Amras It had been a long time since he'd last called these tunnels his home. What had once been a plain rock wall inside a trench had morphed over his formative days into a shelter that dug deep under the surface of the room of howling winds. It had changed tremendously over the cycles as he had perfected usage of his very first spell, one that was second nature to him now. In those days had first constructed a den, a warm place out of the chilled wind. Despite the lack of nearby water he had felt safest there with the constant sound, as it had been while he was still in his shell. Soon the den became a tunnel, and that tunnel had branched out into a series of tunnels. It had been a way of spending time in a world bereft of light. Now again the lights had gone out, and now again Amras crawled into the entrance to his first home. Until the lights should return he would spend his days here, once again delving into the very basics of his arts and looking to add new skills to his list of talents. A fifth bag had now been added to the cord he had tied around his waist now. Not one that could open and close with an attached drawstring like the first four but a much larger one with a flap that rested along the width of his lower back. He likely wouldn't be able to keep much weight in it and still be able to move with ease, but it would be a welcome addition for temporarily transporting larger items (or creatures should he encounter another youth like Envy). At the moment the bag contained two tools he had procured from the now well-organized abandoned leatherworker's building. First a chisel of some kind, flat and wide with tines along its front. He could make a guess at what the points were for based on the completed works, but for what he had in mind the shape was more important than the spikes. The second tool, to go with the chisel, was a small hammer, or at least the head of one. The handle had been broken in the mess and Amras didn't know any kind of magic that might have been able to fix it. Still, he didn't need a huge amount of force for what he was working with and he might be able to figure something out for it later. Baubled orb was removed from his middle-right pouch and placed in a holder he had constructed, faintly illuminating the stone walls and floors before him, including a dusty corner filled with a black mineral he dared not use his dispel near. The tunnel went deeper, and perhaps by the time the light came back it would wind deeper still, but for now the entrance would do well. The light was a bit dull to illuminate his work space as much as he wanted, so with a quick wave of his hand and a quick twisting of spells he tried to intensify the beam. Unfortunately the intent wasn't quite as effortless as he'd hoped it would be, as the magic produced a brief sizzle of light but the light didn't actually permeate into the orb. Breathing out in an unconcerned sigh Amras took the tools out of his back bag and placed them next to the crumbling section of wall. He'd get to work in a bit, but for now he sat on the cold ground, remembering at once why he usually had gone out to hunt for bedding. it would do for now though, and he could seek out more supplies later. Pouch 1: Empty Pouch 2: Charcoal dust 50 in3 Pouch 3: Empty Pouch 4: Charcoal chunks x7 (medium) Back bag: Empty Take hold of the power within "And shape the fabric of reality around you" tags: notes: None

Amras Outside, in a voice that drowned out even the howling of the winds, three birds flew by proclaiming the start to a contest of some sort. The idea appealed to Amras, just as many competitions might have. Something seemed off though, a deeper message that seemed to hang onto the tones of the call. This was no idle competition, but a cry out for followers. A war would come soon no doubt, at least it would if his reading was correct. The last thing he needed was to hurl himself into an alliance with a force he knew nothing about. There might come a time that he would answer a cry for aid, but this was not that time. No, this tunnel was exactly where he needed to be right now. He might miss out on rewards, but by the same token he might dodge a bad situation. His resolve strengthened as having had a moment's rest he stood one more, wings back and head almost touching the ceiling as he balanced naturally upon back two paws. His gemmed right arm reached out toward the orb on the wall once more and he invoked the magic perfected over cycles. Build, twist, tweak, infuse. The energy in his gem and nearly invisible aura over his talon glowed white, shifted to pale yellow as it became light magic, and shifted back to white again as he modified the exact nature of the light magic. The new spell buried itself within the already dimly glowing orb, replacing the spell that had already been upon it and causing it to cast a pure white glow across the entry room. Now that he had a good light to work by Amras grabbed the chisel and the hammer head and walked over toward the crumbly section of the wall. He would have to work slowly, especially with the worn quality of his tools, but by using manual labor he might be able to utilize this section without choking on the dust as had happened when trying to excavate it with magic. Sounds of metal upon metal echoed throughout the tunnels, but were swept away by the sounds of wind shortly after exiting into the room at large. Pouch 1: Empty Pouch 2: Charcoal dust 50 in3 Pouch 3: Empty Pouch 4: Charcoal chunks x7 (medium) Back bag: Empty Take hold of the power within "And shape the fabric of reality around you" tags: notes: None

