Ask Serenno On the Shores of Belsallian

Vex

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The first time Vex had seen the Royal Palace of Serenno she had just been Nahri Nalju. She had not set foot inside, only observed it from afar. It seemed so much grander than the mansion she had grown up in; and that seemed impossible. As a girl, she had once dreamed of living in it. Of resting her chin on the stone balconies that overlook the Belsallian Sea, drinking in the cool ocean winds, and watching with a light smile playing at her lips as the gulls circled overhead.

Those dreams seemed so far away now. The girl who had dreamt them was dead. A mere mask for the woman now in her body. But Vex could not deny the ghost of excitement that possessed her when she received the Empress' summons. She had been so consumed with securing the necessary resources to build the new prison she was working on on Belsavis that she had not been home in many months. Setting foot on Serenno again...

It felt more nostalgic than it should have.

She arrived at the gates of the palace five standard minutes early. From this angle, the palace looked bigger than any Star Destroyer. Vex felt antlike next to just the massive iron gates, her chest tightening as they swung open for her. She had come as herself, without armor to hide her face. Such disguises were useless before the one she had come to see. And she had to admit it felt good. Being herself. She wished she could feel like this all the time.

She found the Empress in a large garden on the other side of a stone moat bridge. The garden alone was larger than all of Nalju Manor. It was also one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen. Vex greeted the Empress with a bow, a polite smile already on her lips. "Your Grace," she said. "It is wonderful to see you again." @Phoenix
 

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Renfry was still dubious of the woman she had met on Belsavis and later traveled to Mustafar with, but she was interested nonetheless. It wasn't that these meetings were a test or audition, but they were a way for the Empress to get a measure of who the dual woman was.

She sat in the garden of the Serenno palace, but her mind wasn't on the sunny day. It was on the work that was in front of her. She wanted to be studying and practicing the arcane, but instead she was reading reports detailing all the things going on in Empire.

She scrolled through the datapad, sensing the arrival of the other woman. But this time she didn't wear her armor. She wore her real face... or was it? Maybe Vex was her real face and this was the mask.

Good to see you, she said. She hadn't actually told the other woman why she had asked her to come here, but she knew the other woman would be quite excited when she found out.

I'm going to be making an item of illusion today, I thought you might be interested in it, she said. She'd made one before, and as someone who lived a double life, Renfry had no doubt she would find use for such a tool.

As she looked up from her datapad for the first time, her eyes narrowed on the other person.

Something's changed, she said. She frowned and studied the woman closely. Do you know what you've gotten yourself into? she asked, eyebrow arching slightly. Far be it from her to talk anyone out of things, but there was a power here that was familiar even if its flavor was... different.
 

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Vex should not have been surprised the Empress had sensed the change in her. It had been a little over a month or so since their time together on Belsavis and Mustafar. Vex had spent much of her free time since then studying the tomes in Fortress Vader, making notes in her own grimoire. And then there was that trip to Ziost. She was sure the latter was what the Empress was feeling.

"Yes," she answered honestly. Though, there was an argument to be made about whether or not she could handle it. She still heard the witches' voices when she tried to sleep at night. She wondered if that would ever go away. "I took your advice seriously the last time we met," Vex continued. "I've been studying rather dilligently."

But it had been a grueling process. The first few weeks, the most she could do was pull a knife out of thin air or change her eye colors with a simple glamour. She was capable of more now since Ziost, but she was taking it easy. She had read how well it went for witches who dove into the black arts of Sith magick too hastily and was none too eager to join them.

She was excited about the news of the illusionary trinket the Empress had brought her here to create. She had only seen snippets of those books, figuring it required a level of finesse she was still building. But if the Empress thought she could help with her project, Vex was determined to try.

"What sort of illusionary item are we talking about?" she asked, walking slightly closer to a bush of what looked to be roses. They were not the native sort to Serenno, and they smelt so... sweet. "Hopefully nothing that will cover up the beauty of this place," she added. "I use to look up at it longingly as a girl. Do you come here often?" @Phoenix
 

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Renfry looked up at her as she spoke, not particularly elaborating on what had happened.

