(RP) Tower of Adonair: Season Three

[Miss Malan]

Malan sat down and began to explain. She clasped her hands together in a proper story teller's pose and used her sing-song story voice.

'A week ago last Tuesday I was visiting my old friend farmer Boggis. Do you know Farmer Boggis? He is indeed a good man. He farms pigs you see and he loves them so much he could almost be one of them - he talks to them and sings to them and even smells like them. For some or other strange reason he does not get many visitors. It was a raining a little that day and he was worried about his new litter of piglets so we went to sit by them in the pig sty. It's a very clean pig sty in case you were wondering. The hours grew long and so I started to tell him, and the pigs, a story. It was the story of the brave little pig who learned to fly. Do you know that story? It is an old story which my grandmother told me once. The one that starts: Eagles soar, chickens flutter, horses gallop but pigs stay in the mud ...
As I was telling the tale a strange feeling came over me. I felt butterflies all fluttering away in my stomach and shivery feelings all up and down my spine. I thought it was just from the cold and the smell of Farmer Boggis but then the most extraordinary thing happened. Can you guess what it was? The smallest little piglet started to rise up into the air. Then another and another. By the time I got to the end of the story they were all hovering about two meters off the ground and doing somersaults in the air. As soon as the story ended they all went back down to earth. None of them were hurt though Farmer Boggis was extremely worried.'

Malan stopped to greet Alex. There was a knock at the door and she took the opportunity to have a drink of tea. She was glad the wizard Adonair and the young lady Alexandria seemed friendly enough. She had thought they might laugh at her if she told them what had happened but they seemed to be listening calmly enough.

[Adonair]

Adonair welcomes Grayson and Aurora Kiye to the tower setting on another pot of tea. He has to switch to scones though as he doesn't have enough biscuits. He has all four of those present sit at the table while he putters around the kitchen and listens. At the end of the story concerning the flying pigs he is silent a moment and then speaks:

"I think we've all probably noticed that when a good story is told the atmosphere seems charged. Even when a story is told by someone with no magical ability whatsoever, this magical atmosphere can be conjured up. It is in this state of 'attention' and 'excitement' that a magic user can wield considerable power over the creatures and things within his sphere of influence"

Adonair takes out a bowl of chestnuts and sets it in the middle of the table. He indicates to AuroraKiye that she should not participate in the exercise as she is too advanced for it.

"The universe is filled with tiny particles. Each of them moves in rather random directions, giving us the illusion that there is such a thing as solids and liquids. Really there is not, there are just particles. The magic user has many options in order to bring about his or her will upon these particles. To inspire is one of them. It is entirely possible to inspire the particles that make up a pig to all decide to fly, or more properly speaking, levitate in this case."

A chestnut springs out of the bowl and begins to hover and then fairly dance while tumbling through the air. As Adonair drops his head the nut returns to the bowl.

"Now, let us try, in whatever way we know how or might imagine possible, to collect one at a time the chestnuts in the bowl on our bread plates. Students... begin!"

[Miss Malan]

Malan's eyes grew wide when she saw Adonair make the chestnut fly . Then he told her and the other students to try making the chestnut fly into their bowls. She stared intently at the chestnuts. She tried waving her hands about a bit. She pictured in her mind the chestnut rising up and going to her dish. She stared for what seemed an eternity. Nothing happened. The chestnut stayed right where it was. Surely the wizard would have told them if there was some sort of magic word they were supposed to say. She tried to remember what the wizard had said. Something about inspiring the chestnut particles to move the way she had inspired the piglets to fly. 'But I don't know any stories about flying chestnuts.' she thought to herself. Maybe he meant she should ask them.
'Please chestnut, come to me,' she said. 'Please please little chestnuts come to me.'
Still nothing happened. She sighed. Maybe she didn't have any magic after all.

[Adonair]

"You'll need to invent a story, a story about a chestnut that can fly... or at least jump," Adonair suggests to Malan. "Everyone's magic is different," Adonair cautions one of the other students who has gotten distracted listening to his advice to Malan. "There are many ways to accomplish this particular magical task. Try to do it in what ever way makes sense to you."

[Miss Malan]

Malan listened to what the wizard said. She decided he must know what he was talking about so she would do as he said. She drank some tea while she tried to think of a story. When she was ready she put the cup down and looked at the chestnuts. She spoke softly as though she was telling a bedtime story to a child. She started her story, as all the best stories start, with the words 'Once upon a time...'
Once upon a time in the middle of the great western sea there was an island. The island was divided down the middle by a deep river. On one side of the river was a great big chestnut tree. On the other side of the river was a large family of squirrels. Every year when the chestnuts were ripe and started to weigh down the branches of the chestnut till it seemed they would break - the Wild West Wind would come to the island. He would blow as hard as he could till he had blown all the chestnuts to the other side of the river. There the squirrels would gather them up and store them for the winter ahead. The squirrels were happy because they had food to eat in the winter. The tree was happy because its branches no longer hurt from the great weight of the chestnuts. It seemed a perfect arrangement until one year everything changed.

You see in the river lived a lovely river nymph. She was a creature of magic and she was as much a part of the river as the river was a part of her. The Wild West Wind was in love with her. He wanted to marry her but her father, the king of the sea, would not allow it. 'A child of the water cannot marry a child of the air' he said. And so the Wild West Wind left heartbroken and would not come to the island anymore.

