Celestial Ladder that provided direct access to those Realms by bridging the Abyss. When Altantis fell as the Ladder was broken, it literally fell out of this world and into the Abyss." To emphasize the point, he pulled a small betel nut from his mouth and flicked it across the room. It clicked softly against the wall and instantly vanished into the carpet. "You see? Here one moment, vanished the next."

"Unlike the lovely carpet here, however, the Abyss is not just a difficult environment in which to find thing. Some argue that it is itself an entity and a hungry one at that. There are ... things ... that live in the Abyss, but those are entities born of it. Something not of the Abyss that enters it, well..." He held up his hands and waggled his fingers.

He let that thought sit a moment before saying, "Now, I strongly support your research into the Abyss, however. Just because I do not think that you will find Atlantis there, does not mean there is not reason to look within it. Just don't forget your Nietzsche." This last he added with red-stained smile.

Edited April 6 by Anthr4xus (see edit history)

[Thot]

William H.Enskraft aka Pekaku | Health 7 / 7 | Willpower 3 / 6 | Mana 5 / 10

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With mixed feelings, Pekaku realized he had not properly presented his case when he heard Baba Qiyamət's answer. Whether it was because he was tired, or unsufficiently prepared for now, or anything else, he had not properly conveyed his point. Of course he knew that the Watchtowers lied in the Supernal Realms, not in the Abyss ! But at least some of his ideas seemed to have seeped through, and he now had the elder Moros' support ! Better to keep a low profile, then.

"(English) Sir. Thank you for forgiving my shortcomings. I will work hard to make sure I reach a proper understanding and approach of this.(/English)"

The mention about Nietzsche was puzzling though. Of course Pekaku knew the famous quotes from the man "(German) Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you. (/German)" he recited aloud.

"(English) This is not the first time I am told it is dangerous though, so I will be very careful, of course. Could you perhaps already share some specifics with me, Sir, so that I do not err too far ? (/English)" this was of course pushing it a little bit, but perhaps not too much. And anyway, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

[Anthr4xus]

"The very quote!" he said with a nod. Nepungan leaned forward slightly and said, "I'm sure you recall the pentacle that Alcide showed you back at the start of your apprenticeship?" She murmured something and spun up something very similar, although in shimmering blue light instead of gold. "The space between each of the Realms represents the Abyss. It is the darkness of void and entropic loss." Baba Qiyamət nodded in agreement.

He said, "The Abyss stands as a lingering remembrance of the Celestial Ladder through which the Exarchs were able to ascend during the First Wizard’s War. When the Ivory Tower of Atlantis was sundered, something went horribly wrong. A tear in the Tapesty cut off the homeland of the Mages from the Realms Supernal, and the city of Atlantis disappeared. What replaced it was the Lie, which made all but a few oblivious to the truths of magic. The effect of this event is known as quiescence and is one of the main reasons Awakenings are so rare these days. It is, in effect, a multiverse utterly devoid of Supernal truth; in layman's terms, things that cannot, and should not, be."

He continued, "The Abyss is incomprehensible for the mortal mind (logic, after all, is an element of Supernal truth) and the main enforcer of the Lie. Only the Watchtowers pierce through it and bring forth some of the lost knowledge of Atlantis. All other efforts to break through the Abyss have been proven futile. Every time a mage uses the forces from the Realms Supernal, his magic runs the risk of ushering a bit of the Abyss into the Fallen World, creating what mages call Paradox. Some scholars of the Guardians of the Veil have theorized that the Abyss grows whenever a mage unleashes Paradox. It should be noted that the Abyss does not cause Paradox, it is Paradox. There is even a rare, but tragic, disease brought on by contact with the Abyss that manifests as a growing intuitive knowledge of the Abyss pair with a loss of the ability to communicate. This are the kinds of risks that one runs when experimenting with these kind of forces."

 

 

[Thot]

William H.Enskraft aka Pekaku | Health 7 / 7 | Willpower 3 / 6 | Mana 5 / 10

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All of this, William had already heard about from some book, or some talk with Nepungan. It held more weight when told by someone like the Moros Elder, obviously, but even then though, it was always toward the same denial, the same rebuke that William's heart leaned.

"(English) I understand that being unnatural and utterly chaotic, the behaviour of the Abyss cannot be predicted, and that it generates a great risk of contagion and taint toward those exposed to it. Such as a disease. But it has not always existed, has it ? By its very nature as I understand it, the Abyss is a flaw in the Tapestry, a rupture created by the Hubris of Mages of yore. I can't believe, I can't accept that what we could once do, we cannot undo. Hard as it may be.

And likewise, do we know for sure if the Abyss dissolves what it touches, or if it merely hides it from us, whisking it away perhaps, but not irremediably ? And if it can be likened to a disease, can't we find a cure for it ? I don't want to give up on the very notion before having at least made up my own mind.

Carefully. (/English)" he added nearly as an afterthought.

There was probably no point emphasizing his own interest in finding Atlantis again, the lure of this chase. He was extremely determined, and with access to a Library such as this one, he could probably learn a lot in the months to come. Pekaku was brimming with determination and confidence.

[Anthr4xus]

"I would say that the Abyss itself is not chaotic, as non-existance by definition must be quite empty and still. It is the interplay of that nothingness with the somethingness of the Fallen World that causes chaos. I agree that it could be a proper view to see the Abyss as a flaw in the Tapestry, but given that the Tapestry is merely a metaphor for the totality of reality, how could one cause nothingness to cease when you only have somethingness to work with to do so?" he asks.