Michael
*As the ship made its way to the harbor with the others, the crew began working to unload a few supplies while Terrel made his way off the ship to the docks at the company of his wolf companion. He waited for Az to join him, silently scanning the groups that came to greet the new arrivals. The Elf wasn't sure what he expected to find here, but he at least figured it would be a nice change of pace from the land he was used to in not hearing much word of this land.*
Marion
*The Ardent grabs his backpack, still with all his equipment fixed to it, and walks off the ship while giving himself a quick patdown to make sure hes got everything and then nods in satisfaction as he confirms that yes he does indeed have his book and pen and whatever other random items hes got in his pockets. He joins Terrel and looks around curiously, his wings twitching as his gaze falls on the groups, but his expression remains blank besides for a small twitch at the corner of his mouth*
"Well then. We're here and it only took a week. Gates sure are fast" *He comments idly*
Michael
*Terrel gave a wave to the crewmen, saying something in Menti to them before he eventually turned away and began walking off from the shoreline with his wolf at his side.*"Been a couple weeks or so."*He says before giving a shrug.*"But time can be hard to keep track of after a while in there. Come on, let's get out of this midday crowd to go find the marketplace around here."*As they walked for a while, leaving the diverse shoreline, it quickly became noticeable just how many Nagas were around. Terrel found himself gazing at them for a while with a tilt of his head, it being very rare for him to see any back in the other countries. So this was where they were all gathering?*
Marion
*Azrael seems rather confused, and a bit concerned, at the revelation that its actually been a couple of weeks and not one but he follows him regardless. Unlike Terrel though he seems to be not only avoiding looking at the Nagas, but is actively focusing on things like the infrastructure and road paving. Theres really only two reasons for this. First, he knows what a Naga is and how they look based on some personal experience with one of them... Albeit a corpse but it was a Naga regardless. The second is that he simply just doesn't want to catch anyone's eye, aka typical introverted nature stuff*
"Most roads lead to the marketplace right?" *He questions idly*
Michael
"So long as the marketplace has roads, sure. We can see if we can get an extra supplies from the marketplace here then take the time to explore around the area until we decide to get back on the road. Hopefully they know of a place worth exploring around this land."*He continued onwards, the crowds gradually building over time as the shopping district became visible. Terrel partially figured he'd be the one to get the map while he let the Ardent do his own thing for a while until they meet up again, causing him to go on his own way in trying to find what he was looking for.*
Marion
*He shrugs, not committing to any particular answer, but he runs his hand through his hair and his wings flutter*
"Well in that case, I'll do some looking around. The architecture and general layout of the city would be interesting to observe, who knows maybe these Naga have a different manner of building cities from Macen and Silnari"
Michael
"See if you can find any place worth staying at tonight while you're at it."*He told him before vanishing amongst the crowds. The Elf passed by a few food stalls, taking a quick pick of a couple snacks for him and his wolf to eat while they continued exploring the different storefronts. Quite a few things seemed to be in a language unfamiliar to him, something he assumed to be the Naga's native tongue. Nevertheless, he continued onwards, hoping to find at least something that looked to be what he was searching for.*
Marion
*The Ardent simply gives him a thumbs up as he turns left into a random side street and dissappears down it, walking off to explore the city essentially*
Michael
*It was near sunset, by the time the Silnari made his way back to where he last saw the Ardent, his bag heavy with objects while his wolf seemed to be precariously holding onto a book in his mouth. Terrel leaned against one of the nearby buildings, keeping to the shade with how warm the weather was getting with his wolf lounging just beside him.*
Marion
*The Ardent was nowhere to be seen as of yet, but from Azraels point of view hes wandering through the streets. Just... The opposite direction of where he entered because he accidentally found the... Nightly patron area. And he cant leg it outta there fast enough, so its not long before he's back where he was before*
Michael
*Terrel glanced up at Azrael's return, coming to stand up more fully.*"Had a fun time in the marketplace?"*He asked him with a chuckle. His wolf gradually made his way over to the Ardent and sniffed at him curiously while Terrel followed more slowly.*"Manage to find some tavern inn or something while you were gone?"
Marion
*He just gives Terrel a borderline traumatized look as he held his hand out to the wolf so it can sniff*
"Definitely did not have fun. Learned a lot about the city though"

