Archive of Wisdom: Beginning

Mystic Elder Rep! : 49 Location : Greenville, SC

Choosing Your Path

One must always strive to continue to broaden their horizons with the knowledge of the past. Sometimes delving deeper than those that had come before. Sometimes that delving leads to dark places that have cost more than one scholar their lives. Every scholar understands this when they depart on their path of discovery. There is always a broad spectrum of subjects with which to learn. And to choose only one to study above the others is always hard, since it means that you must leave all the rest behind as you begin your descent into that subject. For you will be drawn into the text and learning of the subject, that you will sometimes forget to eat, forget to sleep, forget that you are a living being. And to try and study more than one subject at a time would be folly as there would be no time and no way to fully immerse yourself in a second subject and devote yourself to studying and learning. It is best to leave the other subjects for another time.

Now to be well versed in the understandings of the other subjects is a good idea before you start your spiral into a single subject of lore or learning. This makes cross referencing other texts and subjects much easier. So make sure to choose your subject of study wisely. For that choice can either be a very hard road to travel with an ending not so sweet, or a difficult terrain to cross, but you will be armed with far more knowledge than you thought possible. Consider the search for knowledge like crossing a vast desert. If you are not fully prepared, you will suffer loss, and eventually fall and die. But someone with the proper tool and knowledge of survival can exist forever and a day in the harsh environment of sun and sand.

So before beginning on a journey into enlightenment, arm yourself with the weapons of your field and those weapons that could prove to be useful. Discovery is all about the chase of the information, not just the finding it. Scholars have long since chosen this path as a means to an end, but have fallen into the idea and comforts of the pursuit of such knowledge. Be warned not to fall too far or you could forget yourself and your surroundings. All things in moderation. Including the pursuit of Knowledge. Knowledge is power, but if you are not able or around to exercise that power then it becomes utterly useless.

Keeping a good accounting of your journey will enable those that come behind you to finish where you leave off, since that is what all scholars do. The journey is endless, for at the end of one path is the beginning of another. Understand this before you embark, it will save you time and heartache. On this note one should never pick right up where another has left off, but first study the same lines, for you may find the things that the other has missed. And this is where it is important to understand that everyone misses some scrap of information, some little tidbit of script, some small portion of intel that would otherwise go unnoticed. That is why many scholars pursue the same path as their masters in hope of not only overshadowing their teachers, but also finding the things they have missed. Remember the chase is what makes the journey to Discovery worth the ending results. So keep a good accounting.

Excerpt from the Archive of Wisdom
By Jay'de

-664-

Mystic Elder Rep! : 49 Location : Greenville, SC

Jay'de penned her notes upon the scroll as she continued on with her journey through the reaches of the desert. Her horse was rather slow plodding through the never ending sands of the desert region. She had long since passed the area of the short grasses and had begun the journey under the setting sun. Any who knew the desert, knew it was better to travel at night out of sight of the harsh desert sun. The blistering heat would usually give way to the cooler, colder climate of the night. And the stark contrasting heat rising from the desert. The pure white horse was bred in the region, it was his home as much as it was Jay'de's. Both of them ending up in the same area so far from home was a wonder. Although for the horse more likely than the girl. The last light from the sun would be fading shortly, giving the sands around her the eerie deep purple glow that signaled the onset of twilight. From here, it would be all by the feel of the desert and the grace of the stars that she navigated to her destination.

-233-

Mystic Elder Rep! : 49 Location : Greenville, SC

A snort from the beast under her, had her placing the scroll and feather away in the saddle bags. The motion of the horse's gait similar to the deep reverberating drums of her home. It was the music of the desert and she swayed and bounced along with the rhythm of the animal between her supple thighs. Reaching over she patted the horse's head and chuckled. "Well now, Meridion. How does it feel to be back in your homeland, eh?" The reins rested against the animals neck. She and the beast were almost like one, having ridden the animals all her life, that and camels, it made it easy to let the animal plod along, with just a touch to the side to nudge him in the proper direction. A camel would be better for the longer journeys, but one could not be picky when they were roaming through the desert in search of ancient scrolls and texts long forgotten.

Jay'de had finally started on her own inner journey of discovery. The subject of which was still mystical in her head. So many different things to study so much she wanted to do, but she must make a choice soon if she was to get anywhere with her research. Just meandering through the world without direction was a miserable existence. And thus she continued on her road to discovery, recording it all the whole time. Every thought formulated in her mind, every piece or scrap of information, every mislead, misstep, and discovery. From every failure rose a new path to try and a new idea. But what to start with. She wanted to mix magic and science. She knew that but how. What would be a good way to do that?

