Anik learned that non-organic experimentation/adaption/emulation/evolution/hacking of the theoelctromagnetic field was illegal under Conclave Law. That was to say, any changes that did not occur pseudo-naturally - either by the evolution of the God himself, assimilation of a higher power, changes wrought by outside affects, etc - were considered a fairly heavy crime. Certain science-facilities dedicated to the experimentation of the field had existed in the past and were almost certain to continue existing in the future, but it was considered a fairly heavy crime to modify one's self to such a vague extent.

There were also intelligence-records detailing the only recorded, modern and quite public Experimentation Lodge existing at the moment - naturally, quite outside the Conclave's bounds of operation. The Hydrathapoles Club exists in Niborkerese and is dedicated to the betterment of one's nature through rigorous study and meditation. It is currently run by the First Knight of Thopales, Lord Zast, and is considered a freeholding club by Niborkerese's own laws, unaffiliated. It is not considered a threat by the Conclave.

Still being on the subject Anik looked for references or connections between theoelectomagnetic fields and meta-physics particularly in the area of geotonomonacy. He knew there had to be a connections else how could a god shape the seeds as such... or have powers that suddenly break the natural laws of the realm (which is just normal physics for some).

While the actual constitution of things such as realm-seeds, those marvelous building-blocks, were still relatively mysterious - even to the Geotonomancers themselves - it was widely believed that one of the theoelectromagnetic field's greatest properties was that to adapt to change and to instigate change upon other 'fields' of a vaguely similar nature. In this way, seeds may be manipulated, people are controlled, etc. It was a fascinating study - and there was a certain and forbidden school of thought, Accelerationism, which taught that one could hack their field and feasibly manipulate almost anything with a properly-managed theoelectromagnetic twist.

Anik went to see if there were any recordings of divine items (like magical items are powered by magic, these would be powered by divinity). He knew he had created a few, but he wanted to see if any formal or informal research had been done on the topic.

There was formal research on the topic, mostly discussing how such objects could be formed by the theoelectromagnetic field itself at points of expansion within the God's power. Mostly, however, the idea of having items fueled by theoelectromagnetic fields bordered on theoelectromagnetic experimentation, and the only Conclave-sanctioned investigation into the idea was Operation PERDOS enacted by Councilman Vajk. The details of the Operation were not elaborated on within the text that mentioned it, however.

1. Anik put everything back and then rang the bell to be removed from the section. When the librarian came he spoke. "Where may I find the records to Operation PERDOS by Councilman Vajk."

2. This self, now freed up, headed over to the Chaple of Methodes to seek the one who is supposed to meet him to take him to the generals.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:50, Sun 15 Aug 2010.

1. The librarian nodded. "You will, I am afraid, that is," he smiled. "You will need to require written permission from Honored Councilman Vajk herself in order to access those records."

2. (Continue in the Hall of the Sun)

1. "Alright then, give me a moment."

2. Anik headed into the hall of the sun after getting some directions to Gate.

This message was deleted by the player at 01:13, Thu 09 Sept 2010.

Anik

"Of course," said the librarian, understanding the nature of the Gods. He went back to his work.

Ruse arrives at Babilu and rushes off to find Kriegsmerr.

Kriegsmerr is in his office at the second-highest level of the tower. The office is cramped - filled with books, minor artifacts of a magical nature, gourds and vials - but the central area is dominated by a large mahogany desk, that too dominated by papers and tomes. Behind the stack of papers is Kriegsmerr, who smiles warmly at Ruse.

"Ah, High Lord," he said, nodding. "How do you feel?"

Ruse nods his head, and replies,

"Actually...the urge hasn't nibbled at me in any severe sense since we last talked. It is still there, inside my blood, waiting and watching. But I suspect it is retracting its fangs a bit to allow me to do a task for it. The urge may not always be understandable, but I suspect it a a bit more sentient then most people know."

He grinned, and added,

"Speaking of which, I suspect you know why I am here. Councilor Laharazed personally granted me permission to access the helmet, which he said you'd be able to help me access in the basement. It's funny, really...all it takes is getting some life-threatening magical cancer to get a councilman to like me."

"But yes, could you please take me to the helmet? Time is of the essence right now."