*He visibly shudders as he recalls the memory of... That street*
Michael
"What happened? Got attacked by snakes or something?"*He said with a laugh as he gave Az pat on the shoulder before looking off in the direction he had come.*"What did you learn exactly?"
Marion
*He glances back at the road he just came down from and once again shudders, his wings fluttering in a similar manner*
"Horrible things. This city is cursed.. Filled with degenerates"
Michael
"Aren't they all."*He said, chuckling a bit before glancing back to him and noticing how unnerved he was.*"Come on it can't be that bad. What did you see?"
Marion
*He just looks at him with this haunted expression*
"Unspeakably decrepit things. I glimpsed the depths of depravity that hides within society.. People doing horrendous things"
*His wings shudder all by themselves as he subconsciously starts running his hand through his hair, even though its not even untidy*
Michael
*Terrel stared at him for a moment, his gaze gradually drifting to the Ardent's wings for a long while. He casually reached a hand over to them, tugging at them in his idle distraction of it while Azrael seemed to be going through a crisis.*
Marion
*He completely stops everything and just kinda stares at Terrel in confusion when he pulled his wings*
"Did you just..?"
Michael
"They were fluttering so much, I wanted to see if both would stop moving if I held onto one or if one would continue moving while the other remained stopped."*He said idly, without letting go of it.*"That and you seemed to be going through something so I just figured this would distract you as much as it is me right now."
Marion
*He keeps staring at Terrel in utter confusion, completely taken aback by it.*
"Uh.. They both move automatically thanks to how the muscles are connected. I can move one fully but the other would move at least a bit with it if Im consciously trying to move only one" *He still sounded confused but he explained anyways*
Michael
"Hm, well then."*He said thoughtfully as if learning a new fact. Terrel finally shifted his gaze back to Azrael.*"Are you done panicking now?"*The Elf asked him while idly moving the wing a bit in mild mesmerization of them.*
Marion
*He grumbles at the mention of panick, his wings moving with the shrug. Mostly cuz theyre connected to his back*
"Its not panick, its horror and disgust. But yes Im done now"
Michael
"Considering you haven't told me what it's horror and disgust towards, I can't exactly make that judgement call."*He said, finally letting go of the man's wings.*"Where to? It's starting to get late out here."
Marion
"Its best you dont know. Theres an inn on over there that I have evaluated to be adequate" *He gestures in the general direction of where the inn is*

