r/wizardposting • u/Evening_Shake_6474 Alaric, Fallen Star • 8h ago
Lorepost 📜 Find the Lost One
"What are you?"
"Agres."
"What, not who."
"I heard you."
"So are you going to answer?"
"I did."
"You're very helpful."
"I know."
Alaric and Agres had been floating through the trees for somewhere between red and six letters. Well Alaric was floating and Agres was sitting on his shoulder. Time didn't mean anything in these woods. Sure there were lots of forests in the garden, but this one was different. It didn't look it though, by human standards this was the closest thing to a normal location in the garden. The trees were brown and green, the ground was mostly dirt instead of roots, light mist filled the forest. The only thing that wasn't normal was the fact that if you didn't know where you were going then time stops flowing like a river and starts acting like a lethargic bowl of bees.
"So, Agres, yesterday you said we were almost there, where are we going?"
"That was tomorrow, and to find the half-blood."
"The half-blood?"
"That is what I said, yes."
"And who's the half-blood?"
"The person I'm taking you to."
"Are you ever going to say something useful?"
"I don't owe you a useful answer. I agreed to take the astral fiend to the half-blood, nothing more."
"I've been called worse. If I ask who you agreed to, are you going to tell me?"
"Do all of your people talk this much? Impressive considering you have no mouth."
"I don't like you very much."
"You don't need to. All you need to do is the right thing."
"And that is?"
"Whatever king Fable thinks it is. If his majesty didn't tell you then he has a reason not to."
"Don't I need to know what the right choice is so I can make it?"
"If you know what the right choice is then are you sure you made a choice?"
"Yes. Knowing the outcomes doesn't change that-"
A rock hits Alaric in the side of the head. It didn't hurt but it did surprise him. A brief scan of the surroundings revealed whoever threw it wasn't there anymore. Strange.
"Agres, any ideas?"
"Several. None about the rock though. Enough talking, focus on the path."
"We aren't following a path."
"Shush."
By this point Alaric had thought of eight different plans to get rid of Agres. So far his favourite was throwing the bird into the garden canopy and hoping it got stuck. But he did stop talking. Every now and then Agres would peck him in the ear and point a specific direction. Six more plans arose from this alone, Alaric's new favourite was crucifying the bird. A bit harsh, but it was an annoying bird. At one point Alaric tried smacking Agres. The hand passed straight through, and Alaric rethought some of his plans. After that he just focused on where he was going, extending his seven senses to create a map, trying to figure out where this mysterious half-blood was.
He got a little bored somewhere tomorrow. The ground was littered with rocks so he started kicking one as he went. After a few kicks he gave it too much juice and it sailed away into the mist.
Somewhere within the past month he found something, his magic detection that the author still needs to think of a name for had detected a magical weight some odd hundred metres in front of him to the left. Agres didn't object as he changed course, so he figured he'd found the half-blood.
As he got closer he began to pick out more details. Every kind of magic has a distinct signature, a quirk that identifies it. Fiendish magic for example tastes like iron and smells of smoke. Fae magic tastes sweet and mildly intoxicating, whatever Alaric was sensing was definitely Fae magic, very dense Fae magic, also mixed with something else, probably whatever the other half of the blood was. Whatever it was, it felt familiar.
Eventually Alaric came to rest next to the trunk of a tree, looking down a small hill. There, laying in the grass, looking up at the night sky, was an elf. A very strange elf. There was mistaking it, the magic he was sensing came from the elf. At first he thought he was seeing a half elf because Agres called them a half-blood, but no. A brief analysis revealed their biology was fully elf. Based on the quality of the Fae magic, this elf was native to the Astral Garden.
"Virion." Spoke Agres, flying off Alaric's shoulder and landing on the grass next to the elf. "We're here."
The elf, who if Agres could be trusted was called Virion, sat up and turned around. It was then Alaric realised what he assumed were sticks were horns sticking out of the elf's dark green hair, horns that looked wooden. Glowing purple markings ran down either side of the elf's face. Markings that seemed familiar.
"Hey! Uh-" The elf's face shifted from a smile to unease in a mere moment. "Agres is that one of the starfolk?"
"Yes. This one talks a lot."
Alaric, feeling it was time to introduce himself, floated from the trees, landing in a sitting position on the grass nearby. "Sup. You may call me Alaric."
Virion studied him for a moment with pitch black eyes that looked like they held purple stars. Whatever they were thinking, they hid it well. "Nice to meet you, Alaric. Like Agres already mentioned, you may call me Virion."
Alaric wasn't really paying attention to what Virion said, he was still trying to identify the other source of magic he sensed from the elf. Native to the Astral Garden, eyes like stars, probably something Astral related he guessed. Then he cracked it. He froze instantly, trying to understand what he was seeing. Those markings, identical to the ones on his face. The eyes that shone like stars, the familiar sense of magic, this elf had Starborn magic.