Anik waved to the librarian. "Other things have come up. Do you need to escort me out or can I just leave the realm from here?"

Ruse

"Of course," nodded Kriegsmerr. Ruse realized that the Magus would have spoken to Lharazed in the time it took Ruse to reach the Tower of Babilu. "Follow me."

Ruse followed Kriegsmerr through the main reception hall, public library, winding corridors, boring offices (filled with bored magicians), down gloomy stairs, through several locked - magical and mundane - doors, past three sets of guards, through a set of empty cells, and finally stopped at a single unseemly door guarded by a single hovering Callisti.

Ah, Brother Kriegsmerr, said the Callisti. And High Lord Ruse. How are we doing, today, chaps?

"Fine, fine," said Kriegsmerr, nodding. "And yourself, GRAVITY?"

More than fine. I assume you have the logic key?

"Of course," said Kriegsmerr.

Silence. A click. The door swung open.

"Thank you," said Kriegsmerr. "After you, Ruse."

Anik

"Please, be my guest," said the librarian, barely looking up.

Ruse was mildly intrigued by this Callisti named Gravity. He seemed different, sort of like the Callisti councilor but yet, distinct. He would inquire about this while they walked.

Ruse proceeded forward, at Kriegsmerr's request, and if the mage followed he asked,

"Please do tell me about this Gravity callisti...he seems different than the others. I thought only Equilibrium had any sort of personality beyond the plane of law logic-think? I'd also like to know what his conclave rank is - obviously not councilman but I've been around enough to know to not judge books by their cover."

Anik left the library via portal.

Ruse


"Ah, yes," said Kriesgmerr. "GRAVITY.."

They had climbed down a small flight of stairs. The darkness was lit by luminous moss on the roof - despite the gloom, Ruse could see fine. There were no fineries this deep beneath the Tower of Babilu.

"There is a theory that as Callisti are agents of the pure image of Law, they have the ability to emphasize that law and replace certain entropic currents in the universe with their own influence. This much, we are sure, is true: we see their influence in Oathbindings and the like."

Down the steps, through a small, cramped hallway, in front of a bright red door with a single - how curious, electronic - pass-key locking system.

"The opposite, we believe, is true," Kriegsmerr continued. "Callisti who experience events of a certain entropic potency - at a stage in their lives where their own truth cores aren't fully developed - gather a unique sense of self, and often strange gifts that come with their mutation."

Kriegsmerr hides his palm as he presses the buttons on the pass-key, and the red door swings open. More hallway - even more cramped - and a final, last door inlaid with silver glyphs of an extremely peculiar, almost spidery design.

"GRAVITY, we believe - though this has only been implied, not directly confirmed, by the Callisti himself - was a young Callisti that was somehow caught up in a sudden rising of the Urge at Fort Seal. The timing and the potency was right, and he gained independent thought and the capacity to cast sorcery.. in addition to an encyclopedic, highly specialized knowledge of all branches of magic as they exist today - though most, we find, he will not discuss. This makes GRAVITY most useful to us, even with his silences, though he has lost his ability to cast binding Oaths and has been cut off from the share-mind of the silver spheres.. which, I am sure, troubles him more than he will admit."

Kriegsmerr nodded.

"But we are here. Now, are you quite sure you want to do this? Once you pass through this door, you will be caught within the power of the Crown - it will be traumatic, if it won't kill you outright. Are you absolutely sure?"

Ruse nodded with firm resolution - this was not the time for him to be a pussy and back down. The time for him to lose his nerve - in all things in his life - had long come and gone. He was so enmeshed with the happenings of the world in ways he had yet to even fully comprehend, that there was no going back. So was his destiny as a zealous god.

"No...I will not turn back. My mind is a fortress - I will not be crushed or traumatized so easily. My soul has grown potent and close to the weaves of mana. My blood itself has motes of the urge inside of it, singing to me all the while nibbling gently. My faith in the tree is absolute, for her flesh is my flesh. If I cannot do this, then I cannot hope to help the urge. So really, this much is nothing - it is not an end, but a beginning of something grander. Something her ladyship is calling upon me to see."

Ruse had to do this. He would die if he did nothing, so the threat of death did not sway him as much as it otherwise might have. But more importantly, for the urge itself to take a mild interest in him must mean it needed his help with something very important. And as a product of the tree, Ruse would at least hear the thing out. He knew on many levels he had to do this. Getting a yellow belly would accomplish nothing at this point.

