After however long it took them to get there, the ship approached the world of Torn Elkandu. Though long before then it became clear that they weren't really in Kansas anymore as the "Warp" outside calmed down into the more placid version the Elkandu enjoyed. The Ethereal Plane here was a slow swirl of purple and black, rippling like a lake on a calm day.
It was difficult to tell just when they start approaching Torn Elkandu, however, as indistinct forests around it slowly become more and more distinct. Kind of strange, really. And there, nestled between forests, mountains, and a large lake, was the city of Torn Elkandu. There was a landing platform set to the east of the city set up for ships coming and going, although there weren't a great many ships actually docked there at the moment as it wasn't really the Elkandu's preferred method of transportation.
Melaran passed the time in a variety of pursuits, most of them tediously boring and tending toward frustration as he found his temperament ill-suited toward the calming rituals of meditation. He spent more time in the cockpit as their destination neared, the sudden calm of the Warp an interesting phenomena that he noticed caused a sudden surge in their transit as the craft was designed for more turbulent conditions.
Landing the craft at the designated field, he waited for Tarna to signal her readiness and then disembarked, of caution armed and armored as he knew nothing of the land before him and was little accustomed to blindly walking into situations.
Melaran was greeted with probably the strangest sight he had ever witnessed. The city was a bustle of many races, most of which he probably hadn't ever actually seen before. Among the normal elves and humans, there were also centaurs, nali, teppers, angels, and other beings. They seemed to be fairly quiet and somber, by Elkandu standards, and a distant sound of faint flute music could be heard.
The city itself didn't really so much appear to have been built as shaped from raw ether, although the myriad styles of the buildings were fairly unique. Faintly glowing runes lined the streets, and in spite of millennia of separation there was still something vaguely familiar about them. Restaurants, taverns, houses, and smithies lined the streets, along with shops selling any number of different things.
Remembering things he'd heard from Tarna about the vast differences in this place helped armor him a bit from the shock of the 'mutant' races, though some part of that remains in a lingering unease. Curiosity won the day, though, and he studied them with frank fascination, recognizing the consistency of some of the races that suggested that they are indeed true races and not simply mutation.
"Where to even begin?" he mused aloud, the sensory input incredibly rich and alien. He could feel the power in the place, growing more accustomed and comfortable to his own sensitivity, and he marveled at all of it. "Those-" He turned the hawkish helm to look to Tarna, indicating the runes with a hand. "What are they? They're similar to Eldar glyphs and yet..." He shook his head, wandering to take a closer look at one.
"Runes," Tarna said. "Tinean runes, specifically. I don't know where they came from. They predate the Elkandu." She headed over for a nearby shop. A sign over the building read, "Useful Items". Well, not the most flashy name for a store, but descriptive enough.
"Hmm," Melaran muttered in thoughtful reply, studying it a moment more and poking at his subconscious a bit without much help, then shrugged and trotted to catch up with her.
Inside the shop was a vast array of, well, useful items. Racks and shelves held a wide variety of things, in particular there were bags of holding, amulets and talismans, rings, wands, a hodgepodge of different things many of which have no immediately discernible purpose. The proprietor of the shop appeared to be a pretty female elf with blond hair and blue eyes. She looked up at them and smiled at them as they come in.
Melaran looked at the shop-keeper briefly and nodded in greeting, then turned to take a look at the sheer mass of highly unusual items to be found. An artisan would probably be babbling by now, he was sure.
Although she was currently busy working on carving runes into another item, she took a moment to say, "Welcome to my shop. I'm Calring Chelseer. Feel free to take a look around and let me know if you have any requests for custom made items."
"What is all of this?" Melaran tepped to Tarna, the deceptively normal appearance of the items often belied by a faint hint of power to be felt from them as he looked. Jewelry in some cases, but to what purpose was it crafted and empowered? And of the other myriad items? Not the revulsion others of his kind might have felt, as he could feel no real threat here, simply wonder.
Tarna replied, "I don't even recognize half of these things, really. Some of the more common ones, I do. Bags of holding over there, obviously. This rack here has some amulets of warding on them, that protect you against being found if someone unfriendly is looking for you. And this headband here seems to be for mental protection..."