*His wings shudder as they automatically reposition themselves to a comfortable position*
Michael
"Riiigghhttt."*Terrel said slowly before turning and heading off in the direction Az gestured in.*"Welp, let's go then."*His wolf followed after him, eagerly raising the book up in his mouth as he walked with slightly less coordination.*
Marion
*He heads off into the same direction, watching the wolf curiously*
"So whats with the wolf? Do they just like carrying things?"
Michael
"In a way."*He answered.*"He likes to move things around as he sees fit sometimes. I gave him the book to occupy him for a while since he wouldn't stop rummaging through the marketplace stalls. It was getting too much attention around here. This is at least keeping him distracted till we settle for the night."
Marion
*He keeps watching the wolf curiously, tilting his head*
"Huh.. So a wolf has an obsession with things being neat and orderly. Does he have a name?"
Michael
"All wolves have their own thing, I've come to notice considering I have..."*He seemed to think it over a bit.*"Quite a few back home."*He gave his wolf a light pat on the head, listening to the question that followed.*"Shübch."*He answered.*"But around others, I just call him ghost. It means the same thing."*The wolf looked up at them, his tail wagging idly behind him.*
Marion
*He frowns and rubs his chin, pondering how to pronounce the wolves actual name*
"Shubsh. Shub. Shübh? Hmm.. Shubch. Eh almost got it. Also how many exactly is a few?"
Michael
"Ghost."*He said to him, figuring that teaching Kirigic words would be more trouble than it was worth. Terrel gave a shrug at the next question.*"Like five or so."*He answered casually, decidedly not adding hundred to the end of that statement in it being appalling to most.*
Marion
*He glances at some of the buildings they pass then looks back at Terrel*
"Oh 5 wolves? Hm.. Sounds nice. Although I thought you're an adventurer or some other wandering type"
Michael
"You don't typically get wolves by staying in one place."*He took a moment to think about.*"Well I suppose nobility could make it happen. I travel plenty, just nice to have a home base to go back to every now and then to take a break from it."
Marion
*He nods thoughtfully, idly considering what type of home someone like Terrel would have. Probably something strange and a little eccentric*
"Hmm.. I suppose you wouldn't want to live on the road constantly. Wheres your main base though?"
Michael
"Everywhere."*He said before letting out a laugh at the partially contradicting statement.*"I do travel after all."*While Terrel was being truthful about having a place everywhere, he supposed he had come to consider his main base being more to the lands of the west where his friend had started making a village. Terrel figured it not the time to talk about it though, it being about as long of a story as the rest of his ventures.*
Marion
*He snorts at the mild humor of the contradictory statements. Personally Azrael couldn't live 'everywhere'. He needs a specific place to settle down and return to just so he can relax a bit*
"Well so much for the main base thing. Do you only bring some of your wolves with or are you hiding the others with some kind of invisibility scroll?" *Hes mostly joking, but also half serious*
Michael
"Well bringing five wolves with you at once tend to make others a little bit nervous."*He said to him, meaning something a whole lot larger than his words came off.*"And if boredom isn't a dangerous thing then fear is. Then again, it definitely works for bargaining. Perhaps I'd consider, but I think just one's enough to get a message across. And if it's not..."*He reached towards a necklace around his neck, taking out the whistle with engraved wolf image on it."*Well there are eyes everywhere or ears rather. You'd be surprised."*He said with a laugh.*
Marion
*He watches Terrel with a silent, judging curiosity, as if hes analyzing his words and the meaning behind them*
"Hmm... Interesting. Well youre certainly right about boredom, although Id say its more dangerous than fear when considering the type of people it affects and how it affects them. Boredom can lead to people doin some rather heinous things, fear is merely a response to something."
 *He glances at the sky thoughtfully, a frown appearing on his face before he continues* "But i suppose you could use that adorable fur ball for intimidation. Not that Id understand why anyone would be afraid of something so fluffy"
Michael
"Fair point."*He says, glancing down at the wolf.*"Maybe it be just their unpredictability as a wild animal and all. I suppose they're more intimidating when there's more of them. The whole wolf pack thing they're known by."*He says in response.*"They're pretty cunning with that tactic."
Marion
*He looks at the wolf, then at Terrel and back to the wolf*
".. Ehhh. I guess theyd be terrifying if theyre hunting you. But all I see is a ball of excitable fluff"

*He shrugs* "But Im pretty biased in my opinion so you know"
Michael
"Most wolves typically wouldn't go after people without proper reason, but trespassing on their land unprepared can be frightening enough without any way of defending yourself. And same can be said for the wolves. I remember when I once caught one out alone in the forest while it was injured. That one sure didn't want to go down without a fight though."
Marion
"You fought a wounded wolf?? Did it attack you or something?" *He looks quite confused, mainly because he doesn't understand why anyone would intentionally go for a wounded wolf of all things*
Michael
"Fight is a... Strong word..."*He said, thinking back to the wolf trying to attack them to no avail.*"More so just forcefully taking it from one place and moving it to another. Been 'assisting' with the wolf population. Mainly for legal reasons."
Marion
*He scowls and nods, clearly unhappy with the implied reasons but begrudgingly acceptent*
"Well if you just moved them then I don't see much of an issue. Not sure what kind of assistance youre giving the wolves if its legal though"
Michael
"Just making sure they don't grow to concerning amounts. I've taken to watching over them, mostly because it makes it ever so less suspicious if I'm seen around a bunch of them."
Marion
"And.. What exactly do you do if their numbers grow excessive?" *Hes looking at Terrel suspiciously, although its mainly because he just doesn't like the idea of people killing animals when the ecosystem will cull them naturally*
Michael
*He let out a snort of amusement.*"Nothing. So long as the state thinks I'm doing something, I have little concern to the mass amount of wolves appearing under my care. To anyone who looks deep enough into it, I'm doing quite the opposite, but as long as the wolves aren't raiding the towns and travel routes who are they to care?"
Marion
*He nods approvingly, idly running his hand through his hair*
"Thats good to hear. No need to get rid of them if they don't cause any trouble after all"