Amras Hours passed, or perhaps days? Here in the darkened caves time was difficult to tell. The gryphon toiled away at his work chipping into the brittle material, discarding the irregular and broken pieces as slowly he became more and more familiar with the process. The light by the entrance kept him sane, his thoughts focused wholly on his work and his end-goal. Every once in a while hunger or thirst came upon him, forcing him to take a break from his project to venture out to Orion to drink from the stream or into the crags to hunt for small critters. His talons had been stained black by the dusty mineral, but specks of white were starting to show through the section of wall as he chipped past the large section of impurities. From chiseling out the black talc he had learned to create rectangular pieces of mineral, thick enough to not snap but small enough that he could fit about a dozen in one pouch. He had enough, but still he continued to work even as desire for sleep once more knocked upon his consciousness. This habit continued until the impure black talc in the wall of his entryway had fully given way to its base form further in. Many piles of dust had been moved out of the artificial tunnel and cast into the winds, and a large pile of chalk pieces now rested in a dedicated corner. The darkness had not fled, but his light still shone- a beacon of hope in this unforgiving room. What made the gryphon stop his process, what made him decide this job was finished, was anyone's guess. One minute he was chiseling out one more perfect rectangle and the next he placed down not only it but also the tools used to bring it into being. "I can still see them." he spoke enigmatically to the empty abode. "It is silly, but I must give them form." Reaching over to pick up one of the chalk pieces he tapped into his magic, something he hadn't done since his last hunting trip. His gem began to glow white, then a soft yellow, and then back to white again as he shifted the color of the light magic to emulate his natural energy. Light infused the bar in his hand, but it did not stick very well. In any other situation this would do fine, but he wanted it to glow bright, with a brilliance that would match the light in his doorway. Pouch 1: Empty Pouch 2: Charcoal dust 50 in3 Pouch 3: Empty Pouch 4: Charcoal chunks x7 (medium) Back bag: Empty Take hold of the power within "And shape the fabric of reality around you" tags: notes: None

Amras Not satisfied with his first attempt Amras dug into his magic once more. The light of his magic sprung to life, integrating itself with the chalk in hand. Though nowhere near as bright as he had wanted it, this would have to do for now. Now relatively satisfied with his result Amras turned and ducked into the path to the tunnels which extended far beyond his well-kept entry room. Unlike the room he had spent so much time chiseling at, these tunnels were raw, rough around the edges, and completely littered with debris. In his youth he'd spent countless hours chipping away at the walls with magic and moving the rocks out and away from the entrance. Now the high ceilings he had made were barely enough for him to stand up in and certainly too small for him to be able to stretch his wings unless he stood sideways. Blackened hand slid along the wall as he walked through, his way lit by the baubled talc in hand. A few steps in the pathway curved sharply as another section of black talc stood before him. This held no interest to the gryphon at the moment, but the long hallway to the side did. This would be his display room, with ceiling higher than the early part of the tunnels as he had grown by this point and the walls smoother as he had improved his magic by this point as well. Here he would bring to life that which had been shown to him. Pouch 1: Empty Pouch 2: Charcoal dust 50 in3 Pouch 3: Empty Pouch 4: Charcoal chunks x7 (medium) Back bag: Empty Take hold of the power within "And shape the fabric of reality around you" tags: notes: None

Amras In image flashed in the gryphon's mind, a representation of a force that had always been with him from the moment of his emergence. A force that formed the basis for all his magical abilities. This rune, this symbol, had come to him in a moment of clarity. Even now though it was fading, as though nothing more than a scene from an important-feeling dream. With glowing chalk in his left hand Amras pressed three fingers together on his right, striking the wall as once more his magic churned. A spell like the bauble he had used to infuse this mineral with light, but more versatile... more fleeting. He could erase and reshape markings done with pattern painter but once he put chalk to wall it would me much harder to reset the canvas. With the amount of time he had spent carving out talc his magic skill was apparently rusty. When the gathered the energy into his fingertips it manifested early into a weak kinetic wave that shot his hand back and left a tiny intention in the rock. He'd have to try again and this time be a bit more careful with it. Pouch 1: Empty Pouch 2: Charcoal dust 50 in3 Pouch 3: Empty Pouch 4: Charcoal chunks x7 (medium) Back bag: Empty Take hold of the power within "And shape the fabric of reality around you" tags: notes: None

Amras Okay, trying to force the magic was definitely not working. Perhaps he had been using it for so long he was taking it for granted? Amras let out a deep breath and gently placed his fingers against the wall once more. First his crystal began to glow white, gathering pure energy from within and around him as his natural element began to show through. With relaxed mind, as gingerly as the first few times he had learned to manipulate the spell, Amras twisted the spell until it progressed into the light element. So far it wa stable, even as he continued to shape it until the light elemental energy took on a white hue again. The light from his crystal infused itself into a glow at the tip of his three fingers, spreading further into the rock in ribbons of white light. The imagery in the gryphon's head sprang to life as the spell resonated with his mind, a single strand of light separating from his hand, connected by a translucent band of magic, and flawlessly shaped itself into the first of the twelve symbols that mad made themselves known to him. It had happened in a flash once Amras had let go again. No flaws could be seen, no minor adjustments needed to be made. There on the wall before him was a perfect representation of Energy. The gryphon transferred the glowing talc stick into his right talon and began to trace the symbol, infusing glowing dust into the rock face. This spell would fade, but the dust it had helped guide would last for as long as he lived. Pouch 1: Empty Pouch 2: Charcoal dust 50 in3 Pouch 3: Empty Pouch 4: Charcoal chunks x7 (medium) Back bag: Empty Take hold of the power within "And shape the fabric of reality around you" tags: notes: None