"Good thing I've got a native guide," Melaran replied with a fond chuckle, continuing to examine bits of this and that without any real regard for purpose, necessarily, more simple curiosity. "So what do they do for trade or payment here?" he asked as he reaches the bags and started looking through them. Useful items indeed!
"Well, it's generally not required or demanded, though it's common courtesy to not take more than is needed and to exchange unneeded supplies for further use when possible. Here, I'll deal with that." She headed over toward the counter and pulled out a large faintly glowing ruby from her bag. "Here you go. I don't really need this. You might be able to make better use of it."
Calring stopped what she's doing for a moment and examined the gem, checking its quality and strength and put it away into a drawer. "Thanks. Take whatever you like." Tarna nodded her head to Calring and went over back to Melaran again.
Melaran watched the transaction thoughtfully, making some degree of sense even if the comparative value is unknown. "I see why you've become a packrat," he tepped with a chuckle and shook his head, stepping back. "What would you suggest? I don't know if there's some sort of difference in capacity based on make or anything else."
"The capacity is generally the same for these types of bags, but the size of the mouth determines how large each item that goes into it can be. Most of them are generally elastic these days, but usually still only stretch so far." She picked up one, pulling it open as far as it'll go to demonstrate.
"Ahhh," Melaran responded in basic comprehension, the idea not so strange when compared to the Eldar's own use of Warp Gates, or the one back on the ship that he didn't even want to consider the cosmic joke involved. He started examining them with the limitation of the opening in mind, finally setting on one that seemed sufficient in practical terms. "Is there anything else needed here? You were examining other things."
"Oh, not really," Tarna replied. "I can't think of anything else really needed at the moment. Is there anything else you wanted?"
"I am a stranger here, and don't even know where to begin!" Melaran replied with silent laughter. "Maybe when I see something else along the way in use it'll give me an idea. Till then, lead on."
He was accustomed to following others, without question, but this was the strangest setting he'd yet encountered and really didn't have a clue... but was definitely willing to learn.
She grinned at him for a moment and tepped, "Sure thing."
She headed out onto the streets again and heads in toward the Nexus. The Nexus itself consisted of eight rune-covered obelisks curving in toward a circle within them. As the Nexus was originally designed by the El'dari, there was probably something that seemed vaguely familiar about it, and reminiscent of similar devices.
As they watch, the runes flare brightly for a moment and a bipedal white tiger appeared inside the circle, who then loped off down one of the roads. Melaran blinked beneath his helm, the sequence of events sparking the certainty of connection at the last.
"A Warp Gate, here?" he tepped incredulously. "You never said anything about the Eldar being here! How? Why?" A swirl of confused speculation accompanied the contact and only faded after he made a deliberate effort to contain the surge of emotion.
"There are Eldar here?" Tarna replied in confusion. "This is the Nexus of Torn Elkandu. A powerful device. It's capable of sending a person just about anywhere in the universe, and someone properly trained can recall to the Nexus from nearly anywhere."
Shaking his head to dispel the confusion, he moved over to take a look at one of the obelisks and trying to focus a bit. "Maybe," he tepped thoughtfully. "It's not the same as the Warp Gates that we've used elsewhere, but the similarity is far too great to be random!" He considered it a moment, then continued, "But then, it could be that they're long gone if this is old enough and is a shadow of what once was."
"The Nexus wasn't designed by the Elkandu," Tarna explained. "The design for it was detailed in the Tinean books that have been hidden on Lezaria for millennia. The Founders really just followed the instructions in there."
"Then they were once here," Melaran replied, "and the differences in the glyphs would then be easily explainable by a loss to translation over time, mimicry of something they didn't understand." He trailed off into speculation, then stepped back. "Time doesn't mean much to us, but not seeing them in all that time? They're likely long gone. Still interesting, though, in several ways." His race in another universe entirely? Odd.
"Nobody knows where the Tinean books came from," Tarna commented. "Though it was originally thought that they were written by the Wizard's Guild, as it turns out they only translated the books, and the originals had been on Lezaria since... since before it was colonized ten thousand years ago."
