"I need more FIRE! This flesh needs to be purged before it is of use to me!"He bellowed.
When no one brought him flames he turned around slowly, peeling away from the blood stained stone slab and looked around the empty room. Where were the serfs? Where were his assistants? Was he so unimportant he was not allowed SLAVES?! It was an insult! But it did not matter, he had fire.
Sort of.
He had learned to conjure a bit of flame as a child. It had been useful. His sisters had been excellent subjects for secret torment. Poor little things they were. Babies. Hateful mewling things! Though they had to be healed by the Circle a few times; which was delightful! Never once did anyone suspect him! Fools. Imbeciles…
"Fire is boring." He said with a dramatic sigh, yet flames erupted from his fingers and the stench of burning flesh filled the room. It was quickly accompanied by the screams of the cadaver. Iago frowned. That was not supposed to happen. Using a concentrated version of the miasma spell he filled the mouth of the offending creature with an acidic cloud and melted away the flapping tongue and the overactive vocal cords.
Silence fell and Iago skipped away from his subject and went to fetch his "special" knives.
"Tonight, my dear, you shall be the First. I am sure your parents will be so very proud of you." His tone was congratulatory, conversational. Almost normal…
"To be chosen to fill a vessel is a high honour! You shall be reborn in light and shadow and lyrium… you will see…they will all see."
With a practiced motion he flipped the knife and infused it with his magic, the crystal blade glowing with an ethereal light that would be familiar to any mage. Within the blade were swirling images, perhaps captured or maybe even a mirror.
Iago examined the blade and his smile dropped from his pale face. His claw-like hand gripped the hilt tightly as his other hand caressed the crystal blade, holding it aloft like a priest before a sacrificial altar. "Eluvian…" He whispered respectfully, his gaze focused on it with a look of hope. "I have sacrificed so much to create you…" He said darkly, directing no small amount of anger at the seemingly inanimate object.
With the skin purged and the voice stilled it was time to test his creation…
It took twenty seven more attempts and many months but eventually Iago burst into the chamber where he had been told Furia was, the elf looking up at the disturbance and relaxing when he saw it was Iago. The elf blooded mage was waving the crystal knife in front of him excitedly, triumph all over his gaunt face!
"Furia! I have done it! I have finally done it! It's so pretty! Come and see my beautiful creation!"
The knife was not the final piece, it seemed. It was merely a tool that had taken the mage thirty years to create. It was the completion of the knife that had facilitated the triumph though.
Furia raised an eyebrow at Iago, a look that could have been sceptical, interested, curious or merely humouring the excited mage. It mattered not to Iago, he knew he had done what Furia wanted and that his master would be pleased. Iago was pleased enough for the pair of them anyway, so that was all that really mattered…