Thread: The Bond -Creation & Frelance-

The various kingdoms and nations were hardly ever at peace from each other or even from their own people. Strife riddled the lands between the Moon Sea and the Blighted March like rotten crops in a diseased farm where the owner ran off. There are a few multi-national organizations, however, that seem to cross boundaries. The White Oder of Swords, a group of holy knights that hunt down evil wherever they find it, is based in the southern nation of Torimor but has Forts of Swords in every nation except two. One of those, Eidany, is home to the Academy, the protectors of history and maps that holds the respect of every nation and governs every major library. The second where the White Swords are not accepted is the place of their claimed enemy, Amiland, the home of the Black Tower. The mages, the men and women of the Black Tower, gather those from all nations that show promise to learn magic. There they are trained through a rigorous process that either seems them ascend from prospects to acolytes then finally to full brother or sister mages. Everyone from the poorest man to royalty are accepted, regarded all as equals and trained at least to the point where they are no longer a danger to others. They are protected by the Knights of the Ward, also known as the Templar, that both keep the mages safe and keep the world safe from the mages. The warders, the Templar, are considered some of the best warriors in the world, imbued with the bond between them and their wards. This bond, the extra level of consciousness, and the empowered magical equipment that the Templar have access to make them truly the deadliest men in the world aside from the mages themselves. Parol and Lang were the two concepts of calling magic from the whisperer, or the orat, an entity that could be heard sometimes by those that had potential for calling. Lang was the concept of communicating physically with the orat by way of speaking, using signs of hand motion, scripts, dress colors, physical objects, dancing anything and everything had some value as signs used in lang. Parol was the concept of using thoughts and mental imagery to communicate with the whisperer. Those that were good with parol needed less lang to call magic. Those that werent good with parol required great knowledge of the many signs. Princess Ashelin Leann of Feraanland had perhaps the greatest potential for parol that the Black Tower had seen in generations. The progen listened to her calling often and was most of the time impressed with how much of a connection she made when calling on the orat for magic. Shed spent little time as a prospect and was rushed through the test for the acolytes. The test involved opening herself up to magic as the progen flooded her with as much as she could handle and even the progen had a difficult time doing that. The first memories of calling upon the orat were all but a blur. A distant dream that seemed to have no reality to it. However, it was very much a reality. Ashe was born with the gift. The gift of great power to call upon the whisperer. The first time the Princess used magic was as a mere infant. It started as small incidents around the castle that could easily be contained. Allowing Cor leonine, King of Freaanland, to turn a blind eye to his daughter. However, it was soon realized that Ashe was much too young to control this power within her when the incidents became more frequent and difficult for him to explain. Now that Ashe was of age, things are getting out of control. In a desperate attempt to stop the incidents before something disastrous happened, Cor sent her away to the black tower in hopes they could contain the power within his daughter. At first, Ashe wanted no part in it. She resented her father for sending her to a place that did not respect her authority as princess. She refused to take part in her practices as well as associate with the others. That was until the day she realized just how powerful she could be. Just how dangerous she could be without their help. Things began to happen by simple thoughts and emotions without her desire. Soon Ashe buried her nose in books to learn her lang, spent late nights practicing her concentration on parol and soon found herself excelling on her way to actually having potential to become a mage. And she had potential indeed. Before she knew it, Ashe had found the black tower her home. Soon she found It refreshing to be an equal among others. If one called her by her title, she would scold them, reassuring them she was no different them they were, here at least. The test was surprisingly easy. Well, Ashe didnt expect it to be terribly difficult but, shouldnt it have been somewhat of a challenge? It seemed more of a challenge to the conductor than Ashe herself. It was no matter. If she passed, then she passed and now she was able to move on to the next step. To be bonded to a Templar. Now Ashe stood before Jehanna who sat behind a book that could very well have stood taller than her tiny form would at full stance. The fact that she was even able to hold the book up was astounding. Ashe wasnt one to be frightened by much, but the fact that the walls seemed to close in on them and there was nowhere to run. That was terrifying. Anna, when are you going to straighten this damned place up? she asked while stepping over a fallen book. Its become a hazard to your health. She seemed to ignore her suggestion, Ashe, the mistress of initiates spoke from her chair on the other side of the room, her head buried in the large hardwood backed book she held in both hands. Lets see Ashe Ashe ah, yes, here you are. Youve been no, thats been annotated. She flipped through several pages. Assigned to be observed in raising by Sister Veran and Brother Rallius. Your bonded accepted of the ward is Antrim Killough. Oh well thats peculiar. Her words that came out brought a smile to Ashes pretty face. This should be interesting. Peculiar indeed. A perfect match if I may say so myself. The remark seemed to leave Jehanna in question. But to Ashe, there was no confusion. A chance to taunt her enemy, well that sounded spectacular. Challenge accepted.