"Those are the glyphs of the Eldar," Melaran replied with quiet amusement. "The similarity was driving me crazy until I saw the Warp Gate open up. Where they went? Who knows, but I'll give you anything you'd care to wager that they were the source of this thing. Not that either of us would have to pay on that, seeing as anyone directly involved with the original translations is probably long gone. Heh."
"Yeah, so far as I know, there's only three left from before that period: Sardill, Harmony, and Amanda," Tarna tepped, thankfully tepping it and not saying it aloud. "Whether they were involved or not, I don't know, but they're the three oldest living Elkandu. They were born not long after Lezaria was colonized."
Across the street there was a building with a sign out front that said "Amanda's Changing Salon".
"And seeing as I have a preference for avoiding any of these Elkandu and their warped attentions, the chances of finding the answer are vanishingly small," Melaran replied lightly. "More a point of curiosity than anything else, though I'd be surprised if they hadn't left other traces around someplace. Ever fond of puzzles and enigmas, are the Eldar." he finished dryly.
"Everyone in this city is Elkandu, actually. That's why it's called Torn Elkandu," Tarna replied. "They aren't all bad. Actually, Amanda is a comparative island of sanity..."
Melaran looked around with suddenly renewed unease at the unexpected conclusion. "I figured that was just a generic name," he replied. "Though it doesn't look like the fires of Chaos and the Warp seem to be burning on every corner at the moment." He supposed he'd have to reassess that assumption a bit with further examination. "So what about this Amanda that she seems a paragon of virtue in comparison?"
"Well, she's sane. The other two are completely batshit, but Amanda's about the most relatively sane being you're likely to find from that era. Well, she does have her own quirks, of course, she does think elves are the greatest species ever and tries to convince everyone that they should have pointy ears, but..."
"What's wrong with that?" Melaran tepped with teasing warm humor. "I seem to remember a certain lady finding the idea appealing enough to ask them of a God. Seriously though, I've met beings that old that would fit both descriptions, though the 'batshit' ones tended to be at the other end of a weapon. Could be something to look into sometime, merely of curiosity, and it's not as though we're not just poking about anyway."
Tarna chuckled softly. As they stood tepping, a group of gnomes entered the Nexus, and vanish with a flash of the runes. "Perhaps." She meandered on down another of the roads leading away from the Nexus again. "This place does seem to have mellowed out a good deal since I was last here at least."
Melaran watched the transit thoughtfully, then followed after, content to look around a bit more. "From your rather evasive description I expected something a lot more... I don't know, horrific? Blatantly contradictory? Sure, there's a lot of new things that I'm going to have to figure out here, but doesn't look so terrible as yet, particularly in the wake of a Chaos incursion."
As they walked down this street, they did see some sign of the city's recent experiences, as the remains of what appeared to have been a Chaos temple were being demolished and purified.
"It's calmer than I remember it. And quieter... there's no music. There always used to be loud music playing here, you could hear it all across town."
It was impossible for Melaran not to stiffen reflexively at the recognition of the architectural design of the profane and, thankfully being demolished, vile temple. He looked away, seeking out more comfortable sights as he replied, "If Slaanesh was involved it doesn't surprise me that there's no music here, cleaning up the taint would mean wiping out the majority of the players after all."
And at the end of this road, they come to a raised stage in the middle of a wide plaza in which hundreds of people could have gathered. On top of the stage sat a drum kit, a piano, and several other instruments, some of which weren't even remotely recognizable, seemingly abandoned and forgotten.
"I need no feel of the power here to recognize the likely use of that," Melaran tepped with obvious disgust. "I'm not even going to let the mind's eye consider what the crowd gathered would be doing while the abominations performed their vile magics upon that stage. Gladly will I see that Foul One brought to ruination!"
"Funny thing is, that band's been here since the Planar Wars..." Tarna turns away from the stage and went right, heading down a street which a sign proclaimed was named "Infinity's Road".
"Chaos are sneaky bastards," Melaran replied, tempering his emotional spike with the knowledge it was done and over with and soon to be for good if Bob wasn't just pulling another joke. "Why do you think I wasn't the only one thinking disquieting thoughts about anger?" A moment of black thought flickered past, but he continues on a brighter note. "What else does this humble town have to offer, oh wild and winsome native guide?"
