La Libram Excellence - Jygust 30th - MT

The glorious Summer City upon the white cliffs of the magical Mer de la Luna in the Western Kingdom that harbours many nobles. Home to the Summer Palace of the former King as well as vineyards that produce the city's famous wines. Anything is possible here, if you are willing to bring the right sacrifices.

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Taevia Foree
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La Libram Excellence - Jygust 30th - MT

Post by Taevia Foree »

Books are a privilege of the wealthy. Those born to common families rarely find themselves well acquainted with the crisp pages of a fine book. In Roque, where no expense is spared and no luxury unavailable, there sits a library whose grandeur is outdone only by the libraries housed at the famed University.

The building looms in stately, cool marble lines, white columns lining its entrance, casting long sharp shadows over the doorway. The large oaken doors seem almost humble by comparison. Inside a curving staircase leads upwards to where the books are housed. Several small reading rooms take up the rest of this floor, their doors firmly shut against prying eyes. A long wooden desk lies along the wall to the left, an old man behind it, his spectacled head bent over a thick tome. The smell of dust, leather bindings, and old paper filled the building, and lent it a feeling of time and peace. There is knowledge and wisdom within these walls. For those who know how to find them, La Libram Excellence may hold the answers to all of their questions.


It took Taevia a moment to fully appreciate the building before stepping inside. Even though she had already been here within the month, and even though she had gazed upon La Libram Excellence before, it's beauty and grandiose always humbled her. As she approached the doorway, she eyed the marble in awe, before touching her hand to the oak that was the entrance. After a flicker or two of daydreaming, the young one slipped inside.

It was to her left that she spotted the librarian, and older male situated behind it. He likely knew much about the tomes contained on the upper level, and Taevia had something specific in mind. She strode over to him casually, waiting patiently until he looked up at her to inquire.

"Excuse me, sir, but do you know where I might find a section of books on Magick?"

It was a blunt question, to be sure, but the female didn't figure she'd be getting anywhere by dancing around the subject. She took but a moment while he registered the question to glance around, noting the closed doors for reading - a place she had been just days before. Her achadhiel nose did well to sniff out the age of the place, and Taevia knew it was more probable than not that she'd leave with at least some answers... and perhaps even more questions.
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Post by Gutter Rat »

“You would have better luck striking him in the head with a book of magick than wakening him with a question about a book of magic, my dear...” said a female voice from behind the counter. Half a burn later, the voice grew a face as a squat woman – short even by Halfling standards – came nudging her way around the raised platform, a pile of books in her hand. “My name is Chappa...” she continued with a grunt as she hefted the books onto a small cart and began to push it. “I am the new librarian here...well, new as in I have been in the post three yahren...but the old man finds it more relaxing to sleep to the rustling of pages than the splash of the sea at his abode, so I abide and let him.”

She wheeled the cart towards the first row of books and began putting them away, stepping up onto a trio of thick pegs sunk into the side of the cart to reach shelves above her normal reach. “'Magick' is a broad category, young lady – do you think you could narrow it down a bit? I am sure that this library has something to meet with your liking.” Large brown eyes peered up at Taevia through wire-rimmed glasses, expectantly.
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Taevia Foree
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Post by Taevia Foree »

The other voice, completely unexpected, startled Taevia slightly, even more so when it seemed like nobody was addressing her. It all became clear in short order, however, as the young lady faced the woman. She gave an acknowledging nod of the name, and offered her own in greeting. A lingering glance at the old man confirmed that he was indeed sleeping, leaving Taevia to feel quite embarrassed. She simply shook her head though, brushing it off and walking beside the 'new' librarian as she began her trek with the books. Before continuing with her own questions, the achadhiel afforded Chappa a minute to put away some books, observing the cart and then finally digesting the new question.

