The_Magician
First Post
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Prelude
Prelude
Massive grey clouds covered the sky that night, hiding the moon and the stars, giving the great city of Calimport a somber aspect. A cold sea breeze made its way through the domed stone buildings and reached as far and high as the frail figure of Abramelin, who stood at the south balcony of his large room, which occupied the whole seventh floor of his minaret. The breeze caressed the old archwizard's wrinkled face, and he welcomed that touch with closed eyes, enjoying it as a precious gift. Every night he thanked his gods that Calimport wasn't surrounded by the Calim desert, but located between the sea of sands and the sea of water. While during the day the weather punished with heat and humidity, the night was cool and refreshing.
He opened his eyes to scan the Shining Sea, appreciating the beautiful sight of the many anchored ships, both docked or near the dock, the later waiting for some room in the next day, at the crowded port of the city. Most of the ships were illuminated by many lanterns, which were used to help the watchmen to guard them, and looked like shining gold coins floating in dark waters.
Another breeze touched him, gently blowing his long white beard, and at the sky, the grey clouds broke up for a short instant to reveal the moon to him. The lady moon. His only companion at night. His lust. His passion. Remembering him of the love he will never have.
"I am sorry, Amelia... I am so sorry.", he whispered with low, trembling words fading into the breeze. The clouds covered the moon again and he sighed, looking down, feeling lonely and depressed. He looked at the vast expanse of stone buildings around him, high and low, domed or not, and looked at the empty streets, at the many scattered palm trees swinging gently against the wind, and at random open windows with the lights on, showing him that others were also awake at this time of the night. But were they also cold?
There was nothing like seeing things from the top of a high building. You could still see the details below and around, as well as see things so far ahead. It gave you a feeling of power and impotence at the same time. He could reach at so much, and yet that was so little compared to how big the world actually was. And when putting himself in that perspective, Abramelin, who was one of the most powerful wizards of Calimport - which was the biggest city in the whole continent - felt powerless and lost. At the age of 99, and about to turn a hundread in the next morning, the archwizard felt like he had wasted his life with unimportant things. All his wealth and magic seemed to have no real value. Because there was this one thing, this thing he never had and seemed more precious than eveything else. He sadly realised that, no matter how much power a man has, at the moment he falls in love with a woman, there is nothing he can do but try to get that love, or suffer miserably. Abramelin suffered his entire life.
Clenching his fist with as much strength as his old age allowed him to, he moved away from the balcony, going to sit on his big and luxurious double bed. He gave the south window one last look and spotted the end of the south minaret. Around his minaret there were another four, just as high, which formed the guild of the Four Winds. The south minaret belonged to one of his four pupils, Malec, the Sinister. A mysterious and secretive man of few words, Malec is rarely seen and is believed to literally walk in the shadows. The wind blowed the dark courtains to Malec's arched window, and the old mage thought he saw the silhouete of his young student spying on him. He looked east, west and north, and saw the other three balconies of his room, each facing one of the other three minarets, each minaret belonging to one of his other three pupils. He still called them his pupils, although he stopped tutoring them a long time ago. Malec, Labareda, Myst and Fulcanelli had their own pupils now, and were anxiously waiting for tomorrow, when Abramelin would finally make his decision about who would be the new head of the guild. He was worried about their reaction, because all the four wanted the spot, and they were equally powerful, equally wise and prepared, but with very different personalities. And it was based on that, that he made his choice. Tomorrow he would let them now.
Removing his shirt, he looked down at his skinny chest and touched his new amulet. He was quite fond of it, although he didn't know why. Maybe it was because of all the mystery around it. He tried many times to identify it, but failed. An now the amulet was glued and slightly buried in his chest. He ran his fingers on the facing down heptagram, following its lines for a couple of minutes, till he stiffled a yawn and decided to get some rest.
Very early in the morning, the city of Calimport is woken up by the scalding sun and the punishingly hot and humid weather. Thankfully, the Wizards Ward, the district where the Four Winds guild is located, is a very peaceful and quiet one, housing more than 400 wizards domiciles and their business. Something would disturb the peace in the guild, though. Last night, the head of the Four Winds Wizards Guild, the archwizard Abramelin, was assassinated on his sleep... decapitated.
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If you wanna know more about this game, check the full game description and character creation rules at
http://www.geocities.com/the_12th_magician/index.html
The game will be played at www.rondaksportal.com. Only need apply those who can post 3 times a week.
Henrique.