*He glances at the wolf again and casually reaches his hand towards them*
Michael
*The wolf looked up at Az, watching him reach down towards him and unclamping his jaws on the book he held to drop it in the Ardent's hand in thinking that it was what he wanted.*"What can I say, I like animals."*He said before tapping at the side of his mask.*"If that wasn't obvious enough."
Marion
*He frowns at the wolf in a disappointed manner, but he takes the book anyways*
"Everyone allegedly likes animals and yet they really mean they only like dogs or cats. Its a shame really, wolves are just better than dogs from my point of view and yet so many people associate them with manhunting or something"
Michael
"Most people don't live in a world where they can see animals as simple companions. Got a place at war here. A bunch of criminals taking stuff there. And then there's the higher ups using it more as a showing than actual pets. People just like to have things that they find useful and often there isn't anything more to that."
Marion
*He tsks, a his face briefly flashing with disgust before it returns to neutral*
"Well thats pretty much how the world works. I don't really understand why they do it like this but it is what it is"
Michael
"Resource management and power hunger usually."*He glanced up along the street, his gaze finally falling upon the inn Az mentioned.*"And perhaps just boredom."
Marion
"Boredom doesn't lead to greed and jealousy. It usually leads to.. Well it doesn't matter" *He glances around the area suspiciously*
"Anyways, we got the inn. Doubt they do breakfast though"
Michael
"Guess we can put these ingredients to use whenever we set out tomorrow then."*He said, holding up his bag before coming to a stop at the doors of the inn.*
Marion
*He looks at the bag and casually takes a bottle of spices out of his backpack*
"Good thing I brought these"
Michael
"Guess I'll be seeing you in the morning then."*He said, letting out a light yawn before opening the door to head inside.*"By the way, that book might be a good read. Talks about the magic and wildlife in the area."
Marion
"I'll give it a look over tonight while I try to sleep" *He gives a casual wave and walks into the room he most likely booked earlier, the sound of the door locking practically immediately being heard upon it closing*
Michael
*With Azrael heading off to his own room, Terrel followed suit as well in purchasing a room before heading off inside with his wolf following after him. The door soon closed behind as the Silnari prepared to get some rest for the night.*

*It had been a few days since they last set out from Naktu, following a map of Ruttenia that Terrel was given. A lot of the text was foreign to him, but over the time of them traversing the wilderness, he had quickly grown to understand the scribbled words. Upon leaving the large empire, they had made their way to Parania, a place with much more vegetation and apparently home to a race of living plant people. Terrel had never seen any of the sort before and the record appears to be continuing as there had hardly been any other person in sight since they got here.

