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The Celestial Empire (Romance of the Three Kingdoms-ish, Updated 12/09/05)
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<blockquote data-quote="Emperor Valerian" data-source="post: 2441280" data-attributes="member: 15043"><p><strong>Relics and Meditation</strong></p><p></p><p><em>I did well, Papa,</em> Nayu thought quietly the next day, the silence of the deep meditation chambers within the Imperial Library seeming to absorb every sound, every breath. Several hours before, the urge to scratch his head had disappeared. The strange hat that graced his scalp by now had seemed to mold with his skin, so perfect was its fit. He hardly physically felt Kongxi’s Headband anymore, despite feeling its overwhelming magical power rumbling through his being.</p><p></p><p><em>The secret is safe now, Papa.</em> No one would ever again peep into Nayu’s mind uninvited. So was the gift of Kongxi’s Headband. No one Nayu wished to not know his ancestry would discover Nayu’s secret... unless either Felonca or Liu divulged the details. The scholars had recommened Nayu seek solitude with the artifact, letting himself grow accustomed to its power, as well as letting <em>it</em> grow accustomed to him. Yet as he sat, his mind continued to wander, enjoying the brief rest from its strenuous work.</p><p></p><p><em>It isn’t everyday one wears something imbued with the essence of Kongxi’s soul itself.</em> From somewhere deep inside his mind, Nayu felt, but couldn’t hear, a response. An affirmation of sorts.</p><p></p><p><em>What if Felonca knew I was almost talking to myself in my head?</em> The thought of his friend made Nayu chuckle, the memories of the chaotic scene the day before coming back to him. The soft footfalls of a young prince advancing towards his mother, before screeching to her that he wanted to go outside, and the poor, hapless Dowager Empress, just free of one major public embarrassment, facing another as her son publicly asked for her arch-rival, the scholar Won Wei, to be his chief advisor.</p><p></p><p><em>She’s finished... the boy was not the root of the evil, but the solution to it,</em> Nayu’s mind realized. <em>It is apparent to all she cannot even rule her own son, let alone rule an Empire, and I would much rather trust this Won Wei character and his bevy of scholars... at the worst, they’ll keep themselves occupied in internal feuding.</em> His mind went back to Felonca and the young Emperor, and the mischief she'd caused the day prior. <em>And since Felonca has made friends with the Emperor, we could keep him happy and in line if the scholars begin to bite each other... no more horrid mismanagement, I would hope.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>And at the best, those scholars might fix some things here, while I deal with other people...</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>...namely Prince Hu.</em></p><p></p><p>For a moment, his thoughts darkened, the old anger rising again. Nayu felt the deeper presence pushing, pulling him towards something, but what he couldn’t see. All he knew for sure was the anger he held against Prince Hu. </p><p></p><p><em>The Empress has been destroyed as a force. Now Prince Hu, and then the other claimants...</em> He sighed, clearing his mind once again. <em>Its time.</em> Part of him winced at the pain to come, but an even larger part of him was not only curious to see the abilities and powers that the remnants of Kongxi would reveal to him.</p><p></p><p><em>I merely need to focus... focus close. That is all.</em> His breathing calmed to almost nothing, as his mind focused deep within, concentrating on his pool of magic, then delving deep into its depths, searching, seeking...</p><p></p><p>The darker thoughts gathered again, fiercer and stronger. From somewhere deep within he felt something new, something strange. He reached out, his senses trying to touch the new entity. A sharp pain lashed down the side of his head, racing into the seeming depths of his soul. </p><p></p><p><em>I must keep trying,</em> he winced, closing his eyes tighter. The scholars had said that the essence of Kongxi would control him, or even speak to him, but would serve to open doors to him that had previously been closed to his limited mind. Only moments after he’d placed the cap on his head, Nayu felt a deep, extremely powerful reservoir of magic, untouched, untapped, deep within his being. He’d tried to reach for it several times in the succeeding hours, but each time he’d been rebuffed.</p><p></p><p><em>Keep trying!