Hmm, she said cryptically in response to the other woman's statement. Korriban's magick was an entirely separate can of worms from Dathomir's in many ways.

One that lets the wearer conceal parts of themselves. Rather than having to maintain concentration on a concealing illusion, it can be "programmed' with the desired traits, she said.

I've made one before, and I have reason to make a new one, she said.

As she finished explaining, she looked around the palace grounds that Vex commented on. It's where I conduct much of my official duties as Empress, she said. Though she had a palace on Dathomir, she didn't like other Sith traveling there and Junction was a bit too... backwater for such extravagant business.

Besides, it's less stormy here than Dromuund Kaas, she said. Though, she did love the Kaas jungles.

As she slipped her datapad away, she looked up and her face brightened. Vex would be able to follow her gaze to a small toddler likely around a year old who - with another Nightsister in tow - was making her way toward the Empress.

Her arms were out wide and she gave a little call of mama! as she got close. Renfry bent down to snatch her up in a hug in her arms, and planted a kiss on her cheek.

What is it my little cupcake? You wanna come down to mommy's lab for a little bit? she asked. It wasn't exactly the safest place for children, but she'd send Arla out before the real work began.

Come on, she said to Vex, motioning with her head for the other Sith to follow the procession of Empress, toddler, and Nightsister nanny into the building.
 

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Vex's eyes went wide. She was in the midst of thinking about prisons and incantations when a toddler no bigger than one of those toadlike aliens that had once called Yoda their own waddled out into the garden with what looked like a Nightsister nanny. The Empress scooped the child up into her arms, cooing in the way only a mother could. Vex immediately went soft in the middle, thinking of her own mother. It wasn't until just then that she realized how much she missed her.

She obeyed the Empress' beckons, following swiftly after the motherly entourage, before coming up alongside them to see the baby up close. Vex did not hide her genuine smile at the bundle of innocence. It occurred to her then that she was either the worst informed Sith in the Empire, or she was staring at its best kept secret.

"She's adorable," Vex said glowingly. "What is her name?"

The toddler made a face at her and Vex smiled back at it. She had never given much thought to motherhood. Dating seemed hazardous in her line of duty, and she had thought parenthood the same. But if the Empress could do it, there really wasn't any excuse, was there?

As they neared the edges of the garden, coming up on the palace facades, she asked a less personal question. The shock of the baby fading now, she had homed in on something else about the Empress' words that had struck her. "This conciliatory amulet you spoke of—you said you've made one before. How realistic are the glamours?"

Her head was already spinning with the possibilities. Would such a thing allow one to walk about in public without a mask or armor? She didn't dare give herself that kind of hope, but the taste of freedom being on the tip of her tongue was beyond intoxicating. She cursed herself for not thinking of such a device before. @Phoenix
 

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Her name's Arla, she said with a bright smile. As Vex came around to look at the young girl, she would see silvery eyes with flecks of gold and pointed ears. The young girl seemed to look at Vex with a surprising intensity for someone of her age. It was a gaze she had inherited from her father without question.

She was named for a young Nightsister who showed great promise. A recent member of my royal guard taken from me by the Eternal that day on Dathomir, she said. The fact was one she had no need to share, but she also saw no harm in it. It was a bitter memory made more sweet by the thoughts of her daughter. Arla had been one of the only Nightsisters not petrified of Emryc, and she would never forget the day she had found the two of them sparring together.

She took a deep breath as the conversation moved along to the arcane topic at hand, and she nodded.

Well, how complex of illusions can you create? she responded. I've used it to walk around on worlds where it was unbefitting to be Empress, she said.

Renfry continued to carry the young girl as they went inside, heading toward a turbolift that took them down into the bowels of the palace. Vex would gain the impression that they were, in fact, deep below the ocean's surface as they headed down a hall.

The complexity of the illusions and the detail you put into it are limited by your own imagination, your skill, and how well you make the artifact, she said.
 

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Arla.