By now the sun was about setting, and Terrel knew they'd have to eventually camp out with none of the villages the map spoke of being near. The Elf whistled for his wolf, who had moved on ahead of the two and eventually returned back at the call. Looking back towards his current traveling companion, Terrel decided to ask:*"Shall we find a spot to camp out at? Doesn't seem like we'll be finding the next village anytime soon. Especially with it getting dark."
Marion
*With it starting to become so dark, the Ardent was all the more noticeable with the bright colored wings and the near permanent glow of a cigarette in his mouth. He looks over at Terrel when he spoke up then shrugs*

"Not ideal, but its certainly better than traveling through the night. Do we have dry wood? Because I haven't seen a single dead tree around here"
*With all the greenery and vegetation the Ardent had gotten more than his fair share of stumbling and cursing done for the day, not to mention the humidity, so its safe to say they sounded more annoyed than usual. Still not as annoyed as when theyre in the cities though.*
Michael
"Just this piece."*He said, taking out a small log of wood from his bag. The size of it made the idea laughable, but it was about all he had on him.*"There's always burning this dry grass I suppose. Granted, I doubt it'll end well."*He decided to find a spot where the ferns weren't as tall to place his stuff down at. Figuring, this would be a decent enough spot out of the entirety of the plains they were in. His wolf seemed content with the idea of laying down here as well.*"Wouldn't suppose you had fire magic on you?"*He questioned, mostly as a joke.*
Marion
*He grumbles and was about to drop his backpack but seemed to quickly catch it before it hit the ground, remembering that he has way too much delicate equipment inside it. If anything inside broke... Well it'd be especially disastrous for him considering the current lack of advanced civilization*

*With that said, he plops down onto the ground with a grunt*
"I can *Start* A fire with magic. But to keep a fire going all night with magic alone Id need a lot more mana and the ability to constantly cast in my sleep."

*He plucks out some of the dry grass and tosses it on the ground between the two of them*
"Almost makes me regret i never bothered learning any kind of projectile fire magic. Like fireball or whatever. Burning these plains down sounds like a dream right about now"
Michael
"What is it with mages and mass destruction with whatever magic they have?"*The Silnari questioned as he tossed the log down and got out his pieces of flint. While the offer from Azrael was nice enough, he didn't need magic to at the very least get the fire started.*"Not that I don't get it, I'm sure it's fun, but it's weird that pretty much every mage I've seen is like this. Which while on that topic, as much as you seemed obsessed with learning the secrets of this magic school, how haven't you learned all magics at this point?"
Marion
*He shrugs and watches as he takes out the flint and raise an eyebrow at him. After all he already did say magic is an option, which would be infinitely faster*

"Magic draws those types of people. A sword cuts and a bow shoots, but neither can truly compare to what magic can do. Innumerable uses, absolute versatility and the potential power to lay waste to whatever you desire. Really it all comes down to power for most. Surpassing all logical limits and so on.*

*He grumbles and opens his backpack and rummages through it, pulling out the pillow hes been dragging around for the entirety of this trip. Seems like it should be dirtier all things considered.*

"Buuut when its all said and done there are still limits for most when it comes to magic. I know a good range of spells, but Im too busy with my research into how magic actually *Works* To spend 30 years learning every spell and shool I possibly can. Maybe if I attain my goal I'll have the time to do so, but as it stands Im more interested in unraveling the mysteries of the world than controlling it"
Michael
"I've seen plenty surpass logical limits with nothing but a dagger to aid them."*He said in return as he set out a bedroll.*"But it's not as cool scenic wise. Whether I'd like it or not, magic is technically in everything, but as you said mages get the ones with more use... Outside of fighting included."*With the fire being started, slightly, the elf was able to sit down on the bedroll and untie his long hair for the time being.*"I'm curious of the mysteries too, but mainly just in finding magic items that have use for me where regular magic doesn't. So far, only really seen runes and enchants, but turns out there's a lot more items that mages put together that's just dotted around the map."
Marion
*He shrugs once again and fluffs up his pillow, laying it down and proceeds to lay down on it, making himself comfortable on a small bed of ferns that are now being crushed for their crime of existing*