"Well, ma'am... I was thinking maybe something on... Rune Magick? I've heard little about it but..." She let it trail off there, not knowing what else to say. It was true that she had a minor interest in that particular aspect of magick, but then it hit Taevia that she didn't really know all that much about any aspect of magick - Runic was as good as any.
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Post by Gutter Rat »

Chappa listened closely, turning her head to face Taevia with a perched eyebrow when she had voiced her selection. "Rune magick?", she asked with a curious frown. "You're not a performer?" Carefully, the small woman stepped down from the cart and faced Taevia directly, waving her hand toward a row of books. "I apologize... I thought you were a stage performer looking for some sleight of hand or escape magick - we have scores of books on that, you see..." Her brow furrowed and she tried to force a friendly smile.

"As for 'real' cast-a-spell-or-brew-a-potion magick, however...", she stated with a shrug "Well, that kind of magick was - and still is, for the most part - frowned upon in these parts. Sure, we have people who practice it but the powers-that-be have deemed that our shelves on the matter remain largly bare on the subject." That being said, Chappa led the girl down a few rows, abandoning the cart for a time. "Here we hav it, then, the section on 'real' magick..." True to her word, the woman indicated a vastly empty shelf with upwards of ten tomes lining it, mostly on theory and history, but none on true practical application and none of them specifying runic charms although there did look to be one or two titles which might contain a chapter or at least a footnote on the subject. "I am sorry, dear - I wish I could be more help..."

With another small shrug, Chappa turned and left, returning to her work at the cart and leaving Taevia to her own devices. At a nearby table, a young brunette human chuckled softly and returned to her reading.
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Taevia Foree
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Post by Taevia Foree »

As Taevia stated the kind of books she would be into, she noted that Chappa's face seemed to darken by the minute. The frown that the achadhiel received only solidified that guess. "Well, no... I.. I don't perform." She did glance at the spot Chappa waved her arm to, but then went back to paying attention to what the bookkeeper had to say. Taevia didn't like the furrowed brow as a response, fretting that the other woman disliked her.

Of course, when Chappa went on about magick being a practice looked down upon, Taevia wasn't surprised. She knew the limitations and restrictions of asking about the Art in the Western Kingdom. However, the achadhiel had hoped the library would hold and prejudiced one way or the other on the matter. It seemed Taevia was wrong. She thanked the librarian for her help, bringing herself closer to the books only when the woman was gone. She took cursory glances at the different titles, picking out the ones that seemed best suited for beginners.

When Taevia heard the chuckle coming from not-so-far away, she turned to regard the brunette that had made the sound. With a shrug, the female took her 'beginner books' over to the table. "Is this spot taken by someone?" She asked the human, referencing a chair on the opposite side of the table, and waiting for an answer.
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Post by Viviana Kaleyis »

“It's a free world,”the petite brunette replied flippantly. “Sit where you wish.”

Her name was Alyssa, and despite her seeming indifference, she was very interested in Taevia. It wasn't every day that someone pranced into the library and boldly asked for books on magic. Alyssa knew to keep her own interest secret, although there were a select few she trusted.

Could she trust this stranger? Alyssa wasn't sure. She had heard of an organization that was seeking to put an end to all magic use in Roque. No one knew who they were or how they operated. Was this young woman one of them?

Alyssa's gut instinct told her that she wasn't. Her artist's eye was pretty good at reading facial expressions, and the dark-haired achadhiel looked quite sincere and innocent. Then again, the city was teeming with performers. Although Taevia had said she was not one, it was still possible that she was. Alyssa doubted she would be able to see through the guise of a professional actress.

And so she waited for Taevia's reply, surreptitiously watching her while pretending to be engrossed in her reading. She hoped the way the woman responded to her flippant remark would tell her a bit more about her personality. Alyssa could certainly use an ally right now, and she secretly hoped Tavia would be it. Having an interest in magic was definitely a good start.
Taevia Foree
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Post by Taevia Foree »

There was a reason for Taevia's naivety. The female hadn't really kept up with current goings on, especially about any such group trying to put an end to magick. Of course, Alyssa had no way of knowing that, so it was perfectly understandable she acted the way she did.