Amras The gryphon looked upon the symbol on the wall and let out a short breath. He hadn’t realized before just how heavily this drive had been weighing on him. It had only been a dream, why did it feel so much lighter to have the first of twelve represented here in the physical world? Regardless he placed the first rod of talc into his leftmost pouch and paced back to the entrance room to obtain the next. Hoping that he had warmed up enough his magic enough Amras picked up another rod from the pile. For now it looked almost identical to the first one, but soon it would become its own distinct entity. Perhaps he had ben too eager, perhaps the relief of seeing his project coming to fruition had broken his concentration. Whatever the case was, as he activated his magic to infuse light into this one it activated almost instantly, sending out a radial shockwave of force from his hand which obliterated the rod, sent the other neatly placed rod flying, and filled the room with choking powder. Amras let out a short shriek of surprise and quickly dropped his wings to run on four limbs out of the tunnels and into the crag. If past experience had taught him anything that dust would be there for an uncomfortably long time, leaving him to be able to do nothing but sit out here and wait. Pouch 1: Empty Pouch 2: Charcoal dust 50 in3 Pouch 3: Empty Pouch 4: Charcoal chunks x7 (medium) Back bag: Empty Take hold of the power within "And shape the fabric of reality around you" tags: notes: None

Amras At first in his self-inflicted infliction from his home Amras occupied himself moving rocks about. This area was completely full of rubble that had been quarried out of the tunnels to make more room. It had been a constant upkeep task to move the rocks away from the entrance so the pathway back wouldn't be lost. Now with his small game of grabbing chunks of rock and throwing them as far as possible a new idea came to mind. While he was waiting for the dust to settle why not make a game of seeing how far he could toss them with different spells? First as a baseline the gryphon picked up a rock and folded his wings back, figuring that a standing position would get him the most distance. He wound back and lobbed the stone far down the crag line, landing just beyond a previous pile of throwing attempts. He had gotten stronger in his journeys. Not by a huge amount but still stronger. Next, he grabbed an equally sized rock in his left hand and gently lobbed it up, ready to knock it away with dispel. The spell formed perfectly, shaping itself into a shockwave about the same size as the rock and hitting it with just barely enough force not to cause it to shatter. The rock went flying outside the bounds of the indention in the earth and was swept up by the howling winds above. That thing wouldn't be landing again any time soon. Of course, he really should have expected that. Out of all his spells that had been one that had been with him the longest. The real trick would be testing one of his newest spells. Pouch 1: Empty Pouch 2: Charcoal dust 50 in3 Pouch 3: Empty Pouch 4: Charcoal chunks x7 (medium) Back bag: Empty Take hold of the power within "And shape the fabric of reality around you" tags: notes: None

Time was passing, and soon he would be able to get back to work. For now though Amras sat back down and took in a deep breath, letting the sounds of the winds above lull him into a more relaxed state. This had been the start of this strange drive, his foray into this element had been the key to unlock knowledge of the others. Still he had not been able to successfully take it into his grasp in the time it had been needed most. Could he do it now?

Energy began to flood into the gryphon's system as he focused on the arcane eye of the mind, that center for thought and reason that held such strange secrets.

As magic flooded his mind and his gem filled with purple light the world around him began to fade. Once more he had used too much energy and once more he found himself standing in the great expansive void of his mind. This time, however, the world's whispers were louder, clearer. The foggy shapes that had shown themselves to him were crystal clear and their song sang all around him in words that had been cut short before but now resonated deep within his soul.

Child of magic, born of wind
Raised in darkness and holder of light
Done with your testing, now you gaze within
To seek our power upon this expansive night

Four forces with strength you have earned;
You twisted your soul that you might see,
Increased its glow and winced as it burned,
You contain that rage and then set it free

Now in this space, an inner power dwells
And in your breath you will find the raging of the gale
Through your limbs the great river still flows
But within your core your primal instinct grows

From without more powers can be found
In shrub and shroom and essence of the ground
An alien visitor you may finally meet
Befriend the stowaway and your power will be complete

The vision faded as soon as it had come, the swirling vision giving way to a sideways view of the world. How much time had passed was anyone’s guess but Amras knew that he was thirsty, hungry, and the dust of the entry room looked like it had settled long ago. The burning desire to give life to those strange symbols still rested within him, but now that drive was more tempered. He knew that just writing them out would be only a part of the process. He knew that to truly become attuned to them he would have to complete his study of the elements, with their words as a guide.

The gryphon rolled over and slunk back into the room, grabbing enough of the talc rods to fill his bag before lethargically exiting again and climbing out of the area. He would complete the rest of his project over a period of time, but for now he needed to get to Orion to start to recover.

- Exit Amras -

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Pouch 1: Baubled talc rods x12	Pouch 2: Charcoal dust (50 in3)	Pouch 3: Empty	Pouch 4: Charcoal chunks x7 (medium)
Back bag: Empty

Take hold of the power within
"And shape the fabric of reality around you"
tags:
notes: None