A gorgeous name for a Sith girl. And the story behind it was one the girl would no doubt one day cherish. Every girl wanted to hear that their mom named them after a fierce warrior she had once respected. Vex sure wished she had a similar story behind her own name. "My mother was from a refugee people," she volunteered. "They were not native to Serenno. She claimed to have named me in their old tongue. 'She Who Sings,' I think it means." She traded a sideways smile with the Empress. "I can assure you that she does not in fact sing. Not at all, actually."

Vex turned and looked down at the path in front of her, whimsically adding, "I'm sure your friend would be deeply honored to know you named your daughter after her," she said, hoping she had chosen the right words for once. She added, respectfully, "May the Force serve her well."

She turned her mind back to the enchantment they were to perform. She stared up at the clear transparisteel that separated them from the ocean. She didn't think a view could get any more splendorous than the one outside, but this secret oceanic pathway was breathtaking.

"My illusions are getting better," she confessed, remembering the prison guards she had sent scattering on Alderaan. "The holocron has helped. There is a ritual in there for staining an area—say, a room—with horrific illusionary projections that prey on their victims minds." She half-laughed to herself. "But I'm thinking horror is not the purpose of this amulet." A sudden serious curtain fell over her features as they neared the lab. "It would be nice to walk about as myself again. To be honest, wearing that helmet all the time was driving me a bit mad. I was beginning to feel like Vader."

And she was only half-joking. @Phoenix
 

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Renfry smirked as Vex said that she didn't sing. Well, she could always learn, she joked.

Yes, I hope it will, she said as she said that the Force would serve her well. She hoped it would do just that: protect her daughter as the days went forward. She looked up at the ocean above, the fish that swam here and there.

Eventually, they reached a decently sized lab and Renfry finally set her daughter down. She went over and started plucking at some papers, and Renfry glanced over to make sure it wasn't anything important.

Oh, how rude of me. Descara this is Vex, Vex, Descara, she said motioning between the Nightsister and Vex. She'd been so caught up in their conversation that she'd forgotten they'd never met before.

Illusions can be used for horror if you'd like, but that's not the purpose I've ever used it for, she said. The amulet will only change your form, though, she said.

I tried to helmet deal for a while, too, but it didn't work out to have an Empress without a face, she said. Nahri may have been joking, but Renfry knew that it was true.
 

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Vex inclined her head to Descara in greeting. In truth, after the Empress, this was the only the second time she had ever met a Nightsister. She had heard the stories. Sometimes thought that a society of women Force-wielders was what the galaxy needed to fix itself. But it was surreal to see one off of Dathomir, and weirdly endearing to see how the Empress clearly cared for her people. The protectiveness she showed towards Dathomir was legendary and warranted. Visitors had not always been so kind to the crimson world.

A door slid open, letting them into the Empress laboratory. Vex had to chuckle at the irony. The last time she had been to a laboratory used by the Empress, she had passed several magma falls. This lab was buried under the ocean. And somehow, she liked it better. The Force wasn't necessarily calm down here. It had its darkness. But she could feel every bit of the currents above her head. The longing to loose herself in them profound.

"What's it like?" she asked as she observed the room, eventually settling her gaze on the Empress. "Being a mother?" Vex looked again at the little bundle in Descara's arms. "To create a life must be... joyous." She was remembering her mother again. A woman so strong she used to think there wasn't a creature in the galaxy who could break her. "And scary."

On some level, Vex knew it was why she was seeking out even the dangerous roads to power. Her words to Varyn on Ziost had been true. She was doing it so that she would never have to lose another like she lost her mother again. Because the thought of that was scarier than any spirit. She wondered if the Empress ever fretted over her child in such a way. She would hate to see anyone who was foolish enough to get between the Queen of the Nightsister and this bundle of innocence she so clearly loved. @Phoenix
 

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Renfry's eyes flicked up to Nahri as she asked about Arla. The young girl was not a piece of her life that she brought into the public eye, and that was not without cause. Many knew she had been pregnant - it was impossible to hide it - but few saw the product of that period.