-315-

Mystic Elder Rep! : 49 Location : Greenville, SC

She called the records of her journey, the Archive of wisdom for the next person to peruse. That way they could a feel of how to start out and know that every other researcher, assistant, studier, magi started exactly where they had started. From the beginning. As far as Jay'de had figured out, no one else had started this kind of thing. As for tonight, the last rays of sun set and she was glad she had stopped writing for now. The sands around them had turned a startling shade of purple as the moon began its own journey. If she remembered correctly, they were only six hours from Rajeh. She should reach the city before the dawn of first light. If nothing else, at least the color of her hair would keep her partially safe in such a city for the few days it would take her to locate a caravan to travel with. No she wasn't royalty, but she was desert born and bred. The hair was a tell-tale sign of that. All the higher ranking officials and such had white hair. Well so she had learned. And the last thing she wanted at the moment was the notice of bandits or slave traders. A woman alone around here, could easily find herself caught, sold and forced into the harem of some fat desert prince. A minor one at that.

-245-

Mystic Elder Rep! : 49 Location : Greenville, SC

She had other plans. If she was forced to give herself to some man, it would be someone with power, stature and of course wealth. If one had to be forced into the wifely ways, it was better to strive for the best match possible. Sad but true for her people. Although she preferred to fall in love. Silly of her to want that. As soft as it was, Master Hunter would scoff at her musings if he was here to hear them. But she was a teenage girl budding on the verge youthful adulthood, so she sometimes had musing such as this. Having lived north and to the west from here, she had learned that everywhere else in the land, they usually only had one wife, here there were multiple, the favored wife having control over the others and the harem. Personally she preferred the way it was done in the north. But she understood the workings here as well. It was almost ten years since she had left. But those life lessons were ingrained deep in her soul. the need for the rules and subtle checks and balances of power in the desert. It was a harsh life, but a good life if you were born in the upper tiers of society.

-223-

Mystic Elder Rep! : 49 Location : Greenville, SC

But as it stood she was born into the upper tiers of society, but had been banished. Sent to die for the death of her father. She had not known control back then. But now, now thanks to the teaching, however sparse and random they were, from Master Hunter, she was learning awesome control of her mind. Soon she would be learning other magics. Or at least she hoped. A few magical tomes and texts rode with her. a few books, a few scrolls, feathers, and other such things. She carried things with her at all time. She knew how to hunt, how to cook, to skin, how to survive. All of that she had learned too early, but she remembered. Not to mention the many trips that Malachi had sent her on before his death.

Malachi was her teacher prior to Hunter. A kind gentle old man, that tried his best. He was the one to at least teach her how to dam up her powers so as not to have leakage. But his description had crippled her. There was missing element in her studies at that time that caused the crippling. So it was the fault of both of them. Within the first few moments, Master Hunter had broken that dam, rebuilt it and taught her how to use the chaos to reinforce the order of things. This had been what she was missing. The need for order had pushed it all in the back making her so much weaker.

-261-

Mystic Elder Rep! : 49 Location : Greenville, SC

But that is what she had been told to do by the elders. Perhaps they had sought to weaken her. This way she would be a tool under them, that they could use in an explosive manner. Self destructive manner that it would have been. She could not understand why they had been like that. But all the isolation, all the harsh words, all of it had only made her stronger, tougher. She would soon be approaching her eighteenth anniversary of her birth. She would a woman. That was the man reason she was in the desert. A sense of duty to visit her tribe one last time and see if they were willing to accept her. The hurt ran deep. She was nothing but a tender child when it had happened. Now she growing up, survival and strength being part of her set of tools. Things that those of the desert accepted.

Night rolled onward as she traveled. Her thoughts going over the scrolls in her personal case. The moon rose high in starry sky, the scent of the desert was heady and she closed her eyes to inhale the fragrance of her youth and childhood. The scents that still lingered on her, even as she moved around the world. She could see, and perhaps it was just enough she could continue to write in her scrolls.

-242-

Mystic Elder Rep! : 49 Location : Greenville, SC

Reaching into her saddle bag, she withdrew the writing instrument and the scroll labeled Archive of Wisdom. With a sure movement, even with the swaying of Meridion, she was able to juggle the scroll, ink stone, and writing tablet. Finally she had everything on the tablet and set up to write. Balancing the wooden tablet and securing the ink stone to it, something she had learned to do so she could write while moving, she reached into the saddle bag and withdrew a small container of ink sticks. Crushing part of the stick against the stone, she replaced the stick back in the container and put the container back in the saddle bag. This was also the reason she had taught Meridion to response to vocal and slight nudges of the knees. Water from her flask, only a drop or two, upon the stone and mixed with the ink gave her her much needed ink. The Feather she had picked up and craved, since her brush had broken a few days ago. It worked in times of need. Plus when she was finally done with this journey, she could always copy the text of the scrolls into a more pleasing form.

With everything settled she began to write again.