Tarna gestured along in the direction they're going. On the left side of the street, there was less so much a forest as there was a garden and placid groves of trees, with finely trimmed hedges and flowers. They come along to a plaza with a fountain bubbling in the center outside a large building which the sign proclaims is named the 'School of Thought'.
"One might think you planned this route," Melaran replied with dry amusement, the combined elements of soothing natural setting and the clearly marked school seeming designed solely for his benefit. "Or perhaps random chance?" he continued lightly teasing, then sobered, "Would this be a discussion group or something more practically inclined to the current situation?" He indicated the school as the source of his query.
"Heh. This is where I was taught, and thousands of other Elkandu as well," Tarna commented. "They've been training people here for hundreds of years in any number of things." She went up to the fountain and ran her fingers across the surface of the water.
"Would they have an idea of the potential of an Eldar though?" Melaran wondered idly, crossing to the fountain in her wake but merely studying the rippled reflection thoughtfully. "I've seen the Farseer at work on the field many times, but that storm still startled me with its fury... at least after the fact. Who knows what else they might have been able to do that I never saw? Rites, visions, other?" He shook his head in frustration.
"Well, I doubt you could find the higher-end stuff here, you'd need to talk to a High Elkandu about that, but the basics and mid-range stuff, no problem. They don't generally teach the high-end stuff to just anyone."
"The manifestation of the storm leaves me with little doubt that the greater things may well happen when I want them most, for one reason or another," Melaran replies, then shrugged and turned to look at the school. "The smaller are perhaps the most important, the basics that the greater will build naturally on. No reason not to check it out," he finished and touched her shoulder lightly before turning and walking to the building.
Tarna grinned a bit and headed in with him. The place was quite large and there was the occasional person of various races meandering through the hallways, carrying stacks of paper or books. While the clothing on the streets was somewhat more casual involving pants, there were more robes in here than outside.
They passed classrooms in which teachers were giving lectures on various subjects, and practice rooms where students were trying out their abilities on targets and one another. Lightning bolts, fireballs, teleportation, and more subtle things like divination and telepathy.
Some of the more unusual effects drew Melaran's attention, though the flavor of power was indeed psionic rather than the magic that the evils of Chaos would employ... a fine and strange distinction.
"I doubt that some of this is going to be of use," he tepped musingly. "Though considering that there was already much that I accepted that just wasn't true... who can tell?"
"Technically a person can learn anything they put their mind to learning, but often their natural inclinations will be toward one thing or another," Tarna commented. "That's perfectly normal. I certainly could never throw a fireball - nor could I ever dream of making a storm like that you did. Not without extensive training and practice."
Melaran didn't put much thought into the feeling that he'd had that his actions could have ended badly for him if fortune hadn't smiled, instead shifting to the more neutral topic.
"Anything they put their mind to, eh? An interesting theory and something to keep an open mind on," he trailed off with faint humor.
"Yeah," Tarna said. "Oh, this one looks like it has a lecture going on on basic magical theory. Let's take a look there."
She ducked into the room in which a tall silver-haired elf male was droning on while pointing at a holographic diagram. Melaran tepped acknowledgement without words to her, stepping lightly within and moving to a place near a wall where he would be as unobtrusive as someone might be in full armor and yet be able to pay close attention to the speaker. He settled into listening mode readily, old reflexes and habits as a soldier not failing him in that regard at least.
The teacher did not really appear to be making any particular effort to make this sound exciting. "The mind guides the spirit. The spirit produces the various effects that we call 'magic'," the teacher droned. "Some of you, from various places, may have heard this called various names such as 'psionics', 'the Art', 'the Power', or any other number of things. It's all the same thing, really. Different people tend to have inclinations toward different types of magic. We call them Talents. For instance, there is Fire Magic, Mind Magic, Motion Magic, and a number of others. The Talent divisions are not perfect, however. The talent which is called 'Motion Magic', for example, is actually divided into two very separate abilities: teleportation and telekinetics. Hence, because of the artificial and inaccurate Talent divisions, a person could be inclined toward telekinetics, or teleportation, both, or neither. Likewise is true for many other talents."
A student raised a hand and asked, "If it's so inaccurate, why do you still use it?"
