Jukashi
Four Thousand Club
The level of sacrifice needed for sorcery is a little blurry, and I seem to recall some people asking about it before. So, how about a thread where we give some sample sacrifices? I'll begin. In fact, I'll make these about Misho's First Age incarnation, if anyone's interested in some Keychain backstory; maybe it'll make up a bit for not doing an update this Thursday. :wink:
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When he first learned of the development of sorcery, Thrice-Radiant Misho realised the utility of such power, for he remembered the potency of the primordials and knew that even a fraction of their power could form the greatest tool, the greatest shield and the greatest sword of all. He pondered the sacrifice required to take his first step into such a larger world, and so he took his own sword - the oldest and least of all that he possessed, but one that was precious to him; for it was the first real blade he had ever owned, presented to him by his mortal teacher an Age ago. At the end of his sorceror's journey, he threw the sword into the sea and walked away. For the sacrifice of this precious memento, Misho gained the power of the Emerald Circle of Sorcery.
As the dawn of the First Age passed and the power of humanity grew towards its highest peak, Thrice-Radiant Misho pushed at the edge of Creation to hold back the Raksha who were tempted by the primordials' absence. For the greater power required to save his servants, Misho sought out one of the lesser Fae and bid her to draw forth his dreams of peace. From then on, he could hope only for dreamless sleep; for if he did dream, his dreams were of grief and fear, fed by his flawless recollection of the primordial war and his anxieties for the future. For the sacrifice of pleasant dreams, Misho gained the power of the Sapphire Circle of Sorcery.
As the greatest Age of the world passed through its fullest glory, Thrice-Radiant Misho's worries grew. Remaining the first incarnation of his Exaltation, hand-chosen by the Unconquered Sun himself, the Twilight felt dimly some strange disharmony. Possessed of his perfect memory, Misho found his thoughts dwelling ever on the past and percieved perhaps more keenly than his compatriots the fragility of their great civilisation. So Misho turned to his Sidereal advisors for greater wisdom, and journeyed with them to Heaven, there to visit the Dome of the Perfected Lotus and to see the Loom of Fate itself. And there his mind was touched and changed, for the sight of that greatest of Artifacts seared itself into his memory forever, and he knew from then on the true degree to which all things were connected... and the true depth of the consequence to his every action or inaction. For the sacrifice of blessed ignorance, Misho gained the power of the Adamant Circle of Sorcery.
From that moment on, he knew no peace, for his power was such that every pause he ever took meant a life not uplifted that could have been enhanced by his touch, and he felt it keenly. And from that day until the day he died, he would sometimes awake in the night, troubled not as was normal by memory or fear, but by a flickering vision of a future hinted in the faint patterns he had seen long ago in the threads of destiny.
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When he first learned of the development of sorcery, Thrice-Radiant Misho realised the utility of such power, for he remembered the potency of the primordials and knew that even a fraction of their power could form the greatest tool, the greatest shield and the greatest sword of all. He pondered the sacrifice required to take his first step into such a larger world, and so he took his own sword - the oldest and least of all that he possessed, but one that was precious to him; for it was the first real blade he had ever owned, presented to him by his mortal teacher an Age ago. At the end of his sorceror's journey, he threw the sword into the sea and walked away. For the sacrifice of this precious memento, Misho gained the power of the Emerald Circle of Sorcery.
As the dawn of the First Age passed and the power of humanity grew towards its highest peak, Thrice-Radiant Misho pushed at the edge of Creation to hold back the Raksha who were tempted by the primordials' absence. For the greater power required to save his servants, Misho sought out one of the lesser Fae and bid her to draw forth his dreams of peace. From then on, he could hope only for dreamless sleep; for if he did dream, his dreams were of grief and fear, fed by his flawless recollection of the primordial war and his anxieties for the future. For the sacrifice of pleasant dreams, Misho gained the power of the Sapphire Circle of Sorcery.
As the greatest Age of the world passed through its fullest glory, Thrice-Radiant Misho's worries grew. Remaining the first incarnation of his Exaltation, hand-chosen by the Unconquered Sun himself, the Twilight felt dimly some strange disharmony. Possessed of his perfect memory, Misho found his thoughts dwelling ever on the past and percieved perhaps more keenly than his compatriots the fragility of their great civilisation. So Misho turned to his Sidereal advisors for greater wisdom, and journeyed with them to Heaven, there to visit the Dome of the Perfected Lotus and to see the Loom of Fate itself. And there his mind was touched and changed, for the sight of that greatest of Artifacts seared itself into his memory forever, and he knew from then on the true degree to which all things were connected... and the true depth of the consequence to his every action or inaction. For the sacrifice of blessed ignorance, Misho gained the power of the Adamant Circle of Sorcery.
From that moment on, he knew no peace, for his power was such that every pause he ever took meant a life not uplifted that could have been enhanced by his touch, and he felt it keenly. And from that day until the day he died, he would sometimes awake in the night, troubled not as was normal by memory or fear, but by a flickering vision of a future hinted in the faint patterns he had seen long ago in the threads of destiny.