-227-

Mystic Elder Rep! : 49 Location : Greenville, SC

The Importance of Studying the Basics

Now it is important to focus upon the single solitary subject. But that applies to the broad subject as well as the smaller subjects as you define your path and narrow your field of research. What is just as important is to continue in your normal day to day studies of the various over subjects, such as magics, math, science, and various others. This keeps your mind sharp. For how good would you bee if all you learned was magic and not the science behind the magic or the math. This also helps break up your research into spurt and gives you much needed breaks where in you may rest and brush up on your other studies. This keeps your mind keen and sharp. For if you become too engrossed in your subject, your mind becomes dull and you will not be able to see your research properly.

It is also important to have most of your generic basics down before you begin down the path of discovery. Without those basics it is impossible to go very far. These basics are the stones that you will begin building your research upon. If you are researching magic, you would need to know the basics of spell casting to even begin to know where to start. Also a few basics of the elemental sciences would be a good thing to have knowledge in since a good majority of magic delves into the use and manipulation of said elements. If one was to study science, one would need to know the basics and perhaps a little more of the subject of math since science utilizes basic and complex equations to garner results.

So the continuation of those basic subjects while journeying down the path of enlightenment, is a must. Without the basic subject and the continuations of such, it could make your life harder, and most likely you will come to a wall you cannot surmount without those basic tools. If you do come to this wall, retrace your steps and set down the research to pick up the study books. It is easily remedied. A little more studying of the basics and you will be able to break through the barrier that is stopping you.

This is why, one cannot forget to study the basics. One must have their roots planted firmly in the basics before you can start. And always resort to the basics if you come up to the block or hole in your research. So long story short. Study the basics and study them throughout your research.

-472-

Excerpt from the Archive of Wisdom
By Jay'de

Mystic Elder Rep! : 49 Location : Greenville, SC

Jay'de finished her work on the scroll and blinked tiredly. That was the main problem with traveling the desert at night. The sheer time and the toll it took on your body. Naturally the human body felt the need to sleep through the darkness of the night. And she was fighting it by traveling during these sleeping hours. If she had not spent the last nine years of her life up in the northwestern forests, her body would be use to traveling at such times. As it stood, it was hot to her body. But over the past day or two, she was becoming more adjusted to the heat of the day, and the chill of the night.

With a yawn, she blinked and then held the scroll up to her face as she gentle blew her breath across the ink to speed up the drying process. Once dry, she rolled the scroll up and tied a ribbon the color of green jade around it and placed it back into the scroll case that was strapped to the saddle. Her tribe lived far to the south and Rajeh would be the best place to stop for the daylight hours and find a caravan heading that direction. Safety in numbers when traveling through the sands of the bandits. That was very important.

-230-

Mystic Elder Rep! : 49 Location : Greenville, SC

While in Rajeh, she would be a woman alone in a den of sadistic monsters. She would have preferred going into Di'mes itself to having to enter this village. But it was going to be morning and the desert sun would be climbing high. She was not stupid enough to try and make her way through the desert during the heat of the day. So resting in Rajeh was a must, plus she would need to restock and let the seasoned gelding under her rest. The old war horse was trained, but even he had his limits.

Softly and quietly they plodded onward. She took the time to clean her tablet and let the ink stone dry before wrapping it up and placing it back into her pack. A sound caught her ears. Meridion gave a snort and his ears perked up and to the left. A low growl was heard in the distance, the sound of a desert cat seeking its prey. It wasn't them, otherwise they would have been taken down already. Those sleek animals hunted the desert at night, one of the perils of this land and traveling at night. They were the size of a horse, but the color of the night time desert sands. Their fur shifting like the sands in the winds.

-226-

Mystic Elder Rep! : 49 Location : Greenville, SC

It was always hard to spot one as it crouched low to the sands. It wasn't long after the initial growl that she heard the sounds of some poor animal screaming in pain and then it was cut short. Meridion snorted again but they kept on with there travels. The desert was harsh, one needed to be strong to survive. And that was heart of the desert tribes, weakness was frowned upon. If nothing else this journey home would strengthen her and the horse she kept for a quiet companion.

Most women in her position would be insane by now with the solitude. But she was cut from a different cloth than those that she called family. She was a loner by trade. Her family having banished her into this forced solitude. But she found she liked it. Master Hunter pretty much left her alone unless he had need of her. And well, although sometimes she found herself longing for human contact, she would shy away from it. Jay'de was a very introverted person. Most of her life, no one had wanted her because of her powers. Now she had turned that into a form of armor against people. She was protected in her armor of inner musings.

-225-

Mystic Elder Rep! : 49 Location : Greenville, SC

The moonlight was still shinning down and glinting off the darken sands, turning the grains into sparkling crystals. Another yawn, and she was slowly slipping into a light sleep atop the swaying equine. It was like a lullaby to her, the gentle swaying. Soon she was nodding off. A bad thing to do while in the desert at night, but she trusted Meridion to make it to the village.