</em> His eyes closed so tight his eyeballs hurt. His teeth gritted together, as he continued to reach, to stretch into the dark pool of magic...</p><p></p><p><em>Just a little further...</em> A slight grunt escaped his lips, before he hissed through his teeth, the pain now burning far more than any arrow or sword thrust. Then, there was a sudden rush, an audible rush roaring within Nayu’s mind. His eyes flickered open, only to see the room bathed in a eerie, bluish/black glow. Shadows danced and swirled about him, a real wind whipping through his light beard, lifting several of the wooden books about him aloft.</p><p></p><p>A moment later, he felt a surge slam through his body, seemingly lifting him skyward, before slamming him back into the ground. Just as quickly as they appeared, the blue light and flickering shadows vanished. Once again, the room was bathed in the soft glow of candlelight.</p><p></p><p>Gently, the sorcerer touched his forehead, and his hand came away drenched with sweat. Yet even as he moved, Nayu felt himself almost crackle, the world around him seeming to shimmer slightly, so great was the magic almost billowing from his body.</p><p></p><p>Nayu closed his eyes again, feeling the power cascading through him, as the planes of magic opened themselves fully. Even though it had no form, Nayu felt the pool of magic within himself change, seeming to grow darker, its surface more troubled, peaks of power stretching angrily towards his conscious mind, wisps of darkness and power rumbling through him.</p><p></p><p>Nayu smiled, and slowly rose.</p><p></p><p><em>When we next meet, Prince Hu, I shall be ready... and you’ll face your last surprise ever...</em></p><p></p><p>============================================</p><p></p><p>The Headband of Kongxi was an artifact created by the legendary scholar and sage Kongxi, some thousand years prior. By using the magic imbedded within a destroyed allip, as well as his own great powers, Kongxi not only could protect himself from mind-altering affects, but possibly force his opponents to go insane (DC25 Will Save if you try to mentally touch him). However, this little artifact only protects Nayu, and not anyone else... <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p><p></p><p>As for the rest of the meditation, I also allowed Nayu’s player to change two spells he’d selected for his sorcerer, as a side effect of this magical artifacts power. But Felonca fans, do not despair, she also gained something from this as well, which I’ll detail in the next post, when she causes a great deal of trouble of her own...</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Emperor Valerian, post: 2441280, member: 15043"] [b]Relics and Meditation[/b] [i]I did well, Papa,[/i] Nayu thought quietly the next day, the silence of the deep meditation chambers within the Imperial Library seeming to absorb every sound, every breath. Several hours before, the urge to scratch his head had disappeared. The strange hat that graced his scalp by now had seemed to mold with his skin, so perfect was its fit. He hardly physically felt Kongxi’s Headband anymore, despite feeling its overwhelming magical power rumbling through his being. [i]The secret is safe now, Papa.[/i] No one would ever again peep into Nayu’s mind uninvited. So was the gift of Kongxi’s Headband. No one Nayu wished to not know his ancestry would discover Nayu’s secret... unless either Felonca or Liu divulged the details. The scholars had recommened Nayu seek solitude with the artifact, letting himself grow accustomed to its power, as well as letting [i]it[/i] grow accustomed to him. Yet as he sat, his mind continued to wander, enjoying the brief rest from its strenuous work. [i]It isn’t everyday one wears something imbued with the essence of Kongxi’s soul itself.[/i] From somewhere deep inside his mind, Nayu felt, but couldn’t hear, a response. An affirmation of sorts. [i]What if Felonca knew I was almost talking to myself in my head?[/i] The thought of his friend made Nayu chuckle, the memories of the chaotic scene the day before coming back to him. The soft footfalls of a young prince advancing towards his mother, before screeching to her that he wanted to go outside, and the poor, hapless Dowager Empress, just free of one major public embarrassment, facing another as her son publicly asked for her arch-rival, the scholar Won Wei, to be his chief advisor. [i]She’s finished... the boy was not the root of the evil, but the solution to it,[/i] Nayu’s mind realized. [i]It is apparent to all she cannot even rule her own son, let alone rule an Empire, and I would much rather trust this Won Wei character and his bevy of scholars... at the worst, they’ll keep themselves occupied in internal feuding.