"Artifacts, runes, enchantments. Its all the same thing at the end of the day, a conduit to guide magic and cause it to do things we want it to. Mages are the same. What we really need to wonder is who on earth was powerful enough to make some of those artifacts and weapons, and how in the bloody hell did they die with that much power. If those people can accomplish things like that, why not attempt immortality or some other form of it?"
Michael
"That would be to suggest that these items still aren't being made today. And I can assure you, there are still mages around crafting things with their own ability. I've seen them myself. As far as ancient artifacts and the mortality of those that made them, I'm pretty sure even those that are immortal wouldn't want to live any longer than a few hundred years if that. They'd probably devolve into insanity at some point. And who would listen to them then?"*He gave his wolf a light pat on the head to get the animal settled in before offering the wolf some jerky strips.*
Marion
*He rubs his chin thoughtfully then looks at Terrel*

"Well I certainly would. Sure maybe theyd just off themselves after a while, but even those that do go crazy will at least have a wealth of knowledge in their books. Im much more interested in the mages that came before than those of the modern time. Do you know just how jealous mages are? Fiercely protective of their personal research and findings. Id bet my own research on it that theres a fuckton of discoveries that were lost in some random mages note book because they were too jealous to share any of it"
Michael
*He snorted in amusement as he laid down on his bedroll.*"Magicians never reveal their secrets."*He said mischievously.*"Maybe with any luck we'll find some ancient ruins or something out here, worth looking through. Not like I've really gotten to explore this place. Turns out vendurians live here as well, but I hardly know about them."
Marion
*He hums in curiosity, mulling over the prospect of delving into some ruins. Sure it sounds fun but...*

"As interesting as itd be to do some grave robbing I don't think theres enough space between us to carry everything Id probably want to grab with us. For now we're just going to have to settle for meeting some plants, which admittedly is quite an interesting thing by itself. Really how do you evolve from eating light to talking and building houses? Animals make sense, they had thumbs and limbs and all kinds of muscle tissue. Plants? Its just bloody fiber, they had to have evolved entire new biological systems to even gain a functional thumb, let alone the fact they ended up looking humanoid"

*He frowns and goes silent all of a sudden, staring up at the stars apparently having realized something. He did that for a good minute before saying anything*

"Isnt it weird how most sentient beings ended up bipedal and following a very similar body structure?" *He comments about as randomly as his silence and frowning had appeared*
Michael
"If I can pocket it and it seems useful, I'm taking it with me."*Terrel said before he too fell into silence. His was more of a calm one, seeing as night was starting to take hold and the hours of traveling was beginning to set in. The Silnari listened idly to Azrael's words, eventually saying.*"Probably has something to do with the way Macens and other Ekremi structure things. I'd assume those that didn't start with that sort of structure probably became that way due to having to change to meet what is required to do things regularly in this world. You don't see regular animals or plants able to ride horses or cast spells or carry things, or frankly move around with similar endurance and speed. Maybe things just all found a good middle ground. I don't even think that plants are the end of it. Wasn't in the lymians that found ways to breathe life into rocks and stone and create a whole new race of bipeds to use for their armies?"
Marion
*He frowns and shakes his head, clearly not agreeing with the answer he gave*
"That would depend on the Macen and other Ekremi having evolved much earlier than the rest of the clades. Which, frankly, I dont think is quite right. Relatively speaking they probably evolved in the same several million years, and even then they must've been rivals for resources unless they came from completely different continents, which by itself would once again raise the question of why theres so many similarities"
*He waves his hand idly as he explains his thought process away*
"And dont get me started on those golems the Lymians made. The implications that has is ridiculous and I already have my hands full with my current research and backlog"
Michael
"I don't see why not."*The Elf continued in defense of his idea.*"Wildborns are basically animals that become humanoid by some means so in one way or another, it seems like things still are evolving. Heck don't some beastkin undergo Ekreminzation in just their lifespan? At that point they're quite literally changing to an appearance more similar to Kemonomimis in just a number of years which has several implications with how their body structure is. As for the golems, I don't see how it's any different than the other magic things mages manage to bend to their own will. They can summon things, they can put magic in things. At this point, I'm pretty sure it's just preference."
Marion
"Yes they undergo these transformations currently, but that is much more due to the influence of will and magic than natural evolution. How many animals are capable of actually *Wielding* Magic?"
*He taps his head with a finger before continuing further*
"And the golems would be normal if it was just maged putting their will into something like an enchantment or artifact. But they literally created a sentient, thinking being with free will using magic. That magic is capable of doing that at all is by itself an implication to one of my personal hypothesis being correct. I believe that in the current age magic has been heavily influenced by the will of those that use it, which would explain how animals become wildborn. Intent and will is a key factor in using magic, I wouldn't be surprised if thats how some of the more recent clades came into natural existence"
Michael
"Not many."*He said in answer to the question about animals being able to wield magic.*"Although magic animals may exist, but I'd see it more as body magic similar to those that aren't particularly seen as mages. Simply stronger than what's normal of their species I guess. And while you do question golems having sentience, isn't it no different than the summons they literally bring out from the grave. Especially if some golems are able to be summoned. Besides, I'm pretty sure most golems lack any more complex thought than the materials they're made of anyways. I'm sure if something exists, magic is probably the cause of it one way or another."
Marion
*He rubs his chin, staring up at the stars as his expression turns to a frown. His eyes seem to glass over as his mind wanders through the unknown and the possible answers*