Ruse took Kreigsmerr's hand and shook it, and said,

"Thank you good man - do wish me luck. I will be going now, to the crown."

Kriegsmerr nodded. "Good luck, High Lord Ruse. If we don't meet again, know that I have counted you a friend. The door isn't locked."

With that he turned and wandered off down the halls, ready to do his duty.

The silver-glyphed door was all that stood between Ruse and the Crown of the Urge. It was dark in the hall, and the bindings glittered menacingly. This would be the last chance to back down, he knew. The last time to contemplate exactly what he was committing himself to; exactly what promises he was making.

It was now, or never.

"Thank you Kreigsmerr - A Mistellan does remember their friends and enemies well. If I survive this, I will be sure to keep you and Babilu in mind - in a good way, of course."

Ruse did not back down. to back down was not only to die, but to give up his pride as a zealous god of the tree of life. As a mistellan deity.

A few wispy tendrils formed around him, and grasped the door, gently opening it. He passed through the door, with it closing behind him as the mist vanished.

There was nothing different about the room. It was a simple concrete cell. As the door slammed shut behind Ruse it clicked and faded from the wall. There was nothing in the cell except for concrete and dust.

Had he been tricked.. ?

Ruse knew he had not been tricked - he would have picked up Kreigsmerr and everyone else lying long before he entered. Lying to the lord of treachery was a feat unto itself.

Although he was curious about the lay-out. He was expecting something more...crown-like. But perhaps it was not a literal crown. Perhaps this entire room itself was the crown - it would need to be big to channel something like the urge, after all.

Ruse walked to the middle of the room, and declared aloud,

"Oh Urge of the flow of magic, I Ruse the god of mist and grand magus of sorcery have come to commune with you."

Then he remembered that some of the urge was inside his blood. He took his oathblade, and pricked his pale-skinned left finger, causing a single drop of blood to fall from it and strike the floor the "crown." Hopefully this would help jump-start any connection that would be needed.

"In exchange for your patronage and magnanimity, I will crush your enemy. Oh mighty Urge, I call upon you to channel and commune with me through the crown."

There was nothing but silence within the Cell of the Crown. Ruse's words echoed all around him. The georgraphy of his prison was unusual, but in invisible, unpercievable(even to him!) and unknowable ways. His voice should not move like that.

This was genuine, true magic, of the kind that the Sorcerers of Alkan had once but had forever lost.

"Urge -

              flow - - -


    Ruse   ---



    commune --- "

Nothing.

Nothing.

Only words.

What was the secret? Surely the Shifting Master, Ruse of the Mists, could - of anyone - commune with the Crown?

... concrete and dust ...

Ruse did not think this was a false situation or a trap. He could sense the strange proto-magic in the air, and he equally had the urge in his blood right now too. Mind you, it was nibbling at him over time but thankfully seemed to be slowing down. Which would make sense if it wanted to commune with him, as Lahrazed claimed.

The crown was definitely not a piece of jewelry. The whole room reeked of the urge's magic. HOW this worked, was beyond Ruse right now. But he would commune with the urge directly as he set out to do, and in doing so not only try to bargain for clemency on his magic-cancer but also determine what task or quest the urge had set forth for him. That it needed him of all possible people to accomplish.

Ruse decided to stop and think a bit. If direct speech was not enough to fully get the crown to react - although it did react a bit - then he would take the whispers to heart. Flow. Urge. Commune. and of the entire room was under the crown's influence then he needed to connect with the entire room. And also the flows of magic. The whispers of the room emphasized the flow. The urge. Communing. Ruse. Then he would do that, and become like a tide of magic and let the crown sweep him up so he could join the flow.

Ruse decided to shed his physical form, and instead let his body dissolve into mist. He then began to - one after another - channel energy from each and every school of magic. And as a grand magus, he could access them all to one degree or another. Basically, he was not doing anything in particular with his magic so much as letting his mana and magic simply gush out of his misty form, and drench the surroundings. Until eventually, he was literally creating a flow of magic of his own. He then directed his flowing mana into the floor, walls, ceiling, and air of the crown.