Time passed and the chestnuts ripened and hung heavy on the boughs of the chestnut tree. But no wind came to blow them across the river. The tree groaned because the weight of the chestnuts made its branches hurt. The squirrel family cried because they had no food for their children. Still no wind came. The river nymph heard their groans and cries. She was already saddened by the loss of the Wild West Wind and now she sorrowed more. She was so sad she began to waste away into nothing. The cries of the hungry squirrels and the aching tree reached her even as she lay dying. So, she used the last of the magic in her, which was the most powerful, to turn herself into a song. As she slowly changed to music a strange thing happened. The chestnuts, as though carried by the musical notes, slowly started float across the river to the squirrels. When all the chestnuts were across the the river and the squirrels were fed, the song which had been a nymph rose up into the air. The notes reached even the Wild West Wind where he sat sorrowing for his love. And he came back to the island to find the song. When he found it he carried it all over the world. For he knew that even if the river nymph was gone some part of her lived on in the song. And every year he came back to the island to bow the chestnuts across the river.

While she was speaking Malan started to feel a faint fluttery butterfly feeling in her stomach. Little shivers went up and down her spine. Then, to her surprise and delight, one of the smaller chestnuts in the bowl rose slowly up in the air. It floated just a little way and then fell. It was far short of her dish but at least it had moved.

She looked around proudly wondering how the other students were doing.

[Grayson]

Grayson looked at the young lady that walked up. He smiled, you are the lady he helped heal and feed me at the Kintapur hunt! He bowed to her, Nice to see you here! He smiled and turned as the door opened and a older man with a white beard opened the door. Looking at the man, Hey, you were there at the Kinyapur hunt as well! He bowed to the man who let them in. Is it ok for my friend Nomad to come in? Grayson was not sure if it was a good thing sand so had Nomad wait outside til he had permission to allow him in. Sending a mental image of the woods, Nomad darted off sending back images of him running in the woods.

Grayson walked in and followed where the man sent them. As he walked in he saw Alex sitting at a table. Good afternoon Alex, he bowed to her and then the young woman across the table. My name is Grayson, How do you do? Sitting down beside Aex he listened to what Adonair was saying about moving the Chestnuts, talking to himself he said, So it is like making apples float to me when I am hungry. Grayson wiggled his fingers at a chestnut and made it rise slowly up out of the bowl and towards his plate. His concentration dropped a couple times and his chest nut dropped as well. Finally he made it to his plate with it.

[Alexandria]

Alex smile got bigger and her eyes brighter when Grayson enter the room then she caught herself and hoped no one saw her or how she look at Grayson. What was coming over her she wonder then her granddad started talking. Saved she thought giving her granddad her attention. She listens as he explains even someone without magic can create a magical atmosphere in which magic can be influence but those with magic. Maybe that’s why Callie could always feel magic, Alex knows Callie has magic it just she might be too young to understand if she does or doesn’t.

Bring her attention back to then group when she saw a chestnut springs out of the bowl and begins to hover and then fairly dance while tumbling through the air before returning to the bowl. Alex thought that was way cool to see. Now, let us try, in whatever way we know how or might imagine possible, to collect one at a time the chestnuts in the bowl on our bread plates. Students... begin!"

Alex brow arched she wasn’t sure how he expected her to move that chestnut when she couldn’t even move anything else. The most she ever done and keep some eggs from fallen. Maybe if she thought only of the chestnut and not worry about anything else it might work. Alex concentrated on the bowl and the chestnut but nothing happen. Then Sybil nudged her leg with her cold nose, Sybil your nose is cold. Just then the chestnut slowly moved up as Alex returned her attention back to the bowl. Smiling as she made it move towards her dish, then it stops. Hmmm… this isn’t as easy as one would think but I think I can…. Just then the chestnut drop like a stone onto her dish. Sorry! Looking at Grayson Alex stuck her tongue out... as she leans over and whispers with a small giggle show off.

[AuroraKiye]

Greeting and nodding to Grayson at the front door, to Alex, and to Mulan as she enters the parlor, Arkie drops off her collection of tomes and scrolls that she's returning to the Tower in the Library. She then joins them in the parlor and sits in an armchair, away from the students and the chestnuts. Arkie sips her tea and nibbles on a biscuit, watching the students doing their lesson. She remembers her first lessons, and remembers the headaches and fatigue which then ensued. There was also, and still is at times, a trepidation that she can or should do magic, but that fear has been subsiding as her continual use of majic has made her more confident, the constant use of magic has made her more competent, and being around others whose majic and whose use of majic seems so mundane and natural.

[Adonair]

Hey, you were there at the Kinyapur hunt as well! He bowed to the man who let them in. Is it ok for my friend Nomad to come in?

Adonair bowed in return to Grayson. "Yes, I remember you, a very talented spellcaster, but in need of training. Your friends are all welcome here. Anyone who wants to learn is welcome here. You will find that the door opens to anyone who comes with that intention."

Adonair watches the students as the practice telekenisis. when the last finishes he claps his hands together and smiles broadly.

"Bravo! You've all past the first test and well done. You have demonstrated the principle of 'mind over matter' which is fundamental to many forms of magic. Are there any questions about this or any other magical thing?"

[Miss Malan]

Malan was impressed with the other students. Hoping they wouldn't think her ignorant she shyly raised her hand. 'Um excuse me sir, I got the chestnut to go up a little, but how do I get it to go where I want it to go? Is there some kind of magic word or hand gesture I'm supposed to use?' She blushed a little, thinking how silly she must sound to the others, but she had to know.