"Hmmm... While most normal golems you commonly see certainly dont have any sentience, the ones the mages in Lymia created have full sentience like any Ekremi or Beastkin. And for the animals that are magic, I do agree they have a type of body enhancing magic, but as far as Ive seen its likely that those animals were created by absorbing abnormal amounts of magic into their soul which altered their being."

*He rubs his head and runs his fingers through his hair idly, taking a moment to gather his thoughts and process them into words before continuing*

"The problem with magic and those golems created in Lymia specifically is because it heavily implies that magic is at the very least partly responsible for all sentience. And that reinforces one of my age old theories. Magic was the source of everything. The dirt, the air, the planet itself. Ambient mana is everywhere and seems to be in everything. Its a lot stranger to not find any mana at all in something"
Michael
"Thinking real hard over there just to say that magic is the source of everything."*He said humorously.*"We eat, sleep, and breathe it at this point."*Terrel rolled over to his side and reached into his bag to grab a few berries for his Furrow to snack on.*"Even then, it's like there is something new to discover all the time that's seemingly been around for ages. I don't really meet summoners often, so I have little idea of how their summons work outside of this book I had gotten from the dead clan to replace the other magic book. Any other magic beyond that would require looking through some historical text for any real information, unless you plan on making a new discovery yourself out here, but most things have been discovered already."
Marion
*He shrugs non-chalantly, not particularly bothered by his attempted jab*

"Religion exists for a reason. People always say that its this god or that god that created everything and all that stuff because they dont fully understand things. Magic is powerful yes, but they dont think that its anything beyond just a thing the smart asses in the universities use. But I highly doubt we've discovered even a fraction about magic. If we had discovered most things I wouldn't be doing what I do"

*He sits up and stares into the fire, his expression fading into that occasional blank state where nothing seemed to be behind his eyes*

"Lets take a certain school of magic for example. Its taboo, despised and shunned. Simply using it can get you executed in most countries. Im talking about necromancy of course. Magic is capable of breathing life into the dead. To give or take life, its something that youd expect from a god no? And yet magic is capable of something like that. Which brings me back to a earlier point I made, mages who extend their life. Sure theres many ways to do it, but all of it is magical by nature. Altering your own life force, isnt that similar to what necromancy, or death magic, does? It is, as they say, playing god."

*He sighs and pokes the fire with a stick, taking another moment of silence before just shrugging*