The teacher answered, "Tradition and laziness. Some of the High Elkandu have been working on more accurate magical divisions." And some were just working on bizarre divisions instead.
The teacher changed the diagram from the talent chart to one representing the structure of the universe: the physical and ethereal planes. "Now, this. The Physical Plane, and the Ethereal Plane. The body exists solely in the physical. The soul is connected to the body, and lies within the ethereal. When a person uses magic, they are manipulating the ethereal in order to effect changes in the physical, using the innate power inherent to their soul. The soul recovers quickly from small amounts of power used. Larger amounts can make a person exhausted and pass out. Too much at once could even kill you if you aren't careful.
"It is hence much the same as exertions of the physical body. A person could walk for a long time without really getting tired. Running will make them more tired, and doing insane acts of physical strength and endurance and such could kill you if you aren't careful. When you are first starting to use magic, you will find that you tire quickly, but through extended practice your endurance with such will increase and you will be capable of using your powers for longer periods, and sustaining stronger effects than you would otherwise be capable of managing.
"I must, however, warn you about apparent 'quick' ways of gaining power," the elf went on. "Gemstones have their uses, but do not become too reliant on them. And for love of Light don't go selling your soul to demons or insane dark gods on the promise of easy power. True power is gained slowly, through experience and practice. Shortcuts inevitably lead to ruin The deceptive thing about such shortcuts is that while you may actually gain in the short term, at what price?"
He shook his head slowly. "Patience and control. Vitally important concepts to any true mage. While strong emotion is capable of producing incredible effects, without control it can be extremely hazardous. Control! Emotions are powerful, but you must learn to control them before their power can be properly harnessed."
The teacher seemed to have entirely forgotten just what it was he was originally talking about, flitting from one subject to the next without pause or segue.
"And the mind... Mind Magic is a very useful thing, as often for organizing and controlling your own mind as for communicating with and affecting others. Basic mental wards are a must for any mage, even one not particularly inclined toward that specific Talent. Likewise, there are certain other abilities every mage should learn. Basic seeking including aura reading and minor scrying, basic motion including the ability to recall. Without Seeking's ability to see weaves and flows of power, it can be difficult to properly control your own effects, never mind manage anything complex. Skill and power. Skill allows you to produce complex effects, while power allows strong, large effects. Often, a great skill can make up for a lack of innate power, while the reverse is sometimes true in a brute force manner. But for completeness, both are necessary. Power can be increased slowly, over time, by extended use of magic.
"Now. Aura reading is very useful," the teacher says, looking around the room from one person to the next. "I can see the innate potential in each of you, shimmering in the light and colors of the auras surrounding your bodies... The reflections of your souls which can be detected from the physical plane... Some of you have much potential..." he says, his eyes resting upon Melaran for a moment. "Some of you not so much so," he says, looking to some others. "Do not, however, allow that to dissuade you. Power is earned by the diligent. And power without skill or control is useless. If anything, those of you inborn to much power have far more work ahead of you than those who do not. Control! Patience and control! Without this you are nothing. That way leads to ruin and destruction."
The teacher finally realized that he's gotten a little sidetracked and tried to remember what it was he was talking about.
"Right, that's all for now. Remember my words. Go forth and learn."
Despite his origins, and having quite a bit to do with the Laughing God's little 'joke' on him, Melaran listened with rapt attention to the lecture. There were facets to it that he had not considered, as well as a strong reinforcement of some things he'd already noticed and begun to figure out. It also made him ruefully aware that he did indeed need to find that middle road in there somewhere, a balance between emotion and control.
He glanced briefly to Tarna at that, resolve settling within that he would find that balance and apply it in such a way that he wouldn't withdraw from all that he now held dear while allowing some part of the iron discipline of his race to reassert itself. More food for thought rose with various points, things he would need to consider at length when the opportunity presented itself, but now he had confirmation of what he suspected.
As the lecture ended, quite a few of the students breaking for the exit as quickly as they could to either get to other tasks and lectures or, Melaran smirked at some he could see just wanted to get away from the long-winded teacher. He wasn't quite so blind to the insights the man had offered, however, and he removed his helmet as he walked lightly toward the front of the classroom before the lecturer might depart.
