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Post by jenee on Aug 14, 2008 12:27:08 GMT -5
Nyra nodded, gritting her teeth. "But he placed the fault on himself because he wanted to protect me. He thought he might be able to pass a lie because it was his idea to leave you behind. I simply agreed to it. I think Xoran believed him at first, too...But Varen hadn't thought about the spell mark and how he knew it was defective. It was a simple mistake...but it turned Varen's lie around and laid some of the fault on me. Varen's spell had broken by that time, and I could speak. Xoran forced us to tell him everything we knew...I wish I could say I resisted his torturing, but I couldn't. Neither could Varen, and very few can even hope to. When Xoran knew that I had known about your spell mark all this time..."
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Post by m!chelle--✗ on Aug 14, 2008 12:39:23 GMT -5
Jaclyn cringed at the thought of what Xoran could do- she knew very well how 'persuasive' he could be when he wanted someone to talk. "What... What then? How did you get away? Where... Where's Varen?"
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Post by jenee on Aug 14, 2008 12:47:48 GMT -5
Nyra shivered, tears stinging at the back of her eyes. "Jaclyn...Xoran raised the level of Varen's spell mark. Varen fell unconcious, as most do when they're branded with a higher level...and Xoran punished me, but..." She paused, hesitating. "I told Varen not to tell you or anyone else about this, and I'm not sure if he already has. My spell mark is in the level under your sister's."
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Post by m!chelle--✗ on Aug 14, 2008 12:51:17 GMT -5
Jaclyn once again lost the ability to speak. She just stared, horrified, at Nyra. All of this... It was a little too much to handle. Her muscles locked up, and all of her thoughts froze in their swirling patterns. "He... You... Jyrra...." She croaked out the words, nearly unintelligible.
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Post by jenee on Aug 14, 2008 12:58:50 GMT -5
Nyra sighed. "There's five levels to a spell mark. The first one is basic...it's simply there to symbolize your alliance with the group. The second is a bit worse, and Xoran has a bit of control over you, meaning that if he doesn't like what you're doing, he can inflict pain through the spell mark. The third is the one that Varen and I are in. Xoran can have complete control over you and your actions in this level, but you are conciously aware of what's going on. You're still aware of everything that's happening, but you're not in control of your actions or magic. You can usually tell when a person is possessed because their eye color changes in this state to a scarlet red. The fourth level is the one your sister is in...Xoran can have complete control over her, too, but her mind and thoughts are plunged into a totally different dimension. People in the fourth level have little to no memory of what happened when they were controlled. The fifth level is the worst...Xoran will have complete control over a person at all times, meaning that they have no freedom. The problem with the fifth level is that eventually, the person branded with a spell mark in the fifth level will die. That kind of power in a human's body is too much for anyone to handle for too long, and the person affected will die in a few months' time."
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Post by m!chelle--✗ on Aug 14, 2008 20:36:38 GMT -5
"How... How horrid. Evil, vile, sick. Wrong." She shook her head disgusted and horrified and disbelieving and scared and angry all at the same time.
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Post by jenee on Aug 14, 2008 21:38:58 GMT -5
Nyra bit her lip, shaking again. "Xoran hasn't taken advantage of my spell mark in months, but it still has side-affects. Remember when we ran into the vampires? It hurts sometimes, because it binds your inner strength."
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Post by m!chelle--✗ on Aug 14, 2008 21:45:14 GMT -5
Jaclyn instinctively reached out on hand, as if trying to find some way to comfort the sorceress. "I... Is there anything I can do for you?" By 'you', she obviously wasn't referring to only Nyra.
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Post by jenee on Aug 14, 2008 21:52:04 GMT -5
Nyra looked a bit thoughtful. "I know this probably isn't what you were offering to do, but if you could just get me a glass of water, please, that'd be really great. Then I'll tell you why and how I'm here, and what I plan to do. And if you still want to help, then maybe you can."
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Post by m!chelle--✗ on Aug 14, 2008 21:55:45 GMT -5
Jaclyn gave a curt nod, and stood, hurrying off toward the caravans. She returned a few moments later, carrying a canteen of water. She sloshed it about, making sure it was full, and then unscrewed the top, handing it to Nyra.
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Post by jenee on Aug 14, 2008 21:58:40 GMT -5
"Thanks," Nyra said gratefully, taking a deep sip. "Okay, so I wonder how I'm going to explain this...Where do you want me to start? I can start from the beginning and tell you how I knew about your spell mark, if you want. It might clear some things up if you were wondering."
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Post by m!chelle--✗ on Aug 14, 2008 22:02:12 GMT -5
Jaclyn shrugged. "I don't much care about that, as much as I care about how you got her, and what we're going to do now."
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Post by jenee on Aug 14, 2008 22:04:50 GMT -5
Nyra nodded. "Well, it still weaves into my explanation, because none of this is going to make sense, otherwise." She trailed off for a moment as she gathered her thoughts together. "I'm sure you're well aware of the different forms of sorcerery, right? Charter Magic, regular sorcerery...magic has even been manipulated into morphing forms and other individual talents."
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Post by m!chelle--✗ on Aug 14, 2008 22:08:04 GMT -5
Jaclyn, now sitting again, nodded slowly, frowning in concentration.
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Post by jenee on Aug 14, 2008 22:18:10 GMT -5
Nyra continued, her voice still weak, but stronger than before. The water had helped. "Most of Xoran's followers are known for regular sorcerery--or the ability to perform regular spells, no matter how strong. Varen's one, Xoran's one...though some are stronger than others. Then, of course, there are those with different forms of sorcerery, like you and Jyrra. The magic I uses differs from regular sorcery, and it was discovered early on. When I reached an age when I could start studying magic, Xoran apprenticed me under one of those in his inner circle. You see, he won't turn away from a child that has the strong potential to eventually become one of his most trusted followers. That side of the rising war is the only thing we've ever known, so we're the ones he'd least expect to turn against him. However, there's only a handful of us, so he took care to assign his most trusted followers to teach us." She glanced up to make sure Jaclyn was following all this.
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