It's unlike anything else, she said. She didn't elaborate for a variety of reasons. Arla - like most things she cared about in her life - was something she kept mostly to herself.

You wish to be a mother someday? she asked. Perhaps she did, but it seemed like few Sith were interested in having families. Too much interest in acquiring their own power. For Renfry, she didn't care much if her daughter became the Empress someday - in fact, she hoped she didn't - but she did hope the young girl would one day become Queen after her.

Time would tell.

She headed to a corner of the lab and started digging through some items, setting out several thick piece of... well, it couldn't even really be called paper. More of parchment, and several ornate pens. She also pulled a vial of blood from a small freezer.

Tell me what you've learned in your studies, she said.
 

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Vex snickered. "To be honest, I haven't given it much thought," she admitted. "When my sister was alive," Her voice hitched, but she fought to keep her mask solid and strong, "I would take care of her. Not the same, I know, but, I can understand the desire." Maybe she would get to be some day. To hold a life of her own creation in her arms. The ultimate expression of magic. But she was happy to wait until then. For now, she had other responsibilities to get underhand.

And so she turned her mind to other matters. She drummed her fingers through the air like she was playing an instrument, summoning her floating grimoire in a haze of violet smoke. "I started keeping this," she explained. "After Mustafar. One of the tomes in the library there said that most Force witches kept their own books full of spells and personal notes. I assumed it would be a better practice than simply relying on a nearby library every time I needed counsel."

She launched into an explanation of the last month and a half. How she had transcribed the holocron, learning to brew and mix certain concoctions, project illusions into peoples heads. How she had found a former Jedi in the prisons she had taken over on Belsavis to practice on when she had initially interrogated him. "The Korriban magick has strengthened my illusions," she explained. "Hopefully with more practice, I will be able to enchant the mines around the prison I am building at your behest. That should provide an extra level of concealment for anyone trying to get in — and disorientation for anyone stupid enough to attempt escape." She tapped her finger against her chin momentarily, trying to think if there was more. "I haven't attempted anything more complex than that yet. When last I was on Rakata Prime, I saw what happened to those who tried to conjure things like Sithspawn or abominations without proper preparation."

And she was not going to end up like that old man Altair had splatted. @Phoenix
 

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As ther conversation turned to work, Renfry sent Arla and Descara back down the tunnel and above the ground. This wasn't business she needed or wanted to expose her daughter to yet.

She watched as Vex conjured the book out of the air and nodded. She had a grimoire as well, and very few beings had ever cracked its pages. It was perhaps her most sacred singular possession.

You've been busy, then, she said. And your practice with illusions has been going well? she asked.

What have you studied about words and runes of power? she asked, taking one of the pieces of parchment and starting to draw lines upon it as she went. She motioned for Vex to begin copying what she was doing on another piece of parchment.
 

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Vex paged through the blended memories of her early lessons as she moved to copy the lines and diagrams shown to her by the Empress. She had read a little on runes. The book she had begun to compile had a whole section on them, though it was just the basics. "They act as a sort of anchor," she explained. "Usually, when a spell is cast, the caster has to maintain it with some amount of their stamina. The right runic formula is a bit like a program script." Ah, there was Nahri, and her knowledge of droids. "The runes not only contain the desired affect, but compel the Force to supply its own energies rather than exhaust the caster's own."

The books she had read on Mustafar had mostly outlined how the process could be used to enchant a Sith dagger for ritual or battle purposes. She had crafted the ritual variety for any such spells she would need to cast in the future; but the battle-type were more complicated. The books had said nothing about using the runes for illusionary purposes. She suspected she just hadn't gotten to those parts yet.

"Words of power have much the same purpose, if I recall," Vex continued. "They compel the Force to do exactly as the caster bids. And they help the caster focus on a desired effect." Magic could be messy. Like any Force power, undirected, it could reek havoc and chaos. "Some can cast their spells without them, but... Its dangerous, and ill-advised."

As she finished reciting what she knew, she also completed her sketch, looking to the Empress for any sign that she was getting it right. @Phoenix
 

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Renfry nodded at the explanation. Though the details of the way it was explained were slightly different than the idea the Nightsisters had taught her, she supposed it was two sides to the same coin.