Taevia slipped into the seat quickly, across from the unknown yet intriguing stranger. She eyed her a moment, then her pupils flicked to the book she was reading, before placing her own on the table. To busy herself, the achadhiel levered the text open, noticing it was one of the aforementioned books with a chapter on beginning rune magick. Taevia did remember her courtesies.

"My name is Taevia. Might I ask yours?"

She sat unmoving, taking in the silence of the library. It seemed to increase the magnitude of her voice, even though Taevia was normally soft spoken. She finally opened the spine of the book fully, revealing the chapter she had been searching for. Not wanting to seem rude, she didn't start to read until Alyssa responded.
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Post by Viviana Kaleyis »

So the girl had guts. That was the reaction the young artist had been hoping for. If she had said she was sorry and moved to another table, Alyssa would have lost interest in her. You couldn't be meek if you wanted to learn magic in Roque. Not with a mysterious organization that hunted mages on your tail.

“I'm Alyssa,” she said with a genuine smile. Her voice was very soft, almost a whisper. She watched as Taevia opened one of the books she had taken from the shelves. She wouldn't find anything of interest there, only a very basic explanation. Alyssa knew, because she had combed every book in the library only a few months earlier ... before she had found a treasure trove of information very close to home.

She couldn't tell Taevia that yet, not until she truly trusted her. Time for another small test. “I see that you are interested in runic magic,” she said, again very softly. She quickly scanned the room to make sure no one was paying them any undue attention. The other patrons of the library seemed occupied with their own reading. That was good. “It isn't every day that someone walks in here and asks for books on magic. Please don't think I'm rude, but might I ask why you have an interest in it?”
Taevia Foree
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Post by Taevia Foree »

As she waited for a response, Taevia perused through the section she had opened to, although it didn't take her long. The word "rune" came up once or twice, but no more than one small, three line paragraph was found on the subject. Sighing slightly, the female closed her book, just the human gave her name. It seemed there was a slight pause after this new stranger spoke, and Taevia took the opportunity to speak.

"Nice to meet you, Alyssa, and may I say what a lovely voice you have." It was at this moment that Taevia was thankful she had mastered the human language, rather than elven. She could articulate exactly what she wanted to say to this potential new friend. The comment was added because Taevia had always preferred softer spoken folk, as opposed to harsh or bold speakers.

When Alyssa spoke again, Taevia paid attention, and felt herself glances around too, suddenly aware that others might be listening. When she replied, it was short and to the point, and much less louder than before. "My mother talked about it once or twice, but never practiced. She seemed interested.. and I've always wanted to make her proud." Taevia was going to reach for another book, but it dawned on her she didn't even know where to begin.
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Post by Viviana Kaleyis »

Alyssa nodded sympathetically. She knew what it was like to try to please her mother, yet never succeed. All her mother wanted of her only child was for her to get married an produce lots of grandchildren. Unfortunately, that was not likely to happen as Alyssa preferred women to men. And while it was still possible for her to have a child, however distasteful the initial act might be, it was not in her near future. A child would not fit into the life she had planned for herself. She wanted to be a mage like her beloved uncle Aloyis, for whom she'd been named.

Uncle Aloyis had always approved of her and loved for who she was, not what she could provide him with. Yet he had refused to teach her magic because of the danger of being caught. It was only after his disappearance that she had discovered his library of runic magic books and tried to teach herself. Considering that Taevia's interest was in the same area, perhaps she could help her make some sense of what was in the books. She had learned a bit, but not nearly enough. And for some strange reason, she believed that learning more magic was the secret to finding out what had happened to him.

Taevia's last answer sounded both sincere and believable. It was time to take her new friend into her confidence and hope she would be the ally Alyssa longed for.

She leaned closer to Taevia. Her voice was barely above a whisper. “I am interested in runic magic as well, Taevia. And I can tell you that you aren't going to find much here in the library. However, I do know a place where you can find exactly what you seek. And please, whisper when you speak. You can't be too careful when you talk about magic around here.”
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