[/i] His mind went back to Felonca and the young Emperor, and the mischief she'd caused the day prior. [i]And since Felonca has made friends with the Emperor, we could keep him happy and in line if the scholars begin to bite each other... no more horrid mismanagement, I would hope. And at the best, those scholars might fix some things here, while I deal with other people... ...namely Prince Hu.[/i] For a moment, his thoughts darkened, the old anger rising again. Nayu felt the deeper presence pushing, pulling him towards something, but what he couldn’t see. All he knew for sure was the anger he held against Prince Hu. [i]The Empress has been destroyed as a force. Now Prince Hu, and then the other claimants...[/i] He sighed, clearing his mind once again. [i]Its time.[/i] Part of him winced at the pain to come, but an even larger part of him was not only curious to see the abilities and powers that the remnants of Kongxi would reveal to him. [i]I merely need to focus... focus close. That is all.[/i] His breathing calmed to almost nothing, as his mind focused deep within, concentrating on his pool of magic, then delving deep into its depths, searching, seeking... The darker thoughts gathered again, fiercer and stronger. From somewhere deep within he felt something new, something strange. He reached out, his senses trying to touch the new entity. A sharp pain lashed down the side of his head, racing into the seeming depths of his soul. [i]I must keep trying,[/i] he winced, closing his eyes tighter. The scholars had said that the essence of Kongxi would control him, or even speak to him, but would serve to open doors to him that had previously been closed to his limited mind. Only moments after he’d placed the cap on his head, Nayu felt a deep, extremely powerful reservoir of magic, untouched, untapped, deep within his being. He’d tried to reach for it several times in the succeeding hours, but each time he’d been rebuffed. [i]Keep trying![/i] His eyes closed so tight his eyeballs hurt. His teeth gritted together, as he continued to reach, to stretch into the dark pool of magic... [i]Just a little further...[/i] A slight grunt escaped his lips, before he hissed through his teeth, the pain now burning far more than any arrow or sword thrust. Then, there was a sudden rush, an audible rush roaring within Nayu’s mind. His eyes flickered open, only to see the room bathed in a eerie, bluish/black glow. Shadows danced and swirled about him, a real wind whipping through his light beard, lifting several of the wooden books about him aloft. A moment later, he felt a surge slam through his body, seemingly lifting him skyward, before slamming him back into the ground. Just as quickly as they appeared, the blue light and flickering shadows vanished. Once again, the room was bathed in the soft glow of candlelight. Gently, the sorcerer touched his forehead, and his hand came away drenched with sweat. Yet even as he moved, Nayu felt himself almost crackle, the world around him seeming to shimmer slightly, so great was the magic almost billowing from his body. Nayu closed his eyes again, feeling the power cascading through him, as the planes of magic opened themselves fully. Even though it had no form, Nayu felt the pool of magic within himself change, seeming to grow darker, its surface more troubled, peaks of power stretching angrily towards his conscious mind, wisps of darkness and power rumbling through him. Nayu smiled, and slowly rose. [i]When we next meet, Prince Hu, I shall be ready... and you’ll face your last surprise ever...[/i] ============================================ The Headband of Kongxi was an artifact created by the legendary scholar and sage Kongxi, some thousand years prior. By using the magic imbedded within a destroyed allip, as well as his own great powers, Kongxi not only could protect himself from mind-altering affects, but possibly force his opponents to go insane (DC25 Will Save if you try to mentally touch him). However, this little artifact only protects Nayu, and not anyone else... :) As for the rest of the meditation, I also allowed Nayu’s player to change two spells he’d selected for his sorcerer, as a side effect of this magical artifacts power. But Felonca fans, do not despair, she also gained something from this as well, which I’ll detail in the next post, when she causes a great deal of trouble of her own... [/QUOTE]
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