Mm-hmm, she said, nodding. What you're describing is a bit more of a spell than a word of power, she said. Words of power is the intersection between a spell and a rune, she said, completing the sketch of the rune on the parchment and holding it up.

The spoken rune. It can be used to store power, released into the Shadow when the word is spoken aloud, she said, looking at the other woman's rune. It was close to identical to hers.

They're important for crafting items. Much of your energy will be focused on channeling the power. Having to also focus on generating it is just asking for trouble, she said.

These runes aren't primed yet, but this is the first step of crafting an item, she said. She thought of when she had done some of this work with Morgan. It seemed like a lifetime ago now... so many people who had come into her life had exited in such violent ways.
 

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The Shadow.

Vex took note of the term, but said nothing. It wasn't an odd thing to call the dark side. She supposed it must be related to the Nightsisters and their interpretation of the Force. "That must be why the Sith of old had a runic language," she mused. Ur-Kittât had been a hard language to learn as an Acolyte, but Vex had not regretted it one day. "Their very language carried the power of the dark side. And it was a power that lingered long after their civilization became ruins in the sands of Korriban."

Her mind turned briefly back to the prison she was still conceiving beneath the surface of Belsavis. She wondered if such a large spell would require her to incorporate runes into the architecture of the structure. She filed away a mental note to look into that later; but if the Empress' explanation held true for items, then it stood to reason buildings were just the same process on a much larger scale.

Ever the diligent learner, Vex waved her hand in the direction of her still-floating grimoire and magically adjusted some of her notes to better fit what the Empress just explained. She had a feeling the difference between spellcasting and words of power would be important in the years to come. "You mentioned these runes haven't been primed yet," Vex said. "I'm assuming primed means 'active.' Does the runic spell, once enchanted, ever require upkeep? Or is it stable until otherwise altered?"

Some Sith curses lasted thousands of years. But that might be a different kind of magic, and Vex wanted to be very certain she understood the type of magic she was performing. Mixing them up could result in a lethal failure in the future. @Phoenix
 

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Renfry nodded as she talked about the language of the Sith and the power of Korriban.

That's right, she said, grabbing another piece of parchment and beginning to trace a new rune on it. They have strong power that's inherent to their planet, and it's part of the reason they were able to harness so much magick. Maybe the reason they were all naturally Force-sensitive as well, she speculated, though it was just that: speculation.

I suspect the planet itself was always a well of power, she said. It was the same as Dathomir. Dathomir had power because of what it was, and the Nightsisters had that power because they were extensions of the planet itself.

Your entrance into a commune with Korriban's magick is a sacred pact. Don't betray it, she warned. She offered no explanation of what she might suffer should she choose to betray the world that was her "patron" so to speak.

Yeah. The runes are ready to take in power, but they don't have the power yet, she said. Certain words are more difficult to prime, which is why some rituals are outside the skills of the inexperienced. They're very stable until the word is spoken, she said, completing the second rune and holding it up for Nahri to see.

This is a simple bauble so it only requires the two words, she said.
 

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Vex reflected on the Empress' words (and warning) as she drew the second rune onto the parchment, already rethinking her plans for the prison. There was no telling how many words a structure of that kind would require to enchant. How much power she would have to channel to prime them.

A thought floated into her mind then that quickly became a question. "Can Force nexuses contribute to the priming of these words?" she asked, holding up her parchment again for the Empress to inspect her work. "So many tombs across Sith space are enchanted," she continued. "It must have required so much power to prime so many words at once."

Then again, the old Sith were said to be nearly gods. The legends about Andraste alone bent the mind. It was possible their sorts of magick were simply not possible any longer. The types of power they wielded not achievable by the Sith of this age. Vex rather didn't believe that. But it was something she had to consider.

And there was something else too. "Your magic and mine... They sound related, or at least similar," she said, placing her parchment back down on the workbench. "Sometimes, it feels so far away from me. I can feel Korriban's heartbeat faintly, but it always feels so distant on Belsvais. How do you stay in touch with Dathomir when you're so far away?"

