Trial of the War Mage Journal: Solaris Starvale

This journal has been published by the Cabal of the Burning Sword to help those who wish to ascend to the Rank of Cabalist to better understand what it takes to become a Cabalist.

## TRIAL OF THE WAR MAGE JOURNAL: LEVI MORNE

The following entries recount the training and experiences of Spellbreaker Solaris Starvale prior and to completion. The dates of these entries take place over the course of just over a year.

### Entry 1:

I was told I should keep a diary on my training to look back upon in the time to come. Other than for nostalgia and reflection, I do not see any reason to do this. But I will do as requested and recount what is to come. I’m told my training will not be pleasant, so perhaps I will be relieved to look back and wonder just how I survived it all. Tomorrow will be my first session, so I will end it here in order to get some sleep. Belore give me strength.

### Entry 2:

The first day was simply a test of my current strength. Master Coleman has informed me that we will be venturing into the ruins of Stratholme in search of a relic of some sort. I’ve never been a fan of frolicing with the dead, but it looks as if I must. Nothing a little fire magic won’t handle, though the smell will be dreadful. If you think a rotting corpse smells bad at first, try setting it on fire. Anyways, I must be off. Let’s hope this goes well.

### Entry 2.5:

The mission was a success. We encountered some trouble once in the city, but nothing that we couldn’t handle. I’m curious what the relic was, but I thought it best not to ask. Despite the smell of burning rotten flesh, the mission did help me hone my skills. I doubt my actual training will be similar, though it’s always nice to brush up on the basics. Speaking of the training, I’m told that my skills have been assessed and the real sessions will begin within the next couple days. My schedule will depend on our current deployment.

### Entry 7:

Now that the brush-ups are done, it’s time to get in shape. Today mostly consisted of running and building muscle, but Master Coleman also thought it fit for me to work on dodging spells. Have you ever tried dodging a fireball at full speed? Don’t. Needless to say I’m quite sore as I write this. Let’s hope things improve.

### Entry 14:

So here we are again. The first week is over and a new one begins. I suppose I showed sufficient progress for Master Coleman decided to make the workouts warm-ups. Along with the speed, strength, and agility training, I’m also brushing up on my skill with weaponry. I’ve not had much use for a sword, though I do have some experience and have handled a dagger or two. However, I had not used a polearm until today. I do not see the appeal. They are heavy and less reliable than a simple blade in my opinion. I imagine a normal soldier could effectively use one compared to myself, though I’d imagine it would be pure brute strength that makes the difference. Regardless, I will do as instructed and keep practicing.

### Entry 28:

Master Coleman was right. I’ve gained a good bit of muscle these last two weeks and I’m able to run for much longer lengths than before. I can now dodge fireballs effectively, but he’s starting to change it up with different spells such as getting out of Blizzards and avoiding sudden magical traps. I still get hit every so often, but not nearly as much as before. Thanks to my conditioning, I’m much faster and more agile. This was also the day that we began training with mail armor. I’m told I need to work my way up to plate, so I will start wearing chain mail over my body during runs and spars. Had I not been working out, I imagine this would be more of a pain than it is. Things are looking up, though my writing has become less frequent. He says it’s alright, so long as I make sure to record the more important details.

### Entry 58:

I’ve finally moved up to wearing plate armor. Though I’ve yet to receive the official plated uniform, I’m being made to wear basic plate over my chain mail. It’s a good bit heavier, but I can handle it. I’ve become far less agile with the additional weight, but this is something I will need to work on. At least the plate offers some protection if I get hit. I suppose that’s the bright side of things, but I have a good ways to go. My weapon handling has vastly improved, though I still find myself preferring a simple blade. As I said before, I still hold a bit of disdain for polearms.

### Entry 88:

It seems that my physical abilities have reached an adequate level. My training will now be shifted over to magical studies, which means it’s Dalaran all over again, Although I will still need to work out each morning, it will be in lesser amounts to offer more time to my studies. It feels nice to be back in a more normalized setting, though I regret none of these last two months.

### Entry 134:

Thanks to my early training as a Magi years ago, this part of the training was a bit easier to get through. However,

many of these books and scrolls cover subjects and contain instructions that were not given to us in Dalaran. I’ve found myself up at ungodly hours reading through them. It’s fascinating what the lower ranks among Magi aren’t given, though I can see why they would keep some of these from the untrained. I’ve learned new techniques to counter harmful spells, how to effectively use certain spells to their fullest potential, and the history of how the spells were crafted. I should probably get some sleep, however. I dread what Master Coleman would say if he knew I was cutting out rest time.

### Entry 194:

Two months have passed and I’ve learned much about the magic I use. After demonstrating my knowledge to Master Coleman, he thinks I’m ready to begin learning how to spellbreak. All these months of training have led to this. I’m a bit excited, but I’m stepping into foreign territory with the lessons to come. By now I know to expect the unexpected, so I feel ready and confident. Let us see where this goes.

### Entry: 254:

My training is nearly done. I’ve qualified the physical and academic sections, though I’m not sure what comes next. Master Coleman has asked that I meet him tonight, though he did not say why. I will update this entry tomorrow if it proves worthy of note.

### Entry 255:

I write this with a shaky hand, my body aches more than it ever had before. Last night was the final step in my training; marking me as a Spellbreaker. In order to build my immunity to magic and direct arcane energy more effectively, I was willingly restrained and subjected to ritual branding and tattooing. To say the process was painful would be a severe understatement. I have not experienced more pain than I did when those runes were burned into my skin. It’s over, but I still feel the effects the morning after. I have been instructed to rest and heal, but for how long? Time will only tell. I will end my entry here, for I find it difficult to focus and keep my hand steady. Until next time.