A few short hours later, a snort from Meridion had her opening her eyes as quickly as possible. It was dawn creeping upon them. Changing the sands to beautiful reds and blushing pinks. Jay'de loved the way both dawn and dusk looked along the desert. It was one of the things she missed about living here. Glancing about she could see the wall of sandstone coming into view. It was the village of Rajeh and she was almost there. Soon there would be a stable for Meridion, a bed of pillows for her. Food and a cool place to rest while the sun was high in the sky. A soft smile flitted across Jay'de young face. Almost home. From here it wouldn't be but a few more days travel.

-213/3776-

Mystic Elder Rep! : 49 Location : Greenville, SC

An hour later

Jay'de smiled from the comfort of her own room. She had made it safely to the city of Rajeh and better yet, before the dawn was fully breaking. On top of that she had found herself a room in an inn. Her hand came up and she settled the hood down from head and around her shoulders. The cloak was a dark color, to keep her hidden while traveling at night. Brigands and bandits abounded down in the deserts. It was a kill or be killed mentality. Her jade colored eyes glanced around the room and she sighed. It was soft looking. Pillows lay upon the floor and on an ottoman in order to give one comfort during the harsh days. A sunken pool of water, clear and clean, bubbled in the floor. She had paid dearly for this room. But the bath was a much needed thing.

Settling her saddle bags down near the pillows, Jay'de reached up and unhooked the clasp that rested against the back of her neck. This held the top portion of her clothing in place. And once unhooked, the top loosened and began to slide over her chest. A few more clasps, one for each arm, and the entire top lay at her waste, baring her soft flesh.

-227-

Mystic Elder Rep! : 49 Location : Greenville, SC

A quick bit of finger work, had her belt off and the garment sliding down to the floor in a pool of soft silk. Gold and jade jewelery hit the floor amidst the silk garments. Her boots were soon to follow. Completely nude, she walked towards the water. Dipping her hand in the pool, she smiled at her reflection as it was distorted by the ripples. The water was the perfect temperature and she stepped down the three stairs leading into the pool. Oils and fragrant soaps rested on a silver tray on the corner of the sunken tub. She sat on a ledge that allowed the water to cover half of her chest, leaving certain parts of her anatomy visible. A soft sigh escaped her lips as she leaned back and let the water wash away her aches from the journey.

While settling into the bath, she let her mind wander over where to take her line of study. So much to do and so little time to do such things in this life time. Humans never lived that long. Not long enough to accomplish much unless they put their entire life to studying. Science was her choice at the moment. Right now Jay'de happened to be trying to narrow the broad subject down to something more specific.

-233-

Mystic Elder Rep! : 49 Location : Greenville, SC

She had studied the science of language and customs, but that was interesting nothing more. It was good knowledge to have. The fact that all of the dialects of terra were based on the same language gave her cause to wonder if their written language was based on something similar. There were ancient texts that were in a language that the elders had referred to as being prior to the dawn. That always left her in wonder. She would have to head to some of the old ruins to study those more in depth and without people breathing down her neck. Perhaps those texts held something interesting if she could decipher them. But first she had to make her way home and see if she was still in banishment. Most likely that was the case but one never knew. She had control of her powers now and was stronger. Plus a note to the good side, was that she had survived.

Thoughts of her powers and magic left that sense of need in her again. A fiery need to somehow make herself stronger. Stronger than any human thought possible. Also a need to understand how that magic worked and the science behind that magic. Perhaps she might even be able to harness it and reform it. That would be something worth doing with herself.

-243-

Mystic Elder Rep! : 49 Location : Greenville, SC

Jay'de rose from the ledge and moved over to the soaps. Selecting one that was to her liking, she grabbed a cloth and began to wash her slender, body. The soap and water glistening off her slightly tanned skinned as she ran the cloth along it. Her movements sensual without trying to be so. For the man, peeping into her room without her knowledge, it was enough to get him to reach down and well think naughty thoughts.

After soaping her body and washing the cares of life away, she sunk low into the tub, diving under the water only to come back up with a toss of her wet hair. The water sprayed around her in one of those rare moments of pure erotic slow motion ways. Her hands came up to push her white hair back away from her face. The water rushing down her body. Slowly she moved over to the stairs and began to move out of the water, grabbing a towel as she exited the bathing pool. The towel was wrapped around as she began to dry off. It would be time to rest soon. By the time the last drop of water was gone from her body, she had made it over to her packs. Fishing around, she redressed in a plain shit for sleeping. With a yawn and a stretch, she collapsed upon the ottoman and let herself drift to sleep.

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Mystic Elder Rep! : 49 Location : Greenville, SC

-END RP-

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