"Thank you," he said and offered an exquisitely polite bow when the instructor acknowledges his presence and wasn't seeming in a hurry to move elsewhere. "I thoroughly enjoyed your presentation, it provided me a great deal to think about and options to pursue."
The elf nodded to him politely and said, "If you have any further questions upon subjects which you might find enlightening, do feel free to ask and I will endeavor to answer them."
Melaran chuckled lightly. "Good sir, this entire business is very new to me, so there's a million questions I could ask, but I think that they'd be better served when I've had a chance to digest the hearty chunk of knowledge you've already provided. I will definitely take you up on that if time, circumstance, and location allows, though. It was truly a pleasure."
He bowed again in thanks, and backed away. Tarna grinned a bit at the slightly confused but pleased teacher and headed out into the hallway again.
"That gave me a great deal to think about," Melaran tepped with a noticeably brighter frame of mind. "And work toward just so I don't kill myself," he admitted wryly. "Or lose touch of the most important things! I think that's at least a start to finding that middle road, and what might come after that? Who can tell?"
Control was the thing, and that was what he'd have to practice at, he already knew some of the Power he could wield.
Tarna grinned at him and nodded. "Very basic stuff, but you have to start somewhere. It's been over most of my life since I first heard those lectures myself..."
"I never had the opportunity," Melaran replied. "There were obvious disadvantages to living in a world of extremes. I'm not sure if I want to kill Bob or not now, though. I'm definitely leaning more toward being eternally grateful really, but damned if I'm going to tell HIM that!" He chuckles audibly, then tepped, "Let's see what else they have to show around here..."
"Sure thing."
The next classroom was giving practical lessons in Seeking and divination. Melaran stepped into the classroom readily, his own abilities something which lend themselves on several levels to a wide array of talents that they seemed able to give him more information on. It sure beat the hell out of being stuck back in Iyanden... alone. He shook off the bleak thought and turned his attention to what was going on here and now.
The teacher was instructing students in how to see weaves, creating a faint shield that was invisible to the naked eye and teaching them to use Seeking to detect it.
Trying his own mental hand at it Melaran, was surprised that he could indeed readily see the shield that was erected, not only that but he discerned the faint weave that extended from the teacher to bring it into being and a thought rising from the subconscious that such a thing might well be possible for him. Yet more to think and experiment with.
"Oh, I can see it!" said a girl to one side of class.
The teacher left that for others to practice on and brings up a diagram of Seeking colors, the colors auras and weaves would show up as being related to what talents.
"It is important to be able to identify the type of magic being used," the teacher said. "For example, if someone is trying to attack you with a fireball or defend themselves with a shield, the distinction is very important."
That Melaran paid close attention to, dismissing the earlier exercise entirely for now as fodder for his mind to play with later. The application of the new lesson becomes readily apparent from the military background, sitting neatly within the framework of preparing a proper defense for what is going to be thrown at you. You did not, for example, throw all Striking Scorpions against an army composed of longer-ranged troops.
The teacher then went on about aura reading, and how to identify the capabilities of a person with it so that you could know what to expect from them.
"Now for our next practical lesson, attempt to read the aura of the student next to you and determine their innate Talents."
Melaran turned his perception to Tarna instead of the students, leaving them to their own exercises for the moment as he focused on the now-familiar aura and applied what he had gained from the chart of colors. It was not as clear as he might have wished, but with some comparison to the chart he picks out the distinct threads and identifies them.
Tarna's aura had a base of a strange yellow-pink color, with heavy streaks of more clear yellow as well, and lines of deep purple. There were also some smaller flecks of pale green and light blue. Her primary talent was Dream Magic, with Motion as secondary and Catalysm tertiary.
Content with the analysis, Melaran shifted his sense to consider the other students with mild curiosity. A well varied group all around, and the lesson proved to be most useful indeed, something he would commit to memory that it could be put into steady practice later. The teacher provided another few practice problems and examples for the students.
Melaran followed along as well as he can, quite intent to absorb as much as he possibly can from this incredible resource. There was little doubt that his specific abilities might have benefited from the tutelage of a Farseer, but he rather suspected that their scope could be improved greatly by stepping outside the bounds that the Eldar had set upon themselves so many, many years ago.
