Post by dragontears on Sept 2, 2008 15:49:28 GMT -5
I have a complicated history. I grew up in the city, the only daughter of my small family. I was invited to the public academy of magic as they were trying to increase the literacy and culture of our city. It was some elvish concept; I didn't take much stock in it, but my family could pay the small 'donation' they recommended and I was allowed to attend classes that dealt more with arcane than basic reading and writing. I didn't have much of an opinion either way. Magic is a really nice tool; a wonderful resource...but that's just what it is, a resource. I never hit that enamored state like my other classmates, who started to use common sense less and less and magic more and more. Wards replaced locks, light spells replaced candles. It was a horrible place to live, but a wonderful place to work. While they spilled their lives over books and untouchable secrets I became obsessed with the physical. As I spent more time there I became more and more separated from my classmates because unlike them I didn't spend my time doing just magic, but inventing. As I grew up into a more mature age I came to learn the benefits of being one of the few people remaining in the physical world. I once locked my roommate out for an entire day; while she conjured spell finding wards, and dispelling runes...scrolls of enchantment; when I returned to our small home I only needed to take a fine piece of wire and catch the tumble on the lock. What I had done in five minutes she had spent hours upon hours doing...and had to re-memorize all of those spells for the exam that very next day.
So what happened? I don't do magic anymore obviously, and believe you me, I'd still be using it today if I could. But I can't, I was expelled from my academy under false pretenses and with that expulsion came a ward that has blocked everything I had once learned. It is...frustrating, not because I don't deserve it, but because they have the story all wrong!
They've accused me of stealing one of the artifacts the academy had locked away. A spell book that dated back to some elven cultures city, of magic so powerful it nearly destroyed them all. It sounded interesting, but anyone who is stupid enough to let magic nearly destroy their entire physical world couldn't have been that smart to begin with. I never had a want to take it, I could make more gold selling enchanted film to my clients. I had invented a small little machine that used the enchanted film to take brief periods of time and glue them onto the paper. You could take a snap of what lunch you were having and show it to someone the very next day, intact, and looking just as it did then. People rarely used it for sharing lunches though. Most of my clientèle were of the male persuasion, I would sell them either newly enchanted film, or used snaps of my fellow roomette's..or myself. I made a killing, and learned the power of my physical assets. I came to learn that I was blessed with a superior beauty. You may notice I'm not shy about it, and why should I be? It is natural for people to want to look at me, and it is natural for me to want them to look. Modesty is an outward lie; something that stems from insecurity, otherworldly thinking...but we don't live in that other world. We live here. I have no reason to hold back what I was given. Besides, why waste such a valuable asset when I could make such gold off of it? Unfortunately not everyone can be so logical about it, and as I look back I can understand my roommate's anger. She was engaged to another student at the academy. He was smart, and well deserving of her, and very handsome. I enjoyed talking with him and flirting with him-note that I did not go further. I understood my boundaries and didn't cross that line between hers and mine. Yet, that wasn't enough for her. She didn't like the way I looked at him, or how he looked at me, or how we looked at each other. Whatever the who looking at whom aspect, she would have none of it. After many different arguments she felt that she had no choice but to frame me and have me expelled from the academy. It wasn't a far stretch, I wasn't known for my perfect behavior. At times I would find other peoples things in my pockets....but perhaps I was only trying to teach them to start using locks instead of door-wards! Somehow (With great skill might I had, I really wish she told me how she managed it) she acquired the old forgotten elven tome and slipped it into my things. Then charged me in front of the Dean, an old elven man who didn't like to look at me, let alone hear about me.- I didn't know I had it at the time so I let them search my things. It was found and I was promptly expelled. It was well played and I wish I could have had time to shake her hand.
I don't morn of this though, I think being expelled saved my life. I was finding myself becoming engulfed in their ways, slowly merging into them, losing that part of me that rejected the notion that magic was the end-all to everything. Once the outbreak hit and civilization was torn asunder the academy collapsed. I don't know what happened to them but I can take a guess. I was never much effected by the outbreak as I was already alone and salvaging supplies for my trap-working was second nature. I just had to add running from zombies and not being eaten into my schedule.
So that is me...that is Snare. I wandered from place to place for a while, learned some, lost some...life basically as been good for me. We'll see what happens around this turn.
On a side note, don't ask about that enchanted film, things have been a bit hazy since I've been out of the academy and I think I've lost some of my best work. Although, if you are curious about how to keep thieves from getting into your chests and supplies, I could think of a few ways to help you out.
So what happened? I don't do magic anymore obviously, and believe you me, I'd still be using it today if I could. But I can't, I was expelled from my academy under false pretenses and with that expulsion came a ward that has blocked everything I had once learned. It is...frustrating, not because I don't deserve it, but because they have the story all wrong!
They've accused me of stealing one of the artifacts the academy had locked away. A spell book that dated back to some elven cultures city, of magic so powerful it nearly destroyed them all. It sounded interesting, but anyone who is stupid enough to let magic nearly destroy their entire physical world couldn't have been that smart to begin with. I never had a want to take it, I could make more gold selling enchanted film to my clients. I had invented a small little machine that used the enchanted film to take brief periods of time and glue them onto the paper. You could take a snap of what lunch you were having and show it to someone the very next day, intact, and looking just as it did then. People rarely used it for sharing lunches though. Most of my clientèle were of the male persuasion, I would sell them either newly enchanted film, or used snaps of my fellow roomette's..or myself. I made a killing, and learned the power of my physical assets. I came to learn that I was blessed with a superior beauty. You may notice I'm not shy about it, and why should I be? It is natural for people to want to look at me, and it is natural for me to want them to look. Modesty is an outward lie; something that stems from insecurity, otherworldly thinking...but we don't live in that other world. We live here. I have no reason to hold back what I was given. Besides, why waste such a valuable asset when I could make such gold off of it? Unfortunately not everyone can be so logical about it, and as I look back I can understand my roommate's anger. She was engaged to another student at the academy. He was smart, and well deserving of her, and very handsome. I enjoyed talking with him and flirting with him-note that I did not go further. I understood my boundaries and didn't cross that line between hers and mine. Yet, that wasn't enough for her. She didn't like the way I looked at him, or how he looked at me, or how we looked at each other. Whatever the who looking at whom aspect, she would have none of it. After many different arguments she felt that she had no choice but to frame me and have me expelled from the academy. It wasn't a far stretch, I wasn't known for my perfect behavior. At times I would find other peoples things in my pockets....but perhaps I was only trying to teach them to start using locks instead of door-wards! Somehow (With great skill might I had, I really wish she told me how she managed it) she acquired the old forgotten elven tome and slipped it into my things. Then charged me in front of the Dean, an old elven man who didn't like to look at me, let alone hear about me.- I didn't know I had it at the time so I let them search my things. It was found and I was promptly expelled. It was well played and I wish I could have had time to shake her hand.
I don't morn of this though, I think being expelled saved my life. I was finding myself becoming engulfed in their ways, slowly merging into them, losing that part of me that rejected the notion that magic was the end-all to everything. Once the outbreak hit and civilization was torn asunder the academy collapsed. I don't know what happened to them but I can take a guess. I was never much effected by the outbreak as I was already alone and salvaging supplies for my trap-working was second nature. I just had to add running from zombies and not being eaten into my schedule.
So that is me...that is Snare. I wandered from place to place for a while, learned some, lost some...life basically as been good for me. We'll see what happens around this turn.
On a side note, don't ask about that enchanted film, things have been a bit hazy since I've been out of the academy and I think I've lost some of my best work. Although, if you are curious about how to keep thieves from getting into your chests and supplies, I could think of a few ways to help you out.