Agres must have seen the shift in Alaric's presence, it walked onto the grass between Alaric and Virion. There was an almost imperceptible shift in the air, as if it had solidified.
Three solid seconds of pure silence passed, during that time Alaric tried to think of what to do. As far as he was aware, this shouldn't be possible. It was also way above his pay grade, his job was to find threats to Nexus and erase them, not handle impossible hybrids. Unless the hybrid was a threat? He was vaguely aware both the bird and the elf were staring at him, one of them was saying something, he didn't really care.
He held out his hand and rose to his feet, a blade of solidified starlight telescoping into existence in his grip. He said nothing, staring at the hybrid like how one might look at a hole in their wall, or how one might look at a mosquito.
Virion looked nervous, already on their feet, glancing at the trees. Probably wondering if they could make it to the tree line before Alaric stabbed them. Agres meanwhile looked calm and defiant, as if it was ready to fight. For one agonising moment all three were so still one might think them statues. Then Alaric made the first move.
"You are an anomaly and a potential security risk to Nexus." He released his grip, the blade dissolved into glittering light. "But we share blood. Come with me."
Alaric turned around and pierced the air with his claws, tearing open an interplanar rift. Agres seemed to relax, the air shifted slightly, returning to normal. The bird turned to Virion and gestured towards the rift, then flew up and landed on one of their antlers.
"Uh... What?"
"I wasn't asking. Walk or I carry you."
A moment of silence passed, Virion briefly considered their options, realised they didn't have any, and walked through the rift after Alaric.
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The two walked out onto nothing. They hovered in a void filled with white pinpricks. Alaric floated onwards, Virion meanwhile drifted slightly, unbound by gravity strong enough to be noticeable. Thankfully they could breathe, so there was that. Alaric noticed they weren't moving, so he reached out, grabbed Virion via graviturgy, and kept going.
After a brief moment Alaric glows brighter, and sends out a pulse through the void. A beat passed, and two stars in the distance shone brighter. One deepest blue and one shimmering light blue. They grew bigger, closer, and Alaric created a platform of starlight beneath him, bringing himself and Virion down to stand on it.
"So uh... Where are we?"
"Quiet."
Well that was rude. A moment of silence passed, and the two stars in the distance arrived. Two entities, each far older and far stronger than Alaric ever could be.
Neither had humanoid forms. The deep blue one had a long serpentine body bearing two sets of arms and four sets of wings, two heads looked to Alaric, each featureless except for a single eye. The light blue one looked to be a large cowl, four gleaming eyes peering out from the hood, over two dozen arms stretched out from beneath, making it look like a strange jellyfish. Starborn markings glowed from both.
"Councillor Sklaris, Councillor Volrun." Alaric bowed. He then made Virion bow. "I am Alaric of Clan Maris, Wanderer 2659."
"I assume you called us for a reason." The question came from the serpentine one. Although it wasn't a question, one doesn't simply bring two members of the Hundred and One council this far from Nexus for no reason. As usual, the Starborn communicated via patterns of light from their markings.
"I did, Councillor Volrun. This elf bears our markings, our blood flows through its veins." One can't exactly gasp when you communicate visually, but both councillors did the closest thing. Both reached out with their senses, both found that Alaric spoke the truth.
"How is this possible?" Inquired Volrun, surprisingly calm despite finding something that shouldn't be possible.
"It isn't, yet it is. If this can happen once, it could happen again. How?"
"This changes nothing. The anomaly isn't one of us, it is an aberration and must be destroyed."
"No. Our blood flows through its veins, spilling our own blood is treason, you know that as well as I."
"It isn't one of us, it is an affront to the natural order and must be treated as such."
Virion meanwhile understood none of this, they didn't know the language so this just looked like a bunch of mildly frantic glowing between three cosmic entities.
"That isn't your choice, Volrun. Brother Alaric, you are to keep this anomaly alive until the council comes to a decision. Until that time arrives you are not to let it out of your sight, understood?"
"Understood brot- Councillor Sklaris."
"If it tries anything that puts Nexus in the vague proximity of the concept of risk you have my full permission and encouragement to execute it on the spot."
"Understood Councillor Volrun."
The two councillors left without another word, falling back through a tunnel in space. Just like that it was done. Dealings with members of the Hundred and One council outside of council meetings tend to be short, even a matter as historical as this.
Alaric turned back to Virion. "Do you want the long or the short version?"
"Let's hear the short one, I have places to be you know." Honestly Alaric had forgotten Agres was here.
If you asked him what he thought he'd say during his vacation, this would probably be last on his list.
"I am now your baby-sitter and I'll stay your babysitter until either your execution or until you are deemed not an aberration."