### Entry 285:

A month has passed since my last entry. The pain is gone, but the markings are as fresh as the day they were made. Master Coleman informed me that we will begin training me to make use of my runes tomorrow. I have a feeling I know what that entails, but I look forward to the day where I no longer need to dodge or counter spells and can simply brush them off. The thought alone brings a smirk to my face. I will endure what I must in order to master their use.

### Entry 286:

I will need to spend adequate time on each school and element of magic in order to build up a resistance to them all, so I’ve cleared my schedule for the most part in order to give myself time to give each school at least two weeks of attention. I expect this to be another round of my early training, except I no longer have the option of avoiding the spells. This may hurt a bit to say the least. I will give bi-weekly updates on my progress.

### Entry 300:

The first two weeks are over and I’ve learnt to channel my runes to resist elements cast in the school of Evocation. As expected, I did suffer a bit of damage the first few tries, but I learned to resist what was being thrown at me as time went on. It’s quite empowering to be able to take a fireball to the face and shrug it off like it was nothing. I look forward to seeing the expressions of those who would try something similar on me.

### Entry 314:

Update number two: Conjuration. As crazy as it sounds, I’ve spent the last two weeks quite literally having conjured weapons thrown or swung at me. Needless to say the fear of being impaled drove me to use my runes more effectively. Master Coleman dampened his spells until I was able to repeatedly resist conjured weapons. The arcane blades eventually shattered over my body due to my resistance and caused me no harm. Sadly, real weapons still pose a grave threat to my well-being. I will have to keep up with my physical combat training to counter that fact.

### Entry 328:

Update number three: Illusion. This training was very similar to Conjuration. However, this one involved defending against multiple mirror images and finding an identical conjured target. It took a few tries and, thankfully, my armor prevented any serious harm. Once I mastered this, their blades and spells merely passed through me. This allowed me to ignore their attacks and find the true assailant. I’m sure this skill will become useful during future expeditions.

### Entry 342:

Update number four: Transmutation. This lesson was my least favorite, to be honest. The objective of this training was to resist external influences that would attempt to change my physical form. In other words, resisting spells such as Polymorph. I’ve never been turned into a sheep or toad this many times in my life and I can’t say that I would seek to endure this punishment again. I eventually trained myself to ward off these spells with my runes and remain my elven self.

### Entry 356:

Update number five: Enchantment. The training procedure was quite similar to that of Illusion, at least in my opinion. The lesson involved mental manipulation via enchantments such as causing one to suffer hallucinations. Enchanters will often use such spells to confuse their opponents in battle, so this was a good school to put extra attention into. The matter of resisting such magic was similar to Transmutation. The process mainly involved knowing when it was coming and warding against it when the time came.

### Entry 370:

Update number six: Divination. Of all of the schools I’ve worked on over the past couple months, this one was the easiest and least annoying. The main focus was to learn to detect when Master Coleman attempted to Scry upon me and to dispel his magic with my runes. Scrying is often used to spy upon foes in order to learn of their intentions or location. Negating such a spell is crucial. It took some trial and error, but I eventually managed to block every Scrying attempt. At least with this skill privacy won’t be much of an issue.

### Entry 384:

Update number seven: Abjuration. The last two weeks of training with my runes has come to a close. The final school we focused on was Abjuration; the art of protective magic. In this case, my task was to resist barriers that Master Coleman placed upon me. Needless to say, I’m not a fan of being imprisoned. This skill allowed me to prevent that. My runes, once attuned, warded off any attempt to trap me in any form of barrier. Just like Enchantment, I would recommend putting extra time into mastering this skill.

### Entry 388:

With the use of my markings mastered, I was given a few days to rest and recover from it all. However, I was called to a meeting with the Lord Marshal and Master Coleman today and given a special mission. The Lord Marshal wishes to make an example of a Sin’dorei Warlord in Eversong. Ilithan Bloodwing, the Sin’dorei in question, had some unsavory words for both the Lord Marshal and our Regiment as a whole - something along the lines of us following our King like lost puppies and that Maxen himself was merely a puppet. I’m not too thrilled about the mission due to where I’m being sent, but I know where my loyalties lie and will do as expected. Besides, I don’t take too kindly to someone calling a superior, and friend, a puppet. For those that read this and do not know me well, I am an elf myself. One could imagine why I would have slight resentment for this mission, but I would be lying if I said the reward didn’t interest me. Our objective is to infiltrate Bloodwing Manor and steal a powerful spellblade kept within. Our intel suggests that the blade is meant to be a gift for one of his influential associates; something to keep them loyal to his name. Should we succeed, this will surely serve as an embarrassment for the Bloodwing name and the blade will be put in better hands - my own. I’m to be accompanied by several Rangers under the Lord Marshal’s service, so at least I won’t be doing this alone. I leave tonight to join the Rangers and begin the journey to Quel’thalas.

### Entry 390:

The mission only took us two days to complete. Day one was spent traveling to our destination via portal and scouting the area for possible entry points. We decided that the front door was out of the question, so we entered through the wine cellar. The manor was guarded mostly by swordsmen, but we encountered a few Spellbreakers guarding the blade itself. We handled the swordsmen with ease. Immune to magical attacks, the Spellbreakers had to be confronted with blades. My hands are now stained with the blood of Sin’dorei. At least now I can say that I overpowered a master of my craft - one of my own kind nonetheless.

The blade is resting on my desk nearby and I often find myself gazing upon it. It’s truly a beautiful blade; a wonder of elven craftsmanship. It perfectly balanced and light in weight, the magical potential practically radiating off of it. It feels natural in my hand, as if I was meant to wield it. To think that such a weapon is now mine is humbling to say the least. I will be sure to thank the Lord Marshal and Master Coleman for the opportunity the next I see them.