" Well I digress. My point is that the fact magic is capable of altering life force, or the soul as some theorize, has massive implications about the nature of magic itself which people dont seem to want to explore"
Michael
"If even a fraction of magic was discovered, people would still be trying to discover more. There's plenty of people experimenting with the old to discover something new. Artificers and Alchemist in particular I'd assume, but that hardly covers half the magic out there."*He said in response. As Az brought up necromancy, the Silnari gave a snort.*"I think Necromancy is given too much credit for the way it is. Maybe it was the first of its kind of magic, but there are a handful of schools that play with the dead as well, it's just not the face of their magic like Necromancy is. Even beyond the school, rituals exist. As you said one to extend life, one to rejuvenate life. I feel at some point there was even one to bring back a life to their original state of being. But that wasn't from necromancy, but instead its polar opposite. Most don't see a reason to explore it as most are satisfied with simply knowing that it is as it is. Putting it all on a god just gives clarity to something that may not have an explanation. Do people truly know how they're able to use their own magic? Do you for that matter? Or do you know that as long as you chant a certain scripture and wave your hand around, something will happen?"*Terrel stared up at the sky and frowned slightly at the thought.*
Marion
*He looks over at Terrel, tilting his head in mild curiosity. His questions were valid, and his observations, while not completely following his own theories, were still surprisingly observant*

"I have to disagree. Necromancy isnt given enough credit, and true bringing life and tampering with life force is part of healing magic for example, but I think necromancy does it in a very different way. The process is different even if the theory behind it is similar"

*He pauses then shrugs, a small scowl in his face*
"Well thats what the very limited amount of books Ive been able to find says. Not exactly like I can go and ask a necromancer now is it?"

*He leans backwards and lays back down, idly looking at the stars again*
"I'll admit though, despite my fascination with magic even I dont fully understand how it works. I could talk throughout the entire trip about my theories and how I believe each spell and ritual channels magic but I'll be honest that doesn't sound particularly pleasant for either of us. I only have so much talk in me after all*

*He glances over at Terrel and flashes him a smirk mixed with arrogance and light hearted humor*
"But hey, youre asking some good questions. Maybe if you stumble on some strange unexplainable thing of magical nature you'll head over to Pepor and give me a heads up, might even get a honorable mention when I finally publish some of my work"
Michael
"Give necromancers any more credit and they'll be hunted down almost as much as vampires are."*He shot back. In all reality, Necromancy seemed like messy work compared to the other schools in Terrel's eyes at least how they were written anyways. While spiritology and faith seemed to be able to bring things back to their original form, necromancy seemed to work with whatever remained of them. Terrel figured it was still cool nonetheless, but he could only really gather as much information as he could read and even then, the folktales seemed more comprehensible.

Ha glanced over at Az from his sly comment, giving a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders.*"I suppose I could. I got a lot of off map places I plan to explore after we're done here. Maybe I'll dig up some magic item that I don't understand so you can tamper with it. Granted that is to assume you walk the same streets in Pepor on the daily, otherwise finding you again would be another act of coincidence."
Marion
*He yawns, looking further back behind himself and reaches back/up into his bag and rummages through it despite it being more difficult of a task with him laying down. But regardless he pulls out a book which was noticeably much neater than the book he usually writes in. Well it helps that the book seems to just be a reading book, some book with one of those boring names. Something something psychology.*

"Fair point. Itd be a shame if necromancy went extinct, despite the controversy surrounding it, we'd lose a very fascinating type of magic."

*He proceeds to open the book and flips to a page that has a folded corner, his own bookmark*

"Dont worry, I only occasionally leave the city for certain expeditions. Just look for a food stall at the docks run by a octopus lady, you'll run into me there eventually. Or you can wait at the university, just make sure you catch me in the morning and not on my way back"
Michael
*Terrel wasn't sure what kind of octopus lady he was supposed to look for exactly, but he decided to assume her to be some kind of Treton that may look like an octopus.*"I'll take my chance at the food stall rather than the university. Though I doubt I'll frequent the country unless my previous explorations call for it."*He said, knowing that after they were done with their trip here, he'd probably return to the west again with no real reason to visit the Lymian area.*"Regardless, guess I'll go ahead and get some rest for now. We got a few weeks to check this place out before the ship returns for us. Going to be a lot of traveling between then."*With those words said, Terrel pulled his cloak over him as a sort of blanket, eventually falling silent once more.*
Marion
*He didnt respond, already having resumed his more common silence and instead kept reading the book, only stopping when the light from the fire was too low to make any words out*