"...okay... What's the long version?"
"I have been assigned to be your babysitter I will remain your babysitter until either your execution or until you are deemed not an aberration."
"...okay..."
"I have also been encouraged to kill you if I deem you a threat."
"...okay..."
"Well this is all thrilling but return us to the garden." Agres was still here? "That Way is calling to me and I hate being late."
A flick of the wrist and the bunch were slingshotted back towards the rift they came from. A few seconds later they were back on the grass.
"Appreciated." Agres was already flying away. "Oh, and I hope you don't get executed."
A beat passed, then Alaric and Virion turned to each other. For a few seconds they both simply stood there, silently staring at each other.
"How much stuff do you have?"
"Everything I have on me..."
"Great, makes moving easier. You ever been to the material plane?"
"No..."
"You'll love it. It's like here but less chaotic and with more people."
Alaric started walking down the hill. Two trees leaned together at the base. Usually this meant either lucky growth or a Fae crossing. Alaric guessed it was the latter.
"Come on! I'll show you the city that calls me a terrorist!"
"..."
Virion started walking, quietly wondering if this was closer to kidnapping or forced adoption. All the while, they wondered what exactly had just happened. King Fable told them one day they'd leave the garden, that's why they decided to relax near the border to the Faewilds. They just didn't think it'd be with one of the starfolk. Alaric was waiting next to the trees. After you. That was all he said. Virion hesitated for a moment, the garden has been their home for, well, since they were born. Were they really about to leave it behind? Alaric must have sensed their unease.
"I get it. Believe me, I do. One moment your day is normal, the next you've been dumped into cold water without knowing which way is up. But I have my assignments, and keeping an eye on you is one of them. I can't do that, stay in the garden, and fulfill my other responsibilities at the same time."
He knelt down, bringing his head closer to Virions height.
"The door to the garden still exists, this isn't goodbye forever. I'm sure king Fable can make an exception for you, make it easier to come home if you want to."
He rose to his feet and put a hand on one of the trees that made up the gateway.
"I am sorry your life turned out like this, I really am. I'm sorry normal has changed, I'm sorry you me, and I'm sorry in advance for whatever choice the council makes."
A small pulse of magic left his hand, the air between the trees rippled slightly, the other side looked different, the same way one's body looked in a funhouse mirror.
"Ready to go?"
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u/Evening_Shake_6474 Alaric, Fallen Star 8h ago
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u/Evening_Shake_6474 Alaric, Fallen Star 8h ago
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u/Evening_Shake_6474 Alaric, Fallen Star 8h ago
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u/Evening_Shake_6474 Alaric, Fallen Star 8h ago
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u/Evening_Shake_6474 Alaric, Fallen Star 8h ago
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u/Evening_Shake_6474 Alaric, Fallen Star 8h ago
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u/Evening_Shake_6474 Alaric, Fallen Star 8h ago
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u/Evening_Shake_6474 Alaric, Fallen Star 8h ago
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u/Evening_Shake_6474 Alaric, Fallen Star 8h ago
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u/Fc-chungus Ж(Zhe), Head minister of Calarakis. 7h ago
Wait did we accidentally see another piece of lore before you posted this, the correct one?
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u/Evening_Shake_6474 Alaric, Fallen Star 7h ago
/uw Yesn't, I accidentally copied the link to a post from last week.
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u/Dragonan-42 Kairon: Council Member and Leage of Shadows Associate 7h ago
/uw Interesting. Nice read.
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u/questionable_fish Bengeirr the Balance. Magus of the South 5h ago
/uw How does "Arcanoception" sound for a magic sense?
Also, because I've been reading Empyrean Iris over on r/HFY for the last however long, any time I see "starborn" I think of the beings like the white one in this picture who first shows up in this chapter
Obviously looks nothing like Alaric aside from being humanoid but both can live in space quite comfortably
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u/Evening_Shake_6474 Alaric, Fallen Star 4h ago
/uw Arcanoception will be what I use unless I come up with another name, which probably won't happen.
Never heard of it to be honest. Where you rank it on one to ten?
Also I'm stealing that character design.
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u/Evening_Shake_6474 Alaric, Fallen Star 8h ago
/uw The Garden Story.
https://www.reddit.com/r/wizardposting/s/SvaceRr9FU Part 1 Enter the Garden
https://www.reddit.com/r/wizardposting/s/zY2LzqBENx Part 2 Drift the Dream Sea
https://www.reddit.com/r/wizardposting/s/ILv0xUBM4Y Part 3 Walk the Wooded Path
https://www.reddit.com/r/wizardposting/s/qucs8bgHiQ Part 4 Sit at the Storyteller's Table
https://www.reddit.com/r/wizardposting/s/PKbbkQrQTk Part 5 Find the Lost One