The way the Empress had described it, it sounded as though Dathomir and Korriban were... alive in some way. That a relationship needed to be maintained. But clearly the Nightsisters and the Empress were capable of leaving Dathomir without losing touch with their home. She wondered if she could ever do the same with Korriban. @Phoenix
 

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Mm, with words of power? It couldn't hurt, but it's usually not necessary. At least not for any words that I know, she said, though the idea of using a Nexus to forge a new, more powerful word was interesting to her. She wasn't sure that it would even be possible.

The runes at temples aren't words of power, though, she said. They're just runes that channel the power of the world itself. The Force. Like you said earlier, it compels the Force to contribute... or something like that, she said. It really only touched the surface of what runes did, but it was a decent enough simplification.

It's why we use them in complex rituals or things that require power that stretches beyond what a normal person could do, she said. She thought of when she had cursed the temple at Ajan Kloss and the spirit of the Jedi Councilor whose saber still hung from her belt.

Words of power, on the other hand, are a means of storing power temporarily, she said. They don't generally channel the power of a world, but store pieces of your own energy, she said.

The question about ties to specific worlds was precisely one she had received many times over the years.

That's not a simple answer, she said. A lot of practice, meditation, frequent returns home, she said.

Some rituals you simply can't do off-world. Many you can still do as long as you're on a world with a strong connection to the Shadow. Some you can do anywhere, she said. It was why she'd been drawn to Felucia after leaving Dathomir. The old Sith worlds - Exegol, the Twins, and Ziost - also held a great deal of that power. And there were many more and Nexuses across the galaxy.
 

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Vex nodded dutifully as the Empress gave her explanation of events. The long and the short of it was simply: it's complicated. This was something she had come to expect of Sith magic. Which meant she would have to experiment with the prison. The records indicated that even the greatest Sith architects, like Lord Momin, had to go for a few trial runs before getting it right. She supposed she would be the next in a long line of dark tinkerers.

She turned now to the runes they had drawn. These words were meant to be her freedom from the shell she wore around others. With them, she could wear another face in public. And just as she had chosen Vex as the name that represented who she felt she was, the face she would wear outside her armor within the Empire would also be of her choice. A goddess made in her own image. There was no greater agency than that.

Vex eyed the vial of blood the Empress had removed from the cooler earlier. "I presume priming a rune is not as simply as merely directing the Force into it," she guessed. Magic always cost something. Its power was never free. "Does it matter what kind of blood is used to do so?"

She had seen in her reading that blood was almost always the most powerful binder. When it was used, the dark side saw that the caster was serious in their intentions and paid attention to their machinations. There were substitutes—and some blood woke the dark side up more than others—but there was a reason Vex had cut her own hand to get into the tomb of the witches on Ziost. Blood was the ultimate sealant for any pact. @Phoenix
 

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Renfry followed her gaze over to the vial of blood. Blood plays a more prominent role in Sith sorcery and alchemy than some other forms of magick, she said.

Force-sensitive blood is often better, but not always necessary, she said. In the case of this, it was Renfry's own blood, drawn in advance so she didn't have to cut herself open whenever she did an experiment.

Sometimes you can prime it with just willpower, but not usually, she said.

She laid out both pieces of parchment on the table in front of her and removed to drops of blood, placing them in a small plate on the table.

She took a deep breath in, focusing on the Shadow and its power. She let that power flow through her and into the ink on the page. One of the drops of blood began to levitate, moving over to the ink on the page.

Power in the room began to swell and grow before she finally spoke a single word.

Troost, she said, her eyes and energy locked on the parchment and its rune. As she said the word, the air in the room almost seemed to vibrate. The blood and ink melded into one and she repeated the process on the other rune. Froast.

The room and its energy began to settle out again, and Renfry moved over to wash down the plate and stacked the pieces of parchment like she was just cleaning up dinner.

Your turn, she said, as she dried the plate off again.
 
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